So many things could have gone wrong for CD Tenerife in this Segunda B opener but a goal in the first 20 seconds settled the nerves and the eventual 2-0 win should help to dispel the pre season doubts that have haunted the fans. New coach Alvaro Cervera has chopped and changed in the warm up games and the squad still has a couple of shirts waiting to be filled. A new striker should be heading in this week but Aridane (above) looked determined to nail down his regular place with a bustling performance and two well taken goals.

This was the first time I have walked to an away game, CD Marino are just 20 minutes from Kirby Towers so there was a strange feeling as I met up with the Armada Sur and some of the other Peñas at Bar 13. It was as near as we could get to our spiritual home The Royal Oak 2 and many memories of our former host Andy mixed with the buzz of getting the league underway. Marino hiked their match day price to 20 euros and that seemed to rile their fans even more than ours, it was like the city of Santa Cruz had relocated for the day as we entered the ground.

Tenerife didn’t hang about, a quick break down the right and a strong cross and Aridane was there to head it in the net. It could have been 2-0 within 10 minutes, the home keeper had to make a diving interception to fist the ball clear. Loro fired wide when it looked easier to score and Marino came into the game and tested Sergio Aragoneses, particularly when forcing a finger tip save after 40 minutes.

The second half brought more scorching sun and a second goal was urgently needed to ensure we didn’t let the lead slip. Loro had a good break but couldn’t quite reach the ball to put in a telling shot. Chechu was probing out wide as new boys Inigo Ross and Cristo Martin impressed with their creative play. Aridane was alert after 65 minutes and gave a home defender the slip before racing through to slot the ball past the keeper for a 2-0 cushion. Marino had chances themselves but the Tenerife defence stood firm and Sergio was always on hand to deny anyone who got through.

It’s very early days and there will be better teams than Marino to beat, an away win and a clean sheet are good reasons to smile for at least the next week. It’s not always the obvious that works, the pairing of Bruno and Tarantino in defence is a strange one considering some of the other defenders we have at the club. The red card hungry Tarantino and former hot prospect Bruno, back from a years loan, have surprised many fans but they seem to bring out the best in each other. As for Marino, it could be a long hard season and they will have to woo back their hardcore fans, the official figure of 2,500 was quite a bit short of Marino´s prediction of 4,000 and did that include those copping a free one perched on top of the fence near the scoreboard?

A sultry Tenerife evening, the gentle lap of waves on the shore, a promenade kiosk for a cold Dorada, and loud, angry, ranting singers screaming against the world as guitars thrash, screech, and wail – aah you can’t beat a night at the Goymar Fest. Every type of music has its stage in Tenerife and for the fifth year Puertito de Guimar was the setting for 10 heavy metal and rock bands in a 12 hour kerrang feast of head banging and mosh pit bundles.

The General and I arrived as day turned into night, the approach roads were packed with parked cars and awesome dudes and dudess’s discussed the latest trends in body piercing as they took a breather from the action. What a shocker, after previously being a free event the organisers imposed a 3 euros entrance charge for the concreted outdoor sports court – but it included the first drink and a raffle ticket to possibly win a tattoo or an electric guitar. There are some nice posh modern dwellings in this bottom part of Guimar plus a large marina and a nautical club but they have got used to this friendly annual invasion. Uniformed security staff manned the entrance to the inner sanctum as we filed in and got our ticket and wrist band. First stop was one of the temporary bars to get our first drink, the barrels were warm and the Reina spluttered into plastic glasses with large foaming heads.

As we waited to be served I tried to work out which group was hammering out a little ditty with all the subtlety of a piledriver, I didn’t suceed but they were pretty good and one of their members was shinning up the scaffolding at the side of the stage like a dark brooding rock version of Spiderman. Drinks in hand we mingled just behind the main throng that was pressing down on the stage and chaarging at each other in a gleeful dance of darkness. The large crowd seemed to be younger this year, or am I getting older, I thought the bright green inflatable crocodiles tossed back and fore between the band and the audience didn’t fit the wild rock and roll image but noone seemed bothered so far play to them.

