 Changing Places Week 147 W/C 14th December 2008
The Soller tram ground to a halt and nothing moved for a number of days. Our means of local transport was silent and the only thing that moved was the earth. The tracks and sleepers needed replacing on parts of the line and the only way forward was to suspend operations. The workmen worked on through rain and darkness to get the track finished in the allotted time and sure enough today the tram is on the move again. This tram carries thousands in the summer and in the winter becomes our sweet form of transport to and from the Port. Its early days in San Francisco prepared it for its retirement here in Soller. Father Christmas and the Three Kings use it on their special nights and the children were anxious that it was ready for them. All is well and links to Soller are restored.
Emma's school in the Port of Soller is ready for Christmas now that the parents have gathered to decorate the school. The PTA here is as busy as anywhere else in its fund raising and traditional help for the school. The parents helped to make the decorations and then took part in a second hand sale where toys were exchanged for a nominal fee. They are now getting ready for the end of term fiesta and the Three Kings Parade. The term ends with a performance in the local church and a party back at school which the children are all very excited about. The highlight of this festive season is the preparation for the parade. When the Kings arrive on January 5th they are escorted through town by floats decorated by all the local schools. These are interspersed with donkeys and horses and the Kings and their pages. The floats each have a theme and the children dress up and are carried on them as they throw sweets to the waiting crowds. Emma is to be an elf together with her classmates. She has promised her sister that she will aim most of the sweets at her - the power and privilege of elfhood!
Kate is just back from her own Majorcan adventure. She and her class mates headed off by coach to the Finca that would be their home for 24 hours. Sleeping bags, dormitory life and bonding with her classmates were the order of the day. Anywhere on a coach seems exciting when you are eight - but truth be told this finca is not far from Son Castello industrial estate! Leave your English at the door this is a Majorcan experience, including the language. There were animals to be tended and cooking in the traditional way. Loaves of bread and sweet Turron made with their own fair hands came home with them. Homesick? No way - a great time was had by all.
Matthew queued in the Soller post office to send cards and presents to England and had the usual service. The post office is never a quick experience and when you get to the clerk you are so grateful to be served you don't question the price till you get outside. Sending cards and a few small gifts to England had cost over 90 euros. Cheaper to have got a flight and posted them there. There is a big muddle about which size card has what stamp and the clerks seem to interpret the rules differently.
We assume that our cards bearing 60 cent stamps will get to their destination in time - it won't be for the want of queuing.
The unrelenting rain became colder and thicker and by the time we drove to Biniaraix - just above Soller - it was slush and by Fornalutx it was thick enough snow to have closed the school. The Soller valley keeps its weather inside the bowl created by the mountains and gives us our own microclimate we are told. The electricity keeps going on and off, it's freezing cold and the rain looks as though it is here to stay. Can we believe the weathermen who tell us that we are now in for ten days of sunshine?
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