Shades of Grey (but not 50!)

If we could only use one word to use to sum up Lanzarote, our choice would probably be rocky. It's not so noticeable on the tourist beaches, where golden sand is predictably on offer, but as you know, we like to get off the beaten track and explore on paw. The going under paw wasn't particularly easy, as it was, quite simply, invariably rocky.

Those rocks get everywhere and are frequently used in preference to bricks for wall building. There are low walls used for constructing salt pans ...

... and some really tall walls, which completely dwarfed us, as you can see...

... just look at those buttresses; we were worn out by the time we'd climbed to the top to see what these towering walls were protecting. Strangely enough it didn't seem to be anything, the view from the top was just of barren wasteland. Still, these volcanic rocks were not exactly in short supply so why not spend an afternoon practising wall building? 

Some stretches of coast path were very rocky, as well as windy, creating some big crashing waves. When the path dropped down to sea level at a beach, it was no surprise to find there were lots more rocks and they were the familiar shade of grey.    

Sitting on rocks in the sun is very pleasant though as you get a nice warm bottom. Talking of warm,  that lovely Spanish sun brought out the lizards - or was it the crumbs from our sandwich lunch which brought them out? 

We thought Chelmer might like a picture for his nature notes collection. 

Lots of love

Pedro, George & Yorkie xxx

Orientation and the Orient

Our first morning got off to a good start with a leisurely breakfast on our balcony and a welcome meeting where we were given a delicious glass of Sangria, even though it was only 10.30 in the morning! We hasten to say it's not our normal practice to be drinking this early, but as we were on holiday, we didn't have too many problems making an exception.

The welcome meeting was held on the terrace beside the pool, so when it was over, we dived straight in, as it was very hot - in the mid 20's.

In the afternoon we had an orientation walk. We'd arrived in the dark the night before so hadn't even seen the sea, or anything of the resort of Costa Teguise where we were staying. Helpfully the local authority have created a 10km Costa Teguise Promenade Circular, which also happened to be in our walk book. It is a waymarked circular route which took us to the 4 local beaches and showed us the rather barren, volcanic interior of Lanzarote - just what we wanted to familiarise ourselves with our resort.

There wasn't a cloud in the sky and, as we wandered, we took in a few interesting sights.

The first was this old windmill - sadly no longer working - which dates back to a time when there were salt pans in the area.

We couldn't pass 4 beaches and not stop for a swim and a sunbathe. We picked the fine sandy beach just to the right of this bear sized beach fortification. The water was actually quite cold, but running up and down the stone steps afterwards, keeping a watch out for pirates, soon warmed us up.

We are in the picture if you look extremely hard. 

After the walk we did a big supermercado shop as we were staying in self-catering apartments. With a perverse sort of logic, having filled up our cupboards with lovely things, we then decided to go out for a meal, as it was getting late. 

We went to a nearby Chinese that previous guests had recommended.

It was very good and the portions were very generous; even the piranha, Yorkie, had no complaints. The staff were very friendly and carved us the amazing carrot swan which you see in our picture. The detailing was incredible and it was a real work of art. We just wished there was some way we could have preserved it.

At the end of the meal we were introduced to banana schnapps, served in rude glasses! It was delicious, and as the bottle was left on our table, we were able to enjoy more than one glass.

Lots of love

George, Yorkie and Pedro xxx

After the Snow, the Sun

Some of us, well Yorkie, Pedro and me (George) have browner fur than usual at the moment. This is not because we haven't washed or because we've been out in the mud, but because we've just returned from yet another adventure.

This time of year there's only one place to go (as we don't really do skiing), and that's to the sun.

Sun, pool, lounger - what more do you need? - apart from a cold beer!

As the chapter on the Canaries in the Friendly Planet Guide was a bit thin, we decided to research some more material, by visiting the island of Lanzarote.

It was a great choice, and our timing was impeccable, as we went when there was more snow and sub zero temperatures at home.

We stayed, along with our minders, and their folks, in 2 apartments at the delightful Holiday Bond Complex of Santa Rosa. We'd come to expect something special from a HPB property and we were not disappointed.

Just look at the amazing towel sculptures that greeted us ...

... how romantic! The flowers were real by the way. 

It wasn't only in the bedroom that we were greeted by towel sculptures; they were also in the bathroom and in the kitchen ... 

We did wonder if we were going to see any birds with this interesting colour scheme on the island. 

Some of our readers may not be as familiar with our Bears Unlimited travelling companion, Pedro, as they are with regulars, Yorkie and myself. Pedro was our secret weapon as he's passionately Spanish - speaks the language perfectly (no surprise) and can use his contacts to get us into all sorts of interesting places, both on and off the tourist trail. 

We'll be back soon to share some of our explorations of the island with you. 

Lots of love

George, Pedro and Yorkie xxx 

The Calm after the Snow

We gave a loud cheer when it warmed up last weekend and the snow finally disappeared. Although Blue Bear had done a great job keeping us motoring, we relished in the new sense of freedom we had, to be able to roam about by paw, going exactly where we wanted, without the risk of ending up on our backsides.

We celebrated with a trip to our local beach ...

