An Open Letter to The Mayor of Orihuela Costa I have just seen a man being pulled, unconscious, from the sea by strangers and then dragged across the rocks. He looked dead. The day before, I had witnessed 8 people – men, women and children &nda...

We've had the rumoured affairs of former King Juan Carlos, the ongoing fraud trial of Princess Cristina, stripped of her title just last week. Well now it appears that the next generation of Spanish Royals are trying to get in on the act.

On the evidence of the tantrum that he threw at a Madrid leisure park last week, Fourth in line to the Spanish throne, Felipe Juan Froilán de Todos los Santos de Marichalar y Borbón, known as Frolián, would seem to have all the signs of growing into yet another spoilt brat .

Not wanting to stand in a line along with us mere commoners, and suggesting that it was his birthright to do so, the little prince attempted to jump the queue on one of the park's more popular rides, but as he tried to push in he received a ticking off from a school teacher who was also waiting in line along with his students.

According to a report in Spanish newspaper El Economista he promptly declared "I'm fourth in line to the Spanish throne."

The ride attendant then joined in then responding that being fourth in line to the Spanish throne did not mean he could push in line and get on the ride before the other visitors, who had been patiently queuing.
It was then that he threw his toys out of the pram making a racist slur at a young Chinese boy who also told him off for not queuing, shouting, "You shut up, you f...ing chino."

Spanish media reported that the prince was accompanied by several friends and a security guard. He eventually calmed down and moved away from the ride.

Unfortunately, as he continues to build a reputation as a royal bad boy, young Froilán seems to be hitting the headlines on far too many occasions, for the wrong reasons.

When he was 6-years-old, he famously kicked one of his female cousins at King Felipe and Queen Letizia's wedding. After his parents got divorced, his behaviour is then said to have gone downhill. Two and a half years ago he was kicked out of school for failing his end of year exams twice and in 2012 when he was just 14 years of age he shot himself in the foot (literally) while out hunting with his father Jaime de Marichalar.

During his last family holiday, he allegedly headbutted his cousin Paul and then tried to stab him with an iron skewer

But as with all rotten and spoiled children however, we can't really blame the children, in this case the young prince as much of the responsibility must sure by put firmly at the feet of his parents.

I am sure that those of you who are former members of the armed forces will look back on operational military rations with mixed emotions. Most popular were the 24 hour packs which were required to provide one man with enough food to last for up to on...

We see regular reports of British and Italian operations in the Mediterranean as they continue to rescue thousands of North African immigrants who have been trapped on boats run by Libyan smuggling gangs. While British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon...

Its always good to hear of new visitors enjoying our wonderful island. However, I guess it is even better to learn about a resident that has been lurking on the island for thousands of years; not the same one, of course, but a family member.

No, I am not talking about some ancient drag queen, who is suddenly discovered in an embalmed condition in the cellar of a long forgotten show-bar in Playa del Ingles, but a new species of beetle.

Love them or hate them, beetles (not drag queens) are all part of the Canary Islands' package of experiences, alongside cockroaches, millipedes and spiders.

This new species of beetle is called Oromia thoracica, not the catchiest name I grant you, but the people who study such things can be a tad boring when it comes to catchy sounding names. It is a blind weevil that lives beneath the depths of the Agaete Valley, to the north-west of Gran Canaria.

This area has some of the oldest soil on the island, somewhere between 5 and 23 million years old, but it is hard to be accurate about such matters, which can be irritating for those who like detail.

This new beetle, now commonly known as Thor, popped into the radar in the subsoil in this fertile valley about six years ago.

Traps were duly laid, but Thor and his kind are canny creatures that deceived the investigators until recently when five of them fell into a trap following a heavy night out on the town. When they awoke two days later, it was too late, because the scientists had discovered them and, sadly, they were popped into a collecting jar.

Now this is the part where it all gets a little personal. What Thor lacks in size, since he is not a big boy at less that five millimetres long, he gains in his extremities that are longer and flatter than his cousins.

This is actually a very useful attribute, because it means that Thor and his family can adapt more easily to life in their underground environment and narrow cracks, where headspace is at a bit of a premium. Thor and his family are blind, but are all dressed in rather natty reddish-brown jackets, which is typical of subsoil insects.

The clever thing about Thor is his thorax, which extends over his head as a sort of heart shaped shield, perfect for the more romantically inclined mate, which makes him unique from other species, but his opening line of "Love me, love my thorax", can be a little daunting to a potential mate.

When it comes to fine dining, forget it, because Thor indulges in the rotting roots of bushes prevalent in the Agaete Valley, which makes him cheap, if not boring, to feed. Still, if you are looking for a cheap night out...

Apparently, the underground world of Gran Canaria is still a bit of a mystery, but there are many more surprises in store, to which I am sure many of our visitors will testify.

However, I am referring to biodiversity, since the island is considered to be a real hotspot for future discoveries. I am told that a new species is discovered on the island every six days or so, which is an amazing statistic. Meanwhile, I wish Thor and his family well, but he should warn the rest of his species to keep away from the traps that lie in wait in the Agaete Valley.

If you enjoyed this article, take a look at Barrie's websites: www.barriemahoney.com and www.thecanaryislander.com or read his book, ‘Expat Voice' (ISBN: 9780992767174). Available in paperback, as well as Kindle.

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© Barrie Mahoney

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