Snow!

One of the aims of going away on holiday in January is to give the cold weather here a miss. Hopefully, when we get back things are starting to brighten up. The weather here while we were away wasn't too bad, it waited for our return then it snowed.

It was grey and overcast all day Tuesday with steady snowfall most of the morning.

Looking on the bright side, the snow does make the countryside look different...

...and the next day, we were back to full sunshine.

Gran Canaria

It's holiday time again and as usual at this time of year we fly to Gran Canaria...

...and check in to our usual hotel in Puerto Rico, Riosol. This year we had our own palm tree in front of the apartment.

They've made some changes since last year. Above is the reception area which used to be very busy but with the new seating it seemed rarely frequented.

In the dining room I'm demonstrating the exciting new colour combination.

We didn't actually see anyone sit on one of these new bar stools shown above...

...but some people did sit at the bar but presumably only for a short period of time.

However, the views were still wonderful. Here's one of the swimming pools with one of those infinity pools behind it - the Atlantic ocean.

Apart from the views the weather is always worth coming for.

Even the moon is very laid back.

This year our friends, Vanessa and Peter with Vanessa's mother Pat, were staying at a hotel in Puerto de Mogán.

This was a hotel with the "wow"factor!

The buildings were exquisite and the planting in the grounds really interesting.

Back at Riosol, the Canarian themed evening meal is always superb. Actually, all the evening meals are very good whichever country's theme they happen to be.

 Despite wanting to do very little on this holiday we had to visit Montecristo gardens again.

The gardens are an oasis of peace and tranquility just a short ride from the bustling and often hectic tourist destinations nearby. No coachloads of people are admitted...

...and each year there are different works of art, particularly inspiring sculptures.

Also on the list of "must do" is the walk along the front at Puerto Rico. Each year I count the steps on the pathway down, it's the same number of steps but I always end up with a different total - this year it was 635...

...and of course it's time for morning coffee.

Three weeks passes very quickly when you don't have to do anything but after our flight back we stayed overnight at a hotel near the airport and enjoyed a great end to our holiday.

And so home at last and this was the night of the full super blue moon with an eclipse in some other parts of the world, so here it is.