Photo: Tenerife Cabildo. I thought the video below was interesting to share because it deals with a major aspect of Tenerife’s forest life, the pinocha. This is the carpet of pine needles which forms in the forested hills and national park, and which serves as a natural fertilizer for the island’s flora and an essential resource as bedding and nesting for its fauna. It is also, however, one of our biggest fire hazards since it burns fiercely, and although it’s a perfect fire lighter for wood burners in the hills in the cooler evenings, it also represents perhaps the greatest danger in the hottest monthsREAD MORE

Photo: Tenerife Cabildo. It’s the time of year when agriculturalists and livestock keepers become concerned about rodents, especially rats which they consider a threat to their harvests or animals. Poison is the usual first port of call and from my own personal experience I would advise everyone to keep a wary eye on any pets because poison and poisoned bait is frequently used at this time of year. It’s not just pets at risk, however, nor is poison the only concern, and the Tenerife Cabildo’s Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre La Tahonilla has asked the public to be very aware that the sticky traps for rodents canREAD MORE

Updated 30 July: I now know two winners of these bonos and wish I’d entered the draw for one myself! Those who have won can now activate their vouchers, Turismo says, with accommodation activations starting next week. There is full official information HERE. Original post 9 June: The Canarian Government has launched a tourism recovery initiative which includes a measure that will give some lucky residents in these islands a contribution to a staycation. The Government is providing 50,000 vouchers each worth €200 which will be allocated by a draw among those who register during the first two weeks of July, the winners being drawn onREAD MORE

State system patients are contacted by age group for appointment by phone or text message around 24-48 hours before the appointment. This will either be in a hospital, mass vaccination centre, or local surgery  Private medical insurance patients should go to the health centre local to them and request a registration (alta) as a “displaced person without a health card” (desplazado en población sin Tarjeta Sanitaria Individual). Take your passport and TIE/empadronamiento) NB: the health centre must obviously be a state one and not a private clinic because the vaccine is only provided through the state system. If you do not know if your localREAD MORE

Spain’s response to the covid pandemic is being carried out through regional health departments within the national health policy framework. The Canaries are put in levels of alert depending on figures assessed by the Government frequently and regularly: the levels are 1 to 4 with 4 being the maximum. Full information on restrictions, rules, figures etc is HERE. 29 July: Today is the anniversary of my arrival in Tenerife. It therefore seems a reasonable day to say that this will be the last Living with Covid update. No doubt to the joy of some and the despair of others, the Courts have overruled the Canarian Government’sREAD MORE