I’ve always been fascinated by how people write as much as why they do, so after channel surfing through some truly awful telly tonight I latched onto a BBC 1 Imagine special about Ian Rankin writing his new Rebus crime novel Standing In Another Man’s Grave. Partly a video diary of his creative process it’s another prompt for me to push on with my oh so slow work in progress that might one day emerge blinking into the sunlight as something near readable.

Back to my main fascination, Rankin was writing much of his new thriller with a favourite LP from Tangerine Dream playing in the background. Maybe I should see if some classic mood music from The Undertones might inspire me to knuckle down. My mind tends to wander easily, you really wouldn’t want to see inside my head, it’s like my sock drawer, muddled, dirty, and full of holes.

One of the best books I have read on the discipline of putting pen to paper (or finger to computer) is On Writing an autobiography written by Stephen King as he lay in hospital recovering from a near fatal knock down by a drunk driver as he walked home one night. The amazingly productive Mr King only talks fleetingly about his drink and drug problems as he wrote his first books but it’s still a good insight into the great horror writer.

Back in Oxford I had the pleasure of interviewing Colin Dexter in a local hotel just after he had killed off Inspector Morse in The Remorseful Day. Very old school and like a prickly but kindly old uncle he told me how he still wrote on an old typewriter rather than a new fangled word processor. The cunning old devil was a bit deaf in one ear and sipping coffee and holding court with American tourists daily in the lobby of the swanky Randolph Hotel he would get the pretty young waitresses to lean in close to talk to him.

Music lyrics grab my attention for similar reasons, Bob Geldof often talked in the music papers about how he collected snippets of news and scribbled down odd phrases for future inspiration for songs. I was a great fan of The Boomtown Rats and still have a couple of their cassettes even though I have nothing to play them on. Paul Heaton of The Housemartins and The Beautiful South had an unusual method of conjuring up new song lyrics, he would head off to Utrecht on the ferry from Hull to Holland for a few weeks and loose himself in the brown cafes. Returning with a folder stuffed with random words and ideas he would get the band to wrap some music around his minds wanderings – amazingly he still came up with more brilliant lyrics after he gave up booze and funny cigarettes.

Whoops this was originally going to be a short comment on Facebook about the Ian Rankin documentary but my mind has slipped the latch on the gate and gone meandering up the road, I’d better give chase.

Oh the things I do for the Armada Sur, a bit of consumer testing was on the cards as I headed bright and early to Santa Cruz with Barnet Dave. We were eager, hammering on the door of the brewery at 10 am to sample the new tour. I was a bit peeved that there were only seven of us visitors, parties were announced as being up to 15 people but after wrestling with the on line registration I booked the last two places, our guide said they had cut the size down to make it more manageable.

Never mind, the smell of hops was in our noses and our multi lingual guide and his young female assistant took us past check in and across the courtyard. Bottles and barrels were piled high in the store area and I was twitching with anticipation. Luckily they hadn’t noticed my five litre flask and siphon straw sticking out of my bag. Wearing our high visibilty yellow jackets we watched a video in the reception room and paid our three euros fee.

Entering the cooking area the air was humid and sweet, like being wrapped in a warm beer blanket, the water, malt, hops and yeast were sloshing away in a huge vat and I thought I could see someone swirling round in there with a huge grin. Our guide gave us background and history in Spanish and English before we moved on to the packaging area. Were those yellow bubble gum machines all around the brewery, maybe not, they gave out ear plugs and we were glad of them in the bottling plant. There were armies of Dorada Pilsen bottles marching along the conveyor belts, I deployed my fishing rod but couldn’t find any Especial to snare.

