It´s not a sin to smile, and it can be quite infectious. So give a cheer for the Urban Art project from Arona Ayuntamiento (council) that has sponsored 59 reasons to be cheerful in Los Cristianos. You may have spotted the team of artists busy colouring up the benches on the old beach promenade and in Avenida de Suecia at the upper level of the old town. Now the works are complete, and completely lovely.

Artists from across the south have turned their ideas into mutli coloured murals depicting aspects of Canarian life, environmental pride, and downright cute illustrations to put a spring in your daily step. One of the biggest contributors is the Pintores del Llano based in San Miguel, but the works have attracted artists of many ages and several nationalities.

As someone who nearly reduced his school art teacher to a quivering wreck, and would still struggle to draw a conclusion, I have great admiration for those who are talented with the pencil and the brush. Watching the works evolve over the last few weeks has been fascinating and they have attracted a lot of admiring glances from passers by.

Los Cristianos is something of a trail blazing canvas for street art. The harbour wall, the tunnel archway between the two beaches, and the steps behind the church, have all benefited from artistic intervention to turn the daily drab into a brush with brilliance. Of course they are still popular places to sit and watch the world go by, and what wonderfully romantic reference points for a blind date.