monthly magazine - novembeR 2011 - nº 7 - pRice: 2 €

tthhee sseeccoonndd RReesstt && RReeccoovveeRR vviissiitt,, mmiiRRaaccllee bbaabbyy,, tthhee bbaaRRnnsslleeyy mmaaRRiinneeRRoo,,

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to advertise in this monthly magazine please contact:christine watterson on tel. 699 065 493or email to ads@focusonmenorca.com

the magazine’s website, www.focusonmenorca.com,has details of advertising rates etc.

· El Picadero, Maó

· Taj Indian Restaurant, Maó

· Con Estilo (Darcey’s), Maó

· Bar Delfin, Es Castell

· The Teapot, Es Castell

· Scandals Restaurant, Es Castell

· Cats in Need, Noria Riera (plus back copies)

· Supermercado Es Talaiot, Trebalúger

· Monet’s Hairdressers, Sant Lluís

· Simon Dunn’s Chocolates, Sant Lluís

· Ca’n Dulce, Sant Climent

· Bar Nelsons, Son Vitamina

· La Tetera de Aloe Vera, Alaior

· Es Mercadal Emporium

· Son Parc Golf Club

· Rex’s Bar, Son Parc

· BJ’s, Son Parc

· El Castillo, Port d’Addaia

· Neat & Tidy, Port d’Addaia

· Bar Churchills, Cala en Blanes

Focus on Menorca is on sale at newsagents and in some supermarkets, plus the followingpoints of sale:

Please contact us, at editor@focusonmenorca.com,if you would like to sell Focus in your outlet.

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Here I am, apologising again!This time it is for the magazinebeing late out, due to circum-stances beyond our control, i.e.the local habit of taking a ‘puente’(bridge) if a public holiday fallsone day away from the weekend

(aren’t there enough public holidays as it is?)and then the printer moving premises whichmeant that we lost the whole week.This month we have a report by Steve Morganon the second Rest & Recover visit, whichseems to have been a resounding success, andexcerpts from the “Barnsley Marinero’s” diary- to be read with a South Yorkshire accent (thephoto on the front cover is of the Seafield). Wealso have the first edition of the Car Boot SaleSection which we hope will grow in the comingmonths - if you are looking for items valued at100 euros, these would also be eligible for thissection (free of charge).If you would like to air your views in print,please write to us (with your full name and ad-dress) at any of the addresses given at the footof this column.Best wishes,

Christine WattersonEditor

a note fRomthe editoR

indexof contents

Menorca, a small island makinga bigdifference (R&R second visit) ................4

“Miracle baby” the first to be christenedon Isla del Rey .................................8

An Edwardian melodrama ..................10

Textile painting demostration in aid ofASPANOB ...........................................11

Gift of craft goods and equipment for theRed Cross Group .................................12

The Barnsley Marinero ........................14

Good year or bad for tourism? ............16

Sant Lluís celebrates its 250th anniver-sary .....................................................18

Crisis? What crisis? - This crisis ........20

News Round-up ...................................22

Mediterranean Garden Society ...........24

Places of interest ................................25

Events to look out for .........................26

Leisure Corner: Sudokus, Codeword andQuick Crossword .................................28

Menorca winter darts league/Useful Tele-phone Numbers ..................................29

Solutions to puzzles .............................30

Car boot sale .......................................31

U.K. Subscription Rates 2011To subscribe to “Focus on Menorca”, simply sendus your full name and address (either through ourwebsite, by email or by post) and tell us for howmany months you wish to receive the magazine

and we will provide payment details.3 months 12.00 euros6 months 22.50 euros12 months 42.00 euros

(readers in other countries should contact us fordetails of rates)

email: editor@focusonmenorca.compost: C.M. Watterson, Apartado 155,

07730 Alaior, Menorca,Baleares, Spain.

www.focusonmenorca.com

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Visiting La Mola: Chantel, Billy, Martyn, Rosa (guide), Chris, Clifford and Amanda

Take three battle-hardenedsoldiers and their partners;add a big dollop of Menorca, alarge slice of Cala’n Portermix thoroughly, and watch thesmiles get bigger and bigger!That’s what the Rest & Re-cover team witnessed whenthey greeted the latest groupof British soldiers at the air-port on the last Friday of Sep-tember.Martyn Compton and CliffordO’Farrell from the Household

Cavalry and Billy Robinsonfrom the Coldstream Guardstogether with theirpartners/carers were given awarm welcome as theystepped into the gloriousMenorcan sunshine. Once again the generosity ofthe residents of the island hadmade everything possible,from the car hire (thank youIan Warren of Bini Cars, Timand Gillie Were of Doncarsand to Roger Goddard of Age

Concern Menorca for the loanof the mini bus) to the amplystocked kitchen cupboardsand fridge courtesy of Men’sand Ladies’ Probus.We featured an article in lastmonth’s magazine about thebrilliant fund raising efforts ofMaureen and Chris at BJ’s Barin Son Parc but, not to be out-done, Cala en Porter havebeen stalwarts in the fundraising for our cause so wherebetter to look for accommoda-

The second group of soldiers on the R&R Menorcascheme arrived at the end of September

tion for our second group.Again we were bowled overwhen the offers of villas cameflooding in and it was cer-tainly a bit of a task choosingfrom so many wonderful of-fers.As before, we made sure allneeds were catered for. Thevillas were stocked with allsorts of goodies to make surethey had everything theyneeded. For some strange rea-son they all seemed to agree

menoRca, a small islandmaking a big diffeRence

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that a cold beer sitting in thesun was a great way to starttheir vacation.On the first night, the groupwas officially welcomed byMenorca’s Honorary ConsulDeborah Hellyer at a smalldrinks reception for the sol-diers, their partners and theRest & Recover team. Theywere then left in the capablehands of Private Chef AdrianDeamer who cooked a verytraditional paella whicheveryone agreed was a greatway to get into the Spanishmood.Day two saw them climb onboard the MFV Seafield( w w w . c l a s s i c c r u i s e s -menorca.com), a 1946 re-stored Scottish Trawler, and,along with Captain Nigel Lynnand First Mate John Bladenand our own ‘sailor’ PhilLomas, sailed the high seasfor the afternoon. Martyn

Compton also had a go atkayaking while CliffordO’Farrell demonstrated hisprowess at rough water swim-ming. Not too shabby for a guywho at one stage thought hemight lose one or both of hislegs through his injuries. Once ashore, they made theirway to Smithy’s Bar in Arenald’en Castell and made shortwork of a hearty fish ‘n’ chipsupper with Martyn provingthat the Army marches on itsstomach by eating what canonly be described as a ‘slab’ ofcheesecake!On Sunday Jonathan and JoBaillie helped us to say a bigthank you to all those whohave made it possible to pull

all these events together andonce again Adrian Deamer( w w w . t h e p r i v a t e c h e f -menorca.com) found himselfat the hot end of the BBQpreparing a veritable feast forthe guests. In the afternoon the lads en-joyed a quiet (?!) drink in ThePoolside Bar in Cala en Porterwatching the Arsenal v Tot-tenham match and, as mostwere Spurs supporters, a 2-1win made all that cheeringworthwhile.Monday was a bit of a rest daywith a lot of lazing about,swimming in the sea andsoaking in the sun, a perfectway to spend a day inMenorca.

Reception: The Honorary British Consul, Deborah Hellyer, MBE, chatting to Martyn Compton

Welcome: The Rest & Recover cake

menoRca, a small islandmaking a big diffeRence by Steve Morgan

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Tuesday morning was spent ona private guided visit to LaMola, courtesy of ColonelRiva. Our guide Rosa showedthem the workings of theVickers Gun. Thank good-ness, but try as they may theycouldn’t get the thing to fire!!!Martyn and his life-longfriend Chris went off to For-nells to have another go atkayaking but in the end com-mandeered a speed boat. Inthe evening the group had ado-it-yourself BBQ and nodoubt a couple of lagers aswell.Wednesday was a little sad asit was home time! At the air-port Billy didn’t want to getout of the minibus as he wassure Menorca was his newhome but we managed to coaxhim out with the promise of asherbet fountain and a bag ofjellies for the flight.Having enjoyed himself somuch in Menorca Clifford isseriously thinking about a

sponsored relay swim aroundMenorca and will be recruit-ing some of his fellow soldiersas soon as he returns toHeadley Court. Any readersfancy putting their name

down? Not to be outflanked by a rivalregiment Billy Robinson saidhe will try and organise a teamto come back to Menorca torun around the Camí de

Cavells!Needless to say this wouldhelp raise even more moneyfor our cause together with theRoyal British Legion and theHousehold Cavalry Opera-

A surprise for the newly-weds

We found out that Billy andChantel had recently gotmarried but their honey-moon had been cancelleddue to the collapse of theholiday firm. A quick emailwas sent to the ever re-sourceful Sandy Berresfordand in the blink of an eye acake was made with thehappy couple’s name on andwe treated them to a roman-tic meal for two at Ca’nBernat, Cala en Porter.

