Two Steps Forward, Three Steps Back

Its been a cheese slipping off the cracker kind of day today! like a big rug has been pulled from under us. It feels like Covid is slowly taking away our lively hoods! Not only that, it has been hot, incredibly hot, so hot that The fridge section Makro is more than appealing to me at the moment! If you read my previous blog you would understand that this is a major thing as I hate shopping!!

With all of this in mind, here is something to brighten up your day.Its a song I wrote about wearing a mask, its all just bit of fun. It's called don't be a Bon. I will explain this to you. Bon was a word that Eddie and I used when Jack was little if one of us wanted to call someone a Knob! Young ears and kids being repetitive and all that. It was written at 36000 feet on the way home from our recent trip to Mallorca. I also enclose the lyrics, enjoy xxx

They wear them here, they wear them there
When your in a bar sitting in you chair
When you drinking beer, music in your ear
Don't be a Bon, you gotta keep it on 

Walking down the street No matter who you meet
Driving in your car Whether near or far
When your eating food, when you've all but chewed
Don't be a Bon, you gotta keep it on 

None of us are keen, it is unforeseen 
To be Covid free, we will wait and see
When you in a store, buying up some more
Don't be a Bon, you gotta keep it on 

It's a proven fact, that we have to act
To stop the spread, of this evil dread
It is everywhere, so grin and bare
Don't be a Bon, you gotta keep it on

If your in the sea, swimming in the pool
No one else around, away from the crowd
You can show your face, swimming in the AM race
Don't look like a Bon, don't keep it on 

When it's all but gone, we'll put our music in
Dancing in the street, with the friends we meet
Well hug and kiss, with folk we've missed 
It'll soon be gone, just keep it on 

Unless your on the loo, and no one can see you Don't be a Bon, just keep it on 

Don't Be A Bon (Recording)

While your here, check out my husband Eddie's Blog. A few years ago he wrote a book and has now decided to serialise it check it out here.

Alpha1472

Out Out!! Sort Of

 What do you do when funds are limited yet you have a fair bit of free time on your hands?

There's lots to to, or is there?
There's only so much cleaning, tidying, music practice, online gaming that you can do before you start going a little stir crazy. As I've mentioned before, in our house we have an understanding. If one of us wants to go out, we go! regardless of who it is and where we go. 
Tuesday was no exception, and it was me that wanted to go out. It has been so hot this week and ever since getting home from Mallorca I have been keen to go in the sea, or at least walk along the sea shore plodging our feet. Often we will visit Playa San Juan beach but the shore line is rough under foot and unless you have rubber soled beach shoes it it painful. We decided on the beach between Los Cristianos and Playa De Las Americas (San Telmo Beach). We parked on the harbor in Los Cristianos and plodged our way all along, we got to the end and plodged our way back again. The sea breeze was most welcome on this very hot day and all it cost was just over 1 euro for the parking. When we left the beach we decided to visit Parque Santiago 6 for a coffee, its free to park and the surroundings are nice. There is a bar cafe that we like called Loft. Its outside, its very spacious and there is lots of shady areas to sit and while away an hour or so. We decided on coffee, and Ensaladilla Rusa (Russian Salad). The coffee was piping hot and came along with nice biscuit, mine was apple flavored, Eds was chocolate chip. Then came our Tapas, it was beautifully presented and very tasty and plenty enough for two to share. The entire bill came to 8.70 Euros, more than achievable on a small budget. The added bonus was that because it is all outside and there are no problems with social distancing Eddie was able to have a cigarette and I was not left sitting like Nobby no mates alone while he wondered off to find a smoking zone. I'm not sure on the legalities of the smoking situation but who are we to argue? we were a good distance from any other people in the vicinity.

There is a play area next to the cafe so if you have kids it a great place to visit, we used to take our son Jack when he was little. 
All in all is was a lovely afternoon and all for less than a tenner!

Nothing is Right!

 Anything that was right before now seems wrong! 

