RTN North Edition 839 by Round Town News

NORTH EDITION (EL CAMPELLO - VALENCIA)

January

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

Nº 839

JT in the editor’s chair Costa’s RTN IS delighted to confirm the appointment of their new editor, Mr Jack Troughton who many readers will know as one of the best reporters on the p5 Costa Blanca.

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marathon man

SINGER TONY Francis has just completed his ninth marathon and is already back pounding the streets in training for another long distance run next month.

life&leisure Your essential weekly guide to all things including Charity, Health, Cars, Sport, Horoscopes, TV & Showbiz and much more!

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Trials of bank victims by jack troughton

ELDERLY VICTIMS of a “premeditated” bank fraud are being targeted by a bullying administrator even as alleged ring-leaders of the scam face justice, an action group maintains. Tragically, 41 members of the Spanish group have died in the seven years since the affair came to light – some committed suicide. It has also destroyed marriages, split families, triggered ill health and financially ruined lives. However, victims have been given hope. Directors and officers of a failed Icelandic bank will join the finance house itself

in a Paris trial after a “historic judgement” by Judge Renaud Van Ruymbeke in France, following a two year investigation. But as pensioners celebrated a major step forward in their fight with Landsbanki Luxembourg – and the prospect of seeing the saga aired in public in one of France’s biggest ever criminal trials – it appears liquidator Yvette Hamilius is ruthlessly demanding another throw of the dice in the equity release scandal. The Landsbanki Victims Action Group (LVAG) says Ms Hamilius is now sending summonses to pensioners in Spain and France demanding they travel to Luxembourg to face trial over alleged debts. Continued on page 7.

Mike and Julie McInnes

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

From the Editor’s desk...

Hola!

RTN ALWAYS aims to warn readers of fraudsters and the cunning scams they operate, often targeting the most vulnerable members of the expat community - bogus gasmen, emails boasting of fake lottery wins, cold-calling computer éxperts´ claiming to be Microsoft engineers, even the notorious ´potato men´ of Benidorm. In their own way, many are professionals at work and there is nothing shameful about being taken in by the patter of these smooth-talking bullies. Victims frequently only find out when it´s too late, but at least we can warn of the danger. And in an increasingly complex world, who do you trust? Dozens of pensioners in Spain thought they could have confidence in a bank offering equity release and a ńo risk´ package that would free up cash from the value of their homes. The Landsbanki scandal rocked the financial world when the bank collapsed at the start of the crash. People who had signed up to the equity release scheme – a form of policy already outlawed in the UK because of its risks – were suddenly faced with the prospect of losing everything. Many in Spain and France – it was a truly European affair – formed action groups to fight back through the courts. Unfortunately the wheels of justice turn slowly and 41 members of one group have tragically died. Legal teams have done their best in complex cross-border court cases. However, as a senior judge once told me: “Justice delayed is justice denied”. For too many of the victims, time is running out.

Enjoy the read, JT GOT A STORY?

Call Jack Troughton, 661 403 016, for Costa Blanca North Keith Nicol, 609 417 385, for Costa Blanca South & Ian Askew, 628 580 367 for Costa Calida

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Glitter brings charity gold

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

Jacqui with Patsy Jackson

by JACK TROUGHTON THE LONG-ANTICIPATED Glitter Ball proved a sparkling success for the MABS Cancer Support Group raising 3,280€ for the charity’s coﬀers. More than 200 people danced the night away at the Salon Canor, Teulada, on Saturday night to the music of ‘Mr Motown’ Jonathan Hawkins and DJ and compere Steve Solo. The raﬄe alone made 1,275€ for the charity, MABS President Jacqui Phillips MBE able to described the event as a “wonderful night”. And speaking at the start of the ball, she said: “How nice to

see so many people here this evening – welcome to you all here this evening in support of MABS. “Many of you will know we have now opened our third hospice – and of course we have to ﬁnd the money to pay for them. So thank you from the bottom of my heart for giving us the support we desperately need.” Jacqui is pictured (right) at the ball with teenager Patsy Jackson, one of the charity’s youngest supporters. The charity is running a Book Stall at Iceland in Javea on Saturday 5th December and volunteers will help pack bags in return for a donation at the supermarket on Saturday 12th

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

Out of space

The mysterious spheres

by JACK TROUGHTON MURCIA REMAINS star struck after the discovery of a second mysterious sphere believed to be another piece of space junk fallen to earth. The second object – again a metre in diameter and covered in heat resistant material – is almost identical and both are believed to be part of an auxiliary fuel tank from a satellite or rocket. Two shepherds found the ﬁrst object in ﬁelds at Llanos del Cagitan, near Mula on Tuesday 3rd November. The second was discovered

last Sunday a few kilometres away on farmland close to the Segura River at Calasparra; the landowner alerting emergency services. And Civil Guard oﬃcials specialising in nuclear, radiation, bacteriological, and chemical threats, despatched a team with special equipment to retrieve the new ﬁnd, accompanied by a crew of bomb experts. The discoveries have triggered speculation and some alarm - the authorities believe it likely the two spheres are linked but investigations continue to determine where they came from

Disappointed fans look on ENGLAND FOOTBALL supporters gathered in La Nucia on Tuesday to see their favourite players arrive for training but were completely blocked by the police. The “closed door” policy has upset many of the locals who use the facilities and have children who play football at the same venue, Ciutat Esportiva Camilo Cano La Nucia. It had been hoped that young local football players would be given an opportunity to meet their heroes such as Wayne Rooney, Sterling and Joe Hart who were all training at the facility, but tarpaulin had been erected at any possible point where people might have been able to see within the grounds. The team will use the facilities at La Nucia until Saturday to help them prepare for their game tonight in Alicante against Spain and also their match against France on Tuesday in Wembley Stadium. Bernabé Cano, mayor of La Nucia, said “the presence of the England team in La Nucia for several days represents a quantum leap for our facilities. It is conﬁrmation that we are ready for world-class players like Rooney, Sterling, Carrick, Dyer, Hart and company. It also represents an incalculable promotion at European and international levels to La Nucia through sport and a further step towards the consolidation of our brand “La Nucia, City of Sport.” Since the team arrived on Tuesday social media sites have seen a frenzy of speculation about being able to see the team in action, or at least some photo opportunities for the loyal fans who pay for the facilities that the team are using.

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JT in the editor’s chair RTN IS delighted to conﬁrm the appointment of their new editor, Mr Jack Troughton who many readers will know as one of the best reporters on the Costa Blanca.

Jack – JT – has lived in Spain for the past 12 years and worked for the RTN as their Costa Blanca north reporter for the past 10 years. This follows a career on Fleet Street in the UK, which included newspapers such as The Telegraph and The Sun. A qualiﬁed professional since 1983 Jack was fortunate enough to have interviewed Margaret Thatcher and reported on many prominent events such as the Guinness and Maxwell trials prior to moving to the Costa Blanca. Jack said “I am looking forward to maintaining the popularity of this colourful paper up and down the coast. I will be keeping a close eye on the good times and the bad times but most of all the achievements of our readers.” JT is well respected in the community and will continue to work closely with all the readers to ensure that the paper is a representation of them. RTN’s Managing Director Daniel said “after working with Jack for the last 10 years we have always known that he is a true professional and well respected. With him at the helm, the paper is in good hands.”

NEWS BITES

FIRST REFUGEES ARRIVE IN SPAIN ON SUNDAY the first group of refugees arrived in Madrid, although it was only 12 people. The refugees, four women and eight men, were received on Sunday evening by the Secretary of State for Security, Francisco Martínez, and Secretary General of Immigration and Emigration, Marina del Corral, in Madrid, having travelled from Italy. Part of a pilot scheme, the refugees will receive health services, food, education and integration in the country, as detailed by European Union guidelines. Several organisations have been involved in ensuring that the placement of refugees around Spain will be well organised with the Ministry keen to point out that Spain is among the first five European countries to implement such a pilot project.

New digital ITV cards

A NEW digital card came into eﬀect on Wednesday 11th November for cars, vans and lorries in Spain. The DGT (Dirección General de Tráﬁco) announced that the digitalised system is for new vehicles and will hold detailed results of the ITV test as set out in the Royal Decree dated 17th July 2015. Vehicle owners do not need to do anything as the digital information will be provided by the manufacturers, importers and vehicle representatives (FIR). These organisations will be responsible for providing the DGT with the data, which, once validated, will be stored in a registry of pre-matriculated vehicles. When the vehicle is sold it will be as-

signed a NIVE (vehicle identiﬁcation number) which stays with the vehicle throughout its life. Car manufacturers had already begun implementing the changes prior to this deadline with approximately 50% of sales last month having the e-ITV system. These changes only aﬀect new vehicles so anyone with the paper and stamp ITV system does not need to worry about making changes to their documents. The implementation of all road vehicles having a digital ITV will see mopeds, motorbikes, quads and tricycles requiring the cards by May 11th 2016. For further detailed information regarding the digital ITV card please go to www.dgt.es.

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

Costa’s marathon man by JACK TROUGHTON

SINGER TONY Francis has just completed his ninth marathon and is already back pounding the streets in training for another long distance run next month. The 60-year-old completed the Dublin Marathon last month running the streets of the Irish capital with his daughter Lorna. And beating the pain barrier again was in a good cause; Tony raised 400€ for the El Campello-based charity Bruised but not Broken – which raises money to give a much-deserved respite break for those caring for people with cancer. The marathon began and started near Dublin’s Trinity College and it was the second time he has run in his home city. “We had a great time back in my home town – it was 27 years, almost to the day, that I last ran a marathon there,” he said. “And my daughter wanted to run one with me – as she said, before I die! “I was running through streets and areas I knew as a child and it brought back a lot of memories. FANTASTIC “It was a fantastic atmosphere in Dublin but the weather was against us; the wind was blowing hard and it was raining.” Tony said Bruised but not Broken was a charity close to his heart and he wished he could have raised more cash through sponsorship. “Unfortunately, times are hard but we were pleased with the total. “That was my ninth marathon and I have raised more than £10,000 so far – not bad for an old boy,” he said. “It involves a lot of training, I am almost running a marathon a week in training but I enjoy it and it keeps mind, body and soul together.” Tony is running a half-marathon in Campello on Sunday 13th December and continues to keep in shape by running the hills surrounding Busot. And as a performer, he said he was always ready to help out with charity fund raising. Anyone organising an event can call Tony on 678 029 919.

Tony with Bruised but not Broken’s Lorraine Brown

Providing information for the UK and Spain since 1998

www.UKandSpain.com

Trials of bank victims Continued from front page

And there are over 600 victims of the fraudulent loan scheme across Europe; in Spain many living on the Costa Blanca and Costa del Sol are represented by the action group. The Landsbanki scheme was heavily marketed as a ‘no risk’ package to release equity in properties to people who were ‘asset rich but cash poor’ – now described by banking experts as a premeditated plan hatched by people who knew the scheme could never work. However, when the Luxembourg bank offering the scheme and its parent company collapsed in 2008, borrowers were immediately hounded by Ms Hamilius and her administrating team, the group maintains. The product was unusual in the way it was part loan and part investment. People could draw down up to a quarter of the property’s value – the remainder was invested and supposed to pay the interest on the loan and it was claimed pay an income. DEBTORS It later transpired money was used to vainly prop up the failing bank but after the crash, victims have been chased as debtors rather than investors. The LVAG has its members’ homes ‘ring fenced’ in Spain but spokesman Mike McInnes believes the summons to Luxembourg was clearly a tactical response by the administrator to the criminal trial in Paris “she knows she must lose”. Landsbanki officials have already been jailed in Iceland but he said the Luxembourg courts and Ms Hamilius continued to say there was

no evidence of any fraud. Mike believes she is motivated by a desire to “protect” Luxembourg where “no bank can ever be seen to have failed or committed any wrongdoings” to prevent any harm to the financial centre’s reputation. He alleged Ms Hamilius was acting as a “cornered rat” and said a Hollywood scriptwriter could not have imagined such an “extraordinary” twist in the plot – especially as the Luxembourg Supreme Court had ruled any criminal investigation should be handled in the countries of the complaint, where the contracts were signed and the properties located. The LVAG believes the latest move from Luxembourg is “serious harassment” and has called on lawyers to act and prevent the further harm “she is causing to pensioners in their 70’s and 80’s.” Mike told RTN he had “no doubt” the Paris trial, which may not be heard until next year, would bring a “positive result” for victims. He admitted there was a real sense of frustration within the victims’ camp. “Because 41 people (in our group) have now died since this all arose. This is what Hamilius is betting on – time is on her side and we have a diminishing membership...one by one we die through old age and illness.” Mike added: “We want our homes and our lives back – we said years ago proper negotiations should have taken place but we are now in a situation of very serious criminal trial which is billed as the largest case of financial fraud France has ever undertaken.”

Yvette Hamilius

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

Thieves steal charity boxes

Bar Emilio

by JACK TROUGHTON SNEAK THIEVES are being hunted by police after snatching two full charity collection tins from a popular village bar. The cold-hearted bandits posed as a happy family – they even had a baby in a push chair - before leaving with their plunder from Bar Emilio in Llosa de Camacho, near Pedregeur. However, they might not be in the money for long – the theft was recorded on CCTV and images have been circulated to the Guardia Civil and National Police. Mark Yates and Alex Dare have run the bar since last August and have always collected for charity without incident. Collection tins will now be chained to the bar.

And Mark said the tins – both raising money for animal charity SCAN – were nearly full when they went missing on Tuesday 3rd November; containing between 60€ and 80€. “It was all very jolly when the four Columbians were here with the baby; it is only later you realise they were casing the place!” he said. ALARM “They came in and were taking photographs, saying how lovely the place was and certainly, they didn’t ring any alarm bells.” It was about 3pm and most people had left when the visitors – who had enjoyed food and drinks – asked for a ‘chupito’, a farewell drink.

Mark added: “I served them and they were the last to leave. It was only when I was wiping down the bar I realised the tins had gone – normally you lift them up to clean underneath.” At first he thought Alex may have taken them, as charity tins get full they usually take them off the bar but it became apparent they had been snatched. “I asked Alex to check the CCTV tape and realised we had recorded them in action. We called the Guardia Civil and an officer came to watch the tape – he said the information and the pictures would be circulated around the country.” Mark said they had made a formal police complaint and as the story of the crime spread, they have been told of other charity collections being stolen. “Obviously, we cannot say it is the same people.”

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

Being British in Spain TOWN HALL councillors with responsibility for foreign residents received a lesson in being British last Thursday when they met with members of the consulate team.

Politicians from Orihuela to Javea swapped ideas and problems with members of the British Consulate team in Alicante at the headquarters of the Red Cross in the city - discussing better ways of supporting UK citizens. The councillors – some British themselves - were told of some of the differences between Britain and Spain and how some expats struggled to understand what they had to do in their host country – how in the UK people did not need to carry identification or a passport or to register on a town hall ‘Padron’, or get an NIE number. They agreed that on the whole Brits were keen to volunteer for charity work, were polite and interested in getting involved – although more needed to be done to encourage expats to learn Spanish and integrate. And an important part was explaining the different ways of accessing medical care depending on whether a person was a resident or a visitor. Consul Sarah-Jane Morris said the top 10 towns in terms of British resident numbers had been invited as well as smaller towns with a high percentage of UK nationals on the Padron – the town hall register of residents. She said: “Getting the councillors together has been really

British consul Sarah-Jane Morris

beneﬁcial. We have both looked at how to better support British nationals by working together, and learnt from each other and shared ideas. “We want to insure British nationals and English speaking charities get the best possible support from their town halls.” She said they had looked at key problems. “For example, health care – it is all about the councillors knowing how to point people in the right direction to get the information they need. “This focuses on the towns that have the most Brits and how we can work together to make sure they are plugged into the services they are entitled to and how to access them.”

NEWS BITES

FERRARIS FAIL TO FLY TWO FERRARIS which were given to the Spanish government failed to sell at a specialist auction on Saturday, leaving ministers unsure what to do next. King Juan Carlos was gifted the two cars by the United Arab Emirates back in 2011 and the following year decided that they should be given to the Spanish government who eventually decided to send them to auction. The Ferrari FF four seater models, one in silver grey and one in back, only have delivery mileage on them as they had not been used by the King. It was anticipated that there would be no problem selling the cars for their 350,000€ each reserve price, but one car received no bids at all and the other received only one bid which was for less than half the reserve price. The Ministry has not said what they plan to do with the cars following the disappointing auction.

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

Pope Francis releases “pop-rock” album by JEANETTE RICE POPE FRANCIS has released an album which has a “pop-rock” theme and is entitled “wake up.” No, you are not reading this wrong; for the ﬁrst time in history a Pope will have a CD on the shelves alongside Queen and Status Quo. Composer Tony Pagliuca attended the launch of Pope Francis’ musical CD ‘Wake Up!’ at Palazzo San Carlo at The Vatican on November 5, 2015 in Vatican City, where the album was played to an awaiting audience. There are eleven tracks in total which feature many of the most moving addresses of Pope Francis’s papacy laid over rap, pop-rock and Latin rhythms. The online extract from the record, which was released at the end of September, had already been listened to a billion

times, according to distributors. Tony Pagliuca, who worked on six of the tracks, said the Pope’s rhythmic voice gave some of the songs the feel of “slow rap”. Four choirs, including a group from China and a collection of cloistered nuns, can be heard on the tracks with ten per cent of the proceeds from the album going to a charity supporting refugees, with priority given to Ethiopians camping near Rome’s Termini station. The launch of the album – which will be released across the rest of Europe at the end of the month – will come as a welcome distraction from a difficult week for the Vatican after two people were arrested for allegedly leaking confidential documents revealing gross financial mismanagement.

The album launch

NEWS BITES

RED FACED RUSSIANS

“OOPS” PROBABLY wasn’t what was said when Russian TV stations broadcast secret nuclear torpedo plans to the nation on Tuesday. In what is being described as a serious security breach Russian television channels NTV and Channel One transmitted images that showed a military official looking at a confidential document containing drawings and details of a weapons system called Status-6, designed by Rubin, a nuclear submarine construction company based in St Petersburg. Kremlin officials have now admitted that the secret plans were shown on air and President Putin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said “It’s true some secret data got into the shot, therefore it was subsequently deleted. In future we will undoubtedly take preventive measures so this does not happen again.” The document was shown during a meeting where Putin was warning that “Russia will take necessary measures to strengthen our strategic nuclear forces.” The footage was later deleted by the channels although other media outlets were still able to publish screenshots having recorded the interviews.

