Maximising your Pension 1€ could cost you your home
The News/views Magazine ABOUT and FOR Jávea - you can hold in your hand Nº 7 November 2013 Suggested
Newspapers and the internet are flooded with offers to “access your UK company pension” with the promise of “specialist advisers” but one Adsubia property owner who believed what she read, finds herself in expensive litigation and the risk of losing her Jávea property.
Jávea Jeard knows the name of the ‘victim’ and the house they bought in Adsubia Capsades, but there has been no reply to our request for ‘chapter and verse’. What we did receive though, as friends - not knowing we might have an editorial interest - was an introduction to Angela Brooks who is visiting Jávea at the beginning of November, to talk with, and instruct, a local specialist lawyer who is used by many British residents. ‘Angie’ refers to the misery and destruction caused by silver-tongued financial advisers who continue to peddle unauthorised, high risk investments. She told us: "When contemplating making a change to your pension or investments, there are three things you must do: homework; homework; homework. Unfortunately, not all financial advisers are the same: some are honest, honourable and professionally ethical - genuinely putting your financial interests before their own. However, some are not. “If a financial adviser offers you something that sounds too good to be true, it probably is. So don't just take his word - do your own
homework. If you are offered a "tax-free", regulated, compliant cash lump sum below the age of 55, run like hell. If you are offered extraordinarily high returns, remember the other side of the coin: high risk. Ask lots of questions: Is the adviser regulated? Is the scheme regulated? Is a transfer fully HMRC compliant? But, perhaps most important of all: does the adviser have robust professional indemnity insurance? “There are financial advisers in the Jávea area who have been peddling dodgy investment and pension schemes - as well as pension liberation scams - for at least four years. There are others who won't touch them with a barge pole. Unfortunately, there have been numerous victims of the former category who have not only lost their pensions or investments to schemes which have been deemed to be fraud by the High Court in the UK, and are facing huge tax liabilities, but also have discovered that the trust they placed in their financial advisers has resulted in their money being frozen in illiquid schemes deemed to be unrecoverable and toxic. “Just remember, enticing short-term gains can generate
expensive and devastating long-term disasters. Pick your financial adviser as carefully as you would pick your spouse: it is a very intimate long-term relationship. If you get hitched to one who isn't right for you, there will be a great deal of heartache and misery for years to come.
Continued on page 2
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November 2013, Nº 7
Advertising rates . 4, 13 . 13, 17 & 18 Agenda 21 Christmas present campaign 10 Comet ISON by Ian Amer 22 Cryptic Crossword . 19 Duty Chemist Rota . 24 9 Grapevine Congratulations Humour . . 7 & 20 Jávea Postcodes . 2 M.A.B.C. Members . 11 Oasis Help Centre Services 2 October 9th awards . 23 Pastor’s Point of View . 6, 8 & 9 Pensions Scam . . 1&2 Port Library opens . 11 Remember those who gave 20 Satellite Fact File . 4-5 Scallops Vouchers recycling 22 Straight Talking by Lee Hodges 14 Sunday morning invitation 7 Tarick’s our ‘Jolly Swag Man’ 12 Town Hall Monthly Meeting 3 & 10 Woman to Woman . 16 & 21 Come Strictly Scottish Country Dancing Meets on a Wednesday for 2 hours from 3.45pm at LÁncora Tennis Club. Great way to exercise and have fun. Phone Carole 608 980 252
JAVEA POSTCODES
Most towns have a single Postcode: Jávea has 4, but Correos discourage their use, claiming it is better to use 03730 (where 50% will be wrong) rather than the code for your area, which ‘some’ will get wrong. Adsubia 03739 Alborada 03739 Arenal 03738 Cala Blanca, Urb 03738 Cap Martín 03738 Capsades 03739 Catarroja Partida 03737 Cerezos, Los 03739 Colomer 03737 Costa Nova, Urb 03738 Ermita, Urb 03737 Eurocondal, Urb. 03737 Fontanella 03737 Frechinall 03738
Granadella, La
03738 Lluca 03739 Mandarina, La 03739 Media Luna 03738 Montgó 03737 Montgó Carrasquetes 03737 Montgó Toscamar 03737 Panorama, Urb 03738 Pinosol 03739 Portichol 03738 Rebaldi 03739 Rimontgó 03737 Seniola 03737 Tarraulla 03739 Tosalet, Urb. 03739 Tosals 03737 Toscal 03738 Trencall 03738 Valls 03737 Valls Carrasquetes VA-CA 03737 Valls Planets VA-PN 03737 Valls Tosal VA-TS 03737 Everywhere else 03730
Jávea Jeard is published in Jávea by A2Z Publicaciones on behalf of Iglesia Grupo International de Divulgación del Evangelio (CIF: Q0300542H) at OASIS Centre, C/. Toni Llido 5, 03730
Continued from previous page “The good news is that the net is closing in on the rogue financial advisers. The Pensions Regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority, HMRC, Action Fraud, the Spanish and EU regulators are all taking a keen interest in shady practitioners who seek to exploit supposed loopholes and circumvent regulations and laws. There are likely to be some eye-watering negligence claims and criminal proceedings against the perpetrators very soon. But in the
AEverW
Jávea Jeard
meantime, if you are contemplating any changes to your pensions or investments, tread carefully and do your homework.
Above all, don't rush in where angels fear to tread." Angela Brooks, former Director of the British Taxpayers Federation and retired tax barrister, can be reached on 674746663. CR
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Jávea Townhall October meeting
Jávea Jeard
There was some doubt as to whether the ‘last Thursday’ meeting of Jávea councillors would be brought forward to the 24th, as the 31st October was ‘Halloween’. The first immediate difference from previous meetings was that María Teresa Ferriol López had signed the paperwork to convene the meeting 3 days earlier, it was José Vicente Catalá Martí, who sat in her seat,
Jávea again sets the standard by which others are judged, with the announcement that all local taxes to be paid as and when is most convenient, with quarterly or monthly payments by direct debit or in cash. Paying in full will earn a 4% discount. It was strange to hear the announcement, considering Oscar Anton, the Councillor for Finance was not present and I did not hear any reference to his absence. His father-in-law had suffered a relapse and Oscar had taken his family to be a support to his wife’s family. Mayor Jose Chulvi said
Jávea had introduced one of the most flexible payments in Spain, and certainly better than anything else in Alicante. Opposition councillors said the measure should have been introduced earlier. They urged that IBI tax be charged on buildings in respect of owners who are only paying on the land. But let’s run through the meeting, that was explained to me by Kacey, as everything is in Valencian which I do not understand. Point 1 approved the Minutes of the meeting on 30th May. Point 2 approved decisions taken by the Mayor’s office since 24th September. Point 3 approved payment of F/2013/62 for 2134,70€ Point 4 In approving the accounts for the 3rd quarter, it was agreed to work with shopkeepers who had difficulty making payments to the Townhall - no mention about property owners in the same position. Point 5 instructed that a path be reopened to the public at
reduced rate of IVA on cultural events (like the cinema) but failed to mention IVA on energy bills, food, clothing, phone, petrol and the hundreds of other items bought by the average family. Another motion raised the fact that the person who had the bar concession in the Social Centre has left, and it’s now only being used by the Pensioners’ Association. If there were staff, it would involve employees, and must be the subject of a ‘tender’ New Council Secretary process, but there was no José Vicente Catalá Martí suggestion as to HOW the and local doctor Rafael Andrias problem could be resolved. and Isabel Bilbao who has an Even though the art gallery. concession for Summer use of All of the above motions the beach by chiringuitos and were approved unanimously. beach furniture had extended Point 15 was ‘Questions and beyond the mid-September Answers’where councillors contract period, it was (Political Groups) put explained that those affected proposals for approval, that are had agreed to pay an often ‘political posturing’ for additional proportional sum to the next elections. the Townhall. Socialists asked for a Continued on page 10
November 2013, Nº 7
Cami XVIII on the industrial estate to provide public access. Point 6 acknowledged that owners of commercial properties in La Plaza have applied to privatise the area. Point 7 referred to changes needed to the original plan to reflect the current position in the Las Laderas urbanisation. Point 8 approved the return of the developer’s deposit in respect of Adsubia Rebaldi 4 and 17. Point 9 approved planning and guarantee amendments in respect of Saladar 2-1, that were declared as suitable for building in 2006. Point 10 agreed to amend the western boundary limits in respect of a ravine that had been omitted from the 1990 Plan, in respect of C/. Benjamin Britain. Point 11 agreed to cancel a debt in respect of Aduanas Norte 3A. Point 12 approved a request for a government grant of 26,250€ towards the sum of 93,750€ to bring about Energy Saving measures. Councillor Paco Catala reminded his colleagues that upkeep costs also need to be monitored. Point 13 Storm drains are needed in Cami Cansalades that will cost 145,500€ and it was agreed to urgently seek a grant of 65,000€ to prevent further flooding. Point 14 agreed that the Culture Council should be augmented by local author, teacher and former councillor, Pepa Guardiola, musician and musical director of Xabia Jazz, Kiko Berenguer, teacher and author Paco Reus BoydSwan. Live Chess director
Page 3
Let you to the Airport Alicante or Valencia
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Jávea Jeard
November 2013, Nº 7
Page 4
Satellite Fact File
Astra 2E has been launched and we are still waiting as I write today (6.11.2013) for it to be located at 28.2 degrees South South East! As a result I have been inundated with enquiries as to how satellite viewers in Jávea and surrounding districts will be able to enjoy their viewing on much smaller satellite dishes.
The truth is no one knows
until final testing on Astra 2E has been completed, those of us in the trade can only make informed guesses!!!
Based on the performance of Astra 2F, I hope that satellite dishes within the range of 1.0 - 1.4 metre high gain will provide adequate performance. Of course this is all based on a quality installation with peak performance LNBs and associated coaxial cable and at the end of it, a satellite receiver with good front-end gain.
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Manhattan Official Freesat H.D. Digibox
For many years Manhattan have been producing top quality performers in the world of satellite receivers (only suitable for the person’ NOT ‘interested in receiving the Sky offerings including Films, Sport etc and of course they require a Sky Card and a Regular Payment).
The latest offering is a Freesat H.D. digibox offering some outstanding features. First, and most importantly it has superb front-end performance, this is very important when we are receiving signals of varying signal strengths. As most people are aware we are not intended to receive signals from the U.K. indeed the signals eminating from both satellite transponders are aimed at the U.K. and Northern Ireland. This is a most important point to always be aware of!!!
The Manhattan engineers have also designed a full eight-day EPG, giving the viewer the advantage of being able to check out what is planned for up to eight days in front and by zipping through this section you can check out and store programmes of interest, to ensure - by oversight - you will not miss anything of interest.(this is very similar in operation to a Sky Satellite receiver!).
