That time of the year to get some sun

Yes, creatures of habit indeed. Somehow during a grey and windy and soggy UK winter you feel so much better after getting some sun. Being used to Lanzagrotty, one rather nice hotel and the walks along the promenade from there, we followed the usual routine and enjoyed two weeks of sun and warmth. We also enjoyed two weeks of John and Irene's company and as you can see they had a stressful time:

You will know them better as the owners of Archie the Lakeland terrier, seen here in full bark on the beach back in September:

We've shared plenty of images from the island before so here are a few "alternative" views. Our favourite spot in Marina Rubicon (see John and Irene above) normally involves coffee and a wonderful apple cake. This year it was graced by the restaurant's adopted cat Lily:

who enjoyed sleeping in the sun. So did we to be fair. The locals run a "cat rescue" thing for the wild versions under the name of Freddy's cathouse. They provide shelter and food for the cats. Whilst the cats are away, they also seem to provide food for the braver birds - perhaps the one outside was on lookout duty:

Another visit to Lagomar the place conceptualised by Cesar Manrique and owned by Omar Sharif for one day (apparently he lost it in a game of cards) was needed. Lovely place built into the rock (lava) face with amazing spaces:

Another excuse for John and Irene to chill out there:

In Arrecife, this old wooden ferry has been out of the water for many years - you can see how the boat has hogged - the stern seems to be following gravity downwards a little further each year as it seems very badly propped. Time for a chainsaw burial perhaps:

Talking of boats - some folks have an interesting choice of gelcoat colour:

Actually it looked far too shiny to be the original gelcoat bearing in mind the battering it takes in the sun here. Cannot imagine having a boat sprayed that colour and expecting to sell it afterwards.

One of the strangest things in the entrance of a shop that we've ever seen was this character:

Hardly welcoming and no, it was not a comic book shop - they sold clothes. We resisted.

Although the hire car this time had a better start in life (a VW Polo) than many others, it had been subject to the normal Canary Islands treatment:

Other holidaymakers might have added a few marks whilst it was tightly parked at the hotel. We say might until we get our damage deposit back.  Finally, a trip to El Golfo is always worthwhile, especially on a windier day. The rocks are around 8 metres above the water level to give you an idea of the power of the waves - and the wind was only the top end of a force 4:

Not a place to get caught on a lee-shore. A place to relax in, enjoy the walks and volcanic scenery and excellent hospitality from the hotel staff instead. Why did we return to this?

Not exactly ideal weather to relaunch the boat in.