The bands were mainly from Tenerife, apart from 2 from Gran Canaria and one from Barcelona. Next up were The Slaughter Inc (above) their musical juggernaut of a performance really whipped the crowd up. Don’t ask me anything technical about the guitars, I only knew the black star shaped guitar looked pretty damm impressive to me. After the bands set finished there was a flurry of activity to change the stage instruments around, so to avoid another warm shaving mug of Reina we went outside to another kiosk near the beach walkway and ordered 2 cold cans of Dorada. It was very busy on the outside, quite a few tents were set up down on the sand and little groups of fans were enjoying their own parties along the beach, the music was loud enough to get them jumping at the distant lights of Gran Canaria so people weren’t missing out by taking the cooler sea air. A few tables had been put out beach side of the kiosk and a couple of local families sat there with young children enjoying drinks and snacks – much better than taking the kids for a McGrotburger and a sugar rush shake.

Back in the concert Pio band An Endless Path (above and top) took to the stage, probably the best of the bands we saw, their lead singer was as skinny as a yard of pump water but leapt around the stage like a mad thing as his guitar wielding friends added a thudding backing to his tirade of a delivery. Most of the bands were very hardcore, not so much of the punk influence from previous years, but down in the mosh pit heads were bowing in frantic reverance. Another noticeable difference was a marked increase in the number of female worshippers, rock chics were diving in the mix in front of the stage and giving as good as they got, on another trip outside a couple of tattooed young ladies were getting a bit of a clean up from the attending ambulance after a clash of heads. Several chaps were sporting small gas masks, the latest must have in metal circles I assume, black t-shirts displayed mainstream influences from Metallica to Anthrax, and as the whole concert was being videoed souvenir stalls were selling recordings of last years bash.

The last band we saw were familiar to us from previous Goymar Fests, Thrashtorno (above) have long been a fixture on the Tenerife circuit and have a large following, many of them had clearly been waiting for their slot on the bill. The bands seemed to be geting longer on stage as they worked their way up the pecking order, a couple of more beers and we were ready to leave as the clock headed for 1 am. Heading back to the car fans were spread all over the nearby area and all still in good friendly spirits. I should imagine early TF 1 motorway drivers would be slightly distracted by a stream of tired, sweaty rock fans heading up early next morning, it was good to see that this annual pilgrimage continues to thrive and cater for the less mainstream music fans on the island.

Can fish dance? Taking a cooling off sea break from the Salsa y Moda afternoon at Los Cristianos I’m sure they were twitching their little fins in rythmn to the salsa music belting out from the quayside. They couldn’t have picked a hotter day to get people up and dancing but as the old beach was packed they soon gathered at the quay end to join the stage dancers who were whipping them up into a sweaty frenzy. Many people were inventing a new hybrid of swimming and dancing but there were even more pleasures to come as young local volunteer models got ready to show off their leisue wear from local shops.

Little changing booths lined the quayside wall and the fashion catwalk stretched along just above the sand, when the salsa dj’s took their breaks it was time to admire the costumes. It was mainly young ladies showing off beach and leisure clothes but a few chaps strutted their stuff as well as one at a time they strode out in front of an appreciative crowd before posing in a group of five or six before the next stylish wave rolled in. Hopefully many onlookers will have been inspired to check out the local shops to find that perfect outfit to catch the eye in the Tenerife sun.

The fashion interludes were just long enough to draw breath before the music struck up again and it was time to groove in the sand. The stage crew with some keen volunteers pulled up from the crowd went through some basic moves and then with wild enthusiasm led the beach gang on a merry dance. Like the tide of the sea the crowd pulled back slowly and then surged up to the stage, a conga proved hard to resist and the party crowd circled the dance area before snaking down to the sea for a mass soaking. Even with the evening marching on the sun was powerful but a little lower in the sky, more converts to the cause flooded in to mix and match music and style.

The fiesta mood was infectious, sun bathers gyrated on the beach and swimmers dived off the top of moored boats just off shore. It was all good practice as the next big fiesta Virgen del Carmen is only weeks away but those thoughts were far away as people lost themselves in the moment and had a great time in Los Cristianos. There is a full gallery of photos here.

Lucky Las Palmas snatched the Copa Mahou Canarias with a harsh 88 th minute penalty after another masterful defensive showing from CD Tenerife. Just like the goal less home leg the Pios made the better chances but found the new look mean CDT defence unwilling to let them in, the penalty was for a hand ball by Amado but the replay was far from convincing.