Again, I guess, to avoid problems with family choice, they have incorporated an Eight Favourite Family Channel List! This allow each family member to have their own listings, filtering out the ones they are just not interested in.
by Richard Pollock B.Ed I.Eng. FIEEIE Consultant Electronic Engineer
Telephone: 670 362 395 (Monday to Friday 10am - 6pm)
Formerly Lecturer in RTVE at Bradford College
Finally besides carrying the whole of the Freesat listings it also allows you to select and incorporate non-Freesat channels, for instance a German or French channel.
It goes without saying that the H.D. (High Definition) performance is excellent as is the quality of the sound performance. The remote control is quite easy to operate in its many functions and threatens to become one of the market leaders.
As mentioned before six months can be a long time in the world of electronics and Peter and I are always on the lookout for new contenders in the world of LNBs.
Of late two have come our way and in particular have outstanding performance in the area of cross modulation. This is quite a complex area, but basically means that as signals are being received in both Vertical and Horizontal streams of electrical energy, then the poor old LNB has the job of separating these signals. If it fails to any degree this then has the affect of attenuating the signal. You can have an LNB that outperforms all others in the amount of Gain it provides and yet if it fails the cross modulation test rendering it quite useless. Unfortunately, many, many Continued on page 5
IT’S TIME YOU TOOK
THE WRIGHT DECISION
Everything from Design, New-Builds, Refurbishments and Maintenance
Ian Norton-Wright
Tel: 96 647 0230 Mob: 686 780 570 www.wrightpm.co.uk
Clive Read has been a GL Planwriter since May, 2005 The price of GL plans increased at the end of May, 2013. Buy now to avoid further increases. Tel: 669
386 702
Jávea Jeard
Continued from page 4
LNBs are sold to the unsuspecting customer on the basis of their gain and then confined to the scrap bin!
We pride ourselves on being very selective in this area and this is why when being called to a poor performing satellite installation, after checking that the alignment is correct, we always then turn our attention to LNB performance. We can be in a very difficult situation explaining to someone that the LNB they only purchased recently is of poor electronic quality, but demonstrating the improvements on one of our replacements, always wins the day.
It’s rather the same old story with coaxial cable. There are many different brands and qualities on the market. Most of the electrical shops offer a small range, but these are usually intended for standard T.V. reception, NOT for satellite applications and even those claiming to be suitable for satellite operation leave much to be desired. However, on the bright side of things, there are high quality coaxial cables available and these are the types we always use. I cannot see the point of spending my time, sometimes an hour or even longer installing rubbish cable knowing it will only last a year or so under the heat of our Summers here in Spain.
Often people ring up enquiring the price of an installation. Sometimes it’s difficult to be specific, as there are so many uncertainties connected with the reception location, and it’s impossible to quote accurately without coming to see for ourselves. If you buy on the basis of price alone, you likely will be buying poor quality components, and only later will you learn the hard lesson that “you get what you pay for!!!”
I often speak of ensuring alignment is carried out using the correct procedure and again having top quality test equipment. Recently I have had all my equipment re-calibrated in readiness for the Astra 2E, expensive but worth it. Please consider the fact that Astra Transponders are 26,000 Km from earth and if your alignment is a mere fraction out it can make a tremendous difference to your viewing pleasure. This is particularly noticable when we suffer poor weather condition! I did tell you! Richard Pollock B.Ed I.Eng FIEEIE Consultant Electronic Engineer Formerly Lecturer at Bradford College Telephone: 670 362 395 (Mon-Fri 10am - 6pm)
November 2013, Nº 7
Page 5
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Jávea representation by
Centro Medico, 5 GPs, Gynocologist, Practicante, 3 Dentists, 3 Analysis Clinics, Ear Nose Throat Specialist, General and Digestive Surgeon, Traumatologist, Urologist. Uncomplicated Application Form Full details from C/. Toni Llido 5, in Jávea Port. Tel: 669 386 702
A Pastor’s Point of View
Page 6 November 2013, Nº 7
Last month I highlighted some of the services - weddings and funerals - where I had been the ‘Vicar’. During October I did officiate at Civil Marriages - by authority of the Court in Denia - as well as Religious Blessings. For me, the format is similar but each is different. It began with a ‘joke eMail’
At least, that’s what I thought! Back at the end of June I received an eMail from the Priest in Chile who had been consecrated a Bishop in the same Synod ceremony of Holy Communion as myself, in 2006, telling me that he was considering abdication. We’d had no communication between us in almost 7 years. He proposed that I should be designated his successor,
You shop at ICELAND for COLD food at COOL prices, but you’ll receive a WARM welcome at Jávea Evangelical Church C/. Toni Llido 5 GPS - N:38.793196 and E:0.180900
At the rear of ’La Caixa’ bank at the Dolphin roundabout on Av. Lepanto Sunday morning service 11am Centre
On weekdays visit our
C/. Toni Llido 5 (next to La Caixa in the Port)
where you will find
1000s of Greetings Cards for 1€ Photocopies and Fast Printing Crisis Start-up Packs Airport Pick-Ups, Phone Top-ups Post and Parcel Service Plus a LISTENING EAR and UNBIASED ADVICE We’re ‘on duty’ in the community every day of the week - not just on a Sunday If you need to speak in private - ASk
Tel: 96
646 3707 or 669 386 702
or, as
Jávea Jeard
see it
and I laughed it off as a joke in poor taste! It was absurd: I likened it to the Moderator of the Methodist Church being chosen as Pope. As everyone knows I am Pastor of Jávea Evangelical Church - and have been for 22 years - and can be found in the Oasis Help Centre in the Port, between 10 and 2pm most mornings, and at 11am on Sunday for the Morning Service. I’m just ‘ordinary’ - but always ready for a challenge. On 8th July I received an eMail, with attached Notification of Abdication, designating that I should - with effect from the 1st of July - be the Metropolitan Archbishop (senior cleric) of the Anglican Independent Communion Worldwide. Following local misunderstandings following my consecration as a Bishop in 2006, I should make it clear that the AICW is Independent of the CofE, the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Costa Blanca Chaplaincy. The only slot my wedding commitments permitted for the Installation (as they call it) was between 10th and 15th August, and the preferred venue, at High Leigh, could not be booked as Lord Gray was on holiday.
26th October And so it was, on Tuesday 22nd that we left Alicante Airport for Gatwick, having booked a Mondeo automatic (that’s all there was) with Scarlett Car Hire, and accommodation with Travelodge in Gatwick, Wakefield, Sheffield and Milton Keynes. I always use Scarlett because they never bother to look for any superficial damage that might have occured from opening doors in adjacent parked cars. Our journey from Gatwick to Wakefield was not helped by a blockage on the M1 at Bedford, caused by an overturned tanker. Continued on page 8
Bishop Bruce, Archbishop George and Bishop Tom Cahill ‘lay hands’ to confirm the appointment.
The people who brought ‘care’, ‘comfort’ and ‘understanding’ to bereaved families in Spain
Sympathetic and prompt assistance starts with a phone call to BALBI on 610 204 864 Cremation, Repatriation or Interment
Thanksgiving and Memorial services arranged, religious or humanist Cami del Cementerio 2 JÁVEA - 96 579 0188 Fax: 96 579 4138
The Choir top 10
Jávea Jeard
Top Ten Reasons for being a Tenor:
YOU DESERVE A LAUGH
10) Tenors get high - without drugs.
Top Ten Reasons for Being a Soprano:
8) You can show the sopranos how it SHOULD be sung.
9) You can entertain your friends by breaking their wine glasses.
9) Name a musical where the bass got the girl. 7) Did you ever hear of anyone paying £500 for a ticket to see The Three Basses? 6) Who needs brains when you've got resonance?
5) Tenors never have to waste time looking through the self-improvement section of the bookstore.
4) You can sing along with John Denver on "Aye Calypso". 3) When you get really good at falsetto, you can make tons of money doing voice-overs for cartoon characters.
2) Gregorian chant was practically invented for tenors. Nobody invented a genre for basses. 1) You can entertain your friends by impersonating Julia Child.
Top Ten Reasons for being a Bass: 10) You don't have to tighten your shorts to reach your note. 9) You don't have to worry about a woman stealing your job. 8) Or a pre-adolescent boy.
7) Action heroes are always basses. That is - if they ever sang, they would sing bass.
6) You get great memorable lyrics like bop, bop, bop, bop (boong ching ... boong chi-ching).
5) If the singing job doesn't work out, there's always broadcasting.
4) You never need to learn to read treble clef. 3) If you get a cold, so what.
2) For fun, you can sing at the bottom of your range and fool people into thinking there's an earthquake.
1) If you belch while you're singing, the audience just thinks it's part of the score.
November 2013, Nº 7
Page 7
10) The rest of the choir exists just to make you look good.
8) Can you name an opera where an alto got the man?
7) When sopranos sing in the shower, they know the tune.
6) You are never going to sing the alto part by accident.
5) Great costumes - like the hat with the horns on it. 4) How many world-famous altos can you name?
3) When the fat lady sings, she's usually singing soprano. 2) When you get tired of the tune, you can sing the descant. 1) You can sing along with Michael Jackson.
Top Ten Reasons for being an Alto 10) You get really good at singing E flat.
9) You get to sing the same note for 12 consecutive measures (tang ... tang ... tang ...). 8) No warm up needed to sing 12 consecutive bars of E flat.
7) If the choir really stinks, it's unlikely the altos will be blamed. 6) You have lots of time to chat during soprano solos.
5) You get to pretend that you are better than the sopranos, because everybody knows that women only sing soprano so they don't have to learn to read music. 4) You can sometimes find part-time work singing tenor.
3) Altos get all the great intervals.
2) When the sopranos are holding some outrageously high note at the end of an anthem, the altos always get the last words. 1) When the altos miss a note, nobody gets hurt.
Every time you Top-Up at the it helps maintain this HELP and ADVICE CENTRE C/. Toni Llido 5 (behind La Caixa in the Port) Tel: 96 647 3707 and 669 386 702
WHERE CAN I GO ON A SUNDAY? There’s lots of new friends waiting to meet you - and free tea, coffee, cake or biscuits afterwards, at
The ‘Oasis’ Centre
NEW Sunday venue
C/. Toni Llido, 5 GPS - N:38.793196 and E:0.180900 At the rear of ‘LA CAIXA” Bank at the ‘Dolphin Roundabout’
Sunday morning service 11am TOWN
OASIS Centre
SEA
If you need transport, phone 669 386 702 or 669 386 701
We are a caring church, meeting 21st century need with 1st century Christian compassion
Page 8
November 2013, Nº 7
Let’s Support our local Businesses
If we don’t we won’t have any
Azorin Restaurant C/. Toni Llido Tel: 96 579 4495
Bon Retir elderly care home C/. Cantallops 31 Tel: 96 579 0242 688 883 155 Building and Tiling by Victor victorjavea@hotmail.com Tel: 626 975 244
Butcher’s Block The English Butcher in Jávea Av del Pla (North of Yorkshire Linen) Tel: 96 579 2676 Cabo Casse Hire Tools and Machinery C/. Liverpool 11 (opposite the Moli) Tel: 96 579 2502 C B Installations Glazing, Reforms/Building works Rupert Cooper Tel: 606 662 991 622 872 991 vistaglaze@gmail.com
As eye C it - Pastor’s Page
Continued from page 6 Fortunately we were at the rear of the 5-hour closure, and only had a 2-hour stop/start wait. An evening with Ann’s sister Carol, and husband Peter, was made even more enjoyable by chips and fish for 2 (for £10.80) that easily fed 4 of us with chips left over. The following morning, a short drive to Sheffield, but we diverted to Wath-on-Dearne as I had found the address where my father was born. Sadly, when we asked around, the street - Wharf Road - no longer existed. We marvelled at an old-style butchers where the meat in the window was cut to different sizes, each individually priced, rather than in trays at a certain price. It was great to see AnnaMarie our granddaughter - again, and great grandsons Cameron and Cian and Chris their Dad. The boys are a credit to their parents, living in a part of Sheffield that is not the most solubrious, but determined to retain their status of no longer depending on Benefits. When we left, Anna gave us a Primark linen bag, that when we opened it was full of sandwiches, Wagon Wheels, tins of drink, Actimel and biscuits.
