Waiting....

...for the tourists, the bagging of sunloungers with union jack towels, the litter, the noise, the burgers and chips, the tacky souvenirs, the sangria in a carton, the san miguel cans, the crying kids, the dusty hot airless days.

I'm privileged to be here out of season, seeing the island as Nature made it. It may be raining (again!) but the air is fresh and the normally barren brown land is lush and verdant, to the delight of the many cattle and sheep. Tourism is not the main souce of income here, unlike the other Balearics, and here is no clubbing scene, just peaceful villages and a slow, laid-back way of life.

Yes, that sea is darn cold.