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

Cement company busted by JEANETTE RICE A VALENCIAN cement manufacturer is being taken to court accused of using women in a sexist manner to promote their product. La Unión Cement, based in Ribarroja del Turia near Valencia, is accused of using big breasted women on their cement bags and in their advertising campaigns as a selling tool and the Institute of Women, based in Madrid has decided to take action. The governments’ Ministry of Equality department spokesperson María Jesús Órtiz Gómez said “our job is usually based on raising awareness of gender equality but sometimes there are instances, such as this, when we are moved to take legal action.” The court in Valencia will review the claims under

Spain’s law against gender violence which allows the courts to “bring injunctions against advertising that uses degrading images of women” in terms established by the General Laws on Advertising. This will be the first case where the specific law has been used for sexist advertising as prosecutors have demanded that the company cease using all such advertising immediately. A spokesperson for La Unión said that “these images belong to a campaign that is no longer running.” The company, which declares that they “exceed the standards of equality and gender parity” has often been accused of being sexist with their promotional campaigns with many arguing that a scantily clad woman does not reflect what the product is.

NEWS BITES

UNUSUAL RECORD BREAKER

A BULLDOG has become world famous for his successful Guinness World Record which he set in Peru. Otto, a four year old bulldog from Lima in Peru, has set a new world record for skateboarding through the legs of 30 people. Under the classiﬁcation of the longest human tunnel for a dog to travel through Otto sailed through at some speed to the delight of the watching crowd. The record was made as part of the 11th Guinness World Record Day where people around the world attempted to break previous records and gain entry into the famous book. Otto was ﬁlmed using his skills which including shifting his weight on the board to navigate his way through the legs, ensuring that he didn’t bump into anyone on the way.

Truly a “Kinder surprise” A GRANDMOTHER who was caught by authorities smuggling drugs into prison was sentenced this week. The 73 year old pensioner had gone to extreme lengths to smuggle drugs for her son, who is serving time in the Fontcalent prison in Alicante, using a kinder egg casing to commit the crime. The pensioner committed the oﬀence in July 2013 and was sentenced last week to one year and nine months in prison with a 41€ ﬁne, although some of this is a suspended sentence. Police have now released the details of the crime which involved the grandmother putting money, a small dose of cocaine, heroin and tranquilisers into the Kinder Egg casing before concealing it in an intimate place. Unfortunately, when entering the prison security area, it became clear that she was going to be searched, so she popped out the egg casing and handed it to the prison guards.

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

TRAM works to move by JEANETTE RICE NOISE AND dust complaints have forced Altea council to move the FGV and TRAM works to another location. During a meeting between with the Railways Manager of the Generalitat Valenciana, Ángel García de la Bandera, to address the development works being carried out that pass through Altea, the mayor, James Llinares, said “the problem is that the recovery work that is being done in the old river has generated noise and dust nuisance but this issue was already planned for and we are listening to the residents.” The FGV stated that they are committed to continuing the work without causing nuisance to the neighbours and that they are constantly assessing the environmental concerns as well as the neighbours’ comfort as agreed with Altea council.

Benidorm goes to Glasgow VISIT BENIDORM travelled to Scotland this week to participate in the 8th Tourism Fair being held in Glasgow.

On Wednesday and Thursday visitors to the Tourism Fair in Glasgow could go to the Benidorm stand which was promoting the resort as an ideal place for adults to visit, particularly the senior population. The Visit Benidorm Foundation were amongst 50 other stands including their neighbouring stand from the Costa Blanca Tourism Board. Many Scottish visitors travel to the resort and a spokesperson for the Foundation, when highlighting the benefits for seniors, said “the comfortable climate, varied menu, quality of beaches and the large number of specific services for this group have made Benidorm an ideal destination for the senior population. It is important to keep the loyalty of the Scottish audience. Therefore, participation in this event, aimed directly at the public, is a step towards this objective.”

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

“No kill policy” victory by JEANETTE RICE

MADRID’S REGIONAL parliament has approved a ban on killing abandoned animals at shelters within their region. Animal rights activists are ecstatic with the Madrid regional government’s decision that will allow animals to be destroyed only for humanitarian reasons, or if they pose a danger to public health. Although the draft law still needs to be approved by Madrid’s regional parliament, the new pet welfare law follows Cataluña’s similar stance and will make Madrid the second region to enforce a blanket “no kill policy”. The area of Madrid has approximately 20 animal shelters and, under current rules, dog pounds could put

NEWS BITES

dogs and cats to sleep if they were not claimed or rehomed after ten days.This has resulted in over 30,000 healthy dogs being destroyed since 2004. The new pet law also stipulates that it will be illegal to leave a dog in a parked vehicle where there is not adequate ventilation or the temperature would put the animal in danger or discomfort. Once implemented, the new rules will also mean that pet shops will be unable to have animals in their shop windows and unauthorised breeders will be closed down. Breaking the new laws will mean ﬁnes of between 300 and 30,000 euros can be imposed as well as prison sentences up to 15 years.

Lloyd Milen

UK BLOCKS GIBRALTAR DOCUMENT RELEASE

THE BRITISH Government has refused to release 50 year old documents which detail the negotiations with Spain about Gibraltar. Documents which date back to the 1966 negotiations between Spain and the UK over the sovereignty of Gibraltar have been blocked due to their “sensitive” nature. The 50-year-old papers held at The National Archives in London are long overdue for release but this week the British Government cited an exemption in the Freedom of Information Act to block release of the files. A local paper, the Gibraltar Chronicle, submitted a request for the files back in July and were told in September that the matter would have to be discussed in the Cabinet Office and a “public interest test” would need to be performed. The procedures in place for such a request would normally mean that the government must respond within 20 working days, but the final decision took over three months. The Chronicle received justification for the intriguing refusal which stated “the Cabinet Office considered the public interest in maintaining an effective negotiation position in the future with this Spanish government and others, and in avoiding damage to relations with foreign governments.” “Such damage could follow from the disclosure of information that remains sensitive even after the passage of time. Anything that would hinder the United Kingdom’s ability to negotiate effectively with its international partners would damage the United Kingdom’s ability to protect and promote its interests abroad, which would not be in the public interest.”

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

Preparing your car for winter Winter weather in Spain can vary from year to year and snowfall on the south coast is unlikely. However, if your car is parked outside during the worst of the winter months, or you’re planning to visit the interior or venture north, there are some simple steps you can take to prepare your car for winter. PROTECTING AGAINST ICE AND FROST Lights, heaters and wipers put high demands on the car battery and they have to work harder in colder weather. If your battery is over 5 years old it may be time to shop around for a replacement. Top up your windscreen wash with a more concentrated mix of antifreeze. Give locks and mechanisms a spray with WD40. Cleaning and waxing your car will give the bodywork a coat of protection against temperature extremes. BEING PREPARED Make sure you have a phone charger in the car should you need to call for assistance. In the event you get stranded, there are some items that will make a difference; carry some blankets, a folding shovel, jump leads, tow-bar and tow rope. If colder weather is forecast, make sure you have a full tank of fuel, as you may need to keep the engine running to stay warm until help arrives. Check your insurance policy covers you for

emergency breakdown and recovery. Línea Directa provides for Road Assistance in their car insurance policies. This ensures that you receive immediate assistance by phone 24 hours a day. Our breakdown service will endeavour to get your car back on the road as soon as possible or tow your vehicle to your local repairer of choice in Spain. ROAD SAFETY During the winter, driving conditions can become challenging. Winter tyres or cold weather tyres mean shorter stopping distances, reduce aquaplaning and improve handling. If you haven’t changed to winter treads, road safety experts recommend 3mm of tyre depth as a minimum for winter driving. WINTER DRIVING Breakdowns are more common in winter. The number of breakdowns can increase dramatically during extreme conditions. For safe trouble-free driving we recommend gentle manoeuvres, as stopping distances are ten times longer in snow and ice. To avoid wheel spin, pull away in second gear, easing your foot gently off the clutch. Maintain a constant speed where possible, if you need to break, then apply them gently and progressively. Leave plenty of room between you and the car in front. If you get stuck, straighten the steering and clear any excess build up of

Call now on: 902 123 148 snow from the wheels. You can get additional grip by putting a sack or old rug in front of the driving wheels. Once your car is moving, maintain a constant speed, avoiding rapid acceleration or deceleration and try not to stop until you reach firmer ground.

We hope the information provided in this article is of interest. If you would like to contact Línea Directa please call 902-123-148 More information on Línea Directa online at www.lineadirecta.com

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

NEWS BITES

AMIGOS DE BENITACHELL HELP THE HOMELESS

AMIGOS DE Benitachell, the Charity Shop, under the management of Adrienne Marshall, Pam Ridlington and Sonia Miller, along with 40 volunteers, has just donated 1,000€ to The Salvation Army in Denia. This generous donation will be used to help feed homeless and disadvantaged people in Denia, support victims of domestic violence along the Costa Blanca and keep people warm during the cooler days and nights in the coming weeks and months.

Marina Baixa Hospital up for award

Staff at the hospital

by JEANETTE RICE THE MARINA Baixa hospital in Villajoyosa has been nominated for the best medical centre in the country. The Ministry of Health announced on Wednesday that the Villajoyosa hospital had been nominated for an award under the category of “TOP 20 Hospital Management Global.” Every year awards are given by the consulting IASIST group which distinguishes the best medical centres in the country. Villajoyosa will be amongst the ﬁnalists in a contest

where the results will be announced on 24th November at a ceremony in Madrid. The Marina Baixa hospital will be judged on 35 common clinical processes which include heart, respiratory, nervous system, digestive, skeletal muscle, kidney and urinary tract. Each hospital is assessed on its own merit, not against each other. The main objective of the TOP 20 Hospitals programme is to identify good practice patterns and recognize the work of those centres that have performed better in the assessment process.

Becky Watts brother found guilty THE BROTHER of teenager Becky Watts has been found guilty of murder, despite his plea that it was an accident. 16 year old Becky Watts disappeared from her home on 19th February and two weeks later her dismembered remains were discovered in a shed in Barton Court, Bristol. Becky’s stepbrother, Nathan Matthews, admitted to killing her but always claimed that it had been a terrible accident.

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

Becky

However the jury of ten men and one woman found him guilty of murder. The prosecution argued that Matthews, 28, suﬀocated Becky after a sexually motivated kidnap plan driven by his interest in petite teenagers failed. Matthews had told the jury that he went to his step sister’s house with a kidnap kit which included tape, a mask, a stun gun and handcuﬀs. His girlfriend, Shauna Hoare, 21, has been acquitted of the same charge but found guilty of manslaughter.

Matthews claimed he killed Becky after panicking during an attempt to kidnap her but insisted Hoare had no part in it, Bristol Crown Court heard. The pair were also convicted of conspiracy to kidnap Becky, perverting the course of justice and preventing a lawful burial. The prosecutor said that the treatment of the teenager’s body after her death showed Matthews had “a complete absence of sorrow for what he did to her”.

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

Altea launches youth employment plan

by Jeanette rice THE TOWN Council of Altea has announced this week a new initiative called “youth guarantee.” The programme, managed by the youth department, is an initiative aimed specifically at people between 16 and 29 years old who are seeking employment. Pere Barber, councillor for youth, said “this is a European initiative that Valencia participates in and works by making it

easier for young people to gain access to the labour market.” The programme has specific criteria that the applicants must meet and, in return, they will receive offers of employment and training as well as paid internships within specific companies. Amongst the criteria is that the young person has not worked for 30 days, has not received educational services within the last 90 days and has not received training activities in the last 30 days.

The programme has its own website specifically designed to provide users with a personal mailbox. This will be used to communicate with any companies offering employment as well as notifications for useful information tailored to each individual. Anyone interested in participating in the programme can go to the www.garantiajuvenil.gva.es site which provides detailed information.

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

Fiesta fireworks light up the sky by JEANETTE RICE

BENIDORM FIESTA ended on Wednesday with a magnificent parade and firework display. The atmosphere in the town was a mixture of traditional solemn processions, fun floats, parades and children’s activities which meant that all visitors to the resort could participate in some way with the varied events. On Monday the procession in honour of San Jaime packed the narrow streets as the participants celebrated the special 275th anniversary of the town’s patron saint. The local choir performed as pastors from around the municipality escorted the parade which was followed by the traditional aerial bombardment of flashes and loud bangs. The humour parade had just twelve peña clubs sign up this year, slightly down on last year but they did not disappoint the crowds as they paraded through the streets before the concert by “Supersingles” was held in the Plaza of the King and Queen of Spain.

The overall feedback from visitors at the fiestas was positive with only a few complaints being received about two of the peñas which had to be closed as they were not conforming to the regulations. Local Police reported that the two groups had neighbours complaining because of the excessive noise and when the officers attended they found that one of the peñas’ had the relevant documentation to be open but the other did not. Due to the high volume of the music both groups had their sound equipment confiscated and were not allowed to continue with the rest of the festivities. The next traditional fiesta is just round the corner as the town celebrates the “Fiesta de la Carxofa”, or festival of the artichoke, on 16th to 18th November. This unusual fiesta is a thanksgiving, or harvest festival, which culminates in the burning of a giant four metre artichoke and banger.

NEWS BITES

FORTHCOMING CORO PILAR CONCERTS

AFTER A superb performance at La Siesta Church in Torrevieja, the international choir Coro Pilar will be performing several Christmas concerts in the festive season. The ﬁrst of these will be at Campoverde Church on November 29th at 7.30pm, followed by a carol concert at La Iglesia Nuestra Señora del Pilar on December 6th at 7.15pm. Their annual Dinner Dance will be at Rebate Restaurant on December 9th. Tickets for the dinner dance cost 28€ and are available for purchase from any member of the choir. There will be a performance at Las Claras in Los Alacázares on December 13th at 7.30pm. See their posters, or contact Rachel Cottis 966 84 15 29 Jilly Sanders 630 52 87 77, Beryl Aguado 617 64 85 77, or George Piper 622 19 53 66 for further details and/or tickets.

Police seek YouTube driver

POLICE IN Zamora are searching for a driver who recklessly drove his car down public roads with a van perched on the roof, endangering himself and other road users. The Ford Focus driver could be seen driving down the street with a Renault van perched precariously on top of his car as the suspension struggled to cope with the additional weight. Another road user began ﬁlming the car and driver as it travelled behind the “double decker” vehicle and the shock of the cameraman can be clearly heard at the beginning of the clip. The video, which was posted on YouTube, shows the bizarre incident which viewers have said is in Zamora, a city located in the north-east of the central region Castilla y León in Spain. It is unclear at the moment whether the driver was genuinely just moving the van from one location to another or was doing it as a stunt. However, police sources said “We do not care why this was done. They have broken the law and, when we track them down, they will be punished.”

Squatters in historic Cartagena DOZENS OF poor families have taken over flats in the historic centre of Cartagena during the last six months, and local residents are now claiming that the occupation of about a hundred houses in recent months has devalued the neighborhood. “Life has treated us badly, we have no jobs and with six children cannot afford to pay for a flat, so we went into one that was empty.” claim Rosario, 42, and Agustín, 43, who are veterans of this way of life and part of the avalanche of people attracted by the existence of dozens of empty homes in apartment blocks in around the Calles Serreta, San Vicente, Ravine and Macarena. Three dozen buildings in this part of the historic centre are in legal limbo since their sole owner died earlier this year, and have become a target for many poor people. Businesses and home owners alike are complaining that this uncontrolled influx has had no response from the authorities, and is leading to the area becoming marginalized. The proliferation of squatters has begun to cause the first minor cases of public disorder. One example was the case

of a brawl in Calle San Vicente the other week, between people arguing over a flat, shouting “I saw it first”. 17 months ago a colony of squatters took over an empty block of flats in the University Quarter. Rosario and Agustín were part of that colony, along with a score of others, but the developer and owner of the unsold block sought their eviction, which took place in June. “We learned that there were many empty houses in this area that nobody was going to complain about so we moved in.” explained Agustín. At first there were no complaints. “I even provided a key to the gate, when I learned that they had none”, said a woman whose mother lives a floor above Agustín and Rosario, but the situation has changed and the first friction has led to growing discontent. Rosario and Agustín are not the only ones who have swapped the University District for a new home. They arrived with four children, aged 22, 15, 13, and 7. Two others, aged 22 and 17 regularly visit the flat, but do not live there. They are not alone. “Of the twenty of us, nearly all are now in this area. We help each other where we can, “ he said.

NEWS BITES

FINESTRAT EXPECTING 1000 EXTREME RUNNERS THE TOWN of Finestrat has begun preparations to welcome over 1000 competitors for the second Lurbel Aitana Challenge. The event, which takes place on November 28th and 29th, will see competitors compete in one of three categories: the 40 km and 80 km event and, for the ﬁrst time, a 120 km event. The 120 km category has the ultra-sprinters tackling an impressive 7200 metre steep incline, so, to ensure that competitors are up for the challenge, they must be able to provide evidence of previous on time mountain races from 2014/15. This event is approved by the Spanish Federation of Mountaineering and Climbing (FEDME) and will be accredited for candidates wishing to take part in the Cup and Championship in Spain’s Ultra Trail next year. All three races will start and ﬁnish in the town of Finestrat, with competitors staying at many of the local hotels and apartments for the weekend.

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

Expats party through the day by JEANETTE RICE THOUSANDS OF expats gathered together on Thursday to celebrate what is known as “British fancy dress day.” The streets cleaners were just recovering from the traditional San Jaime fiestas finishing in Benidorm Wednesday night when the expat community began celebrating their world renowned fancy dress party on Thursday, packing the streets wearing some amazing costumes. This unofficial event, which always follows the traditional Spanish fiesta, has now become one of the most popular dates for residents as well as holidaymakers who specifically book to be in the resort for the party. Calle Gerona, Mallorca and the square area were jam packed with party goers, making it impossible for vehicles to pass as monkeys, mafia, clowns and vicars all soaked up the atmosphere as well as the alcohol.

