Dogs and golf clubs: Trouble in Puerto Pollensa

It takes a warped mind to do this, of that there is no doubt. But who is it? Or who are they? And are there links to what has being occurring now for ten years? There are rumours as to a possible perpetrator. I obviously can't repeat these. And besides, rumours are not evidence. The owners of a four-year-old Labrador, Lenny, who ingested poison and died, may have their suspicions. They have reported the matter to the Guardia Civil's Seprona division. It's for them to investigate, and they will.

The origins of all this stem from a Pollensa town hall decision in November 2012 to designate two beaches (or beach areas) for dogs. Cala Carbó in Cala San Vicente was the other. It was only some months later, in the summer of 2013, that the first instances of poisoning occurred. All these years on, and a response to those initial cases was being echoed on Facebook. With dogs again being poisoned, why aren't there security cameras? Pollensa town hall requested them ten years ago. The Spanish government's delegate in the Balearics, then Teresa Palmer, considered that this would be a disproportionate measure. It is the delegation which authorises cameras trained on the public way.

In January 2015, seven dogs died, and they weren't all in Llenaire. One case was opposite the Hotel Uyal, another was a greater distance away - in front of the Club Pollentia, just over the municipal border into Alcudia. The town hall again called for cameras.

With these latest incidents, one does, I'm afraid, have to question the response from the town hall. It was December 28 when the beach was closed off. A vet confirmed that a dog, Lenny, had died on Christmas Day. A report of another incident was apparently made on December 16.

One guesses that with all the publicity and outcry, there won't be further incidents - for now. It will go quiet until the next time. One wishes the Guardia well in their investigations.

Meanwhile in Puerto Pollensa, there has been the case of the bar owner who attacked a customer with a golf club in the early hours of Christmas Day. Typically when there are reports of this sort of incident, identification is left vague. This wasn't the case on this occasion. The bar in question was named - Legends, opposite the Anglican Church on C. Mestral.

The bar owner was eventually ordered to prison without bail, he having been initially arrested and released and then rearrested and taken before a court because medical reports regarding the person who was attacked hadn't been presented at the first court appearance.

From what one can ascertain, the incident didn't occur inside the bar, which was the impression that had been given. According to reports, the 23-year-old man was outside the bar on the other side of the street and was struck from behind. It is also said that his bar bill had been paid, as the apparent non-payment had seemingly been the cause of an argument that resulted in the assault with the golf club.

Will Playa de Muro's tuk-tuks be available in time for the season?

Muro town hall, like Alcudia, has looked at electric carriages as alternatives to horse-drawn carriages. Also like Alcudia, the drivers of the carriages have been to the fore in seeking alternatives. One reason is the abuse they can sometimes get.

While Alcudia has decided to go down the electric-carriage route, it will take time for any to be available. The hope is that the first ones will be on the streets before the end of the 2024 season; these carriages have long lead times. This is less of an issue case with tuk-tuks, which can be made available relatively quickly. Muro town hall has in the past expressed its doubts about the availability of electric carriages.

But will the tuk-tuks be ready for the 2024 tourism season? Antoni Serra, who was mayor of Muro for much of the 2019-2023 administration before handing over to the current mayor, Miquel Porquer, is now the chief opposition spokesperson. He wonders if including the revenue from new licences in the 2024 budget is wise - it totals 320,000 euros for eight licences - as he questions whether the eight tuk-tuks for the eight current horse drivers will indeed be available.

Porquer is convinced they will be and wants there to be 15 tuk-tuks eventually. Electric-powered, they have the benefit of being a green alternative as well. It's going to be interesting to see them, a further addition to the roads. And in the case of the main road in Playa de Muro in summer, the traffic is slow, regardless of slow-moving vehicles. It's all the tourists and all the crossing points. Tuk-tuks won't prove to be any more of an inconvenience.

John Barry's unfinished mansion

It is unmissable on the Santa Margalida landscape. John Barry's mansion, unfinished and never lived in, can be something of a mystery for those who don't know the story.

Finally, and fifty years after it was built (but not completed), the estate of the composer of Bond soundtracks and many others has now been listed by the town hall. There is agreement with the German owners, who acquired it in 2016 after years of abandonment (including squatters), for restoration and for partial use by members of the public - a room will be a Barry interpretation centre.

As much as anything, the mansion is a throwback to the 1960s of the European jet set who used to gather at the nearby Sa Capella estate. Much local interest lies with it supposedly having been a place where Barry and Jane Birkin could live. Was it? They married in 1965 and divorced three years later. Work on the mansion started around 1973.