Boat trip: Chris and Martyn try their hand at kayaking

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tional Casualties Fund. Wedon’t think it’s ever been donebefore so this may even war-rant an entry into the Guin-ness Book of Records.They have all completed feed-back sheets and we will usethese to try and improve ourinteraction with them. Clif-ford’s other half (and soon-to-be wife), Amanda, is a nurseat Headley Court and has pro-vided, and will continue to doso, a useful insight into theneeds of these injured ser-vicemen.Once again we here at Rest &Recover Menorca want tothank all of you for your ongo-ing support. With your helpwe are making a difference tothese lads’ lives.As this article is being com-pleted we have now had thefeedback sheets returned to usand we would like to sharejust a few of the commentswith you all. Remember thesecomments are addressed toyou lot out there. Without yourfine efforts the Rest & Re-cover Team can’t do any-thing:- “Knowing people appreciatewhat we do boosts ourmorale”; “We really appreciateeverything you have done”;“the welcome packs wereamazing”; “loved every minuteof it”; “Still cannot believe thegenerosity of the people here”;“ can’t thank you enough for

having us”STOP PRESS; The Army hasagreed that Clifford O’Farrellcan get a team together to do asponsored swim aroundMenorca! Watch out for fur-ther information.Some of the lads military ex-periences can be read here:- http://www.operationalcasu-altiesfund.co.uk/soldierSto-ries.aspYou can also follow us onTwitter @RandR_Menorca.

All aboard: Martyn, Billy. Don Hyatt and Clifford

Clifford, Amanda, Chris, Martyn. Chantel and Billy

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‘miRacle baby’ the fiRst to be chRistened on isla del Rey

A ‘miracle baby’, born tenyears after her mother was toldthat she could never have chil-dren, was the first child to bechristened in the newly-recon-secrated St. George’s NavalChapel on the Isla del Rey.Amelia Josephine Tracey wasbaptised in the chapel on 1stOctober in the company of fa-mily, godparents Fernando Se-rrano and Suzanne SparksKeeble, friends and a few localdignitaries, including theMayor of Maó, Àgueda Rey-nés, and Island CouncillorsAlicia Mus (responsible fortourism and culture) and LuisAlejandro who is also the mo-ving force behind the restora-tion work being carried out onthe island in Maó harbour. Theservice was taken by the Revd.Dr. Michael Bunce and was fo-llowed by a reception at theMenorca Royal where Rachelprovided a fantastic specialmenu for the fourteen guests.Amelia’s mother, A.J., explai-ned that not only was it a mi-racle that Amelia wasconceived in the first place butthat she also survived a verydifficult emergency birth atjust 38 weeks that required anoperation to bring her into theworld, on 1st May this year.A.J., a chemistry teacher andformer house mistress wholives near Henley-on-Thames, has always felt thatMenorca was a very specialplace with healing propertiesand “almost like a spiritualhome”; her parents, Roger andJill Tracey, have been comingto the island for 22 years andhave owned a house in CalaLlonga for the last sixteen. Onhearing of the reconcescrationof St. George’s Naval Chapelfrom friends Mike and DollyMartin, A.J. thought that it

would be the ideal place to hold thechristening and it was duly arrangedby Mike, with a private boat organi-sed by Pedro’s Boat Centre to trans-port the guests to and from theisland.Although Amelia’s is believed to bethe first christening on the island,there was a child born there, RearAdmiral Sir Thomas Fellowes, theson of Surgeon General William Fe-llowes (1738-1827) who served atthe hospital and was Physician Ex-traordinary to George IV but the re-cords do not show whether he waschristened there.

A.J. with her miracle baby Amelia

A.J., Amelia and the Mayor Maó, Àgueda Reynés

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This December’s show “Hap-penings at the Hall” is some-what different from those thatwe have done in previousyears. First of all, we have lis-tened to those of our audiencewho kindly completed ourquestionnaire at the end of theshow on the Isla del Rey. Themajority voted for a TheatreDinner - and that is what weare doing! The venue is su-perb, as it is the very first lo-cation we used when weformed the group ten yearsago! The Casino Sant Climenthas the benefit of a separatedining room and theatre area,ensuring complete privateusage of the premises. Theother bonus is that it is all onone floor, with no stairs, allow-ing access for everybody. Forthose who know the venue, ithas always been a popularchoice for good Menorcan foodat reasonable prices, guaran-teeing a good dinner on thenight. The family that run theestablishment are very con-genial and friendly, adding tothe good atmosphere.We know that a number of ourregular audience like us toperform a pantomime at thistime of year. Sadly, the eco-nomic climate has taken itstoll on our membership as wellas the economy with a fairnumber returning to Englandto find work. We have particu-larly lost a number of our chil-dren, whom we were hopingwould grow with the club andtake some more important ju-venile roles in the near future.We have chosen this year toperform a melodrama, fromwhat we consider to be one ofthe funniest scripts that wehave had the fortune to read.The story has a pantomimestyle to it but without any ofthe predictability related to

the well known story lines.The characters are large andamusing and should well en-tertain our audiences to roundoff what we are confident willbe a superb evening of gas-tronomy and fun.The show is set in Edwardiantimes and Jane Higgs, the di-rector, is inviting all membersof the audience to join in withthe theme by dressing accord-ingly, if they so wish.As you know, all our revenueis donated to local charities,the main one this year beingASPANOB, the charity thatprovides accommodation forthe parents of children suffer-ing from cancer. Christmas isa time when all voluntary or-ganisations are looking to givethose less fortunate than our-selves a good time. So comeand have a good time and andgive a good time to some oth-ers at the same time!Seats are limited to 50 pernight on the four nights at 25euros per head (Friday De-

cember 2nd, Saturday Decem-ber 3rd, Friday 9th and Satur-day 10th ) Tickets areavailable from the followingoutlets: Ca’n Dulce in SantCliment, Monet Hairdressers,Sant Lluís, El Picadero

Restaurant, Maó, MaggieDougan at the Comercial Pa-pelera, Maó and the TeapotCafe, Es Castell or through usonline atmenorca.charity.players@gmail.com

Shirley Smith is easily recognisable but who is the dark mysterious man with the beard?

Andy and Lynn at a poignant moment of the drama

by Chris Collman

an edwaRdian melodRama

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textile painting demonstRationin aid of aspanob

Fund-raising with a differencewas the order of the day inearly October at Es MercadalEmporium where owner LindaDove had organised a textilepainting demonstration in aidof the local charity ASPANOB.The talented artist behind thedemonstration was ElisabethWakeford who not only paintson all types of textile, rangingfrom T-shirts to silk scarfs, butalso on wooden boxes whichthen make a lovely containerfor storing small items or anexcellent case to enclose apresent. Elisabeth, who livesin Santa Ana, also makes fash-ion jewellery - necklaces,bracelets and earrings usingunusual materials.A good number of ladies, bothSpanish and English, turnedout for the demonstration, en-joying the ease and speed withwhich Elisabeth completedher poppy and iris designs onT-shirts, as well as refresh-ments provided by Linda anda raffle for various prizes. Allin aid of a very worthy charitywhich provides accommoda-tion for children undergoingcancer treatment off the islandand their families.

Car Boot Sale SectionAdvertise items to be sold for 100 euros or less

(excluding catering or services) FREE of charge.Contact us at ads@focusonmenorca.com withyour name, address and telephone number,

together with the text for the advert, or leave theinformation at Ca’n Dulce (the Chocolate Shop)

in Sant Climent for onward transmission.

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First of all, a big thank you hasto go to all at “A Maze of Me-mories” which is a craft centrebased on the Oxford/Bucksborder. They sell a myriad ofcrafting items and also holdscrapbooking and card-ma-king workshops for those eagerto learn more about craftingtechniques. A while ago theydecided to collect items for ourgroup and so put donationboxes out at their craft centre,the generosity was amazing –they collected a tremendous14 boxes of craft goods andequipment for us. If you go on-line to www.amazeofmemo-ries.com –then click on “latestnews” you will be able to seepictures of this amazing bootyplus a picture of the thank youcard (handcrafted of course!)which we sent to the “Memo-ries” ladies, who are Pat Rux-ton (David Smith’s sister),Christina, Carolyn, Susanne,Jenny, Rachel, Megan, Maryand Sarah. Please see picture.

Another enormous “thankyou” goes to the fabulous Ri-chard O’Dell of MenorcaFreight Services, www.menor-cafreight.com. Without hishelp we just wouldn’t havebeen able to get this generous

donation over here. Thank youRichard.

Christmas Goodies

On a different note, our craftgroup ladies are certainly in“Christmas overdrive” at themoment – Tuesday morningsin the outside seating area atScandals are currently packedwith Christmas cards, gift tags

and decorations, toys and fes-tive themed cushions and do-orstops. At our last meeting abeautiful quilt which is cu-rrently a work in progress wason show; Janet B has been a

very busy lady – a perfect co-lour scheme for our blue andwhite island. This special andunique quilt will be raffled atone of our Christmas Fayres –please see below for details.

by Belinda Gray

gift of cRaft goods andequipment foR the Red cRoss gRoup

The generous ladies at “A Maze of Memories” craft centre in the U.K.

