Ibiza's Tapas in Tents

I'm Bloggin' in relax mode post intense in tents tapa consumption this afternoon.

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Not only was it tapas and pintxos at low, low prices, but they were giving away lashings of gluggable wine AND there was some kind of multicultural fiesta going on concurrently, with Mrs. Doyle (Father Ted reference alert) sized mounds of FREE food from obscure corners of the world.

Anyway, I waded in regardless and came away with

Carpaccio of pork with apple sauce and dijon mustard

Carpaccio of salmon with capers and gurkins

Pigs trotters in sauce

Chorizo, grilled red pepper and cheese

Tortilla

Breaded mushrooms stuffed with roquefort

Carpaccio of octopus

Tortilla

more salmon

and a ride home in Jaki's taxi.

As Jaki said, 'Tapas are a great way of eating - informal, fun, relaxed, and a superb way to sample food you may be unsure of.'

We'll be sampling more of the fayre from the Zebra in San Antonio based on what we had in the tent!

Blow Winds, and Crack your Cheeks!

The whole island of Ibiza was hit by high winds on Friday and Saturday. Most affected was San Antonio where around 30 boats were wrenched from their moorings and dumped unceremoniously on Arenal beach.
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Heat Seeking Felines

Our five felines, all natives of Ibiza, are to say the least, a bit 'girlie' when it comes to the cold. No matter where they are, as soon as our fire gets lit, they all appear as if by magic. (A bit like the old woman when we put the kettle on for a brew.)

However, occasionally they find an alternative source of heat. Here's me suffering from raging 'flu and running sweltering temperatures - or as Thora Hird would say, 'a bit of a sniffly cold.'

L to R Mouse, Flossie, Spook, Me

Talking of Thora Hird, many years ago, soon after we'd moved into a big drafty Edwardian Terrace on the Stretford/Chorlton Border (StreChoBo) we were approached by our film/TV director neighbour Alan Murgatroyd.

Could he make a film in our front room? He sure could! The production starred Thora telling old biddies everywhere how to insulate their rooms against the cold in a before and after scenario.

Our front room was the 'before.' With gaping cracks in the floorboards, no carpets, and a gap under the door big enough for a limbo dancer our house was the ideal example of how not to live!

Interestingly, the 'after' shots of a cosy, warm room were filmed next door but one, in the identically shaped front room of Mrs. Clark. She'd live alone there since 1958, when her sports reporter husband had been killed in the Munich air disater which took the lives of many Manchester United players!

Ibiza Sicily Mafia Connection

After the shock revelation that there are clowns in Ibiza comes an astonishing expose of Mafia activities on the island. A German film company are here making a film about the Mafia. Wisely, they've chosen not to make the film in Mafia HQ island, Sicily, but here in Ibiza.

With the deft addition of a few 'Lambrusco' bottles the set designers have managed to create an exact - though a little windswept - replica of Italy's football island.

Mafia Mobster?

Ibizan Graffiti III

Number 3 in a series of decorated walls in Ibiza.

One I've been meaning to snap for a long time...........

the Clown School wall in San Jose. No, I'm not joking, we really do have one!

Blessed are Ibiza's Small Furry Things

If it's January 17th then it must be San Antonio day in Ibiza and the traditional blessing of the animals by the Bishop of Ibiza. Not only is it a day off work for everyone (apart from the Bishop) but it's a day when age old emnities are put aside for the afternoon.

That would be an ecumenical matter

Dogs and cats frolic together, rabbits and ferrets share cages, antelopes and crocodiles sit side by side, and left wing PSOE politicians rub shoulders with the right wingers of the PP!

Blessed is Marli

Marli went along for a good sprinkling of holy water and I noticed that every animal gets the same amount no matter what size - elephant or mouse!

Freeze - or the mouse gets it

Rakin'n'pillagin'

In an effort to see some daylight in the garden I've spent the day plundering plants, hacking, chopping, pruning and sawing amidst cruel barbs and spikes ie the Bougainvillea and lemon tree!

Isn't it funny that no matter what country you're in, when you're doing a bit, be it cleaning the car, power hosing your drive, or pillaging your garden greenery, when one of your neighbours comes past they always say,

"Hey, come round ours after you've finished, we could do with our car cleaned (or whatever)"

I didn't have to wait long this morning before neighbour #1 said this. I greeted neighbour #2 with a cheery "You've gorrup then?" and he suggested I wear gloves. A suit of armour would've been better as I've had more pricks in my hands today than Elton John!

I've a long way to go yet but we can now see the garden wall and our lemon tree now lets in air and displays its bumper crop.

