Spain in lockdown - Day 27

And here we are on Good Friday and things are looking promising in Spain.  After Easter certain non-essential workers can return to work (but not all) and there are indications that from 26th April there may be further lessening of restrictions but to be honest I think it's best not to speculate and better to just wait and see what the powers that be decree at the time.  Either way the numbers are definitely improving in Spain, and in Mallorca specifically the numbers are more than encouraging.  And actually, that is the most important thing.

Looking further afield I see that New York has had more Covid-19 cases than any single country which is both astonishing and terrifying.  It looks like it will be a very long journey for the Americans when dealing with numbers like that.  Meanwhile in the UK I saw an adorable 99 year old veteran who is walking the length of his garden 100 times before he turns 100 at the end of April, in order to raise money for the NHS.  The total will be about 2.5km but he's doing about 10 lengths a day apparently so may well exceed the 100 original target.  God love him 💟 I hope he finishes in triumph!  Back in Spain, the other night Spanish TV showed a lovely lady who works as a cleaner at a hospital and who does a dance in the street 💃 on the way home every day much to the enjoyment of the surrounding neighbourhood.  Good for her!

Today started with an hour long online gym class and a 3km run on the running machine.  During my efforts Ian cleaned all the bathrooms - what a shame I was otherwise occupied 😜  Then it was Ian's turn on the running machine and I got changed and headed out to Eroski to buy the ingredients to make hot cross buns.  It was impossible to find some of the ingredients - mixed spice and candied peel to name but two.  And finding the right flour was impossible as the shelves are almost bare.  It seems that, as in the UK, people are turning to home baking in the lockdown and I was late to the party for strong flour (which before now I never knew was a 'thing').  

So how did it go?  Well......I've never really used yeast before and, as mentioned yesterday, never made a bun in my life so this was most definitely a voyage of discovery.  And in summary, it was epic!  And not in a good way.  It was like the technical challenge on The Great British Bake Off but without Noel Fielding and Sandi Toksvig to entertain and jolly me along.  After kneading what seemed like a promising dough I had to leave it covered over for an hour and a half in order for it to rise (or double in size).  This is where things started to go slightly awry as it sat under it's covering of cling film and just sort of 'was'.  It certainly didn't rise much.  So on the basis of the fact that it hadn't actually shrunk and I must therefore be on to a winner, I portioned it up on a baking tray, ignoring the instruction to then place the baking tray in a plastic bag for a further 40-60 minutes for them to rise further; I mean, why flog a dead horse.....   I enjoyed piping the cross onto the buns though - I'd always wondered how that was done.  Anyway, 20 minutes in the oven and a touch of glazing and here's the result:

Ian rashly declared that they smelt good, which actually was pretty accurate to be fair.  And they taste pretty good too.  But I'd describe then as more of a hot cross scone than a bun.  Maybe it'll catch on.......or maybe not......

The rest of the day was spent enjoying the sun on the roof terrace and reading.  And after my epic bun making efforts I deserved it 😂

Hasta mañana!