Left: An angelRight: The monkeyBoth handmade byladies’ in the RedCross Craft Group

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Another rather special raffleprize is Ann and Chrissie´shandcrafted handsome mon-key, (please see pic) – he re-ally is a cracker and willsurely raise a smile. So ifyou’d like to be in with achance of winning the quiltand/or the monkey, then comealong and buy some raffle tic-ket(s)!

If for some reason you cannotmake it to any of our sales andyou want to make sure that yousecure a particular bargain,then please remember that youcan make advance purchaseson Tuesday mornings duringthe group’s meetings (everyTuesday 10am – 12 noon atScandals).

Christmas Fayre Dates

Sunday November 27; 10 amuntil 1.30 pm at Bar Pons inCala en Porter.

Tuesday December 13; 10.30am until 12.30 pm, Red Cross

Clearance Sale at Scandals inEs Castell.

We will also be in attendanceat both the LACE and the

The Red Cross Girls taking a well-earned break from their labours

Church Christmas Fayres, de-tails to be advised.

Weekly Meetings

Every Tuesday at Scandals, Es

Castell, 10 am to 12 noon.Everyone is welcome.

Please contact Anne Maddi-son on 618 373 528.

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As deckhand/tour guide/histo-rian/geologist/wildlife ex-pert/chef/occasional driver onthe charter boat Seafield sail-ing out of Addaia on the north-east coast, I decided to keep adiary this season in an attemptto record the highs and occa-sional lows of life on Menorca.Here are a few hand-pickedentries.April 25 - May 2Painting the boat. What a job -layer upon layer of marinepaint. Deck, hull, rails, wheel-house then start again. It'sworth the effort though. This isa proper boat, built in 1946 inBanff, Scotland as a trawlerand constructed entirely byhand using top class timberthroughout. She looks wonder-ful.May 4Boat cleaning today. Nigel gothis diving suit and tank on toclean the hull underneath. Hegot in the water but was toobuoyant and just bobbedabout like a blow-up doll. Ihad to load his pockets withlumps of scrap metal to weighhim down. Fifteen minuteslater, having finished the job,he emerged by the pontoonbut could only just get hishead out of the water due tothe ballast he was carrying. Icouldn't pull him out as hewas too heavy, and he couldn'tditch the ballast as his handswere encased in huge rubbergloves, so I ended up reachinginto the water to fish out allthe rusty bolts and spannersfrom his pockets. I was laugh-ing so much it took me twentyminutes to get him out.May 28No trips today so I went to thewelcome meeting at the

Castell Playa in Arenal, five min-utes away from us. The reps don'tallow us to speak at the meetingbut we are introduced to theguests, who are invited to comeand see us with any questionsabout the trip. I had two en-quiries. The conversations wentlike this:Me: Morning, you'd like to comeout on the boat with us?Lady: Oh no. We don't want to goon THAT one. What about thetrip round the harbour in Maó?Me: What about it?Lady: Where does it leave fromfrom?Me: The port in Maó.Lady: And where does it comeback to?Me: The port in Maó.Lady: And what do you see on thetrip?

the baRnsley maRineRoExcerpts from my 2011 diary

by John Bladen

Me: The port of Maó, madam.Lady: Thanks. 2nd lady: Good morning.Me: Good morning, madam.How can I help?2nd lady: Can you tell mewhere the bus stop is, please?June 13Attacked by a mad duck. Ap-parently he lived in Macaretwith his partner but she died.He's now moved over here andgoes for anything that moves.His name is Asbo. Well it isnow.June 28Dropped a can of John Smith'sSmooth in the galley, whichexploded covering everythingin beer. The smell remindedme of my cellar at the pub inthe UK. That was proper beer,though.July 2Standing at the back of theboat after serving lunch, one ofthe guests let rip one of the

Skipper Nigel with a strange growth on his neck

The good ship Seafield

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The Barnsley Marinero explaining to clients the science of counting up to five

TOUR GUIDE OF MENORCA / TRANSLATOR

Private tours available with experienced guideanywhere on the island

Translations also undertakenSpanish to English or English to Spanish

Tel. 617 361 714 for further information

loudest farts I've ever heard.Everyone else was in the waterat the time, so it was just meand him. He made no com-ment at all, which cracked meup.July 3Private charter today, sixhours. Saw a pod of dolphinsup by Cap de Cavalleria. Won-derful sight.July 6Shut the door on our ancientsecond fridge. Door immedi-ately fell off, onto my bare foot.Lots of laughter from Nigel.After work we cadged an oldfreezer from a friend of oursand installed it on the boat be-fore adjourning for beer.July 7Unbeknown to me, Nigelloaded all our beer and softdrinks into the freezer, leavingit turned on. A couple of hourslater we heard loud bangs fromdownstairs and found all thecans had exploded in thefreezer. He really is a com-plete idiot at times.August 17Royalty in the marina tonight.One of King Juan Carlos'daughters, accompanied byumpteen bodyguards, stayedon a llaut two doors down fromus. She didn't come over for abeer, though I saw her stand-ing on the pontoon. I had tostifle the urge to shout ‘How’syour Mum and Dad?’

August 21One of our clients, a white-haired old lady, walked intothe wheelhouse and, staring atthe sangria and orange juice,said 'Are these the drinks,then?'August 22In the pub after work, one ofour drivers remarked on the

miserable nature of his clientstoday. Nigel replied 'That'sfunny, WE had a bunch likethat, as well!' Same ones, ofcourse. Priceless.August 24Hilarious start to the day. Idropped a supermarket till re-ceipt into the water by theboat, but told Nigel it was a

client's ticket. He almost hada heart attack, flinging himselfover the pontoon edge andhanging on by his fingernailsto reach the 'ticket'. Realisingit was only a receipt, he ex-ploded, chasing me round theboat. The drivers were help-less with laughter.Happy days.

23, Sinia des Muret - Mahón - Menorca

Telf.: 971 35 40 70 - taj@telefonica.net

www.indianrestaurantinmenorca.com

AUTHENTIC INDIAN RESTAURANT

Specializing in Balti and Tandoori Dishes

BUFFET 13,90 EXCLUDING DRINKS

EVERY SUNDAY

Excellent choice for

vegetarians

Takeaway service

16 focus on menorca

According to statistics released by various sources there were more tourists in Menorca this year than last, but has this resulted in increased earnings for the island’s businesses?

good yeaR oR bad foR touRism?

September passenger figuresupA total of 366,229 passengerspassed through Menorca’s air-port in September, 3.2% morethan last year. The number offoreign travellers increased by9.3%, to 214,075, whilst theSpanish visitors dropped by4.3% to 149,203.Between January and the endof September, the airport sawa total of 2.2 million passen-gers, an increase of 4% on lastyear, and 23,860 flights (0.6%more).

Record number of people on is-landThis August broke the record

for the number of people on theisland for thirteen consecutivedays (5th to 18th) with a newrecord being set on 10th Augustwhen there were 196,204 peo-ple on Menorca. The averagefor the month was 185,600 anincrease of 3.2% on last year.However for the first fivemonths of 2011 there werefewer people than last year, thelowest point being 15th Januarywhen the figure dropped to75,231.

More tourists but few extrajobs ...Menorca has had more holi-daymakers this season but,with prices remaining at lastyear’s levels, only a slight in-

crease, if any, has been seen incompanies’ takings and fewextra jobs have been created.The report on the 2011 season,produced by the FuncdacióGadeso, shows that, in the ac-commodation sector, 38% ofcompanies took on staff com-pared to 32% which did not;but in the complementary sec-tor 47% of businesses wereunable to create jobs, due tothe short tourist season, theall-inclusive deals and a lackof holiday spending money.

... and takings downThe survey carried out byPIME (the association forsmall and medium businesses)

AccommodationFigures released by the Na-tional Statistics Institute (INE)show that holiday apartmentswere occupied for more nightsin August this year, registeringa total of 512,613 which is al-most 52,000 more than lastyear. Although the number ofholidaymakers in self-cateringdropped by around 1,200, theystayed for longer periods, av-eraging 8.94 days compared to7.88 days in 2010. The occu-pancy rate for the month was76%, an improvement on lastyear’s 71.75%, most of which(68%) was in the Ciutadelladistrict.September saw another im-provement on last year’s fig-ures with hotels registering anoccupancy rate of 75.8%(compared to 71.7% in 2010)and tourist accommodation asa whole, 74.6%.The British accounted for 40%of the month’s visitors, Span-ish 26% and Germans 14%.

Early closing for hotelsThe majority of the island’shotels were closed by 16th Oc-tober, only those that open allyear round and those that areused by the senior tourists re-maining open after then.Many bars and restaurantsclosed early this year, too,leaving some tourist resortslooking like ghost towns -hardly appealing to the fewtourists that were around, butunderstandable in the presentcircumstances.

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According to statistics released by various sources there were more tourists in Menorca this year than last, but has this resulted in increased earnings for the island’s businesses?

good yeaR oR bad foR touRism?

