"Won't Back Down" and "Reelin in the Years"- 2017 - our way!

As 2017 comes to an end here is Greyrocks' esoteric take on it:

• The Personal

A year with neither operations nor parental decline and death made a change! We have been pleased to help Chloë and Jack with improvements to the little house and its garden, and with arrangements for the wedding. Our times in Fuerteventura have seen a less active social life:- owing as much to our "remoaner" status being at variance with the prevailing culture as to health/mobility issues and colder evenings! On the other hand our love of Montpellier has deepened and Paleo was also a largely very happy time - even if the weather pattern seems to have taken a downturn! We have even -surprisingly - enjoyed the UK, with a well-judged tour round friends and family and the two quick dashes: the wonderful - but deeply uncomfortable - Cropredy festival, and the Shrewsbury wedding. Other trips - such as Cabo Verde and Gran Canaria - have also kept us busy - as much in the planning as in the implementation!

• The Political

It has been another "head in hands" year for liberals, internationalists and socialists. The themes bemoaned in last years's Greyrocks review have trundled on - and in several cases got worse! In the UK one of very few cheering events was the near-humiliation of the Tories in June. Reading John Crace and seeing the cartoons of Steve Bell etc in The Guardian have given us something to laugh about as the nation plummets. We mark also the Grenfell Fire and the disgraceful responses thereto!

Internationally we were deeply moved by Banksy's Alternativity in Bethlehem, as Palestine continues to cause much angst in the Greyrocks household, and the fate of the Rohingya people is added to the list, whilst the demise of ISIS/Daesh - on the military front at least - is some comfort!

(Our gifts from Chloë and Jack were the "tea-towel" displayed above and two passport covers declaring that we are Forever European - Greyrocks is an open book to them!)

• Losses in Rock

It wasn't as "bad" a year as 2016; but Greyrocks was touched by the following deaths:

Tom Petty, Gregg Allman and Chuck Berry, along with J Geils -( one hit wonder "Centerfold"), Malcolm Young of AC-DC, Glenn Campbell and  Walter Becker of Steely Dan

• Losses in Stage and Screen

And a swarm of white men on the UK thespian front has left the stage to our sadness:

Roger Moore, Keith Barron, Tim Pigott-Smith, Robert Hardy, Rodney Bewes, Gordon Kaye and Tony Booth

Dear old Barry Norman, whose film crits were a mainstay of our active years, and Colin Dexter, whose Morse books and derivatives continue to delight us on ITV3 also will be missed!

Let us all hope it turns out better than it threatens! "Salud!"

Rejoice, rejoice - for she is riding!

No sooner was the last post published  - with its bemoaning of continuing problems on the knee front -  than Greyrocks can say:

"Hallelujah - she has made it!"

There is no clear reason why - today - after 13.5 months  -the left foot could catch the pedal and Ruth could sit on the saddle and get going! Was it the surgeon's suggestion of repeated regular sessions on the gym's static bike? Was it strengthening the thigh muscles with the two machines at the gym? Was it the balancing exercises with Anna and Tania? Was it just all ever in the head? 

It no longer matters:- off she went down the promenade, as if there had never been an issue!

The irony is that Bob has had to follow on foot, as his bike suddenly seized up earlier this week and he needs a new wheel which is on its way from Tenerife! 

Never mind! Celebrations started early in our household!

Recycling, but not cycling, pushing the boat out and a whale of a time

As octopuses watched their squids by night!

Returning to the island at the beginning of December we were greeted by the towns offering for the festive season - which begins with the "bridge" of 6th-8th. It is certainly "different" - consisting as it does of allegedly recycled beach debris. A designer was paid a goodly sum for this concept! There was speculation about the potential to survive our famous wind, but so far Greyrocks has seen no casualties. "More the pity" some might say!

The campaign to get Ruth back on the bike has dragged on through the month Her Slovenian physio became convinced that it is a balance issue and so there were new exercises for that and then one day Ruth was taken through to the proper gym and put on a spinning bike, which she managed well. The day came for the visit to the surgeon - now so popular that appointments are made months in advance. He was delighted with the X-rays, fairly happy with the flexing, and bemused by the cycling problem, He diagnosed very frequent exercise on the static bike, so that has been the regime with a month's subscription to the gym.

After the appointment in the capital we had lunch at El Bounty and then took a cab to Lidl on our annual tame goose chase. This time round the freezer had been raided before our visit (Germans like goose apparently!) so we came away with just a pair of goose breasts, which would be fine for the feast itself, but nothing beyond. Then we saw whole Canadian lobsters and couldn't resist so they went into the insulated bag with a cheap real French champagne and the goose, and we began the tedious homeward bus journey. Fortunately it was not too sunny and the bounty remained frozen!

A Cuvier's beaked whale in El Cotillo

Ruth spent three weeks without any booze and on a diet (5 kg lost!) with the prospect of nice things from Christmas Eve onward. Much temptation had to be endured, not least when we went on a bus trip to El Cotillo. This was a delightful day with a lot of sunshine and it was a very welcome pleasure for Ruth to be able to walk without pain, which had not been the case on numerous previous trips! We therefore got to see this fairly recent addition:- a real whale skeleton that is on the "Whale Trail" round the island.

The 24th December target was not quite achieved. The wagon was abandoned on 23rd when we went to Galera beach and excellent rock was being played in the afternoon sunshine, but a noble effort and then the goose was cooked for the Christmas Eve dinner for two! It has been slightly odd not hosting Chloë for either Xmas or New Year for the first time ever, but we have made the best of it, and there is more to come!