Blue sky thinking

I don’t know how the conversation started but the possibility of my receiving a knighthood came up over a few glasses of cava. Obviously, as a successful author from a humble background, one does not expect such an honour to be bestowed upon one but I think one is resolved: should one be offered the chance of ennoblement then one would have to be prepared to accept. One was less interested in the nitty-gritty of what exactly one is expected to do in order to be considered as I imagine it would be hard work, and my regular readers will know that I begin to palpitate when faced with the option of hard endeavour. Also, the concept of Lady Nice? One does not want to go there.

Clever endeavour (sounds like an Ian Drury song about people from Essex) is much more my forte. I consider myself at my best when able to do business with a glass in my hand. Talking of Essex, the inhabitants of that sexy county, most of whom seem to be in Tenerife at the moment, were not much in evidence today at the resort in Tenerife where I am searching for new clients for Currencies Direct. I think the karaoke bar, which we spotted yesterday in the sister complex, and which opens at 11pm must have had the desired effect of keeping them out so late that they did not emerge from their beds in time to get roasted by the sun. At least I think that was what was envisaged by the planners, and if that is the case then I salute them.

Early exploration of the wonderful coastline, from which I took this picture yesterday morning, took up much of the morning and the sun was past the yardarm before the onerous task of selecting exactly which loungers offered the best combination of views, access to the bar, absence of the Essex fraternity and sunshine to top up the tan. Several weeks in dreary English weather has depleted that bronzed Adonis like look for which I am not justly renowned, gained in Australia in November, but one day in Canary Islands sunshine has restored not just my tan but my faith in life itself, as long as it is not lived in England in winter.

Slightly different to England, note that blue area at the top, this is usually grey in England.

Today will be different. Now we know where the best bars are, we know where best to soak up the sun and we know which bars serve the best cava, but most importantly I have found the bar that is duly equipped with all the ingredients required to construct a proper Bloody Mary. I feel that as this is an all-inclusive resort, and clearly I need to get my monies worth, the ability to bounce back after a Bloody Mary could be vital. I have calculated that it will take about 4 days to drink back the cost and so far I think we are on course. The only issue is the standard of the in-house red wine, which is if a standard with which Peachy Butterfield would. Be most at home, so, barely drinkable, but as it is free I will do my best.

Later in the week we may venture further afield to explore some of the island, but for the time being, the restoration of sadly lacking vitamin D, caused by the prolonged lack of exposure to the sun, must take Priority and be corrected. It seems as if this trip has been nicely timed as I received a severe weather warning last night for London and the south-east of England for this evening. This piece of news made my actually take the light sweater from my shoulders and put it on. We were seated outside on a bar terrace overlooking the Atlantic Ocean (not the Mediterranean as I stupidly wrote yesterday) myself with a very fine Havana cigar, as the temperature dipped to around 20 degrees Celsius, so it is a bit chilly here as well.

Chris France
@Valbonne_News