Have you ever been storked by a long legged bird? I reckon I might have been. It started as a fairly relaxed Saturday morning so I took my camera for a little wander down into Los Cristianos, stopping on the way to snap some weeds. They may be seen as weeds but growing wild on the waste land besides the pavement they had a certain charm and pleasing colours. I can’t really tell the difference, never ask me to tidy up your garden.

I’d done my energetic bit for the morning, my usual pool swim, but reaching the cultural centre I saw they had a stage set up and before I could say dance and thrust they had got a large crowd doing Zumba fitness. It was pretty frantic stuff and had a few drivers stretching their necks as they passed through this busy junction.

Anyway down by the old beach I noticed a large white bird on spindly legs pecking around on the sand. It didn’t seem that worried by the interest it was generating. Later in the day I sought advice from Steve Andrews AKA The Bard Of Ely, a man who knows nature well. His verdict was a White Stork which he insisted shouldn’t be in Tenerife. The internet reference he sent me struck a chord as it showed the bird roosting on top of Avila cathedral in mainland Spain. How strange, on the way back from an Armada Sur trip to Salamanca a few years ago to see CD Tenerife we stopped off there and I was fascinated by the feathered friends on high, maybe they didn’t like me taking their photos and are now after me. Research told me that they migrate from Africa to Europe but go far west or east to avoid the open sea as the air thermals they travel on are not created over water.

Back on track I had been tipped off that the new lifeguards were starting today so I went and had a word with them. There has been a long running saga with the previous guards, the service was franchised out by Arona council but when the company went bust the council washed their hands of any responsibility leaving the guards with no income. Despite being on strike they kept a presence on the beach for over a year before the council had them thrown off recently. All pretty disgraceful but the new Catalan company has employed local staff to provide a reduced service. The new guards had no say in the previous mess and as a regular Las Vistas swimmer I’m very glad to see them arrive. Just watch your backs boys and double check your wages.

The early sun must have been stronger than I thought, I was having visions, I saw a bevy of lovely ladies playing beach volleyball. Then I recognized a coach I had interviewed in the past, it was a gathering of international teams from Spain (pic with visors) Austria, Switzerland, and Holland. Los Cristianos is a regular training spot for most European teams, male and female and the ladies very kindly posed and let me do interviews for The Tenerife Weekly.

I love the unpredictability of Tenerife, there is always so much going on. This could  be a slightly liquid week as my mate Neal is popping over, the Dorada brewery tour is just one of the highlights to brace myself for so if the blog is a little delayed at times this week forgive me, it’s just the  beer – unless the stork swoops down and carries me off.