Fools Gold: New Alcúdia beginnings and Barça's cups

April the first fast approaches. Fools' day. The fool season will start. Easter and then back into hibernation. But so much activity, so many of the "faces" re-emerging. Have I gone back in time? It's the same. How's it going to be? Who's doing what? The same questions every year and the same cleaning up, painting, unwrapping, installing, frantic phoning, not enough-timing. Every year.

On The Mile. Wayne's putting packs of cardboard into the paper container. Nobby's shouting something. Linekers is back to just Linekers. No more disco. Twenty-two screens. Lunches at Foxes - Stuart from Goodfellows, Grizz from the hotel. Just how it was. Last year, say. For now. Until it gets really mental, everyone can but hope. Vamps have Finnish karaoke, in abundance, and Vamps TV. The Indian empire's expanding - another Indian, the same name as the one that opened and then closed and became a steakhouse (Dallas) and now another steakhouse (Texas) in what was Venue 21. On a corner of The Mile, there is a piece of Alcúdia that will always be Indian or Texan. From nothing, new places spring up. That old shop - three days time it will be serving tandoori. Away from Alcúdia, in Son Serra, the big ranch. One day nothing at all, not even a shell. By 1 April, a new shop, so it's hoped. There was a dirty great crane blocking the entrance, adding Restaurant Grill to the sign.

All of a sudden, things happen. Not enough-timing, but somehow it gets done - in no time. On fools' day, the fool season begins. Here's hoping.


Barça in Santa Margalida
It was the spring fair in Santa Margalida at the weekend. Food, feathers and farming. They held a procession - a job lot of a procession against corruption, for Haiti and Chile, and some old-time religion as well. Made them feel good, one supposes. There was an unusual exhibition at the fair - cups won by Barcelona football club in the past year. A show of the "blaugrana". Their cups runneth over. In the blue and red of the Catalan club. Note, though, that it was Barça. It wasn't Real Mallorca. Not that they've any cups to display. No, not the island's team, but Barcelona. They wonder why hardly anyone bothers watching Real Mallorca. In Santa Margalida, you got your answer. Poor old Real Mallorca - a club that doesn't deserve its own team. Fourth in La Liga and still a basket case. Heading for the Champions' League. Perhaps. Assuming the club manages to keep going, the club that doesn't deserve the team that has performed so admirably. The team that the island doesn't deserve, because they'd rather go and gawp at Barça's cups on the day that Barça were playing in Palma. Says it all.


QUIZ -
Fools Gold. Which Madchesters?

Any comments to andrew@thealcudiaguide.com please.