The kids finished school on Tuesday but today was the day we had to go and get Hania’s report. Although I don’t really agree with an over-emphasis on grades at this time – I mean she is only seven! – I was still thrilled with her great marks  especially as she is studying in a second language. The teacher couldn’t say enough good things about my daughter while I sat there and wondered who it was she was getting her confused with.

As a prize for doing so well I took Hania to a toyshop and bought a present for her and her brother but first we went into the bank. I’d recently got a junior account in her name and this was her first time to put money in.  While we waited our turn, I gave her €10 and her bright yellow bank book and told her the lady behind the counter would put the money in her book.

“But is she going to give me it back”, asked Hania.

“No. You give her the money and she puts it in the bank and you’ll see the amount you’ve given her written up in your bank book.”

She looked at me in total disbelief and asked, “Are you mad?”

Ha.

Poor Michael Jackson. An amazing talent but a deeply unhappy soul. For years he has flinched through the public eye after maiming his own face and shrouding his children in scarfs, mystery and bodyguards, each public appearance being more bizarre than the last.

The public display of grief is overwhelming but in my opinion MJ didn’t die last night he died 16 years ago when those charges came out and he paid to make them go away. As vulnerable as he was I am quite prepared to believe that Michael was innocent at that time and his obsession with all things infantile just a naive expression of a Peter Pan complex. Unfortunately because he didn’t fight hard enough, the bad smell of what he might have done just never went away.

Even now, because I have no proof of his innocence, I am conflicted about his death. As a mother, I would dance on the grave of any child molester but as a human I am deeply sorry for a soul who has already gone through hell on earth – whether he was innocent or not.

MJ played in Tenerife to 45,000 people as part of the Dangerous tour. Here is a little video of him doing what he did best right here in Santa Cruz.

In this article on eTenerife, I mentioned the ’suckers’ list and how having once fallen prey to the timeshare crooks a person’s name can be added to a list of gullible or vulnerable people for the same bunch of villains to defraud a second time. These lists are even sold on to other gangs who are quite willing to pay top dollar for a collection of names of people who have bought into the timeshare or holiday club scam in the past.

An article on Typically Spanish reports on a group of 50 or more people who have lost a total of €1.5million on a timeshare resale fraud seems to be an example of the the suckers list in action. According to Typically Spanish the investigation into the case resulted in the arrest of seven Tenerife residents.

Hopefully this is not too late to help some people who have booked their holiday through the now defunct Xcapewithus and are struggling to get their money back.

Xcape seems not to have bothered informing half of their clientele who unfortunately arrived at various foreign destinations unaware that  paid holiday bookings made through Xcape had been cancelled. Those who found themselves on foreign soil were forced to pay the full rate for their hotels again.  To make matters worse, Xcape continued to collect money via their website until the last second.

Given the activity on the Xcapewithus threads on Tenerife Tattle a lot of people were affected and visitors are still landing on the blog using search terms related to the whole Xcape debacle.

If the Xcape situation has affected you then this long and informative thread on Money Saving Expert on Xcapewithus should be of interest. It includes links to authoritative articles from newsapers and seems to have led to quite a few people recovering money they had thought was gone for good whether they paid for their holiday with credit or debit card.

Was there anybody breathing in Tenerife on Saturday who was not aware that the island’s beloved CD Tenerife football team had at long last broken back through to the first division?

There was no mistaking who won the game. Beaming faces shone from every cafe and bar and the sea of white on blue saltire flags would have confused any merry Scotsman out for a wee pre-dinner drink. My kids were bemused but delighted with the eccentric behaviour of even the most elderly and sedate of their neighbours with Sami noting scornfully that one roly-poly young man draped in a Tenerife flag  made a rotten Superman.

As cars passed blaring triumphant horns and dangling triumphant young men from every window it was lovely to see the sheer exuberance of the supporters. Coming from a place and time where football was often a poor excuse for bloodshed it was just brilliant to see all that celebrating with no undertone of bigotry or violence to come.

I think it is in the first of James Herriot’s books after he is hoiked into the air by a rolling-eyed Clydesdale that he is told by an old Scotsman, “Dinna mess with things ye ken nothin’ aboot.” Great advice that I should  taken more often in my life so with that in mind here are a number of sites you can find information about Tenerife Football which is something I ‘ken nothin aboot.’

Armada Sur (Southern Army)
CD Tenerife Supporters Club

Colin Kirby CD Tenerife
As a freelance writer Colin covers all kinds of Tenerife related topics but none closer to his heart than CD Tenerife.  Its a fair bet that someone who says ‘…’CD Tenerife may not be your first love but they can always be your mistress.’ probably has a good idea what’s going on in the Tenerife field of football.

(Photo by Nikki Attree of Tenerife Photography)

What’s happening in Tenerife translates to Lo Que Pasa en Tenerife which niftily happens to be the name of a Spanish language blog about the island. It often reports on environmental matters and raises issues that may not be aired on ‘holiday’ type sites. For example today they report on the new policy at the Alteza supermarkets to charge a small amount for degradable plastic bags and  reusable cotton bags (which can be replaced free of charge if ever broken). This compares to the policy at Mercadona and Hiperdino whose plastic bags blow about the countryside like confetti after a wedding.

Another story comments on the insufficient margin allowed at some bus stops accompanied by the photograph of a young woman waiting for the guagua who looks dangerously close to becoming road kill.

The Lo Que Pasa En Tenerife website covers not only the big events that happen here but delves into the minutae of life on the island that has an effect on us all – tourist, residents or Tinerfeños born and bred. I’ve added a link to LQET on the nav bar under Sites in Spanish so you can always find it easily there.

Any expatriate who has lived in Tenerife for more than five minutes has had the head-banging experience of trying to get official paperwork sorted out in order to qualify for one or other public service.

Just as one item seems to be sorted and everything looks fine a Spanish spanner gets thrown in the works and off you are on a wild paper chase again. Hours if not days are wasted on this bureaucratic ring-around-the-rosie both by the hapless expats and by the officers of the state who sit behind their desks looking either secretly amused or totally exasperated by the foreigners’ total inability to get their acts together..

It’s all very well to tut at those whose command of Spanish leaves a bit to be desired and I doubt if anybody believes that the UK’s current policy of providing support in every language from Africaans to Vulcan is in any way sane but surely a little more assistance for the large numbers of expatriate settlers in Tenerife (and Spain) wouldn’t  go awry?

Well, hold the phone! The always interesting Tenerife Matters blog reports that the Tenerife Cabildo now provide English and German support in Citizens Service Bureaux Offices (CSC – Centro de Servicios al Ciudadano) in both the north and the south of the island. The specially trained officers will advise about services available to expat residents and handle many of the standard applications that have until now been such a nightmare to complete.

Absolutely brilliant and not before time. Check locations and times and read the article  here : Cabildo One Stop Shop for Foreign Residents in which the writer comments that this will be a welcome move for those who struggle with Spanish bureaucracy. That would be everybodythen  – including the Spanish bureaucrats.