When Is Blog Not A Blog, Maybe When Its A Rant!

So, I'm sitting at home, more bored than a bored thing on a really boring day and thinking.... do I blog? So here I am blogging without a clue what I am writing about.

I will start with this weeks media headlines! 
"1000's of brits head to Spain now that the entry requirements have been relaxed"
 Those were the words, there or there about.

With this in mind and a hot cup of coffee in front of me, I decided to have a look at airport arrivals in Spain. First of all I looked at Tenerife south, my local airport. Lets start with Monday!
How many flights were coming in from the UK? I expected maybe 3 or 4......none, although I have been since informed that one flight came in earlier that day from London Stanstead OK I thought, lets have a look at Tuesday, once again no flights at all from the UK. Today maybe there is one or two but I don't think for one minute they will be anywhere near full.

I then went on to look at Palma De Mallorca, oh how I would love to travel there for holiday! My findings were pretty much the same as Tenerife, very few UK arrivals. 

I then went on to look at Alicante airport which was slightly more promising, on one day I think there were around ten UK flights coming, mainly from London airports. What we have to remember though is that Alicante serves a massive part of Spain and these few tourists coming in wont have much impact on our already suffering economy. they are merely a drop in the ocean!

Its all well and good the Spanish government saying that British tourists can come here, however Bo Jo and his cronies are still advising against it, therefore we really aren't any further forward. 

Having spoken to a few locals around the place, yes there are still a good few us here! people seem to be a little concerned that brits can now enter without a PCR test.  I'm not 100% sure what the finer details are or whether they can only enter with such a test if they have been vaccinated, I don't know!

All I know is that cabin fever is really starting to set in, as it is for many people, and we hope that these government nitwits get their act together sometime soon and allow us to get on with out lives!

Once again I thank you all for your continued support!

Until next time

H x

A Snap shot from the walk a few days back!

Alcala Beach!

Brexiting from Eurovision! A Charity Gig & The Fire!

We watch the Eurovision song contest every year. We usually show it in the 60's Bar! We've had Eurovision sweepstakes, Eurovision hedgehogs and lots of other gimmicks, as well as a lot of fun.
This year we watched from the comfort of our couch! I thought it was a great show although my song choices didn't do very well at all. I really liked the Norwegian entry Tix, I also thought our song Embers was quite good, I also liked the Italian rock song that went on to win. I felt incredibly sorry for our man James Newman who should have at least scored some points.
I feel that it gets more political every year and I also wonder wonder what the outcome would be if no one actually knew what country the songs came from. I think this would change everything, it would certainly make things interesting.

This week I was invited to sing at the Gillian Banks charity event at the wine bar and terrace in Los Gigantes. I know I mention the wine bar a lot in my blogs, it is always a pleasure to be able to sing at this great venue and support them when we can. Gillian banks is a charity that helps under privileged kids on the island and they do a fantastic job. Gillian has a stage school in the UK and usually flies the students over and they put on extravaganza. This year was slightly more low key due to the current travel restrictions. As usual a great day was had by all and lots of money as raised for this great cause.

Spain has now opened its borders to the UK which means people can travel here once again.
Boris and his people however, still consider that Spain is an amber country so anyone travelling from the UK will still be subject to testing and quarantine on their return. Its a positive move and a step in the right direction although I still feel we have a long way to go until any kind of normality is restored. There does seem to be a slight buzz around and many businesses are starting to post on social media with opening dates and and a general excitement of being back. Siam Park has opened its doors after fourteen months of being closed and so has Loro Parque. Los Gigantes remains very quiet although the beach has now reopened and hopefully as more tourists arrive, the hotels and other businesses will follow suit.

Sadly, last week a forest fire started on the island in the Arico area, along with an alert for windy weather it spread rapidly. As I type today, the fire is now under control and all but put out. The fire fighters, most of who are volunteers will continue to dampen down the area so that it doesn't reignite. Although the fire was a long way from us, the wind was blowing this way so many of us on the west coast and beyond could see the smoke cloud, it brought with it a lot of ash which fell across the area. As I was walking to Alcala just the other day the smoke cloud was very visible and I have posted a couple of photos below.

