PODCAST · arts
Letters from the Atlantic
by Letters from the Atlantic
'Letters from the Atlantic' is a quirky and amusing weekly blog by author and international columnist, Barrie Mahoney, about an expat's perspective of life from an island in the Atlantic Ocean. For more information, go to: www.barriemahoney.com
Episodes
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Turning Wind Into Water
Turning water into wine is a great idea, but how about turning wind into water? I have always loved windmills. Their graceful form and natural motion have always fascinated me. However, I know that many people also hate the sight of them as yet another of man’s intrusion upon a beautiful…
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Another Slice of Nut Roast?
Moving to another country to live and work is a challenge in so many ways, but if you have specific dietary needs or happen to be a vegetarian or, heaven forbid, a vegan then ‘challenge’ can take on a whole new meaning... If you enjoyed this article, take a look at my websites:...
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Shining the Light
The Canary Islands are often rich in public announcements and presentations to the press, but whether well-meaning projects will actually happen is quite another matter. Over the years, I have attended many lengthy press conferences, and often with impressive audio-visual presentations from…
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Too Fat To Die
Authorities in Spain’s Valencia region are considering a ban on the cremation of bodies that are too fat, simply because the burning process generates too many toxic emissions. Well, I guess it is a fair point, but was not something that I had previously considered. Many of us will be aware of...
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What's In a Name?
Now here’s an essential question to start the day. Are you sufficiently worthy to have an airport named after you, and presumably after you die? Alternatively, if you don’t consider that you meet these high specifications, do you know someone who does? If you enjoyed this article, take a look at…
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Wells Are For Life and Not to Hide Corpses
Many people do not realise that the Spanish Civil War of 1936 actually began in the Canary Islands. Francisco Franco was General Commandant of the Canary Islands, who was based in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. It was here that Franco plotted his strategy, well away from the rest of Spain, before he...
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Unemployment Good, Employment Bad
I heard a UK economist on the radio this week complaining about high employment levels in the country. Apparently, high employment is bad for the economy, since it forces wage and salary levels upwards, which is bad for UK exports and the overall economy. Conversely, high unemployment level is...
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The Russia Connection
Anyone who has travelled across these islands and has driven through some of the older road tunnels, carefully crafted through the centre of some of the volcanic mountains, will appreciate the impressive engineering skills demonstrated by the talented workers of earlier generations. I was…
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The Motor of the Atlantic
The trade winds have both a positive and negative impact upon everything in the Canary Islands. The shape of the volcanoes, climate, the guiding of sailing boats and the natural cycles that enrich the Atlantic Ocean are all affected by the trade winds, which many refer to as “the Motor of the...
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The Cost of Expats Dying
With the exception of articles about receiving British television in Spain, the most popular article on my website continues to be ‘Death in Spain’, which is why I repeat the publication of this article from time to time. Death is a subject that no one really wants to talk about, but most wise...
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Stoned!
Leaving messages in public places seems a strange thing to do, but I guess it has been going on for generations. You have only to look closely at ancient trees, park benches and public monuments to see those immortal words “John loves Jane”, or similar words, announcing to the world undying...
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Red, White or Blue?
What colour of wine do you prefer? I like white wine during a sunny lunchtime snack and maybe a chilled red during a warm evening. I tend to opt for a Canarian or Spanish wine, mainly out of loyalty to my adopted country, but I guess that my favourites are the island wines, and particularly those...
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Let's Thresh a Lentil
The island of Lanzarote is just sixty miles off the coast of the Sahara. It is a dry and volcanic island, with six to eight inches of rain in a good year and much less during a drought; both this and its volcanic geology became this island’s destiny. Serious problems for islanders were caused by...
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A Bit of a Wrench
Airports do give me problems. Whether it is excess luggage or simply that the wretched security alarms will just not stop bleeping whenever I enter their territory; it is always an annoying and often embarrassing experience. My recent visit to the UK was a case in point. © Barrie Mahoney 2025 To...
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La Boda (The Wedding)
I gate-crashed a wedding last week. In my defence, it was a genuine accident, but I am rather pleased that I did. Like many people, I enjoy a good wedding; it is one of those events where the power of love forcibly overpowers the cynicism and doubt that can inhabit some of our lives. It takes the...
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Just Nuts About Almonds
We know that Spring has arrived in the Canary Islands when we see the first flush of flowers on the many magnificent almond trees that embrace the islands. These beautiful flowers, which begin to open after Christmas, create a magnificent and rich landscape of colour. At the end of January and…
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It's Been a Crazy August in Spain!
