They say that the manner in which you wake in the morning governs your mood for the rest of the day. Wise words! And there is a lot of truth in that mystical mantra. Yet more often than not, the manner in which you wake is totally hijacked, and taken completely out of your own hands. Invariably, any choices which you might have had, are often removed and placed completely out of your control.
For the record, I am not a late riser. But neither am I one of those early birds, up with the lark, then off, out and at it before the world and his wife have posted their first Instagram stories. I think I am what could be called an ‘average’ inbetweeny! And I favour coming round slowly. Very slowly.
My ideal routine would be to rouse, stress free, to the gentle sigh of shutters, swinging open at about 7am, before dozing peacefully in a state of euphoric slumber. I adore slipping in and out of a blissful dream-state whilst lying back on soft, marshmallow pillows, eyes closed, absorbing the silence and peace of my surroundings as I meditate the delivery of the coming day. The only sound I really want to hear is that of simple birdsong and the sonorous purr of my cat asleep at the foot of the bed. I imagine breathing fresh mountain air through an open window while counting my blessings as the new day dawns.
Sadly, my perfect ideal of a gentle Mallorcan awakening happens few and far between these days, and peaceful mornings have seemingly withdrawn into extinction. Although the miracle of silence still thrives on the island, it’s a rare beast indeed, obviously existing on a different time-line to my chosen location and schedule!
We always knew, even before we moved here, that Spain and Mallorca were both classified as a noisy lot, but until you live within the hub of excitement and uproar, you don’t really appreciate just how noisy a Mediterranean lifestyle can be. What you must do, is get used to the cultural change, and adjust to a livelier environment, trusting that you will eventually get your quieter moments, even though you might have to re-set your expectations.
The township where I currently live is considered to be very quiet, by local standards, so I have adjusted my mindset to go with the flow, and hopefully wake in a manner which suits me!
There is no passing traffic outside our house, unlike when we briefly rented a town abode in Moscari, where every passing car managed to hit the loose manhole cover outside our bedroom window. But we do have a resident builder here in Mancor de la Vall whose workforce likes to start bright and early while the world is sleeping. Yet once his joyful workers have banged out the hard cement from their buckets, juggled with a few scaffold poles and loaded up their lorry for the day’s work at hand, we know that the sound of Kiss FM will eventually fade into the distance, heralding the approach of a much quieter moment. But first, the early chorus of barking dogs, which invariably precedes the builder’s departure must come to an end.
The dogs don’t really know why they are barking, they just do it because they can! Dog owners don’t seem to notice continual barking, although I’m sure they do in some parallel universe! The demented dogs used to irritate me, but now they have become my cue to jump up and close all the windows. Why? You might ask. Well, sadly there are also a few pyromaniacs in the vicinity who like to ignore any ‘no bonfire’ laws by getting up really early at the ‘crack of dog’ to burn their never-ending supply of garden waste. So, if we don’t close all windows by 7am the bedroom and entire house is invariably filled with acrid smoke. Not really nice to wake up to! Another surprise is that locals don’t seem to smell their own, or anyone else’s bonfires. And if they do, they don’t like to say anything. Thankfully, the smoke disappears by 8am which is time to let the cat out into the garden, otherwise she will start wailing like a banshee.
By now, Other Half has usually delivered a welcome cup of tea so I can relax back once more, pull up the covers, and try to forget the rude awakening by enjoy the re-birth of peace and quiet within a typical Mallorcan morning. You see, good things do come to those who wait. Eventually!
In conclusion, enjoy the peace and quiet of Mallorca, but also enjoy the colour of the island which often expresses itself through noise. But we can’t really complain, after all, we were warned! And over time you do get used to the cacophony. Yet if you really want to wake each morning with a guaranteed smile on your face, try going to bed with a slice of watermelon in your mouth. Just an idea!