This Was

In the Spielberg film, "Empire Of The Sun", Jamie, having been separated from his parents following the Japanese invasion, returns to his home. Already it has taken on an appearance of abandonment, there are leaves in the pool, the garden seems untended. I thought of this yesterday. I knew that it was for sale, but I was taken aback when I drove down the familiar narrow lane with the bracken and grass to the sides and parked. There was a broken tree, the top half lying horizontal on top of bushes, the terrace was empty, the swimming-pool I didn't actually look at but I imagined it as in the film. The doors to the converted farmhouse were shuttered. It looked forgotten. The lack of attention had made it lose the attractiveness I could recall.

I came out of the lane and drove around the back. There was a time when, albeit in cliché terms, I had described this place as an oasis. And it was. A quiet location away from the main road, mountains around, it always looked a picture in a photograph especially with the brilliance of blue. It could still be, but that oasis feel has gone. Whereas before there was nothing as such just sort of finca land, now there is an industrial estate. This converted Mallorcan farmhouse, surrounded by main road, the blaring red of the Eroski Syp supermarket and the industrial area.

Some people had it in for them. There were some rather nasty things posted about the place. I don't know the ins and outs, and I'm not really interested and was not interested. Whatever the basis of all that, it was a gorgeous restaurant, those multi-coloured candles, waxing the sides of bottles, the white-linen-covered chairs, the terraces with their plant pots.

This place was Balaixa.


QUIZ
Yesterday - Cher. Today's title - first album (from the late '60s) by which band?

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