We've made it through to the end of Phase 1 (which hopefully we won't see again) - it's only taken over 70 days 😂 but at least we got there. Some regions in Spain are moving into or staying in Phase 1 so we do feel lucky so to speak. Phase 2 will certainly help local bars and restaurants as they will be able to have up to 50% of their outside terrace occupied and a maximum inside occupation of 40% although this can be altered to between 30-50% locally. I believe here it will be 40% according to local bar/restaurant owners. Larger shops and shopping centres etc can now open (although strangely Ian is less than keen to let me check this out 😂). Importantly in somewhere like the Port, we will be allowed onto the beaches as long as groups of people maintain 2m distance. There will also, from tomorrow, no longer be time slots for us to do exercise etc although we have been asked to leave the times between 10am -12 noon and 7 - 8 pm clear of exercising so that those over 70 aren't put at risk. So overall, not as big a change as from Phase 0 to 1 but welcome steps forward all the same!
After our traditional Sunday bacon butty, we headed off in the car and with the dogs to Cala San Vicenc to give them their first really good off lead dog walk through the woods . It was absolutely wonderful although the dogs took off at one point when we think they smelled goats 🐐 we managed to retrieve them but definitely goats were about and later we saw some. The dogs worked themselves into a squeaking, leaping frenzy of excitement! We're pretty sure that top of our dogs' bucket list is getting up close and personal with a goat. What they would actually do thereafter is anyone's guess but they have always had a 'thing' for them. We walked through to Cala Molins and had a coffee at Bar Mallorca just by the carpark. The waves were quite a decent size although the photo doesn't really show it:
Those red flags would've been up regardless today! 🚩 Some views in and from the woods show what a lovely day it was, hot but not as scorchio as the last few days have been.
The paths in the wood were more overgrown than usual, I assume because no-one has been walking in them for a long time and everything was so lush and verdant. The undergrowth was so thick and the dappled sunlight struggled to get through in places. So beautiful 😍
Meanwhile in the Port, Tierra de Fuegos (what was Tots) next door to Liberty Kitchen is now open as is Terrae further along on the opposite side. And Ca'n Ferra (the 'little people') were absolutely packed out for lunch today. There was also a long queue at Celler La Parra to collect Sunday takeout paellas. Good to see. However we ate out yesterday evening so it was a roast chicken dinner at home for us courtesy of domestic god Ian 😇 At the other end of the culinary scale, Burger King re-opened the other day and have marked their terrace tables out very clearly in order to ensure the correct distancing:
Now that I'm over the shock 😱😂 I was walking down a street close to where we live the other day with apartments directly opposite at the end. And as I walked I became aware of a man on his first floor balcony; when I first saw him I thought he must be wearing flesh-coloured pants because he was leaning over (now, now - side view!) and I had sunglasses on 😎😂......but shall we just say, I then became aware that he wasn't 😳😳 he was completely unselfconsciously pottering on his rather low-walled balcony, taking in a bit of washing and then disappeared indoors. Maybe lockdown has brought out his naturist side. I had a strong cup of tea and a sit down when I got home I can tell you! 😂
Let's see what Phase 2 brings tomorrow. In the meanwhile, stay safe and hasta pronto!
So the intention was to go for an early bike ride before it got too hot, but Ian was keen to get to the boatyard to do some work on our day boat so after breakfast he headed off to do that and I went for a brisk 5km run. I equalled my PB which was nice but frustrating! And by the end of it I was dripping with sweat (nice!) and doing a passable impersonation of a tomato, a look which really suits tomatoes much better than me 🍅😅
I was a little behind on putting together the playlist for the Graham and Sarah Saturday Show but after a flurry of activity I got that done and shared on Facebook. As ever, people have made some wonderful suggestions with some real 'blasts from the past' including "Jive Talkin'" (Bee Gees), Sweet Talking Woman (ELO) and "A Little Less Conversation" (Elvis). The Top 10 this week was from the year 1982 with "House of Fun" (Madness) at Number 1 which is what I think our home is sometimes - both the fun and the madness 😂 here is the link if you want to check it out (just copy and paste it in your browser):
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3WwqDRQFkBa3JAEMgz3mW6?si=ROzWfmyXTfet4uX7BJLPIg
In other activities I've started my oopsy jigsaw puzzle purchase - only 300 pieces, I thought for reasons best known to me lol that it was 1,000 - and Ian kindly counted all the pieces in my recent charity shop purchased puzzle to check it was complete - it is and better still, I'm pretty sure it's only been done once at most as it's pristine! So thank you Allen Graham charity shop for a good 4€ purchase.