The last stop was the museum and bar, one whole wall was a glass cabinet containing bottles from the start of Dorada production in 1948. I imagine that is what Los Abrigos Andy’s living room looks like. Our guide started to pour us glasses from the Dorada tap and we sipped as we chatted. The brewery, part of SAB Miller, also brews Tropical and Carlsberg (under licence) but it seems that Dorada is the dominant sale in Gran Canaria despite our view of Tropical as a Pio beer – cue memories of 2,000 CD Tenerife fans singing at Las Palmas ground “ No No No Tropical”.

Especial on tap was a rare sight and we managed to coax some of that into our glasses and we were also offered some less filtered Dorada that was more bitter and yeasty, very good too. Dave was tempted to buy a t-shirt but they didn’t go up to experienced beer drinker sizes.

After a 90 minute tour it was tram time down into the capital and leaving Dave to explore I headed to the port to check out the ships and then on to Parque Maritimo for the second part of my mission. The swimming pool complex to the side of the Auditorium has recently done a deal to give CDT season ticket holders free entry (normally 2.50) so I had to check it out. It was midweek with a mix of cloud and sun but half of the complex with the largest pool was closed off and only a scattering of people were around the other kids pool and a still luxuriously big second pool. I had to show my N.I.E number as my CDT season ticket is in the name of the peña Armada Sur rather than mine but once in I was soon doing circuits in the main loop of the sea water pool.

Out of the pool like a wrinkly blond prune I had a good look around, it’s a lovely complex with shaded areas, showers and a Pizzeria Café and there’s also access to a small beach. Outside the café there is a covered area with a large TV, part of the link up with CDT is to make this a fan zone, I’m sure it could prove popular for the local fans to watch away games as part of a relaxing Sunday. Well worth having a look – go on just dip your toe in the water.

Sailing majestically across the Plaza de España sails billowing and not a crew member in sight. Blimey they were a bit small though, was this an episode of Land Of The Giants? no just an exhibition of remote controlled boats as part of the Sal 2 promotion day in Santa Cruz.

The models were a good start but even without an anorak and a flask of milky tea I have become a bit of a ship spotter and I’m always drawn to Santa Cruz harbour to see what the tide has brought in. Looking down from the roof of the Fred Olsen building the two cruise liners were old friends but two gleaming modern motor yachts on the near side caught my attention.

Down at mooring level I was able to admire the sleek lines of the Fortunate Sun and April Fool. Later research valued them at a cool 54 million and 46 million euros, both can comfortable sleep 12 guests. I think I could get used to port hopping in such luxury but I’d probably need a paper round just to afford the polish for the chrome.

Walking out to the marina I’d already spotted a military ship but it was beyond the public access so I had to zoom in from the main road to the auditorium to find out it was HMS Edinburgh. It was a lucky spot, the type 42 destroyer is on its last deployment before being sold off. Built in Birkenhead in 1983 time and budget cuts have caught up with the grand lady, it sailed out of Portsmouth in September last year and returns for the last time next spring.

At the moment HMS Edinburgh is on a counter drug trafficking mission off the coast of West Africa before moving on to the Caribbean and the United States. As part of the farewell tour the ship fired the last round of Sea Dart missiles off the coast of Scotland, these too are being replaced, by Sea Vipers. Some of the crew were out jogging just below the ship, I’m not sure what they would have made of the model boats but hopefully they will enjoy their time in Tenerife.

How very remiss of me, it’s been a few months since I last made the short hop to Las Galletas, one of my favourite ports of call. So with a volunteer clean up of the beaches taking place last week it seemed a perfect time to see how the neighbours are doing.

Change arrives in small measures for this delightful fishing village, well it would be difficult to do anything major without ruining the natural charms of Las Galletas. The main beach looked much the same, it was never dirty, most people’s beef seems to be with the shingle and stones and their aspirations for sand to be added. When I first went to Las Galletas some ten years ago the beach was mainly large stones, this was scraped clear and a fine shingle added but sun bathers began popping over the road to the waste ground and bring back large stones to peg their towels out – you can’t please everyone.

