You don’t have to look far for excitement in Tenerife, there’s always something going on. Take Las Galletas for example, a 15 minute drive or bus trip from Los Cristianos, and you are in a charming Canarian fishing village. Sleepy, you might think, but on Saturday 4 April they stage the Arona Blues Festival, followed the next day by the 13th annual Las Galletas half marathon.

The Arona Blues festival has become a popular event on the musical calender, and once again the FREE event has 3 acts performing in the Rambla area from 7.30pm. Take your choice from Six Fired Guys Dixieland Jazz Band, D’Ebony (with a little funk for your pleasure) or Anna Paula and her Brazil Blues. Maybe a drink or 2, the warm night air, and good company, sounds just the thing to ease you into another month.

If it’s not too taxing a night, you can then get up to see the Las Galletas half marathon hit the streets from 9am. Better still, if you are energetic, you still have time to register and take part. There are various age groups, so you can find a level to suit you, and the route is a pleasant one. Leaving from Las Galletas, you run up to El Fraile, turn off right at the Palm Mar roundabout, head for Guargacho, and back past the Costa del Silencio turn and into Las Galletas.

To join in, get yourself signed up by April 2, it will cost you 10 euros, including your electronic timer tag, and you can sign at the Los Cristianos sports hall on Avenida de Chayofita (the main road into Las Americas) or go via the race website.

Maybe it’s just best to bank the point from this 2-2 draw in Alicante, and hope we can laugh about it later as we sip promotion champagne. CD Tenerife played some great football and at 2-0 up after 36 minutes, were sitting pretty. However a defensive howler and a late sucker punch meant a share of the spoils against their second from bottom hosts.

Losing inspirational goalkeeper Sergio Aragoneses, possibly for the rest of the season, in the week with pancreatitis, was a big blow but with the message of support on the players training tops and the opening TV shot of the Armada Sur flag held proudly aloft, their was a feeling that we would overcome all. The spirit was clear to see as Tenerife tore into Alicante, Richi blasted the ball past both goal posts in the first 10 minutes and Luis Garcia, guarding the CDT net, had to wait until the 23rd minute for an easy pick up, his first action. A few minutes later, the replacement keeper made a good save from an Alicante free kick, and Sicilia made a great clearance to repel a rare attack.

The first goal, just aftet the half hour mark, saw Nino feed the ball through to Alfaro, who wrong footed 2 defenders and slotted the ball in the net. Three minutes later it was 2-0, Nino (pic in previous action) heading past the keeper this time, it looked so easy.

There was an early second half warning as Gill flashed a free kick wide of the CDT goal and Sicilia made another of his telling blocks. Alfaro fired a shot straight at the home keeper, Nino was squeezed out by 2 defenders, and at the other end, Luis Garcia did well to save a low awkward free kick. The confidence was punctured though after 66 minutes when Garcia failed to punch away a header from Jorda, and Martinez, well placed at the goal line couldn’t make clean contact with his head, and the ball continued into the net as it glanced off him.

Ricardo came close to restoring the 2 goal lead, and a lovely back heel from Kome just failed to find Nino. On the 82nd minute Borja was on the end of a move that sliced Tenerife open, and he tied the game. Angel came on and prompted a few late chances but in the end Tenerife had to settle for a draw.

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A wide and interesting range of international art and culture, that’s what we were promised when Tenerife Espacio de las Artes opened in Santa Cruz in November 2008, and they have excelled themselves. Maybe I can alert you to a couple of multi talented visitors who can draw on a wealth of artistic and creative achievements.

Peter Greenaway CBE is best known as the director of The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover, the 1989 film that earned critical attention and controversy in fairly equal measures. But this Newport (Wales) born and Essex raised artist, is also a well respected painter and has made TV documentaries. On Tuesday March 24, he will be holding court at TEA from 7pm, and will be discussing the many influences that have coloured his rich landscape.

Another artist that has stretched the boundaries is Patti Smith, the hard bitten New Yorker was at the forefront of the American punk and New Wave scene and had a huge international hit in 1978 with Because The Night, a song she co wrote with Bruce Springsteen. Still rocking, Patti has many more strings to her guitar, and will be launching an exhibition called Written Portrait, at TEA from Friday May 22 to Sunday September 6, in her guise as a poet and writer. It will feature a range of her work, including paintings and black and white photos. Patti has never been afraid to air her views and is a passionate speaker for green and political issues, as well as a leading critic of the war in Iraq.

TEA is a star in its own right, a 20,000 square metre visual feast, that is a fitting home for the arts in Avenida San Sebastian, opposite the African Market. Full details of what’s on offer can be found at the website www.teatenerife.es .

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Colour, noise, passion and wild excitement in Santa Cruz, it’s expected at Carnaval time, but this year the biggest show of all was in the Heliodoro stadium as CD Tenerife added more momentum to their promotion push, with a 3-0 win over Celta Vigo.

Even the most ardent Tenerife fans couldn’t have expected such a storming start, 2-0 up in 10 minutes, and looking hungrier than Fred Goodwin at bonus time. The 18,740 fans once again did their bit, welcoming the players with thousands of blue and white balloons, flags, banners, and a wall of sound. Carnaval characters danced with the crowd and long before half time, a Mexican wave was rippling around the stadium.

Alfaro started the scoring after just 3 minutes, blasting the ball in the net from outside the area, after Juanlu had led the charge. Tenerife now have the confidence to attack their opponents from the start, knowing that the rearguard is solid,and defenders will push forward to add to the threat. Centre back Luna was up in the thick of the action and perfectly placed to head a second goal just 4 minutes later, with Alfaro turning provider this time.

Tenerife’s dominance was total, they created chance after chance, Kome and Ricardo were in top form in midfield but it was the all round team display that had the crowd purring. Into the second half, and that all important killer goal arrived after 10 minutes, Juanlu again involved, but the little magician, Nino produced one of his trade mark moments of quality to give the keeper no chance.

So CD Tenerife hold firm in the 2nd of the 3 promotion places, with lowly Alicante away next week. At the other end of the table, the Pios (Las Palmas) are slipping into the relegation zone after a 4-2 loss to Hercules – how sweet would it be to see the teams go in opposite directions at the end of the season. Promotion rivals Rayo Vallecano have their own internal problems, this week defender Carlos De la Vega was arrested with 2 former players in a 600 kilo drug bust. But CD Tenerife have their destiny in their own hands, and there has never been a better time to proudly wear the blue and white.

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