The balcony is the only outdoor space many Spaniards have, so let’s have a closer look at how this fixture has become so important to a nation, and how that has been even more true in recent weeks. The most famous balcony in literature…

The lockdown offers the perfect opportunity to give up smoking once and for all. It’s never easy, but you may find that this is just the right time to tackle it. Why give up smoking during the lockdown? For many people this is a stressful…

Spain's National Research Council has declared that the risk of infection in the sea or in swimming pools is “highly unlikely.” The Council's findings could influence the government's rules on entering Phase 1 of the lockdown exit strategy,…

Despite the lockdown, Spain’s tax season is already under way and will really hit its stride this month. Given that 70% of Spanish taxpayers see some kind of rebate, it’s also going to provide some much-needed income for many people at…

Hairdressers are open once again, so yesterday Gazette designer Sabrina Suppers broke out of lockdown to get her hair cut at Sculpture Salon in Puerto del Carmen. Since last Monday, hairdressers and beauty salons have been able to open…

Spain's President Pedro Sánchez has succeeded in extending the state of alarm for a further two weeks until the 24th May.  Sánchez managed to win 178 votes in Spain's congress of deputies – two more than were required to pass the measure. The…

Although the lockdown has been a worrying and stressful time for many, others have been surprised at how close it has brought them to family, friends and, not least, their own pets. Before the lockdown, your pet probably enjoyed a fairly…

Regular readers will already be familiar with the poems of John Leppard. John's been away for a while with an illness, but returned to the island in March and soon found himself under lockdown. First published in Gazette Life, May 1st…

Once again, heavy rains caught much of Lanzarote by surprise, causing flash floods and torrential waters in drainage channels. 13.7 litres of water per square metre were recorded at the airport on the 18th April. First published in Gazette…

Spain's Employment Minister , Yolanda Diáz, has pledged to give special attention to the tourism sector and to affected regions such as the Canaries when considering the extension of Spain's ERTE (furlough) schemes.  As Spain faces…

Lanzarote's Cabildo has been meeting with the island's seven ayuntamientos to discuss the possibility of abandoning the summer programme of local fiestas and diverting the budget for these events to social causes. Lanzarote's fiesta…

Social meetings of up to 10 people are likely to be permitted from May 11th, after the Spanish government altered it's four stage plan for leaving the lockdown yesterday. As part of the initial Phase 1 of the lockdown exit strategy,…

You’ve got time on your hands, so why not use it to learn the local language? All over Spain, and even in the barrios of Lanzarote, you can see posters decorated with rainbows in windows or hanging from balconies. The idea for this…

While the lockdown has been bitter for many humans, it has been good news for marine wildlife and the environment on Lanzarote, with killer whales seen leaping off the coast of Costa Teguise and waters virtually undisturbed by boats or humans. The…