Corralejo: VII

I enjoyed a very good meal at a little restaurant I occasionally frequent whilst in the resort of Corralejo, La Taberna, Hernan Cortes Street, run by Mine Host, Juan, ably assisted in the kitchen by his diligent wife, Ana.

Juan happens to be a passionate fan of the major Spanish football club, Real Madrid. He is also a follower of the jazz musician, - if that is the correct terminolgy - Jamie Cullum.

La Taberna operates a unique formula which works admirably, whereby the fillet steak meals are accompanied by a moderate portion of crisp and dry saute potatoes and a small remekin of coleslaw. I ordered the steak - medium done - with a Roquefort cheese sauce. it was simply sumptuous. There was no fat at all and it was so juicy, too.

Juan also brings diners his lovely fresh crusty rolls with his signature alioli garlic mayonnaise, the best alioli in Corralejo to my mind! I shouldn't wish for any finer.

I prefer to sit outside La Taberna at a pavement table, though none were available last night so I sat just inside the restaurant. Juan and Ana know me now and he always admires my watch!

The bill came to €22 including the tip. La Taberna is seriously underrated in my opinion, which is, perhaps, apt since I shouldn't wish it to be too busy.

Today I spotted a pair of hoopoes, quite unmistakable with their Mohican-style tufts; as distinctive in their livery as our goldfinches really.

Norman Wisdom 1915-2010

SIR NORMAN JOSEPH WISDOM OBE

I've received a timely reminder about a great comedy hero of my childhood who passed away peacefully, the entertainer Norman Wisdom.

Sir Norman was married twice and is survived by his son and daughter.

I relished watching his films as a boy in short trousers. I'm uncertain whether my parents enjoyed his childish sense of humour so much, in retrospect.

Sir Norman's obituary is published in the Daily Telegraph.

Corralejo: VI

There remains quite a surfing set on Fuerteventura. There is even a surfing hotel in the middle of El Cotillo, called the Marea Viva Hotel. I needed to use a loo several days ago, so I called with them and there was no problem. I asked the 'receptionist' - who looked more akin to a surfing youth - for the tariff and he quoted me €240 for one week's bed and breakfast at this time of year. That figure is for single occupancy. Judging by first impressions, it would appear to be a Bohemian type of place.

En route to El Cotillo, you pass through a village called Lajares, which also has a surfing community - or commune!

I ought to give surfing a try. I might actually enjoy it!

Corralejo: V

Guess where Timothy Belmont has been spending the day? All right, lazing on the beach, building up the old tan to sustain self over those dreadful winter months in Northern Ireland.

The good news today has been a remarkable performance by our two worthy Ulstermen, viz. Messrs McDowell and McIlroy, predominating an intrepid British team of golfers playing for Europe. I groan whenever I see them all flying those silly European flags. What ever did they fly for the Continent prior to the star-spangled blue duster?

Cordial congratulations to The Province's golfing duo.

Corralejo: IV

I went to see a Barbra Streisand tribute act at an establishment called Castaways last night. The singer, Lisa Faye, certainly had a powerful voice and could easily belt out all the popular numbers. She told us that she'd been performing at the Edinburgh Festival and was returning to the UK on Sunday. Two couples from the north of England came and sat down at my table, so I chatted with them till the interval when I made my departure.

This morning I fried a few rashers of that good bacon by Oscar Mayer in the microwave oven, and ate them with buttered toast. Very tasty. I've spent the day at El Cotillo again.

Corralejo: III

I've been reading an old favourite while I'm on holiday, Jeeves in the Offing, by Sir P G Wodehouse. I cannot resist quoting from the end of Chapter Three, a paragraph about the "loony doctor", Sir Roderick Glossop:

"We seated ourselves and had just started sipping, when the butler came out of the house bearing a bowl of fruit and hove to beside the table with it.

Well, when I say the term 'butler', I use the term loosely. He was dressed like a butler and he behaved like a butler, but in the deepest and truest sense of the word he was not a butler.

Reading from left to right, he was Sir Roderick Glossop ... there could not be two men with that vast bald head and those bushy eyebrows, and it would be deceiving the customer to say that I remained unshaken".

Classic Wodehouse. The Master of the English Language. Ever notice how sparingly he uses colons and semi-colons? There's a lesson for us today indeed.

The 3D Phenomenon

Sky News isn't half promoting their new "3D" channel on the box. You can't blame them, of course, though the quality would need to be superior to that on the Big Screen.

I have been to several so-called 3D movies and, to date, have been somewhat non-plussed be the experience. The special spectacles seem to subdue to picture, making it appear duller.

No, Timothy Belmont is more than happy with the current High Definition Experience on our screens. Let us leave it at that, in the interim. I shan't be buying a 3D telly in the near future, at any rate.