Thank Goodness I Have No Intention Of Going To The Beach!!!

We had a lovely ride out today and found ourselves in the town of El Medano. It's somewhere we don't visit very often, in fact its probably been two or three years since our last visit. 

We arrived at around 1.30 pm and managed to get a parking space close to the centre, this was an achievement. We took a stroll down a a couple of the side streets and made our way to the beach front. It was busy! It was so busy that you could be fooled in to thinking there is no pandemic, that is until you see all the red tape and socially distanced tables in the cafes and restaurants.
We found a lovely little restaurant and there was one little table all alone and it was available. I grabbed it and we sat and had a couple of drinks and some tapas. We were right on the waters edge and it was just gorgeous. 

The beach was busy but there were barriers all the way along and they were only allowing a certain amount of people to go on. I wonder if it will be so busy tomorrow now that the government has announced that masks must be worn at all times on the beach. I find this sad, and once again I feel that the minority is to blame. I hate wearing masks as much as the next person, its the law and we have to do it!

Just near where we live, there is a kiddies play park and in Covid level three restrictions it is closed off. There is red tape around it, it has been like this since last week, I have seen numerous amounts of both kids and adults in there acting like nothing has changed. Its like they simply don't care. This pandemic is not going to go away until we just accept it and go by the rules. There is no point in arguing as it will only prolong things, most of us just want to ride it out, do what needs to be done and get back to some kind of "normal" and see our families.
We are now following the Covid rules as best we can but because of the minority that simply refuse to play by the rules we are not getting anywhere, and it feels almost like we are being punished.

So we are in Covid level three and most of our long stay winter British visitors have now gone home. We are now left we  a small core of locals, for how long is anyone's guess as both the Spanish and the  UK governments both keep changing the goal posts. Level three means that once again we have a 10PM till 6AM curfew, indoor areas of bars and restaurants are off limits and live entertainment is banned. This is until at least the 10th of April and then we will wait and see where we go from there.

We have talked about the possibility of going away for a few days but we would rather wait until we can go somewhere we really want to go instead of just going somewhere for the sake of it. Unless cabin fever kicks in with a vengeance we will just stay put and opt for day trips around our island.
Today was El Medano and its amazing that somewhere just a few kilometres from home can have such a completely different feel and vibe. Lets see where we end up next week!

Until next time

H x

Eddie and I enjoying Tapas at the waters edge!

When I took photo there was noone, however 10 previous was a different story

Feaster!

No, it is not a typo error, this is what we call Easter in Our house, and its nothing to do with a feast.

I HATE EASTER! There I've said it. Why do you hate Easter I here you ask!

Firstly the super markets sell over priced chocolate eggs, I particularly love Cadburys Dairymilk, I can buy it anytime of the year, it does not need to be moulded in to an expensive egg shape.

Secondly, it is a time when the Spanish people celebrate with their families. This means that lots of people will be descending on our little village from the north of the island. Many of them will be staying with friends and relatives which is currently not allowed under level three restrictions. I have no problem with them coming down from the north, however, under level three restrictions they shouldn't be travelling unnecessarily. They will come down armed with boot loads of food and drink, there will be nowhere to park and although there are people on the beach and strolling around  making the area look busier, it is just an illusion. Yes, the beaches will be packed but the poor old local businesses already just about surviving will not benefit one bit!

Two years ago, we closed over Easter and we took a flight to La Palma for a few days, it was somewhere we had always wanted to visit. It is known as the pretty island and it didn't disappoint.
The Capital Santa Cruz is a small city with a lot of character. The main street is cobbled and full of old buildings, you won't find many of the usual high street names that you might find on the larger high streets. What you will find is an array of individual independent stores that have probably been run by the same families for years. Its a very pretty sight and many of the old fashioned balconies are awash with flowers. 

