What Shall We Do Now Then?

World Grandparent’s Day it is a relatively recent innovation, if we compare it with the celebration of other special days, which is why few people (me included) know what its origin is or why it was established. The celebration was introduced to the UK in 1990 by the charity Age Concern. It has been celebrated on the first Sunday in October since 2008, although it has not been as successful commercially as Mother’s and Father’s Day. Very recently Pope Francis declared World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, to take place annually on the fourth Sunday of July but here in Spain, Grandparents’ Day ( Día de los abuelos y las abuelas) is celebrated on July 26, the feast day of Saint Joachim and Saint Anne, parents of Mary, the mother of Jesus. This factoid popped up on my social media today and got me thinking about my own family history. As the child of older parents who had both been married before, three of my grandparents had passed away before I was even born, but my mothe...

Some Tenerife residents who are not fluent Spanish speakers may have been somewhat confused as to the meaning behind the “Vacunate Canarias” adverts appearing in mainstream and social media lately. They feature a bunch of kids dressed up like Oliver of Dickens fame and shouting “Vacunate” ( get yourself vaccinated ) at the camera – not because the modern day message isn’t an excellent one; it is, and not just for the Canary Islands, but what is the historical story that inspired the adverts? Be like them, become part of the solution and part of history:  #Vacúnate The backdrop for the adverts refers to the Balmis Expedition, officially called the Real Expedición Filantrópica de la Vacuna (Royal Philanthropic Vaccine Expedition) which was a healthcare initiative that lasted from 1803 to 1806, led by Royal Doctor to King Charles IV of Spain, Francisco Javier de Balmis. The expedition set off from A Coruña in northwest Spain on 30 November 1803 and went on to vaccinate millions of inh...

We were overjoyed at the news that our 4th grandchild has just been born in the UK, and of course thoughts immediately turned to grabbing a flight to go and have a cuddle! Just one problem we are in the middle of a pandemic. I have subscribed to updates from the UK government and the Spanish equivalent for the rules about returning to Tenerife, and believe me you really do need to check all the time – requirements seem to change almost daily. At the time of writing (15 July 2021), as our family are based near Nottingham, this is the check-list of information links for England (never mind Scotland, Northern Ireland or Wales – they have their own quirks and requirements) Changes to international travel rules for amber list countries Before you travel 1. Check the rules for the country you’re coming from or have travelled through 2. Book any COVID-19 tests or quarantine hotel packages you need for your arrival 3. Get tested and complete documents When you arrive in England Leaving England...

Obviously this is a subject dear to my heart now! Despite having helped countless people to claim their UK and Spanish pensions over the years, it was with some trepidation that I started my own claims, because of, you guessed it, BREXIT I was told that I would still get my UK Pension under the  European Community Agreement on Social Security between the UK and Spain  and that it will be uprated annually the same as for someone living in the UK, but you will forgive me for not believing them until the confirmation letter actually arrived.   If you have previously worked in Tenerife as I have, you will find it has an effect on the way you claim your UK pension entitlement when you come to retirement age. You should be sent a EC rules claim form 4 months before you reach your  UK State Pension age , but I telephoned them 3 months and 5 days before not trusting to the sometimes erratic Tenerife Postal system To claim the UK part of your pension, you can either: contact ...

After almost 30 years living and working as a translator on the island of Tenerife, I am now (July 2021) retiring. Many people have commented in the past, usually during our excursions to this official office or that, “you should write a book”. Don’t worry I’m not doing that just yet, however I do find my self with time on my hands so have decided to write this blog. The first thing I want to do is to thank so many people for their kind words and good wishes and also wish my successor  Emma Swain  all the best for the future. Whilst I will no longer be dealing with officialdom on a day to day basis, I expect I will still have my “twopennyworth” to comment on issues that concern us here in the Canary Islands, but the intention is to mix this up with some lighter and more personal articles and topics. Hopefully you will be interested in the reflections of a young at heart Granny So true Hilary!