Well it has been a roller coaster year so far with lots of ups and downs. Work has been steady at both Route 66 & The Green Corner despite the worst weather that we have experienced in the 16 years that we have lived on Tenerife. Our 80 year old neighbour says she has never known it to be so cold and windy.

Health wise I (Bob) had to have a double hernia op. which proved to be extremely painful (worse than my hip replacement). Jill twisted her knee and caused considerable damage which necessitated a hospital visit - still recovering. Jill’s Mum gave us a bit of a scare and had to be rushed to hospital but fortunately is back home and has accepted that she needs some help.

Animal wise we lost two of our dogs within 5 weeks which was very distressing - R.I.P. Ozzy & Chester. The other two are struggling on with K.T. having bad arthritis in one of her front legs and Zappa having a tumour on his liver. The cats Dylan & Duffy are both doing well.

Holiday wise we spent a great week in Lanzarote when our good friends Netty & Badger looked after the house and the animals. We also had a great trip to Bordeaux where we stayed with our dear friends Fabienne & Pascal for a week and were treated like royalty (Jill developed a taste for fine wines and champagne). We then took a coach down to San Sebastian in Northern Spain where we just chilled out (chilled being the operative word as it was rather cold to say the least). A big, big thanks to Maureen who spent 10 days at our house in the country looking after the animals.

House wise, as many of you know we have been trying to sell our house for the last 15 months with the intention of moving to Lanzarote where we had come across a house that we really liked and wanted to buy (we even put a substantial holding deposit on it). However after much discussion and heart searching we have decided that we will stay in Tenerife and have taken our house off the market. The main factors which influenced our decision were that currently we are very lucky work wise as we have two excellent employers. One of the main reasons that we thought of moving on was that in December 2016 Route 66 was taken over by an unknown Russian and we felt insecure. Our doubts were unfounded and Vlad has proved to be a very conscientious employer and has become a good friend. Our move from Highland Paddy to The Green Corner has also proved to be extremely enjoyable. The other reason was that I was struggling with the hills and the steps after my second hip operation. Time has proved to be a great healer and it is no longer a problem. We will probably downsize in 5/6 years time but the current plan is to stay on Tenerife.

Music wise we have added quite a number of new tracks - many from the 80’s which are proving very popular with our dancers. We have also added a French rock song by Johnny Hallyday - Allumer le Feu and a Spanish song by Marc Anthony - Vivir mi Vida. (check them out on YouTube)

Party wise we went to the UK on 13th June and played at a joint 50/25 year wedding anniversary shin dig. We are really honoured to have been asked and we hope that we made it a great and memorable occasion. This also included a trip to Bath University to view our niece's embroidery display which was mind blowing and a trip to Stratford on the way back to visit friends Bruce & Maria.It also included the obligatory trip to visit Jill's mum who was in fine form. Big thanks to Rita who flew over from the UK to look after the house and animals.

Family wise we had a visit from Bob’s son and partner - Hamish & Linzi which terminated with a roof top barbecue with lots of other friends. Great time had by all (well I’m told I had a good time, something to do with the Sangria, Southern Comfort, Port etc.).

Big time for Bob’s granddaughter, Megan who starts her “A” levels on 4th of June and we wish her the very best of luck. Grandsons Callum & Duncan took part in a mock court case at Reading Court and were so good that they were offered the opportunity to spend time there for work experience. Fia is enjoying being educated at home and at 8 years old is becoming a master with photoshop.

Our nieces Elly & Imi are also on the move. Elly has moved to Penguin Books and is hoping to move to a flat in London and Imi is graduating with a Degree in Textile Design from Bath University. We wish them both lots of luck for the future.

Well I think that is about all for now except that we would like to thank all our loyal fans for their support and long may it continue.
Best wishes,
Bob & Jill