Good Year - Bad Year???

Ruth liked this a lot!

Pete and Stella arrived next door for the drinks do on Christmas Eve and announced that the wind had dropped, and indeed next day was very much better, raising spirits; and continuing the pattern of sunny Christmas Days that we have come to expect! After the ritual breakfast and an episode of Round The Horne, we spoke to Chloë on Skype (in Bordeaux for the festive season) and walked along the (still windy) seafront. The sun shone! At Anno 2011 we found a moderately sheltered table for one drink, All the talk was of the horrors of the previous two days' weather. Then it was over to Blue Rock for the afternoon. The usual suspects were already there, and as they left for dates various we acquired seats. The catering was generous and the atmosphere great fun as ever, ("Same procedure as every year") As the sun went in we repaired home and picked up the truncated feast from the previous evening. And that was Greyrocks' Christmas!

Thoughts then turned to New Year, which would be the first planned one away from Corralejo in 26 years. In the remaining days up to departure  - which became sunnier and calmer - we had a long walk to Galera Beach, and a day at the spa followed by a super meal at La Bolada (our current favourite Argentinian). There was a "bit of a kerfuffle" on the last day when Ruth was persuaded tp try to mount her bike. (The travelling one had been fine in France, Catalonia  and to some extent in Greece, but not this one) She nearly made it - but the chain was so rusted the pedals did nothing and it had to go for emergency treatment,

How was it for you?

On  a personal level: Not too bad! We lost a Corralejo friend Sandy whilst we were in Goa, and Andreas from Berlin - an old friend from Paleochora holidays, but there are no parents left, and we have had no accidents or health scares, And of course there  was the Year of the Wedding!

In addition to this lot we hosted in November an evening for two Corralejo couples who couldn't get to Crete with wedding and party media and a supper of some items from the Crete feast. It has been demanding, costly - but within bounds - and has meant too much time in (Brexit-ridden) UK; but we won't do it again!

Other highlights for Greyrocks were resuming February-plus in Goa, some wonderful times in France and visiting Barbara and John (the long-lost cousin) in Wales.

News-wise it has been a series of disappointments and disgust at this incompetent Tory government with its "hostile environment" and the consequences of "austerity", and - in some ways more depressing - Jezza's stubbornness over a second Brexit vote. There has been little to celebrate across the globe with rampant xenophobia and populism in Russia and USA, toadying to Saudi, a threatened Press, suffering caused by social media , and conflicts that escalate.

In contrast the world of entertainment seems to have had a better year - but then the toll in 2017 was remarkable! In music we were saddened at the loss of Aretha Franklin, Dolores O'Riordan (Cranberries), Ray Thomas (Moody Blues) and Pete Shelley (Buzzcocks). In TV it was heroes of comedy from a past era: Ray Galton, Dennis Norden and June Whitfield. In public life: Stephen Hawking and Paddy Ashdown,

RIP

"All we want for Christmas.."

"Post your wishes here!"

....  not "two front teeth", but a repair to a back one, and we could do with a bit more sunshine and a Peoples' Vote!
It is Christmas noontide and Greyrocks has had the traditional breakfast on the balcony! This is worthy of note as the two previous breakfasts were consumed inside:- a vary rare event, and indicative of the foulest of weather! In fact yesterday was - we agree - the nastiest of all the 27 Christmas Eves we have spent in Corralejo! The trouble is the wind! Predominantly from the South-East and with a speed of around 30 km/hr it isn't funny, Sunday was bad enough to abandon all plans for a spa visit, but it was eclipsed by Monday during which  the sun made no appearance but the dreaded calima did! All plans for coastal strolls and drinks in the sun were been abandoned, and as we did a little last minute shopping we agreed on a complete re-think of the day's catering.

We would normally have our somewhat festive meal at about 9 pm (Spanish style); but we decided to stagger it from lunchtime, having the starter of crab and griddled asparagus at that point and the main course of spiced goose breast at 5 pm! The idea was then to go next door for drinks, and then come back for the dessert (Christmas Mess) and cheese at around 9 pm. Good plan - but we had such fun with the seven other geriatrics (and Mel) that we lurched back near midnight and the balance of the meal remains untouched!

Calle La Iglesia: not bad this year!

There will probably be a re-assembly this afternoon at Blue Rock. The theme of the bar's festive decor is Crackers - complete with an "advent calendar" of awful jokes, and a glorious giant exploding cracker hanging from the ceiling! It is impossible to photograph adequately; so try their Facebook page for images,

The town's decorations are a mighty lot better than last years! And with the pedestrianisation it is (normally) a pleasure to promenade around!

The tooth in question has kept Bob busy, cautious in eating, reduced in savings and frustrated with the delayed delivery of the overlay. We have also kept the Health Centre, pharmacy and x-ray department busy.  The saga of getting refunds on prescriptions stock-piled at full price for the summer is worthy of this blog - but not now! The day trip to Puerto del Rosario for the hospital was on a cold and windy day, but it followed a glorious one when we took the ferry over to Lanzarote to meet John and Tracey on their holiday! And in general afternoons have been good enough for sunbathing on the roof terrace.

Two septuagenarian birthdays!

As we moved into December two very welcome changes took place: the rain stopped and so did the coughing! But these happened too late for the birthdays and their celebrations,
 First was Elaine's seventieth, which was marked with a party for over a hundred at Fado Rock. The dress code was "Black and White", which was fine for Ruth (funeral dress and white lace jacket as for last year's Shrewsbury wedding), but Bob sought a white shirt and was lent a great Indian one by Andrew and he wore it with the wedding bow tie and nearly black shorts. (The Anglican vicar turned after Sunday service, and was thought by many to have dressed for the occasion!)
There were guests we have known for 26 years, but rarely see, an excellent buffet and musical performances by Corralejo icon Trevor and a superb female saxophonist, who also disappeared for a while and emerged from the loo looking just like Cher! Ruth penned a little ditty for Elaine's card, and was goaded into reciting it publicly! It was a delightful evening!

Later in the week Greyrocks celebrated Bob's birthday with a two night stay in Caleta de Fuste. Many Corralejo residents (including us) would say "Second prize: three nights"! It is a truly ghastly resort in many ways, and not really a place to go at this time if you are a Bremainer and/or Guardian-reading member of the metropolitan elite; but  - hey - it's just two cheap bus rides away, and there are a few good restaurants a bit different from here, and an excellent tapas bar. We splashed out a bit on a "deluxe" sea-view room in a quiet, but still convenient, bit of town, and it was just as well, because the weather was awful, and we were both still suffering with the cough! We had brief (cold) walks along the improved promenade beside the improved beach, but mostly it rained, and we lurked inside! Despite the weather there were plenty of idiots on various forms of motorised things taking advantage of the improved promenade! The good news was on the gastronomic front, as "15" was as good as ever for the birthday evening itself, and through Trip Advisor we identified a close contender in Ascension - a relatively new arrival on the scene - for the other dinner.  El Capetan is always a joy for tapas and we spent hours there sheltering and enjoying a selection with the happy hour prices for drinks. Another nice touch was the bottle of cava sent up to us by Reception for Bob's birthday. (Possibly also an apologetic gesture following their (rejected) attempt to "upgrade" us to another hotel well off the beaten track!)

Sod's Law meant that on departure day the sun shone! We broke the journey in Puerto del Rosario and walked down to the "new" beach to discover that the bar we sought was on holiday! We went next door and decided to have more of a lunch than originally intended, with mixed fortune. The return bus ride was then a crammed one, Still...mustn't grumble!