Brollies and raincoats were on most peoples christmas wish list here in Tenerife, the Canary Islands were lashed by storms with heavy rain and strong winds. I had the lovely Pam over for the week and felt very bad that the sun only made fleeting appearances. At the worst, on December 30, La Palma was cut off with ferries and flights cancelled, here in Tenerife, we had between 40 and 60 litres of rain per square metre with falling rocks blocking the main motorway and many places losing electricity. I felt very sorry for the families that had brought the kids over for christmas, and the local business’s hoping for a bumper cash boost over the festive season, many people will return to the UK with stories of rain and gloom-not good for tempting future tourists. It wasn’t all bad, even after a downpour at dinner time on christmas day, it cleared enough for a couple of hours on the beach in the sun, and since yesterday it has been sunny and hot again.

A new year is now upon us, crowds flocked to the beach area and the main church plaza (see pic) in Los Cristianos to welcome in 2009 with the usual impressive firework displays, I took it easy and spared my head from a hazy start to the year. The La Noria bar area in Santa Cruz made an ominous move, introducing a 20 euro ticket to get into this popular zone, hope it is not the start of the ticket only do’s that ruined much of the New Years Eve fun for revellers in the UK years ago.

Only Reyes (kings Day) to go now on Jan 6, and we can get back to a bit of routine and start to eat into the year. CD Tenerife resume their football season on sunday with a home game, hopefully the players wont have over indulged and can start the big push for promotion. Happy New Year.

A bottle washes up on Los Cristianos beach, I open it and find a message inside, addressed to me and sent 18 years ago. It’s like a bizarre dream but the electronic equivilant has just happened to me. A friend from Oxford has emailed me a for sale item from E Bay, a copy of an Ice Hockey fanzine (482 Days) that I co produced 18 years ago has been advertised for 3 pounds, original price 40p, but the price is not important, i’m just gob smacked that any copies are still out there.

Lets rewind a little. I got into Ice Hockey with some drinking friends when Oxford ice rink opened in 1984, we all followed Oxford City Stars around the country as far as Glasgow, Irvine, Fife and even to France for a weekend tournament. Eventually, in the late 80’s me and my mate Nigel started the fanzine, very crude and rude in content and construction, none of this hi tech computer stuff, but it raised a few chuckles. Time to fess up, I wrote a lot of the items and got a “friendly” typist at work to type them up and then collated it all at work on the photocopier, when supposedly doing overtime.

We probably sold about 200 each issue at home and away games, they were sporadic, roughly every few months. Nigel quit after 7 issues but I carried on and got to about Issue 20 before stopping, it was even on sale at Sportspages in London and Manchester for a while. The name 482 Days refers to a spell when Oxford couldn’t win a home league game, they drew, won friendlies but went 482 Days without a home league win. The seller on E Bay is apparently a sports programme seller based in the Borders region, so 482 Days has really travelled.

Those Ice Hockey days were happy, and very boozy times, i’m still in touch with loads of the players, even the Canadians and Swedes, but thought 482 Days was long gone. Even over here, my past has reached out to me, well it’s a small world – but you wouldn’t want to paint it!

Look, i’m not against rain as such but does it have to be bloody cold as well. Here I am in Oxford on a bank holiday weekend, and surprise surprise, its pissing down, to be fair, it started out quite nice.

Yesterday I went to my beloved football club, Oxford City, they had a beer festival, 15 real ales including a specially brewed Promotion Ale, did I mention that we got promoted to the Southern League Premier Division, just 2 jumps behind Oxford United. The ale was lovely and I sat outside with some old friends but mid afternoon the wind kicked up and the storm clouds moved in.

I have been very upset at the state of my old local pubs, several have closed since my last visit, and one, The Cock And Camel has become a Jamie Oliver restaurant, never did like that smug git. Just off for Sunday dinner with my parents in town and then I shall meet up with a few of the beer monsters for an afternoon of polite conversation and a few halfs of lemonade shandy, might even watch Dirty Leeds on tv in the promotion playoff. Hopefully I will post some pics on here soon, I want to get some nice shots of people getting soaked in the torrential rain, maybe a few Miss Wet T Shirt contestants.Â

Well here i am in Lanzarote for nearly a week, it’s work, honestly, i’m not enjoying all the sun, swimming and beer – much. I’m staying at the Sands Beach Resort in Costa Tequise, to soak up the local delights and enjoy the hospitality of the resort so I can write the copy for their new website.

It’s a lovely place, im in an apartment above the “beach” a lagoon just behind the sea, there are also 4 plazas surrounded by apartments, each with a central pool. It’s an interesting chance for me to compare with Tenerife, and it is very quiet here, i’m told this is normal this time of year. costa tequise is a quiet family resort but i am exploring. Today i went to Puerto del Carmen, where i went on a day trip from Fuertaventura 10 years ago-they all remembered me – Â and told me I was back too soon. Puerto is a much livelier place, where the big nightlife is, but it too seemed quite subdued.

As I am missing my fix of CD Tenerife, tomorrow I am off to see UD Lanzarote v Alcorcon at 11am, hopefully I will get some pics for here. They have a Brit fan trying to draw fans to the game and there was a leaflet about the game in reception, apparently 2 of the players live in Sands.

Ok Im off for a non alcoholic shandy-more soon.