In the chair:John Smith of Smithy’s Restaurant,Arenal d’en CastellFor John, this has been a better year thanlast as three of the nearby holiday comple-xes (Isla Paraiso, Sa Mirada and Arepar)had people all season - last year they wereonly open in August - but he has felt the ef-fects of the all-inclusive deals which hefeels are killing the island. To counteract hepromoted take away meals more and so at-tracted the self-catering tourists. Openinglonger hours, putting in more time himselfand cutting back on staff were necessary toearn money this year.The first three weeks in June were as goodas any he’s had since opening the restau-rant and John considered taking on anotherwaitress but was put off by the high costsinvolved, the monthly social security pay-ments for each member of staff being verydear. Business then fell until the high sea-son arrived, the first two weeks in Septem-ber being better than July. “It’s really onlya three-month season now”.In his opinion, part of the problem is thatthe island has no identity in Britain - ever-yone has heard of Mallorca and Ibiza butMenorca is still a relatively unknown desti-nation. The island needs to be promoted co-rrectly by professionals who understand themarket. If the British public “knew how de-lightful the island is, they would comehere”. “For the right kind of people the is-

shows that the majority ofbusinesses (66% in May, 56%in June, 59% July, 44% Au-gust and 59% in September)have seen a drop in their tak-ings this season.

Less investment in tourist sec-tor in MenorcaSo far this year 1.59 millioneuros of tourist projects (suchas modernising hotels, newconstruction, reforming barsetc.) have been approved,compared with 2.16 millionlast year. Elsewhere in theBalearic Islands the invest-ment has doubled this year.

Increase in British touristspredicted for 2012The number of British touristsvisiting Menorca this summerwas 3% higher than last yearand the indications are that itwill rise still further next yearas, by the end of the first weekin October, bookings forMenorca were up 11% on lastyear despite a general drop of2% in holiday reservations.A market analyst from theSpanish Office of Tourism inLondon, Carmen Hernández,called in by ASHOME (theMenorcan Hoteliers’ Associa-tion) to advise on the situation,has suggested that a series ofreports on Menorca and aguide to the island should bepublished on the web page ofthe Daily Telegraph newspa-per and in the paper’s supple-ments, a proposal thatASHOME will now put beforethe Island Council, and laterto the Balearic Government, in

an attempt to obtain the nec-essary funds to implement thescheme. The publicity wouldbe aimed at attracting the in-dependent holidaymakerrather than those who bookthrough tour companies. Atpresent 73% of British touristscoming to the island bookthrough the holiday compa-nies, compared to 40% of

those who go to Mallorca orIbiza. Bringing in the inde-pendent tourists would reducethe power that the tour compa-nies have in Menorca when itcomes to setting prices and in-sisting on all-inclusive deals,attract holidaymakers whospend more money, especiallywith local companies as theydo not spend their whole holi-

day in their hotels, and help tofill the island outside the highseason. It would also encour-age other companies, such aslow-cost airlines, to operate inMenorca.ASHOME’s president, JoanMelis has stressed the need to“sell the island, not the ho-tels”.

land would be paradise”, hence the needto promote it correctly, emphasising thelovely countryside and beautiful beaches(the best in the Mediterranean), the lowcrime rate, no “18-30 groups” or beachtouts. The British tourists are very impor-tant to Menorca as they are one of the fewnationalities that take holidays all sum-mer and not just in July and August.John feels that next year might even be “abit tougher” than this year. “In 2008 theseason stretched to eight months, now it isdown to three, the other three months it isdifficult to cover your costs”.

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sant lluÍs celebRates its250th anniveRsaRy

On 3rd October 1761, theRoyal Heritage Tribunal de-clared that the lands compris-ing the Garriga de Binifadet(Binifadet scrub), where SantLluís now sits, were royalproperty and for public use.This resolution could be con-sidered the beginning of thetown and was the culminationof a long judicial processwhich started in January 1759when owners of land on theoutskirts of the Garriga deBinifadet went to court to de-mand that their ownership ofthe land be recognised. How-ever, the court found againstthem on the grounds that therewere no walls enclosing theGarriga and that it was crossedby many paths which had beenin use for several years.With the approval of theFrench Government, which atthat time ruled the island,construction had already

started on a church so that in-habitants in the area would nolonger have to travel to Maó toattend religious services. Workstarted on the church in May1760 and the tribunal’s reso-lution prompted work to beginon the town the following year.

Act of CommemorationThe Council Chamber of SantLluís Town Hall was the set-ting for the official commemo-ration at the beginning ofOctober which was attendedby many of the island’s digni-taries. The central act was atalk by Toni Seguí, a journal-ist with the “Menorca” IslandNewspaper, on Sant Lluís inthe works of six writers andtravellers, from the nineteenthcentury to the present day.The first reference was to theAmerican author and poet Ba-yard Taylor who visited SantLluís on one of his European

trips in the 1860’s. In one ofhis books Taylor wrote of thecleanliness of a town whosehouses were whitewashedevery Saturday. He was alsoimpressed by the fact that thefront doors were always open,giving a glimpse of shiningtiles.Another traveller to visit SantLluís in the nineteenth cen-

tury was Archduke Lluís Sal-vador Hasburgo-Lorena y Bor-bón who wrote a book onMenorca in which he de-scribed Sant Lluís’s ruralproperties, main roads andcoast. The archduke rented ahouse in Sant Lluís which hereferred to as one of the“healthiest” places inMenorca.

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The town’s windmills, white walls and the names ofthe wide, straight streets influenced by the Frenchoccupation of the island were mentioned in a1920’s book by Alicia Davins, the pseudonym ofAntònia Pujol de Carbó, the Secretary for theWorld Association for the Defence of Women.Between 1933 and 1934, a series of reports onMenorca by Manuel Amat were published in the“Mirador” magazine. In one of these reference wasmade to the small white houses, the town’s threewindmills and the surrounding countryside.The Catalan writer Josep Pla wrote of the beauty ofSant Lluís in a “Guide to Mallorca, Menorca andIbiza” published in 1950. He concentrated on Al-calfar which he prophetically referred to as an areawith a future in tourism.The final subject of Seguí’s talk was the Dutchwriter Cees Nooteboom who has spent the largepart of the year residing in Sant Lluís for the last40 years or more, working on his novels, poems,essays and travel books. The author, who has beennominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature onseveral occasions, mentions Sant Lluís in a num-ber of his books, recounting his experiences andmemories of the island, the people of Sant Lluísand the garden of his old country house.During the act of commemoration music was pro-vided by Tomé Olives, the organist and Directorfor the Sant Lluís School of Music, who played sixpieces by the French composer Nicolás de Grigny(1672-1703).The celebration was brought to a close by theMayor of Sant Lluís, Cristóbal Coll, who spoke ofthe need to establish bonds of friendship with theFrench people, to get to know the descendents ofthe people who founded the town which was namedin honour of Louis IX, saint and King of France.

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Last month saw numerous articles in the local press giving someindication of the degree to which the present economic crisis isaffecting Menorca and the Balearic Islands and, without wish-ing to spread gloom and doom, nor to be “alarmist”, some ofthese are reproduced below in an attempt to show the situationand the need for collective belt-tightening and helping the gen-uinely needy of whom, unfortunately, there are now plenty onthe island.

Red Cross shares out 50 tons of food for the needyThe Alaior branch of the Red Cross shared out 50 tons of foodreceived from the European Fund in October to other organisa-tions which will then pass it on to people in need. Those re-sponsible for the final distribution include local branches of theRed Cross, Càritas, the Phillipine Christian Church and theEvangelical Church which runs a canteen for the needy in Maó.This is the third batch of food to be distributed this year andthere should be one more at the end of the year or beginning of2012.

Unemployment up 15.6% in SeptemberSeptember saw the number of people unemployed on the islandrise to 5,648, an increase of 15.6% on August’s figure and 0.7%on September 2010. The majority of those laid off during themonth were in the hotel and catering sector. In the Balearic Is-lands the unemployment figure at the end of September stood at76, 067 and in Spain in general, 4.2 million.

Emergency fund for unemployed exhaustedEvery year the Balearic Government provides the Island Coun-cil with a set sum to pay a minimum income to those who are outof work and not entitled to any other benefits, to cover their basicneeds. By the end of May this year’s provision of 235,285 euroshad been exhausted and, since then, the Island Council has hadto finance the programme which, by the beginning of Octoberhad needed a further 162,000 euros to maintain, as the numberof people falling into this category stood at 1,102. The IslandCouncil is now waiting to see whether the Balearic Governmentwill provide additional funds, as has been the case in previousyears, although it seems unlikely in view of the latter’s precar-

ious financial situation. In the meantime it is actually Cáritasthat is footing the bill as it is the charity that runs the project.

Caritas owed more than one million eurosThe charity Cáritas is owed more than one million euros, themajority (917,000 euros) by the local authorities, correspondingto grants which were promised but have not yet been paid (somedating back to 2007) and services carried out by the charitywhich also remain unpaid.Whilst the charity has other sources of income, such as sales atthe Mestral warehouse, De Mà a Mà (secondhand clothes shop),Comerç Just (Fair Trade shops plus products in supermarkets),it is insufficient to cover the ever-increasing demands on thecharity’s services, which include providing the aforementionedminimum wage payment, shelter and accommodation, trainingpeople for jobs, working with the authorities to create a fairersociety for everyone, regardless of sex, age or religion, and thewages of the 68 people working for Càritas on contract. Last yearthe charity’s outgoings totalled over 2.5 million euros.