Anyway back to the clean up, around 60 volunteers pitched in and removed 600 kilos of rubbish, 500 kilos of that was from the sea bed. It was clear to me that some of the older weather beaten small fishing boats had been pulled over to a quiet corner and several other bigger and possibly abandoned craft moored in mid water now had for sale signs on.

Earlier in the week I had noticed the long deserted Yellow Submarine re-located to Los Cristianos quay side. This former under water viewing ship has been a dirty and unloved anomaly at the Las Galletas for as long as most people can remember – it looks like it outdates The Beatles. It will be interesting to see if it is salvaged, the layers of caked on silt will take more than a few cans of Mr Muscle.

The Marina del Sur is a more recent cautionary tale of apathy and bad planning, it is well used by pleasure craft and excursion trips but is still only a shadow of what was intended. 8 years ago. The Policia Local and fishermen never did move into their purpose built new premises and the little cafe at the far end of the marina arm that embraces the bay opened and shut in the blink of an eye.

Despite all this it is still a hub of fishing tradition with some lovely cheap shops, bars and restaurants in the back streets and the undeveloped nature of the main beach ensures plenty of room and I always enjoy a swim along the sweep of the bay with the mountains of Arona as an inspiring back drop.

The clock of progress ticks slowly in Tenerife, projects seldom finished on time even before the recession. Parque Central de Arona, between the court building and El Camison where Los Cristianos meets Playa de Las Americas, looked finished for its delayed opening date of 12 February but the fences stayed up. Tantalizing glimpses through the mesh promised a well planned and delightfully executed new green space just a car horns blast away from the busy Avenida Chayofita.

Now the covers are off and the park has been revealed in all its green glory. A small lake by a children’s playground provides a focal point at one end and a circular stone kiosk may provide the reason for the tardy opening. The swings and slide were getting a good testing on the day that I passed through but the benches around the lake were empty as the kiosk is not yet open. It seems that much like the new beach in Callao Salvaje the kiosk will go out to tender to entice someone to add a commercial side to support the up keep of the park.

There is a lot to admire here, the foot path meanders slowly through the serenity of the open grassy areas, however relaxation and education go hand in hand here if you look to the banked verges. Plants and bushes familiar by sight around Tenerife are showcased with photos to clearly identify them and background information in Spanish and English puts them into context with their history and uses.

If you find yourself nearby don’t just peep over the hedge, take a stroll, smell the flowers, and admire the growing saplings. Maybe local workers will start to enjoy their breaks with a fistful of sarnies and a lung full of fresh air, could we even hope that miscreants up before the nearby court will pop in to turn over a new leaf or two. If nothing else it should provide a pleasing distraction when taking a short cut across this busy corner at the heart of the modern tourist zone.

Even with a night appointment to cover the Peroni Calendar catwalk I couldn’t resist cramming in a few favourite calls in Santa Cruz and it had saved some goodies for me. The early evening Titsa bus delivered me to the 30 degree heat of the capital with time to spare so a wander was definately called for starting with Parque Garcia Sanabria. Different times of day produce different moods, the park was bustling with families and children unleashed from the confines of the day, the central fountain was the focal point to relax on the grass, read, or just enjoy the fine cooling spray from the jets of water. The park seemed fresher and well pruned, the pond had definately benefitted with some weeding and glistened nicely in the late sun.

There’s always something going on in the park, down by the cafe and the mini train a large screen reminded me it was open air cinema season. I scanned the list and it was the usual safe family films at 9.30 each weekday night but a few days previously it had been La Dama de Hierro (The Iron Lady) fancy subjecting kids to Thatcher as their bedtime treat – even the cheap burger or hot dog wouldn’t have made up for that. Moving down into the heart of Santa Cruz I popped into CC Parque Bulevar, a nice shopping centre that never seems to have any customers – and they do try. For the last 2 months it has been home to Expo Carnaval, a look at the history of Carnaval complete with suspended models wearing the best of the costumes. On my last trip it wasn’t officially open, now they have added spotlights and a sporadic video show with smoke and music to animate the displays – worth a look.

