Lots of good feedback from last weeks blog especially about Rafa Nadal being an Ambassador for the Island, always good to hear your thoughts.

Last Friday night Real Mallorca played Athletico Bilbao in La Liga. We made our usual way to the ground about an hour before Kick-off. On a good day I can leave my house, park and be in my seat within half an hour. Well last Friday wasn’t one of those good days. Somebody in their wisdom had decided that Palma Futsal who play directly next to Mallorca’s stadium should be playing at the time when all the Mallorca and Bilbao fans were arriving for the game. You might ask how many people were actually watching the Futsal game, 2-300? I asked the same question, although I thought more, judging by the traffic and the distinct lack of parking. There were actually 3,000 people there! On top of the 16,591 fans making their way to the Son Moix there was total gridlock. I’ve never seen the car park outside the stadium so full but they were still letting cars in which was nuts and not very helpful. We left the house at 19.45 and sat in our seats at 21.10 missing the first 10 minutes and judging by what I saw we weren’t the only ones. Maybe the powers that be might need to think again if there are any fixture clashes in the future. The game itself only really sprang to life in the last 10 minutes. Mallorca had a couple of golden chances to win with shots from Lago Junior and Salva Sevilla before that but to be honest I was disappointed with Bilbao who at that the time were in second place. Mallorca were awarded a penalty in the 83rd minute with some great trickery from the new boy on loan from Real Madrid, Take. Up stepped local hero Abdon Prats who’d only just come on, only he failed to even hit the target. I said a couple of weeks ago after our loss to Real Sociedad, if you’re not going to win a game don’t lose it. In the 92nd minute Bilbao were awarded a penalty after the referee, who was rubbish all game decided via VAR that a Mallorca player had handled in the area. One of the big problems with VAR both here and in the UK is none of the spectators know what’s going on. All you can see is the Ref with his finger in his ear, holding play up. They need to put the decisions on the big screens so everyone can see. If it’s clear cut it’s fine but I think they’re more scared of the marginal decisions and what atmosphere it could create.

Mallorca are away this weekend at Getafe, a game that they could at least draw. Atlético Baleares got back to winning ways by beating Sanse last weekend 3-2 to move into 4th place. They’re away this weekend at Pontevedra on Sunday.

Keeping on the football theme my eldest Jacob begins his season today playing for San Francisco Cadete’s. It’s been a long pre season and the boys are ready to get going. Last week the team and coaches voted on who should be the team Captains. I say Captains as they have more than one elected just in case the nominated one is on the bench, injured or away. I am really proud to say that Jacob was given the number one captaincy meaning if he’s on the pitch he’s Captain. He’s worked really hard in the summer and in pre-season on his strength and fitness and it’s paying off. Naturally he was overjoyed to tell us the news as we were to hear it.

We think we have problems in the UK with Brexit. Our Spanish friends I hear are weary of voting in what will be their fourth election in 4 years. The last one was April 28th and since then rival parties can’t come to any agreements to form a Government. Good luck at the next one. If you didn’t know, we can’t vote here and I can’t vote in the UK. Bonkers isn’t it. Then again so is most politics.

A lot of people I know use TripAdvisor as a way of substantiating where they are looking to visit. I don’t like it to be honest as you’re never sure whether what they are saying is true. They have produced their own transparency report and of the 66 million reviews submitted in 2018, one million were fake reviews. It makes you wonder how many false ones actually got through?

Enjoy your weekend!

Richie presents the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show Monday to Friday07.30-11.00am on 93.8fm in Mallorca and 102fm in Calvià, online at www.radioonemallorca.comon mobile through their free App for IPhone & Android, The Tunein Radio App, iTunes, the Spanish TDT TV service and all smart speakers. . If you can’t hear him on the radio then you’ll find him working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again he may make an understudy appearance!

Feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.com

For me you won’t find a better Ambassador for our island than Rafa Nadal. Last weekend he won his 19th Grand Slam tennis title by winning the US Open. The 33-year-old has thrived at the highest level on the ATP Tour for 15 seasons, achieving numerous milestones along the way. The one thing he has not lost on his long run at the top is his love for Mallorca. Straight after winning the title last Sunday night, he was on a plane and back to the island. He posted on Instagram “happy to be back home” from his terrace in Porto Cristo. I’ve said it before but why don’t the Government use him to promote the island around the World? They did before but for me the campaign wasn’t right. Hopefully they’ll look again and as the World Travel Market in London is coming up in November maybe now is the time.

