Not even the fresh wind blowing up from the west coast of Tenerife could  diminish the beauty of the flower and plant sculptures gathered in Guia de Isora for the annual Florida Pascua in Tenerife.

Over 20 artistic creations told the story of the cruzifiction in key points around the back streets over four days. Artists from across Spain, and locally from the association of flower carpet makers in La Orotava, poured out their view of this special time of year.

The church of Nuestra Sñora de la Luz (Our Lady of the Light) and the light green Ayuntamiento (council) were among the established back drops, adding to a stunning street gallery of emotions.

Musical and poetic performances added to the mix, and a good selection of cafes and bars provided points to relax and soak in the history of this more restful part of Tenerife. But the sculptures were the stars, and work was continuing to some of the bigger works even as visitors wafted through the streets.

It´s a unique contribution to the easter story, and a monumnet to the dedication of the artists who put in countless hours to make this event an annual favourite.

Feathers and sequins fluttered in the coastal wind as the coso parade headed down and along the main road up into Los Cristianos and the Carnaval show ground. It was time to wallow in the adulation of 25,000 people and to marvel at the home made costumes. Drum beats filled the air, dance moves added plenty of flair as last minute touches were added to the parade.

Sheila Rodriguez Alonso beamed brightly in the glow of here crowning as the main Carnaval queen, in a dazzling light blue explosion of energy called Frenesi (frenzy).

Most vantage points had been snapped up early in the day, with many claiming ringside seats outside bars along the route. The 80´s was the theme this year but it was more of a rough guide, plenty of recurring characters weaved between the slow cruising stretch of celebration. It´s like the tip of a colourful iceberg, many hours of preparation go into making these artistic dreams come true.

An array of honours had been bestowed in the preceeding week, with costumes in age groups from children to the more mature long term devotees of Carnaval. Finishing touches were added as the procession crawled up the hill, despite the wind cutting across from the ocean.

Celebrations, music, and fireworks carried on late into the night – but even at the height of the party, a few minds would be turning to even more ambitious plans for next year.

Not scoring enough goals has threatened to drag CD Tenerife into a relegation scrap. Luismi Cruz, getting a rare start, showed that he can be the man to rescue the season with a late charge for a promotion play off spot. His tenacious play caused problems for visiting Mirandes and created chances for his team mates. Surging past three red shirted defenders, Cruz was brought down and Gallego was able to convert the penalty for a 22nd minute lead. Just seven minutes later there was even more flair to Cruz´s second strike, drawing the defence towards him in the box, he calmly slammed the ball into the back of the net.

That should have been the foundation of a big victory against a poor Mirandes team, but Tenerife didn´t hammer home their advantage as Carlos Martin scored from a penalty after his foot was clipped by a loose home tackle. Arriving late in the box, Cruz had a shot at stretching the lead, only to see a defender deflect the ball wide. Soriano was as always alert at the other end to deny two chances from Mirandes. Waldo made a welcome return to action late in the game, replacing Rahmani, both players worked hard down the wing, but once again Teto was briought on in the dying minutes of the game and made little impact.

It was a mixed day all round. During the pre match announcements, coach Garitano´s name was greeted with boos, he still has a battle to win the hearts of the fans. One of the complaints from the faithful is the coach´s constant tinkering, he´s gone 29 games without repeating a starting line up. The 22 year old Cruz is on loan but Tenerife have  an option to buy. At the other end, outstanding goalie Soriano is coming to the end of his contract and has been linked to a La Liga berth.  Another turn out of 13,762 was pleasing, and amid all the portents of doom, the team have put together a nice little run of seven points from the last three games, fuelling faint hopes of sneaking in the promotion play offs.