Although the unofficial time to start is around midday many turned up early to enjoy the lovely sunshine and admire the other costumes and festive decorations that venues such as Flash Hotel, The Red Lion and The Riviera Hotel had erected earlier in the week. This year many visitors had combined their trip to Benidorm for the fancy dress party with their love of football, this was not only reflected in their costumes but also the party hard on Thursday before going to see the England verses Spain friendly in Alicante the following day. It wasn’t just the Brits that enjoyed the fun afternoon as many residents from the Scandinavian and Spanish communities also joined in the fun. The tradition for this event started over 20 years ago when Manolo, from Sinatras, used to offer a free drink to anyone who dressed up. He could never have imagined how popular the event would become reaching many travel websites as a date of interest.

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

Tax rebellion in Wales A SMALL town in Wales has gone “offshore” in a bid to reduce their tax bill, which was higher than that of Facebook! Independent traders in Crickhowell, located within the Brecon Beacons, discovered that their tax bill was higher than organisations such as Facebook, Uber, Google and Starbucks and decided that “if you can’t beat them, join them.” The Powys tax rebellion, led by traders, including the town’s salmon smokery, local coffee shop, book shop, optician and bakery, could spread nationwide as loopholes in the tax system have allowed multinational giants to avoid paying UK tax. Crickhowell’s most notable son was the surveyor Sir George Everest (1798–1866), a Surveyor-General of India, after whom Mount Everest was named and has a population of just 2,800 people. The BBC has been following the independent traders and making a documentary about the UK tax situation. In the BBC2 documentary, The Town that Went Offshore, the residents express their anger at companies including Caffé Nero, which has not paid corporation tax in the UK since 2008, despite recording sales worth £1.2 billion. Advised by experts, the family-run shops in the Brecon Beacons town have submitted their own DIY tax plan to HMRC, copying the offshore arrangements used by global brands which pay little or no corporation tax. Crickhowell residents want to share their tax avoidance plan with other towns, in a bid to force the Treasury into legislation to crack down on loopholes which allowed the likes of Amazon to

pay just £11.9m in tax last year on £5.3bn of UK internet sales. Jo Carthew, who runs Crickhowell’s Black Mountain Smokery, which sells local artisan produce, with her family, said “We were shocked to discover that the revenue generated by hard-working employees in these British high street chains isn’t declared. We do want to pay our taxes because we all use local schools and hospitals but we want a change of law so everyone pays their fair share.” Steve, a Crickhowell coffee shop owner said “I have always paid every penny of tax I owe, and I don’t object to that. What I object to is paying my full tax when my big name competitors are doing their damnedest to dodge theirs.” One of the town’s traders discovered that he paid seven times more in corporation tax than Facebook, which paid less than £5,000 in the UK last year. The documentary is due to be screened in 2016 as part of a series which explores loopholes in the tax system.

Traffic drones

SPAIN COULD soon be using unmanned drones to monitor the traffic on many of the major road networks if the current legislation is modified. The country’s highway and technology provider, Sistemas y Montajes Industriales, have almost completed their prototype drone which would be able to see problem areas the same as a manned helicopter but at a fraction of the cost. The current legislation regarding drones states that the operator must be able to see the unmanned vehicle at all times making it impossible to use the technology over long distances. If the legal changes can be made the drones could be in action as early as 2017.

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

Donkey rescued in Valencia recovering well after surgery by PATRICIA THOMPSON A DONKEY has received surgery at the Alicante horse hospital after a veterinary inspection revealed one of his testicles had not dropped in the normal way. The testicle could have turned cancerous if it had remained in his abdomen.“The operation was a complete success and Braveheart is recovering well,” said rescue centre co-founder Sue Weeding. Braveheart was rescued from a property at Rotglà y Corberà, 150 kilometres north of Alicante, in a joint operation between the Easy Horse Care Rescue Centre and the Valencia and Guadamar branches of Spain’s animal welfare unit, Seprona. “Braveheart was surrounded by chain-link fencing. He was standing on a concrete circle and couldn’t move because he was surrounded by branches and metal,” Sue said. “He’s a bit malnourished but had only been at that place for two weeks.” However, a skeletal mare rescued at the same time was in much worse condition and sadly died two days later. The rescue centre has completed a veterinary report at the request of Seprona officials, who are pushing to prosecute the Spanish owner. The Easy Horse Care Rescue Centre relies entirely on donations to fund its important animal welfare work, including the feeding and care of the centre’s more than 90 horses, ponies and donkeys rescued from abuse, neglect and abandonment. Donations of cash or items for the centre’s network of eight charity shops across the Alicante province are gratefully welcomed. A pick-up service is available to collect large donated items such as furniture and each shop also offers a delivery service for large items purchased in-store. Anyone interested in making a donation, becoming a long-term sponsor, or volunteering at the rescue centre or in the charity shops can call Sue on 652 021 980. The Easy Horse Care Rescue Centre, located just outside Rojales at Partido Lo Garriga, 59, opens to the public on the first Sunday of every month between 1pm and 4pm. Free horse tours run throughout the afternoon and refreshments are available in the café. For more details and directions, please visit www.easyhorsecare.net.

Braveheart

A night of Solidarity LAST FRIDAY’S XI Solidarity Night Race from the Musical Union Torrevieja, beat its own record of participation. Organized by the UMT, Union Musical Torrevieja, and with the continued sponsorship of Pizzeria No. 1, the XI Solidarity Night Race has the annual aim of helping a non-governmental organization in the city, and this year they are supporting the Defence Association and Integration of the Mentally Ill of the Vega Baja (ADIEM). Friday’s inscription was just 3€, a bargain for all those attending as not only did each participant receive a drink, a slice of pizza and a pastry at the end of the event, but all of the numbers on their vests were put into a draw to win prizes; all for just 3€. The start of the race, which is really a fun run, took place on the Paseo Vista Alegre, opposite the Torrevieja Yacht Club beside the monument to the musicians. The race covers a distance of 1,500 metres along the seafront ending at the No. 1 Pizzeria, on Playa del Cura, owned by Salvatore Schinello where, as every year, all runners enjoyed a slice of pizza and a soft drink. The event, which also has the support of the departments of NGOs, Sports and Culture was also attended by councillors Pablo Samper, Alejandro Blanco, Joaquín Albaladejo, Rosario Martínez Chazarra and Agustina Esteve, along with the mayor of Torrevieja, José Manuel Dolón, and the directors and members of the UMT, who distributed the gifts during the draw, accompanied by almost ﬁve hundred participants and many members of ADIEM. The collection on the evening was around 1,800€ from the shirt sales, exceeding all expectations, and the expected numbers surpassed previous years. Salvatore Schinello, owner of No. Pizza 1, prepared 160 pizzas which were “devoured” by the participants. After the race, and after the pizza and drinks, a draw for sports equipment, donated by various local entities was performed.

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

Másmóvil – the best telephone provider in Spain! With a new and cheaper international plan With coverage in the entire country Másmóvil has introduced ‘plan zero international’ from only 14.90 euros per month including taxes! With this you get 200 minutes for both national and international calls plus 1GB of data for internet use and 100 national SMS included. Alternatively, for 400 minutes speak time and 4 GB of data and 100 SMS you pay only 25.90€ including taxes per month. These plans means you can call many countries around the world at a cheap cost including Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, China, Colombia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Paraguay, Peru, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Singapore, Sweden, Thailand, United Kingdom, United States, Uruguay, Venezuela. If you still don’t know where your nearest agent is, go to our easy-to-navigate web site at www.

masmovil.es where, under ‘store search’, you will find your nearest MÁSMÓVIL distributor who will guide you through the whole process. They will also give you all the advice you need and, if you prefer, move your existing mobile number to us; but do check you have no penalties with your current provider for moving! With MÁSMÓVIL everything is simple and transparent with no hidden charges or penalties. You can choose to pay by AUTOMATIC TOP-UP, which is by far the simplest method and ensures you can always have credit whenever you need it or, if this is not your preference, you can pay by direct debit. The choice is yours! Remember, transparency is MÁSMÓVIL’s philosophy so you are guaranteed a ‘no secrets’ service! Keep your mobile phone costs DOWN and visit www.masmovil.es or pop into your nearest agent to get signed up now! Some conditions may apply.

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

New management for Villajoyosa pool

NEWS BITES

2015 SPANISH NATIONAL TRIANGULAR TOURNAMENT

SPORTING ALFAS cricket club is hosting this years triangular tournament at the Woodbridge Oval, Albir on Sunday 13th November from 11am. People are invited to bring your family and friends down to enjoy a day of FREE fun!

Sponsored by Hotels.TV & Pennick Blackwell local team Sporting Alfas (ECCL Division Champions 2015) will be joined by Cataluyna cricket club (Liga Catalana Division Champions 2015) and St. Georges (Liga Canaria Champions 2015) Bouncy castles, raﬄes and cake stalls will also be in attendance to help raise much needed funds for Kiera. Everyone is welcome to join this fantastic event.

by JEANETTE RICE THE VILLAJOYOSA town hall have awarded the municipal pool contract to a new company following the liquidation of the previous concessionaire. Two companies Soom Management SL

and Esproade SL will share the responsibility of running the venue which includes stringent maintenance schedules to ensure public safety at all times. A grant of 32,284.86€ is in place to ensure that both companies can fulﬁl their obligations which include a guarantee

of employment for all employees who worked under the previous company. The pool will be closed for a few days from Wednesday 18th November to allow all the legal documentation to be notarised, employees’ contracts to be changed and suppliers re-established.

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

#rtnemails k

#rtnemail of the wee

Spanish Law On Cyclists THE COMMENTS about the Law regarding cyclists did not contain all the rules regarding cyclists that are different to UK law. Besides legally allowing the cyclists to ride in twos, they can ride in a peletón (group) and clubs tend to practice in a racing arrow formation but you must leave 1.5m space between your vehicle and the cyclists. The Spanish Highway Code manual does not say that there is a difference in city areas but local municipalities may have their own rules. At unmarked crossings, including cycle tracks, cyclists have priority over motorised vehicles. Mopeds are classed as cycles. A new law now allows a priority lane for cyclists on roundabouts. Elche has a few roundabouts with this type of layout. Cyclists should have lights at night but, like the UK Police, the Spanish Police believe it is a minor problem. Some municipalities, like Torrevieja, have instructed their Municipal Police (Policía Local) to run a regular campaign in the autumn to target cyclists without lights so that, for most of the winter, cyclists ride with lights! In 2014 I produced an updated information leaflet on the differences between UK & Spain traffic laws, after 12 years dealing with UK visitors’ problems. This now has 35 examples of some of the differences, advice on weather hazards, a brief explanation about the different police groups, and a glossary of over 50 Spanish traffic words with an English translation; all in simple, understandable English. For a free copy please email davidclubtorre@gmail.com and I will send it in PDF format. Please feel free to pass on this information or tell interested people our email address so that we can pass on this information and help visitors to Spain enjoy their stay without any stress or problems. David Hudson

Where’s my vote?

MIKE GAPES MP has urged those of us who live in the EU to inform ourselves better about the threatened referendum on the UK’s future membership and how it will affect those of us living in Spain. Mr. Gapes should instead ask the prime minister to clarify what he proposes to do in the event of a no vote to protect our rights and standard of living here, as he promised to do before the last election, for all UK pensioners, not just those resident in the UK. I have written to the current MP of our former UK constituency expressing our concerns and asking for pressure to be put on the government to reinstate our legal right to vote, before such a referendum. To date he has failed to respond. Many friends here who had postal votes this year found that their paperwork was so delayed that they doubted their votes had even been registered. Having lived in Spain for over 15 years I feel we have been robbed of the vote at this crucial time, given the importance of such a referendum to pensioners like us. How can it be legal or moral to deny us that very vote in a matter that will affect us so catastrophically should the UK decide to opt out? Could not the local British Consulates in Spain be used to distribute voting papers and receive them for onward safe prompt return to the UK? This would normally only be once every four years, surely not too onerous a task. Perhaps Mr. Gapes would also ask Iain Duncan Smith if he has any tips for our 90 year old neighbour, who suffers from dementia and diabetes and who served on the Russian convoys as a lad, as to how to keep warm this winter now that he and his wife have been robbed of their winter fuel allowances as well as their votes. Yours angrily, Sheila Skinner, Parcent.

One way! No way! We live on a one way street and a regular assortment of cars and trucks drive down it illegally. Maybe some are rental cars with drivers who do not know it is a one way street, even though it is clearly marked, but some people will do what is wrong if given a chance. We have never seen a police car randomly drive down the street and catch a person driving the wrong way. Yesterday, while out for a walk, I spotted a man driving the wrong way on the one way street. I summoned up the courage to wave at him and tell him he was driving the wrong way. You can guess what his response was. He rolled down his window spoke some angry words and told me not to preach at him. My wife was very upset by such an angry response. Your newspaper has a very wide readership, and the Letters page with the cartoon is a focal point for readers, so, perhaps drivers such as the man described will read this letter and be more civil. Richard Van Slyke, Finestrat

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

Chris’s Corner DON’T WE say some cock-eyed things to our young? I was with a pal of mine when his 6 month old baby boy nuked his nappy.

Chris Ashley

Writer & Broadcaster

My friend said “My little man has just delivered Daddy a present” Crickey! This fella must be so easy to shop for come Father’s Day. What other adult gems can we unearth? “If you fall out of that tree and break your leg – don’t come running to me”. Good old Mum, straight out of the Sybil Fawlty school of stating “The bleeding obvious.” Or the teacher at Our Sacred Lady Of Dysfunctional Dolts enquiring “Do you want to be caned?” Ummm! Let me think about that for a moment. I suppose some might find the prospect of being thrashed by a middle aged woman in a nun’s habit appealing. Something you’d have to pay good money for in a later life. Or how about “You can’t judge a book by the cover” Yes you can, if it’s got a surgically enhanced bleach blond bimbo on the front it’s not the Salvation Army War Cry. Unless of course Sister Barbie is sporting a tambourine in a strategically placed chaste manner whilst holding the banner. Be mindful of Mr & Mrs Windsor of London SW1A 1AA cliché free maxim – Never Complain, Never Explain. Just a minute, surely her Majesty must complain sometimes. “Bloody foreigners coming over here, stealing One’s job. Six months ago working the canteen on the Gdansk docks for 10 Zlotys an hour – now Queen Svetalotski’s taken over One’s Realm.” What about the not explaining bit? For example, how much longer do we have to bankroll the York household? We all thought the Fergie/Andrew love train had uncoupled yonks ago. Not a bit of it. With their gruesome twosome progeny they have racked up more air miles than a flock of disorientated wayward Canada geese. All at our expense. Bah! Wheel out the Corbyn tumbrils. More chance pigs might fly – which may well excite David Cameron and give him a crick in the neck. Talking of which, I’m hogging the airwaves (stop groaning) on Bigfm 89.9 & 99.8 or www.bigfm.org Monday/Wednesday/Friday 6-8pm. No new stuff or technology– just good old vinyl 45’s. Children you will learn about such things along with the demise of the Roman Empire, Dinosaurs, the Lib Dems, and by the time this goes to print – Jose Mourinho???

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Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

“I have enough money to last me the rest of my life, unless I buy something.”Jackie Mason

A great quote by Jackie Mason. What do you feel when you hear the term ‘financial planning’?

Excited about tackling the next stages of your life with confidence or apprehensive perhaps because you may find out things you didn’t want to know? When dealing with unfamiliar subjects many individuals reach for a reference guide, often Google! Our experience is that financial planning is as individual and important an issue as financial security and independence and there can be no ‘off-the-shelf’ instruction manual. As a result, financial strategies may often be

developed and based on fear, misinformation from sales agents or ignorance, which rarely leads to any positive outcomes. As a result people are left feeling very frustrated, shortchanged and fearful about their long-term financial security. Our view is that no one knows as much as you about your finances as you do. As such you need to be the Chief Executive of your own financial destiny and a financial adviser should act as your Chief Financial Officer, using their professional knowledge to help to inform, advise and guide you to develop your own financial road map based on your specific situation, attitude to different risk

levels, your objectives and your adviser’s understanding of taxation, budgeting, investment skills, forecasting, product types/availability and financial planning. The finance field is in a constant state of flux and if you are to receive creditable advice about your investments, the financial adviser needs to have current, up-to-date information. How do they go about getting this? Do they take refresher courses? Are they going to pass this information on to you at regular intervals so you have background information on advice? Many financial advisers are little more than glorified personal shoppers, flitting here and there to find off-the-shelf financial products

to sell to you. In some cases this may be exactly what you want but in other cases you may want to benefit from an adviser’s trade discounts or have a detailed financial plan created with coherent objectives and cash flow planning. The key is to make sure that both the expertise and service you expect is actually delivered and right for you. Always clarify anything that you don’t understand, make a note of all other things you would like to know and don’t hesitate to ask. If you would like further information or would like to talk to one of our advisers, please contact tracy.storer@seagatewealth. es or call 966848960.

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

DEAR LAWYER, in connection with a sale of property in Spain by nonresidents, we would like to know: what taxes must be paid and how they are calculated?also, what works are deductible? Is a new swimming pooldeductible? Is there a tax to be paid if we reinvest in another property? DEAR READER, thank you for your enquiry. In principle if aNon Tax Resident individual in Spain sells a property, they must pay two taxes: Tax on the Increased Value of Urban Land. Also it is known as a municipal Plusvalia. To be paid to the Town Hall, this tax is generated by the increase in value of urban land, realized at the time of the transfer of the property. The tax is calculated by applying a percentage fixed by the Town Hall on the cadastral value of the property, and considering the time that the real estate has been owned by the transferor, so the longer you have it, the higher the Plusvalia will be. For this tax the works or improvements made to the property are irrelevant. Capital Gains Tax for Non-residents. This tax charges the gains obtained by non-resident individuals, and is calculated by the difference between the acquisition value and the transfer value of the property. The acquisition value is the amount at which it was bought, inherited, etc. This amount should include all expenses necessary for the acquisition, such as taxes, notary fees, registration fees, lawyer fees, etc. The transfer value is the selling price, less all those costs and expenses inherent such as payment of the municipal plusvalia, estate agent fees, etc. From the 12 of July 2015 the percentage to be paid is 19.50%. We understand the construction of a pool to be an investment or improvement, and therefore should be considered and deducted, bearing in mind the value of the investment and the time when it was made. As for the possibility of reinvesting the gain, Spanish Law provides that if a person sells his habitual residency, they may be exempt from paying Capital Gains Tax, if they reinvest the earnings obtained, in buying another habitual residency. Those over 65 year old who sell their principal residence are also exempt, even if they do not reinvest the money. Finally, there is a new rule that affects non-resident, who can now benefit in some cases from the exemption of Capital Gains Tax on the sale of their main residency in Spain, even if it is no longer their home and they are non-tax residents. If you sell a property in Spain and you need advice, contact us

The information provided in this article is not intended to be legal advice, but merely conveys general information related to legal issues. White & Baos Abogados. Tel:+34 966 426 185. E-mail: info@white-baos.com White & Baos 2014 – All rights reserved. Send your questions to spanishlawyer@roundtownnews.com or info@white-baos.com

LEGAL & FINANCE

Are you Non Tax Resident, selling a property in Spain? Know the taxes to be paid

Carlos Baos

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

YOUR MONEY

Christina Brady

Regional Manager of Blacktower Costa Blanca

Good, honest, professional ﬁnancial advice is priceless

IN TODAY’S financial climate there can be no better way to protect your wealth than spending time with a financial adviser whose main priority is you and listening to your needs and wants and then giving you sound professional advice.