Next stop had to be the port, that is a slightly longer route these days due to the long running road widening work on the Via Litoral, the latest stage is moving six of the huge laurel trees in Avenida de Anaga by 10 metres. A massive crane towers over the road to lift the trees – roots and all – into their new slots where they are weighted down until they bed in. This small part of the project should be finished by September giving Avenida de Anaga a new look thanks to the newly installed brighter street lights.

As for the port, I check the comings and going daily in the newspapers, the constant visit of cruise liners is having a lull but I did spot Africa Mercy, the world’s biggest hospital ship parked up. This Danish built former rail ferry is 500 foot long with 450 crew over eight decks, six operating theatres, and 126 cabins. The ships mission is to supply and treat the poorer, underdeveloped areas of Africa, I’m hoping to get on board for a closer look soon.

Final call and top of my nights bill was the Peroni calendar catwalk in Calle La Noria, my third year of covering this glamourous event. This year the initial event was more about picking a talented local designer to work on the exclusive calendar for 2013. What can I say, the lights, the costumes, the glamour, and oh those models. I’m going to have to be a bit of a tease, if you want to read and see more about how it went, follow this link to Tenerife Magazine. I’m off to slip into my own catwalk outfit of CD Tenerife shirt, shorts, and cheap as chips trainers.

Never let it be said that nothing happens in Tenerife, another hot Sunday evening and I found myself with two free events to squeeze in. Heading over to Playa de Las Americas I arrived in good time for the Ratha Yatra festival in Calle Siete Islas, organised by the Hindu Association of Tenerife South. Ratha Yatra is the festival of the chariots and celebrates the visit of Lord Jagannath to Gundicha Temple, in the full cerremony three of the large mobile temples are used in cart form but for this smaller version one chariot stood proud and colourful as curious holiday makers streamed by on their way to the party hot spots of Las Americas.

I have been to several other Hindu events over here like the Festival of Divine Light held on La Caleta beach and they have always been well attended but we seemed to be lacking people for the latest celebration. The Hindu association like to reach out to the wider community and pre publicity was good with posters up around the south for a couple of weeks but an hour after the advertised start there was no dancing on the stage and officials including Arona councillors shuffled around restlessly. With an 11 pm advertised finish it was going to be a bit rushed and sadly I couldn’t hang around as my next visit was beckoning.

The piano concert Sin Limite (no limits) with Rudolf Cicko and Miluse Cickova was a late and free addition to the programme at the Auditorio Infanta Leonor behind the Los Cristianos Cultural Centre and didn’t appear in the free monthly ACA (Agenda Cultural Arona)booklet. Some posters were put up around town so I hoped for a decent turnout at the 800 seat auditorium but there were barely 100 by the start. A nervous Rudlolf took to the stage and explained that the concert would be in two parts, first him solo on piano and then with a group, aah that explained the extra instruments.

Starting with some heavy classical works Rudolf moved through some lighter pieces such as Love Story, and Flight Of The Bumblebee before taking a brief bow and ushering three colleagues onto the stage. Rudolf moved to a small electric organ and two ladies grabbed the microphones from their stands, at the rear a chap who had been filming the performance from the seats slid onto the drum stool – so much for a break. Unchain My Heart, Thank You For The Music and Respect all followed as a lighter mood settled on the audience. It was a real whirlwind of a show as they rattled through the whole set in just over an hour, and an enjoyable way to spend a Sunday night. The Auditorium was opened in March 2011 and has a wide range of shows from music to theatre, many of them costing a mere 10 euros, I was wondering how they could support the basic costs of a free show but before and after the music, the cafe bar terrace outside picked up plenty of extra trade. Los Cristianos is lucky to have such a fine facillity, I’m going to make an effort to get to more shows.

