19 Aug 2007 - My name
is Erica de Graaff-Hunter. I am 76 years
old and I have lived in Mallorca, Spain
from 1956. We originally had a house just
outside Palma on Mallorca. We have since
built a new home, where we currently live,
which is in Cala Gat, Cala Ratjada still
on the island of Mallorca.
This was previously our "seaside shack",
where we only came in summer. It is now,
obviously, habitable year round. I now live
here on my own now, with my dog Brockie
and two cats Plata and Smokey, since being
a widow.
As I have a seriously bad back (officially
"disabled"), we cannot go on the
long walks I used to so love. But we do
the best I can, and Brockie has lots of
dog and cat friends he plays with, and a
lot of human friends as well. So, you can
see that my main hobby walking is now abandoned
and we are happy at home. My other hobby
is swimming, but this is now seriously limited
by back problems. Also, this year by jellyfish,
which means I have only swum twice this
summer and more on this late in my story.
Having lived most of my 52 years in Mallorca
in this fishing village, I have a lot of
local friends - especially fishermen! We
all seem to meet on my early morning walk
along the coast from where I live, across
Cala Gat beach, and towards the Port, feeding
black cats en route, with whom Brockie plays.
When we first arrived, the winters were
fairly cold, but VERY wet - it never seemed
to stop coming down in torrents! Things
have changed, but from the point of view
of weather, only recently.
In 2006/2007 winter was incredibly mild.
I have a Jotul stove (a wood burning stove),
which normally burns 24 hours a day in winter.
This last winter, I usually only had to
light the fire in it at around 4pm in the
early evening. The rest of the day, I was
outside in the "winter" sun.
In about 1960, we built a swimming platform
and slipway (a boat ramp on the shore line)
here, where I now live. The swimming platform
was nearly always clear of the sea -except
with strong southern winds. Now in 2007
it is rarely out of the water and when I
go swimming I have to go into the water
from the bottom of the slipway. The water
is also gradually rising and covering the
slipway.
I, personally, consider that the sea level
has risen by about 10 centimetres from between
1960 and 2007. So far, this year and it
is now July, we have not had our usual very
hot and humid summer. It was cool in June,
and still is most of the time.
I went to a cupboard where I do not normally
go in the summer and saw the new (unworn)
fake sheepskin coat I bought last autumn
and another heavyweight reversible car coat
and Burberry raincoat. I realized I had
worn none of them last winter as it was
too warm, and we did not even have our usual
2 weeks of freezing weather with winds straight
from Siberia.
This summer (2007) is being equally odd.
We are now almost end of July and it should
be swelteringly hot. It is not - in fact
it is rather a nice, comfortable heat and
breeze. BUT, where I live, the breeze/gale
seems to be constantly from the South, which
means that we are inundated with jellyfish.
I have actually swum TWICE only so far this
summer. To day the wind is from the North
which should have blown the jellyfish out
towards north Africa, so might risk a swim
this afternoon - if the wind does not change.
It is amazing to sit on my terrace, overlooking
sea, with no one at all in the water and
if some tourist is foolish enough to ignore
advice about the jellyfish in the water,
you hear a loud shout as they are stung!
It is very painful!
The fishermen told me that normally the
jellyfish migrate to the Canal between Menorca
and Mallorca in the winter to breed but
because it never got cold this last winter,
they stayed here - multiplying! I have to
swim with my rigid corset on, and have to
go down and then back up steps, as am 15metres
above sea level. So I have to be pretty
sure it is OK to make the effort!