Am I missing something or are the stories about the next James Bond being a Woman and the fire service dropping Fireman Sam totally bonkers? Firstly the 007, well the clue is in the name surely? He’s James Bond, not Jane Bond, he’s a fictional character and if you want a female secret agent let’s ask someone to come up with one.

Fireman Sam has been axed as a mascot for a fire brigade over fears he could put women off joining.

Lincolnshire Fire and Rescue Service said the children’s TV character was outdated and did not reflect the message it wanted to achieve.

The decision follows complaints by staff and members of the public. Surely this is PC gone mad?

I asked the listeners on the radio their thoughts and I was more interested in what the women felt and everyone thought it was mad.

102 sleeps until Christmas and I’ve been told that supermarkets are already stocking mince pies and Christmas puddings back in the UK. A story that always does the rounds this time of year is the size of the chocolate tins and the fact they are shrinking. Quality Street, Roses, Celebrations and Heroes will be the go to chocolates again this Christmas. Last year Nestle’sQuality Street were sold in shops in a 698g tub, but this year shoppers will be offered a 650g one. Similarly, this Christmas, Cadbury’sHeroes and Roses tubs will go from 660g to 600g.

The price of these sweets will vary depending on where you buy them, as most supermarkets will have their own offers on during the holiday period.

But no matter the price, you’ll still be getting less chocolate than before.

The owner of a pub in Worcestershirewants to set a bizarreworld record by gathering together the largest ever number of people called Nigel.

The pubowner, who is called, you’ve guessed it, Nigel, wants to celebrate the existence of proud Nigels across the UK at the world’s first ‘Nigel Night’ to be held in his pub, The Fleece in Bretforton.

Fifty-six-year-old Nigel Smith was outraged to discover that there were no children born in the country recently that were given the name Nigel.

In honour of, or perhaps to draw attention to the lack of Nigels in Britain today, he decided that it was time for them all to stand up and be counted.

However, he meant that literally as well as figuratively. He wants them to actually be counted.

So, on 28 September at about 7pm, the world’s first and only ‘Nigel Night’ will commence in his 600-year-old pub and anyone who can prove their name is Nigel will be entitled to a free drink.

Of course, the pub will still be open to people who aren’t called Nigel, but any non-Nigels will have to identify themselves as such by wearing a badge. Spread the word to all the Nigel’s you know.

A creditable 0-0 draw last night for Real Mallorca against second placed Atlético Bilbao. Both teams missed penalties in the last 10 minutes and to be honest the game was ruined by the referee and VAR. I’ll talk more about it next week. 

La Liga will be available to watch on UK television for the next three seasons on Premier Sports, it has been announced.

Spain’s top flight has signed a three-year deal with Premier – who also have Serie A, Eredivisie and Scottish rights – with match coverage available on the Premier Sports 1 & 2 channels from this weekend.

Furthermore, Premier Sports have also agreed to a dedicated new 24/7 La Liga channel, starting in January 2020. You’ll need to check with your provider for the cost.

Atlético Baleares are at home this Sunday against Sanse a team from San Sebastián. Kick off is at 12 midday at their new stadium. They need to bounce back from their first defeat of the season against Rayo Majadahonda last weekend. A quiet weekend for Dad Taxi as neither of my boys have got a game after covering the whole island last weekend. My Wife is away so it’s the 3 amigos together this weekend and probably a few meals out.

Enjoy your weekend!

Richie presents the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show Monday to Friday07.30-11.00am on 93.8fm in Mallorca and 102fm in Calvià, online at www.radioonemallorca.comon mobile through their free App for IPhone & Android, The Tunein Radio App, iTunes, the Spanish TDT TV service and all smart speakers. . If you can’t hear him on the radio then you’ll find him working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again he may make an understudy appearance!

Feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.com

September, definitely my favourite month, it’s cooler, less busier on the roads, although you still can’t park anywhere, you can get a taxi when you want one and getting a reservation in a restaurant is a little bit easier.

Last Monday was “National Stand In Front of a Door In Your School Uniform and Upload A Photo To Facebook Day.” for pretty much the whole World apart from us parents here that have kids in public school. We’re still counting down the days. If you hear a collective cheer around 9am on Wednesday it’s all the parents as they drop their kids off finally. I’ve talked long and hard about the summer school holidays being far too long and you’ll be hard pushed to find a Spanish or English parent that doesn’t disagree. I think the schooling here is great and both our boys go to Spanish schools but 3 months off in the summer is too long.

My two have kept themselves busy by starting boxing this summer. Not that we want them to fight, as they do enough of that with each other, but it’s great for fitness and discipline. In fact they’ve both carried on despite returning to football training.

