Health and well-being

Friday, February 1st., El Balcon, Puerto de Santiago, Tenerife.

'A change is as good as a rest' was a favourite saying of my mother, and this is about as significant a change as I could have made. Before we left England it had turned cold and was threatening to snow; here it is dry and sunny - wonderful!

The island is of course volcanic and everywhere there is evidence of the volcanic past. Rocky coast. Great cliffs just a mile or so north of here. Mountainous interior including the great peak of Teide itself. Just across the water, and visible from my balcony, is the island of La Gomera usually shrouded in cloud but quite clearly visible today. We have been doing a lot of walking. Mostly along the coast, but up in the hills yesterday. On the coast everywhere is extremely dry, as if all the moisture has been sucked out by the sun, which I suppose it has. Inland though there is much greenery and a profusion of flowering plants. Quite surprising for me.

I haven't done much, and don't intend to. No work at all. My aim is to eat healthily, walk as much as I can, and relax when I am not walking. I have a selection of books available to read but have barely opened them thus far. I did glance at a book on the Romans, discussing their ideas about health and well-being, some of whch are strange indeed. Perhaps I will get back to it. Perhaps not.