Balearic Government to sell property to pay debtsThe Balearic Government has decided to sell some of its prop-erty or rent it out in order to raise money to help pay its debts.Any property to be sold will be put to public auction.

Island Council to postpone some projects in order to settle in-voicesThe Island Council is to postpone some non-urgent projects,such as IT equipment and providing car parks at Fort Marlbor-ough and Santa Àgueda, to the value of over two million euros,so that invoices owed, mainly by the Welfare and Transport De-partments and to the beach cleaning service, can be settled.Local Councils are also looking for ways to cut back on outgo-ings and are considering cutting services that they are notobliged by law to provide, such as the Municipal Schools ofMusic and artistic and cultural events.

Schools concerned about winter heating billsThe island’s secondary schools are being left without funds tocover their running costs and are concerned about the forth-coming winter and the possibility of not being able to pay forheating.The schools receive their yearly allowance in three stage pay-ments in January, April and September. At the moment theyhave only received the first payment and a quarter of the secondwhich was paid in September when the final payment shouldhave been made. It is estimated that the Government owesMenorcan schools around 441,000 euros in total.They are having to restrict spending - only purchasing the ma-terial that is essential for everyday use. The Instituto is owedhalf of its yearly allowance and was unable to pay the Septem-ber electricity bill and still owes part of an invoice for heatingoil from last winter.

cRisis? what cRisis?-this cRisis

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Local authorities’ wagebills top 52 million eurosper annumThe eight local councilsand the Island Councilbetween them employ1,662 people, includingoffice staff and workmen.The wage bill totals 56.2million euros per annum,which works out at153,972 euros per day.The Island Council em-ploys the most people,with a work force of 533and an annual wage bill of17.2 million euros. Thelocal councils varygreatly, from Maó’s stafflist of 336 which costs12.1 million euros a yearto Es Migjorn which has35 people on its booksand an annual wage ex-penditure of just over onemillion euros.The 1,662 people em-ployed by the local au-thorities represents 1.8%of the island’s total popu-lation of around 92,000,but does not include thosewho work in some of thebasic services such asteachers, doctors, nursesand other health workerswho receive their wagesfrom the Balearic Govern-ment, nor the state secu-rity services and thoseemployed at the prison,their wages coming fromthe State Government.Taking all these into con-sideration, over 2% of thepopulation work as publicemployees.

Park fittings to cost245,000 eurosDespite the times of hard-ship, Maó Council is tospend 245,497 euros onfixtures and fittings forthe park situated on Camíde Ses Vinyes and bor-dered by Calles VivesLlull, Ses Rodees andCiutadella. A further

532,000 euros will be provided for the project from the StateFund for Employment and Sustainability. In addition to a chil-dren’s play area for children of school age and under, there willbe a multipurpose court measuring 16 metres by 28 and an areaspecifically for skateboarding.

“Menorca Jazz” concerts at risk in 2012Jazz Obert, which organises the International Jazz Festival ofMenorca every year, is owed 46,400 euros by Ciutadella Coun-cil, the Island Council and the Balearic Government in respectof unpaid grants. The organisation has had to take out a loan topay the artists who appeared in the programme this year andhas cancelled the traditional autumn concert. Next year’s jazzfestival is at risk if the grants are not continued, but the organ-isers are conscious that in times of crisis there are other priori-ties, such as paying the debts owed to Càritas or the Foundationfor Handicapped People.

Foundation for the Handicapped forced to lay off staffA lack of funds has forced the Menorcan Foundation for Hand-icapped People to lay off ten of its staff whose job it was to findemployment for the handicapped. Although the programme,which has run for eleven years, was considered important it wasnot vital and therefore one area in which cuts could be made.The foundation employs 180 people.The Island Council has repeatedly requested that the BalearicGovernment transfer the money owed under a social agreementfrom last year, a sum of 2.175 million euros, which would allow

them to partly resolve theFoundation’s financialproblems. A further 2.35million euros is also owingunder an agreement madethis year. In the meantimethe Government has in-jected half a million eurosinto the Foundation tostave off the worst.For the last few monthsthe Foundation’s staffhave been paid frommoney that the IslandCouncil had earmarkedfor other things.

No homes designed inSeptemberAccording to the OfficialCollege of Architects,there were no applicationsfor architectural designsfor homes in Menorca dur-ing the whole of Septem-ber, a sure sign of thehardships facing the con-struction industry.

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Driver killed as lorry plunges into quarryA 38-year old man, J.V.M., was killed when the lorry he wasdriving plunged 10-15 metres into a quarry at the end of Octo-ber. The 38-year old from Alaior, an employee of ConstruccionesOlives, was unloading building rubble at Sa Moleta Quarry, inthe district of Alaior, when the accident happened. The cause ofthe accident is still being investigated.

Police Union warns of crimes committed by prisonersThe Unión Federal de la Policía has alleged that various crimesin Maó were committed by prisoners recently released from theMenorcan jail or on day release. The union’s General Secretarywarned that the prison would generate a type of crime not nor-mally occurring in Menorca, blaming this on the fact that theprison authorities are transferring the “most rebellious” inmatesfrom Palma to Menorca. He also claimed that there have alreadybeen several security incidents within the prison, including anattempted escape, due to problems with the building’s design.However, the State Government’s Island Director, Javier Tejero,denied the accusations, adding that the number of crimes com-mitted in September was lower than last year.

More than 400 arrests for drug-traffickingIn the last year the National Police have arrested more than 400people in connection with drug trafficking, an increase of 30%on the previous twelve months, according to the State Gover-ment’s Island Director, Javier Tejero.

Gas pipeline to Menorca delayed four yearsAlthough the Balearic Government stated in 2007 that Menorcawould have piped natural gas by 2011, it would appear that theisland will now have to wait until at least 2014 for the service.Although the investment necessary to lay the pipeline fromCapdepera in Mallorca to Cala en Bosc and then on to Maó hasbeen promised since 2003, the gas company Endesa’s plans forthe next three years show the pipeline connection as “planned”with no date set nor funds allocated.On the positive side, the scheme still appears in the NationalEnergy Commission’s plans for 2008-2016 and is soon to be pro-moted to Category ‘A’ (ready to enter the execution phase).

news Round-up

The pipeline is considered important for the island not only be-cause of Menorca’s status as a Biosphere Reserve but also toimprove the local industry’s competitiveness and to reduce car-bon emissions.

Maó port still losing businessFor the third consecutive month the number of passengers andboats using Maó port dropped in August. Whereas in August2010 a total of 126 boats and 15 cruise ships brought 99,619passengers to Maó, this year the figure dropped to 72 ships and50,403 passengers.The opening of the outer harbour in Ciutadella has resulted inmany ferries now operating from there as the distance to Mal-lorca and Barcelona is far less than from Maó.

Good year for lobstersThe island’s lobster fishermen caught a total of 11,530 kilos ofthe crustaceans this season, an increase of 6.7% on last year.The retail price varied between 55 and 65 euros, depending ondemand, the highest prices being charged in July and Augustwhen tourism was at its height.Although the retail price has remained stable for the last fewyears, fishermen say that their profit margin is down as their ex-penses are “greater every day”.

...but a poor one for the farmersOver the past few years, the island’s farmers have received 3million kilos of subsidised fodder for their livestock, but thisyear, due to cutbacks, only 1.45 million kilos of alfalfa sub-sidised by the Government have been sent, leaving the farmersto pay for the rest of the fodder that they need.Another problem faced by many of the farmers is the BalearicGovernment’s delay in paying them the grants that they werepromised under the Rural Development Plan in 2008 whichaimed to encourage farmers to buy new machinery or carry outimprovements to their farms. Many did so, with the help of abank loan to see them through until the receipt of the grant fromthe Government, which they are still awaiting.Three of the island’s farms have closed so far this year and theforecast for 2012 is “disastrous” according to the agriculturalassociation.

More people flying with VuelingVueling, which only started flights to the island in 2005, nowcarries more passengers to and from Menorca than any other air-line. Between January and August this year, one in every sixpassengers flew with the low-cost airline, 16.4% of the total.Since its inaugural flight the company has transported more than1.2 million people to and from the island.

Spanair to link island to eleven international airportsSpanair’s winter programme offers flights from Menorca to ninenational and eleven international airports and flight times toBarcelona have been altered to reduce the time spent waiting

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for connecting flights toan average of 50 minuteson internal flights and 90minutes on internationaljourneys.Within Spain, the airlinewill fly from Menorca toMálaga, Alicante, Bilbao,Granada, La Coruña,Gran Canaria, Asturias,Seville and Vigo with con-nection times varyingfrom 30 to 95 minutes. In-ternationally, the choice isStockholm, Banjul (Gam-bia), Bamako (Mali), Mar-seilles, Munich, Warsaw,Zurich, Brussels, Frank-furt, Geneva and Lisbonwith passengers having towait between 50 minutesand 3 hours to embark onthe second leg of theirjourney.

