These headlines are the story of our week. ‘Punch one’ says make your own decisions but the children are the germ spreaders right now. Covid is closing classes and everyone knows those affected. We are grateful that this passes for most children like any other infection but it doesn’t stop them having the test up the nose and all that goes with it. Vaccinations for children start in earnest this week and the health service is single minded about accomplishing this task.
‘ Punch two’ is all about those who thought taking a photocopy of the vaccination paper would count as the real thing. Some were even turned away when they were part of festive groups. All very embarrassing and it sent me to my computer to the download from ibsalut. When I thought I’d done it I checked with a local restaurant and got the ‘good to go’ sign. So I am tagged and ready for action with all info on my phone about who I am, where I live, how old I am and my medical history. So glad I live in a free society…
‘Punch three’ says you are free to travel at the moment but nothing is guaranteed about getting back. This is the statement which is causing cancellations galore and means that many empty planes are arriving in Mallorca from the UK right now. How long is it going to be before the airlines start cancelling flights and completely reorganising their schedules for the next few weeks?
Crashing waves
Now let’s swim with the tide in Puerto Soller where the sea has been a magnificent beast this week. On Sollerweb I update stories every day. So our thousands of readers are well in tune with the fact that this resort is not looking as they normally see it. Crashing waves up to the sea wall eliminating the beach every time the swell is there.
The surfers are in their element till the police come and tell them it’s too dangerous. There was a sea watch all night Friday on all the boats in the Marina as the surge was said to be potentially dangerous. We all breathed a sigh of relief on Saturday.
Soller politics
The tide is turning in the political sea of the Soller Valley. Another local politician got a big promotion this week and will be spending more time in Palma. The number of our local young politicians doing well at HQ in Palma is very impressive. We just hope they don’t forget their day job looking after us here. As with any organisation its health is recorded in the minutes of the meetings of the past ten years.
If the same subjects remain unresolved and back on the decision table, time and time again it is a sign of very bad management. That is said to be happening here right now with street lighting. Biniaraix often has no street lighting at night, especially after a storm. Soller has streets in which new lights were installed for half the street. Then the workmen packed up and left leaving the rest in darkness ever since. No one knows if they just ran out of money or it was incompetence.
Generous Sollerics
The tide has turned for many of our new arrivals of 2021. Many arrived with dreams, money and the desire to have the best time. They are completely shocked at the Christmas begging bowl which goes round for the needy in our community. Sollerics are extremely generous and supportive. Incomers who have been here for years are amongst the best fund raisers there are. It is the new people who, for the first time are getting to grips with the sheer inequality on this island.
The stats on child poverty are horrendous and is what spurs most of us on to raise funds for the caring agencies. Once they understand, many dig deep and donate. They also watch out for their neighbours’ children and are supportive. There is a danger in living the ‘entitled’ life loudly when you arrive in a new community. Christmas, more than any other season reveals the cracks and those that fall between them. We all want to be part of the thinking behind ‘it takes a village to raise a child’.
We are all looking forward to a quieter week next week...