The usual August madness has swept across Spain with a vengeance. First of all, it was ‘refreshing’ to see that the reliable Swedish emporium of all things good and wholesome, namely Ikea, haven’t lost their sense of humour in marketing a lavatory brush given the appealing name of ‘Farage’.…
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Fuel Poverty
It is of course, the poorest in society that are most affected by high electricity bills. Terms such as ‘Fuel Poverty’ or ‘Energy Poverty’ are some of the current meaningless phrases designed to make this serious issue somehow socially more acceptable. For many people, this can mean an impossible...
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Submarines and Drug Smuggling Grannies
All this puts into context the number of pensioners who have been caught smuggling drugs from the Canary Islands in recent months. Apparently, drug smugglers prefer to recruit elderly and disabled people to carry out their drug running operations, because no-one would suspect an elderly,...
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Fake News in the Canary Islands
It has been amusing to read comments about the islands’ weather in the press and social media over the last few days. Apparently, the Canary Islands have only just survived storm and tempest and all manner of tragedy. Flights have been cancelled, airports destroyed, cars and roads have been…
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Documentoscopia
I really have no time for graffiti of any kind. I don’t care whether it has been daubed by that anonymous street artist or vandal, depending upon your view of life, going under the name of Banksy, or if it is Juan or Maria who feel the urge to scrawl their names in appalling handwriting on a…
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Chocolate, Avocado Eggs and the Canary Islands
The Spanish love their chocolate. Pastries are dipped into it, biscuits are coated with it, churros are drowned in it and anything else is sprinkled with it. Chocolate is everywhere in Spain, which is not surprising, because it was the Spanish who discovered and gave birth to modern chocolate. ©...
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Chickpeas or Coco Pops for Breakfast?
I was interested to see that the thorny issue of chickpeas has featured quite heavily in the press recently. An article by a Spanish food blogger featured a picture of her son, alongside the claim that her son doesn’t know what a biscuit is, which led to an interesting spat. Apparently, the boy...
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Calima; Gone With the Wind
The Canary Islands are often regarded as having the “best climate in the world”, but we are not immune from the devastating effects of calimas. The intensity of heat on the islands increases respiratory problems and allergies, as well as general oral health. The tiny particles of dust generated...
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Bed and Breakfast, but No Roof
I was intrigued to hear about one innovative offering from Airbnb on the deliciously unconventional Spanish island of Ibiza. Since accommodation on the island is in short supply, and prices have increased to unrealistic levels, some locals are offering a bunk bed on their balconies for just 50...
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Anyone for a Timple?
“How about a timple?” I was asked by an earnest assistant in one of the traditional music shops in Las Palmas. I had just called in for a replacement violin string, and was looking at the range of Canarian traditional stringed instruments for sale. I quickly realised that I was not being offered…
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A Little More Than Amnesia
I guess most people have heard of Indonesia and maybe Polynesia, but what about Macaronesia and, indeed, Micronesia? How about visiting Macaronesia one day? No, this is not a new name for France invented by the ambitious President Macron, but a cluster of four archipelagos in the North Atlantic...
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What Are the British Well Known For?
The British used to be well known across the world for Shakespeare, Princess Diana and cricket. We like to be known for our infamous ‘stiff upper lips’, sense of fair play, tolerance and justice. Many, mostly older people, still like to revel in the days of Empire and the ‘enlightenment’ that it...
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Wells are for Life and Not to Hide Corpses
Many people do not realise that the Spanish Civil War of 1936 actually began in the Canary Islands. Francisco Franco was General Commandant of the Canary Islands, who was based in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. It was here that Franco plotted his strategy, well away from the rest of Spain, before he...
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The Cold and Cruel Sea
It is true that less tourists return home alive than have set off for their holiday in the Canary Islands. This disturbing fact is not one that the tourist industry will thank me for highlighting, but it is time that the stark facts are raised once again and that holidaymakers are alerted to the...
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The Work-Life Balance
Getting the work-life balance right is not easy for many people, and for many juggling with earning enough to pay the rent or mortgage, food and other bills, there is often very little choice in the amount of free time available. Time to spend with families and friends is important, and I often...
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Superstition
Here we go again, another Friday 13th. I really am fed up with reading what all the doom mongers have to say about the likelihood of disaster on this ‘unlucky’ day. It reminds me of an event a few weeks ago when a weird religious sect that takes the Book of Revelations literally, busily promoted...
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The Stinky Tree
It is often fascinating to discover some of the remedies and answers to problems that can be found by looking at the past. If we look carefully, we often find answers to many present-day problems, and how our ancestors dealt with the inconveniences of life. I discovered this recently when looking...
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Living in Caves
“Top 20 Caves to Rent in the Canary Islands” screams one advertisement, followed by “Hundreds of Cave Homes to Buy in the Canary Islands” shouts another. Well, I guess it all makes good copy, but is living in a cave just another symptom of ‘reverse one-upmanship’, and something to brag about to...