IN TODAY’S financial climate there can be no better way to protect your wealth than spending time with a financial adviser whose main priority is you and listening to your needs and wants and then giving you sound professional advice. Just recently the Sunday Times reported that many well known footballers stood to lose in excess of 100 million due to mis-selling of investments that promised them tax breaks and good returns. The financial advisers responsible reportedly earned more than 5 million from selling these schemes before HM Revenue & Customs launched a crackdown to demand repayments of historical tax rebates generated by the investments. The golden rule with investing that I tell clients and prospective clients time and time again is that if something seems too good to be true it usually is. If you are offered products that guarantee you an annual return above the market rate and at the moment for most people that would be 5% to 6% , due to market volatility , then the risk to your capital is high and in some cases you may even lose the lot. If you are offered a product/ scheme that´s sole purpose is to avoid tax liabilities then run a mile, as the tax authorities in the UK and Spain are looking into and closing numerous schemes that claim to help clients avoid income tax and or inheritance tax. The fines and penalties for the individuals who have used these are huge. Also unless you have a crystal ball no one can get the timing of investments right all the time, especially at the present time when the markets are up and down like a yoyo, anyone claiming to be able to do this is either a fool or a liar. Ask yourself if

they were so good at getting the timing of investments correct why are they working and not living it up as a billionaire. A good ﬁnancial adviser will not oﬀer your products that are high risk or make such fanciful claims, they will work with you to match good solid funds to your attitude of risk and keep you regularly updated on your investment portfolio.

Next year Blacktower Financial Management celebrate 30 years of giving independent, sound and professional wealth management advice to UK residents and expats in Spain and across Europe. If you would like expert independent, professional and impartial advice please contact me via email christina.brady@blacktowerfm.com or on my mobile 658 892 330 .

The above information was correct at the time of preparation and does not constitute investment advice and you should seek advice from a professional adviser before embarking on any ﬁnancial planning activity. Blacktower Financial Management Ltd is licenced by the UK by the Financial Conduct Authority and is registered with both the DGS and CNMV. Blacktower Financial Management (Int) Ltd is licenced in Gibraltar by the Financial Services Commission (FSC) Licence No: 00805B and registered with the DGS in Spain.

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

Core strengths

business

AT ONE of my networking sessions a few weeks ago, the topic of discussion was based on your personal “core strengths” and the need to focus on them and not on your weaknesses.

The idea here being that if you focus on the aspects of your personality and skill sets that you excel at then they might overcome your weaknesses, just by sheer comparison. For example, if you have a bubbly personality this will play out well for your abilities to conduct sales in your enterprise. And, say your weakness is math and accounting, then with your core strength to charm people and make sales, you can hire someone with core math skills. And, on this point – visa versa! The key is to get to know yourself better and find out what your core strengths are and to bring them to the table and make them really work for you. Then, along the way, you will discover your weak areas but you won’t be letting them bring you down into a negative zone. Here are a list of personality traits that work for business and life. Maybe you can spot your strengths in this list…. Action-Oriented, Adventurous, Analytical, Artistic, Athletic, Authentic, Caring, Clever, Compassionate, Charming, Communicative, Confident, Courageous, Creative, Curious, Determined, Disciplined, Educated, Empathetic, Emotional, Intelligent, Energetic, Entertaining, Fast, Flexible, Focused, Good-Looking, Helping, Inspiring, Intelligent, Leadership, Learning, Motivated, Optimistic, Open-Minded, Organized, Outgoing, Patient, Precise, Responsible, Self-Controlled, Speaking, Spontaneous, Social / People Skills, Strategic Thinking, Team-Oriented, Thoughtful, Trustworthy, Visionary, Warm, Willpower, Wisdom When choosing your core strengths, do not confuse this with your wish to be “more creative” or “more disciplined” for example. If you are not either of these, then they are not going to serve you well in your business. I have met many people in my years who wished to be artists or website developers, but once you saw their finished work, it was obvious that it was not going to fly!! It is unfair to you client to use their money to advance your learning curve to be a website designer, for example, if you have no core competence in this area. Research has shown that if you focus on your core strengths, they will energise you and you will be successful. People read other people in a few seconds to determine if they will be a good match in business enterprises and if you are exhibiting your strengths, you will be noticed and shine.

Karla Darocas . Darocas Media . Darocas.com . KarlaDarocas.com Mrs. Karla Darocas, Hons B.A., Educator www.Darocas.com, www.KarlaDarocas.com HOME: 96 597 3234 OFFICE: 648 156 066

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

life&leisure

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015



Remembrance pride

The standards are paraded

EXPATS ALONG the Mediterranean coast joined fellow Britons around the world on Sunday to proudly remember those who lost their lives in service of their country. by JACK TROUGHTON

IN LONDON, royals and senior politicians honoured the fallen and laid wreaths at the Cenotaph after a two-minute silence at 11am – the chimes of Big Ben marking the start of the tribute – and the ceremony was followed by the traditional march past by veterans. The Queen led the UK and British people across the globe in the silent mark of respect to honour the fallen. She was joined by the Duke of Edinburgh – the Duke of Cambridge,

Prince Harry, and the Duke of York also laying wreaths. And the Royal British Legion again organised Remembrance Sunday services along the Costa Blanca; the silence staged at noon Spanish time, when people stood in quiet contemplation. The service in Javea is traditionally held at 3pm and once again people ﬂocked to the Fisherman’s Church from across the Marina Alta for to take part in the moving occasion. Proceedings were conducted by Father Marcus Ronchetti of the Costa Blanca Anglican Chaplaincy and organised by the

Javea Branch of the Royal British Legion. As people queued to ﬁnd seats, outside the church the standards of the Legion, the Royal Naval Association, the Royal Air Force Association, and the Air Crew Association were paraded for the cameras – before being carried to the altar of the church. And once again the choir of the Laude Lady Elizabeth School was in ﬁne voice; adding to the poignancy of an emotional afternoon.

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

life&leisure what’s on /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Sales pitch

Coral Clásica Javiense Christmas Concert ON SUNDAY 29th November at 4.30pm, in the Fishermen’s Church, Javea Port, the International Choir Coral Clásica Javiense offers for this year’s Christmas Concert J.S. Bach’s Christmas-Oratorio Part 1 BWV 248, Cantatas 1-3.

The choir will be accompanied by the Orchestra Marina Alta (OMA) under the direction of Francesc Estèvez. Josep Vicent Ginér, the organist of the Pedreguer Church, will accompany on the harpsichord. Soloists will be Carmina Sánchez, soprano, Myriam Arnouk, contralto, Jorge Franco, tenor, and Sebastiá Peris, bass. The ticket price is 13€. Tickets can be purchased at the door, or in advance at the following locations: Humpty Dumpty in Jávea, Libraria Europa in Calpe Letters R Us in Moraira and Pro Akustik in Denia For more information about the choir or about this concert, see the web site www.coralclasicajaviense. es or telephone 676 28 54 93 or 965 79 49 98.

by Jack troughton TICKETS are still available for the very funny ‘A Foot in the Door’ which opens at the Union Musical, Gata, for a five night run on Monday night (16th November). Writer Richard Harris’ new play is being performed by Javea Players and is the story of lonely but loveable pensioner May Archer – played by Carole Saunders – and how she recruits people for a cup of tea and a chat. The plot features the arrival of five unlikely characters at the door – all intent on selling May something but soon caught up in May’s world and unlikely to close a deal. Take one veteran – he wears odd socks as a tactic – and attempts to sell her a home security system; said to be endorsed by the Duke and Duchess of Wessex. He will not earn much in the

way of commission but is offered a digestive biscuit. This comic gem is written by Richard Harris, best known for television crime and drama writing, but has also penning some seriously funny plays, including ‘Outside Edge’, ‘Stepping Out’, ‘Death in

high Heels’ and ‘Two and Two Make Sex.” A Foot in the Door is performed each night from Monday 16th November to Friday 20th November. The show starts at 8pm and tickets at 12€ are available from the box office on 96 579 4937 or by email to boxofficejp@gmail.com.

Christmas comes to Albir early

THE ALBIR Christmas fair which is only a few weeks away will be offering visitors a chance to buy those special personalised gifts and help charities at the same time. The fair, which starts at 12 noon on 6th December, is being held at the Albir Sun Palace Hotel and promises to have something for everyone. Entrance is free with over 50 stalls to browse around including some of the most creative and diverse products and services available in Spain including tombola, teeth whitening, mulled wine, money transfer services and many other Christmas gift ideas. The Albir Christmas Fair is supporting the local cancer charity MABS. For children there will be a chance to meet Father Christmas and receive a gift as well as having their picture taken with Anna and Elsa from Disney’s Frozen! One of the organisers, Katie Dell, Manager at Hotels.tv, said “we are looking to give back to the community and I myself am raising funds to have IVF so we decided to do a Christmas Fair. My stall will be the tombola and others include the Second Chance Charity Shop, Animal Angels and MABS. It promises to be a really fun afternoon.” Professional photographer Mike Skinner will be at the event taking pictures of the little ones with Father Christmas and the “Frozen” characters for anyone who wants prints on the day. Kate went on to say “we want everyone to spread the word about this event which is bringing a little bit of Christmas magic to the beautiful Costa Blanca.” There are still a couple of stalls left and anyone interested can call Kate on 602 53 56 20 or email Costablanca@hotels.tv.

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

life&leisure events

Explore the Vall del Pop

DISCOVER THE wonderful scenery of the Vall del Pop with the new U3A walking group ‘The Thursday Explorers’ who meet every week for outings of between four and five hours. by JACK TROUGHTON THE NEW group has been launched by U3A Vall del Pop and is aimed at taking on the most popular local walks at a moderate pace with suﬃcient breaks to admire the sights. And the walks are suitable for anyone who is reasonably ﬁt and with some experience of hill walking. Walking boots are essential and walking sticks advisable. The group welcomes all members of U3A Vall

del Pop – the annual membership is just 5€. Walkers are advised they take part at their own risk and are recommended to take out their own insurance. Dogs are not allowed to be taken on the Thursday outings. The group meets at 10am and usually reach journey’s end in a convenient bar at around 3pm. Anyone interested in joining should contact Paul or Jan on 96 640 5335 or email paulleniston@hotmail.com.

The Thursday Explorers out and about

MABS holds first auction

MABS VENTURES into the sale room on Friday 27th November when it stages its ﬁrst charity auction at the El Cid Restaurant in Benidoleig. A number of unusual and interesting items have been donated to the MABS Cancer Support Group including a balalaika and a spinning wheel with instructions – also up for grabs is an electric bicycle, guitars, crockery, and pictures. The lots can be viewed from noon and the sale starts at 1pm. It is an opportunity to support the charity and enjoy the fun of an auction.

APASA in fashion ANIMAL CHARITY APASA enters the world of fashion on Wednesday 25th November at Los Leones Restaurant, Sol Park, Moraira.

The charity is holding a lunch and Fashion Show with clothes by the London Boutique, the event starting at 12.30pm for 1pm. Tickets are 16€ and include a three course meal with bread and alioli, wine and water. Reservations are essential, call Sue on 96 574 1668 or 606 588 197.

The spirit of Christmas present PUTTING THE ‘jolly’ into the festive season, popular choir the Valley Voices are soon out and about spreading some Christmas cheer. The choir has three concerts planned for this month and in December to remind audiences of the spirit of Christmas. At 1pm on Saturday 28th November, the Valley Voices will be singing at the Christmas Fair at the Denia Marriott Hotel, a two-day event in aid of charity Friends of the Children of EMAUS. And on Friday 4th December at 7pm the choir will perform at the Apostolic Church in Denia. Finally, the Valley Voices and the Costa Barber Singers are singing at the Jalon Church on Monday 14th December at 8pm, where contributions can be made to help support the work of the local branch of charity Caritas. After the concert, the audience is invited to enjoy mulled wine and mince pies to help combat the winter chill.

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

life&leisure feature



Gardens can provide havens for the remaining wildlife

Dick Handscombe Holistic gardener and author

UNFORTUNATELY THE concreting of the coastline and the floors and sides of rural inland valleys has led over the past twenty five years to the loss of many important historic habitats for Spain’s amazingly diverse and densely stocked wildlife. BUT LUCKILY thoughtful gardeners who wish to live closer to nature can do things to partially re-establish interesting populations of birds, insects and animals. Use the questionnaire that follows to assess how your garden fares. Have you fixed up nesting boxes on the upper trunks of the trees? Have you left holes in old or new walls that might attract a nesting hoopoe? Do you have a bird bath in which birds can wash and drink? Do you have a pond to which birds and dragon flies are attracted to drink and frogs have become resident? Are their reeds that attract birds looking for insects? Do you have a thick hedge in which birds can shelter and hedgerow type birds nest? Are leaves left to rot under the hedges to attract worms and insects to be found by foraging birds? How many mature/maturing trees do you have in which birds can perch and shelter? Is there an area of the garden left wild to attract birds looking for insects and butterflies wanting to lay eggs on the stalks of grasses? Are there patches of lantanas, lavender, thyme and rosemary to attract feeding butterflies? Are there deep throated perfumed flowers such as the exotic flowered devils tongue, caesalpinia gilliessii, and the waxy flowered stephanotis that attract the interesting humming bird hawk moth? Is there a length of dry stone wall with holes in which lizards and toads can hide? Are there bunches of herbs or hanging plants in the covered terrace that give shelter for geckoes?

Do you have a bat box under the eves? Are there thickly growing climbing plants on walls that can offer shelter to birds and insects and therefore a natural feeding ground for the latter. Do you put coconuts, nuts or seeds out to attract birds and in a few lucky situations squirrels? Have you banned chemical warfare through manufactured inorganic insecticides, weed killers and fertilizers in favour of more environmentally friendly ecological/organic solutions? Have you one or more active compost heaps to recycle green kitchen and garden waste to produce micro organism and worm rich compost and somewhere for blackbirds to scavenge. Have you stopped burning bonfires that can asphyxiate insects and deter birds etc? Do you grow a few sunflowers to attract seed eating birds? Do you leave a pile of rotting logs and leaves in a corner to attract insects for birds and possible a lost hedgehog? How does your garden fare? To how many questions can you say yes? Congratulations if to almost all. If you score very low do consider making a few changes over the coming months. Wildlife is an essential and interesting feature of a complete and balanced garden.

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

life&leisure gardening ////////////////////////////////////

From Westminster to Moraira by JACK TROUGHTON

TALENTED FLORAL demonstrator Stephanie Laing is the guest demonstrator of the Marina Alta and Costa Blanca Floral Club on Thursday 19th November and makes her debut with the theme ‘Inspired By’. Stephanie is a regular visitor to Spain; she has a home in Estepona and is the programme secretary of the Estepona Flower Club. She recently helped decorate Westminster Abbey ahead of the Festival of Remembrance and was responsible for the pedestal on the High Altar. The club meets at the Salon de Actos, La Senieta, Moraira. Doors open and entrance is 5€ for members and 8€ for visitors – everyone is welcome and they are asked to be seated by 2.45pm. And the club is currently selling raffle tickets for a chance to win a Christmas Hamper and other prizes – proceeds will support the Civil Protection in Teulada Moraira and Fontilles hospital. For more information contact Tina on 96 583 3197 or visit the website www.marinaaltafloralclub.com.

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

life&leis re music u 

Markus K

Becky BB: female vocalist

Blues fusionist

FEMALE VOCALIST Becky BB has a lovely voice and sings a range of songs from today’s music like Meghan Trainor, Olly Murs, Adele, Alicia Keys etc and also older songs from Bette Midler, Elkie Brooks, Judy Garland and much more. Becky BB will be singing every ﬁrst and third Thursday of the month, next evening on Thursday 19th November, at the Jacaranda Restaurant Bar, Camino Viejo del Portet, Moraira from 9 pm. For reservations phone: 96 574 3292.

ON FRIDAY 27th November, Markus K will be performing at Café del Mar, Cala Andragó, Moraira from 9 pm. Markus takes on an unusual take on the blues, often crossing the boundaries of what blues audiences see as ‘acceptable’. He likes to mix blues with inﬂuences and rhythms from all over the world and calls it ‘Blues Fusion’. Most of the songs on his albums are originals, combined with unusual ‘reworks’ of classics, such as Rollin’ & Tumblin’ and ‘Suzy Q’. Markus K was born in Holland as ‘Marcus Antonius Koehorst’ and spent half his life in the UK. There he fronted various successful bands and recorded a total of 11 acclaimed albums. Under the name GILES, he has recorded and released 4 albums, writing, recording and producing the majority of the songs, and often playing all instruments, including drums, bass and keyboards.

He is now based in Lliber on the Costa Blanca where he released his first solo album called ‘The Patreon Files’ early 2015. Many of the songs were recorded live while busking on the streets all over Europe or during online concerts via the internet. Check out his website. http://www.markus-k.com/about/ Tickets are 15 euros to include a buffet dinner. Doors open at 7.30 and buffet served at 8pm Tickets are available at Cafe Del Mar or call Jude on 687 228 593.

Black Glitter – rock/soul band

“BLACK GLITTER” are an exciting band with a line up of Geoﬀ Britton (drums), Kelly (vocals), Carlos (guitar) and Chema (bass). The band’s repertoire includes the great lady vocalists of rock and soul, Tina Turner, Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston, Patti LaBelle etc.