One of the highlights of our visit was driving along the LP109. Its in the far north of the island and its a tiny road where for most of the time if you meet another vehicle coming in the other direction it would not be easy to pass. We only found this gem by accident after being diverted from one of the major roads.
It was like driving through the film set of Jurassic park with deep ravines and tunnels that had been carved in to the mountains. The tunnels were raw, there was no lighting, they were simply "Rock Holes" as Jack called them. Fortunately we were only met by one small maintenance vehicle so our ride was pretty much uninterrupted. Its probably one of the best roads that Eddie and I have been fortunate to drive.

Last Easter we were of course in lockdown, we were at home, unable to leave the house let alone travel anywhere so it was quiet, uneventful and spent in the house.

This year, we are already being invaded by the "Northeners" I just hope that they leave their Covid germs at home. 

Until next time, stay safe

H x

My Photos today are from our trip to La Palma, Feaster 2019

"Glam up" Saturday, during lock down last year

If you look closely you can just see Teide

"Rock Hole"

A Year And A Week & Back To Level Three We Go!

Its been a funny old week, I've had a birthday, and after last year it was nice to be able to go out and celebrate it! Under Covid restrictions of course. 

I enjoyed a Tapas lunch with my family on my birthday. It was an afternoon affair as we were working that evening. We had Russian Salad, Meat with Potatoes and Old Clothes! Old Clothes I hear you ask!! Yes, a tapas dish called old clothes.
Back in "The Day" it was a dish that was made up of all the old veg and food items that basically needed using up, things that were passed their best! these days its a pulled pork dish with Chickpeas and vegetables. I thoroughly enjoyed "Old Clothes" along with the other tapas dishes and will most definitely have it again. We did of course have Bread and Ali Oli, it just wouldn't be Tapas otherwise!

I had hundreds of greetings on social media from friends and family and it was lovely to read through them all.

On Saturday we were invited to the cocktail afternoon at TJ's Bar in Los Gigantes, It is run by Paul and his cocktails are just amazing. The idea of the afternoon was for people to bring a bottle of something from home that they wouldn't necessarily drink, Paul would then take it and turn it in to a tasty cocktail. There were some interesting bottles of various spirits and Paul was very informative about the history and the stories behind some of the drinks, along with the methods used to make the cocktails.

From TJ's we went to La Bodeguita to celebrate my birthday with friends, we all ate and drank a bit too much but we had an amazing time, we were very well looked after after by Lee and her family.

The news is now starting to sink in that we are now back in to level 3 of covid restrictions. This means that the interiors of bars and restaurants cannot be used and we can only have 50% of our usual capacity on the terrace. It makes me wonder if its really worth staying open. We plan to stay open, however we may take a few days off over Easter. Even under normal circumstances, Easter is a very quiet time for us and we suspect that this year will be even worse. Live music has also been cancelled while we are in level three so our usual Monday afternoons at the Wine Bar and Terrace are on hold.

We are trying our absolute best to stay positive although I did read one post on Facebook regarding the hospitality and tourist sector. The author wrote that he felt like the Spanish government are trying to push the foreigners out so that when this is all over, there will be more jobs for the Spanish people. I really do hope that there is no truth in it but it is certainly food for thought. Tenerife is our home, we have lived and worked here for almost twenty years, our son Jack was born here! 

There is something else that's bothering me at the moment too. Not so much here but on the island of Mallorca where Covid restrictions have been harder than ours of late, they are allowing hundreds of tourists from Germany and other countries to fly in and take holidays. The locals are being advised not to travel and not to visit each others homes over Easter, yet all these tourists are being allowed in.  Spain has strict restrictions in place for Easter, although the Spanish are renowned for holidaying at Easter as its one of the very few occasions in the year where they get a four day bank holiday weekend. Will the restrictions stop them? I'm on the fence!

