Sunday 31 October 2010

Getting Our Skates On!


This year’s Music Marathon Festival, the 2nd year for this event, in Puerto del Carmen, Lanzarote started at 1pm on Saturday 30th October. The event consisted of five categories:

½ Marathon (21.1 km)
¼ Marathon (10.55 km)
1/8 Marathon (5.275 km)
1 Mile (1,600 m) Kids from 10 to 16 years
½ Mile (800 m) Kids from 4 to 9 years.

My little mascot!


Despite not having put on our skates for longer than either of us can remember, CB and I signed up for the ½ Marathon (21.1 km) tempted as we were just to forget the word Marathon and instead write ½ Mile. It turned out we were the only two skating in this category, everyone else was running!

Saturday arrived, hot and not a cloud in sight! The temperature in our garden late morning was 30c, and we didn’t need to get our skates on until 3.30pm…it was going to be a hot one!

The course was along The Avenida (sea front) and as we had signed up for the ½ Marathon we had to complete four loops - each loop being 5.275km. Starting outside Los Cocoteros we headed along and up The Avenida towards Hotel San Antonio where we turned and headed back along The Avenida towards Hotel Fariones, turning to begin all over again. The Avenida is long and with many inclines that are not too steep but have a gradual climb and just when you think you are not going to make it, it’s downhill….phew! Along the route, were very kind people pressing water cups into your hands along with fruit and energy drinks. But the highlight had to be the Fire Brigade who had their fire engine standing by and with a massive fire hose, doused us down with water as we rolled past them….in total eight times! And as you go brrrr, no it was so amazingly welcome!



Having not carried out any preparation for this event, we had only learnt about it on the Tuesday, so after signing up, we were out there on the Saturday, but we finished and got our medal, and we loved it!

As I write, the official photographs are not yet available, but will post one as soon as I can!

Sunday 24 October 2010

Vienna to Broadway


Photographer: James Mitchell.eu

Vienna to Broadway was the second concert in the beautifully presented ´Concerts Under Canopy´ at Puerto Calero.

We bought our tickets early so not to be disappointed and after a short taxi ride and a respectable glass of Rioja, we took our seats in the open air theatre. Vienna to Broadway was an evening of pure pleasure as Glenys Roberts (Soprano), Hanah Pedley (Mezzo Soprano) Frances Hill (Piano) and the John Morgan (Baritone) each delivered outstanding performances. The evening´s programme included: Medleys from Ivor Novello, Lerner & Loewe, Johann Strauss, Lehar, Cole Porter and Offenbach.


Performances of solo, duets or when all three performed together including songs from West Side Story, Les Miserables, Oklahoma, Die Fledemaus, The Pirates of Penzance, The Mikado, Showboat, Evita, Porgy & Bess, Evita, Phantom of the Opera, to mane just some of the evening´s programme. Needless to say, it all ended too soon and with a resounding applause and a standing ovation the evening we had all waited so eagerly to enjoy had come to an end. It was a memorable, one and not just for ourselves, but for the island too as this is something very new here. But there are two more concerts planned this year and we are most certainly booking for the December evening, The Family Christmas Concert.

Monday 18 October 2010

On Your Bike!

Sunday was a beautiful day and despite it still being hot, (it later got up to 29c in the shade in our garden). But as the heat was still down in the mid twenties we dusted of the bikes and went out cycling. We cycled along the seafront, which is just minutes from our home, and on to the cycle path. This path now goes all the way to Arrecife, some 15 kms away, and all along the seafront!

View at Matagorda
We cycled along from Puerto Del Carrmen to Matagorda, where we stopped for breakfast. After breakfast we carried on past the airport, here it is amazing because you can sit and watch the planes come in and take off. The planes are so close you can almost see the passengers! Several people were sat, camera´s poised ready to take pictures of planes coming in or leaving the Island.


CB Cycling near the Airport
The cycle path goes all the way round the airport perimeter, and for those who have visited the Island they will know just how picturesque around the airport it is. The airport is nothing like the international airports most tourists fly from.

Path towards airport
Beach at Playa Honda
From the airport we carried on to Playa Honda, once a small village, now something between a large village and a small town these days. As the heat was ramping up we decided to turn around and cycle back home. Arriving back at our villa, the first thing to do was to cool down and so we jumped into our pool....bliss! It was only 11.30am but it was defiantly to hot to be out on our bikes by now.

Sunday 10 October 2010

Happy & Safe!

Just over four months ago we brought home another little rescue doggie, you have already met him in previous Blogs, but this week I met the wonderful lady who rescued him, Margaret.

Margaret and her friend Judith have spent over two decades rescuing and helping animals badly treated, abandoned and worse on the Island. When I showed her the latest photographs of Barney, she was thrilled to see him so happy and then went on to tell me how she had found him. ´I had to get on all fours and crawl under the table to get to him he was so afraid. His eating and water bowls were full of sand…no food or water! The neighbour´s told me they had often heard him cry when he was smacked.´

All played out!

Poppy, adored by Barney


Barney is now 14 months old and the very thought of anyone hurting him, makes me feel sick. He is a beautiful doggy both to look at and his personality. He loves our other rescue doggy to the point of not going anywhere unless she is there too.    It is beyond my imagination that anyone could hurt them, but of course people do, but thanks to the likes of Judith and Margaret, little doggies like our Barney are helped. Margaret is looking into doing her own Blog and when it is all set up, I will let you know, maybe you might be able to offer something to help with their fund raising.

Sunday 3 October 2010

In Pictures!

I was asked the other day if I would add a few more pictures to my Blog page of the lovely island we live on. As I write, it is another beautiful day, the temperature as just nudged 28.5c and it is 3rd October!

Anyone who comes here for a holiday is seldom disappointed, though like most of the world, the weather is changing. This summer was very hot and although we will complain about the winter, we rarely see daytime temperatures below 18c. Certainly not here in Puerto Del Carmen and if so, it would be a very cold day! Fortunately we do not get many of these days in a year, if any!