... while Air Europa cutsSaturday night flightAir Europa has cut theflight that left Barcelonaat 2000 hrs. on Saturdaysfrom its winter pro-gramme, the last flightback to the island nowleaving for Menorca at1130 hrs. so anyone want-ing to spend Saturday af-ternoon in the Cataluñacity will have to spend thenight there and return thefollowing day.

Mercadona looking forstaffAt a time when job van-cancies are practicallynon-existent, the super-market chain Mercadonais looking for personnelfor the two stores whichthe Government has givencommercial licences forin Maó; one on the indus-trial estate and the otheron a plot in Cós de Grà-cia, next to Ocimax. Thecompany is also consider-ing opening a supermar-ket in Ciutadella.

Mercadona calculates that each of the Maó stores will generatebetween 35 and 40 jobs, including shop assistants and ware-house workers, and is delivering leaflets door-to-door in searchof personnel. According to the leaflets, the company is offeringa 40-hour week (Monday to Saturday on morning and afternoonshifts) at a “competitive salary”. Positions carrying responsibil-ity will be filled by internal promotions. Anyone interested inapplying should complete the leaflet and send it, together witha photograph and C.V., to the offices of SOIB in Maó or Ciu-tadella.

Adopt a roundaboutMaó Council is inviting businesses to adopt a roundabout whichthey will then be responsible for maintaining in return for asmall advertisement for their company on ‘their’ roundabout.The project would reduce the workload of the Council’s work-men and turn eyesores into attractive features of the town.

Facelift for AlaiorAlaior Council has instigated a facelift for the town and its im-mediate surroundings which includes gardening work and minormaintenance work to the roads. Council workmen have beenclearing weeds from the verges of 4.5 kms. of roads and replac-ing broken cobblestones as well as pruning trees in the town,turning the fountain (which has had many problems) in PlaçaEs Ramal into a flower bed and installing new flower pots in thearea around the Pensioners’ Club.

Alaior speed traps still not in useThe two radar traps installed on the main road (Me-1) nearAlaior will not be activated until 2012, as they still have to re-ceive official approval. There will then be a trial period beforethe machines can be put into service.

October - the month for cyclistsA total of 258 cyclists took part in the XI Tourist Cycle Tour ofMenorca, including 150 from other parts of Spain and around20 from the U.K. The tour started on 21st October with a cy-cling excursion to Es Mercadal to see the “Cycling and Bicy-cles” exhibition currently on in the Recinte Firal and areception to welcome the participants. The first stage of the tour,on the following day, involved a ride of 109 kms., starting andfinishing in Maó. The second stage on the Sunday was a 64 km.cycle from Maó, up Monte Toro, on to Fornells and back to Maó,

via Es Mercadal.Although the tour itselfis not a race, trophieswere awarded to the firstthree male and femalecyclists to reach thesummit of Monte Toro:Manolo Jiménez, PedroJuan Fernández, NicoBeamud, Ruth Moll, Ali-cia Parkes and CatalinaBarceló, and for variousother categories, such asoldest participant (84-year old Anotnio Poch).At the end of Octoberanother tour took placein Menorca, for moun-tain bikes and, despite abad weather forecast the620 participants enjoyedreasonable conditions.The first stage was a 59-km. ride from Ciutadellaup to the north coastthen on to Ferreries be-fore returning to Ciu-tadella along the southcoast.The following day theroute, also 59 kilometreslong, started in Es Mer-cadal with an ascent ofMonte Toro, then wentthrough Alaior, along thesouth coast, up to Fer-reries and back to thestarting point.The final day had thelongest stage - 70 kilo-metres from Es Castelland along the northcoast to finish in Portd’Addaia.Again, this tour is not arace, taking part beingthe important thing.

Father and son fined forcruelty to animalsA father and son in Maówere fined 600 euroseach on charges of cru-elty to animals after theMaó Animal ProtectionSociety reported themfor beating a dog andthrowing a cat down a

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mediteRRanean gaRden society

cries and took it to the National Police who then took it to theAnimal Refuge in Maó. The cat needed surgery and was sent toGermany via a German association,Tierhilfe Menorca, whosevets then operated free of charge. The cat is now well and await-ing adoption. The father received the same fine as his son, 600euros for cruelty to animals, and was ordered to pay the costs ofthe proceedings.

Firemen raise money for HaitiThe island’s firemen held a “Fiesta de la Emergencia” in theexhibition centre in Es Mercadal at the beginning of October toraise funds for the construction of a school in Puerto Principe inHaiti which is already under construction. At the height of theday, over 1,000 people attended the event which included fire-fighting demonstrations, the opportunity for children to examinethe equipment, musical entertainment, a paella and various raf-fles. In total 3,500 euros were raised for the school which will benamed the “Island of Menorca”.

Flu vaccinations startThe 2011-2012 flu campaign started in mid October and willrun until the end of November, during which those groups atrisk, including the over-65’s, patients with chronic illnesses,pregnant women and those working in essential services, can bevaccinated if they so wish. Some 10,000 doses of the vaccine

flight of stairs.The first incident hap-pened in January thisyear when a neighbourwitnessed the youngman throw his PitbullTerrier on to the bal-cony, cover its head witha jacket and start kick-ing and punching theanimal. The AnimalPorotection Society wasinformed and reportedthe incident but, unfor-tunately, despite tryingto speed up the paper-work so that the animalcould be taken from itsowner, the dog died.In mid March the fatherthrew a cat which livedwith him down a flight ofstairs in the block, caus-ing fractures. A neigh-bour heard the cat’s

have been earmarked forMenorca, with the possi-bility of a further 20%should the need arise.Anyone falling into oneof the above categoriesand wishing to have thevaccination should con-tact their local medicalcentre.

A wet autumn predictedThe Balearic Meteoro-logical Centre has pre-dicted that this autumnwill be wetter thanusual, despite the goodstart to the season.

Following the A.G.M. of theMediterranean Garden Societyin Mallorca, some of the 150members attending decided tocome over to Menorca for theweekend before going on toAlicante for 4 days and thenreturning home. This made thetrip all the more worthwhile forthose who had come from asfar afield as Cyprus (John andCharithea Joynes fromKolossi) or even further, suchas Donald and Margaret Beardwho were two of the five Aus-tralians who had travelled for27 hours from Adelaide viaMelbourne, Hong Kong,Zurich and Barcelona to arrivein Palma.Founded in Greece in 1994,the MGS is a non-profit mak-ing international associationthat “acts as a forum for every-one who has a special interestin the plants and gardens ofmediterranean climate re-gions”. The society publishes

a quarterly journal and has anextensive web site. TheA.G.M.’s are held in a differ-ent country each year, nextyear the venue is Adelaide,but every third year it is heldin Greece.In Menorca, Lorraine Ure, whohas been a member for about

eight years, and MarleneMaguire arrange events suchas visits to people’s gardens,talks and get-togethers for the25 local members.Sally Beale from S’Arraco nearAndratx has been branch headin Mallorca for two years, or-ganising visits, lectures, seed

exchanges, etc. for the 150members there. She advocates“water-wise gardens” for theMediterranean, with plantsthat can withstand extremes ofclimate, from too much rain totoo little, and also the heat.

Lorraine Ure and Marlene Maguire who organise events for the society in Menorca

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places of inteRestMAÓLa Mola FortressWell preserved 18th century fortress at the mouth of Maó harbour. Open daily from 1000-1400 hrs. (closed Mondays if not a pu-blic holiday). Audio tours in English. Tel. 971 364 040 / 686 659 400; www.fortalesalamola.comIsla del Rey HospitalFormer naval hospital built by the British in the eighteenth century currently under restoration but well worth a visit, withrooms laid out with equipment from the period. Boats leave for the islet from Moll d’Hospital near the end of Calle Fontanillas,Es Castell, on Sundays at 0900 hrs. returning about 1100 hrs.LazaretoVisits stopped for the winter.S’Albufera des Grau Nature ReserveBeautiful scenery and abundant wildlife, on the road to Es Grau. Guided tours of approx. 2 ½ hrs. Saturday mornings for groupsof more than 6, by prior booking. Tel. 971 356 302 / 609 601 249.Trepucó Talayotic VillageCamí de Gràcia, Trepucó. Open Tuesday to Friday 0900-1430 hrs., weekends 0900-1500 hrs. Information office closed Mon-days. Entrance 1.80€, free on Sunday.Menorca MuseumOpen Tuesday to Saturday 1000-1400 hrs. and 1800-2030 hrs., Sundays 1000-1400 hrs.Hernández Sanz-Hernández Mora MuseumClaustre del Carme 5. Open Monday to Saturday 1000-1300 hrs. and Monday to Friday 1800-2100 hrs. Entrance free.Parc Rubió i TuduríLarge collection of indigenous plants. Open Monday to Saturday 1000-1300 hrs. and 1700-2000 hrs.The Golden Farm, Sant AntoniVisits stopped for the winter. Further information from Sheila Lyons (Assoc. Menorca Britannia) on 971 366 206.CIUTADELLACathedral of MenorcaOpen for visits Monday to Saturday 1000-1330 hrs. and 1600-1800 hrs.S’Hostal Quarries – LíthicaCamí Vell, km. 1. Spectacular former quarry with botanical and mediaevalgardens. Open Monday to Sunday 0930-1430 hrs. Entrance: adults 4€,over 65’s 2€, groups of 12 or more 2.50€, children free.Bastió de sa Font Municipal MuseumPermanent archaeological exhibition. Open mornings only 1100-1300 hrs.Naveta des TudonsPre-Talayotic burial chamber. Maó-Ciutadella road km. 40. Open Tuesdayto Sunday 0900-1430 hrs. Entrance 2€, Sundays free.ES CASTELLFort MarlboroughClosed until Easter for maintenance work.Sant Felip CastleOpen Saturdays in November. Groups (minimum 20 people) can book visits via tel. 971 360 462.Menorca Military MuseumFurther information from tel. 971 362 100.ES MERCADALMenorca Craft CentreExhibition and sale of Menorcan craftwork. Open Monday to Friday 1000-1400 hrs. and 1700-2000 hrs., Saturday 1000-1330hrs. Entrance free.Cap de Cavalleria EcomuseumSta. Teresa estate-Port de Sanitja. Information from 971 359 999; www.ecomuseudecavalleria.comALAIORTorre d’en GalmésTalayotic village with information office. Son Bou road. Open Tuesday to Saturday 0900-1430 hrs., Sunday 0900-1500 hrs., En-trance 3€, Sundays free.

