Welcome to January and the first Soltalk of 2019!
Gibraltar each and every day! It would be nice if they seemed
to care about the people who will be affected a bit more than
scoring points over each other and name calling. Just saying.
As we are going to print, the world of travel into and out of
Gatwick airport is in chaos due to very selfish people with
drones. At the moment it is not known who they are or what
they are trying to achieve, but they are causing utter chaos and
are inconveniencing thousands. I have been checking the news
and have just read that the military are to be deployed, as this
has now been going on for about 24
hours. Let’s hope they quickly catch these
people and bring them to justice.
Just when you thought Christmas was done and dusted ... those
of us here in Spain have ... Dia de los Reyes - or Day of the
Three Kings! Yes! Except it’s only good if you are Spanish or
have Spanish friends and family as Brits don’t give each other
presents on Three Kings Day do they? For anyone who doesn’t
know, the Three Kings or wise men or magi known in Spanish
as Los Reyes Magos - Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar - play a
similar role to Santa Claus. Spanish
children write letters to the Three Kings,
who then bring the children presents on
the night before, or on the morning of the
Epiphany, January 6. They will also be
appearing on the Balcón de Europa on
this day. And as January 6 is a Sunday this
year Monday January 7 will be a public
holiday.
I have been a bit anti-drone since they
came out, they are obviously invaluable
in many walks of life, but should they
actually be made available to Joe Public?
What do you think? At the moment I
think everyone in affected airports would
agree. And I am not alone, Air traffic
controllers say their warnings about their risks have been
repeatedly ignored. In a statement the Guild of Air Traffic
Control Officers said: “Our calls for stricter regulations and
enforcement have been repeatedly dismissed by regulatory
bodies.” The Guild has also called for geofencing and other
counter-drone measures around airports.
It is celebrated with a special cake called
Roscón de Reyes (pictured) which resembles a jewelled crown
and can contain plastic replicas of Baby Jesus, so be careful
when biting into your slice! There can also be a fava bean.
Whoever finds the toy is supposedly crowned king or queen of
the party, while the one who finds the bean has to buy the
Roscón next year (best not to say I would have thought!)
Meanwhile we hope you enjoy this issue of Soltalk and have a
great January. Let me also take this chance to wish you a very
happy and healthy New Year.
As well as all the Three Kings excitement, most of us will have
our eyes on the UK Goverment this month as they decide, or
not, what is actually happening with Brexit! And it won’t only
be the British as this affects all EU nationals living in the UK
not to mention the thousands who go from Spain to work in
SARAH BROOKES
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