Either my past was catching up with me and I was having a flash back to 1978 or I could hear the thrashing siren guitar opening of The Buzzcocks track Fast Cars. As I was heading down to Los Cristianos church plaza the punk answer seemed unlikely but this is Tenerife and anything can happen. The music got louder and I was just about to stick a safety pin through my nipple when the plaza unfolded in front of me with several large skateboard ramps, a band settting up on stage, an army of grunge like skater boys, and a DJ blasting out The Buzzcocks over a hastily assembled sound system.

It was a protest over the lack of local facilities for skateboard enthusiasts (Skateboarding Is Not A Crime proclaimed the banner) as the youngsters defied gravity on the ramps, the music moved on through Jimi Hendrix’s Purple Haze, and Billy Idol’s Dancing With Myself – great anthems to rebel to and a unexpected treat to finish an enjoyable afternoon. It started in Adeje with another tour, one of my latest surprise followers on Twitter is Tasca El Majao, just off Plaza de Venezuela so I thought I better check the place out. It looks small on the outside but is stylishly laid out inside with a wide ranging menu of tapas and main meals. It was early afternoon and they were empty after just opening so I just had a quiet coffee and a look around but I will return a bit later and a bit less casual to try the food.

There are always things to learn and unexpected extras on my trips, this was to be no exception. Passing the Ayuntamiento (council) building I noticed the old Franciscan Convent door was open (it’s normally locked) the handyman turned out to be a warden and gave me a quick guided tour of this ancient treasure trove. Built in 1679 it closed in 1835 but was lovingly restored by the council in 1991 and is now used as an assembly hall. Relics of old crafts line the walls including beautiful tapestries donated in 1745, the slatted wooden ceiling at one end caught my eye and a balcony high overview made the convent look even more attractive.

My trusty carrier bag was loaded with my swimming gear so a short hop down to Puerto Colon seemed in order, especially as the sun was blistering a trail through the few stray clouds. Before treating myself to a cooling swim I did a wide sweep of the marina including a wander along the harbour wall. It must be the busiest marina on the island, not just due to the range of majestic boats and yachts moored up but also the excursion trips for whale and dolphin watching, fishing, and water skiing. Playa La Pinta was busy, a good beach for families with its gently sloping sea bed and the inflaatable Iceberg area for the kids, my only dislike is the amount of beach sellers trying to push massage, fruit and even excursion bookings. The sea was lovely, just what I needed, swimming out to the mouth of the bay the views along the coast were inspiring and looking back beyond the beach to the hills of Adeje gave it a perfect setting.

Heading back to Los Cristianos was the end of my plans but a call from The General to meet up to see his etchings drew me down to the church square with the skateboards and The Buzzcocks – part of the soundtrack of my youth. Tenerife just keeeps on serving up surprises.

Bears and little furry creatures ran for cover, birds of prey changed their flight paths, and Mother Nature got her pinny in a twist when they heard that the annual Armada Sur barbecue was coming to Cho Pancho. They had no need to worry, it was just our usual way to let off steam after another frustrating season following CD Tenerife.

Cho Pancho is a large hilly picnic and barbecue area high above San Miguel and the scene of a previous bash. Bob had raised funds during the season via the Golden Goal competition on the coaches and Juanma and Frank were the advance guard to fire up the barbecues and start cooking ahead of the main coach party. It seems that each year we get a heat wave just before our party and hope that any outdoor fire ban will be lifted in time – of course it was so the good people of Tenerife didn’t have to witness us draped over a local traffic roundabout.

Cho Pancho is looked after by the San Miguel council and they do a fantastic job, at the top of the hill at the end of a long access road there is a toilet and washing block – well bears might do but we don’t. Scattered around the clearings between the trees are collections of concrete cooking areas, just add your own food and charcoal and off you go. The General had sorted out food and drink so we had stacks of chops, burgers, salad, sausages (Frank’s big German sausage was very popular with the ladies) and industrial amounts of beer chilling nicely in a large bin of ice.

