The skies have turned darker, and the air has turned colder. This time last year, it was so different. The blue skies and warm temperatures we experienced in Majorca were definitely unseasonal, with most days in the high teens or early twenties.

The picture above is Plaça Major, a large 19th-century pedestrianised square in the capital Palma, with cafés, restaurants, and shops lining the lower floor of its outer fringes. While market stalls often sell a variety of handicrafts in the centre, entertainers on a small stage jostle and play with the crowds.

With the burnt ochre buildings made brighter by the sun, their green shutters and doors glistening like leaves, this Majorcan memory lightens even the darkest winter day.