Changing Places No 128 W\C 27th July 2008

The jungle drums beat loud and long and the residents were up in arms and meeting at the Town Hall steps. That's what we heard and were swept along by the protesters. We have an apartment in the Port of Soller that was our holiday introduction here before our permanent relocation. Our apartment was built along with thirty-five others ten years ago and was the first development of its kind after the tunnel linking Soller to the rest of the Island was completed. The apartments, built up the side of the mountain look quite weathered these days with established flowers and well worn steps leading down to the sea. Ten years later all is not well with the administration. Thirty thousand euros per apartment was the figure quoted to have the final connection to mains water and adopt the road above the apartments. The access road has always been a pot hole nightmare and recently after more building works on the road to the lighthouse it has become lethal. The Town Hall says its about time things were regularised and they will tarmac the top road once the 'adoption' has taken place. All very reasonable and necessary but the money must be paid upfront and there is a chance of stalemate. Living in a community has its advantages but shared costs is not one of them. Trev did his calculations and concluded that the community was being asked for over a million euros for this work which for that price should have included paving the road with gold. The Town Hall was besieged and the officials decided that the residents of Montemar had flipped. The meeting took place and everyone returned home a little embarrassed. The figure quoted was not per apartment but for the total works to be done. Total cost per apartment about seven hundred euros. How stupid we were not to do our own research but listen to the hysteria whipped up by others, like us, that cannot read the Spanish documents. We have learnt a lesson and are just a little ashamed that we could have been carried away without checking the facts, Of course there are still mutterings about the cost and this story will run and run before its final resolution - but you'll hear no more about it from us.

Jay too was feeling limited by her lack of Spanish progress. Her family functions well in Soller and she accesses all the services you need to live and work here. But it gets really boring not to be able to converse properly. Limited Spanish with few link words make you sound as if you are talking in one word sentences and become tedious for the speaker and listener alike. Enough was enough so she joined the Wednesday evening group language class at the local language school in the square. When she first arrived Jay had one to one lessons but at least now she feels confident enough to join the mixed ability group. Spanish 'words of the day' are now de rigour and have to be included in as many sentences as possible. The children are on hand to help her out and correct her pronunciation so this time round the classes have more chance of success.

A trip to the Accountant in Palma to sign off our Company Accounts for the year was the excuse that Jay and I needed to have a wander round the city and discover shops we had not found before. We wanted to take our minds off the form filling and bureaucratic deadlines we had been working against. We have a wonderful accountant who is completely black and white in her approach and allows no deviation. All tax forms and payments in Majorca have a strict timetable and Coloma will not let us miss one, she is our conscience. When we get the royal command to attend her offices - we do just that! To take our minds off the fiscal We wandered to the Chocolate Cafe which is as atmospheric as any of the London Patisserie Valeries - particularly the original one in Soho with chocolate eclairs to match. Cafe society is alive and well and certainly lives in Palma. The International set are very obvious in its chic streets and fun to hang out with for awhile before heading back to the mountains and our own bit of paradise.
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