Sergio Aragoneses was captain for the night and was on top form particularly with a two fisted clearance half way through the second half. Tenerife matched Las Palmas in the first half, Vitolo was the danger man for the Pios but a frustrated theatrical dive in the box after 40 minutes was the nearest he got to scoring, the ref just laughed it away. Las Palmas took control of the game in the second half but Vitolo fluffed an easy chance. With it all level over 2 legs a penalty shoot out was looming when the ref made his strange late decision allowing Suarez to score from the spot. Tenerife weren’t happy and already booked David Medina talked himself into a sending off.

Overall it was another encouraging performance on the heels of the 2-0 midweek win at Granadilla (both goals from Suso). Josmar played the first half but needs to impose his undoubted skill on the game more and the need for a goal scorer is getting rather pressing.

Four giant coloured clothes pegs greeted me as I entered the Pop Art exhibition of Baltasar Colinas at the Magma Arte Y Congresos near the Playa de Las Americas bus station. Arriving early I had a good prowl around the outside of this modern multi functional venue that impresses, confuses, and delights in pretty equal measure. Usually I am on my way into a show or conference so I made sure I checked out all the angles on “the bunker” as it’s often called locally. The outside concourse was being hosed down and around the corner a 1,000 places were being set for a wedding meal later in the day, the sun soaked pleasure towers of Siam Park reflected in the glass frontage as I squashed my nose up against the windows to sneak preview some of the 42 paintings and four pegs from The Land Of The Giants.

I was the lone visitor for the midday opening so had free reign to pour over the bold, bright paintings and to link up the internatonal influences in the first rooms offerings. A bright red phone box was a call from home in London City and the love padlocks, a trend kick started from Rome’s Ponte Milvio bridge in the book I Want You , caught my eye in Love Stories. Those pegs were a recuring theme as I worked my way through into the main entrance hall and past the cafe bar, sports shoes and commercial cans and bottles also popped up.

Baltasar Colinas is an artist with a keen social conscience that has followed him from his birthplace in Leon to Los Cristianos his Tenerife home for several years. On each leg of the exhibition’s Spanish tour Baltasar is donating 80 % of sales to local causes, for the Tenerife stop the chosen cause is the people who suffered as a result of the El Hierro eruptions last year. Paintings range from 500 euros to 10,000 euros for Colosos de Madrid, and those giant pegs ring in at 2,500 euros each. In the low ceiling cosy lounge area the paintings add to another contrasting mood for this venue of surprises. The soft classical music and subdued lighting also make a viewing a unique experience.

The free exhibition is on until 31 August from Noon to 6pm Monday to Thursday, Noon till midnight on Fridays, 6pm till midnight Saturdays, and closed Sundays. Pop in and have a look, there’s plenty to please the eye.

Another new dawn for CD Tenerife but this season we are promised a largely young squad of Canarian born players. Expectation and reality may be on seperate tracks but hopefully they will begin to converge as the new crop grows in experience and confidence under the latest coach Alvaro Cervera who spent some of his formative years as a CDT youth player. Before this first leg of the Copa Mahou Canarias we were bracing ourselves for a pounding from The Pios smug on their lofty perch a division above us but a strong defensive display and some poor Las Palmas finishing produced a comendable 0-0 draw.

It was difficult to work out who was who among the new faces as the players wore last seasons shirts and no information was given on the stadium scoreboard – to be fair they could have come round and whispered the changes individually to the crowd,the official 2,382 was wildly generous, it it wasn’t for the ever loyal, ever vocal Frente Blanquiazul and a full coach of Armada Sur the stadium would have been like a ghost town. Las Palmas clearly had the edge in terms of preparation and experience but they never made it count, Aragoneses was a little lucky when he pulled down Deived after the half hour but the home defence looked calm and well organised particularly right back Javi Moyano (above). Tenerife looked light up front despite Aridane turning in a decent display, the 17 year old goal scoring sensation Ayoze from the youth team looks like a strong breeze migh snap him in two but that is something that can be worked on.

From our half time vantage point on the outside ring of the stadium we could see a fire in a local shop had roused a full range of emergency service vehicles and staff – maybe the club added them all onto the attendance figure. At the break the bench rang the first of eight changes to the playing line up, when Medina and Chechu were added they made a difference to the weak midfield and Loro had a couple of genuine chances. German looked quite lively but at the moment it’s not clear where our goals are going to come from. The Pios hit the woodwork twice and looked suitably frustrated, they will see this as a bad result in their build up, for Tenerife it was a useful warm up, the new coaches influence could be seen but he knows there is a lot of work and hopefully another couple of signings before the Segunda B campaign starts.