During the afternoon we had our bespoke reversible washable face masks from Emporium Mallorca Pollensa delivered. I chose two (so four designs) and Ian ordered one. As they're reversible you can choose two designs for each mask which is wonderful, 6€ each. I cannot wait to style it out in Eroski (other supermarkets are available). Here we are, mod-ell-ing just two of the designs:
Their shop is at the bottom of the Calvari steps and they also make lovely bags, shoes and other accessories and I am really looking forward to a good browse in their shop once normal hours are resumed.
This evening we went out for a cheeky dinner at Moll de Bellagio - we had two of their home deliveries during the full on lockdown here and it was lovely actually going there this evening and having a meal in their gorgeous back terrace; Ian had a calzone but I wanted nothing but a great pasta dish which I certainly got (tagliatelle with salmon to be specific) - just lovely. Their terrace is so lovely and here is a general idea of what it's like:
Moll de Bellagio is almost opposite the Post Office here in the premises that used to be The Codfather. Or down towards the sea from the charity shop. Take your pick.....
The bar/restaurant owners we have spoken to are very pleased about the Balearics progressing to Phase 2 of the de-escalation of the state of alarm in Spain; all of Spain will be in at leat Phase 1 of de-escalation by Monday 👍 The Balearics are doing well with numbers - no deaths and only 2 diagnoses in the last 24 hours. The economy really needs international tourism, which the Prime Minister has announced as welcome from 1st July but there are caveats and who really knows? We'll just have to wait and see.
Stay safe and hasta luego!
This morning was clearing up time the morning after the night before, don't know how there were so many empty bottles...🍷 It was another day of scorchio weather so we stayed inside and were lazy - watched some TV and I did my nails as I simply didn't get time before our little soiree and a girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do! 💅
Later today we went for a walk along Pine Walk as far as the military base. We saw Muscovy Duck's girlfriend, the white duck/goose all on her own 😢 But she seemed ok and I suppose with a view like this she's unlikely to be sad for long is she?
I can report that Laroc (opposite Coral) has all the tables and chairs out and is apparently opening up this evening for the first time. This is a piece of good news which is most welcome after the sad news about the closure of Ca'n Cuarassa and further sad news today - Ikebana (near the Pollensa Park Hotel) is also closing permanently 😢 due to the current economically challenging situation.
On our return from the Illa D'Or end of the Port we were really thirsty in the heat - temperatures of around 28-30 degrees - and stopped at Store Formentor for refreshment. I practically dived into my Coke Zero to swim around; I think summer is here with a vengeance now! We also walked past Ambrosia which is open and had people sitting outside - good to see.
On our walk I took a picture of the large pine which has sadly fallen into the sea (during the huge storm in January) just past the large villa on the right angled corner. Normally it would have been sorted out by now but I guess that there's no rush at the moment.....
The stretch by the large villa with the tower looked like this today - pristine but empty:
Just for fun - where did I take this picture?:
The Balearics have now been granted permission to move to Phase 2 from Monday which is also great news. Madrid, Barcelona and much of Castilla & Leon are remaining in Phase 0 with a few relaxation of conditions so Phase 0.5 if you will. But here in Mallorca we will be able to swim in the sea and visit/sunbathe on the beaches and there will be no time slots with regard to going out, exercise etc. Shopping centres and large shops will be able to open but I believe will only be allowed 40% capacity. Open-air markets will be allowed to be a bit larger. Bars and restaurants will be able to open the inside areas to customers at 40% capacity and hotels will be able to open common areas provided capacity is limited to a third. Cinemas, theatres etc can open but with a third of normal capacity. Sounds all kinds of good to me!