Ibiza: Short Breaks

I'm taking my BoHo Chick for a short break to Palma. With the Euro exchange rate at 1:1 with the Euro (it never seems to change) I ripped the M-in-L's arm off when she offered to animal sit for us if we wanted to go somewhere...........

So 5 minutes later we had our flights booked and reservations for a couple of nights in a haven for the elegantly-dressed-down, Puro, in downtown Palma de Mallorca.

So, if you're round R way in about a fortnight you'll see a sign on R gate saying

"Gone shoppin'"

Can Blue Men Sing the Whites?

The age old question. Here's Nolan Porter singing a classic dance track from 1972 - Keep on Keepin' On - over a video from 1935!





Listen to that rhythm section motoring along! I was gobsmacked to discover that it comprised; Bass - Roy Estrada, Drums - Jimmy Carl Black, Keyboards - Bill Payne, who all played with 70's Rock Bands, Captain Beefheart, The Mothers of Invention and Little Feat!

Whatever next, Glenn Miller playing jazz?

And now my favourite Peter Kay joke ever.

Tonight Matthew, I'm going to be Glenn Miller.
And he walked through the doors into the fog and never came back!

Ibiza: Love on a Mountain Top

What do you get when two wind funnels meet on an Ibiza mountain?

A whirlwind romance!

Photo taken last night from our roof.

Link to 1968's Love on a Mountain Top by Robert Knight (Ian Levine remix)

Ibiza: High Street Homogeneity

Back in 2001 I wrote a satirical little paragraph for my Ibiza Sun Newspaper column. Here it is

" Turn right at the Airtel shop, left again at the Airtel shop (the other one) and straight on until Amena. Turn right here and continue to the Movistar shop and then bear left. Finally make another right at Airtel (the other other one) and when you see Telefonica go right because it's one way there."

They're all mobile phone shops, but equally could have been opticians, shoe shops, kids clothes shops or ladies' underwear emporiums which seem to take turns Starbucks style even in Ibiza.

However, lurking above our faceless ground level facades are some breathtakingly beautiful structures. Here's a few shots from Ibiza Town's main square the Vara de Rey taken yesterday.

Something for the Ibiza Weekend?

Remember the comic book days when shopkeepers' names were quite relevant to their shops? You know, like Mr. Bunn the Baker and so on.......

Here's my favourite barber shop in Ibiza

Mr. Bald the Barber!

(Calvo = Bald)

The Holy Hermit of Cala Bassa

If it weren't for a bright orange gas bottle adorning the door to his cave in the cliffs at Cala Bassa you'd never know that the Holy Hermit lived there - unless you came upon his sacred shrines in the woods nearby that is!

I've only ever seen the guy once - he was popping out of his cave as our dog Lucy was popping in (and we don't know who was the more surprised) - and as is the fashion with hermits he was sporting a long grey beard.

Any road, Marli and I had a stroll through his woods the other day and took some photos of the 'shrines' which we think may represent the Stations of the Cross?????

There you are, there really is something for everyone in Ibiza

A Jazz Thing

Quite by accident I discovered that Ken Burns' opus on the history of Jazz is now on the Sky Arts channel. It'll be surprising viewing for any Ibiza regulars who are under the impression that going out dancing all night and taking illegal substances was invented here!

Rebranded as Jazz: The Gift (because black music could be regarded as America's greatest cultural gift to the world) it's a 12 part series with each programme lasting an hour and having no advert breaks. A fascinating look back on nigh on a century of musical history, my only gripe is that 9 programmes cover the first 30 years and the rest are glossed over in a mere 3 episodes.

Here's a musical journey through the history of Jazz with Gang Starr

The Three Kings Visit San Jose

Despite a crippling cold and gammy knees I forced myself out for the visit of the Three Kings last night in the village. Advertised as an 8PM start I set off early at about 10 past to stake out my sweet zone - I needed plenty of room to gather up the tons of toffees chucked out by their Royal Highnesses during the procession as two knees that only bend in one plane aren't much use against agile little kids who are already much lower to the ground. Fortunately my elbows are both still in perfect working order.

I find this photo really amusing because that page behind the king obviously has mischief in his mind - possibly because of his resemblance to John Cleese in the stoning scene in Life of Brian. Here are some more photos in my news article

San Jose Stars in Their Eyes

Tonight Matthew,

I'm going to be......................

Van Morrison!

(though, I do notice that my neighbour, Palau (left) is doing a passable Groucho Marx)

New Year's Day in San Hosay

Happy New Year Everyone!

In the early hours of this very morning I caught the Good Ol' Blues Mafia Brothers Big Band on their world tour of Ibiza tents. They entertained us with BOTH kinds (kind=genre) of music, Rhythm AND Blues and here's their version of 'Treat Her Right'