There is plenty to enjoy, quality musicians, classic songs and some great dance music. For more info on the band phone Kelly on: 650 957 914. November Gigs: Friday 13: Javea Company Bar, (ex-Cham-

pagne), Arenal, Javea. 11 pm Thursday 19: Paddy O’ Connolls Bar, Calle La Mar, Denia. 11.30 pm. Friday 20: Abbey Tavern, Orihuela. 11.30 pm Saturday 21: La Plaza Bar, Altea. 12.30 am Sunday 22: Casa Aleluya Bar, Jalon. 8 pm Friday 27: Support Band for Bon Jovi

Tribute Show. 8 pm. Friday 27: Javea Company Bar, (ex-Champagne), Arenal, Javea. 11 pm Saturday 28: Support Band for Bon Jovi Tribute Show. 8 pm. Sunday 29: Alter Ego Café Bar, Denia. 7.30 pm

Country hits

THE NORTH-SOUTH Country Boys packed the dance ﬂoor at the El Cid Restaurant in Benidoleig on Saturday as the duo hit “cracking form”. The pair, Dave South from Almeria, and Bobby Valentine from Javea, played classics from the likes of Merle Haggard, Don Williams, Jim Reeves, Johnny Cash and Tammy Wynette to a full house. Their laid-back style and obvious enjoyment of the material soon had the audience on their feet and dancing – and a group from the Costa Blanca Line Dance Club’s willingness to dance from the outset quickly encouraged others in the audience. The evening enjoyed a real feel good factor and the Country Boys were called back to perform a series of encores – many in the audience hoping the pair return to the venue soon. To book the band call Andy on 96 684 1131 or email info@headlinerscb.com

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

tv&showbiz goss

by Peter Taylor

 KATE WINSLET always struck me as a woman who wouldn´t be afraid to speak her mind, and she has duly obliged. She has three children aged 15, 11, and 22 months, and last week when speaking to the Sunday Times on the subject of Social Media said “It has a huge impact on young people’s self-esteem; subjects like eating disorders make my blood boil! We don’t have any social media in our house!” now really going for it she added “Let your kids climb trees! Take the device out of their hands! Play Monopoly! Love you Kate!

Mitch believes you gotta ‘Accentuate the Positive!’ JASON MRAZ went into music in 2000, got his ﬁrst single out in 2003, which sadly bombed, then in 2008 had overnight success with the gloriously rhythmic song ´I´m Yours´ making the top ten in all the mayor record buying countries. You could do worse than check out his amusingly titled album ´We Dance We Sing We Steal Things, ´ a title that could only be conjured up by a top geezer. He got married two weeks ago in Mechanicsville, Virginia, where he grew up, and said on Instagram “Today I was made the luckiest man in the world.” His bio now reads “Singer/ Songwriter/ Husband.”

YOU WOULD think with all his dosh, Donald Trump could ﬁnd somebody who knows how to cut hair! Rant over. During his pathetic political pursuits the man seems to have lost it completely, as on the subject of women who wear burqas he said “They do it so they don’t have to put on makeup!” Been at the turps again Don Baby? The story went viral on Twitter and Trump was stupid enough to say “if I was a woman I’d probably wear one!” which got the reply “Please wear one that covers your mouth as well!” Rockin’

WE’VE ALL got our fave TV shows, and if you have the technology, you can re-visit them at your leisure. It’s extremely unusual for a show made in recent times to reach such dizzy heights, but ´Sherlock´ might well be one that gets there. The show is one of the BBC’s biggest exports around the world and whilst speaking to Variety last week writer Stephen Moﬀat surprised many when he said “Sherlock will come to an end when Benedict decides to leave! Watch Sherlock Special: Oﬃcial extended trailer!

IN 2003 Amy Winehouse’s debut album ´Frank´ was nominated for the Mercury Prize (Best Album of the Year), this was followed by 2006 album ´Back to Black´ for which she was awarded 5 Grammys in 2008, the first British female to achieve such an incredible feat! As we are all so sadly aware, Amy passed away in the summer of 2011, but she left behind a considerable collection of recordings and videos that show us how she went out and conquered the world! Two years ago filmmaker Asif Kapadia was commissioned to make a documentary on her, and Ámy´ premiered at last year’s Cannes Film Festival and was reviewed as “a tragic masterpiece,” “Brilliant!” “Heart-breaking” and “Unmissable.” What’s also interesting is that the documentary was given a 97% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes! Let me explain. Rotten Tomatoes is a website that started in 1998 where, with just a few clicks, you can launch the ´virtual´ mushy fruit at whatever it is you disapprove of; film reviews, news items etc, and 97% of Rotten Tomatoes visitors gave Asif Kapadia´s documentary a right old seeing to. I now introduce the third player in this little vignette, Mitch Winehouse; Amy´s father. He stated a couple of weeks ago that he wanted to make his own film of his daughters life and that it will not be ńegative´ in any way, and I´ll bet my house that the word negative refers to Asif Kapadia´s documentary. Last week Mitch confirmed his intentions were real when, whilst talking to Bang Showbiz said “All Amy´s friends, including those who should´ve been in the film, meet at least once a month and we sit about telling brilliant stories. People don’t realise everybody’s got a 100 stories about Amy, and that’s the kind of thing we’re going to try and do.” Filming begins shortly, and personally, I can’t wait!

AUSTRALIAN SINGER ‘Lorde’ has ´gone straight´ having shed her mass of curly locks for the trendily named ´pin-straight´ hairdo. She attended the 12th Annual CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund Awards in New York on November 2, and turned many heads in the process. The reason so many heads turned is that no more than a couple of weeks ago Lorde said “Curly hair is the coolest s**t mama, I love having this halo of hair radiating out from my face … the bigger the better!” Odiota! I HAVE a fashion item here that was brought to our attention by young US singer Selena Gomez that is a throwback from the early 2000´s when you girls were nobody if you didn´t have a couple ó three Bubble Skirts. Selena´s got the ´Bring Back the Bubble´ movement up and running, and with website ´Who What Wear´ saying that the skirt is to be part of the Louis Vuitton 2016 spring collection, all you fashion victims best dig out the old credit card. I recall a pal of mine saying the skirt looked like a puffed out deflated parachute. Cheeky Boy!

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

tv listings 13th November - 19th November

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friday 13th November BBC1

07:00 Breakfast 10:15 The Wanted 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 The Housing Enforcers 12:30 Neighbourhood Blues 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News at One and Weather 14:30 BBC Regional News and Weather 14:45 Doctors 15:15 The Edge 16:00 Escape to the Country 16:45 My Life on a Plate 17:30 Flog It! 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News at Six and Weather 19:30 BBC Regional News and Weather 20:00 The One Show 20:30 Children in Need 23:00 BBC News at Ten 23:25 BBC Regional News and Weather 23:40 Children in Need

BBC2

07:15 My Life on a Plate 08:00 The Edge 08:45 Junior Bake Off 09:15 Pound Shop Wars 09:45 Great British Menu 10:15 Victoria Derbyshire 12:00 Coast 12:25 Country Show Cook Off 12:55 Live Formula 1 14:45 The Great British Bake Off 15:45 Wild Brazil 16:45 Live Formula 1 18:35 Antiques Roadshow 19:00 Strictly Come Dancing - It Takes Two 20:00 Rick Stein: From Venice to Istanbul 21:00 Mastermind 21:30 An Island Parish: Falklands 22:00 Great Continental Railway Journeys 23:00 Children in Need 23:40 Newsnight 24:10 Artsnight 24:40 Later - with Jools Holland

saturday 14th November

BBC1

07:00 Breakfast

10:15 Saturday Kitchen Live

11:45 The Lord Mayor’s Show

13:10 Football Focus

13:45 Live International Rugby League

16:10 Live Formula 1

18:20 Children in Need 19:30 BBC News

19:40 BBC Regional News and Weather

19:50 Strictly Come Dancing 21:15 Doctor Who 22:00 Casualty

BBC2

CHANNEL 4

CHANNEL 5

ITV1

CHANNEL 4

CHANNEL 5

itv2

07:15 How I Met Your Mother 07:40 How I Met Your Mother 08:30 River Rat Race Stockton 08:55 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 The Morning Line 11:00 Frasier 11:30 Frasier 12:00 The Big Bang Theory 12:30 The Big Bang Theory 13:00 The Big Bang Theory 13:30 The Simpsons 14:00 The Simpsons 14:30 Channel 4 Racing 17:00 Come Dine with Me 17:25 Come Dine with Me 18:00 Come Dine with Me 18:30 Come Dine with Me 19:05 Come Dine with Me 19:30 Channel 4 News 20:00 The Restoration Man 21:00 Grand Designs: House of the Year 22:00 The Inbetweeners 2 23:55 American Reunion

07:00 Peppa Pig 07:05 Bananas in Pyjamas 07:20 Bob the Builder 07:30 Tickety Toc 07:40 Milkshake! Monkey 07:45 Make Way for Noddy 08:00 Paw Patrol 08:15 Little Princess 08:35 Pip Ahoy! 08:50 Blaze and the Monster Machines 09:10 Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom 09:30 Wanda and the Alien 09:45 Toby’s Travelling Circus 10:00 The Saturday Show 12:00 Defending Santa 13:50 Trading Christmas 15:35 Farewell Mr Kringle 17:20 Dear Santa 19:05 5 News Weekend 19:10 Kelly’s Heroes 22:00 Football League Tonight 23:00 Live Boxing

07:00 Emmerdale 09:15 Coronation Street 11:15 The Xtra Factor 12:15 Tricked 13:15 Scorpion 14:15 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here Now! 15:15 You’ve Been Framed! 16:15 You’ve Been Framed! 16:50 Catchphrase 17:50 Nim’s Island 19:45 Kindergarten Cop 22:00 2 Fast 2 Furious 24:10 Celebrity Juice 24:55 Release the Hounds

07:00 Rules of Engagement 09:35 How I Met Your Mother 10:00 How I Met Your Mother 10:30 Baby Daddy 11:00 Baby Daddy 11:30 Made in Chelsea 12:35 The Goldbergs 13:00 The Goldbergs 13:30 Melissa & Joey 14:00 Melissa & Joey 14:30 How I Met Your Mother 15:00 How I Met Your Mother 15:30 Brooklyn Nine-Nine 16:00 The Goldbergs 16:30 The Goldbergs 17:00 The Spy Next Door 19:00 The Big Bang Theory 19:30 The Big Bang Theory 20:00 The Big Bang Theory 20:30 The Big Bang Theory 21:00 The Big Bang Theory 21:30 The Big Bang Theory 22:00 Transporter 3 24:05 The Inbetweeners Top 10 Moments

CHANNEL 4

CHANNEL 5

07:15 Henry VIII and His Six Wives 09:15 Formula 1 11:05 Formula 1 12:55 Formula 1 Rewind 13:55 Live Formula 1 15:05 The Red Shoes 17:15 Terry and Mason’s Great Food Trip 17:45 Escape to the Country 18:30 Flog It! 19:30 The Great Pottery Throw Down 20:30 Great Continental Railway Journeys 21:30 Dad’s Army 22:00 QI XL 22:45 David Gilmour: Wider Horizons 24:00 The Last Station

22:50 The National Lottery Live

23:00 BBC News and Weather 23:20 Match of the Day

24:00 Pirates of the Caribbean:

the Curse of the Black Pearl

itv2

ITV1

07:00 Good Morning Britain 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV Lunchtime News 14:55 ITV Regional News 15:00 Judge Rinder 16:00 Pick Me! 16:59 ITV Regional Weather 17:00 Tipping Point 18:00 The Chase 19:00 ITV Regional News 19:30 ITV Evening News 20:00 Coronation Street 20:30 Live International Football 23:00 ITV News at Ten 23:30 ITV Regional News 23:45 International Football Highlights 24:50 The Chase

07:00 Bottom Knocker Street 07:35 Dino Dan: Trek’s Adventures 08:00 Signed Stories 08:05 Oddbods 08:10 Sooty 08:25 Super 4 08:40 Adventure Time 09:00 Marvel Avengers Assemble 09:30 Thunderbirds Are Go 10:00 Jessie 10:25 Murder, She Wrote 11:20 Countrywise 11:50 ITV News and Weather 11:55 The Jeremy Kyle Show USA 12:50 Downton Abbey 14:25 Judge Rinder 15:20 All Star Family Fortunes 16:05 Doc Martin 17:05 Scooby-Doo 18:45 ITV News Central 19:15 Catchphrase 20:00 The Chase 21:00 The X Factor 22:45 The Jonathan Ross Show 23:50 ITV News and Weather 24:10 International Football Highlights The Last Station 24:00 24:55 River Monsters

07:00 07:45 08:35 09:00 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30 12:00 12:30 13:00 13:05 13:40 16:10 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 22:00 23:00 24:05

Countdown 3rd Rock from the Sun Everybody Loves Raymond Everybody Loves Raymond Frasier Frasier Frasier Come Dine with Me Come Dine with Me Come Dine with Me Channel 4 News Come Dine with Me Channel 4 Racing Countdown Homes by the Sea Four in a Bed Come Dine with Me The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Unreported World Grand Designs Gogglebox Alan Carr: Chatty Man First Dates

07:00 09:35 09:45 10:00 10:15 12:10 13:10 13:15 14:15 14:45 15:20 16:15 18:00 18:30 19:00 19:30 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00 24:00 24:55

Childrens TV Paw Patrol Bananas in Pyjamas Toot the Tiny Tugboat The Wright Stuff Ice Road Truckers 5 News Lunchtime Ice Road Truckers Home and Away Neighbours NCIS When Calls the Heart 5 News Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight Secrets Of Ice Road Truckers NCIS: New Orleans NCIS NCIS: Los Angeles Access

07:00 You’ve Been Framed! 07:20 Psych 08:05 Emmerdale 08:35 Emmerdale 09:05 You’ve Been Framed! 09:35 Dinner Date 10:35 Psych 11:25 The Real Housewives of Atlanta 12:20 The Real Housewives of Atlanta 13:10 Emmerdale 13:40 Emmerdale 14:15 You’ve Been Framed! 14:40 Dinner Date 15:40 The Jeremy Kyle Show 16:50 The Jeremy Kyle Show 17:55 The Jeremy Kyle Show 19:00 Judge Rinder 20:00 You’ve Been Framed! 21:00 Two and a Half Men 21:30 Two and a Half Men 22:00 The Break-Up 24:10 Almost Married

Nim’s Island 17:50

07:00 Revenge 07:45 Charmed 09:30 Hollyoaks 10:00 Rules of Engagement 11:00 Melissa & Joey 11:30 Melissa & Joey 12:00 Charmed 13:00 Charmed 14:00 How I Met Your Mother 14:30 How I Met Your Mother 15:00 The Big Bang Theory 15:30 The Big Bang Theory 16:00 Melissa & Joey 16:30 Melissa & Joey 17:00 Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD 18:00 How I Met Your Mother 18:30 How I Met Your Mother 19:00 The Big Bang Theory 19:30 The Big Bang Theory 20:00 Hollyoaks 20:30 2 Broke Girls 21:00 Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen 24:00 The Big Bang Theory 24:30 The Big Bang Theory

sunday 15th November BBC1

07:00 Breakfast 09:20 Match of the Day 10:00 The Andrew Marr Show 11:00 Sunday Morning Live 12:00 Homes Under the Hammer 13:00 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News 14:10 Weather for the Week Ahead 14:15 Escape to the Country 14:45 Songs of Praise 15:20 The Hunt 16:20 Live Formula 1 19:00 BBC News 19:10 BBC Regional News and Weather 19:20 Countryfile 20:20 Strictly Come Dancing 21:00 Antiques Roadshow 22:00 The Hunt 23:00 BBC News 23:20 BBC Regional News and Weather 23:30 Mrs Brown’s Boys 24:00 Room 101 - Extra Storage 24:40 The Apprentice

BBC2

07:15 The A to Z of TV Gardening 08:00 The Big Allotment Challenge 09:00 Countryfile 10:00 An Island Parish: Falklands 10:30 Saturday Kitchen Best Bites 12:00 Simply Nigella 12:30 My Life on a Plate 14:00 Terry and Mason’s Great Food Trip 15:00 Live Tennis: ATP World Tour Finals 18:00 Demolition: The Wrecking Crew 19:00 Robert Peston Goes Shopping 20:00 Caribbean with Simon Reeve 21:00 Earth’s Wildest Waters: The Big Fish 22:00 The Secret History of the British Garden 23:00 Family Guy 23:25 Family Guy 23:45 Family Guy 24:05 Cosmopolis

ITV1

07:00 Bottom Knocker Street 07:35 Dino Dan: Trek’s Adventures 08:00 Signed Stories 08:05 Oddbods 08:10 Sooty 08:25 Super 4 08:40 Matt Hatter Chronicles 09:00 Marvel Avengers Assemble 09:30 Fish Hooks 10:00 Horrible Science 10:25 Murder, She Wrote 11:20 The Jeremy Kyle Show 12:25 ITV News and Weather 12:35 The Jeremy Kyle Show 13:35 The Jeremy Kyle Show USA 14:30 River Monsters 15:00 Catchphrase 15:45 The X Factor 17:30 The Nation’s Favourite Beatles Number One 19:30 ITV Regional News 20:00 Jekyll and Hyde 21:00 The X Factor 22:00 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! 23:50 ITV News and Weather 24:10 Off Their Rockers 24:40 The Chase

07:15 Everybody Loves Raymond

07:40 Everybody Loves Raymond 08:05 Chasing Perfection 09:00 Frasier 09:30 Frasier 10:00 Frasier

10:30 Sunday Brunch

13:30 Channel 4 Racing 16:00 The Simpsons

16:30 The Chronicles of Narnia:

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

18:40 Channel 4 News

19:00 Small Animal Hospital

20:00 Restoring Britain’s Landmarks

21:00 Million Pound Mega Yachts 22:00 Homeland

23:05 Gogglebox

07:00 Childrens TV 09:05 Blaze and the Monster Machines 09:35 Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom 09:50 Wanda and the Alien 10:00 Toby’s Travelling Circus 10:15 Jelly Jamm 10:30 LazyTown 11:00 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 11:35 Football League Tonight 12:35 Police Interceptors 13:35 My Santa 15:15 A Fairytale Christmas 17:00 The Christmas Secret 18:40 Christmas with the Kranks 20:30 5 News Weekend 20:35 Funniest Fails, Falls & Flops 21:00 Impractical Jokers 21:30 Impractical Jokers 22:00 Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters 23:45 Killer Elite

itv2

07:00 The Cube 07:45 Emmerdale 10:10 Coronation Street 12:05 The X Factor 13:55 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here Now! 15:00 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here Now! 16:00 A Cinderella Story 17:55 Miss Congeniality 2: Armed & Fabulous 20:10 Bean 22:00 The Xtra Factor 23:05 You’ve Been Framed! 23:50 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here Now! 24:55 Almost Married