Everything we knew and took for granted has now gone, or at least that's how it feels. It has to be said that through all of this I have really tried to air on the positive side of things, glass half full and all that, however with the ever changing laws and rules its getting more and more difficult. For example I've never been keen on food shopping, my husband loves it and he's always been able to turn it in to a pleasant experience, whether its having a giggle between ourselves usually at somebody else's expense, picking up new things to try,  and chatting to people we know etc etc.
It has now become a weekly chore that neither of us enjoy and we end up putting it off until our fridge and cupboards are almost bare. 
Its like the mundane has now become even more mundane. We go in with our masks on, we wash our hands, and we distance ourselves as best we can. We get told off if our trolley is in the wrong place, or worse still the wrong way round at the checkout and the whole thing is just unpleasant. We get what we need and we get out!
We realize that the staff are not to blame, they are merely following instructions, and doing so very well, you cannot fault them!

The bar has been open all weekend and we've had three great nights and we are humbled by the support that our locals keep showing. The smoking ban has put a few people off, and we get this! I'm not a smoker but for many people a social drink and cigarette go hand in hand. We are doing everything we can to enforce the law but it isn't easy. Our chairs are strategically placed with social distancing but as soon as people sit down, the seats are moved to accommodate others, or to be next to someone else. We have a small corner that is two metres away where one or two people can smoke but more often than not there are at least three smokers there. We did find a few cigarette ends where they shouldn't have been last night but we cannot police it every minute of every hour and people do inevitably break the rules, especially after a couple of G+T's! We will continue to do what we do, as best we can, for as long as we can in the hope that in the not too distant future things become a little easier again.

I was lucky enough to be asked to sing once again at the wine bar and terrace last Thursday. Its a regular gig for and I really enjoy it. Usually its a double bill and Jay Francis is also on. he does a fabulous tribute to George Michael. This week however, he was poorly so I was booked to sing all night alone. This was the first time I had gigged alone since March 14th and I was a little apprehensive to say the least. I just wasn't sure that I would appeal to the new type of tourists that are visiting the area. There are lots of younger couples and groups from right across Europe and I wasn't sure they would like what I do. 
My worries were short lived, I chose a set list that I thought would work, I kept the volume at a comfortable level so people could chat as well as listen and it turned out to be a great and busy evening.

We've had another heatwave this weekend, can it get any hotter? apparently it can, and it will over the coming days.

We were lucky enough to have an artisan market in our local square this weekend and although it wasn't that well attended it was really nice to the see that the local council are trying give us some normality in these challenging times. There was a speaker van going around advertising the market, however with there not being many tourists here, and the excessive heat there were simply not that many people about. Hopefully it is something they will do again as tourism increases and the cooler temperatures set in

I was sad to read a few days ago that La Gomera and La Palma have forest fires, they are still burning but as I write they have been controlled, lets hope they are put out soon. I've never been to la Gomera but Eddie, Jack and I were fortunate enough to visit La Palma last year. It is locally known as the pretty island and it certainly lives up to its name!

Well it seems a lot has happened this week. Eddie and I have a running joke that more happens here than what happens in Albert Square, or the cobbles of Coronation Street and its certainly been a busy old week!

Have a great week everyone, and stay safe.There is speculation that the canaries may be given an air bridge, at the moment its only speculation but who knows, we have every thing crossed!

#besafe #ridethestorm

xx

A Narrow Window Of Opportunity

Its been an emotional roller coaster of a week to say the least! We had the chance to take a few days holiday to our favorite place in Mallorca, Port Pollenca. We booked it a few weeks ago and arranged to meet family there, at least that was the plan. Sadly, family couldn't make it due to the new quarantine regulations and the UK once again advising against all but essential travel. We thought long and hard about whether we should still go and we decided to take the plunge. We took a Binter flight from a very quiet Tenerife north airport, changed at Gran Canaria  where we boarded another flight to Palma in Mallorca. There was no in flight service so with this in mind we made sure we had a couple of light refreshments purchased at the airport for the journey home which was a direct flight. We had an amazing time supporting all our favourite places and finding new ones too. We met some wonderful people on this trip and have certainly made new friends as well as catching up with old ones. I was also lucky enough to try something new...... Stand up paddle! or SUP. Basically you stand on an over sized surf board with an oar and you paddle along. I absolutely loved it and I cannot wait to do it again. 