Mask-wearing here seems to be increasing and the local police officers are now wearing them. So alongside hand sanitiser I also have my face mask in my bag. But the farmacia ones are soooo functional and if you have to wear a face mask, why not wear a nice one! So we have ordered washable and reversible face masks (1 for Ian and 2 for me - I know, don't judge me!) from Emporium Mallorca Pollensa (check them out on Facebook and Instagram) - there was a choice of patterns and as the masks are reversible you can choose two for each mask. I was in heaven! 😍 Ordered today and being delivered tomorrow - great service. They have a shop near the bottom of the Calvari Steps and they deliver to the UK if you're wondering! So we'll be styling it out on our next Eroski shop - watch this space!
The Port is definitely getting moving now - and by Port I mean literally, the boats and all things boaty. This evening most of the pantalan (pontoon or pier) gates were open with people sorting out boats, three motorised day boats were gearing up for what looked like a boys' fishing evening (why whatever could be in those heavy looking cool boxes one wonders? 🍺) and the slipway near the 1919 roundabout was busy with boats launching. It certainly is very different to how it used to be just a few short weeks ago when the port was so silent and still.
Tomorrow we have a bike ride planned for first thing before it gets too hot (tomorrow, depending on what forecast you look at could be as hot as 31 degrees 🌞)
Stay safe and hasta mañana!
It was all go in the kitchen today prepping things for our little gathering (in large part to celebrate Ian's birthday) in the afternoon. I made some cheese straws and generally faffed about chopping crudités just like the domestic goddess I am 😂😂 And today was HOT - about 27 or 28 degrees! I was a veritable whirlwind and by the end of my morning's efforts I was melting. Not to mention the fact that the fridge was full to bursting. If it hadn't been so full, I would have tried to get in it to cool down if I'm honest but carrot cake and dips took priority.
While all this was going on in the kitchen, Ian walked the dogs and happened to see a couple of police officers walking along but not wearing any masks so took the opportunity to ask them about the new rule as of today whereby everyone over the age of 6 has to wear a mask. They said that for example walking the dogs, no mask was required but we would need to have one for going into any shops. So it seems it really does apply for situations where 2m social distancing is a challenge, both inside and outside but of course inside is the most likely. Eroski have said they will only let people in wearing a mask so there you are - if you want to eat, you need a mask!
Once my Great British Bake Off meets Masterchef and dabbles in How Clean is Your House duties were done, I quickly made myself look respectable and then our friends arrived. It was so lovely to have a few friends round after all these weeks. And we were all very well behaved, no touching. We greeted everyone with a glass of cava to celebrate the fact that this was the first time we'd been able to do something like this in such a long time, so it all felt very celebratory. And so the afternoon passed in a hot haze of chatting, eating and drinking on our roof terrace. I'm pleased to say that the cheese straws and carrot cake were very well received 😇
Personally I think Alfie and Tally shouldn't be drinking wine at their age but what do I know 😂 Afternoon moved into evening and out came the sambuca - well it would have been rude not to!
In more general news the government has secured a 15 day extension to the state of alarm here until 7 June and the Prime Minister has indicated that a further extension may be sought thereafter. But things appear to be heading in the right direction - Spain's Covid-19 death rate has stayed under 100 for the fourth day in a row 👍 And in the Balearics there have been no deaths in the last 24 hours 👍 All of this gives us hope that Phase 2 will start on Monday but we still have to wait for confirmation.
It's looking promising here 😁 we just need to keep going.......
Stay safe and hasta pronto!
