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Power to the people
Shocked by the size of the bill we’d received from a local electrician – for what had seemed to be a very basic check of our finca wiring (and his sustained electric shock into the bargain) – we...
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Merry Christmas from rural Mallorca
Christmas is always a time for reflection and we’ve been reflecting on our first festive season here at our finca in rural Mallorca. Things have changed a lot since that first Christmas, in 2004. Then,...
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Into each life a little decadence should fall . . .
The Boss and I have changed a lot since we moved to live in rural Mallorca. I hope for the better . . . For a start, living in such beautiful surroundings has made us more environmentally aware. Some...
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Things that go bump in the night
We’ve become quite good at detective work since moving to the Mallorcan countryside; you have to be when you live in an old finca like ours. Strange things happen from time to time and, if we didn’t...
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A cautionary watery tale – part one
As I’ve mentioned in this blog before, we have no mains water or functioning well at our finca in Mallorca. When we want more water, we phone our supplier, who delivers a tanker-load into our cisterna...
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A cautionary watery tale – part two
When I look back at the various problems – OK, let’s call them challenges – that we’ve had living in our finca in rural Mallorca, most of them have been water-related. And several of them have arisen...
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The rain in Spain finally falls on our finca
No coffee outside for us today! Tiles have had a much-needed wash . . . Another crack of thunder booms across the valley, rattling every pane of glass in our finca in rural Mallorca. We’re in the grip...
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How to make a small fortune on Mallorca
Start with a large one and buy an old finca! I know. It’s an old joke, but there’s some truth in it (assuming you had any kind of fortune to start with – and we certainly didn’t). This time last year...
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Christmas in rural Mallorca
Our artificial Christmas tree – bought in Oxfordshire before we moved, but still going strong. This is our 10th Christmas spent at our finca in rural Mallorca and, thankfully, it’s a very different...
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Finca for sale in rural Mallorca
In case this headline shocks those who know The Boss and me, I must add that it’s not our finca on the market. The finca in question belongs to a friend of ours, who’s had it as a holiday home for 20...
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Another job for our Mallorcan plumber
If you’re going to live on Mallorca, it pays to have a good relationship with a plumber. Over the years we have been here we have spent a lot of money at our local plumbers. During our early time here...
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Solar panels get their summer spruce-up
We’re great fans of our solar-powered electricity system. We can run our air conditioning all day without worrying about the next GESA electricity bill – although, of course, such a system does require...
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Mallorca contribution to new ‘Kaleidoscope’ anthology by Writers Abroad
When we came to live on Mallorca I had grand plans to write a novel . . . after I’d written about the experience of moving to a rural finca on the island and all the challenges that it entailed. We...
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Keeping dry in rural Mallorca
Spotted at Cala Ratjada on November 15th 2015. Mallorca is enjoying some exceptional autumn weather this year: daytime temperatures peaking in the low 20s; blue skies, and very warm sunshine. This is...
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Plumbing Problems Strike Again
That’s not very pretty Apart from Storm Gloria in January, this winter in Mallorca has probably been the mildest and sunniest since we moved here in 2004. Although we’ve had one or two air frosts, more...
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Lockdown Log in Mallorca – Day 45
No people are walking the lanes during lockdown It’s hard to believe that we have lived here in rural Mallorca for 16 years. This milestone was clocked up on Sunday, April 26th. Sixteen years during...
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Storm Strikes Again at our Finca
Autumn arrived with a bang this year. Quite a few bangs, actually. Although this time of the year is when we expect thunderstorms, there seem to have been more than usual recently. Why should I expect...
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Feeling Drained in Mallorca
Early one morning … When you live off-grid in Mallorca, as we do, there are some necessary periodic tasks that have to be done to keep everything working as it should. One of these is to empty the...
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Hot Water System is Restored
At last, we have hot water again in our kitchen and guest suite. For almost two months, we’ve been boiling water in the kettle to do the washing-up (the pots and pans that don’t fit in our counter-top...
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Another Challenge in Rural Mallorca
Some challenges are more challenging than others. And no, this isn’t The Boss. I took this photo at the weekend while walking between Betlem and Es Caló. Last time I wrote, I hinted at an even messier...
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