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So near and so far. I was hoping to reveal big news of Chuck Berry playing live in Santa Cruz on Monday November 26 but sadly it looks like it has all fallen through.

Before you ask, yes he is still alive, he turned 81 last month and is on a major tour. I heard mention of him coming here a few weeks ago and last week the Canary dates appeared on his official website but they have now been withdrawn. It was to be the Guimera Thetre in Santa Cruz on 26 and the Cuyas theatre in Las Palmas the next night. Chuck is playing in Burgos, mainland Spain on Sunday 25 November.

Not sure what really happened on this, the Las Palmas theatre has Fame, the musical on the night he was supposed to appear, the Guimera has a free night but when I called them, they had no knowledge of any concert and it has never appeared on their listings.

There is certainly no blame attached here as it was never officially announced, sounds like an ambitious plan that didn’t quite make it. There are still rumblings out there on the net on some Spanish sites and suggestions that he may come at a later date, if I find out more, you will see it here. Rock on Chuck.Â

At the risk of being lynched by readers in the UK, can I say how badly we need some rain here in Tenerife. Someone reported a U.F.O the other day, but turned out it was just a cloud.

Latest government figures suggest that the 23 resevoirs on the island are on average, just 30 per cent full and there is only enough water to meet demands until November. Strangely the lowest and highest levels are in the same municipality, Granadilla, San Isidro is at 64 per cent full and El Saltadero is a mere 10 per cent full.

It’s not only the hot weather that has drained the water but also the recent fires that ravaged the north west of the island, vast loads of water were used to dowse the flames.

It all takes me back to the UK drought of 1976, yes they did have summers then. One of the water saving suggestions was to share a bath, mmmmmmmmm sounds good, now all I have to do is convince some poor lady that it really is for the good of the Tenerife environment.

The waiting is over at last and the new Spanish football season is underway. CD Tenerife started off with a good 1-1 draw away to Sevilla Athletic in the Segunda Division, thanks to a second half goal from new forward, Nino, after 66 minutes.

It was a poor first half display and Sevilla took the lead after 29 minutes with a Sanchez penalty after Culebras was judged to have handled in the area. A better showing in the second, especially after a double substitution at 58 minutes brought Iriome and Rosquete into the action. The equalising goal came when the creative Longas sent the ball across for Nino to head home. A good point, cant wait for Cadiz at home next Sunday at 6.00pm, contact the Armada Sur if you want to go.

Elsewhere, good to see our nearest and dearest, UD Las Palmas lose 3-0 at Numancia, the first of many stuffings for the Pio’s. In the Primera, Barcelona drew 0-0 at Racing Santander, Real Madrid started with a 2-0 home win over city rivals, Athletico, and Almeria had a superb start to life in the top tier with a 3-0 win at Deportivo.

A sad postscript to the weekends games. Sevilla senior team player, Antonio Puertas, collapsed twice in their weekend Primera game and was taken to hospital with heart problems. sadly he died on Tuesday, aged just 22.

Well it could be worse, could be crabs on the rocks! I just wondered, have Crocs taken over in the UK, they are everywhere out here in Tenerife. I realise that the footwear of choice in the UK this summer has been wellies but even on the few dry days, the brightly coloured sandal like sensations must have made an appearance?

It seems everyone, young and old, male and female and all nationalities are wearing them here. They look like sandals but feel like polystyrene (no not the lead singer of punk band X Ray Spex) and just wash under a tap. Most of all though, you will hear them clip clop before they arrive, like the crocodile stalking Captain Hook.

I was hoping to do a nice story about them, hoping that they had been invented by an old cobbler, penny less and down on his luck, who had become an instant millionaire. Alas not, they come from a big corporation in Colorado, America, so some corporate cobbler now has new stock options.

Anyway, it just goes to show that I do take an interest in fashion, maybe I should research ladies thongs on the beach!Â

It has to be a drinkers dream, free alcohol on tap, but it’s come true in the island of La Palma. In Fuencaliente they now have a fountain that spurts out free wine, please form an orderly queue.

The free flowing fountain is in the San Antonio plaza, near the church, and is a tribute to the islands wine making tradition. One if the big local wine producers has it’s headquarters nearby and donated 3,000 litres of fine wine. Before you rush over with a bucket, the fountain will only pour plonk at special times of celebration.

It may be a little early for christmas but, for what it’s worth, top of my list this year is a Dorada beer fountain.

Still a week to go until the Spanish football league starts and CD Tenerife have added 3 trophies, well friendly ones, and signed another forward.

On Sunday 12 August a 2-2 draw at La Orotava with Sevilla Athletic, saw them pick up the Teide Trophy 4-1Â on penalties. Good to see Icod boy Ruben Rosquete score and another young gun Omar get the second.

On to Tuesday at La Laguna and a 0-0 draw with Valladolid followed by another penalty win for the Puma Trophy. Enter another forward signing with Nino finally joining from Levante but not in time for the Hermano Pedro Trophy at Raqui San Isidro last night, 15th August.

A nice 3-2 win and again the young local players grabbing the headlines. Suso equalised an early San Isidro goal and by half time Rosquete and Sicilia had made it 3-1. The home team pulled one back late on but Tenerife got their hands on some more silver ware. Things are shaping up nicely.