Treated rudely by police

Email March 29

Dear Sir

Strange times that we are living through. The other day I went out to get some essential shopping. Thankfully, Consum still had plenty of beer, wines and spirits so as to keep mine up. I tried to get into Mercadona, but their entry rules were quite strict. The staff were at least 6 foot 12 tall and built accordingly whilst enveloped in plastic overalls, full-face masks and rubber gloves. They were checking the temperature of each customer but had ran out of oral thermometers. They had some rectal ones left but decided that I didn’t need their grapes that badly

Talking of which, loo rolls, kitchen rolls and virtually anything similar were in short supply. No problem for us baby boomers from the less wealthy parts of town. Virtually every outside khazi had a nail on the wall with yesterday’s newspapers hanging in strips from it. To be honest with some of the crap that today’s red tops publish it gives us an opportunity to use the paper for a more useful purpose

On the way home, I got a tug from a local bobby. This lad was hard to understand through his protective gear, but I got the gist. Fortunately, I had on me my passport, NIE, driving licence and Padron. He was a bit cheesed off that I didn’t have my birth certificate, but after inspecting my shopping and till receipts, he let me go. It was close though with all of the booze that I had in the boot. I finally convinced him that I was not going to an illegal rave when I pointed out that people of my age are largely no longer capable of doing the jive, boogie- woogie, or twist in case we twisted our aching joints. “Anyway”, I said to him, “dodging a pile of handbags on the dance floor was one thing, but Zimmers and crutches are an entirely different matter”

Parking up at my apartment block, I could see a queue of neighbours. Being good solid citizens, they were two metres apart with a wide variety of face coverings. Some had the same mask that they bought from the Chinese supermarket at the beginning of the crisis though these were looking a little threadbare with any virus well and truly trapped inside. Others had coffee filters held on by shoelaces. The members of the scuba diving club had the best kit of course, but it must be hard walking in those wet suits. Turns out that the bloke in the top flat has a dog. He decided to help his neighbours by letting everyone take it for a walk to escape endless TV, cleaning and reading messages on WhatsApp. The poor bloody animal looked knackered, so I guess it is not just the human race that can’t wait for normal service to be resumed

Regards

Graham Shelton

On Thursday March 26, we duly went out on our balcony at 9 o’clock, (8 o’clock English time), and as instructed by the tele, whooped it up and clapped and cheered and banged saucepans for our nurses and everyone else doing their bit to combat Covid19.

Unfortunately, the Guardia were driving by and had noticed our alarm clanging away.

(Since we’ve been in lockdown we activate the alarm as soon as it gets dark, as any callers after that are likely to be up to no good).

Anyway, we were making so much noise ourselves we didn’t hear the racket from the alarm. We explained that we were cheering for British nurses and health workers. They explained that British nurses are hundreds of miles away so probably wouldn’t hear, so we said actually it was for all nurses everywhere, so they said well let’s hear it for the Spanish nurses then, so off we went again, with them joining in.

Then the phone went. It was a neighbour who said that if we didn’t stop that flaming row he’d call the Guardia.

Chris Hare.

Email March 29

Email March 29

Last week I wrote that the world is now at the crossroads and many more radical decisions are likely to be needed by governments if civilisation, as we have known it, is to have any hope in the future. Any changes suggested will have a better chance of implementation if they are sold to the people – but what will the people know of the facts leading to the new policies?

At the moment the reaction to Covid-19 seems to range from ‘It’s all a hoax’ created by the press and social media, to many thousands of people grieving the loss of family members.

My personal reaction is that we may never know what it was that caused governments to impose the astounding emergency actions through which we are now living.

There was no secret about how close the world was to nuclear war at the time of the Cuba crisis but fingers have been on the button at other times (like in the Korean War) and it is only when the Official Secrets Act allows public access to the files that we may find out the facts.

Part of a government’s role is to prevent panic amongst the public and I suspect there is more to this story than we are allowed to know. Why else would global economies be decimated if they could be preserved at the cost of just a few thousand lives? Is the illness actually airborn? Can it morph into something even more diabolical?

Perhaps these things are best left to those in authority; but what of life ahead for those of us who survive the lockdown? Only time will tell how the following questions might be answered.

