Guillermina
Fernandez –
“ The
Grandmother of Lanzarote”
Magazines and
TV programmes are always revealing new secrets for
longer life – green
tea, royal jelly, Mediterranean diets – but according
to Guillermina Fernández, the secret is simple – fresh
goats’ milk mixed with the Canarian maize meal
known as gofio. And if anyone should know, it’s
Guillermina, who recently celebrated her 105th birthday.
You must remember a
very different Lanzarote to the one we live on now.
Yes. I started work in the fields as a small girl,
I used to go there leading a camel that was much bigger
than me. We woke at sunrise – there were no alarm
clocks then – and walked from Tias down to the
place where the airport is now. We sowed barley, onions,
beans. There was only one house there then, which belonged
to the priest.
Do you remember any landmark events?
I remember when the very first aeroplane landed on
Lanzarote. We were all afraid and ran up to the roof
of the house because we didn’t know what it
was. Later, in the 1960s, we used to use the arrival
of the aeroplanes to let us know what time of day
it was.
Transport
has changed a lot, hasn’t it?
We used to walk everywhere – to Femés,
La Tinosa (Puerto Del Carmen’s original name),
Macher and Playa Honda. Only a few could afford to
travel by donkey or camel as the animals were primarily
working beasts. “In Tias, where I’ve lived
all my life, there was only one truck and even bicycles
didn’t arrive until my children were working.
How was life back then?
It was hard, but there was no hurry or stress. Back
then we all knew each other. You could leave your
house unlocked and sleep safely. The only fear was
that a rogue camel might escape – without a
muzzle they could be dangerous.
Did you have much leisure time?
Occasionally we would load up a donkey with cactus
fruit and go down to the beach at Los Pocillos, where
we’d spend the day. I’ve never learnt
to swim, so I’d paddle at the sea’s edge
and we’d erect tents to protect us from the
sun.
To what do you owe your great age?
I love goats milk with gofio. I don’t eat frozen
or tinned food or even yoghurt – I don’t
know what’s in them. I don’t eat these
huge chicken legs you buy now – that can’t
be a real chicken. I never touch sweet things apart
from the occasional bit of cake. Everything’s
home-made, including my porretos (sun-dried cactus
fruits).
Have you ever been outside of Lanzarote?
No. I don’t like boats - there’s too much
water all around and as for planes, I don’t know
how they stay up with all those people inside. I’ve
often travelled to Arrecife for the fiesta of San Gines,
though. I like going to the capital, staying with family
and doing a bit of shopping.
You’ve got plenty of family to look after you,
haven’t you?
I have six surviving children, 31 grandchildren, 45
great-grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren.
It’s them who visit me nowadays.
How’s
your health?
Fine. I don’t take any medicine at all, and spend
the days playing cards or the lottery, watching TV
and listening to the radio. I can still walk unaided – I
even managed to dance a bit at my last birthday party!
I’ve become a bit hard of hearing in the last
couple of years. My memory’s fine. I take each
day as it comes.
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