The rather cooler weather now we are back in England came as a bit of a shock after our glorious week in Gran Canaria ☀️☀️. However, the crocuses in the garden obviously reckon that Spring is on the way… A chance too to try the new 58mm lens converter for my phone. 
All good things have to come to an end, so it was goodbye this morning to the palm trees, sunshine, pools and sun loungers. Not really the end though – I figure it won’t be too long before we are back!
… to him who waits. So the sunsets every night of our holiday so far have been pretty rubbish – well, that is, with absolutely no cloud in the sky, the sun has just slipped away leaving just a faint glow – no drama at all. With some intermittent cloud today (our last day), it looked more promising so off I set to the lighthouse at Maspalomas to see what was in store… And boy, did it deliver! This is just an iPhone shot – hopefully I’ll have better still when I get to look at my Sony A7iii images on the computer. But for now, I’m happy…
Not much of a pier in truth, just an old concrete jetty by the lighthouse at Maspalomas. There are archeological ruins nearby of an aboriginal settlement dating back some 1000 years, but the area is dominated by the Maspalomas Sand Dunes, and numerous holiday hotels. 
There’s no guarantee of warm weather and sunshine in the Canary Islands in February, but we hoped for temperatures in the low 20s, with at least some sunshine. Our expectations have been somewhat exceeded, with wall to wall sunshine all week, and as you see, the temperature peaked at an impressive 34°C this afternoon. So warm in fact that we had to seek shelter (in the bar of course!) 
Well, here’s the place to get it – naturist section of beach at Maspalomas on Gran Canaria. Despite the warm sunny weather there were very few takers – just a few wizened individuals huddled at one end of the beach …
Well, our winter sun holiday is upon us – an early start and a drive through some pretty ferocious winds (Storm Erik apparently) saw us in the lounge at Manchester airport for long enough for a quick drink before boarding. Gran Canaria here we come!
Fair to say, I’m not a ‘cat’ person – never really gelled with them, and I’m quite nervous of those sharp claws… Guess I’m more of a dog lover. However, this ginger cat caught my eye when I was out today, and obligingly posed for long enough for a quick photo. 
So tonight was a ‘date night’ spent at one of our local restaurants, where they were celebrating their first year of business with a special menu, and some live music. Thanks to Dan and Verity at The Town House, and to Luke Brown for his great accompaniment. 
The hardy folks around here play tennis outdoors all year round. With three all weather courts, they even play through the winter, just as long as the playing surface isn’t too icy. This morning it was just 3.5°C, but the ladies were out there practicing as usual…
One Day At A Time... 