Will there be a continuing and meaningful investment in ‘vital services’ including public sector pay? (NHS workers may be understandably confused by having their salaries effectively frozen for years and then being applauded by the very people who had so undervalued their selfless efforts).

What has happened to crime statistics during the lockdown? Is it safe to assume that violent crime, other than domestic abuse, will have largely disappeared? Has the drug trade been able to survive without dealers supplying users openly outdoors? And are the burglars just staying at home? If all the answers here are in the affirmative, should we have a fortnight’s Lockdown Holiday every year?

Will the lockdown be shown to have strengthened or weakened family ties? Relationships are being truly tested, so should we expect the divorce rate to peak around next January? Or will there be a record number of babies sharing a birthday with Jesus?

Will there be a stampede back to places of worship or will some drift away from their faith? Past events suggest that when we don’t have the answers we turn to a higher source.

What can the leisure and holiday industries expect now that the public have discovered that there is life without Match of the Day and maybe that flight wasn’t so important after all?

Whichever way we go, our lives have now been changed. “Where were you when Kennedy was assassinated?” will be replaced by “Where were you during Lockdown?”. Our memories will be vivid but our view of the future will be limited by what we are allowed to know. Fortunately, we do all know that where there is life, there is hope.

Peter Adams

Website comment March 30

I live in Villajoyosa and on Thursday I went out to do my shopping walk, I believe we are allowed to go and do our shopping for food. I also live alone. So I had my walk to Mercadona, on my way back with my knapsack on my back I saw some younger patrolling officers and a police car, but I was not afraid cause I had only done what was legal and that was to do my food shopping,

They stopped me and asked me what I was doing, I said I’ve only been to Mercadona and done my shopping,

They said, “No, you must stay in your house”. I said, “Yes, I know but I am allowed to go and buy food!”

He said, ·can I see the receipt·…I got a bit perplexed, but I tried to find it in my sack, at the same time I showed him the food I had bought, I found a receipt but it wasn’t the right one, but an old one of 7 euros.

The man sneered and said, ‘”only 7 euros, which is not allowed”… I said, “I have another one let me find it”…by this time I was pretty upset…but I did find it and gave it to him, it was 15 euros. He scowled and said if I shop I must have a bigger receipt, I am alone, so I don’t buy too much at a time, He then asked for my passport and NIE.

I told him I was a resident and had been since 2004/5. I gave him my passport and I had my NIE number. He refused to take the other receipt of 15 euros and gave both back. He then asked me if I knew the rules I said yes, but one has to go and buy food or else you can starve, he said NO! I said, “How then will I be able to get food”, he just said, “keep in the house or you can be fined 3000 euros!”

He then asked me where I lived, I pointed in the direction as it was just nearby. He asked, “what is the address”, I said,” I don’t know because I’ve only lived there a short time but it is in this street”. He sneered and said, “you’ve lived in Spain so long and here and don’t know your address”, I said, “I have lived in Spain, but not here, only just moved here”.

He then said I was a criminal cause we didn’t obey their law, ‘all foreigners are criminals’ he said…I couldn’t believe it! He then said, “go to your house”, he followed me and asked “what floor do you live on”, I thought that’s none of his business, so I didn’t answer that one. He obviously thought I lived with someone, which I don’t, I got my key and opened the door, he tried to enter the building with me, but I just slammed the door shut and thought that was the rudest most impolite officer or whatever he was, talking to a 72 year old woman like that.

I was very perplexed when I came in and had to phone a friend to shake it all off. This is just crazy. Surely, we are allowed to go and buy our food?

Anyway I will report it and I have given notice to a Norwegian newspaper about the incident as I am Norwegian…..How is this going to end? And is there anybody we can report this to? Hoping for better days. Today I just kept indoors as it’s been raining, but I am a walker and my body gets quite stiff if I don’t have my daily walks but I will survive…I just wonder if some of these young patrolling officers are taking matters into own hands and taking pleasure in being manipulative towards woman especially!

And I must say it’s crazy that the people with dogs can go out cause the dog needs a walk, but they don’t seem to understand how important it is for people also to use there body to stay bodily and mentally fit. They are actually putting people off from wanting to live here with this behaviour….but it’s not so easy for us