Whatever you are doing and wherever you are, stay safe 

Until next time

H

Ready for Saturday's gig

Poor old UK, Nil points again

Shelly (From Delmar) and I ready to sell the Singalong Bingo tickets

The Winebar & Terrace

Smoke cloud from the fire!

It blocked out the sun and made everything glow orange!

A Change Of Scenery And A Two Hour Jolly!

Its been a busy time and I haven't blogged for a whole eight days!

Last weekend, we decided to have a change of scenery, a night out away from the village and it was just what we needed.

We took a trip down to Costa Adeje to an Irish bar at a commercial centre called The Duke Shops. We have visited during the day but never in the evening, as under usual circumstances we are too busy.

The two ground floors are full of high end stores along with a couple of restaurants, however go up to the first floor and you'll find The Bombay Babu Indian Restaurant, a couple of other eateries and right at the far end, The Irish Anchor.

My dad and I have a fascination about Irish bars and if ever we are on holiday together hopefully soon we will seek them out. This is one I will definitely be taking him to.

On this particular evening it wasn't so busy, sadly it was quite the opposite although I think when things get back to some kind of normal it will be one of the 'in' places to go. Eddie ordered a pint of Guinness and it didn't disappoint, I stuck to my usual glass of San Valentine although later I did opt for a baileys coffee which was I thoroughly enjoyed, it was served piping hot. I was given the option of whipped cream and seeing as though Saturdays are calorie free I said yes. The service from the staff was spot on and the drinks prices are very reasonable.

The bar has live music which was one of the reasons we wanted to go. They are a father and son duo called Special brew and having seen Ollie (the son) before, we knew they would be good. They both play guitar and sing although Ollies Dad John plays other instruments too.
They are the resident duo at the Irish Anchor and they appear six nights a week, I highly recommend you pay them a visit, you wont be disappointed.  We spent a couple of hours watching them and we left feeling like we were almost on holiday, albeit for just a couple of hours. 

I've had another project on the go this week as I've had a bee in my bonnet about writing and producing an original song, its certainly kept me busy. Usually when I want to record I will ask Eddie nicely and hope he will sit and produce what ever I record. This time I wanted to do it myself!
I now have a new found respect for sound engineers as it has certainly been a time consuming and long winded project. I am now nearly finished and I will posting for all to hear when it is complete.

Not much has changed over the last week with regards to Covid and restrictions. Our figures are dropping quite nicely now and Spain have said that people from Germany and The Netherlands can enter with a negative PCR test. Sadly for the UK we are still an Amber country which means you shouldn't travel here without good reason. We are keeping everything crossed that this may change soon as I believe that the UK might say that the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands will open to holiday makers. This would be brilliant as it would mean we could have the tourists back which we desperately need. In the meantime we sit with bated breath, crossed limbs and we hope!

This was a headline that popped up on my social media a few days back! POSITIVE NEWS! Spain aim to lift travel ban for British tourists from May 20th. Maroto says that British holidaymakers could possibly come without needing a PCR test...

In the meantime we sit with bated breath, crossed limbs and we hope!

Until next time, stay safe

H x

Will Someone Just Explain It To Me Like I'm Three Years Old

Spain has now come out of the state of emergency!

We now have no curfew but as far as I can make out all the other restrictions that are in place remain the same. The harsh truth is nobody really knows 100% what it going on. We read one report, then another report says something different! 

As I read it it, everything we were doing last week stays the same but there is no 11pm curfew.
The bars still have to close at 11 but I guess if you are out visiting a friends home which I think we can now do, then we can stay there until whatever time we want! If your not confused now, then by the time you've read this you probably will be. We still have to wear those god damn awful pesky masks, we still cannot dance (not that I ever could anyway) and we cant hug each other.