While we were in Mallorca the laws changed yet again. Smoking is no longer allowed on restaurant and bar terraces unless you can be two metres away from everyone else, this makes things quite difficult on our small terrace but hey ho there's nothing we can do about it so we just have to go with it.
Masks are now also mandatory in  all public spaces, whether social distancing can be maintained or not.
While it isn't comfortable walking about in 30 degree heat wearing them, its not actually that bad and should you get the chance to visit Spain you shouldn't by any means, let this deter you. 

Our little village of Los Gigantes has also been very quiet. Many of the part time locals have now gone, and the percentage of tourists visiting is obviously way down from the norm. That said, there are still many places open all offering a great service, and I feel that going out and supporting local businesses should be encouraged more than ever, we really need to stick together as a community.
Sadly there are one or two that disagree and have actually been promoting the idea that staying home is better. I guess this happens everywhere, although it makes me quite sad as my ethic is to support local wherever possible!

This week Trip advisor sent out an award to all the local bars and restaurants in the area (I would imagine that every business in the world received one). I, along with pretty much everyone else took it with a pinch of salt and saw it for exactly what it was. A marketing exercise, nothing more nothing less. There were a couple of folk that took it as a merit and posted all over social media, ours stayed in my email inbox along with many others I would imagine. We don't need trip advisor to tell us we're doing OK!

On a more sad note, our lovely Dee who works for us in the bar had to say goodbye to her beloved pooch!
Kira finally went to sleep on Monday August 17th at a ripe old age of fifteen years old. RIP you gorgeous ball of fluff you will be so missed! 

That's about all for this week. As always 60's Bar will be open at the weekend from Friday at 6 PM and we would love to see you. Wherever you are and whatever you are doing take care, be safe and ride the storm xx

 

We Have A Hostage Situation!

 Ok, maybe I'm being a bit dramatic but with the current situation we are all in, this is how it feels. It seems you can't book a package holiday without the media putting the fear of god in to you regarding cancellations and travel insurances being void. If you do manage to get a flight and a hotel, it is pot luck as to the whether your chosen hotel is open, if it isn't then who knows where you might end up. 

This said, people are still travelling, as my father used to say years and years ago, people are always on the move and always travelling. He was absolutely right. 

Los Gigantes has seen a few tourists this week, however, many have now gone as they were threatened by their travel companies that if they didn't take early flights they would then risk having to make their own way home. Its a disgrace if you ask me, my heart goes out to these poor folk that get about 2 days notice telling them that their holiday is now cancelled. We, along with many others have been subject to these such happenings and it absolutely breaks your heart. It seems that there is just no end in sight, it makes you question everything about your life, how it was before lockdown and what to expect from this "new" normal, a phrase that I'm already fed up of hearing.

I'm not one to talk politics, usually when it comes up in conversation my husband Eddie is the first to join in and engage, I, on the other hand usually run a a mile, it has to be one of my least favourite subjects for discussion. I have found myself being dragged in to the odd conversation but I find myself getting slightly wound up if I'm honest. One thing that did come up was world peace, I have a theory about world peace and my theory is this. Why are people protesting in favour of world peace? surely if we all spent quality time at home with our families living the peaceful life that we all strive for, wouldn't the world be a more peaceful place?
I'm not even sure that all these new rules and regulations are anything to do with health anymore, it's became all about politics if you ask me. It feels like we are all being punished, held hostage, and when it begins to stop you visiting family members its cruel, its downright cruel. 

Sadly many businesses are now going under because of political decisions, some will survive but many won't and there is no end in sight. Luckily here at 60's Bar we have some great locals and a handful of repeat visitors who are keen to support us and its humbling that they are doing this, we just hope we can carry on and see it through until better times return

Until next time, stay safe and have great week! what I really mean is make the best of it you can. 2020 has taught us to adapt, and make the best of a bad situation, lets keep our spirits up and support each other!

Take care xxx

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