Quote the Week 24:10 Man on a Ledge

A Cinderella Story 16:00

07:00 Rules of Engagement 07:20 Rules of Engagement 08:00 Baby Daddy 08:30 Baby Daddy 09:00 Melissa & Joey 09:30 Melissa & Joey 10:00 Made in Chelsea 11:00 Hollyoaks 13:35 Diary of a Wimpy Kid 15:30 Couples Come Dine with Me 16:30 Couples Come Dine with Me 17:35 Rude(ish) Tube 17:50 The Big Bang Theory 20:15 Men in Black 2 22:00 The Big Bang Theory 22:30 The Big Bang Theory 23:00 The Inbetweeners 23:30 The Inbetweeners 24:10 The IT Crowd 24:40 The IT Crowd

Fay Ripley, who played Jenny Gifford in Cold Feet, said to the Daily Mirror on the news the show will return to ITV next year, “Ten years have passed, anything could have happened ... I’m hoping they´ve not got me really thin, as that’s NOT what´s happened!” PT

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

MONDAY 16th November BBC1

BBC2

ITV1

CHANNEL 4

CHANNEL 5

ITV2

07:00 Breakfast 10:15 The Wanted 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 The Housing Enforcers 12:30 Neighbourhood Blues 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News at One 14:45 Doctors 15:15 The Coroner 16:00 Escape to the Country 16:45 Len and Ainsley’s Big Food Adventure 17:30 Flog It! 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News at Six 19:30 BBC Regional News and Weather 20:00 The One Show 20:30 Fake Britain 21:00 EastEnders 21:30 Panorama 22:00 Crimewatch 23:00 BBC News at Ten 23:35 Crimewatch Update 23:45 Meet the Parents

07:15 My Life on a Plate 08:00 The Edge 08:45 Junior Bake Oﬀ 09:15 Escape to the Continent 10:15 Victoria Derbyshire 12:00 BBC News 13:00 Daily Politics 14:00 Michel Roux’s Service 15:00 Live Tennis: ATP World Tour Finals 17:45 The Wonder of Animals 18:15 Antiques Roadshow 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Strictly Come Dancing - It Takes Two 20:00 Grand Tours of the Scottish Islands 20:30 Only Connect 21:00 University Challenge 21:30 Simply Nigella 22:00 London Spy 23:00 Live at the Apollo 23:30 Newsnight 24:10 Weather 24:15 The Railway: Keeping Britain on Track

07:00 Good Morning Britain 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV Lunchtime News 14:55 ITV Regional News 15:00 Judge Rinder 16:00 Pick Me! 16:59 ITV Regional Weather 17:00 Tipping Point 18:00 The Chase 19:00 ITV Regional News 19:30 ITV Evening News 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Coronation Street 21:00 Countrywise 21:30 Coronation Street 22:00 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! 23:00 ITV News at Ten 23:30 ITV Regional News 23:45 The Job Lot 24:15 Travel Guides

07:00 Countdown 07:45 3rd Rock from the Sun 08:10 3rd Rock from the Sun 08:35 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 11:30 Come Dine with Me 13:00 Channel 4 News 13:05 Come Dine with Me 13:35 Come Dine with Me 14:10 Benchmark 15:10 Deal or No Deal 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Homes by the Sea 18:00 Four in a Bed 18:30 Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 21:00 Dispatches 21:30 The Shopper’s Guide to Saving Money 22:00 SAS: Who Dares Wins 23:00 Fargo 24:15 Million Pound Mega Yachts

07:00 Childrens TV 09:00 Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:35 Paw Patrol 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Toot the Tiny Tugboat 10:15 The Wright Stuﬀ 12:10 Ice Road Truckers 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Ice Road Truckers 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 NCIS: New Orleans 16:15 It’s Christmas, Carol! 18:00 5 News 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 5 News Tonight 20:00 The Gadget Show 21:00 Police Interceptors 22:00 Autopsy: The Last Hours Of 23:00 Inside Holloway Prison 24:00 Can’t Pay? We’ll Take It Away

07:00 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here Now! 07:50 Psych 08:30 Coronation Street 09:00 Catchphrase 09:50 Dinner Date 10:50 Psych 11:40 You’ve Been Framed! 12:20 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! 14:10 Coronation Street 14:40 Dinner Date 15:40 The Jeremy Kyle Show 16:50 The Jeremy Kyle Show 17:55 The Jeremy Kyle Show 19:00 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! 21:00 Two and a Half Men 21:30 Two and a Half Men 22:00 Plebs 22:30 Plebs 23:00 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here Now! 24:05 Celebrity Juice 24:50 Safeword

07:00 07:45 09:30 10:00 11:00 12:00 14:00 14:30 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 21:30 22:00 23:00 24:00

Revenge Charmed Hollyoaks Rules of Engagement Melissa & Joey Charmed How I Met Your Mother How I Met Your Mother The Big Bang Theory Melissa & Joey Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD How I Met Your Mother How I Met Your Mother The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Hollyoaks 2 Broke Girls The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Made in Chelsea Scream Queens Gogglebox

I’m a celebrity get me out of here! Ant and Dec return to present the programme that UK has been waiting for all year. Sunday 15th November, 10pm TUESDAY 17th November BBC1

07:00 Breakfast 10:15 The Wanted 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 The Housing Enforcers 12:30 Neighbourhood Blues 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News at One and Weather 14:45 Doctors 15:15 The Coroner 16:00 Escape to the Country 16:45 Len and Ainsley’s Big Food Adventure 17:30 Flog It! 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News at Six and Weather 19:30 BBC Regional News and Weather 20:00 The One Show 20:30 EastEnders 21:00 Holby City 22:00 River 23:00 BBC News at Ten 23:25 BBC Regional News and Weather 23:35 The Last Impresario

BBC2

07:15 Len and Ainsley’s Big Food Adventure 08:00 Neighbourhood Blues 08:45 Junior Bake Oﬀ 09:15 Great Continental Railway Journeys 10:15 Victoria Derbyshire 12:00 BBC News 13:00 Daily Politics 14:00 Michel Roux’s Service 15:00 Live Tennis: ATP World Tour Finals 17:45 The Wonder of Animals 18:15 Antiques Roadshow 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Strictly Come Dancing - It Takes Two 20:00 Celebrity Antiques Road Trip 21:00 MasterChef: The Professionals 22:00 The Great Pottery Throw Down 23:00 Mock the Week 23:30 Newsnight 24:10 Weather 24:15 Earth’s Wildest Waters: The Big Fish

ITV1

07:00 Good Morning Britain 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV Lunchtime News 14:55 ITV Regional News 15:00 Judge Rinder 16:00 Pick Me! 16:59 ITV Regional Weather 17:00 Tipping Point 18:00 The Chase 19:00 ITV Regional News 19:30 ITV Evening News 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Live International Football 23:15 ITV News 23:45 ITV Regional News 23:55 International Football Highlights

CHANNEL 4 07:00 07:45 08:10 08:35 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30 12:00 12:30 13:00 13:05 13:35 14:10 15:10 16:10 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 19:30 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00 23:30 24:30

Countdown 3rd Rock from the Sun 3rd Rock from the Sun Everybody Loves Raymond Frasier Frasier Frasier Come Dine with Me Come Dine with Me Come Dine with Me Channel 4 News Come Dine with Me Come Dine with Me Benchmark Deal or No Deal Countdown Homes by the Sea Four in a Bed Come Dine with Me The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Doctor In Your House 24 Hours in A&E Catastrophe Tattoo Fixers Minted In Manchester

CHANNEL 5

07:00 Childrens TV 09:00 Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:35 Paw Patrol 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Toot the Tiny Tugboat 10:15 The Wright Stuﬀ 12:10 Ice Road Truckers 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Ice Road Truckers 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 NCIS 16:15 The Santa Incident 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 5 News Tonight 20:00 Police Interceptors 21:00 Loch Lomond: A Year in the Wild 22:00 Eamonn & Ruth: How the Other Half Lives 23:00 CSI: Cyber 24:00 The Mysteries of Laura 24:55 The Mysteries of Laura

ITV2

07:00 The Hot Desk 07:10 Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records 07:30 Psych 08:15 Emmerdale 08:50 Coronation Street 09:20 Coronation Street 09:50 Dinner Date 10:50 Psych 11:40 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! 12:45 You’ve Been Framed! 13:10 Emmerdale 13:45 Coronation Street 14:15 Coronation Street 14:40 Dinner Date 15:40 The Jeremy Kyle Show 16:50 The Jeremy Kyle Show 17:55 The Jeremy Kyle Show 19:00 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! 20:00 You’ve Been Framed! 20:30 You’ve Been Framed! 21:00 Two and a Half Men 22:00 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here Now! 23:00 Celebrity Juice 23:50 Release the Hounds 24:50 Safeword

07:00 Revenge 07:45 Charmed 08:35 Charmed 09:30 Hollyoaks 10:00 Rules of Engagement 11:00 Melissa & Joey 12:00 Charmed 13:00 Charmed 14:00 How I Met Your Mother 14:30 How I Met Your Mother 15:00 The Big Bang Theory 16:00 Melissa & Joey 17:00 Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD 18:00 How I Met Your Mother 18:30 How I Met Your Mother 19:00 The Big Bang Theory 20:00 Hollyoaks 20:30 2 Broke Girls 21:00 The Big Bang Theory 22:00 Empire 23:00 Underworld: Rise of the Lycans 24:50 The Big Bang Theory

WEDNESDAY 18th November BBC1

07:00 Breakfast 10:15 The Wanted 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 The Housing Enforcers 12:30 Neighbourhood Blues 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News at One and Weather 14:30 BBC Regional News and Weather 14:45 Doctors 15:15 The Coroner 16:00 Escape to the Country 16:45 Len and Ainsley’s Big Food Adventure 17:30 Flog It! 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News at Six and Weather 19:30 BBC Regional News and Weather 20:00 The One Show 21:00 Cuﬀs 22:00 The Apprentice 23:00 BBC News at Ten 23:25 BBC Regional News and Weather 23:35 Live at the Apollo 24:05 Film 2015 24:35 Oranges and Sunshine

BBC2

07:15 Len and Ainsley’s Big Food Adventure 08:00 Neighbourhood Blues 08:45 Junior Bake Oﬀ 09:15 Simply Nigella 09:45 Terry and Mason’s Great Food Trip 10:15 Victoria Derbyshire 12:00 BBC News 12:30 Daily Politics 14:00 Michel Roux’s Service 15:00 Live Tennis: ATP World Tour Finals 17:45 Kangaroo Dundee 18:15 Antiques Roadshow 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Strictly Come Dancing - It Takes Two 20:00 Celebrity Antiques Road Trip 21:00 MasterChef: The Professionals 22:00 Dominic Sandbrook: Let Us Entertain You 23:00 The Apprentice: You’re Fired 23:30 Newsnight 24:10 Weather 24:15 The Secret History of the British Garden

ITV1

07:00 Good Morning Britain 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV Lunchtime News 14:55 ITV Regional News 15:00 Judge Rinder 16:00 Pick Me! 16:59 ITV Regional Weather 17:00 Tipping Point 18:00 The Chase 19:00 ITV Regional News 19:30 ITV Evening News 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Coronation Street 21:00 All Star Mr & Mrs 22:00 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! 23:30 ITV News 24:00 ITV Regional News 24:10 The Jonathan Ross Show

CHANNEL 4

07:00 Countdown 07:45 3rd Rock from the Sun 08:10 3rd Rock from the Sun 08:35 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 10:30 Frasier 11:00 Frasier 11:30 Come Dine with Me 13:00 Channel 4 News Summary 13:05 Come Dine with Me 13:35 Come Dine with Me 14:10 Benchmark 15:10 Deal or No Deal 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Homes by the Sea 18:00 Four in a Bed 18:30 Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 21:00 Restoring Britain’s Landmarks 22:00 Grand Designs: House of the Year 23:00 Peep Show 23:30 Toast of London 24:05 24 Hours in A&E

CHANNEL 5

07:00 Childrens TV 09:00 Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:35 Paw Patrol 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Toot the Tiny Tugboat 10:15 The Wright Stuﬀ 12:10 Ice Road Truckers 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Ice Road Truckers 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 NCIS: Los Angeles 16:10 Crazy for Christmas 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 5 News Tonight 20:00 Building the Panama Canal 21:00 GPs: Behind Closed Doors 22:00 Can’t Pay? We’ll Take It Away 23:00 Britain’s Worst Crimes 24:00 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit 24:55 My Secret Past

ITV2

07:00 The Hot Desk 07:10 Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records 07:35 Psych 08:20 Emmerdale 08:50 You’ve Been Framed! 09:50 Dinner Date 10:50 Psych 11:40 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here Now! 12:45 You’ve Been Framed! 13:10 Emmerdale 13:40 The Cube 14:40 Dinner Date 15:40 The Jeremy Kyle Show 16:50 The Jeremy Kyle Show 17:55 The Jeremy Kyle Show 19:00 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here Now! 20:00 You’ve Been Framed! 20:30 You’ve Been Framed! 21:00 Two and a Half Men 21:30 Two and a Half Men 22:00 Keith Lemon’s Back T’Future Tribute 23:30 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here Now! 24:30 The Vampire Diaries

07:00 07:45 09:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30 12:00 13:00 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:30 16:00 16:30 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30 23:15 24:20 24:50

Revenge Charmed Hollyoaks Rules of Engagement Rules of Engagement Melissa & Joey Melissa & Joey Charmed Charmed How I Met Your Mother How I Met Your Mother The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Melissa & Joey Melissa & Joey Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD How I Met Your Mother How I Met Your Mother The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Hollyoaks The Karate Kid Supernatural The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

thursday 19th November BBC1

07:00 Breakfast 10:15 The Wanted 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 The Housing Enforcers 12:30 Neighbourhood Blues 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News at One and Weather 14:45 Doctors 15:15 The Coroner 16:00 Escape to the Country 16:45 Len and Ainsley’s Big Food Adventure 17:30 Flog It! 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News at Six and Weather 20:00 The One Show 20:30 EastEnders 21:00 Watchdog 22:00 Doctor in the House 23:00 BBC News at Ten 23:25 BBC Regional News and Weather 23:35 Question Time 24:35 This Week

BBC2

07:15 Len and Ainsley’s Big Food Adventure 08:00 Neighbourhood Blues 08:45 Junior Bake Off 09:15 The Great British Bake Off - Masterclass 10:15 Victoria Derbyshire 12:00 BBC News 13:00 Daily Politics 14:00 Michel Roux’s Service 15:00 Live Tennis: ATP World Tour Finals 17:45 Kangaroo Dundee 18:15 Antiques Roadshow 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Strictly Come Dancing - It Takes Two 20:00 Celebrity Antiques Road Trip 21:00 MasterChef: The Professionals 22:00 The Last Kingdom 23:00 Russell Howard’s Good News 23:30 Newsnight 24:10 Weather 24:15 Dominic Sandbrook: Let Us Entertain You

ITV1

07:00 Good Morning Britain 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Ka 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV Lunchtime News 14:55 ITV Regional News 15:00 Judge Rinder 16:00 Pick Me! 16:59 ITV Central Weather 17:00 Tipping Point 18:00 The Chase 19:00 ITV Regional News 19:30 ITV Evening News 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Tonight 21:00 Emmerdale 21:30 Paul O’Grady: For the Love of Dogs 22:00 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! 23:05 ITV News at Ten 23:30 ITV Regional News 23:45 Central Lobby 24:15 River Monsters 24:45 Birds of a Feather

CHANNEL 4

07:00 Countdown 07:45 3rd Rock from the Sun 08:35 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 10:30 Frasier 11:00 Frasier 11:30 Come Dine with Me 13:00 Channel 4 News 13:05 Come Dine with Me 14:10 Benchmark 15:10 Deal or No Deal 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Homes by the Sea 18:00 Four in a Bed 18:30 Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 21:00 The Secret Life of 22:00 Kitchen Impossible with Michel Roux Jr 23:00 First Dates 24:05 Gogglebox

CHANNEL 5

07:00 Childrens TV 09:00 Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:25 Peppa Pig 09:35 Paw Patrol 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Toot the Tiny Tugboat 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:20 Dear Santa 14:10 5 News Lunchtime 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 NCIS 16:15 The Christmas Secret 18:00 5 News 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 5 News Tonight 20:00 Secrets of Great British Castles 21:00 Shark Attack 22:00 Ben Fogle: New Lives in the UK 23:00 The Wild Geese

itv2

07:00 The Hot Desk 07:10 Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records 07:35 Psych 08:20 Emmerdale 08:50 Coronation Street 09:20 Totally Bonkers Guinness World Records 09:50 Dinner Date 10:50 Psych 11:40 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! 13:10 Emmerdale 13:40 Coronation Street 14:15 You’ve Been Framed! 14:40 Dinner Date 15:40 The Jeremy Kyle Show 16:50 The Jeremy Kyle Show 18:00 You’ve Been Framed! 18:30 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! 20:00 The Xtra Factor 21:00 Two and a Half Men 21:30 Two and a Half Men 22:00 Scorpion 23:05 I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here Now! 24:05 Celebrity Juice 24:50 Safeword

07:00 07:45 09:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 11:30 12:00 14:00 14:30 15:00 16:00 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 21:30 22:00 22:30 23:05 24:10 24:35

Revenge Charmed Hollyoaks Rules of Engagement Rules of Engagement Melissa & Joey Melissa & Joey Charmed How I Met Your Mother How I Met Your Mother The Big Bang Theory Melissa & Joey Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD How I Met Your Mother How I Met Your Mother The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Hollyoaks 2 Broke Girls The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Drifters The Inbetweeners Rude Tube The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory

YouTube videos of the week Rapper Drake can’t believe his luck with so many people having fun with his song ´Hotline Bling.´ Go to ´The Dancing Doge´ then doggy 2 with ´Drake - Hotline Bling (dancing dog vine)´ it´s only 8 secs long, but trust me you´ll watch it over and over! PT

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

life&leisure ask Sara //////////////////////////////////// by Sara

Bell

Life Coach

WITH A background in family and matrimonial mediation, Life Coach Sara Bell helps Readers with their daily worries. If you are having difficulties with relationships, family, work or any other aspect of your life, then help is at hand.

