Nothing beats coming home #Mallorca

At last a weekend without a celebration. The last 3 Weekends have taken in Christmas, New Year and Reyes so it’s time to get back to a little normality.
Just in case you need reminding;
32 sleeps to Valentines Day.
71 sleeps until British Summertime and the clocks go forward.
76 sleeps to Easter.
126 sleeps to the Royal Wedding.
152 sleeps to the World Cup starts.
We’ve returned from our holidays and whilst I love a holiday getting back home is always a bonus. Last week I told you I decided to release this column as a blog and I’m delighted by the first weeks reaction. SomethingforyourMallorcaweekend.com is the name of the website and it’s been viewed over 200 times by people in Spain, UK, Ireland, Germany, Poland, Andorra, USA and Australia. The idea for the blog came from the fact that a lot of people knew I wrote a column and wanted to see it more often. I always want to bring a lighthearted sometimes serious view of the island, my life and anything else going on in the World. But with more focus on Mallorca and all it’s offerings. Being on holiday one of the first questions you get asked is where you are from? Most people assume the answer will be England but are intrigued when you say Mallorca. I’ve lost count of the people that say how lucky you are(which is true) and why come to Mauritius when you’re always in the sunshine? I try to explain that during the summer I’m too busy to enjoy the sunshine and beaches although I do try every Sunday on my day off. The winter the temperatures do drop so we need to go further afield to enjoy the same. Mallorca winter time does open its doors to other activities such as cycling. Three different guys I chatted with say Mallorca is one of their go to places when cycling and with Team Sky holding their winter training camp here every year then there is no better.
Keeping it Mallorca, I told you on holiday I was reading the new Richard Branson book “Finding My Virginity”. I remember years ago there was talk that when he sold La Residencia Hotel in Deia he was abandoning Mallorca. Well in the book he said it was in fact a necessity to save the whole Virgin business due to the global market slowdown. He mentions in his book how much he loves Mallorca and he has since bought back Son Bunyola, a spectacular mountain estate in Banyalbufar, 13 years after a planning row pushed him to sell up. When his initial proposals were blocked, in 2003, he spoke of his sorrow at leaving the island.
“It was a very sad decision,” he told a local newspaper at the time. “I had great plans for Son Bunyola and I was ready to invest a sizeable sum of money in the project.
“However, the area’s mayor lacked the necessary foresight and the project was shelved. It was a great shame.”
Sir Richard rebought the estate through an arm of his Virgin empire called Virgin Limited Edition, which is used to buy property around the world. He writes on the website “Welcome to Son Bunyola, my favourite Mallorcan retreat! From here you can appreciate the stunning beauty of the Mediterranean from the tranquillity of your own private villa. I hope you enjoy your stay as much as I always do.”
Blue Peter has been named the greatest children’s programme of all time, according to industry bible the Radio Times.
The long-running kids show, which started in 1958, topped the list compiled by a panel of TV experts including Noel Edmonds, David Walliams and the Chuckle Brothers.
Blue Peter, which notched eight million viewers an episode at its peak and received 1,000 letters a day from viewers, it beat the likes of Grange Hill, Newsround and Tiswas to top the list.

1. Blue Peter, 1958-present, BBC
2. Grange Hill, 1978-2008, BBC
3. Newsround, 1972-present, BBC
4. Tiswas, 1974-1982, ITV
5. Multi-Coloured Swap Shop, 1976-1982, BBC
6. Vision On, 1964-1976, BBC
7. Live & Kicking, 1993-2001, BBC
8. Going Live! 1987-1993, BBC
9. Play School, 1964-1988, BBC
10. Crackerjack, 1955-1984, BBC
11. Play Away, 1971-1984, BBC
12. Pingu, 1986-2006, BBC
13. Rentaghost, 1976-1984, BBC
14. SM:TV, 1998-2003, back this year, ITV
15. Animal Magic, 1962-1983, BBC
16. Byker Grove, 1989-2006, BBC
17. Jackanory, 1965-1996, BBC
18. The Box Of Delights, 1984, BBC
19. How, 1966-1981, ITV
20. The Borrowers, 1992, BBC

Lots of memories in that list. My favourite growing up would probably have to be The Multi-Coloured Swap Shop with Noel Edmonds every Saturday morning. It was sad to hear of the passing of Keith Chegwin over the holiday period. “Where are you Keith?” Were the lines Noel used to shout every Saturday. He’d be somewhere in the U.K. and kids from that area would go down and swap their unwanted toys for different ones. A bit like a modern day EBay!

Keeping it Old Skool, remember Captain Birdseye? Yes the bloke who when he wasn’t
busy over Christmas being Santa Claus who used to say “Only the best for the Captain’s table”. Captain Birdseye was an iconic character, first hitting our TV screens advertising frozen seafood products back in 1967.
Fast forward 51 years and there’s a new captain in town, Riccardo Acerbi, 56, has been picked to be the new Captain BirdsEye. The once aging, seafaring hero will return a rugged, Italian-born silver fox. I suppose now that fresh fish is more readily available the frozen kind isn’t so popular. So they’re obviously trying to catch the eye of the ladies when out food shopping.
Real Mallorca have suddenly become the draw specialists after a disappointing 0-0 against Peralada Girona. In fact it would have been their first loss if one of the Peralada players hadn’t missed an open goal in the last few minutes. A 14 point lead at the top earlier in the season is now just 5 from second placed Villarreal B. I said last week they need someone to put the ball into the net on a regular basis. This weekend they’re away in Ibiza playing Peña Deportivo and next week the much anticipated local derby against Atlético Baleares. More on that next week.
And finally today a football/holiday story that made me smile. My boys were playing water polo in the pool in Mauritius with another English boy they’d made friends with when all of a sudden 3 French boys picked up the goal and said they were off to play football with it! An argument ensued with the French boys saying they can have it back if they play them at football and the winner keeps the goal. After thrashing the French boys 5-2 the 3 English boys returned triumphantly with said goal aloft!
Enjoy your Weekend.
I present the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show with Ayesha Monday to Friday 07.30-11.00am on 93.8fm in Mallorca, online at http://www.radioonemallorca.com and on mobile through their free App for IPhone, Android, The Tunein Radio App and now on the Spanish TDT TV service. If you can’t hear me on the radio then you’ll find me working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again i make an understudy appearance!
Feel free to email me at rprior@globobalear.com