So today is the day! Yes, we can finally leave our homes and for one hour go running, jogging, cycling and swimming or taking gentle walks within a one km radius of our homes. As in all lotteries, there are winners and losers. The lucky ones get to enjoy the sunshine during the day while the majority, 14 yrs to 69 yrs, can only exercise between 6am and 10am, and 8pm and 10pm. We are told that couples can go for walks together but some of us are in different age bands so what happens there? Some of us evidently fall through the cracks.
Meanwhile, I was confused about the one km radius edict. Did that mean that I’d have to run around in circles for one hour? In the small print it stated however, that for sports, individuals could exercise in their own municipalities, outside of the one km rule. So, I’m assuming that Soller includes the villages of Biniaraix and Fornalutx but I could be horribly wrong. My thought is that if a copper tries to haul me over, I can just speed up and hopefully leave him standing!
I have listened to the prime minister’s broadcasts and I have tried to get a handle on all the Spanish news but some of it is contradictory and there are gaps which have not been clearly explained. On top of that there is the usual background noise of Facebook and Twitter with so-called experts telling us all what to think and expect. These days it is wise to ignore totally and do one’s own research. I would never consider any other way.
Hero of the week
So, following fast on the heels of Colonel Tom Moore, another fabulous old timer and potential national treasure has leapt into the limelight. This time I salute Dr Christian Chenay, France’s oldest practising physician at 98-years-old. The good doctor has worked for 70 years in his trade and in Chevilly-Larne, one of Paris’s most deprived and run-down zones. He is, unsurprisingly, adored by his poor patients who swoop to his practice in droves, knowing that he will actually listen to them, and offer kind and wise counsel. There are only three doctors in the area serving 19,000 patients and in addition to this onerous task, Dr Chenay visits a religious retirement home weekly as he worries about the virus affecting the elderly nuns.
His own son retired from the medical profession at 67 years of age but Dr Chenay is made of sterner stuff and believes that it is his duty to keep chugging along. When asked about his secret to a healthy old age, he admitted to not drinking or smoking. His view was that snoozing and watching TV was a downhill slope to perdition and that for older people it heralded the end. Up at 6.30am every day, he espoused that working and exercising each day kept him mentally alert. Lessons for us all!
Takeaway is the only way!
During these uncertain times, I take my hat off to local companies offering home deliveries island-wide, free of charge. One of those is luxury five-star Can Bordoy House & Garden Hotel in Palma which allows you to choose from a variety of dishes on the menu, as well as wines and soft drinks. You can even buy a voucher for a meal and use it whenever you like, so a great gift to offer too. The hotel’s Botanic restaurant delivers scrumptious, healthy food & vegetarian options, as well as desserts and the service is quick, courteous and efficient. For those who don’t like speaking in Spanish by phone, you can place orders in English directly too. If you’re missing restaurant treats, services like this offer a welcome dine-at-home experience instead! Simply follow the instructions on the website or phone/email for assistance at: delivery@canbordoy.com Tel: +34 871871202 https://www.canbordoy.com/botanicdelivery/
Meanwhile, vineyards are also thinking out of the box and coming up with great ways to bring their product to the market during these tough times. One of those is Barbara Mesquida whose Mesquida Mora wines are based in Porreres. She has teamed up with best friend, and fellow wine maker, Mireia Oliver of Vins Can Majoral in Algaida. They will deliver wines all over Majorca for free. They have 50€ wicker gift baskets of wines and flowers and offer a mixed box of six good wines for 65€ - a steal. Contact: info@mesquidamora.com
Facebook Chain gangs
For those of you wonderful, kind-hearted and yet at times gullible souls, please when you see outrageous news posts on Facebook or receive requests to send on clips of songs or appeals for suffering children; STOP. Before you trigger that finger and create a chain reaction among your chums, go to a reliable internet site and see if what you read or have been sent is legitimate. I have received dozens of such clips from friends and am weary having to go back to them to say NO, this is utterly FAKE! There are sites such as Hoax Slayer which you can visit to find out if an appeal is true or not. For example, there is an Italian song clip doing the rounds which if you forward will apparently create funds for those in need post Covid. Untrue. There is also an appeal for a sick child whose image needs to be circulated in order for her operation to go ahead. Rubbish. There are so many of these mean and cruel tricks being played on those with good hearts, that it makes me very cross. So, don’t let them win.
When you see a weird, outrageous or begging post. Stop. Think. Research online. Then, if it appears legitimate, send to your hearts content, except kind friend, not to me!
Anna Nicholas’s first Majorca based crime novel, The Devil’s Horn, is out now. It’s available at all good bookshops & via amazon.