Jávea Jeard
From Sheffield we were off - again on the M1 - to Milton Keynes. It looked like a short journey on the map! One of the advantages of Travelodge is you never know what - or where - to expect to have a roof over your head. We were only a 5 minute drive from St. George’s Church. Ann took lots of photos and my nephew took a video on his smartphone, but I won’t bore you with the details. A deaconess - during the Sunday morning service - asked permission to pray against the threatened storm - and did so. The following morning we drove to Hounslow to leave Archbishop Bruce at Travelodge for his early morning departure on Tuesday. We were in Bath Road at the time when a tree was blown over, crushed a house and created a gas explosion, but we knew nothing of it, and no rain or strong winds. Praise the Lord! Tuesday was last-minute shopping (after packing our cases) at Halford, Primark (a huge disappointment given everything I’d read about them), Argos, Tesco and a craft shop. It was amazing to find the car park at Tesco totally FULL on a Tuesday afternoon. I was surprised at the smiling faces of people in Crawley but their skin looked so pale and white (not even pink). Continued on page 9
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Jávea Jeard
Continued from previous page
At Gatwick Airport we had to put everything we’d bought, into cases that already seemed full to capacity, JUST keeping to the 40kgs limit allowed by Easyjet. Security posed no challenge to me and I walked through the ‘archway’ as my anorack, computer and cabin bag went through the x-ray machine. Ann, however, was less fortunate: setting off the alarm in the ‘archway’, that required a ‘pat-down’ by a lady officer, that not only included all the usual places, but running her hands around the inside of Ann’s slacks, in case she had anything fastened around her waist. With a “We have to be sure, you understand?” Ann joined me to go through to the departure lounge. But where was her jacket, computer and cabin bag? Her ‘security check’ had taken so long that we thought it had ‘gone round again’ - but no - we could see it on the other side of a bullet-proof glass division. “Is our stuff round there for any reason?” I asked. The security guy brought it round, placed it on a special mat, looked at his TV screen and asked “Is this yours?” and “Is there anything in it
there shouldn’t be. Ann and I both answered in unison “Yes” and “No.” As he unzipped the lid of the cabin bag, he told us - with the confidence of a man who always believed his instruments: “You’ve left your drink in here!” “I haven’t!” Ann protested. Everyone laughed when we saw it was a bottle of Cadbury’s Chocolate POWDER that had given the impression it was liquid. We can laugh now, but it all seemed very serious at the time. In a few days Ann and I fly to Port Elizabeth in South Africa, to consecrate two new Bishops. It all seems surreal to someone who thought his life would continue to be that of a ‘nobody’ in the town he has chosen to be his home Jávea. Keep your comments coming It’s been encouraging to hear from visitors to Jávea Help Centre (open 6 days a week from 10am till 2pm and at 11am on Sunday for the Morning Service), that they missed the articles that Ann and I used to write about, her memories (Ann) and exploits (me) when we had the Jávea Grapevine. We are grateful for your encouragement and hope you like the evolving Jávea Jeard.
November 2013, Nº 7
Page 9
Let’s Support our local Businesses
If we don’t we won’t have any
DELIVER Store & More A & M Henry will buy and bring things to you, or deliver. Nothing too much trouble, 633 294 509 Helping Hands (J and J)
Personal care, Overnight stays, Ironing, Washing, Light housework, Social occasions, Shopping Tel: 634 735 105 and 660 143 503
Independent Financial Advice Lee Hodges 699 966 914 lee@leehodges.es L P Catering Suplies Everything for restaurants at an affordable price Tel: 96 579 3893 Susana: 607 630 221 Sergio: 647 540 862
Milar Moragues The corner shop with trade prices Av. del Pla 43 Tel: 96 646 1677 www.milar.es
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Office Phone: (leave message if occupied) 96 577 1121 (Accounts Ext. 202, Tech. Help Ext. 220) Sales (Anne): 679 797 473 (General Enquiries) 865 667 123 Providing service to individuals, Urbanisations and Apartment Blocks in Jávea, Moraira, Benissa, Calpe, Benitachell, Gata, Jesús Pobre, Els Poblets and Vergel
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Page 10
November 2013, Nº 7
Let’s Support our local Businesses
If we don’t we won’t have any
MPM Property Repairs Maintanance, Management and Repairs Tel: 96 577 0205 681 005 731
Gail McCafferty NURSE RGN.NMB regd/homologlomised gailm969@gmail.com 667 316 954
Painting and Decorating Pinturas Jaime Ortola 609 677 094 www.pinturasortola.net P C Highway Calle Niza 13 Tel: 96 646 2509 info@pc-highway.com
Pick-up and Deliver Service Covering Alicante to Gandia - they’ll even pay for an item and fetch it. Andrea and Mark 633 294 509
Rent an Officiant For a Wedding, Funeral, Memorial or Thanksgiving occasion: Rev. Clive Read 669 386 702 www.divineservices.org clive@cliveread.com Second-hand furniture store Sheila’s Deals 609 827 753 sheilabond21@gmail.com
Septic (toilet) problems Limpiezas Jávea 608 861 153 www.limpiezasjavea.com Spanish Lessons www.languagecentremoraira.com 699 216 516
Swiss Cable - and much more Tlf: 96 577 1121 www.swisscable.es info@swisscable.es
Taxi www.eurotaxijavea.com reservas@eurotaxijavea.com Card payment OK - Airports - Tours 633 400 044 Tanatorio Jávea Undertaking in your language Tel: 610 204 864
Let’s Support our local Businesses
If we don’t we won’t have any
October Council Meeting Continued from page 3
With the prospect of Sta. Lucia celebrations in December, some trees have been pruned around the ‘floodlight church on the hill’ but the branches need to be removed. When yellow buoys were removed in the bay that separated swimmers from water sport enthusiasts, the contractor checked the quality of water, confirming that there was no unacceptable content, disputing the allegations of environmentalists who believed effluent was being discharged too close to the beach, claiming a pipe had been broken. When the Council meeting is so late in the month, it is difficult for us to provide answers to questions before we meet our publishing deadline, but we are aware of the problem, and want to minimise our shortcoming. If you think you might be affected by any of the points discussed, contact one of the local councillors - or the Help Desk at the Citizens’ Action Office above ‘Clot’ parking - and they will do their best to ensure you have the answers you seek. CR
Collection and delivery of Urgent items in Marina Alta by Sergio Laffitte Tlf. 673 546 193 http://tinyurl.com/ch2txx3 Prices start at 3,50€
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Jávea Jeard
CHRISTMAS PAST and Christmas Presents
We were amased how many readers bought fruit, Veg, packets and tins into Oasis Help Centre for the Harvest Service on 20th October. Most of the donated items were quickly distributed to needy families, and some put aside for ‘Christmas Hampers’. THANK YOU. As a result, Ann has suggested we use the church Christmas tree this year as a focus for people to donate toys (or crackers or food) for Jávea’s needy families this Christmas, New Year and ‘Kings’. We will distribute the items through Peter and Tricia Cox at Harvest Store, and Marcos and Chielo at the Casa de Oracion (House of Prayer). Ann is willing to wrap items for people donating whose fingers are no longer as nimble as they once were, and to supply wrapping paper and labels as well. Let’s prove again that Jávea is a community that cares. Yes, we are an inward-looking people (it’s a sympton of Jávea’s isolation) but a time to say “We look after our own!”
A year in the life of a Spanish town Xabia / Jávea
Words by the late Charlene Quince and photos by Billie Cook is still on sale at HUMPTY DUMPTY (Javea Park) LA RULLA and OASIS HELP CENTRE (both in the Port)
10€
Why not enjoy a nostalgic journey at www.memories-of-javea.com Artist / Photographer Tel: 636 161 941 You can ‘friend me’ on Facebook?
Billie Cook
Jávea Jeard
Copi Shop Online 96 507 4549 and 610 206 042 copishop@yahoo.com
Gaile Griffin Peers www.gaile.biz/web
Grapevine Magazine www.grapevinespain.com/javea
Easy Flatpax (Bringing IKEA to you - the easy way) www.easyflatpax.com Tel: 96 647 0770
Fontana Design www.fontanadesign.eu Tel: 634 419 247
Haweli Restaurant www.hawelispain.com info@hawelispain.com Tel: 677 004 651
Javea Photos Choose from 4,300 photos.
Juan Luis Millet Sancho - Notary Tel 96 592 3522
Lawns in Spain www.lawnsinspain.com Mob: 676 863 778 Skype: lawnsinspain lawnsinspain@yahoo.com
Lifestyle Spain News and Views from around Jávea www.lifestylespain.com
Lucia Rajah Social Media and Tuxedo Hire Landline: +34 96 647 0770
Mai Griffin – Author, Artist www.maigriffin.com Portraits, Still Life and Landscapes. Tel: 96 646 1913
Marina Alta Business Club www.mabusinessclub.com/mabc
Marina Alta Business Community www.marina-abc.com/community
Mike Peers – Creative Design Mike Peers Graphics Design Studio, Tel: 97 646 1913, mike@mikepeers.com
My Destination Alicante Sarah Farrell Locally informed, globally inspired. sarah.farrell@mydestination.com
Online Antiques Review Sharing information on Antiques www.antiquesreview.info
Oscar Ricor – Abogado English speaking regulated Costa Blanca Abogado - operating throughout Spain. Tel: 687 88 88 73 www.ricorabogados.com
Peri Pera Cafe, Jávea Port Bistro Bar, Theme Nights, Private hire for Dinner Parties and Celebrations. Tel: 677 253 488 (Tracy)
Phoenix Computers @ The Sign Shop www.signshopjavea.com info@signshopjavea.com Tel: 96 579 0710
MABC meetings are held once of twice a month but there were no dates or venues at www.mabc.biz
Peter Williamson MA MSc www.lawlesswilliamson.com
Porcelain Painting Club Lavender Studio Hand painted decorative ceramics and porcelain - hand made customised greeting cards - classes - club. Rabbit FX Glenn.tullett@rabbitfx.com
RTN (Round Town News) 50,000 copies every week, reaching 175,000 readers. Colin Rich - Tel: 607 553 870
Solar in Spain Time to turn to solar Tel/fax: 902 636 570 http://www.solarinspain.com email: info@solarinspain.com
Spectrum Financial Advisers John Hayward www.financialadviceinspain.es
St James Place Wealth Management www.sjpp.co.uk/neilgubbins Specialist financial advice, particularly during periods of volatility and change.