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Tuesday, 1st November - PUBLIC HOLIDAY1000-1200 hrs. Red Cross Craft Group meets at ScndalsRestaurant, Es Castell. Everyone welcome. Contact AnneMaddison on 971 151909 for further details.1900 hrs. Concert bythe Menorca Cham-ber Orchestra, con-ducted by violinistAndrew Watkinson,with Andrea Casarru-bios, cello, and IñesPicado, viola. Per-forming works byMozart, Britten,Haydn, de Falla, Bloch and Arensky. Teatre Principal, Maó.Wednesday, 2nd November1230 hrs. Ladies’ Luncheon Club lunch at El PicaderoRestaurant with guest speaker Anya on Beauty Therapy. Book-ings through Maggie Saunderson on 971 359 872 or ShirleySmith on 971 351 706.1300 for 1330 hrs. Men’s Probus Club lunch meeting at BarEspaña, Es Castell. Members and male guests welcome. Book-ings through David Woods on foxwoods@infotelecom.es.1930 hrs. The Menorca Bridge Club meets at the Hotel PortMahón, Maó. Visitors welcome, preferably with partners.Thursday, 3rd November1230 hrs. Age Concern Fish & Chip lunch at Bar Pons, Calaen Porter. Bookings through Pat Harding on 971 377 261.2000-2100 hrs. Tess Facey presents the “Menorca BritanniaRadio Show” with guest Lorraine Ure (Mediterranean GardenSociety) on Radio Es Castell (103.40 FM).Friday, 4th November1100-1300 hrs. Open morning for Cats in Need at Noria Riera16 (between Es Castell and Sant Lluís). Sale of Christmascards, greetings cards, diaries, calendars, gifts and bone chinamugs in aid of the island’s stray cats. Contact Janice Bocklingon 610 012 628 for further details.1930 hrs. Rotary Club’s Grand Bonfire Night at El PicaderoRestaurant, Maó. Fire to be lit at 2000 hrs., with firework dis-play later. Tickets at 10 euros for adults and 5 euros for chil-dren include a hamburger or hot dog and hot soup and areavailable from Bonnin Sanso’s office or El Picadero.Sunday, 6th November0900-1200 hrs. Charity car boot sale at El Picadero Restau-rant, Maó. Pitch fees of 5€ go to Club Vidalba. Bookingsthrough 971 363 268.1000-1330 hrs. Open morning for Cats in Need at Noria Riera16 (see Friday, 4th for details).1100 hrs. Trotting races at the Maó hipódromo.Tuesday, 8th November1000-1200 hrs. Red Cross Craft Group meets at ScndalsRestaurant, Es Castell. Everyone welcome. Contact AnneMaddison on 971 151909 for further details.Thursday, 10th November

events to look out foR ...

1300 for 1330 hrs. Ladies’ Probus Club lunch meeting at ElPicadero Restaurant with guest speaker Bryce Lyons onMenorca. Bookings through Jan Hodgson on 600 692 151.2000-2100 hrs. Tess Facey presents the “Menorca BritanniaRadio Show” with guest David Smith (gardening by phases ofthe moon) on Radio Es Castell (103.40 FM).Friday, 11th November1100-1300 hrs. Open morning for Cats in Need at Noria Riera16 (see Friday, 4th for details).Saturday, 12th November2100 hrs. Concert by Guiem Soldevila in the Sant Diego Cul-tural Centre, Alaior.Sunday, 13th November0900-1200 hrs. Charity car boot sale at El Picadero Restau-rant, Maó. Pitch fees of 5€ go to Club Vidalba. Bookingsthrough 971 363 268.1000-1330 hrs. Open morning for Cats in Need at Noria Riera16 (see Friday, 4th for details).1100 hrs. Trotting races at the Maó hipódromo.2000 hrs. Zarzuela (light opera and operetta) performed by theCor Illa de Menorca a capella or accompanied by the orches-tra. Teatre Principal, Maó.Tuesday, 15th November1000-1200 hrs. Red Cross Craft Group meets at ScandalsRestaurant, Es Castell. Everyone welcome. Contact AnneMaddison on 971 151909 for further details.Wednesday, 16th November1230 hrs. Age Concern lunch at El Picadero Restaurant.Bookings through Betty Wilkinson on 971 377 427.Thursday, 17th November2000-2100 hrs. Tess Facey presents the “Menorca BritanniaRadio Show” with guest Gillie Were (Red Cross) on Radio EsCastell (103.40 FM).Friday, 18th November1100-1300 hrs. Open morning for Cats in Need at Noria Riera16 (see Friday, 4th for de-tails).2030 hrs. Guitar concertby Esteban Espinoza in SaNostra’s Social Centre,Ciutadella. Entrance free.Saturday, 19th November2030 hrs. Concert ofMenorcan music by theTrio Arrels de Menorca inFornells.Sunday, 20th November0900-1200 hrs. Charity carboot sale at El PicaderoRestaurant, Maó. Pitchfees of 5€ go to Club Vidalba. Bookings through 971 363 268.1000-1330 hrs. Open morning for Cats in Need at Noria Riera16 (see Friday, 4th for details).1100 hrs. Trotting races at the Maó hipódromo.

27focus on menorca

1900 hrs. Concert of Menorcan music by the group Xalandriin Cas Jubilats, Ferreries.Tuesday, 22nd November1000-1200 hrs. Red Cross Craft Group meets at ScndalsRestaurant, Es Castell. Everyone welcome. Contact AnneMaddison on 971 151909 for further details.Thursday, 24th November2000-2100 hrs. Tess Facey presents the “Menorca BritanniaRadio Show” with guest Christine Watterson from the “Focuson Menorca” magazine on Radio Es Castell (103.40 FM).Friday, 25th November1100-1300 hrs. Open morning for Cats in Need at Noria Riera16 (see Friday, 4th for details).Sunday, 27th November0900-1200 hrs. Charity car boot sale at El Picadero Restau-rant, Maó. Pitch fees of 5€ go to Club Vidalba. Bookingsthrough 971 363 268.1000-1330 hrs. Open morning for Cats in Need at Noria Riera16 (see Friday, 4th for details).1000-1330 hrs. Charity Christmas Fair at Bar Pons, Cala enPorter.1100 hrs. Trotting races at the Maó hipódromo.Tuesday, 29th November1000-1200 hrs. Red Cross Craft Group meets at ScndalsRestaurant, Es Castell. Everyone welcome. Contact AnneMaddison on 971 151909 for further details.

* * * * *ExhibitionsEnric Severa andNatàlia Centelles“Sabates Nàufragues”(Shipwrecked Shoes).Photographic exhibi-tion of shoes found inthe countryside. SaNostra’s Cultural Hall,Ciutadella. Until 26thNovember.“The Image ofMenorca: Changes inthe Scenery during the20th Century”. AtSant Diego Cultural Centre, Alaior, 1900-2100 hrs. until 6thNovember.

* * * * *Forthcoming eventsAge Concern will be holding their Christmas lunches at BarPons, Cala en Porter on 1st December and El PicaderoRestaurant on 15th December.