One last thing, I have been doing the Alcala walk for the last few weeks, its a lovely walk and great for body and the mind. We wear our masks as is the law, however if there is no one around and nobody coming towards us we sometimes drop them around our chin. Yesterday we decided to count how many people were and weren't wearing their masks. We didn't include runners as I don't think they have to wear them. The final score was that around two thirds of people did have them on and the other third did not. Not only were they not wearing them, some of them appeared to not even have one!

I hope you've had a good week wherever you are.

Take care and stay safe

H x

Birthday girl with the customary Birthday Hat!

TJ's Cocktail Afternoon

Some of the bottles that were brought in

Paul working his magic

Of course, somebody had to quality control the cocktails!!

The Lovely Lee!

The Anniversary That No One Wanted To Celebrate!

I woke up a little emotional today.

Yesterday was a year to the day that the police came in to our bar, 60´s Bar and instructed us to close, due to the Covid lockdown. In all fairness they were lovely, there was three of them and they had been instructed by the government to go round and tell everyone that they had to close. Obviously we had no idea that the initial two week lockdown would still be in place one year on. The restrictions are not so strict, however, we are still under varying levels of rules that we have to abide by.

Little did we know that that Saturday evening this time last year was the last 'normal' Saturday night we would have until who knows when.
I remember it well, I was singing at the Wine bar and it was cold, so we were inside. Some people had absolutely no idea that the lockdown was imminent.
It was meant to start at 8am on Monday the 15th of march but it was brought forward to midnight on the 13th. I returned to the bar after saying goodbye to the staff and the customers, not knowing when we would see each other again. Many restaurants had obviously stocked up for Sunday meals and we had a very busy week ahead of us with St Patricks day along with a couple of birthdays including mine. We had taken delivery of a large amount of booze from the brewery and then suddenly boom, our bar along with every other bar and restaurant on the island fell empty, and stayed that way for around three months.

Eddie and I returned home on that evening and I phoned my mum. I told her that within a few days I thought tat the UK would be locked down and to inform my brother to go and fetch my niece from Manchester where she was at university.

The next few weeks became one of the most surreal times that I can remember. there were ups and downs, and a daily argument over who would go to the bins!!! that was the only place we could go apart from the supermarket, we couldn't even go out to exercise, it was that strict! Eddie did the big supermarket runs with the car and I would walk to our local Lidl store. I did do the big supermarket run once but when the car decided it wouldn't start when I returned to it with a trolley load of shopping, it was my first and last visit!

Lockdown for us was actually OK. At first it was a novelty being forced in to taking time off work. we both got stuck in to hobbies, the house was blitzed from top to bottom, it soon got messy again though as we were spending every waking hour there. We vlogged every day and did online quizzes, along with the 'Glam Up' Saturdays and the weekly Quaransing, we had a lot of fun. We had a strict food routine that meant whoever was going shopping knew what had to be bought and very little went to waste. I learnt how to bake bread, I had no idea it had to prove not once, but twice!

Here we are a year later and what has changed? well, not an awful lot if I'm honest. Our little bar remains open on limited hours and its been a whirlwind few months working under the new restrictions and the fact that they are forever changing, we really don't know whether we are coming or going, we do however feel very lucky that we can be open and that we are supported by a very loyal group of locals. We do our best to keep people entertained with our quizzes and games and we will continue to do so for as long as we can. There are very few tourists here at the moment and the last remaining British people that have been here for the winter are soon to all be gone due to the new 90 day brexit rule, that will leave a very small core of British residents until tourists from the UK can begin to return.

I woke up this morning and it is Mothers day, I opened Facebook and started looking at all the updates and everyone wishing their mums a wonderful mothers day along with photos, and one drawing from a family member that really made me well up. I had a gift from my son, a cup of tea in bed, however we are a family that don't really celebrate or embrace these occasions, we don't really need a special day to show our feelings, we can do that any day of the year. I was saddened to hear that there are no daffodils in the UK as there is no one available to pick them, somethings a miss if you ask me

Birthdays however are more important to me and yesterday I was lucky enough to receive a birthday gift, albeit a bit early. I now have an Alexa and I've had so much fun telling it what do and play, its fab, a big thank you to my parents in the UK.