The Art Centre Association, Jávea www.facebook.com/ArtJavea Encouraging beginner and experienced artists in traditional and contemporary arts and crafts.
November 2013, Nº 7
Page 11
Port library and Social Centre finally opens
The new library and social centre, next to the health centre in the Port was recently inaugurated. Work on the project began in March 2011, and was to have been completed by October 2011 by the construction company ECISA for a fixed contract fee under the regional government's "Plan Confianza". The estimated cost at tender had been €1,147,000 and ECISA had come in at €831,000. (In July 2011 the company put in a claim for unforeseen price increases on materials). The Town has occupied the building but not yet officially taken it over since if it does, it loses the right to claim the €200,000 cost difference which it needs to improve the building. The Town Hall has already had to spend €8,000 to connect the building to the sewerage and drainage networks - an aspect which was not covered by the project.
The Sign Shop, Javea Computers and Websites www.signshopjavea.com info@signshopjavea.com Tel: 96 579 0710
Tom Parkinson www.jacksons-group.com Chartered Accountants
TV Satellite Equipment & Installation Peter Hoffer www.tvsateq.com Electronic repairs since 1972. Tel: 96 646 1662 & 630 352 172
U P Publications Ltd Designers and authors publisher and adviser.
Sadly, shelves intended for books in other than Castillian Spanish and Valencian are all empty and when I asked a member of the library staff if English books could be donated, I was told “Yes not not yet.”
UKTV4U 10€ monthly. No contract, http://www.uktv4u.com
Wising UP! Online www.wising-up.co.uk
Jávea Jeard and Oasis Help Centre is pleased to support the aims of MABC and publish the names and contact information for their members. We are happy to promote local businesses, in this ‘old-fashioned’ and ‘traditional’ magazine if they contact: editor@javeajeard.com
I thought it best to ask permission before taking a photo of current PSOE Mayor talking to the former PP Mayor, but they were both happy, not only chatting away to each other, but to be photographed at the opening of a project that began with one and came to fruition with the other. CR
Jávea’s ‘Jolly Swag Man’ Jávea Jeard
Page 12 November 2013, Nº 7
The first time I met Tarick was when I still had some spare cash - having been swindled by BNP Paribas of 280.000€uros - and I was looking for an investment that was ‘rock solid’. On Facebook I kept seeing references to a shop where they bought gold - ‘swag’ as they called it - and met a man I found utterley charming, but with a physique that not only would frighten me on a dark night, but whom I’d try to avoid in daylight - until I got to know him better. Yes, he could sell me Kilo gold ingots but I soon realised I’d have a problem with where to keep it. Another man had offered to buy gold for me, look after it for me, and use it on the stockmarket to make me more money. That sounded even riskier than BNP Paribas had been. I didn’t buy gold nuggets from Tarick, but I did buy an iPhone 4S (that was subsequently stolen by an opportunist thief as I opened-up the church on a Sunday morning), and Tarick gave me a good rate when I needed to exchange £ and €uros. I had so many questions about him. He seemed “too good to be real” so I decided to see if I could unearth the truth about ‘the Jávea swag man’.
It’s an unusual name? It’s my real name and given to my parents, like any other child’s name. They brought me from where I was born in London, to Calpe when I was 15, and they opened a Lebanese restaurant. They had the restaurant for 13 years and my first job was as a barman.
Where do you live? I live with my wife and children in Calpe, but chose to open ‘Gold Rush’ in Jávea because I think there is wisdom in not working from the area where you live. Like so many before me, I chose Jávea to give me a ‘new start’ - away from people I might have removed from licensed premises because they were unable to handle the drinks they’d drunk.
But why Gold? A friend had a gold shop in Alicante and one day when I went there, I was fascinated and curious that one could make money - and friends - by buying and selling gold, often that was broken or jewellery that the owner no longer wore.
So? I recognised the need for research, so I took an 18k chain my friend had valued, and visited all the jewellers and gold buyers I could find, asking ‘Is this real and what’s it worth?’ Not one of them offered me anything like the price my Alicante friend said it was worth as ‘scrap’ to be smelted down. I consider myself quite worldly and knowledgable and realised that most people have even less - or no knowledge than me, and were unaware that they were being offered far less than this commonly owned asset was worth. I realised there was a golden opportunity (excuse the pun) waiting to be exploited. Check the quality, weigh the amount, do the sums, and there’s another rejoicing customer.
What next? I started off using Facebook to make lighthearted joke type adverts letting everyone know that a broken bracelet could equal a weekend away and it has taken off massively. The shop on Jávea Arenal is busy weekday mornings and I travel throughout the area, and even down to Murcia, to meet people in their homes who are unhappy travelling with their ‘swag’ to visit me in Jávea. Some people want to buy jewellery items even before I’ve had the opportunity to melt it down, and it’s like rehoming a puppy - to have hopefully found it a new home. I became interested in quality watches as well, but nothing is allowed to jeopardise the most important facet of my business life - having a completely flawless reputation.
And to relax As a family we enjoy a diverse range of food and I try to eat out as often as I can, and that’s often enjoying Indian!! I work hard and have always admired people with a massive work ethic who find time for their families and I aspire to be the same. I like going to the gym, boxing and keeping fit, eating out and shopping for clothes! The majority - probably 80% of my clients are female, because it is them that have the swag!! It always upsets me when I have to tell them their ‘ex’ gave them jewellery that was ‘pretty’ but ‘worthless’.
And the future People suggest I should expand - and with customers travelling from as far away as Madrid I can appreciate the temptation, but protecting my reputation might then be out of my hands. I’m looking at having a jeweller working here and at the many requests to be a currency dealer. My client base grows every day presenting many opportunities - but none outweighs the need to treat people ‘right’ and ‘fair’ and close each day with more friends than I had that morning.
GEORGE AND SHEILA
George and Sheila, lived in a mobile home park. He was a widower and she a widow and they had known one another for a number of years. At supper one evening, finding themselves at the same table, George made several admiring glances at Sheila and he finally gathered his courage to ask her, "Sheila, will you marry me?" After about five seconds of careful consideration, Sheila answered. "Yes. Yes, I will." Next morning, George was troubled: "Did she say 'yes' or did she say 'no'?" He couldn't remember. Try as he would, he just could not recall. It was with some trepidation that he telephoned Sheila, firstly, explaining he didn't remember as well as he used to. Then he reviewed the lovely evening past. As he gained confidence, George asked "Sheila, when I asked if you would marry me, did you say 'Yes' or did you say 'No'?" George was delighted to hear Sheila say, "I said, 'Yes, yes I will' and I meant it with all my heart." Then she continued, "I am so glad that you called, because I couldn't remember for the life of me who had asked."
Jávea Jeard
APPROVED PROJECTS for 2014
Listed according to estimated cost 1
Buy chairs and tables for use by different associations 2200€ 2 Fence around sports hall 4,500€ 3 Re-equip 27 climbing 5,120€ 5th pitches at Ambolo and Sta Lucia 4 Artificial grass on Avda. Paris Roundabout 7,500€ 5 Multi-purpose area for young people 8,000€ 6 Artificial grass on 13,400€ Palmela/Fontana roundabouts 7 Making safe, area around Principe de Asturias wall 13,500€ 8 Artificial grass on roof of Registro 29,500€ 9 Climbing wall on outside 1st of Trinquete Court 31,000€ 10 3km of anti 4a jellyfish net 45,000€ 11 Plants for municipal parks and garden areas 50,000€ 12 Resurfacing Av. Juan Carlos 3rd (erasing confusing lines) 55,000€ 13 Sports area for the Arenal 57,734€ 14 Replace playground Eqp. 90,000€ 15 Underground rubbish bins in Jávea Park 70,000€ 16 Improvements to Frontenis court 79,618€ 17 Roof the Amuda RiuRau 2nd and install electricity 85,000€ 18 More children’s parks in Arenal and Port 100,000€ 19 Arenal football 4b ground 150,000€ 20 Convert windmill to a 6th living museum 170,000€ 21 Athletics area/track 240,000€
22 projects (1-21) were shortlisted by Townhall staff as qualifying, feasible and not specifically the responsibility of other Givernment (or private) agencies. Javea Jeard highlighted the need for 12 (road resurfacing) and 20 (creating a living windmill museum) and though the Windmill project won 7th place in the votes, its cost exceeded the 500,000€ budget, so other (less popular but less expensive) projects will be considered. The Windmill project now needs to be the subject of funding from government and educational agencies, in Spain, Europe and Worldwide. It will be a huge Tourism generator, when completed, and should to be promoted by Jávea but funded from further afield.
Agenda 21 Jávea Updates
Adult literacy and numeracy 'among the worst in OECD':
Most still cannot understand an electricity bill, say researchers. Spain has one of the worst adult numeracy and literacy levels in the developed world, according to a report by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The average adult's reading ability means they are unable to understand their electricity bills and cannot make head or tail of classic texts such as Don Quijote. Overall, the country has basic academic levels that are 21 and 19 per cent lower than the average for the OECD in reading comprehension and 23 and 22 per cent lower in maths.
Spain's low productivity problem
The question of productivity has never been seriously addressed in Spain - not when the economy was miraculously booming and not even now when the country is facing record levels of unemployment, a lack of public funds, and financial markets still prone to hitting the panic button. The need to improve productivity is constantly mentioned in speeches and articles, and efforts are made to analyze it, but this key element of competitiveness is among Europe's worst, and Spain's businesses have little idea, other than reducing wages yet further, on how to improve it….. Spain's low productivity is in large part explained by the dominant role of construction and services in the Spanish economy. But it's not the only factor,…. Spain has low productivity and has underinvested in R+D, which holds back competitiveness.
Unemployment up again as the summer season ends
In September, unemployment in the Marina Alta region rose by 884, reflecting the dependence of the region on the tourist sector. 95% of the newly unemployed came from this sector and 60% of these were women. The figure for Jávea was 167 newly unemployed.
November 2013, Nº 7
Page 13
Jávea Jeard is grateful to Chris Jones for compiling the Agenda 21 reports, on which this report is based http://agenda21-xabia.wikidot.com
Promoting the Muscat grape as a regional product
A recent conference in Benitachell showcased the sustainable economic potential of locally grown Muscat grapes. Firstly there has been the initiative of growing the grapes organically, and making quality wines from their juice, (Biomoscatell project), also using the grape and its raisins as ingredients both in local cuisine and innovatively in sauces and chutneys.
