YOUR LETTERS

“BOTELLON SAGA” ON Saturday, the local Spanish press, reported an interview with the Majoress of Palma- Sra Calvo- who when questioned on the “Botellon” answered- I quote “The council is not responsible for the Botellon (street drinking) it is the responsibility of those taking part- and their parents.” Surely the next question should have been “why, therefore are the council using taxpayers money to fund, extra parking, extra policing, extra street cleaning and possibly the installation of public toilets- for this event?” Might I suggest Sra Calvo either thinks before she opens her mouth and puts both feet in it, or she resigns as she obviously doesn't know or care how the council is spending taxpayers hard earned cash! Yours sincerely,

M. Irving
Portals Nous

DEAR SIR, I have had occasion to be at Clinica Juaneda four days last week. I noted the presence of three individuals, 2 male and 1 female, directing the cars to empty spaces. I don't know if the average driver offered a tip but I did not do so. I am well capable of finding a space and parking my car. In fact I find these people a hindrance. On my fourth visit the same individuals were there.

One in particular (male) followed alongside my car as I parked. He stood beside me as I got out and I felt very intimidated. I greeted him and went on to the clinic. On my return the same man followed me back to my car and stood close to the vehicle as I reversed. He walked beside the drivers window, took out his phone and started pointing at my number plate.

I assume he was noting my number. Does this mean that when I go back to that car park next week my car will be damaged? It leaves me feeling very unsafe.

Yours Sincerely, Rachel Bryan

Dear Sir,

Having retired from the army in 1994, I came to live in Santa Ponsa in 1997 in the good old Peseta days when my army pension went a long way but l like most people I made a few mistakes such as not realising that most flats are more or less breeze block plastered over with no cavity wall insalation or double glazing. The first thing I found out was that in such flats, you can hear every thing those above and below you do and if they listen to the t.v., have late night get togethers etc, then you go to bed when they do, calling the police will only make relations even worse. The second thing I found out is that with only a butane gas heater or an electric heater and high ceilings and tilled floors, no cavity walls, double glazing and plastered breeze block walls, most flats are bitterly cold in winter, and winters on Majorca can be very cold and wet,we had snow for two of the years I was in Santa Ponsa plus a tornado.Manchester,one of the wettest places in England has 800mm of rain a year and Majorca has about 600 mm of rainfall a year,mostly in the winter and spring, so don't imagine it does not rain in Majorca. I left majorca in 2006 for two reasons, firstly, Santa Ponsa, like most tourist towns becomes a virtual ghost-town from the end of September untill April or May when the tourist season ends and most bars, cafes and hotels close and banks, supermarkets and the post office adapt shorter winter opening hours. I was climbing the walls with boredom and after the second year in Santa Ponsa, used to go back to England in winter where it was not that much colder and everything was open.This might suit some people very well but I was not one of them. I was still only in my fourties when I came to Santa Ponsa after twenty-three years in the army with an army pension that was higher than the average salary in Majorca but after the advent of the Euro, prices started to rise fairly steeply which gave rise to all the for sale and for rent signs on many bars and cafes in Santa Ponsa at the end of each tourist season and still did up to the time I left in July 2006 and they had not all made a fortune and retired,usually the very opposite. I do miss Santa Ponsa, it's a great place, I miss the wall to wall summer sun, the blue skies, the intense light and the friends I made in Santa Ponsa but I have not been back since July 2006 and with a Euro now being more or less a Pound, Majorca is no longer a cheap place. I would say that for most things, England is now 20 times cheaper than Majorca and I could not afford to live there now at all with the exchange rate all but a Pound a Euro and I get a good army pension but Santa Ponsa is still a great place for a holiday and if the ex change rate improves and I will return for a holiday. My tips to people who are thinking of living there are, don't believe the hype of T.V. programmes, rent an apartment in the winter months so you know what it's like in winter and if you are thinking of buying a bar or cafe, again come in the winter and see for yourself how much business you would do in winter when you still have to pay taxes, rent and rates, take no notice of for sale ads that state "we are open all year round." They might be but often they will be the only people in the place in winter. Buy a detached or semi-detached chalet away from the bars or if you can't afford that, buy a flat away from the bars and with a working fire place, you will find out in winter why you need it. Try to buy a flat where a lot of the flats are not let out for holiday rentals, this is very common in Santa Ponsa and, I suspect else where. Try to buy a south-facing property to reduce your heating bills and don't forget that if you buy an apartment with a communal swimming pool, garden and lifts, the community fees can be high, mine were higher than the council tax I was paying in England plus you still pay council tax on top of the community fees. I lived in Santa Ponsa for longer than I lived in any place, still miss it and hope to return if the exchange rate improves and it's still a great place for a holiday.

Yours Sincerely,

Sean Dobson. ex-Santa Ponsa, now, Radcliffe, Lancashire.