No, rest assured, this is not another harrowing tale of domestic violence, but a skilful performance by Dorian Ledda and his family who have been performing in Gran Canaria’s Sioux City for the last 28 years or so...

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For many days now, there have been anxious faces in overalls, accompanied by anxious faces in suits, peering into a newly dug hole adjacent to the very smart, newly painted building, that houses this precious, but grossly under valued machinery. There has been much shaking of hands, and exasperated gesturing of hands before anyone has so much as picked up a screwdriver. Local residents have been seriously concerned that a trip to the loo was about to mean a drive to an adjacent town, should the village flush fail to function...

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Visitors to the Canary Islands may remember that at the end of a good meal in a local restaurant, and before the bill arrives, they are presented with a ‘shot’ - a small glass of liqueur to round off a good meal. This ‘shot’ is presented as a ‘on the house’ gesture of gratitude from the restaurant for visiting, with the hope that you will visit again, as well as remembering to leave a tip before you leave.

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Canary Islands, Barrie Mahoney, rum, Gran Canaria, Ron Miel, Arehucas, Spain, expat

Visitors to the Canary Islands and Spain will notice that the flying of flags is a popular pastime. Public and government buildings, as well as many private organisations, usually proudly display three flags in the Canary Islands: the Spanish flag, the Canary Islands’ flag and the flag of the European Union, and we even have another that is specific to the island of Gran Canaria. Yes, despite the usual negativity and cynicism of many Brits, the European Union is still a popular and welcome concept in many European countries. Spain’s recent victory in the European Cup has also seen a flurry of Spanish and Canarian flags adorning the homes, cars and bodies of many islanders, and has been a delight to see.

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Bankers Go Bananas

I thought that I recognised the voice over the underground station’s speaker system; it sounded familiar, but I couldn't quite place it. The doors slid silently to a close as I sat in the immaculate carriage and sped my way to Canary Wharf.

Many years had passed since I last made the journey to this centre of the UK’s banking industry and I was curious to see how it had developed. It was a strange day to visit, as the Barclays interest rate scandal had just been announced, and it was clear that heads would soon roll...

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Live and Let Live

One of the many things that I love about our island in the sun is the ‘live and let live’ attitude of most of its people. No, I don’t mean the thousands of tourists, but the true Canarian people, those who were born here and have stayed in this little corner of Paradise. As long as it is broadly legal and does not interfere with anyone else, in the main, anything goes. For many of its present day expat population, with its heady mix of faith, culture, colour and sexuality, it takes time to get used to not being judged. Maybe this stems from the time, it is said, when Spain’s General Franco, intolerant of gay men in the military, would ship them off to Gran Canaria, which became a kind of penal colony for homosexuals. ..

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I admit to being a proud European. Although English born and bred, and I still love the United Kingdom, including Scotland if it remains part of the Union, I do not regard myself as being particularly English or British, but European. I know it is not a particularly popular concept at the present time, but I am proud to be European...

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The World recession has claimed the hopes and dreams of many expats, as well as local people. Many expats who finally achieved their dreams of a new life and home in the sun have packed their bags and the few belongings that they have managed to salvage and returned to their home countries. Many cases that I know of have been little short of tragic, although there are some that have left me wondering whether the intending expat should ever have been allowed to leave their home country in the first place!

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A recent announcement by the Chinese Government to axe more than two-thirds of prime time light entertainment shows and replace them with news broadcasts came as a shock to many, and was met with concern about further curbs on the freedom of the Chinese people. This law to curb "excessive entertainment" on television is designed to reduce the number of scheduled entertainment programmes from 126 a week to just 38. However, after looking at Spanish television’s uninspiring offerings for the current week, I began to wonder if this was actually quite an inspired move.

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Many of us have fallen out with credit cards. Individually, as well as nationally and globally, we can now see that being encouraged to spend beyond our means has been a bad thing. One early catch phrase during the launch of the credit card revolution was that “Access (remember those?) takes the waiting out of wanting,” which now seems rather hollow, as we now realise that our 'wanting' costs considerably more, if left unpaid on the credit card. Many people have also experienced considerable worry and illness due to increasing personal debt, particularly at a time of severe recession and job losses.

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