Wills problem My second husband and I both have teenage children from previous marriages. We all live happily together. We both have recently discussed making our Wills, and dividing our assets. My husband says his children should get the bulk of the Estate at the end of the day, because he brought more money into the marriage, and he earns more. I work also, but all our money is shared. If some of our children receive more than the others, there could be a big falling out when the time comes to inherit. I would suggest you consult a Wills and Probate Solicitor, and see what advice they offer. It is important that a compromise be reached here, particularly if you think certain decisions will ultimately split the family. There’s nothing worse than having a once close family falling out at the time of inheriting. Have you asked the children what they think would be fair? That way you will gain their reaction, before they have to deal with the situation. You don’t want there to be any nasty surprises.

Suffocated by her family We are newly married, and my wife’s family just won’t leave us alone. We both work hard, and when we come home, there’s usually a knock on the door from her parents, who end up staying for the evening. Even our weekends are dominated by our having to visit them on Saturday evenings, and going to their house for Sunday lunch. My wife doesn’t seem to mind. I feel our lives will never be our own. Family can be a blessing, but there’s the old saying of familiarity leading to contempt. You didn’t marry your wife to end up living side by side with her family. Occasional visits and get-togethers are fine, but you need to be left alone to enjoy your new marriage. If you don’t get something sorted out, resentment will build, and your relationship with your wife will suffer. Don’t let that happen to you - talk to your wife and get some ground rules in place. You can make the suggestion that you all have Sunday lunch, once a month, with the occasional visit in-between. Write to Sara in confidence. A pseudonym will be used if you wish. Sara reads all letters and can give a personal reply. Email your question to agonyaunt@roundtownnews.com or Sara is available for private consultations, telephone 650 054 467.

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

life&leis ure charity 

Entering the ARC

ANIMAL CHARITY Jalon Valley ARC has three new arrivals ‘lost and found’ in the Marina Alta recently and needing new homes. by JACK TROUGHTON JENNY WAS found wandering between Murla and Castell de Castells. She is about seven-months-old and very gentle – she loves being cuddled and would make an ideal companion. A little terrier – a ‘Yorkie-type’ – was rescued after being found on the Pedregeur to Beniarbeig road on Friday 31st October. She was wearing a recently new red collar but is not chipped – a second pet ran oﬀ and could not be caught. And Lola, and brown and white pup, has also arrived at ARC. She is about four-months-old, of mixed breed and will be a large dog when fully grown. Homes are desperately needed for these three animals and other pups and kittens being cared for by the char-

Jenny

ity – anyone who can be either a foster family or ‘forever’ family should contact ARC; and it always needs food and cat litter. Contact ARC via Sally on 625 985 689 or Jayne on 649 310 285.

The ARC Charity Shop is in Carrer Benissa, Jalon. The charity website is www.jalonvalleyarc.com, email jalonvalleyarc14@yahoo.co.uk, of visit the Facebook page, to ﬁnd information about the charity and its animals.

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

life&leisure horoscopes

Kenny Corris kennycorris@hotmail.com 686 361 594

 You have the chance to finish something that you have started this week as the time is right for innovation and completion. As Venus sextiles Saturn there ia wisdom in your method and love in your intention and this could very well be the start of something rather more permanent and more suited to your current lifestyle if you give it a fair chance. Venus dallies with Neptune and it would seem as if you are currently undecided as to which way to go. Here come the swings and the roundabouts because it is your personal choice which makes the ultimatum, and the ship is steered very fruitfully by your wishes hopes and desires. Aim high because that’s just where you are best to be right now! Lucky Jupiter connects with Mercury in sextile midweek. Seems as if you have the go ahead and the fervour to make that hay whilst the sun shines, and nobody could blame you for making your choice. Those around you see a new you and because this reflects well you are one step nearer to getting what it is you really want this time around. With Mars ensconced in Libra and Mercury entwined with Uranus, there comes a time to spill the beans with those you have been keeping on a tight leash. The big reveal should be timed well because there are others who are jealous about your recent change in fortune; and though they matter not they could prejudice your pathway to resolve. The double actions of the Sun this week herald something rather special...something unexpected and especially rare that you will always treasure. As psychic planet Kora and a communicative Mercury line up to all the fun, you just can’t help but to think what could have been and thankfully, frankly more important, exactly what was Time was when you gave a damn, but in the cold light of day it is easy to say that you should never have got involved in this debacle. Ever hoping that things could and should be worked out, Mercury’s trine with Neptune shows the sheep from the lambs and points you, finally, in at least the right direction. Better to just walk away from it all! Venus enters into your seventh house of mystery and imagination just after the weekend, bringing significant energies and shining a light on a new and exciting deal which may just be not what it is cracked up to be; but when implemented will be better than nothing, and have far reaching effects on those it was originally designed for. Temper temper! Make sure that you keep yours whilst all around you people seem to be losing theirs. A problem has escalated from a mole hill to a mountain and it will take a lot, this time, to set the record straight. Mars tantalises Libra as Venus dallies with an unsuspecting Neptune and things somehow just have to get better. Take the chance to see things from another direction before you start to apportion blame. It is vital thatsomebody else has their say because it will back your own ideas and take the whole thing to a new and more acceptable level. Planetary actions maintain the acute balance needed to get urgent attention to just where it is vitally required. Better to have tried and to admit failure rather than have to eat humble pie. You went into this with your eyes wide open, but just like a bull in a china shop, and the result is hardly surprising under the present circumstances. Communicative Mercury and Mighty Uranus pass each other briefly on their epic sojourns to other sides of the Cosmos. To have and to hold, and there is no knowing just how the effects of something will be received. This is a time to pull together and not the best time to act out petty squabbles that are demeaning and inappropriate. Someone has even been economical with the truth and surely as things stand cannot be allowed to simply get away with it this time. Why take offence when the person concerned actually knows nothing of your resources and great reserve? It is easy to see that others do not have your true interests at heart, and someone would seem to need to be taken in hand once and for all as they need a dose of their own medicine served with their comeuppance, to boot!

If It’s Your Birthday This Week

Just hold on tight because both options will have to be carefully taken intoconsideration before you can begin to work on strategies that release you from current pressures. Nobody who really loves you could treat you like this!

Time travellers

TIME IS made up of moments and yet some times there appears to be no such thing as time itself.

Time is an illusion that we cope with every day. Time drags when we are not fully engaged in something and yet, truly precious momentsjust seem to fly by us. Time allows us to freely look back at aspects of our life and it allows us the glimpse of the future that we may need to be inspired. There is, they say, a time for everything, but I am not sure that there is a time for every purpose. Time was when I was young that I played all day without a care in the World. Days were long and hazy to remember and there were no problems and my barefeet ran in the long grass of home. However then came school and time went slowly especially when you had double maths on a wet Thursday afternoon or the odd frog to dissect in the Biology lab. I guess examinations went very quickly and you had to juggle time to get your answer out there on paper to please some teacher somewhere. University gave me back my long days of fun, but there was no sleep, lectures to miss and work to do. Consequently time flew by and my true working life began as a teacher, and I became timeless. Then I fell in love and time speeded up as we shared a life together. Term time was sluggish to say the least sometimes but the breaks for half term flew by as you counted the days until those School doors opened once more; and re open they always did. Meditation taught me how to stretch time in the contemplation of my immediate wants and needs. Hey presto time went by at such a wonderful pace and there was time to be creative, innovative and impulsive whilst exploring the inner me into the bargain. Time paved the way for many years when I was surrounded by friends and gregarious to the extreme. Time spent on my apartment was a bonus andslowly it came together, as the floor cushions gave way to a sofa; and weekends saw me leaving London to somebody’s cottage in the country for respite. It was good to have London as a base and great to have breathing space for a while. I guess that time was on my side somehow. Throughout my life the spiritual energy was growing within me. Since I was a little boy I had always seen Spirit and had never ever been afraid, though initially I was nervous to speak to the right people just in case that they didn’t understood me. Time was when it was difficult to find someone who did understand Spirit, but that soon changed. Now time was calling me to make changes and to learn much more about myself. I found the time to study as a Therapist and time flew by; but I was a good student and found the time to get my work in whilst studying whatever I needed to. Time was of the essence right back then. I learned how to manipulate time and how to make it work for me, and it still does just that. Recently a client of mine was having a big problem in caring for her 101 year old Mother. I tactfully told her that it was time to tell her dear Mother that it was time for her to go, if she wanted. My client was initially angry with me, but the truth has to be told. When daughter actually did give her Mother that wonderful permission to move on into Spirit her Mother clutched at her hand and said a big thank you. On the afternoon of her 102nd birthday she blew out the candles on her cake, and, surrounded by flowers shehad an afternoon nap, and later that selfsame night she made her transition to Spirit, by her own choice. Time up! Time is something that we do not know that we have. In this, the great lottery that is life, we never know what is around the corner, how much time we have and when our time will be called. It is the quality and not the quantity of time that should embrace us. Time exists and we have to be a part of it until time one day has other ideas. Until then take time to be what you need to be, as time goes by!

Kenny‛s Diary

Email your letters to me at: kennycorris@roundtownnews.com

KENNY I have a sentence that keeps repeating in my head, and I can’t get rid of it. What can I do? Aimy.L. Well Aimy, this sentence must have struck a chord with you somehow. It isn’t easy to change the song that you sing to yourself inside, but in this case it is imperative. Try bringing in something new and this may phase the phrase as it were. There must have been a reason that you had to memorise the previous and that may not be known just yet!

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

life&leisure puzzles /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Last weeks crossword answers can be found on page 60.

Sudoku

Doodle box

ACROSS 1. Vigilant (5) 4. Expand (7) 8. Right (7) 9. Traverse (5) 10. Encounter (4) 11. Beat soundly (8) 13. Hint (4) 14. Amusing activity (4) 16. Odd (8) 17. Motor-cab (4) 20. Perfect (5) 21. Sketch (7) 22. Chivalrous (7) 23. Foe (5) DOWN 1. Obliging (13) 2. Weird (5) 3. Row (4) 4. Waver (6) 5. Gregarious (8) 6. Thrift (7) 7. Grievously (13) 12. Irregular soldier (8) 13. Hide (7) 15. Brigand (6) 18. Nimble (5) 19. Tardy (4)

Cryptic Crossword

Quick Crossword

ACROSS 1. Objects of ridicule, but not to marksmen (5) 4. Musical swindler? (7) 8. His wife will be late (7) 9. Jargon used in various languages (5) 10. This month in Westminster (4) 11. Not a mind prepared to be masterful (8) 13. Knot sailors try to avoid (4) 14. Desert one’s post, though left in charge? (4) 16. It’s not right having more surplus (4,4) 17. A number with deposit money (4) 20. Often nuisances are a source of boredom (5) 21. Get together about a thousand odd police (7) 22. Confused Danes on board showing melancholy (7) 23. I hurried outside and collected private information (5) DOWN 1. Where one may hear pins drop? (7,6) 2. Naturally they have their ups and downs (5) 3. Joined four quarters (4) 4. Small pigs making a distant noise (6) 5. Follower lacking in discipline (8) 6. A breach of security (7) 7. A conservative all one’s life? (5,2,3,3) 12. It may make a girl lightheaded (8) 13. Cultured and splendid in crimson (7) 15. Responds by breaking up crates (6) 18. Some material I bid for was not there, it’s said (5) 19. A doctor’s name (4)

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

life&leisure people 

Fireworks for firefighters by JACK TROUGHTON

THE ANNUAL Freemasons Guy Fawkes Night Party was enjoyed by more than 150 people and raised 1,200€ for the voluntary firefighters of Javea. Firework Night remains a very British celebration and the Freemasons of Logia Deportiva 83 makes sure everyone remembers the 5th of November. Guests tucked into a Hog Roast and enjoyed the music of popular Costa Blanca party band Gatecrash in the garden of the lodge’s charity Steward Darrell Clayton and his wife Sally in Gata. The climax of the night was a tremendous firework display, the incendiaries lighting up the sky thanks to sponsors Javea Luxury Holidays.

Master of Deportiva Lodge Glyn Walters said: “The nominated charity, ISVH Bomberos Voluntarios, was easy to select when so many in the Javea area have been close to or witnessed the effects of the high temperatures and the outbreaks of fire near our homes and welcomed the support of the voluntary firefighters.” The firefighters were delighted to be the evening’s nominated charity. While grateful for a small grant from Javea Town Hall, their main source of income over the year is the fund raising efforts of members and the donations from other charities. The money will be used to replenish small items of kit – including pumps, hoses, breathing apparatus, gloves, masks, and uniforms.

Gatecrash singer Niamh O’Sheehan with Guy Fawkes

Help for animal sanctuary

VOLUNTEERS FROM the Benitachell Charity Shop have taken the unusual step of supporting an animal charity, the private Javea-based sanctuary Tanamera. The Amigos de Benitachell handed Tanamera’s Jacky Hazeleger a cheque for 1,250€ to help its work, increasingly helping very young and elderly dogs and specialising in caring for greyhounds and ‘podencos’, the Spanish hunting breed. Jacky told RTN: “This was such great news – they don’t normally give to animal charities but since we don’t have a charity shop or any subsidies from the town hall, they wanted to help us.” And Jacky is pictured (centre) accepting the cheque from members of the charity shop team.

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

Email auntyvirus@ roundtownnews.com

life&leisure aunty virus

////////////////////////////////////

Email account problems HI AUNTY, since downloading Windows 10 (I upgraded from windows 7) I am having problems with my email accounts. I have one account which comes through Windows Live and I have no problems with this but my outlook account which comes via Internet Explorer has problems. My outlook account was saved in my favourites list on my home page and, when opening the page, I could not open any emails. I then went to the main menu of Windows 10 and clicked on mail and opened my outlook account which had all my emails in, but I cannot print the emails,although I can print attachments. Can you help please? Sue. Aunty says: In the Mail app of Windows 10, you click on the email you want to print.Then, on the top of the “reading view” you see the various email options.One of the options are three dots... where you have the print options.(see the attached image)Select that and go through the print options to print your email.

“Cleaning out” HI AUNTY, I have been troubled with unwanted software and the like for some time on my PC. All the usual measures have been taken but after a short time it slows down again and needs “cleaning out”! I noticed recently that when I start up, the windows Defender service is turned off. I hit the start service button and after a few minutes all is well again. This happens every time I turn off my computer and so delays me getting up and running when I turn it on. Do you have any ideas please? I am on Win. 7, and have Ad Adware anti-virus installed. Thanks in

advance, Les.

Aunty says:Windows Defender is designed to turn itself off if it detects another Antivirus software running. As you have Ad Aware also installed, then you have two AV systems running, so Defender will try to turn itself off.By turning Defender back on, you are running two AV systems on one machine, which can slow the machine down as both AV systems scan the same files at the same time. Maybe uninstalling and reinstalling Defender and / or Adaware may help cure the problem with the auto switching.

Not responding DEAR AUNTY, once again I have to beg your expert advice. After returning to Spain for the winter, I uploaded Win 10 on both my wife’s and my own laptops (both of them are Ac Ther’s). No problems with my wife’s but after a little use Chrome on my laptop freezes and the message “Google Chrome is not responding” appears. A restart revives it but often at the expense of lost input. Any advice you can offer will be very much appreciated. Thanks in advance. Colin Aunty says:Chrome crashing can be down to a few things. The most common is an extension that is not working correctly. You can always “restart” Chrome without any extensions, from the Chrome settings menu but there have been reports of Chrome crashing with Windows 10,so, if it is not an extension issue, you will have to wait until a new hrome is available. As a temporary solution you could uninstall Chrome, and install an earlier, working, version.

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

life&leisure travel 

Enjoy your Christmas with a Mediterranean cruise: 1 night hotel Barcelona & 7 days on the Costa Diadema!

DISCOVER ALL the best of Italy on board the new “Regina del Mediterraneo”: from its cuisine to its hospitality, from its design to its entertainment, Costa Diadema oﬀers a wealth of new ways to enjoy cruising. The Terrace on deck 5 - over 500 metres long - is lined with bars and restaurants that will make you feel like it’s a summer’s day on the Italian Riviera every day. SIZE: Year of construction: 2014 - Guest capacity: 4,947 (maximum capacity) - Crew: 1,253 – Total cabins: 1,862 – Tonnage: 132.500 t – Length: 306 m - Width: 37.20 m - Decks: 19 – Maximum speed: 22.5 knots - Cruising speed: 20 knots. ITINERARY 20th DEC: COSTA BLANCA – BARCELONA Departure towards Barcelona through our range of pick up points along the Costa Blanca, passing the Provinces of Alicante – Valencia – Castellon – Tarragona, Arrival in Barcelona, free time and Accomodation in the Hotel Cristal Palace 4* only a few minutes walk from the famous “Ramblas”. Barcelona: A city you can’t help falling in love with: vibrant, cosmopolitan, proud, magniﬁcent and generous, it will indulge you with exciting and vivid sensations. 21st DEC: HOTEL – CRUISE PORT (Barcelona) Breakfast and Free morning, early afternoon departure to the Port, Embarkation and Start of your wonderful Christmas break. Vessel departs at 07.00 pm. 22nd DEC: PALMA DE MALLORCA Arrival: 08.00 am The island’s main city will overwhelm you with the liveliness of its nightlife and beaches. Don’t forget to visit the charming old city too. Departure: 06.00 pm

23rd DEC: DAY AT SEA Time to relax and enjoy all the facilities on board the Costa Diadema. 24th DEC: CIVITAVECCIA (Rome) Arrival: 09.00 am - Its ancient port brings you to the heart of Roman and Etruscan civilizations, although its historic center is also a charming medieval village. Departure: 07.00 pm 25th DEC: LA SPEZIA Arrival: 08.30 am - The gulf of La Spezia, without a doubt one of the most beautiful bays in the world, contains some extraordinarily beautiful sights, from the Gulf of Poets to the Cinque Terre: Monterosso, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola and Riomaggiore, ﬁve villages that look out over the sea, with breathtaking walking trails and panoramas. This splendid area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Departure: 08.30 pm 26th DEC: SAVONA Arrival: 07.00 AM - Overlooked by the imposing fortress of Priamar, the port city will welcome you to the Riviera di Ponente, with its celebrated seaside resorts. Departure: 05.00 pm 27th DEC: MARSEILLE Arrival: 08.00 am - A strategic transit point for goods, but also a meeting place for cultures: you’ll ﬁnd vibrant evidence of these in the mosaic of its people. Departure: 06.00 pm 28 DEC BARCELONA – COSTA BLANCA Arrival: 09.00 am - Disembarkation and return transfer to the Costa Blanca stops en route and end of our services. The coach will be at the Port by the time you dock.

