LIVING IN SPAIN

about eight or nine kilometres every day. Younger people regularly practise yoga, jogging, swimming and cycling.

The network of motorways and moun‐tain roads and the efficiency of railways makes for enjoyable travel to stunning cities and spectacular mountain and coastal scenery.

years on, no information is forthcoming.

Water management is non‐existent. The amount of water wasted every day could probably solve the current drought crisis.

There are numerous lively festivals and street processions, marking national and regional anniversaries, religious and saint days, attended by entire families. Family life is close. Elderly relatives are respect‐ed and well cared for, normally en famille. Children are adored and partici‐pate in family social life from an early age. Every Easter, people dress up, cover their faces and parade as benign mem‐ bers of Ku‐Klux‐Klan.

There are shocking examples of animal neglect, abuse and cruelty in domestic, farming and so‐called ‘entertainment’ en‐vironments. Numerous British (and some Spanish) organisations provide sanctuary for animals rescued from mistreatment and raise awareness of the situation. There is nothing they can do for chickens, cattle, pigs ‐ and, of course, bulls.

Among Spanish successes are the recent reduction in inflation and the physical health and longevity of its people. In the countryside, many elderly people walk

If we choose to eat in season, depend‐ing on the time of year, we have access to fresh, home‐grown produce. Many fruits can be freely picked and consumed, such as olives, oranges, lemons, figs, blackber‐ries, almonds, pomegranates, nisperos (lo‐quats) and bananas. Local plantations and orchards produce strawberries, peaches, mangoes, avocados, pomegranates, cher‐ries, chirimoyas (custard apples) and mel‐ons. There is also a variety of vegetables, fish, seafood, herbs and spices, garlic, wine and honey.

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Dear Leapy LETTERS

I love your articles and eagerly look forward to reading your columns.

If only more people were like you and I and had the balls to speak their mind!

I’m definitely not PC and don’t intend to start at age 67. I’m constantly in trouble with my wife and my three daughters and just about everyone who listens to me banging on about why we are expected to pander to our foreign friends when in our own country/cul ‐ture. ♂

Keep up your great work Leapy, we must not let the b******s grind us down.

All the best Jim

Hello Maureen

My husband told me he had sent you an email about me and I was truly de ‐lighted ‐ and surprised ‐ to see my face on your front page (edition 1969)!

I’m sorry it has taken me a while to reply and say thank you but Tony, my husband, hasn’t been too well lately (another heart attack) so I’ve rather had my hands full. He even turned out to be allergic to Heparin! We see the cardiologist on Wednesday so I’m hope‐ful of some good news.

I shared your front page on my Face ‐book page and received many lovely comments that have helped me tremendously during this difficult time.

Thank you again and kind regards.

Tricia Gabbitas.

Dear Sirs

Can you please ask your readers if any of them suffer from awful adminis ‐trators. For nearly 30 years I let mine use my bank account, until I realised that there were irregular transactions. When he was confronted, all I got was the Spanish shrug. Needless to say I put a stop to it.

The problem now is he keeps coming up with all sorts of jobs that need more and more money. He is well paid from all the owners. In fact he put his fee up again three months ago. We are intimi ‐dated by him.

He is very arrogant. He never explains who these people are that he has to pay extra money to. Most of us are se ‐nior citizens. We have talked to solici ‐tors who have taken our money, lis ‐tened, but done nothing.

Please ask your readers for their ad ‐vice.

Best regards Margaret, Benalmadena

Same problem

Hi,

We too had Gwendolyn Ottley’s Travel Insurance problem but we have found an Insurance Brokers called Mena Cotos Y Tejada in San Pedro Alcantara who ar ‐ranged Travel Insurance for us with ARAG and NO age limit !

It is not cheap, but our minds were/are at ease ……

We are in our 80s and travelling again fully Insured ! Good luck,

Margaret Hayes

Extra payment

We live in Orihuela Costa and like many others we pay our SUMA in May each year. Approx four/six weeks before the payment date we receive from the SUMA office an email detailing the amount that we owe. We always pay by Direct Debit. This year without any no ‐tice the Suma office took an extra pay ‐ment.

We were told this was to cover street cleaning and bin emptying. We never set up a direct debit with our bank for the new amount and have been told that as the Suma office is responsible for tax collection they can set up the payment without our prior agreement.!!!!

We have tried to phone and visit the office but they don’t answer the phone and at our last visit there was over 25 people waiting for an appointment!!

We are more than happy to pay our taxes but really wonder why the Suma office bother to send us details of the re‐quired payment if they then add to it.

The extra payment is supposed to cover the street cleaning etc. We just hope that it will be spent for that purpose as the streets and bins of OC are in a disgusting state and have been for years. and no doubt will stay like that until OC has its in‐dependence from Orihuela town.

Terry and Shirley

Still trying

Hi all,

Thank you for your reply to my letter re travel insurance.

I rang Stay Sure travel and was told their age limit was 85 years, so no help there as I am 86 years old.

I tried to get travel insurance from Eng‐land, but they will not do it as I am a Spanish resident.

I am now at a loss as to what to do.

Kind regards

Gwendoline Ottley