A prompt start to the day as we had to get to our garage in Pinaret to get a number of books and some other superfluous items from our rental apartment and then take them all to the charity shop which has just re-opened here. All the volunteers in the shop are wearing face shields and there is a plastic screen at the till plus hand sanitiser at the door on entry. They were very pleased to see us and we were pleased to clear the decks so to speak. Well nearly......I bought another 1,000 piece puzzle and collected yet another from someone en route to the next stop which was Lidl, in order to get a few things for tomorrow's little soiree on our roof terrace. So two big puzzles plus my little mistake purchase 300 piece one that I bought (thinking it was a big one) will keep me busy waaaaay into the next few weeks. This is probably a good thing as the school where I work is now not opening until September 😞 so the long hot summer stretches ahead of me!
It is noticeable now just how many people are wearing face masks 😷 maybe they had a 'heads up' because as of tomorrow we all (anyone aged 6 years and over) have to wear face masks in public areas (outdoors or indoors) if you can't keep 2m distance of other people eg. shops, and I believe Eroski are going to insist on it from tomorrow. There are exceptions including if you are doing sport or have an underlying health condition or disability that precludes it. We had a few masks from Ian's garage but they're not great and we nipped over to the farmacia and bought some nice cloth ones that can be washed and re-used.
In any event, once home I realised I hand't got enough vanilla essence for the carrot cake so we went in search but it seems to be in short supply. We stopped for a coffee in the square, it's market day and although a smaller market than usual for this time of year by some margin, there was a steady hum. We were sitting at Bar Manolo's tables near the church which was looking idyllic; the photo of the market makes it look deserted but it was in fact quite busy!
And as luck would have it a passing friend was able to supply me with vanilla essence so it was karma!
After lunch I got to work in the kitchen and pottered about mixing, chopping and grating for ages. Carrot cake and also Coca de Trampo and here they are, Nigella eat your heart out:
A bit more to do tomorrow including making some cheese straws, it's like being on Great British Bake Off - my domestic goddessing credentials are sky high right now!
I was as devastated as everyone else who has heard the news so far - RIP Muscovy Duck 😭 I wrote about MD in this blog on 4 May when he seemed to have got himself a girlfriend of a large white duck and was as happy as larry and here is the photo we took:
But the sad news is that he trotted out between two parked cars on the Formentor Road just behind Pascalinos so I believe, and a car hit him 😱 His girlfriend is reported as moping which is heartbreaking. It really is very sad news as he was kind of iconic along Pine Walk between Pascalinos and Little Italy and we're all going to miss him. RIP MD 😢
Stay safe and hasta luego!
A busy morning today. Ian went off to the boatyard to do some work on the boat which, with a bit of luck, we'll get in the water maybe some time next week. I did some tidying up and then headed out to do some shopping via having a nice coffee at Pascalinos. It really must be the best seat in the Port right now as the view is fab and not only is a nice coffee only 1,50€ it comes with......drum roll.....not one but two rich tea biscuits. Much nicer than one of those fiddly little biscuits that come in a packet; they do taste ok but the wrapping cannot be good for the planet.
The medium sized Chinese shop in C/Roger de Flor is now open (I don't know if the huge one near the Flora is) - I'm not sure the shop is less than 400m sq and although I saw there had been a slight amendment to the rules as of yesterday in that larger shops could open now but only 400m sq with the rest taped off - I think they may have just put their fingers in their ears "la la la can't hear you" and opened anyway. It didn't worry me either way to be honest as they weren't exactly crowded so no harm done and they'd be able to open on Monday next week regardless (assuming we move to Phase 2 of course, but I can't see that not happening) plus I got what I went in for which was one of those pump action soap dispensers to put hand sanitiser in. There's plenty of hand sanitiser to buy right now but all the ones with pump tops have been snapped up by bars and restaurants for customers so I had to get creative!