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.

It was not a day for hats, and wig wearers faced instant exposure, but it was a great day for the PWA Windsurf World Tour in El Medano. As I turned into the side street leading to Playa del Cabezo the wind and sand blew towards me in a frenzy but even that was no preparation for the open beach front, big foaming waves were rolling in and the wind was being recorded at 50 knots. Out in the sea the multi coloured masts of the windsurfers were playing hide and seek with waves and launching into the air and defying gravity – what a show.

Making my way to the start area it was clear that the organisation was even better than last year, sails and boards covered the sand in a special cordoned of padddock and on the other side people were defying nature by perching in good vantage points on the bank while photographers lined up along the top below the frantically flapping flags and banners. Down at the shore contestants wrestled with their equipment as they waded out into the sea, I don’t think I could have even stood up down there let alone soar out into the undulating blue and white battlefield.

A cabin at the front of the riders padddock housed the judges and the commentator who in Spanish and English guided the large crowd of spectators through the twists and turns on the water. Clearly it had been a lively first few days , a few plastered legs and arms were testament to the dangers of this sport even if the riders did make it look serene and effortless. At the back of the entry area there were bars and stalls selling food and surf gear and up above a large marquee was home to the presentations and part of the chill out zone for the evenings parties and live music.

Despite the wild wind it was still very hot, like being roasted by a Sir Alex Ferguson half time team talk. I found a nice spot at the shoreline just the other side of the riders enclosure, blimey I might have to fight to keep my camera from blowing away, on second thoughts I might have to dig my heels in to prevent me being blown away. Several snappers were hunkered down as best they could and many more were trying to hold protective waterproofs around their lenses as the spray whipped in.The riders were amazing, to the best of my feeble knowledge they had a short time zone to record the minimum of riding 2 waves and making a jump, many exceeded that with back flips, soaring leaps, and even a few bruising crashes.

During a food break I noticed that even in the normally calmer waters back by the fishing area there were enough rolling waves for people to practice surfing, and further along the kite surfers were reaching for the sky. The PWA is the Professional Windsurfers Association, the riders can win modest prize money as the tour moves around the world, Gran Canaria was the previous stop and Fuerteventura is the next port of call. For me it was an exhilerating day full of some great sporting treats, big respect to all the competitiors these are a talented and determined bunch of men and women.

A few tourists stopped in their tracks when they heard the music of the Red Hot Chili Peppers wafting over the Los Cristianos promenade from the Plaza del Pescadora. They probably wondered who the mix of musicians were on stage but as there were no posters (more great non publicity) they were left in ignorance. The constantly rotating line up on the small stage came from the Candelaria school of modern music and this was their tribute concert to the American band.

As course work goes it can’t get much better than performing live and they certainly made sure that everyone got theirr moment in the spotlight, from young teens to the more mature teachers. Not only did the line up change after each number, several performers worked their way around the stage on vocals, drums, and guitar. But what of the music – it was a bit of an unsure start but once in their stride they relished their challenge. Tracks like Californication, Under The Bridge, and By The Way rubbed shoulders with covers like Stevie Wonders Higher Ground and a REM number thatt I vaguely recognised.

My personal musical ability barely stretches to a few basic tunes on a Rolf Harrris stylophone (ask your grandad) and a very short drum course at school because I had the hots for a young female student teacher with stunning bongos. You know your getting old when the drummers look younger and at this gig each song saw a younger and smaller drummer take up the sticks and peer over the symbols. At the other age of the scale one of the adults arrived to play saxaphone and strode onto the stage – sadly for him he tripped and smacked his knee on the makeshift wooden floor. A collective whince gripped the crowd but trying to look cool he hopped up and played his sax with all the composure he could muster, we noticed afterwards he was sat on a step with an ice pack on his leg – let’s hope none of his students found it amusing.

It was a pleasant evening, the latest of several unheralded performances in the Plaza del Pescadora, maybe they could have a regular slot of maybe every other Friday for a local band or group, then they could have a small information board showing the next event. Is that being too hopeful, well I do still believe in Father Christmas and the Loch Ness Monster.