Margaretta
05-06-2011, 13:50
We are now able to spend whole months in Tenerife due to having retired at Christmas. We are staying in our apartment each alternate month except for the Summer when it is too hot and too crowded and it is a fabulous experience every time we go.
We had dreams of joining various groups on retirement but now we realise that if you are a sporadic visitor you can't commit to anything without letting people down or not being there for the finale of something etc. We love our apartment but it has no garden and a very hot balcony so we come home partly for hubby to indulge his love of gardening. Sport too is a problem....no Sky TV on our complex so it means taxiing about 10 mins each way and then having to be sociable when he'd rather concentrate on the match!! I'm trying to encourage a move. You have to think about what you could do when you retire in two places.....is there enough to keep both of you busy? I'm happy because there is a lot to photograph and paint in Tenerife.
We both like walking although not as far as we used to. Every visit brings new explorations as well as all the old familiar places. I loved the simple ruggedness of the tiny bay of Las Maretas; fishing and one bar/restaurant by the sea. We walked up on the hills and were sad to see a woman cave-dweller whose home was literally a 'hole in the hillside'.
May is the time of plants, wonderfully coloured ground-cover which made you think you were walking on a magic-carpet planet.
We enjoyed the walk in the foam from one end to the other of the beautiful 'untamed' beach of El Medano; my first chance to really look at the rocks on it's 'right side' facing the sea. No bars, shops it was a lovely change but would have liked a loo.....
We nearly went to the Chinese shop early on the morning of the terrible event that happened there. We changed our minds in the car en route and went elsewhere. I'm still looking for the spice rack WITHOUT spice jars...I have enough of those already. Whilst we were fortunate to miss the occurence we felt so very sorry for that poor lady and her family.
We went to Izana and how I longed to visit the telescopes but they are kept at a distance. it must be a dream place to work. The area around was fabulous and the plants in full flower.
Churros con chocolate. Why not make my own? I bought frozen churros to deep fry but couldn't find the chocolate. In the end a nice young man in Alteser responded to my mime and pigeon-Spanish. You buy it in a block(next to Cadbury's, also purchased of course, and it's got a picture of a cup and saucer with melted chocolate on the front.
I thought I would have to melt it carefully in a bowl over boiled water for ages in case it became lumpy, but no. Simples. You just heat a cup of milk gently, put it aside, drop in the chocolate, whisk and the result is: stuff the churros.....yummy!!!!!!!!!
A painting for lovers of Tenerife and to practise adding a photo.
I've tried to depict the natural layers of the island without worrying about perspective. It was fun.
We had dreams of joining various groups on retirement but now we realise that if you are a sporadic visitor you can't commit to anything without letting people down or not being there for the finale of something etc. We love our apartment but it has no garden and a very hot balcony so we come home partly for hubby to indulge his love of gardening. Sport too is a problem....no Sky TV on our complex so it means taxiing about 10 mins each way and then having to be sociable when he'd rather concentrate on the match!! I'm trying to encourage a move. You have to think about what you could do when you retire in two places.....is there enough to keep both of you busy? I'm happy because there is a lot to photograph and paint in Tenerife.
We both like walking although not as far as we used to. Every visit brings new explorations as well as all the old familiar places. I loved the simple ruggedness of the tiny bay of Las Maretas; fishing and one bar/restaurant by the sea. We walked up on the hills and were sad to see a woman cave-dweller whose home was literally a 'hole in the hillside'.
May is the time of plants, wonderfully coloured ground-cover which made you think you were walking on a magic-carpet planet.
We enjoyed the walk in the foam from one end to the other of the beautiful 'untamed' beach of El Medano; my first chance to really look at the rocks on it's 'right side' facing the sea. No bars, shops it was a lovely change but would have liked a loo.....
We nearly went to the Chinese shop early on the morning of the terrible event that happened there. We changed our minds in the car en route and went elsewhere. I'm still looking for the spice rack WITHOUT spice jars...I have enough of those already. Whilst we were fortunate to miss the occurence we felt so very sorry for that poor lady and her family.
We went to Izana and how I longed to visit the telescopes but they are kept at a distance. it must be a dream place to work. The area around was fabulous and the plants in full flower.
Churros con chocolate. Why not make my own? I bought frozen churros to deep fry but couldn't find the chocolate. In the end a nice young man in Alteser responded to my mime and pigeon-Spanish. You buy it in a block(next to Cadbury's, also purchased of course, and it's got a picture of a cup and saucer with melted chocolate on the front.
I thought I would have to melt it carefully in a bowl over boiled water for ages in case it became lumpy, but no. Simples. You just heat a cup of milk gently, put it aside, drop in the chocolate, whisk and the result is: stuff the churros.....yummy!!!!!!!!!
A painting for lovers of Tenerife and to practise adding a photo.
I've tried to depict the natural layers of the island without worrying about perspective. It was fun.