The great thing about beaches in winter, especially when it gets quite late in the afternoon, is that you can have them all to yourself. The lack of people, coupled with an outgoing tide and long stretches of sand, gave us an incredible sense of space and well-being. Just being outdoors was a great tonic, definitely good for the mind as well as the body.

Mind you, we kept seeing these big lumps in the water that looked just like icebergs. Perhaps it hadn't warmed up quite as much as we thought.

We went for a closer look and a bit of a climb. Much to our surprise the white stuff was warm to our paws - it wasn't ice, it was rock, and it wasn't floating, it was anchored in the sand.

We can stop worrying for the moment that the next ice age is coming.

Lots of love George, Yorkie and friends xxx

Be Prepared!

Chief mechanic and engineer Blue Bear here - you don't often hear from me as I do tend to be rather busy, especially at this time of year. When icy and snowy weather arrives, while Chelmer is busy worrying about the birds and local wildlife, my focus is on keeping the fleet of bearmobiles in tip top condition and prepared for hazardous driving conditions.

One important investment the Board of B.U. authorised me to make just over a year ago, was the purchase of a set of winter tyres for one of the bearmobiles. I felt this was a good move to make as we live in rather a rural area, with little public transport, and we do need to keep mobile even when snow and ice appear.

The first year we had the winter tyres, we only had one set of wheels, so had to pay a friend to take off one set of tyres and put on the other. I'd been looking out for a new set of wheels on E-bay and managed to get a set before the time came to take off the summer tyres.

This made it nice and easy to put on the winter tyres when the time came. It was just a case of changing a wheel, but it took me a while as I had to do it four times.

I then had to find somewhere to store the summer wheels and tyres. It's a good job I'm a big strong bear as I had to lug them up to the garage roof to store them on the beams.

I had as good a workout that day, as any of my friends who pump iron at the gym.

Last week I also made sure all bearmobiles carried shovels, rescue mats (to provide tyre grip), ice scrapers hi-vis jackets, torches, boots, warm clothes, water and Mars bars.

Despite all the snow last week, we managed to keep motoring and stayed safe, so I was quietly pleased with my preparations.

Don't forget to equip your car properly too before you venture out.

Lots of love Blue Bear xxx

Nature Notes Again

How are you all getting on in the snow? Norfolk was one of the first counties to get the snow which means we've had a very white lookout since Monday night. We're getting a bit fed up of it now, as it means that we're not getting out as much as we'd like to, and things we enjoy keep getting cancelled, but at least we've managed to stay safe and warm.

However, we are working very hard at looking after our feathered friends. We've been keeping the feeders topped up and putting out apples and dried fruit for the bigger birds. We've also been putting out water as the bird bath is frozen over.

Watching all the birds tucking into the food we've provided, gives me hours of fun. One very regular visitor over the last few days, whom I'm always pleased to see, is Woody, our greater spotted woodpecker. He is a great customer as he's happy to eat most things. The fat balls seem to be his favourite at the moment but he also enjoys peanuts and sunflower seeds.

As many of our readers will know all too well, as soon as you put out bird food, especially peanuts, some less welcome visitors quickly arrive on the scene.

We have 2 squirrels who have taken over the tawny owls' nesting box (cheeky!) and they demolish peanuts at an incredible rate. I don't mind too much if it keeps them off the other bird food and I suppose even squirrels have to eat to keep warm this weather.

Talking about keeping warm, we wandered down to our local hostelry in the week and found a rather unusual customer outside ...

Well, we do live in the countryside, so I guess we shouldn't really be surprised, as a pint of beer in a cosy pub has a lot more appeal than a cold, dark and snowy field. Where were his friends though?

Lots of love Chelmer and friends xxx

P.S. our Muscovy friend from last week, didn't like the snow and left us when it arrived; we like to think he has gone to Pensthorpe.

Chelmer's Nature Notes is Back

Dear readers, Chelmer here, to tell you about the latest unusual visitor to our Bear Cave garden. Our visitor was of the feathered variety, and arrived completely unannounced yesterday.

We have a notebook and pen in the kitchen ready to record new sightings, but this species had not made it onto the list even after 10 years of spotting.  I wasn't quite sure who our new friend was initially, but I did know it wasn't a seagull as one of our number (who shall remain nameless) was heard to claim. I knew it was a duck of some sort, and I'll show you my picture now, to give you an opportunity to identify it before I tell you what type it was ...

... actually he wasn't in my bird book so I had to use the internet to look him up. I quickly identified him as a Muscovy. He is actually quite shy and, as yet, rather suspicious of bears, so I couldn't get in the photo with him, or particularly close. I had to retreat as I was clearly disturbing his repose, and I wanted him to settle down again.

He didn't seem to be injured, but we thought he might be hungry, especially as it was such a cold day yesterday. Our internet research told us Muscovy ducks like fruit and vegetable peelings, including potato peelings, so as we prepared our roast dinner veg, we saved all the peelings and took them out to our friend.

He is still with us today, although difficult to spot now amongst all the snow we have. We went out earlier to see if he needed more food, but he is so timid that we caused him to fly off. Hopefully he'll soon realise we only want to help, but we hope even more, that he'll rejoin family and friends and find his way home soon.

Lots of love, Chelmer and friends xxx