Police checking in Ibiza Port

I drove to St Rafel this morning to rendezvous with Solveig for the trip to Ibiza town to see if it's possible to get the police check started. It's a place that's overcrowded with cars, so we parked about 3km away from the police office in Ibiza Port and walked in. On the way, we stopped for a drink at a cafe and went through the form I'd prepared. Solveig thought it would be a good idea to re-write the whole thing on an officially printed multi-sheet forumlario 790, rather than use the downloaded version. She put her mailing address into it, instead of mind, to be certain it could be posted to a Spanish address in case there was any doubt about mailing it back to Wales.

We continued down one of the main streets, stopped at a bank which happily accepted the €3.78 fee in cash, and put an official 'pagado' stamp on the application.

 the Police port office, where we found entry controlled by a couple of friendly cops who explained that the applicant hand to enter unaccompanied. Different from previously Solveig said, but the reason soon became clear. Half the number of seats for queuing applicants were empty with a label saying Do Not Use. The idea is to keep a healthy space between individuals, a precaution against covid-19 in a confined space. Sensible. I took a ticket, and only waited a couple of minutes until it was my turn. Business, I suspect, is pretty quiet at the moment.

My form was scrutinised and scanned on to the computer network for delivery to the Generalitat office in Mallorca, which I failed to reach eight days ago. My form was handed back to me with a receipt ticket stuck on it for reference. It'll be processed and a Certificado de Penales Antecedentes will be mailed to Solveig in a couple of weeks time. Then it'll come to me and I can email a copy to HQ in London. Such a relief to see the back of that job at last!

Fortunately it was a lovely sunny day. I took several photos on the return walk. You can walk or drive on to a ferry for Formentera from the quayside, not far from the Police office. The ancient citadel and old town sit on a hill to the west of the marina. There's lots more to see, but that merits a return trip. I will probably leave the car in St Antoni or St Josep and take the bus when I feel ready for a proper day trip.

I had an email from cousin Dianne to tell me that cousin Lindsay, whose wedding we attended last summer died yesterday. He'd been living with prostate cancer for a couple of years, but was defeated by it in the end. He rediscovered his cradle Anglicanism in later life, and faced his illness with deep rooted faith. Belonging to the church enabled him to meet Lynne the love of his life, and after a delightful season of friendship, they got engaged and married last August. It's very sad, but I believe both were greatly blessed by finding each other. Sadly, I am stuck here and will miss the funeral, but will pray for him and his wife as best I can. May he rest in peace.