The Deathly Shallows

And now we start to make the news. Remember the piece about the side road in Puerto Alcúdia; it being a potential death-trap (14 July, “The Bitter Sting Of Tears”). There it is - in a rather different form - in the current “Euro Weekly”. No, no, they haven’t nabbed it. Nothing like that. They were sent it. A combination of my words, Karen at Foxes’ instigation and John’s camera. The only slight problem is the headline, “Accident Waiting To Happen For Cyclists”. Well, yes, cyclists could have an accident, but it was more to do with a car going too fast and smacking into an inattentive tourist. But, no matter, at least it’s there.

There I was talking yesterday about the non-jellyfish alert, and now there is a rather more ominous marine threat. Courtesy of another piece in “Euro Weekly”, it seems that the weever fish, a really nasty bit of work, is making its presence known near Mallorca’s beaches. While this most unpleasant chap is not uncommon, his numbers are up, as are the number of stings, and the fish has been reported in Alcúdia Bay and off Son Serra de Marina.

As the weever hides in the sand, often in shallow water by the water's edge, it might well be worth taking the precaution of wearing something on the feet. Flip-flops would probably not be sufficient, but something like those shoes with the quite thick, airy soles and the holes over the top of the foot (that everyone’s wearing this year) could do the trick. Anyway, watch out, weever’s about!


Quiz. A carabela was a three-masted sailing ship from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. Columbus used carabelas. Misunderstood? ‘Twas The Animals, for which Geoff was very grateful!! Today’s title? Everyone must know where this is taken from and adapted.

And given this burst of carabela stuff, here’s another RESTAURANT OF THE WEEK. It is ... STEAK HOUSE CARABELA

Where: Avenida Reina Sofia, Puerto Alcúdia, opposite the Carabela Apartments.

What: Alcúdia’s best barbecue (well, that’s what the publicity says). Chateaubriand. Very generous portions.

When: Every day.

Who: Tomas is the top man here. José and Julie, also to be found at Nova Marina, are the owners.

Why: Excellent location for hotels like the Vivas Tropic and Golf, Alcudia Garden and Coral de Mar. Just over from the beach. Good-sized terrace.


And finally, I am indebted to Alastair who, given the combination of Peter Cook and Dudley Moore and Stingray on these pages these past days, mailed me a youtube. Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ua_wCMywEM0. Cut and paste to see the classic sketch that took the mick out of Thunderbirds.

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