The British government has also decided Spain is an amber country which means if we want to go and visit our families we have to take a Covid test no more than 72 hours before we go, another test on day two, and a final test on day eight. We also have to self isolate for ten days. On our return to Spain I think we would have to have another test to enter the country.
That is four tests, and if there is a family with children I would imagine that could work out quite expensive. If this isn't a deterrent in itself I would imagine there is also some hefty paperwork that would also need to filled in, probably in duplicate and triplicate and completed with a black ball point pen, stapled together in the right order with a staple, not a paperclip.
Maybe I'm taking the whole paperwork thing a bit too far, although twenty years ago you wouldn't have thought so.

So with all this done, the burning question on everyone's lips is when can British tourists return to Spain? 

It seems that no one can go anywhere until at least May 17th but then what? 

I got very brave, I put on my serious grown up face and I searched and searched google. I'll be totally honest I am still absolutely none the wiser. In fact as things stand at the moment I'm almost scared to book anything and that is not like me at all. I'm usually very confident when it comes to booking holidays, you've only got to ask my husband! He will tell you how he usually knows very little until the boarding passes are printed off and the bags are almost packed.

I, along with probably 99% of the worlds population am desperate to travel. I want to go and visit my parents in the UK but I haven't even looked at flights, although as soon as free travel is allowed I imagine the flight prices will at least double. 

Then there is the 'Covid Passport' Do you still have to take all these tests if you've had the jab and if you have had the jab / jabs, how do you prove it?
Eddie had his first jab and has to go for his second one in June, so far we have absolutely no paperwork to say what he has had. I am yet to have my jab.

So, once again we are all left dangling. Spain says one thing and the UK says something else! will we be able to take a holiday this year without jumping through a million hoops?
The answer I think, remains to be seen! We sit and wait with everything crossed.

Many thanks again for clicking on the ads, it really helps a lot. The photos are from a recent walk to Alcala

H x

A Corner Has Been Turned!

Or at least some of the time it feels this way. Its difficult to think too far ahead and its easy to go from feeling a little more positive about the future to feeling equally worried and anxious too. One minute I think things are really starting to move in a good direction, then the next minute you asking yourself if its OK to feel this positive.

Last week, on our day off we decided to take a visit to Garachico. Its been ten years since were last there so we were long over due a visit. We set the Sat Nav and headed off up through Tamaimo and on towards Santiago Del Teide. After Santiago del Teide we were instructed to turn right and although it didn't feel right, who were we to argue with google maps?
Eventually after climbing higher and higher through the dense pine forest and some stunning scenery along the TF373 it was obvious that this road was never going to take us to Garachico. We took a few hairy bends and down some awfully steep twists and turns and started heading down in the hope that eventually we would see a sign post that would direct us in the right direction. We saw Icod De Los Vinos, a few other small towns and eventually arrived at our destination, no thanks to google maps, other navigational apps are available.

They say some of the buildings date back to the 16th and 17th century and these along with the cobbled streets make Garachico a very pretty town. It is also home to the natural swimming pools of El Caleton and they are a stunning site both as you approach and as you drive through the town. Although they looked very appealing we didn't take a dip, instead we opted for lunch at one of the many cafes just off the main square. 

We have moved in to level 2 restrictions which means we can now have people inside the bar and we can have entertainment again. It feels like forever since I last had a gig and I`m looking forward to Singing a few songs in the bar this weekend as well as gigging at the Wine Bar on Monday.

We've had a very busy week at the 60s bar as we decided it was time for a lick of paint and a bit of sprucing up. Armed with paint brushes, trays, sandpaper and old clothes we set about freshening up the bar and I have to say that after three long days it is looking dapper, just in time for being allowed to have people inside.

I never realised how much fun you could have with tin of paint and a brush although I never knew it could be so tiring either. My body has been in more positions and tiny spaces than I thought possible but the end result is just great, and we cant wait to welcome people back in to our bar. 

We now wait in anticipation to see if we will be able to welcome British tourists, We have everything crossed!

Have a great weekend and Stay safe, and please continue to share my blog and click on the adverts, its a great help!

until next time.

H x

Getting stuck in with some black gloss!

Work in Progress

Now it looks like a bar again

A few snaps of Garachico when we finally got there!!