Continued on page 17
Jávea Jeard
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in Jávea Port (C/. Toni Llido 5) An announcement for
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Page 14
November 2013, Nº 7
Straight Talking by Lee Hodges, Independent Financial Adviser
Investing for Income
Investing for a sensible income can be quite tricky. Expatriate newspapers are literally littered with financial advisers offering funds which will provide high levels of income, and enticing you with clever phrases and annual statistics, and accompanied by the standard warning ‘the value of your capital could go down as well as up’! Well, to put it to you bluntly (straight talking), if you invest in something with high levels of income, you will lose your money!
Finance is all about head-line rates. When it comes to our savings, the higher the rate offered the more interested we become. So, when an investment company offers a rate of, say, 7% per annum, our eyes light up, our brains start to calculate what this means in monetary terms, and we begin to dream about a higher standard of living. Unfortunately, these dreams only tend to last for a relatively short period of time.
Investing is all about ‘risk and reward’. The higher the reward, or potential reward, the higher the risk. If a fund is offering 7% per annum, when the vast majority of other similar funds are offering around 5%, then this extra return has to come from somewhere. In the main, this will often mean that the investment manager is taking higher risks to secure the head-line or anticipated rate of return. The problem is, that
the investor will not often realise the full extent of the risk until it is too late.
Now the technical bit. One way to determine the risk of a fund is to look at its Standard Deviation and Sharpe Ratio. Standard deviation measures how widely the actual return on an investment varies around its average or expected return. The greater the standard deviation, the greater the volatility and therefore the risk associated. The Sharpe ratio is a measure of the risk-adjusted return of an investment. It measures the excess return for every unit of risk that is taken in order to achieve the return. In essence, the higher the Sharpe ratio the better the return on an investment compensates an investor for the risk taken. A negative Sharpe ratio indicates that a risk-free asset would have performed better than the investment being analysed (or held in your portfolio). When establishing your portfolio, you must determine the level of risk to your capital. If the returns proffered appear high, it could be that the underlying risk is higher than you would normally feel comfortable with. I would also
Peri Pera
Jávea Jeard
suggest that you look to avoid Funds with the word ‘high’ in them, for example, High Yield Fund or High Income Fund. This does effectively mean that you will be investing in assets with high volatility and potentially high negative returns. Of course, it does also mean your overall return could be positive, but you must look at the risk and thus the potential downside. If you are a cautious or low risk investor, do not put all your money into high yielding/income funds. Whilst there are occasions when these funds do provide a good return, they are still risky asset classes.
For more information about how you can invest with confidence, visit my web-site www.leehodges.es, call or email me as shown below.
LEE HODGES CERTPFS HAS LIVED AND WORKED IN SPAIN FOR OVER 16 YEARS. HE IS CURRENTLY SITTING THE DIPLOMA IN REGULATED FINANCIAL PLANNING. FOR TRULY PROFESSIONAL FINANCIAL ADVICE, CALL LEE ON 966 463 876, OR EMAIL HIM AT LEE@LEEHODGES.ES INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THIS ARTICLE DOES NOT CONSTITUTE ADVICE, AND IS FOR INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY. THE AUTHOR TAKES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ACTION TAKEN AS A RESULT OF THIS ARTICLE. E&OE.
Avda de Los Fueros 1 (next to the Dolphin roundabout) JÁVEA PORT
Opening hours:
10.00 - 24.00 - Closed Saturdays
Tastes from around the world by our new French Chef Enjoy our traditional SUNDAY ROAST to order on our private sunny terrace from 10am - 3pm Tapas from 10am - 11pm
Birthday and other Celebrations
Dinner Parties
Ideal venue for your next special occasion or a pleasant ‘eat out’
You’re assured of good advice and top-notch service, food & value from Tracy on 677 253
488
Jávea Jeard
BEST VALUE SALE PROPERTIES APARTMENTS
Immaculate duplex apartment with secure basement parking and terrace with views to the Montgo. 3 beds, 2 bath. Close to amenities and beaches. €150,000 Ref: HO232058 Immaculate, quality apartment with basement parking, 2 beds, 2 bath, store room close to amenities and Arenal beach in Jávea, set in a gated complex with communal pool, gardens and gymasium. €185,000 Ref: HO232400 Spacious, renewed, ground floor apt, 3 beds, 2 bath, close to all Jávea amenities and beaches, community pool and gardens, basement parking. €225,000 Ref: HO232380 Character property with amazing views to the bay of Jávea and surrounding mountains. 2 beds, 1 bath, €285,000 Ref: HO232091
TOWNHOUSE
Totally reformed townhouse in historic centre of Jávea old town. Underfloor heating, hot/cold air conditioning, double glazing, spacious rooms. 3 beds, 2 bath. €275,000 Ref: HO232379
VILLAS
Immaculate villa, 3 beds, 2 bath, close to Benitachell, private pool, off road parking, double glazing, underfloor heating, alarm system, easy maintenance plot, nice views. €219,950 Ref: HO232385 South facing detached villa on flat plot, private gardens and pool area, integral garage and workshop, ample storage space, 5 minutes from Arenal beach. 3 beds, 2 bath €320,000 Ref: HO232333 South facing four bedroom, 3 bath, detached villa set on flat corner plot, with easy kept garden, open views, private pool, garage and ample parking. €345,000 Ref: HO232365 Well maintained villa, 3 beds, 2 bath with beautiful views to Montgo mountain and valley. 10 x 5m. pool, summer kitchen, garage. €369,950 Ref: HO232295 Well presented villa with sea and Montgo mountain views, close to Jávea and amenities, private pool, separate guest apartment. 5 beds, 3 bath. €375,000 Ref: HO232373
Erreos & Omissions Excepted
November 2013, Nº 7
Page 15
Jávea’s Pro-Active estate agency - we go the ‘extra mile’ to ensure, whether vendor, buyer or renter you recommend us to your friends
Reformed villa with Montgo mountain backdrop. Private pool, summer kitchen, garage, ample parking, separate accommodation connected to the main living area. 5 Bed, 4 bath. €395,000 Ref: HO232248 Character villa with separate guest apartment, 5 bedrooms in total, 5 bathrooms, summer kitchen and private pool. €420,000 Ref: HO232389 Detached villa with good views to Jávea bay and Montgo mountain. Double garage, beautiful gardens, 10 x 5 metre pool. 5 beds, 3 bath. €449,000 Ref: HO232356 Well maintained and presented villa, just 5 minutes from Jávea and Benitachell in a rural area. Independent annexe which would be ideal as an office, gym, studio etc. 5 beds, 4 bath, €495,000 Ref: HO232299 Elegant style villa, 3 beds 2 bath, in landscaped gardens, summer kitchen, private pool and Washington palms, in prestigious area of residential detached villas. Secure parking with integral garage. €525,000 Ref: HO232344 Five bedroom detached villa in quiet residential area, fabulous panoramic views of Montgo mountain. 3 bath, large poolside terrace with quality fitted summer kitchen, bar and adjoining thatched cabana, garage and ample parking. €575,000 Ref: HO232372 Renovated finca just 0.5kms from the village of Jesus Pobre and 7kms from Jávea and Denia. 5 beds, 3 bath,lLots of character, many special features. €595,000 HO232207 Country villa reformed to a quality finish. Olive and almond trees, Stables, paddock private pool, summer kitchen, Montgo mountain views. 4 beds, 4 bath. €795,000 Ref: HO232112
RENTALS
Modern top floor west and south facing apartment, basement parking, store room, furnished, central heating, hot-cold air-con, community pool, views to Montgo mountain. €450 month. Ref: HOR232320 LONG LET Available now!! First floor three bedroom, 2 bath apartment, located between Port and Old town of Jávea. Close to all amenities, communal pool, unfurnished and u’ground parking. LONG TERM RENTAL!!! €550 month Ref: HOR232391 LONG TERM Spacious duplex 3 beds, 2 bath apartment close to all amenities. Furnished, radiator heating, hot and cold air-con, community pool, pets allowed. €600 month. Ref: HOR232306 WINTER RENT - available 1st Oct. 2013 - 31 March 2014. Well presented and tastefully furnished corner, 3 bed, 2 bath, ground floor apartment close to amenities and beach in port area of Jávea. Basement parking and store room, cable T.V. €700 Month Ref: HOR232398 As new three bedroom top floor apartment, distant sea views, convenient location, close to all amenities, parking available, unfurnished, available immediately for Long Let. €850 month. Ref: HOR232367 Detached villa, sea views, unfurnished or furnished, pets allowed, 4 beds, 3 bath, garage, storage space. €1200 month includes garden/ pool maintenance. Available 1st week Nov. 2013. Ref: HOR232190. LONG TERM RENTAL!! Quality villa with hot/cold air conditioning, central heating, 3 beds, 2 bath, furnished, big store room, pets allowed. Price includes pool and garden maintenance. €1800 month Ref: HOR232239
This is a SMALL selection (yes, we know the pictures are small - but they are better than nothing) from our database of over 1300 properties.
Av. Lepanto 2, Edif. Puerto Real, 03730 Jávea Port - Tel: 96 579 0803 LOOKING TO BUY, SELL or RENT in JÁVEA AREA? Your time is precious - so contact the pro-active Estate Agency for reliable advice - with their service that sells. English, Spanish, French, Dutch and German spoken and understood eMail: info@javea-hamiltons.net www.javea-hamiltons.net
Woman to Woman
Page 16
Jávea Jeard
November 2013, Nº 7
(but men are welcome)
TIME CHANGES THINGS
On November 20th 1985, my husband Clive and I left Shirebrook in Derbyshire, to the waves and shouts of goodbye from residents and staff of the Residential Care Home we had owned and managed for four years and which had also been our home. It was sad to be leaving 'Ivy Lodge' and our friends but we were excited at the prospect of a new life in Spain. Rusty our golden labrador and Snowie our (black) labrador collie were safely tucked up in blankets on the back seat of our car and we were ready for our journey down to Plymouth where we were to spend our last night in England, before sailing to Santander the next morning. The journey was uneventful but the dogs did give us some concern while we were on the ferry. I had taken a bucket, brush, dustpan, disinfectant and bottles of water ready to clear up any mess they made on the car deck, but neither of them would do anything, not even to spend a penny! When we arrived at Santander 24 hours later, we stopped at the first convenient place and gave them a run and boy were they relieved! We spent the first three weeks in our holiday villa in Adsubia, but on the 13th December we completed the purchase of our new home on the other side of Jávea in Seniola. It was the property that six years later, the Lady Elizabeth School rented from us for many years for their primary school. When we left the UK the weather had been cold, wet and gloomy and the sunshine and warmth of Jávea was a real change. The dogs loved their new home. There was a large garden for them to run around in and during the day, if we had to go out, we were able to leave the door to the glazed in naya open so they could go in and out as they pleased. Jávea in 1985 was a very different place than that of today. There
the welcome return of
Ann Read
after a 5-year ‘rest’
were no shops that sold UK food and when we returned to the UK for holidays we would come back laden with all the essentials needed to survive in a foreign country. Tea bags were always top of our list, followed by bacon, oxos, tinned beans and a host of other things. When we had visitors come to stay with us, they always contacted us beforehand to find out what we wanted them to bring over for us and bacon was always a firm favourite. There was no Quicksave or Iceland where virtually anything you can possibly want is now available and if you had asked me in those early days what I most missed from the UK, I would have told you the range of frozen ready meals and bread that were available in the UK and English television programmes. So imagine my delight when first Quicksave, then Iceland came to Jávea and all the food I had craved for became available. The roads were much quieter in those days. July and August were always much busier when the people from Madrid and other parts of Spain came to Jávea to spend time in their holiday homes, but when the second weekend of September arrived, everything became tranquil again and the heavy traffic disappeared overnight. There were very few homes with a telephone and people paid a deposit and went on waiting lists for years. Fortunately we had one in our new home, I don't think Clive would have bought it if there hadn't been one! When telephones became more readily available, the people that had paid a deposit and were on the waiting list, lost their deposit and had to pay for the new installation in full!! Three months after we "retired!" from the UK, we were bored out of our minds with having nothing to do!!! So we went into partnership with a friend known as "Ted the Talk" (Ted Evans who, with his wife Maggie, built the apartment block and launderette opposite Mas y Mas in the Arenal), to import and install satellite systems. People were prepared to pay more than £2,000 (in 1986) for a 2.4 metre dish, LNB and receiver, to be able to watch CNN and ONE film channel. How
technology has changed over the years, now most of us receive many of the UK channels by one of the many options available. Of course, one sad change in the area is the wave of migration the other way, and over the years we have seen a number of friends and neighbours return to the UK. Not as many as you would expect - at the time - but looking back there have been many, due in the main, to declining health and the inability to communicate with medical staff. We also found that women in particular that had grandchildren in the UK found it very difficult to be so far away from the family, and eventually, they packed up and returned. Nowadays there is a deluge of people going back to the UK, unable to earn money in Spain, and such poor investment income that every month is a struggle. Many more would have left Jávea, had they been able to sell their homes here. Sometimes people who have lived here for many years, some longer than I have, moan to me about the way things have changed but time moves on and progress with it.
