By Soller Shirley
The stuff of November life
Sollerics are mountain people and, although many live in the Valley or by the Sea, they understand the rules. Layers are the style statement they live by. Leaving the house to go to school or work at 7 or 8 am they are freezing. The night air is cold and the sun hasn’t risen to warm the earth. A jacket and scarf are the essential clothes of early morning. All Sollerics have a huge selection of scarves and they are seasonal weights and lengths. Wrap around your head – snood style – is very popular for the cold beginnings to the day. Then there are the gloves and they are essential for those who hop on the Motos and drive to start their day.
Remember, that for the most part breakfast, isn’t a hearty meal of porridge or anything substantial . A madeleine and a cup of hot chocolate is likely to be the early fuel of most. Come 11 am then it is true breakfast time Soller style. Lunch tends to be after 2 pm and dinner anywhere between 8 pm and 10. So those early morning snack breakfasts fill in the four meal a day life of Soller people.
November is the start of the evening classes for the 2024/2025 year. So many new things on offer this year at Can Dulce centre in the Gran Via and the newly expanded Son Angelats Sports Centre. To go out after dark requires a piece of kit which is very important – a ‘Torch’. The street lighting in Soller is patchy and the fear of falling in the dark the reason many older people don’t go out at night. This is a constant complaint in this town and one the Town Hall address with a ‘make do and mend’ philosophy.
November changes the rules on car parking fees and everyone gets confused. On the Repic beach the meters are boarded up and it is clear they are not in use and parking is free. In the rest of the Port you have to check the rules wherever you park. The ORA parking should be free for the winter. The main car parks and the area near Santa Catalina will continue with their parking fees for a bit longer. They will then remove the meter and it will be quite clear that for a few months no payment is necessary. However in Soller itself there is no free winter parking as the ORA and car park charges are still in action. So if you are not confused you will be soon. I am convinced there is a parking guru stuck in a garret somewhere who works this one out every year, then laughs at us.
November begins the routine of ‘evenings at home’. All are happy to be out all day and into the early evening but as it gets dark, folk just go home. Many make no evening plans at all but confine all their activities to daylight hours. They take up their hobbies and watch a lot of TV and Netflix. This is very bad news for evening concerts and restaurant dining. The restaurants, bars and cafes which buck the trend are the ones which have great heating, a genuine friendly atmosphere and no draughts. So we have to be tempted to take our torch and hit the streets. That is the challenge for all Soller winter businesses.
November begins the countdown to Christmas and many leave the island for the holidays. This is the reason many organisations have their fund raisers in November. Christmas Fairs, end of season parties and the like are all held in the jolly month of November.
November is also the month of the celebration of Saint Cecilia who is the patron saint of music. A few concerts in Soller for her this month, a I will take my torch and go and support our local musicians.
November – the beginning of winter in the Soller Valley…