28 focus on menorca

leisuRe coRneR

Moderate Sudoku

Down1 Contradict (8)2 Crush (6)3 Planet (7)4 Catkin-bearing tree (5)5 Aristocracy (6)6 Sage (4)13 Raw (8)14 Cod-like fish (7)16 Being (6)18 Existing in fact (6)19 Table (5)21 Leg joint (4)

Across7 Shellfish soup (6)8 Broad road (6)9 Epic (4)10 Horse coat colour (8)11 Fruit plantation (7)12 Sweet liquid (5)15 Take delight (5)17 Poise (7)20 Designed (8)22 Jog (4)23 More acceptable (6)24 Wooden villa (6)

CodewordEach letter of the alphabet has been replaced by a dif-ferent number. All you have to do is work out whichnumber represents which letter. You have been giventwo as a start, H=6 and N=15, so these can be filled inwherever they appear in the grid to help you work outthe others.

Tough Sudoku

9 89 6

2 1 3 43

91 6 5

8 3 7 5 12 3

4 1 2

1 2 3 4 5 6

7 8

9 10

11 12 13

14

15 16 17 18

19

20 21 22

23 24

10 26 23 7 26 18

20 3 8 5 15 9 18 5 13 11 19 18

19 8 14 18 12 2

9 16 15 9 21 5 21 4 9 8 5 21

12 24 26 22 15

6 9 2 5 4 4 5 24 13 8 5 4

4 25 4 8

1 5 5 2 26 19 17 7 24 4 5 5

9 4 23 19 15

6 19 11 11 5 15 5 14 24 9 21 5

1 11 13 19 6 23

25 19 4 5 1 19 7 21 5 23 3 18

17 4 18 21 21 18

1 2 3 4 5 6H

7 8 9 10 11 12 13

14 15N

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

94 6 1

1 7 5 2 34 19 5 6

7 5 22 6 7

1 47

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DIVISION A DIVISION B

November 8th November 8thAloha B v Aloha A Castillo B v SeagramsQueimada v Teapot Aloha C v Cuadrado AAnchor v San Mames Cuadrado B v Corner BarCultura v Casino Village v Castillo A

November 15th November 15thAloha Av Teapot Cuadrado A v Castillo BAloha B v Queimada Seagrams v Cuadrado BCasino v Anchor Castillo A v Corner BarSan Mames v Cultura Aloha C v Village

November 22nd November 22ndAloha Av San Mames Castillo B v Cuadrado BQueimada v Casino Cuadrado A v SeagramsCultura v Aloha B Village v Corner BarAnchor v Teapot Aloha Cv Castillo A

November 29th November 29thCasino v Aloha A Castillo B v VillageSan Mames v Queimada Seagrams v Castillo AAnchor v Cultura Cuadrado A v Cuadrado BTeapot v Aloha B Corner Bar v Aloha C

menoRca winteR daRts leagueA sure sign that autumn is upon us is the reap-pearance of dart boards in the island’s bars to-gether with the arrival of the fixture list for matchesthis season.Following some very last minute entries, the Win-ter Darts League has sixteen teams this year - eightin each of the divisions.Two new bars have teams - Bar Cuadrado situatedon calle José Mª Quadrado in Maó (the road lead-ing to the Plaça Esplanada from the Ciutadellaroad) which has two teams and the Teapot in EsCastell. The first two teams are in Division B andthe Teapot in Divison A.The team playing at Bar Windsor last year hasmoved to the Centro de Cultura in Es Castell;Skippy’s will be playing from A Queimada; andtwo of the teams from 007 have moved to the AlohaBar which now has three teams.For the umpteenth year, Cathy Banks is once againrunning the League and can be contacted on 971351 383 or 686 307 561 or by email on cather-inebanks@terra.es.The Captains’ Cup will be played on 28th Febru-ary and the Ladies’ Singles Competition the fol-lowing week, 7th March. Further details will bepublished nearer the time.

USEFUL TELEPHONE NUMBERS

Emergencies:112 All emergency services,

English spoken061 Medical emergencies091 Policía Nacional / National Police062 Guardia Civil / Civil Guard900 202 202 Salvamento Marítimo (Sea Rescue)

Maó:Airport 971 157 000Air taxi / ambulance 669 357 288Ambulance – Illes Balears 971 352 002Ambulance – Red Cross 971 361 180Clínica Salus 971 366 663Fire Brigade 971 363 961

971 351 011GESA (Elec) – breakdowns 902 534 902Guardia Civil 971 363 297Hospital Mateu Orfila 971 487 000Med. Centre Dalt Sant Joan 971 353 255Policía Local 092Policlínica Virgen de Gràcia 971 351 115

Es Migjorn Gran:Med. Centre 971 370 221Policía Local 971 370 505Town Hall 971 370 111

Ferreries:Med. Centre 971 373 670Policía Local 971 155 177

606 372 355Red Cross / Cruz Roja 971 373 139Town Hall 971 373 003

Sant Lluís:Med. Centre 971 156 792Policía Local 971 151 717Red Cross / Cruz Roja 971 151 001Town Hall 971 150 950

British Honorary Consulate: 902 109 356

Anglican Chaplain: 971 352 378 617 222 382

New Life Church:Hazel 608 030 671

Alcoholics Anonymous: 647 713 950Nick 971 156 972 / 630 006 647

Repsol (Gas) – breakdowns 901 121 212Sorea (Water) – breakdowns 902 250 370Tourist Information Office 971 363 79Town Hall 971 369 800

Ciutadella:Ambulance – Clinic Balear 971 482 020Ambulance – Red Cross 971 381 993Canal Salat Med. Centre 971 480 112Clínica Menorca 971 480 505Clinic Balear 971 482 020Policía Local 971 380 787Town Hall 971 381 050

Alaior:Med. Centre - Es Banyer 971 372 931Policía Local 971 371 320Red Cross / Cruz Roja 971 371 238Town Hall 971 371 002

Es Castell:Med. Centre 971 356 411Policía Local 971 362 747Town Hall 971 365 193

Es Mercadal:Med. Centre 971 154 187Med. Centre Fornells 971 376 420Policía Local 971 375 251Red Cross / Cruz Roja 971 154 198Town Hall 971 375 002

30 focus on menorca

Moderate Sudoku

CodewordQuick crossword

leisuRe coRneRsolutions

Tough Sudoku

SPONSOR LEISURE CORNERWe are looking for a sponsor for Leisure Corner. If you are interested, please contact us, either by email at edi-tor@focusonmenorca.com or ads@focusonmenorca.com, or by telephone on 699 065 493.

2 6 5 8 3 7 4 9 14 3 9 6 2 1 8 7 58 1 7 9 4 5 2 3 65 4 1 2 9 3 6 8 77 9 2 5 8 6 1 4 36 8 3 7 1 4 5 2 93 2 6 4 5 9 7 1 89 5 8 1 7 2 3 6 41 7 4 3 6 8 9 5 2

6 9 7 8 3 4 2 5 14 3 1 9 5 2 7 8 68 5 2 1 6 7 3 4 95 6 8 3 7 9 4 1 23 2 4 5 1 8 6 9 71 7 9 2 4 6 8 3 59 8 3 7 2 5 1 6 42 1 6 4 9 3 5 7 87 4 5 6 8 1 9 2 3

D S M H G GB I S Q U E A V E N U E

S U R Z N RS A G A C H E S T N U T

G S U L RO R C H A R D S Y R U P

E Y H NR E V E L B A L A N C E

N C D C OS K E T C H E D T R O T

N I A O U KB E T T E R C H A L E T

E Y T K L D

Q D F S D LJ U V E N I L E O P A L

A V X L M KI G N I T E T R I V E T

M C D Z NH I K E R R E C O V E R

R B R VW E E K D A Y S C R E E

I R F A NH A P P E N E X C I T E

W P O A H FB A R E W A S T E F U L

Y R L T T L

31focus on menorca

items foR sale atundeR 100 euRos

Playmobil Mansion House for sale. 5 years old. In very goodcondition, complete with furniture. Would make a great Chris-tmas present. 90 euros ono.Tel: 971 352 909 or 607 916 043 afternoons.Sky Digibox, Thomson DS1421, in perfect condition. Price 75euros.Tel: 670 310 722.Anthony Worrall-Thompson Electronic Grill by Breville, inperfect condition. Price 25 euros.Tel: 670 310 722.Dunelm single 100% cotton Honeycomb blankets: 4 cream 6euros each or 20 euros for all 4; 2 dark beige and 2 blue 6euros each, brand new - still in packaging. Tel: 654 633 176.Dunelm double 100% cotton Honeycomb blankets: 2 lightpurple, brand new. 9 euros each or 15 euros for the 2. Tel: 654633 176.100% cotton throw: 220 x 240 cms. mint green. 5 euros. Tel:654 633 176.Franklin 12 language speaking global translator (as new).Model number TGA495. RRP 199.99 pounds sterling accept60.00 euros. Call Steve 971 151 960.Sony 21” flat screen, big back TV with Spanish terrestrial di-gibox, multi-region DVD, card and USB reader for photos. 75euros. Contact Steve or Sheila or phone 619 309 561.

Car Boot Sale SectionAdvertise items to be sold or wanted for 100 euros orless (excluding catering or services) FREE of charge.Contact us at ads@focusonmenorca.com with your

name, address and telephone number, together with the text for the advert, or leave the in-formation at Ca’n Dulce (the Chocolate Shop) in

Sant Climent for onward transmission.