Month: March 2015

The day started early at 5.45am. Quick breakfast then off to the airport. I had inadvertently booked the fast track parking, so we were quickly across to the terminal only to find that the check in was in T2, the usual one for holiday firms. Ok, over to terminal 2 where there was a queue like for an execution as my dad would say. We were offered the quick check in for and extra £10 each because “the queue is taking between an hour and an hour and a half”. We didn’t bother. Twenty minutes later we were being checked in, while the queue for bag drop, allegedly the faster way to go was growing and growing. On to security then. Luckily, because I had booked fast track parking, we got priority security access. One old dear in the normal queue stuck on a condescending smile and told us we had to go back the way we’d come. We ignored her and jumped in front of her. She exclaimed to her husband that “there’s always two isn’t there”. Scamp put her in her place with a well timed “We paid extra!” I think she must have been a drugs mule because she was stopped and her baggage was hand searched in security. Pleasant, if bumpy flight down to Lanzarote. Pity the old dear didn’t make it, she was last seen being hustled away between two of security guards, protesting her innocence. “Honest, it’s just talcum powder, officer”, while her husband just said “She’s not with me mate. Never seen her before!”.

As usual, it took over an hour from exiting the airport to the bus actually moving from its stance. Got to the hotel, the Sentido Aequora, which was about as far away from the beach as it was possible to be. Nice clean looking hotel. Got our room sorted, but the key wouldn’t open the door. Back to reception and got the proper key. Wrong room number on the electronic key. The rest of the afternoon was great. Changed, did salsa lesson with one of the Animacion team.

Back in the room found out the air con wasn’t working. According to reception, it was on winter setting and all the hotel was on the same setting. Ours was reading 24c. Is that a winter temperature, or are they just saving money? Had a walk after that heading towards the airport.

There are hundreds and thousands of ladybirds here. Cannot think why.  For now it’s just another thing to remember.

I had a shower and flooded the bathroom. I think Scamp thought it was my fault. Said nothing.

We both had a few drinks too many and Scamp fell down the stairs leading to the theatre.

Went to bed. Not too impressed.

 

 

G&T and a good book at 35,000 feet. That’s living the high life!

A quiet stroll along the beach in Los Pocillos Lanzarote.

There are more ladybirds on Lanzarote than I have ever seen in one place.  This one joined us for a drink near the pool.

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Back to St Mo’s for some ordinary photos of ducks and stuff.  No lizards, no locusts and no butterflies yet.  Still loaded with the cold.  Last time I’m going to the Canaries at Easter.

A mallard again rising from a small pond. This time I managed to preset the aperture AND the shutter speed to sensible settings.

I don’t know what made this tree become so twisted.  It really looked odd with the branches turned to such odd angles.

I liked the colours and tones of the pinecone and the way it stood out against the background.

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Taxi to the airport at 12.30pm and through book in and security in double quick time.  Apart from having to go through security twice because I forgot to leave the laptop out.  Boring flight home to the cold. Speaking of cold, I’ve picked up a wee cold and the decent into Glasgow was really painful.  Did manage a wee walk before the taxi arrived and got some photos.

Lots of these insects flying around.  At first I thought they were dragonflies because they were about the same size and their wings clattered like dragonfly wings.  Then I saw a couple on the ground and decided they were too big to be grasshoppers and also too dark, so I think they were locusts.

They look like Virginia Stock, but they were wild flowers, not cultivars. Very delicate and quite pretty.

This cat was stretched out on the forecourt of the local Spar shop, getting as much sun as it could.

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Cloudy and windy start to the day. After breakfast we headed down the road to the beach and turned right heading for Puerto del Carmen. Had a rest halfway along in the posh shelters they’ve made, next to the big pylon ‘installations’. Walked on to the edge of the town and by then the weather had improved a lot. So we decided we’d had enough walking for today and headed back. Had lunch at the hotel and then went to the Blue Bar which still isn’t blue and stil doesn’t have a bar. Rested there to allow our lunch to slide down and then I went for a last walk in the wilderness. Found what looked like a waterfall in the dried up river bed. There are loads of snail shells around that river bed. Not all in the bed itself, but in the sand around it. Can’t see why they are there. Surely the rivers don’t last long enough to sustain animal life. Took some photos. Spotted a couple of kestrels and got some shots. Walked back and got some photos of a moth in some bushes, but don’t think they will work.

Came home, sat on a nice warm, sheltered, balcony for an hour or so. Took a selfie, but Scamp’s tomorrow will be so much better DV.

Dinner tonight was a large salad and then a kebab of all things. Ok, it’s processed food, but it was quite tasty. My first kebab!

Tonight’s entertainment was a Reptile show which we’d seen a million times before. Then a Bollywood show and it was great. Scamp and I were up on stage at the end for the Club Dance, which she had been practising in the afternoon, but I was just mugging along with. Great fun.

Late night drink in the School Dining Hall and off to bed. Packing in the morning, all being well.

In a dried up riverbed there were hundreds of little white shells.  With the weather they get on this island, it seems unlikely that there would be enough water to provide food for all these snails.  Given the lack of moisture it seems unlikely that they were shells from land snails, so where did they come from?

