💘 Happy Valentine's Day 💘 to everyone! It's not just a day for romantic love but a good extra opportunity to tell all those we love that we really appreciate them, or to appreciate and love ourself. In some countries it is a day to appreciate friends and not 'significant others' and after the last year or so we definitely need more love in the world!
Some big news this week is that on Friday tourism establishments - not just hotels but also bars, restaurants, travel agents etc) - displayed SOS Turismo banners on their buildings and on social media in a peaceful protest to remind the national and Balearic governments that these business need tourism in order to survive 2021. SOS Turismo is described as a non-political platform and no street demonstrations appear to be planned.
As you can see, lots of establishments in the Port have joined the initiative.
It's important to make the point that the industry has been so badly affected and needs help, but equally it's difficult to know quite what the solution is. Money is of course important, but tourism is dependent at the moment on regulations of other countries to allow their citizens to travel. But it's important that the national and local governments fully appreciate how important tourism is to the economy. Time will tell the impact of this initiative I guess.
Restrictions here have been extended until 2 March, clearly intended to cover any temptation to celebrate Balearic Day on 1 March. However we are all hopeful that thereafter terraces at least may be able to open and if so, we are definitely intending to treat ourselves to a menu del dia! As of tomorrow, certain restrictions have been eased a little including gyms and larger shops (but not shopping centres) which will now be able to re-open. This is good news and an indication that things are looking cautiously optimistic. Certainly the numbers of Covid are decreasing and as of Friday locally we have had no cases in the last 8 days which is wonderful! 👍
Closer to home, yesterday and to great rejoicing throughout the land 🥳 😂 I finished my very first 1,500 piece puzzle and here it is in all its glory just....well, just because:
I did quite a few in last years big lockdown but none bigger than 1,000 pieces and I wondered if I'd bitten off more than I could chew with this one but it was FAB! I seem to have turned into a jigsaw nerd 😂 mind you, not for me photos of cottages or harbours........
More active pursuits have included on-line gym classes and some lovely walks with the dogs although we have to be careful of the dreaded processionary caterpillars, vile furry creatures 😡 whose hairs are very unpleasant for human skin but lethal for pets. They grow in white nests not unlike candy floss in untreated pine trees and then 'process' nose to tail down the tree and across the ground to somewhere where they can dig in underground and later emerge as a moth which lay eggs in trees.....to start the whole process al over again. To say we are paranoid is to very slightly understate it! In the last few days the local council has been shooting (only in Spain!) the nests out of trees 😳 - treating the trees in the first place would be better as surely prevention is better than cure? In any event, we haven't ever seen huge numbers here (although just one is enough!) but did once along the coast in Cala Ratjada. It was like a horror show, something out of Dr Who, with long lines as much as 15 ft + long of the things all over the road 😱 and we had the dogs with us.....I was hysterical. Luckily we have two Lhasa Apsos of around 9-10 kg each, quite what we'd have done with a couple of Great Danes I'm none too sure!!
So....a quiet but positive week all in all. And in what looks like a very cold spell indeed if you're in the UK, I'll just leave you with this 😍 here and waiting for you in the fullness of time......
Stay safe and hasta el próximo domingo!
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