We were in Montuiri again last Monday for a friendly match with my eldest Jake. They turned out in a kit that was white shorts, white socks and a camouflaged shirt. It sounds awful but to be honest it looked great.

Happy Mondays star Bez will compete on Celebrity Mastermind, and his specialist subject is… beekeeping!

The rocker, 55, who left school with no GCSEs, is said to be “delighted” to use the BBC1 quiz to show off his knowledge.

Bez is famed for shaking his maracas with the Salford chart-toppers, whose biggest hit was Step On, featuring the classic “twisting my melon” lyric.

He will appear alongside ex-footballer Darren Bent, top florist Elizabeth McKenna and Line of Duty’s Maya Sondhi. Contestants answer questions on a specialist subject, followed by a general knowledge round.

I just happen to be going to the airport on Sunday to pick him up as he’s appearing at Gringos on Monday night. You may recall him coming earlier in the year and he had such a good night he’s coming back. He’s great fun and we’re looking forward to seeing him again.

Gringos has been a huge success this season and if you don’t know, this is bingo but not as you know it! It is the ultimate night out for adults of all ages. Expect chaos, raves, dance-offs, funny prizes and big prizes!

Don’t confuse this as the traditional style of bingo – think nightclub and party atmosphere with music to suit all – from nostalgic tunes, old school anthems and present day bangers! There’s adult humour from the host and crazy characters to keep the audience entertained all night long. So what is all the fuss about? The normal rules of bingo still apply, with some great prizes and then some bizarre prizes…but in between each game you’ll be up dancing as confetti fills the room. Even if you don’t win, you’ll get your fair share of laughs and a crazy party night at that.

Call 971 130411 to get your tickets and don’t forget we’re celebrating Christmas Gringos on October 5th and Halloween Gringos on October 31st.

The return of World Gravy Wrestling Championships a couple of weeks ago saw intrepid wrestlers don their finest fancy dress and go head to head in two-minute bouts in a giant pool filled with more than 1,000 litres of sticky, salty gravy.

The ever-popular event, which began in 2007, is hosted by the Rose n’ Bowl in Stacktseads, Rossendale and this year attracted more than 1,500 spectators.

Over the years it has raised more than £30,000 for East Lancashire Hospice and charities of the competitors’ choice.

Those seeking gravy-soaked glory are awarded points on a number of factors, including who has the best moves, the best costumes, and who gets the biggest laugh out of the crowd. The winner of the men’s competition was returning champion Joel Hicks, while Skye Penty claimed the 2019 crown for the women.

Not sure I would have had the Sunday roast that weekend!

The 34th annual World Bog Snorkelling Championships, an event that Lonely Planet described as one of the top 50 “must do” things from around the world was held on Sunday 25th August 2019 in Llanwrtyd Wells. Over 160 participants from Australia, Belgium, Denmark, Eire, Italy, the Netherlands, South Africa, Sweden and USA

The current World Champion and World Record holder Neil Rutter, who achieved a time of 1 minute 18.82 seconds in the 2018 championships breaking the previous World Record of 1 minute 22.56 seconds set in 2014 by Kirsty Johnson from Lightwater in Surrey, mounted a successful defence of his title but failed to break his own record with a time of 1 minute 21.78 seconds. The Ladies Champion was Betsy Creak(not made up) with a time of 1 minute 42.22 seconds and the Overseas Champion was Ian Maclachlan from South Africa with a time of 1 minute 38.75 seconds.

The rules are;

You get one of two bogs assigned at registration, this is not negotiable.

You must snorkel 2 lengths of the bog (110 meters in total) and touch the turn post above the water level.

You are only allowed to swim soggy paddle with arms, no breast stroke or front crawl. You must swim with your face in the water but can look occasionally to adjust direction.

You may use fins but no mono-fins.

You can’t use webbed gloves or full face snorkel masks.

Don’t be slower than 2 minutes for the first length of the bog. Otherwise you cannot continue the second length. Let me know if you fancy it next year.

Dad Taxi earning my money this weekend with a trip to Campanet and another one to Palma for the boys friendly games. No game for Real Mallorca as it’s International weekend but Atlético Baleares play away on Sunday.

Enjoy your weekend!

Richie presents the Radio One Mallorca Breakfast show Monday to Friday07.30-11.00am on 93.8fm in Mallorca and 102fm in Calvià, online at www.radioonemallorca.comon mobile through their free App for IPhone & Android, The Tunein Radio App, iTunes, the Spanish TDT TV service and all smart speakers. . If you can’t hear him on the radio then you’ll find him working at Pirates Adventure the islands number one night out and every now and again he may make an understudy appearance!

Feel free to email him at rprior@globobalear.com