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Life Is Too Short To Stuff a Mushroom
I often think of that throwaway and impatient comment by the author, Shirley Conran, that “life’s too short to stuff a mushroom”. It is a quote that often occurs to me when I am confused, bewildered or reach a dead end in an argument that I am having with myself. I had one of these ‘mushroom...
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I’m Just Having a Tertulia
One of my favourite cafe bars is called ‘La Tertulia’. It is not a particularly grand establishment and is completely unlike any of those overpriced and often pretentious coffee shops that are springing up in city centres all over the UK. Our ‘Tertulia’ is a friendly and welcoming safe space…
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El Hierro, Sailors and the Virgin
One of my favourite Canary Islands is the Island of El Hierro. Despite being the smallest of the islands in physical size, it is an island crammed with natural wonders, such as sea cliffs, lush forests and volcanic features to admire. Each of the Canary Islands is different, and El Hierro has...
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Getting Tough on Builders
Since the World economic recession in 2008, and many would say long before that, builders and developers have been accused of holding onto land that has been agreed for development purposes in the hope that eventually it will increase in value. At that time, and only when the price of land and...
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Britain's Wartime Plan to Invade the Canary Islands
The British have always loved the Canary Islands, but sometimes for the wrong reasons. A brief wander around Las Palmas will reveal British businessmen honoured in the names of some of its streets, a thriving fruit and vegetable export business originally started by the British, and even a...
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The Domino Effect
During the years that we have lived in the Canary Islands and the Costa Blanca, I often see groups of elderly men sitting together on the pavement, outside a cafe bar, playing dominoes. In most cases, this is not a genteel game played in silence, but quite an energetic activity that involves a…
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The All Inclusive Wristband
Recent news articles about asylum seekers in Cardiff being forced to wear brightly coloured wristbands in order to claim their meals each day rightly drew both amazement and disgust from many decent people in the UK. This news broke within a few days of the ‘Middlesbrough red door’ controversy,...
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The Sands of Time
Most of us take sand for granted. Many of us hope that when we go on holiday, we will be able to enjoy a clean beach, with lots of golden sand. If we have deeper pockets, maybe we can head to one of those picture postcard Caribbean resorts offering white sand, or possibly somewhere even closer to...
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Shifting Sand
I’m all for a beautiful white, sandy beach; after all, it is the stuff of postcards, and the kind of image that one dreams about during those cold, wet and rainy days in the UK. I now live in a Gran Canarian village that can only offer black sand on its small, secluded beach. We live on a small...
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The World Cradle of Rum
It is often forgotten that when you speak about rum, you are talking about the Canary Islands; the two are intertwined. Many rum connoisseurs describe the Canary Islands as the ‘World Cradle of Rum’, where this beautiful spirit is made by combining a centuries old tradition with the superb…
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Getting to Know a Lizard
I am not an expert on lizards, so I am unsure as to what species Clemmy is, but these islands are home to some of the most impressive lizards on the planet. It is interesting to know that most of the Canary Islands have their own indigenous species and may best be regarded as a lizard paradise.…
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Living in a Hayloft or Pod
The severe social and economic consequences of failing to provide sufficient housing for increasing populations is at last beginning to dawn upon national and local politicians in many countries although, as usual, UK politicians are slow to respond to the crisis. For far too long, governments of...
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In defence of Red Wine
I confess to having a bit of a weakness for red wine. At UK prices the temptation was never quite as strong, but for me this has been one of the real benefits of moving to Spain in general and Gran Canaria in particular. A plentiful supply of good wine - almost on tap - most of which are…
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A Traitor in Paradise
Some time ago, I visited a memorial sculpture to ten sincere and brave men, which was a very moving experience. These were ten Canarian men who were tortured and put to death for their beliefs during the Spanish Civil War. These ten men defied Franco’s fascist government and were put to death by...
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Single, Married or Divorced?
Divorce is the most stressful experience that most people will ever encounter. Over the years, studies have shown that the stress of divorce, together with resulting implications for any children from the marriage, property and finance, compromises the immune system and puts anyone dissolving a...
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Termite Teror in Tenerife
These invaders from the USA (Reticulitermes Flavipipes) were first reported in Tenerife in 2010. Commonly described as “an efficient and economic wood destroying insect” in the United States. These pests feed on all kinds of cellulose material, such as the wood used in buildings, paper, books and...
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ABOUT THIS SHOW
'Letters from the Atlantic' is a quirky and amusing weekly blog by author and international columnist, Barrie Mahoney, about an expat's perspective of life from an island in the Atlantic Ocean. For more information, go to: www.barriemahoney.com
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'Letters from the Atlantic' is a quirky and amusing weekly blog by author and international columnist, Barrie Mahoney, about an expat's perspective of life from an island in the Atlantic Ocean. For more information, go to: www.barriemahoney.com
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