These two amazing characters were “lost” in the shopping centre this afternoon and for once, security allowed me to use my camera. I apologise for the quality of the shot, the lighting is poor in there and movements were rapid. I shot several but these are the best of the haul.

In case it is difficult to understand, these are the polar opposite to Little Amal. They are full-sized adults dressed as some kind of fairy-tale being, I wouldn't want to call them elves or goblins or dwarves or gnomes, but they are akin to that. Their faces are at the correct height for eye-contact with four-year olds and their voices really do come from their faces. Arms have been suitably adapted and legs hampered in such a way as to make their skeletal anatomy believable, with hips and shoulders at proportionally the correct height from the floor. Naurally they are forced to carry these overwhelmingly top-heavy back-packs. The excitement from toddlers and parents was such a joy to see!

2011: We had contracted our friend Dimitris to paint the exterior of the villa we were managing. I arrived on site one morning with an injured face, I don't now recall which of fat lip, black eye or swollen nose were included. Dimitris looked at me and laughed and asked if the spouse had punched me. I didn't laugh back, I just maintained eye contact and Dimitris fell silent. Later I was admonished for my failure to concoct a story.
A few weeks later we were bickering while sitting on the ground on our very steep hillside. I told him I just wished he'd stop trying to control me. He kicked me in the back of my neck sending me somersaulting down the hillside. It finally dawned on me that this man in this remote location had the potential to give me life-changing injuries, or even kill me.
I sent an SMS to Mima in DownUnder telling her I didn't want to be in my marriage any longer and the following day I received a call from Arachne. Apparently she was having a crisis and needed me to come to her side immediately. Permission was granted.
Several days of long telephone conversations between Greece and Oxford including promises & reassurances and I returned to Greece.
I have never been hit since. I was, and remain to this day, immensely proud that between us we trained a wife-beater to stop.
Later that year I received a cancer diagnosis and my surgeon warned my husband to brace for the very worst, it wasn't looking good at all.