I love living in Jávea. Yes, things have changed, but this is still Paradise to me. What is the alternative? I have just returned from a week's holiday in the UK and would NOT like to return there!!!! The roads are a nightmare. We arrived in Gatwick very late on the
Continued on page 21
Peter Ayling
Still here when others have left Tel.: 96 646 0933 Mob.: 616 375 608 It only costs
10€ a month
to promote YOUR NAME in a space this size in Jávea Jeard - the magazine Jávea people are talking about and READ. Tel: 669 386 702 or call and see Clive at the Oasis Help Centre.
Jávea Jeard Agenda 21 updates
Continued from page 13
"Supercell" Thunderstorm brings hail damage to Jávea Golf, Benitachell, and Moraira/Teulada
An article in Las Provincias noted that Oct 4th - St Francis day, often denotes a change in the weather. Parts of Jávea got the full blast. Earlier, local meteorologist, Toni Bolufer (MeteoXàbia) remarked that a storm was building up in the interior ..and could be heading our way. By 7.00pm a short, violent deluge of large (golfball +) hailstones hammered some of Jávia's southerly urbanisations near the golf course. The hail also affected Benitachell and Teulada / Moraira. There were tales of dented cars, smashed windscreens, broken tiles and gutters. This kind of large hail is apparently more common inland, not on the coast. But this is the second such storm in recent months, one hitting areas near Orba with large hail in May and leaving Jávea's Arenal beach white as snow.
Town hall cuts fire breaks at Tossal Gros
Jávea’s department of the environment has begun work on a 50m wide fire break in the Tossal Gros area in an attempt to hinder forest fires and protect housing on Tesoro Park and la Mandarina from fires in the dense forest behind. This comes in the wake of fires starting in the Tarraula area over the past few years.
Plan for the worst case flooding scenario
At a conference in Calpe, Prof Jorge Olcina of Alicante University recommended that the worst case scenario should be the benchmark in planning for flood defences in the Marina Alta area. Jávea has the Spanish record for the most rain in 24 hours at 871mm in 1957. He noted that 200 mm in one and a half hours could cause a disaster, and that this area is prone to torrential downpours. Urban development had blocked off the natural river mouths in Calpe and Jávea, and that of the Girona river.
Barriers to demolishing illegal buildings in Spain
Five years after Spain's construction bubble spectacularly burst, the Environment Ministry says it is facing "serious problems" when it comes to demolishing thousands of buildings throughout the country that contravene planning laws, but were given the green light by local councils often in cahoots with property developers.
Owners of condemned properties are using delaying tactics to put off the arrival of the wrecking ball for as long as possible. When it comes to stopping a demolition order from going ahead, the courts have discovered that people will go to just about any lengths. In the four years that on average it takes to carry out a demolition order, officials say that they have come upon a wide range of ruses, from the case of an illegally constructed property on agricultural land that the owner said was the offices of his bee-keeping business, to more complex scams such as faking photographs to make it look as though a building had been knocked down. Greenpeace says there are at least 50,000 houses along the coast in Valencia that lack the necessary permits or that contravene zoning laws.
The clash of Spain’s culture and business
Newcomers to Spain are often confronted by the leisurely way of Spanish life, and if expatriate weblogs were any indicator, Spain’s business culture would be characterised by siestas and slowness. Yet this Spanish stereotype belies a hard-working culture long established in Spain’s major cities and large companies. The transition is not yet consistent across the country, smaller companies still struggle to operate in a country where culture clashes with modernised work schedules. The continued practice of closing for summer holidays stands against Spain’s economic contraction of 1.6 per cent in the second quarter, and one of the highest unemployment rates in Europe at 26.6 per cent. A lot of companies aren’t closing any more during August because they’re scared they won’t be around in September. But in the near future it will change more because the world is changing and it’s just not effective to be closed for even two weeks,
Amjasa signs R&D agreement with Polytechnic University
Jávea's municipal water company has entered into a research and development agreement with the Polytechnic University of Valencia. UPV will carry out a nine month study and audit of the water distribution system and energy usage and develop a mathematical model of the supply network. This will enable the relocation of pressure reducing valves which minimise leakage, and enable a reduction in the energy needed to distribute water throughout the town's hilly municipality. It is hoped these actions will halve current energy use. The work covered
November 2013, Nº 7
Page 17
by this agreement will be carried out by the Engineering and Water Technology group (ITA) of UPV which has extensive experience in the field and will be directed by Enrique Cabrera, Professor of Fluid Mechanics. ITA researchers will work with AMJASA technicians so they can apply these skills and strategies to other parts of the network. This agreement will also help meet a strategic objective of the University: i.e. to transmit knowledge for applied use in the field.
Spanish government sued over Solar Energy reform
Spanish conglomerate Abengoa has decided to take legal action against the Spanish government for the reduction in the premium rates paid for thermosolar energy in its reform of the domestic electricity sector. The Seville-based company has decided to take its complaint not only to the Spanish courts but also abroad, given that some of its thermosolar plants are owned by a company called CSP Equity Investment, which is registered in Luxembourg. As a result it is seeking international arbitrage of its dispute with the conservative Popular Party Government…. company sources indicated (compensation) would be around 60 million euros for each year in which the dispute is not resolved. Abengoa's solar energy division accounts for about a quarter of total group revenues. The concessions it has with the government are for 40 years. Continued on page 18
Casa Segura Locksmiths
We have been made aware of two separate incidents where tourists have picked up their hire cars at the airport and had them broken into in supermarket car parks, on the way to their destination. The suitcases were the give away. These robberies took place at Carrefour in Benidorm, and Lidl, here in Jávea. So please warn your guests. Another robbery took place on the Montgo, where the Villa was left open, while the family were around the pool. Fortunately the ipads etc had trackers, and the Guardia recovered them and a stash of similar items in a nearby villa. Lock up, even if you're around the pool. Protect your property this summer! For a free site survey or free security review, call
Carl Barclay
to make an appointment (+34) 659 853 645 www.locksmithspain.net Avenida del Pla 116 (Arenal)
AGENDA 21 Page 18
November 2013, Nº 7
Continued from previous page
Gulleys cleaned and widened for flood prevention
Jávea Town Hall has cleaned, widened and shaped a number of key gulleys such as the Barranco de Lluca (the most risky.. after the Rio Gorgos), the Barranco de Castellans (which was almost lost among houses and damaged during floods in 1999), Puxol, and Cuesta de San Antonio.
Flu jabs for residents without SIP cards
The regional Health Department has announced that this year it will vaccinate everyone in the high risk groups against flu, for free, whether or not the person has a SIP card. Risk groups are: Those over 60, pregnant women, emergency medical personnel and people with chronic illness (such as diabetes).
Jávea’s upmarket villas
An article in Diarioinformación describes how the seriously rich are building houses in Jávea. People are purchasing 2-4 adjacent plots in prime positions with stunning sea views and building luxury villas priced at over a million Euros. The profile of the buyers has changed and these days Russians have entered the top of the market. Examples given are a 850m2 villa in Cuesta de San Antonio sold for a cool €4.2 million, and a 1,000m villa on a 5,000m plot with three swimming pools in Capsades prced at 5.5€ million.
An October Indian Summer
MeteoXàbia's (www.meteoxabia.com) records show summer temperatures in Jávea during October: Old Town: 32.2C, Port, 31.2C.
Spain looks looks towards "Habitat Banking"
Can you put a price tag on a beech grove? What about a prairie of Posidonia oceanica seagrass? How much money is a bee's pollination work worth? The Spanish government wants to encourage something called habitat banking, or biodiversity banking. It is a controversial concept because it allows developers to offset the environmental impact of their road, building or factory by purchasing an environmental recovery project elsewhere. Similar projects have been underway in the United States since the 1980s.
Make sure you don't fall off the Padrón
The law requiring EU citizens inscribed on the padrón (town register) to renew their commitment every five years was passed in 2008 -five years ago. Non EU residents need to re-register every two years. If they do not renew, they run the
risk of being struck off the list, however an EU citizen who has registered a change of address gets another five years as from that date. The Town hall is sending out letters to everyone who needs to renew, but given the vagaries of the postal system its probably a good idea to check if you're on the register and about to fall off via the Citizen's Advice Office above the Portal del Clot. If you would like to vote in EU elections in Spain, and haven't previously done so, should go to the Citizen's attention Office before Jan 31st 2014. The elections are on May 25th 2014.
Youth Hostel concept arrives in Jávea
Jávea architect Eduardi Diego decided to convert his family's protected 19th Century house into a new type of lodging for Xàbia, a youth hostel - The hostel, on Principe de Asturias, which has been open over the summer sleeps 50, in bedrooms for 4 or 8 people. It retains the traditional facade and charm of the old building, providing every need for guests. To date it has seen visitors of 15 different nationalities.