One more thing I´d like to add is that this time last year we were all encouraging each other to show kindness. Caroline flack took her own life which was a shock to a lot of people, me included and I was always brought up to be kind and to never judge, if you've got nothing nice to say then say noting, that is my policy.
There was a royal interview on Sunday that the whole world practically watched and although I have my own opinions that I will not go into, It fuelled a media frenzy and the some of the reports were just awful. I like the royal family, I was lucky enough to meet the queen many years ago when she came to Worcester in the late Seventies, I even got my picture in the local paper. They have been around for 1200 years or so, and they are here to stay. They do a lot of great work and for that I have a lot of respect for them. 

Until next time, stay safe

H xxx

The hat belongs to my Mum, as often as I ask her for it, she is not ready to part with it yet!!!!

My Mum and I

My Amazing Parents

The day our Queen came to Worcester. I'm the one just above her Bouquet!

 

Teide poking through the haze on a ride out yesterday!

When There´s Nowhere to go, Go To The Top!!!

 At a loose end and fed up of window shopping we decided to take a ride to Teide.

The conversation went like this, Ed started;

"I want to go out"
"Ok, where do you want to go"
"I don´t know"
"Ok, I´ll get ready and we will go"

Armed with all my usual tack that has to come out with us, hoodie, sunnies, mask, reading glasses etc etc we head out and get in the car.

"Where are we going?" Eddie asks

Erm......I scratch my head and remind him that it was him that wanted to go out!!!

We drive to Alcala and decide that we haven´t had a ride up Teide for at least four or five years so, we head up the motorway towards Chio and start our ascent.
As we head further up, there are pine forests and its windy. One minute the sun is out, the next we are immersed in cloud and we are cold. The aircon is on, the aircon is off!
We carry on through the pine forests and then they suddenly disappear and we are now in a lava field and the scenery is just stunning. It certainly has an appearance not dissimilar to mars and Eddie jokes that we should look out for Perseverance just in case its all a massive hoax. 
We carry on, still going up and it seems that these roads have had a face lift since the last time we were there. They have been resurfaced and new barriers have been installed, making it a more pleasant ride.
I´d  actually forgotten how straight the roads are up there, I don´t know who built them but the Romans spring to mind. Eventually we get too the cable car station but the cable cars aren´t going as the weather is just to unstable, we carry on and stop for coffee. 

Thank god I had brought my coat, it was freezing. Layered up we sit outside and have coffee. We
could´ve sat inside but that would´ve been no fun.
We drink our coffee while watching the birds feed on various seeds and other things, they are remarkably tame. I then think to myself that this is probably a family owned business and that they probably live on the premises and we talk about when were in full lockdown last year. These people probably never saw a soul from one day to the next, I imagine the only vehicles would´ve been the police patrol vehicles and possibly a couple of maintenance vehicles now and then. I wonder what it was like for them, I really should´ve asked. 

Obviously in "normal times" this cafe would be inundated with coaches, hire cars, cyclists and although people are still going up there, its a small percentage compared to the usual volume of visitors. 

We finish our drinks and get back in the car and begin our journey home. We make a nostalgic stop at the rocks of Garcia. Nostalgic because we have photos of Jack and I both stood by a particular rock. Today Jack wasn´t with us, so it was just me and the rock!

We had a fabulous ride out, and thanks to the new motorway the journey is much easier and quicker. The lack of tourists meant the roads were very peaceful and parking was easy.

Sometimes you just have to take some time out and a change of scenery and a break from the norm was the perfect tonic, and just what we needed!

As always, take care and keep riding this looooooooooooonnnnnnnnnnggggggggggg storm, almost a year now!!!!

Until next time

H x

Where are you Jack?

Jack is a lot bigger these days! the rock and I remain about the same size!!