Eroski was pretty busy but very civilised and I got some bits and bobs as tomorrow I'll be re-creating my carrot cake triumph of a few weeks ago; we're having a few friends round on Thursday on our roof terrace so I thought I'd go public with it as it were. Then we took the dogs for their lunchtime walk and for the first time since the lockdown we were able to go beyond the yacht club gates and let them off their leads up on the marina wall. Here is the view and what a view it is 😍
They loved it but as they're a bit unfit at the moment I think they were quite pleased that we could only go about two-thirds of the way along so we couldn't reach the lighthouse; there was a barrier as they've just re-concreted the marina wall walkway as part of the work they've been doing throughout most of the lockdown. After lunch we sat on the roof terrace although as it was rather breezy today it was a bit of a challenge as in my wisdom I'd decided to read the paper but ended up with it plastered all over me 😂
This evening we went for a little wander - nothing new to report although the doors of the pizzeria under the Eolo were open so someone was doing something there. Nearby however, the council has started work on the subsidence between the 1919 roundabout and the sea which occurred during the big two day storm in January. Here it is about three weeks ago although the photo doesn't really show how bad the subsidence really was:
And here it is today:
Sad news also - yesterday the staff at Ca'n Cuarassa were told that it is closing permanently and they have all lost their jobs. They can't continue financially as there are no tourists. A very sad situation indeed but one that I'm sorry to say will probably be replicated elsewhere 😢 the economic impact of this is going to be felt for a very long time in very many countries I think.
One little but interesting thing I'm not sure I've mentioned is that the large green bins in the street with the lids where you put the non-recyclable household rubbish have had the lids locked open since the lockdown started (there's an irony there somewhere!) so that people don't have to touch anything but can just throw the rubbish in. A simple but effective measure.
Tomorrow is going to be a day of domestic goddessing prior to Thursday.....hmmm, let's see how that goes.....😝
Stay safe and hasta pronto!
Teensie bit 'tired' this morning after Ian's birthday celebrations yesterday but I still did my online gym class and Ian went round to our garage in Pinaret to have a sort out, fit new wheel bearings on our boat trailer and just generally do his thing in what I call (very 'Miranda' 😂) his man cave. Many men have a man drawer, as described so hysterically by Michael McIntyre, but Ian went large when we moved here and bought himself a man garage. I have only a vague idea of what exactly is in there but he can while away many happy hours which gives me a chance to do my thing so it's a win-win.
This morning I also walked to Clarel (like Superdrug) near the Post Office and what was Guru. Incidentally someone is doing work to the Guru premises both inside and on the terrace so I assume someone has taken on the premises but with seriously bad timing poor things. Ambrosia and Hibiscus are also open now and Moll de Bellagio has opened its back terrace today which is truly lovely and our choice of place to sit and eat anyway so we'll go there sometime soon. They provided us with two home deliveries during the lockdown which were very tasty!
Today for their lunchtime dog toilet walk, I took Tally and Alfie to the field in La Gola (over the road from the side of the big Eroski) and let them off the lead for the first time since lockdown started and really loved how much they enjoyed themselves; I think their reaction was probably how we were a while back when we were first allowed out to exercise! Mind you, I can't recall running around and sniffing bums 😳😂
After lunch I nailed that bad boy third 1,000 piece jigsaw puzzle. I am now certain that I will carry on doing them in the future and am looking forward to when the charity shop re-opens so I can see if there are any there. In the past there have been some great ones but of course the moment I want to actually buy one, there won't be any available because life's like that! 😝
Later we headed off to the smallest Chinese shop to buy some more files as I'm rearranging some of my library of teaching resources and then took a stroll down to Pascalinos on Pine Walk where we had a coffee and chatted to various friends who were there or who passed by. I needed to use the 'facilities' and headed inside but was immediately shown the hand sanitiser by the door to use on entry so that was me told; I genuinely hadn't seen it was there but there was no messing about, it was pointed out in a friendly but firm fashion. As in Meraki and Stay, all the staff are wearing gloves and masks and hand sanitiser is very much in evidence. Once people leave, out come the staff with sprays and cloths to wipe everything down. It's certainly very reassuring 👌
And on the subject of reassuring - today there were 2 new Covid-19 cases in the Balearics (there were 9 on Sunday) and no deaths. So I think thus far we are doing well and maybe next week we'll be able to move to Phase 2; but let's not count any chickens........
Stay safe and hasta mañana!
