,

How we celebrated CANARY ISLANDS DAY

The lighting was angled in to  nooks and crannies around the square and up into the trees, and as the wind gently skittered the leaves and branches it was if we were looking up into the sky in a trippy, Beatle-esque magical Mystery tour kind of way.

a stage for all the world ON LANZAROTE

This was not, to be confused with the ofte insipid fusion music that often is distilled into a homogeny until it sounds like a root alcohol that has been watered down until it tastes like tea. No, this is the real thing, a raw, new sound celebrating its nationality and its people and its origins here in a safe place.

LIVE MUSIC BOUNCING BACK !??! by Norman Warwick

LIVE MUSIC BOUNCING BACK !??! wonders Norman Warwick Just to say a big, big thank you! began a brief e mail from the organisers of Ribble Valley Jazz And Blues Festival. That´s ok, I thought, what have I done? Then I realised this…
,

OF SWINGS AND ROUNDABOUTS

The beach boasts a recently re-built boardwalk-´style bridge that crosses the sand and strides out into the sea to a specially designed concrete ´´outpost, with handrails etc that facilitates safe diving (jumping in. It all serves a safe arena in which young guys can show off to their girlfriends ( before taking them back to the kiosk bar for a smoothie. At the right time of year and day and in the right conditions surfers from all over the island flock to the beach at Arrietta and stay out in the waves for hours before congregating in the evening to the kiosk bar, with its island beach music playing gently through the speakers as the sun goes down.

GONE FISHING instead of just a-wishing

With the tourist office vision of niche specialist holidays being part of the Lanzarote offer, this statue and others like it, could attract not only art groups from all over the world, but also, because of the Hemingway connection, book club members, and creative writing groups
,

MORE THAN A BOOKSHOP: Kelsall And Sons, Littleborough UK

The shelves already include subjects such as poetry, literature, natural history, transport and sport itself, with children´s books, too, being often bought at auctions.
,

ROUND AND ROUND THE GARDEN

Exbury Gardens, a beautiful setting in the New Forest in the UK, re-opened to the general public a few weeks ago and its management team is delighted to report that record numbers of visitors came along to enjoy the spring sunshine over the Mother's Day weekend. Crowds turned up to share the spectacular colours of early spring against the backdrop of a clear blue sky.
,

ONE WORLD ONE CHANCE

ONE WORLD ONE CHANCE Norman Warwick learns about a new publication of poetry. A huge replica of planet Earth appeared in Rochdale at the end of last year when the internationally renowned Gaia installation was available to visit at Number…
, ,

LARRY YASKIEL is the keeper of all the stories

You see, meeting up with Larry and Liz is about so much more than Puerto Callero and coffee and cake: it is about cochineal and culture and Chichester and continuity. He might be The Keeper Of All The Stories but he is a benevolent bookmark forall who are willing to read and carry forward and re-locate the stories he keeps.