La Plana windmills to be lit up
The Town Hall has started work to illuminate two of Jávea’s distinctive La Plana windmills (numbers 7 and 8) at night. Lighting will be provided by solar panels and LEDs, and there are security measures to protect the installation from robbers and vandalism. This €20,000 project was voted for by Jávea’s citizens in the 2013 Participatory Budget. It is planned in time to extend lighting to the three other windmills which are municipally owned.
EU environment ministers call for action on climate policy
Thirteen European environment ministers and dozens of business leaders have urged the European Union to adopt “ambitious” energy and climate goals for 2030 to create a low-carbon economy in Europe to spur investment. In a 40-page document released at a green growth conference in Brussels, they also said the 28-nation bloc should reform the structure of the EU’s Emissions Trading System (ETS) and offer a strict emissions cut pledge at a climate summit next autumn.
Property sales up
The first six months of 2013 saw an increase of 24% in house sales over the same period last year. In the 31 municipalities of the Marina Alta region there were 873 transactions. This figure is substantially higher than 701 in 2012. These are the best statistics in the area since 2010 and demonstrate the pull effect of lower prices. Banks have been selling properties with discounts ranging up to 60%.
Jávea Jeard
Tendering for management of the Canal de la Fontana early in the New Year
The Ministry of Infrastructure is drawing up the complex documentation for the tendering of a 30 year management contract of the Canal de la Fontana and its berths. It is expected that the tendering process will take place in the first quarter of 2014. The project foresees some 385 berths, a minimum investment of €4.2 million, and an annual tax of €65,000 payable to the Valencia Government. One main concern is the future status of the slipway at the end of the canal. This is currently used without charge by many boat owners who keep their boats at home. The only other slipway in Jávea is in the Port - and this is closed to the public. Though there is a base for a crane there, the crane has not yet been installed.
Yet another proposal for the Montañar…
Another proposal put forward to the Town Planning Committee (Consell d'Urbanisme) about parking on Montañar 1, is the banning of all parking on the sea-side of the road between the Port and the Parador. Instead the bike lane would be transferred to the sea-side along with a pedestrian way (5m wide) - while cars would be parked on the landward side, either parallel to the pavement, or in chevrons, through in the latter case the road would have to be made one way.
LAST MONTH’S CROSSWORD ANSWERS
TOWING CARAVAN FOR SALE @ 4000€ Lunar Ariva GT - 1998
Chosen by drivers for its narrow profile Imported Spain - 2003
Excellent condition and fully equipped with accessories. Tel: 96 579 5119 (Javea)
Jávea Jeard
Martyn’s Cryptic Xword
SEND YOUR ANSWERS to Jávea Jeard at Apartado de Correos 227, VERGEL 03770 (Alicante) or Oasis Help Centre, C/. Toni Llido 5, Bajo, JAVEA 03730 A winning entry was again received from Lyn, Well done! If there is more than one correct answer, a winner will be selected ‘out-of-a-hat’.
ACROSS
November 2013, Nº 7
7. In which one may have friends round ! (6) 8. As Nero fiddled, it makes sense (6) 9. Regretted sounding impolite (4) 10. Arrests model going around King´s Head with no clothes on (8) 11. Notices faulty component (7) 13. Nabakov´s first love affected the author´s work (5) 15. King and queen about to wed (5) 17. Desperate Dan’s put in this comic ! (5,2) 20. Suggest I have to be optimistic (8) 21. Hat with peak I put on (4) 22. Awful scar from gym class fight (6) 23. Flies I left in jars (6)
Down
Page 19
1. Tune I´m composing - waltz, maybe (6) 2. Skin complaint hypochondriac nervously includes (4) 3. One isn´t faking stress (7) 4. Holiday for judge around end of September (5) 5. Behave like chicken with champion feathers (4,4) 6. Study is nothing to shout about (6) 12. Tramline fixed at depot (8) 14. Try and entice at first (7) 16. Expert getting about a hundred straight away (2,4) 18. Arrogant at university? Shame (6) 19. Sacked if turning socialist (5) 21. Work the land - there may be money in it (4))
The answers to Martyn’s Cryptic Crossword in the October edition are printed on page 18.
Pool Problems?
Page 20
Jávea Jeard
Are you ready for
November 2013, Nº 7
New pumps, filters, lights, timers etc. Filter sand changes, coronation repairs and re-grouts
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All equipment supplied with a written guarantee.
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Not ‘just another restaurant’
‘A Dining Experience’ A la Carte or Menu del Día
C/. Toni Llido, 03730 JAVEA-PORT (on the corner with Virgen de Loreto) Tel: 96 579 4495
More HUMOUR?
ENTRENCHED IN POPPIES
Have you ever stood in a slit trench, stood in the pouring rain Heard it rattling on your helmet, felt it bore into your brain? Felt it seep inside your gas cape like rivulets of ice Go creeping down your body to mingle with the lice? Felt water settle in your boots, felt like a human drain Only your comrades on the line helped to keep you sane? Have you watched a rat go waddling by, sniffing the air Felt somehow it was your friend, why else would it be there? Have you watched him pause to listen and ducked because you knew He’d heard a shell was coming much earlier than you? Have you heard the shrapnel ringing as it flew just past your head Have you heard a comrade scream, felt your heart fill up with dread? One more less for them to shoot at makes you nearer to the dead If ‘they’ had done these things and wondered just what for. Perhaps it would make them think again before going off to war. by Roger May Hayling Island Let us remember “Those” who fought for our Freedom, “Those who survived but wounded in body and soul. “Those” who struggled on without their loved-one’s “those” who are still with us, having done battle twice for our freedom - and now refuse to eat corned beef!
LET US BE THANKFUL LET US NEVER FORGET
Never Argue with a Woman
One morning, the husband returns the boat to their lakeside cottage after several hours of fishing and decides to take a nap. Although not familiar with the lake, the wife decides to take the boat out herself.
She motors out a short distance, anchors, puts her feet up, and begins to read a book. The peace and solitude are magnificent. A Fish and Game Warden in his boat arrives. He pulls up alongside the woman and says, 'Good morning, Ma'am. What are you doing?'
'Reading a book,' she replies, (thinking, 'Isn't that quite obvious?') 'You're in a Restricted Fishing Area,' he informs her. 'I'm sorry, officer, but I'm not fishing. I am reading!'
'Yes, but I see you have all the equipment. For all I know you could start at any moment. I'll have to take you in and write you up a ticket.' 'If you do that, I'll have to charge you with sexual assault,' says the woman.
'But I haven't even touched you,' says the Game Warden.
'That's true, but you have all the equipment. For all I know you could start at any moment.' 'Have a nice day ma'am,' and he left.
MORAL: Never argue with a woman who reads. It's likely she can also think. Charlie Ade Amos
A soldier’s reasoning
General Baldwin had barely arrived in the forward area when a sniper's bullet removed a button from his shirt. He threw himself to the ground in terror. The men stood around with the greatest unconcern. The general yelled at a passing sergeant. "Hey, isn't somebody going to kill that darned sniper?" The sergeant looked down at the general and replied: "I guess not, general. We're scared that if we kill him, the enemy will replace him with somebody who really knows how to shoot." \
Jávea Jeard Continued from page 16
Woman to Woman
Tuesday, stayed the night in the Travelodge and left at 11.30 the next morning for our drive up to Featherstone in Yorkshire to spend time with my sister and her husband. According to TomTom, we should have arrived at 3.30pm but it was gone 6pm when we finally arrived having spent two hours without moving in a traffic jam because a lorry had turned over and spilled its diesel out on the M1. That wasn't the only holdup we had, traffic just comes to a stop for no apparent reason, then moves on at a snail's pace. When Clive was talking to a friend later on the telephone, she said the roads are always like that, it takes ages to get anywhere! Yes, during the 28 years that we have lived in Jávea, things have changed drastically, some for the better and some for the worse, but the sunshine and warm weather make up for all the downside. I had a swim this afternoon, probably the last of the season because the water has dropped to 19 degrees, but to be able to swim in November can't be all bad. But I do enjoy my visits back to the UK, this last one in particular. The reason for our visit was to see family and friends and to attend the Installation of Clive as the Metropolitan Archbishop of the Anglican Indepenent Communion Worldwide. We spent Thursday with our granddaughter Anna, Chris and our two great grandsons Cameron and Cian. It was a delightful day and they were all so pleased to see us. Anna (who attended Lady Elizabeth and Vicente Tena schools until taken back to the UK by her mother) had prepared a magnificent banquet of sandwiches, pork pies, sausage rolls, baked potatoes with different fillings, savouries and cakes, and when the boys returned home from school we all tucked in. They are a lovely family and it is obvious that they love and miss us very much and it was a wrench when it was time to say goodbye. Anna gave us a bag she had packed with a variety of food and drink for our journey the next day. When we left Anna's home our next stop was the Travelodge in Milton Keynes for the AICW ceremony which took place on the Saturday evening. A friend of ours, Bruce, from Texas came over for the ceremony and he was Installed as AICW Archbishop of the United States. Both Clive and Bruce looked very grand and relaxed. It was a very moving ceremony and we found the people in the church very welcoming and friendly.
Our Nephew Dan, his wife Lorraine and two children Naomi and Hannah travelled up from their home in Faringdon for the ceremony and decided to make a holiday break in the Novotel, complete with heated swimming pool. It was wonderful to see them and afterwards when we all went out for a celebratory meal they presented us with presents, chocolates, mince pies and cards. Next morning we joined them at their hotel for a full English breakfast, before they travelled home. Dan - like Clive - has lost a lot of weight (even more than Clive) and it is not easy for a Read to lose weight, they enjoy their food too much! It occurred to me as I wrote these words, that Clive has lost close to 20Kgs - the weight of the suitcase that we could scarcely lift on to the scales. Hard to imagine - but the facts don’t lie. Monday we left Milton Keynes and drove down to Eastbourne to see our friend John. We gave Bruce a lift to Heathrow on the way because he had a very early flight back the next morning and bad weather was forecast. John had been our Pastor 40 years ago when we lived in Mosborough on the outskirts of Sheffield. He lives in a retirement home in Eastbourne and I must say if I ever had to return to the UK for medical reasons, I would love to live there. He moved there about 6 years ago with his wife Hilda after a stroke which left him paralyzed down his left side. Sadly, Hilda died 3 years ago but John copes very well on his own. We found him in the lounge bowling with other residents and after a welcome cup of tea, John took us back to his room for a chat. Next morning it was last minute shopping before our flight in the afternoon. It's always good to be away, but it's better to be back home in my own bed!
Cycling with Granddaughter
Out Cycling one day with my eightyear-old granddaughter, Carolyn, I got a little wistful. "In ten years," I said, "you'll want to be with your friends and you won't go walking, biking, and swimming with me like you do now." Carolyn shrugged. "In ten years you'll be too old to do all those things anyway."
