Bahrain-Santa-Bell

Before joining blipfoto, I would not have thought of going up to the cemetery to hang some Bahraini baubles on a holly bush! That particular trip was only partially successful, because the holly background was too tricky. So I came back and hung it up indoors. Although I chose the Christmas tree this year, it's impossible to hang things on it without them bunching up together! It's a blue fir with three points, and thus three handmade stars.

Blue Santa bell dates back to my first trip to Bahrain in 2007. He came from the government craft shop (I've forgotten the real name for such places) for tourists. It's likely that it was made in part of the Indian subcontinent, possibly Kashmir. Indigenous crafts in Bahrain are gypsum carving and palm weaving, but at that time one could buy papier mache objets from Kashmir, and pashminas in many shops, stalls or parts of the Suq. As Christmas is not part of the tradition of the craftspeople who make these tree decorations, liberties are taken with colour schemes. It was a tough choice between blue Santa or pink Santa. Now I wish I had bought them both!

(I have ended up with a B & W shot, which is irritating, but things are not working out for me today, photographically. So, Santa is wearing blue, he has a red cheeked face, and he's depicted against an orange background. Maybe I will try again tomorrow).


Last night's party was a success, taking place in the Black Books cafe, which has book lined walls (all books are for sale) from floor to ceiling height. When the cafe tables are removed, it makes a wonderful open space for mingling. Houses in Stroud tend to have tiny rooms and low ceilings ( unless they're Georgian, but I don't know many people who live in the grand houses of Stroud) so it was a relief not to be in a hobbit hovel, and to circulate freely. Thank God I managed not to speak to, or insult, the Tory MP who was there because I believe he had been invited, though the moment he left the hostess' son started slagging him off because he is planning to go on some (sponsored) trip to Antarctica!

CleanSteve has gone off to Gloucester to get some fresh tofu from the Yip Shing wholesaler. He does this so regularly that we could probably commission the tofu truck to come here! I'm processing the pre-Christmas laundry mountain, and would most likely go back to bed, if it had any sheets on it, to listen to the last hour of my audio book, A Golden Age by Tahmina Anam. I knew hardly anything about the creation of the Bangladeshi state before I started listening, yet had lived among Bengalis in London's Tower Hamlets. Time to find out...