Our area had been decorated with a forest of CD Tenerife flags and banners and as always a stuffed Pio was supplied to cremate in the fire, weirdly the shop in Los Cristianos only had a choice of green or pink Pio, The General went for green and even though it was a tough little blighter we eventually managed to get it to burn with the help of bangers and much prodding.

A bonus at Cho Pancho is a small clearing just above the cooking areas, ideal for a quick game of cricket based loosely on the rules of England’s summer game. While the more energetic launched themselves into the action out in the blazing sun, I skulked around the edges taking a few photos and trying not to lose track of where I had lodged my beer can.

We had a good five hours before it was time to head off to the coach pick up point, we were all in good voice by then, I’m sure the families at other tables enjoyed our football based ditties. Like Wombles on speed we scurried around and cleared up all our rubbish to take up to the big bins, good planning meant we still had plenty of beer and wine to lubricate our uphill walk. Heading back down south the idea was to be back in good time for the Euro 2012 final, I think we all watched it in various degrees of blurring but it was another cracking day the new 20^th anniversary season of the Armada Sur can’t come soon enough.

Multi tasking isn’t all it’s made out to be, I set out for the west coast of Tenerife with three missions in mind, to rediscover the coastal walk from Playa San Juan to Los Gigantes, grab some photos of the glowing red Flamboyant trees, and to see how much passion for CD Tenerife was being displayed in the form of flags flying high. It turned into a bit of a mixed bag but a very enjoyable and scorching hot day.

Playa San Juan was my start point, i’ve done the walk many times before but not for a while and anyway there are always a few new variations like the building work going on in an old finca ready for the impending Fonsalia port. The little break in the walk is usually a decision to scrmble down and up a small bank or detour but the builders temporary rails suggested the detour was the easist option. Good call that as Fonsalia is a delightful mini village and the church had some of my target flame trees in its small but shady plaza. Coming back out onto the coastal walk I noticed several small tents all zipped up and one more ambitious shack complete with a rock garden. Technically it’s illegal but as this area is being churned up by diggers and the canvas crew aren’t blocking any ones progress I’d say good luck to them.

By the time I reached Alcala a cold drink was in order down at the plaza before pushing on past the quay where I used to swim in my lunch break when The Western Sun office was nearby. I saw a few escapees from the all inclusive Sol Melia hotel, braving the outside world, to be fair the area around the hotel has been improved greatly since the hotel arrived but on this trip work on a revamp of Playa La Jaquita meant another blockage and a detour through the banana plantations.

It turned out to be a fortunate change as I found the Villa Perenquen secreted among the banana groves and as the big notice said welcome I rung the bell. Juan and his two friendly dogs ushered me into the courtyard and gave me the full tour of the six apartments made from farm house conversions. I was impressed, very well laid out with a chill out area, BBQ zone and all mod cons like TV and Wi Fi, a perfect rural retreat with great terraces to enjoy the sunsets.

Back at the coast I sweated my way on to El Varadero as the sun glistened off the rolling waves, the soft thin clouds cleared and I was glad of my water bottle. Heading up to the main road I walked beyond Playa de la Arena and down behind El Patio (another old drinking haunt of mine) to the Playa Santiago where a large bonfire had already been stacked high ready for the Night of San Juan when dancing on the beach leads to jumping small fires. After seeing loads of Spanish flags flying from balconies I finally spotted the first CD Tenerife flag – come on it’s our big week as well as Euro 2012. Part way around the harbour wall I asked some nice female tourists to pose with my CDT flag – one of several forced photo opportunities. The Crab Island rock pool was busy, famous for late night skinny dipping I always had too much respect for the strong currents to risk that one.

Whilst in Los Gigantes I looked up a few old friends and caught up on the latest news before grabbing a few more frantic flag shots and catching the bus down south for a few late evening Dorads – lovely.