Weather Forecaster
To tell the weather, go to your back door and look for the dog. If the dog is at the door and he is wet, it's probably raining. But if the dog is standing there really soaking wet, it is probably raining really hard. If the dog's fur looks like it's been rubbed the wrong way, it's probably windy. If the dog has snow on his back, it's probably snowing. Of course, to be able to tell the weather like this, you have to leave the dog outside all the time, especially if you expect bad weather. Sincerely, the CAT
November 2013, Nº 7
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There’s a new warmth about Scallops new venue, situated on land between the original premises and Barclays Bank. Breakfast on the seafront premises did not begin until 11am and finished quite naturally - at 1pm (time for lunch). When Breakfast was available from 9.30am, we were able to enjoy a lovely English breakfast, and still be at the Oasis Help Centre for 10am opening. It’s less convenient for me now that the start of breakfast has been delayed until 10.30 - but it’s their business, and their decision. They offer some very attractive ‘one-plate’ meals that include a bottle of Pepsi (or was it Coca) and have added roast beef to the options for Sunday lunch. Free bottle of plonk and free breakfast vouchers were an added attraction on some menus. CR
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The Annual Subscription for 2014 (rest of 2013 is free) is 12€ in Spain, and £20 (UK cheque to C & A Read) to UK. Send to: Apartado de Correos 227 03770 VERGEL (Alicante) Spain Further details available from: clive@cliveread.com or phone 669 386 702 (daytime)
Jávea Jeard
Jávea Jeard
Page 22 November 2013, Nº 7
about Comet ISON?
Over the centuries comets have been labelled by many cultures as a bad sign and the arrivals of these celestial bodies have often been linked to misfortunate events here on earth such as earthquakes, tsunamis and other natural disasters. Each year short period comets, those that take less than 200 years to complete one orbit around the sun, do regularly pass by the earth and without issue but unfortunately most of us will never see these objects as they are just too dim as to be seen by the unaided eye.
So, what is Comet ISON?
Like all comets this celestial body is similar in appearance to a big dirty snowball and is made up from rocky material, dust, ice and frozen gases. These bodies are believed to be the left over material from the formation of our solar system and it is likely they reside in two areas of space. The short period comets come from the Kuiper belt, a region between Mars and Jupiter and the longer period comets, those incidentally that have an orbit period of over 200 years, come from a place we call the Oort cloud, although we have no evidence about the actual existence of the Oort cloud but we do know that these longer period comets do orbit far beyond Pluto. When a comet is nudged from its orbit by the gravitational pull of a passing planet or star then it either falls away and out of our solar system forever or heads in towards the sun. As it nears the sun so the head (nucleus) begins to brighten as the frozen gases erupt into jets which form around the nucleus. The solar wind then stretches out these jets to form the characteristic comet tails which can span into space for millions of kilometres. The jets can also provide us with colours of green and blue hues which when seen in the night sky can give the comet a ghostly appearance. Comet ISON is now heading very near to the sun, it has been travelling towards the sun for the last 10,000 years but was only discovered last September by two astronomers who observed it using the International Scientific Optical Network (ISON), hence the comet’s name. If it survives the journey around the sun then we could see a very bright and spell binding natural object in the morning and evening sky from the end of November and possibly during the
day time in December. It is said that this comet could become another Great Comet adding to the hall of fame along with other Great Comets recorded in the years of 1680, 1744, 1843, 1882, 1910, 1927, 1965, 1976 and 2007. Providing the comet orbits the sun and does not break up, the prediction for naked eye viewing starts on the morning of 29th November around 7:30am, looking East - South East, which is in the direction of the rising sun. At sunset the comet will be seen setting in the west and it is likely the tail of the comet maybe viewed for a few hours after sundown. The comet should be visible throughout December but will fade as the comet heads back out into the deep freeze of space. We should also point out that as the comet is very near to the sun you should not use binoculars or telescopes as you may suffer permanent damage to your eyes. This is Comet ISONS first encounter with the sun and the predicted return is by Ian Amer in 110,000 years. The photograph is an illustration of how the comet might look over Jávea at sunset towards the end of November.
Did you hear about the doctor?
During a lady's medical examination, the doctor says:- "Your heart, lungs, pulse and blood pressure are all fine. Now let me see the bit that gets you ladies into all kinds of trouble." The lady starts taking off her underwear but is interrupted by the doctor.
"No! No! Don't remove your clothes... Just stick out your tongue!"
PORT APARTMENT
Quality Apartment in Port, close to sea and all amenities. Cherrywood Kitchen, 3 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms, Hot/Cold Air Conditioning. Large parking space. All year-round tenancy.
(Retired couple preferred)
696 767 349
and ask for JULIE
Give your car a BOOST If you have Scallops vouchers you are unable to use, you can leave them in the box outside the OASIS CENTRE (in C/. Toni Llido, at the rear of La Caixa bank) and we will see that their value is not wasted. It costs you nothing to give away what you cannot use.
Unleash its true potential
Fast and efficient remapping service Increase BHP & torque by up to 35% Reduce fuel cost by up to 30% Good saving or your money back also AIR-CON RECHARGE Mobile Service
GARY WILLAS Tel: 652 196 274
Jávea Jeard
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2014 CALENDAR
So many people have asked, that we’ve decided to publish a Jávea Views CALENDAR featuring views of Jávea (rural, town, harbour and beach) spiral bound and ready to post. All images by local photographers
9th October awards
Jávea celebrated the 775th Anniversary of the birth of the Kingdom of Valencia - when King Jaume I of Aragon took Valencia from the Moors, with awards to two men with overseas birth connections. The ‘Solidarity’ award was given to ISVH, a group of mostly Swiss and German residents of Balcon al Mar and Calpe, who wanted to ensure their views as owners and ratepayers were not overlooked. One suspects that the award was made to reflect that the ISVH team of volunteer firefighters is Jávea’s first line of protection against fire. The award was accepted by current President Eric Brenner.
at the OASIS CENTRE C/. Toni Llido 5 (next to the Port branch of La Caixa)
6 €uros each
We lead where others follow
for
4€ per pack
Full range of Christmas Cards at 1€ each on display by the end of November. Help Centre C/. Toni Llido 5 behind La Caixa
Your ONE-STOP shop in the Port
DOMESTIC Companionship and Conversation Cleaning, Housework & Gardening Laundry/Ironing/ Linen Change Shopping and Meal Planning Help with paperwork Phone calls in Spanish TRANSPORT Appointments and Airport Trips Local Shopping, Excursions Accompanied Visits
HOSPITAL We keep Appointments with You Basic Care when you are in Hospital Translation and Interpretation Post-Hospital care in your home FAMILY Maintaining contact with family Respite care or sitting service
SPECIALIST Health Insurance / Funeral Planning Household Insurances
All profits used for support of the local church in Jávea
Christmas Card Packs 10, 12, 16, 20, 30, 40 cards, with envelopes
When you need domestic support - you need ShareCare
HEALTH Support to quit Smoking, eat Healthy or Weight Management Stress Management Emotional Wellbeing
ASK TO SEE A SAMPLE
HUGE RANGE
Page 23
The award to the individual in respect of ‘Civic Values’ was made to a Spaniard whose mother was British, Paco Reus Boyd-Swann, a philologist and professor, originally in Jávea, but now with UNED in Denia and many of his students - including Mayor José Chulvi who made the presentations were present in a gathering that exceeded the capacity of the Council Chamber. It is hoped that, next year, if the winners are so popular, there will be a TV screen in the reception area so those in the ‘overflow’ can see as well as hear what is happening. CR
Short Term Long Term One-off Call Emergencies
WHATEVER THE CAUSE Motherhood - Bereavement - Divorce - Accident - Injury Surgery - Serious Health Diagnosis - Debilitating Illness - Loneliness Isolation - Depression - Caring Full-time Working - Relocating
Reliable and Practical support on a flexible, cost-effective basis vall Cheryl
Brown on 693 551 107
info@sharecareonline.co.uk www.sharecareonline.co.uk
Jávea Duty Chemist 24h Each 24h period of duty starts at 9am
Antonio Marín 96 646 1954 NOV DEC 6,19 2,15,28 Avda. Augusta 30 (Rear of Mercadona Pla) Consuelo Espinós 96 579 1801 Plaza de la Iglesa 11 (Town) 7,20 3,16,29 Belchi-Cholbi 96 579 1099 8,21 4,17,30 Ronda Colón 4 (Town) Amparo Marsal 96 579 1955 Avda. Juan Carlos I, 33 9,22 5,18,31 Isabel Garcés 96 579 1520 10,23 6,19 C/. Sevilla 1, (Port) Paz Uriol 96 579 3839 Avenida de la Libertad (Arenal-Playa) 11,24 7,20 Juanna Ripoll 97 577 0900 12,25 8,21 Ctra La Nao (Cala Blanca) Salome Martinez 96 646 2545 Avenida Lepanto 12 (Port) 13,26 9,22 Rosa M aria Pérez 96 646 3531 Ctra. Cabo La Nao Pla, 126 (Arenal) 1,14,27 10,23 Antonio Almodóvar 96 646 3994 Plaza Joanot Martorell 5, Av. Amanecer (Town) 2,15,28 11,24 Lydia Gil 96 646 3142 Avda, Fontana 21 (Club de Tenis) 3,16,29 12,25 Ana Lillo 96 646 3947 Avda. de Palmela 16 (Southern By’Pass) 4,17,30 13,26 Vicente Salort 96 647 1133 Ctra la Nao Pla 165 (Barclays Roundabout 5,18 14,27 We are grateful to Antonio Marín (whose premises are 80m South of the rear entrance to Mercadona) for making this information available to our readers.
Av. Jaime 1, Jávea Port
Julie and Diego welcome you to
BAR PICOTEO
Two Beggars
Two beggars are sitting side by side on a street in Rome, Italy. One has a Cross in front of him; the other one is holding the Star of David. Many people go by, look at both beggars, but only put money into the hat of the beggar sitting behind the Cross. The Pope comes by and stops to watch the throngs of people giving money to the beggar who holds the Cross while none give to the beggar holding the Star of David. Finally, the Pope approaches the beggar with the Star of David and says "My poor fellow, don't you understand? This is a Catholic country; this city is the Seat of Catholicism. People aren't going to give you money if you sit there with a Star of David in front of you, especially when you're sitting beside a beggar who is holding a Cross. In fact, they would probably give more money to him just out of spite." The beggar with the Star of David listened to the Pope, smiled, and turned to the beggar with the Cross and said, "Moshi, look who's trying to teach the Goldstein brothers about marketing!" Received from David and Donna
MENU DEL DÍA - 9,50€ 7 starters and 8 main courses inc. drink, dessert, bread, ali oli
More than a dozen ‘one-plate’ meals More than 50 ‘Tapas’ (prepared in-house)
SPECIALITIES PAELLA to order - tel 696 767 349
Fried and grilled mixed fish and shell fish (min order 2 people). Mixed Grilled Vegetables English Breakfast HAMBURGERS
Take-Away Service
Jávea Jeard is published in Jávea by A2Z Publicaciones on behalf of Iglesia Grupo International de Divulgación del Evangélio (CIF: Q0300542H) at OASIS Centre, C/. Toni Llido 5, Jávea 03730
By law, all workmen should be legal. Clients can be fined if illegal workers are used.
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