Flying, sailing and walking.

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Today we woke to a bit of blue sky but lots of clouds too. Had breakfast and things looked even more grim. Heavy clouds and a cold wind, but Scamp would probably say it was only a cool breeze. Walked to the end of the road and turned left. Almost immediately found a postbox and posted the cards, then read the small print “Only for use of Swiss Mail cards and letters”. Wrong box. Never mind, we walked on … and on … and on. We walked until we were at Playa de Honda, which is on the outskirts of Aricife. Scamp said we’d get a taxi back. No taxis to be found, but the village there is very picturesque. Took lots of shots. Went to a local cafe to have lunch, but nothing there suited us, so we had a couple of beers and turned for home. Found another restaurant and had a lovely lunch there. Scamp had Chicken Supreme and I had a simple Roast Chicken. Took our time coming back and took lots more photos. Bought more cards and posted them in the correct box this time! The weather had improved although the wind was still cold (oops, cool) and strong (oops, still a breeze). I had decided to go for a last wilderness walk, but by the time I gave the camera bat-tery a charge, it had clouded over again. Not to worry, I was knackered anyway, so I had a snooze.

Went to the Cabaret Shooooooow tonight. Very burlesque, with a great drag performance from the lead male dancer. Scamp actually encouraged me up on stage for the Club dance at the end. Glad I did, it was great fun. After the show we went for a drink in the main bar, which is like a school dinner hall with alcohol on sale. Dire musak from the couple who sing (is that the right word?) there. Neil Diamond and Elvis seem to be their strengths. No chance to dance there then.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Clockwise from top left:

1.  It isn’t often you see this beach as deserted as this.
2. This bloke has it sorted. A seat in the sun at Playa de Honda and nobody to bother him. Good luck to you.
3. I think this is where the ladybirds come from!  It’s a ladybird plant.
4. Pretty little green plant growing in the sand dunes beside the airport.
5. This wee black cat had found itself a nice sheltered spot under the tree.  For you Ms Hazy 😉
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Raining all day, but Scamp took us to Veccia Bologna for lunch.  Very windy on the way home.  Managed out for an hour when we came back and got some photos of the swans at St Mo’s.

I know, it’s a kind of classic swan pose, but have you ever tried telling a swan how to pose?  I was happy enough with this shot with its water drops on the swan’s head.

This is the angry swan pose.  I don’t know what I did to anger him, but It seemed like a good idea to take the easy way out and beat a hasty retreat.

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I had hoped for a day out on my bike today, but it was cold and windy.  Not a good combination for a fair weather cyclist.  However, the day was not all lost.  I formatted my old HP netbook and reinstalled the system.  I did toy for a while with installing Linux, but finally decide it was a step too far.  One step at a time.

It looks like St Mo’s swans have settled on the island as their nesting place this year.  It suits me as it means I can still walk around the pond and not disturb them.  Good luck Mr & Mrs Swan.

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It was a bright sunny day here in central Scotland.  Went in to town to get stuff for next week.  Came home to a letter from the tax man giving me a ridiculous tax code.  While I’m writing this I’m hanging on the phone waiting for one of their advisors who “will be with me as soon as possible”.  So far it’s been 35 minutes and counting.

Saw this bloke on Buchanan Street playing slide guitar. His sign said this was the first day of his change of job. Hope he makes a success of it.

It looked like these skaters outside the GOMA were performing for a jury of their peers. There was no applause, but then they weren’t that good.

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What a disappointment.  Yesterday’s light show wasn’t a UFO after all.  It was all over the Interweb today that the Northern Lights were visible as far south as the midlands of England last night, so that explains the lights in the sky.  So it looks like a visitation by wee green men will not be happening to us soon.  We did get a shockingly large dump of snow on the doorstep this morning ‘though.  We could have done without that.  On the plus side, it gave me a chance to photograph something other than burds!

It would appear that during the night, the snow truck dumped it’s load again on us.  When I got up this morning, around 7.30, the world had turned white.  By the time I got out, the sun had removed the top layer, but it was still white below that.  Not quite “deep and crisp and even”, but white enough to make for an interesting photo.
Today’s shot was taken from, as near as I could remember, the same place as yesterday’s.

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I never believe the weather forecast from the BBC, but today they got it right.  I woke up to a blizzard blowing across the street.  Then, the sun came out and it was a lovely spring day.  Then it was blowing a blizzard again.  Welcome to Scotland.

Coming home from Glasgow tonight, we both noticed a really bright light to the north, over the Campsies.  Not a direct light, but more a bright glow in the sky.  I wondered if it was the northern lights which we do occasionally see.  As we dipped down a cutting on the motorway, it was lost from sight, then a bright flash appeared in the sky.  I thought it travelled north to south, Scamp thought it travelled towards us, more east/west.  Half the sky was clear half was clouded.  Don’t know what it was.  By the time we got to Cumbernauld the glow in the north was gone.  UFOs, that’s what they were.  Stands to reason.

Broom / Gorse flower with a little bit of rain on it.

Over at St Mo’s the weather was almost springlike today.

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