Cruise oﬀered by Gandia Tours, from 785€* per person in inside cabin (double occupancy) for other category prices & information contact us on 96 610 68 72. *Prices include transport to/from barcelona, 1 night hotel 4* b&b & taxes. The price does not include service charges : Adults €9.00 per day. The charge will be paid on board at the end of the cruise.

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

life&leis ure food ////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Hot Cherries with ice cream I FIRST tasted this dish in Manchester in 1975 and I had forgotten all about it until I saw piles of fresh cherries in my local market. I can’t claim it’s an original recipe, but it’s one of my favourites. Don’t try to remove the pips, just leave a spare plate on the table. 750g fresh cherries (choose the ripe ones that are deep purple in colour). 100ml water. 3-4 tbls white sugar. Vanilla ice cream (or whatever flavour you prefer). Mint tips to garnish. 1. Remove the stalks from the cherries and wash thoroughly. Place the cherries, water and sugar in a large pan and bring to a boil. Continue to cook over medium heat, stirring gently until the cherries start to go soft and the liquid turns syrupy (about 10 minutes). 2. Spoon the cherries into serving dishes and top with a blob of ice cream. Pour over the syrup and garnish with mint tips. Serves 4-6 Preparation time: 5 minutes Cooking time: 10 minutes. Tip: Try adding a splash of brandy or cherry liqueur just before serving.

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

life&leisure food

Festive wines

WINES SUITABLE for a traditional Christmas Dinner were road tested at Jalon Valley HELP’s Wine Tasting Evening at El Cid in Benidoleig.

by JACK TROUGHTON THE CASA del Vino team from Javea introduced two cavas, a red, white, and a ‘rosado’ served with tapas before the three-course meal – and a sixth glass, a dessert wine, was served with the ﬁnal course. It put appreciative guests in a mellow mood and the meal was followed with music from Out of the Blue – some people took to the dance ﬂoor, while other sat back and just listened as they allowed the feast to digest. And everyone enjoyed the evening so much they wanted to sign up for the next tasting – dates to be organised. HELP made 596€ from the

event, including a donation from Charlie Calcott and charity President Elaine Horton thanked everyone who helped organise the event – she also appealed for volunteers; anyone interested in becoming a volunteer can contact her on 659 624 643. HELP is staging its Christmas Bazaar, on Sunday 22nd November at the Pensionistas and Library Building in Jalon, from 10am to 2pm. And the website, www. jalonvalleyhelp.com, has information about all the various events during the fair, including carol-singing, a fashion show, auction of handbags and the children of the Footlights Theatre Group singing and dancing.

Casa del Vino’s Thamar introduces the wine as Eva serves

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

life&leisure Spanish

Basic Spanish for everyday needs by Jane Cronin



More verbs that work like “gustar” LAST WEEK we were looking at verbs that go “back to front” compared to English, following the pattern of “me gusta” which translates as “I like it, I like him, I like her” but literally means “it, he, she pleases me”.

WE NOT only saw that “gustar” itself can appear in all sorts of persons and tenses, but also how a number of other verbs work in the same way.

This week we are going to continue on the same lines and point out yet more of these verbs. One that is extremely popular is the verb “faltar” (to be missing). “Me falta”, which literally means something like “it’s missing to me”, therefore means “I’m missing “or “I have something missing” as in the sentence “me falta un papel” (I have a piece of paper missing) – the permanent condition of anyone who is sorting out paperwork in Spain. Similar to this is meaning is the expression “hacer falta” although this has more the idea of need – as in “me hace falta otro papel” ( I need other piece of paper). Equally common is the verb “importar” (to be important). “Me importe” (it is important to me), and also “no me im-

porta” (it isn’t important to me), are both very useful with the latter being used in situations where we would say “I don’t mind” or even “I don’t care”, depending on the context. Here’s a nice colloquial phrase – “me importa un pepino”. Yes you’re right, “pepino” does mean cucumber, and we are in fact looking at an expression which uses an inoffensive vegetable to say: “I don’t give a damn”. (It’s about as important to me as a cucumber). Another common variation of this is “Me importa un bledo”: “bledo” being some kind of weed-like plant. “Sobrar” is an interesting word, and other one that is quite difficult to translate directly into English. It basically means to have an excess of something. So, we could say “me sobra mucha comida”. That means, “I have a lot of food left over”. I can use it more figuratively as well, as it “me sobran tus comentarias”. There a number of ways to say this in English

“I don’t need your comments” or even “your comments are surplus to requirements”. We can invert this idea using a negative “Ahí no sobra dinero” - there isn’t too much money there, in other words, there’s very little. Finally here is a very nice expression which we use when we like people. The verbal phrase is “caer bien”, which you will probably realize literally means “to fall well”. “Ese hombre me cae muy bien” (I really like that man). “¿No te gustó esa chica? Pues a mí me cayó bien.” (Didn’t you like that girl? Well I quite took to her, or, I thought she was nice). As you can see, there is no actual “falling” involved, but then we don’t usually end up ﬂat on our faces when we “fall in love” in English. As you can see some of these phrases are quite idiomatic and therefore do not have an exact equivalent in English. Both languages have their own way of expressing certain ideas, which

Crossword Solutions for Last Week

CRYPTIC SOLUTIONS Across: 3 Impassive; 8 Look; 9 Paralysed; 10 Warden; 11 Revel; 14 Agree; 15 Sift; 16 Ruffs; 18 Poop; 20 Wheel; 21 Manse; 24 Senior; 25 Foresight; 26 Veto; 27 Beats time. Down: 1 Blow-lamps; 2 Court-room; 4 Mean; 5 Aware; 6 Styles; 7 View; 9 Peter; 11 Riﬂe; 12 Life-lines; 13 Still-room; 17 Sweet; 19 Patent; 22 Shift; 23 Moke; 24 Sham. QUICK SOLUTIONS Across: 3 Precision; 8 Real; 9 Overpower; 10 Meagre; 11 Deter; 14 Terse; 15 Name; 16 Ratio; 18 Void; 20 Clasp; 21 Teach; 24 Junior; 25 Indicator; 26 Just; 27 Statement. Down: 1 Primitive; 2 Maladroit; 4 Rove; 5 Curse; 6 Spoken; 7 Open; 9 Order; 11 Ditch; 12 Rapacious; 13 Temperate; 17 Occur; 19 Desist; 22 Charm; 23 Unit; 24 Join.

Suduko Answer

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

life&leisure pets

Tis the season of goodwill to all mankind and animals therefore

by PATRICIA THOMPSON

SIESTA GROUP at Gata De Gorgos are pleased to announce that due to the huge success of their FUN DOG SHOW held in March of this year that they are hosting a second one on Sunday 22nd November 2015. This is meant to be a fun day however, it is also a serious eﬀort to raise money for COSTA BLANCA DOG HOMING , a Charity very close to all of our hearts, who work tirelessly to rescue and re-home abandoned dogs and puppies. They can arrange re - homing for dogs from the Costa Blanca to the UK, Germany, Belgium and Holland and can offer advice on transportation and release fees etc. There will be a drop oﬀ point on the day for donations of leads, Collars, Crates, Bedding and Food and all monies raised from the event will go direct to the Charity. Antonio Pareja a well known face in the world of dog showing has agreed to be the Head Judge for the day and judging

will commence at 11.30am with all registrations being made by 11.00am. The ﬁrst class to enter the ring will be some of the dogs currently looking to be homed so you never know you could come across your new best friend and companion and make some poor dogs and yours a very happy Christmas. Rosettes will be given out for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place in each class which includes Best Rescue Dog, Puppy (under 6 months), Golden Oldie (over 7 years), Prettiest Bitch, Most Handsome Dog , Fancy Dress plus lots more. The cost is just 2 euros per dog per class entered. (We are sure we will see a few Santa Claus and Reindeer in the Fancy Dress class). A Raﬄe is also being organised with prizes including donations by Siesta Group and UK Supplies (JML Shop Javier) and you will also have the chance to buy some christmas gifts as on site there are also several stalls selling things such as Christmas cards and gifts, books, toys etc The Gata De Gorgos site boasts 2000m2 of

garden and showroom space which incorporates a gift shop and “ Ye Olde Tearooms” which will be serving refreshments all day including tea, coﬀee, sandwiches, cakes and of course Mince Pies. Our furniture showroom will be open from 10.00 until 16.00 where you can view our full range of garden and home furniture and accessories. There is ample of road parking and entry is free so please make a note of the date in your diaries , bring a friend and come and meet new ones and help us make the day a huge success for a very worthy cause .

Calypso

Gorgeous colouring- born 26.12.14 - a magniﬁcent looking boy. Calypso is a medium size dog. He loves other dogs and is good with cats, plays, chases and loves a cuddle. Pet passport 96 587 8284 info@doggieangells.org

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

life&leisure health

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Post Menopausal Bleeding Post-menopausal bleeding is vaginal bleeding that occurs at least 12 months after your periods have stopped.

Although post-menopausal bleeding is a common problem, it’s not normal. There is a golden rule in medicine – ‘post menopausal bleeding should be seen as cancer until proved otherwise’. Most likely causes inflammation and thinning of the vaginal lining (atrophic vaginitis) or womb lining (endometrial atrophy) – caused by lower oestrogen levels. cervical or womb polyps – growths, which are usually non-cancerous, that can form in the cervix (neck of the womb) or the womb itself. a thickened womb lining (endometrial hyperplasia) – which can be caused by hormone replacement therapy (HRT), high levels of oestrogen or b being overweight; if left untreated this can lead to development of womb cancer (also known as endometrial cancer). About 1 in every 10 women with post-menopausal bleeding will have uterine cancer, and in a few cases bleeding may be a sign of another type of cancer such as vulval, vaginal or cervical cancer. Diagnosing the cause Your GP will take a detailed history from you. You will then be refered to a gynaecologist. The following tests may be carried out: pelvic examination - a speculum will be inserted into your vagina, (similar to having a cervical smear test) so your vulva, vagina and cervix can be carefully examined. Most women find this a bit uncomfortable but not painful. Swabs may be taken from your vagina and/or cervix to rule out any infection. The doctor may wish to carry out a cervical

smear test as well if this is overdue. vaginal ultrasound scan - performed by gently inserting a fine ultrasound probe into your vagina, which you may find slightly uncomfortable. It usually takes about 10 minutes. The probe emits high-frequency sound waves to create an image of the inside of your vagina and womb, which is then displayed on a monitor. The results of this examination will then be discussed with you, and you’ll find out whether you need a biopsy or hysteroscopy. This is mainly determined by the thickness of the womb lining. tests on a sample of the lining of the uterus (endometrial biopsy) – If the lining of the uterus is thickened, a small sample of tissue (biopsy) may be removed using a fine, flexible plastic tube. This can cause cramps and bleeding, which usually settles very quickly. The test can be stopped if you are finding it too uncomfortable, so let the doctor carrying out the test know if you want them to stop. The speculum is then removed and an internal examination is performed. This allows the doctor to gauge the size, shape and consistency of your womb, and also assess if there is any tenderness in your pelvis. a hysteroscopy – this is a camera test using a fine telescope like instrument called a hysteroscope. This allows the doctor to look inside your uterus and remove a small sample of tissue for testing. The hysteroscope is passed through your cervix under either local anaesthetic or general anaesthetic. Treating post-menopausal bleeding Treatment will depend on the cause: Endometrial atrophy can be treated with oestrogen cream or pessaries, although treatment may not be necessary if symptoms are minimal.

If the cause is cervical polyps, they may need to be removed. This fairly simple procedure can be done as an out patient. There are various types of endometrial hyperplasia which may be treated with hormone medication (tablets or an intrauterine system implant) or surgery to remove the uterus, cervix and ovaries (a total hysterectomy). Occasionally, if the changes are mild, no treatment may be necessary. If bleeding is thought to be a side effect of HRT, altering or stopping the treatment may be recommended. If the cause is uterine cancer, a total hysterectomy will often be recommended with appropriate follow up cancer treatment. If you are in the menopause and experience ANY vaginal bleeding, however slight, it should not be ignored. A family doctor should be seen without delay and although chances are that it is not a serious problem, any sinister cause MUST be ruled out.

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

life&leisure health

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Journey to fitness:

The final Chapter So, this is the final chapter in this particular journey to fitness of mine as I hit the stage on November 22nd. by SALLY NOLAN It has been a difficult journey at times as I have had a few stressful hurdles to overcome on the way. However, this is life and we have to learn to deal with problems, push on and where possible try not to let these obstacles prevent us from achieving what we set out to do. Someone asked me yesterday if I was ready for these World championship finals and my immediate response was â&#x20AC;&#x153;No!â&#x20AC;?. Then on second thoughts I realised that I am ready. I am fitter, stronger, leaner by 3%body fat, more confident and I feel proud of what I have achieved no matter what the stage results on the day may be. I have learnt a great deal about a variety of things along the way and I have realised that I am very disciplined and capable of more than I thought I was. So all in all, a fruitful journey. I have not managed to achieve all this alone though, as with any competition training or general fitness challenge other people are always involved. I am lucky to have a supportive (and patient) partner and daughter and a wonderful group of friends. I would like to take the opportunity to thank all my lovely Pilates ladies (& gentlemen) who are always so encouraging and appreciative and quite frankly a joy to teach. I hope the topics I have covered on my journey to fitness have been of interest to you and that they have in some way helped you on your own journey to a healthier and fitter lifestyle. I will of course let you know how I do and in the meantime please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any enquiries regarding Pilates classes, Personal Training or weight management advice. Wish me luck.

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

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Curtain goes up on Annie by JACK TROUGHTON

THE CAST of Footlights Theatre Group’s production of Broadway musical ‘Annie’ is raring to go after seven months of rehearsals and the challenges of preparing for three separate venues. The curtain goes up tonight (Friday 13th November) in Alfaz del Pi, before transferring to Rojales tomorrow (Saturday 14th November) and moving to Calpe for performances on Wednesday and Thursday 25th and 26th November. Characters in a newspaper cartoon ‘Little Orphan Annie’ by Harold Gray inspired the musical which began its stage career in 1977 and became an instant hit. The story tells of orphan Annie who is invited by New York billionaire Oliver Warbucks to spend Christmas at his home. Naturally, she wins the heart of her host and his staff, while scuppering the criminal intentions of orphanage superintendant Miss Hannigan, her jailbird brother and his girlfriend.

The set is minimalistic – the stages of the three theatres are of every different sizes and Alfaz has little wing or storage space. It is a constant headache for Footlights – costumes and scenery have to be easily transported by van from one venue to the next; however, the production team are confident it will go without a hitch. Tickets are 12€ for adults and 8€ for children. The box office for Calpe and Alfaz is online at footlights.boxoffcie@gmail.com or by calling 652 404 798. Tickets are also on sale for Alfaz at the town’s AECC charity shop and its partner in Albir. Tickets for Rojales are available from annieinrojales@ gmail.com or by calling 693 925 377 between 10am and 6pm. They can also be purchased from the Cats and Dogs Aid Association in Quesada; the Post Room and the Card Room, Benijofar; and the Post Box in Dona Pepa. Tickets for all venues can also be purchase at the door prior to performances.

Harlequins Elite still need dancers

HARLEQUINS ELITE are now rehearsing for their brand new cabaret ‘Hi de Hi’.

The show will be packed with musical numbers, sprinkled with a touch of humour, but they are still in need of dancers, of any age, and any shape or size. All the routines are easy to learn so no dance experience is required. Why not brighten up the dark winter evenings and join Harlequins Elite for some ‘Hi de Hi’ fun. Rehearsals are on Tuesday evenings, alternate weeks at Camping Villamar Clubhouse and Gran Sol Hotel, Calpe, and dancers can choose to rehearse once a fortnight at the venue that is local to them. For more details call Carol (alias Peggy the chalet maid!) on 649 68 91 07. A warm welcome awaits you!

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

life&leisure people

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Remembrance Day Age Concern concert wows audience nearly at the bus stop!

by PATRICIA THOMPSON

LAST SUNDAY a huge concert was given in the Centro Ecuménico church, La Zenia,. by the Orihuela Costa Male Voice Choir, and the chamber choir ‘In Harmony’, both trained and conducted by Nigel Hopkins. The event was in support of the Royal British Legion, Orihuela Costa branch and the church building fund, with each receiving at least 1.000€ from the proceeds. In Harmony started with the Elizabethan Serenade and Dream A Dream, to the tune of Faure’s Pavane. There followed a medley of songs from Les Misérables sung by the Male Voice Choir, during which the guest soloist Janelle Gaskell gave a superb rendition of On My Own, and choir soloist Graham Cooke delighted with Stars. The evening continued in great style and included the launching of the professional career of 18 year old singing sensation, Verity Hall, who thrilled the enthralled audience with both Vilia, from the Merry Widow, and the operatic showstopper O Mio Babbino Caro (O My Beloved Father). This talented singer, who is under the personal tute-

LAST THURSDAY, Age Concern received 368€ from The Fillies Club, Dolores towards their project ‘Help us Buy a Bus’. Following a talk outlining the aims of Age Concern, their President thanked the ladies of the club for the donation, which brings the current total to 27,000€. Not far to go to their target of 30,000€.

lage of Nigel Hopkins, showed that she has a great future in the profession. Nigel Hopkins also introduced the soprano Mary Beer who sang, along with the ladies of In Harmony, the enigmatic Nun’s Chorus from Casanova by Johann Strauss. Mary soared above the chorus with the incredible descant made so famous by the world-famous soprano Joan Sutherland. One appreciative audience member declared afterwards that she ‘thought the gates of heaven had opened’ upon hearing this piece.

Nigel not only conducted and compèred the whole performance, but also sang two beautiful songs, I Believe and Bless This House, to tumultuous applause. The concert ended with both choirs singing Nigel’s arrangement of Let There Be Peace On Earth which brought the entire audience to their feet in a lengthy standing ovation. In Harmony are now rehearsing for their annual Christmas Concert in La Zenia church (off the island) on Sunday 13th December. Tickets are now on sale at La Ponderosa gift shop, C.C. La Zenia

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

life&leisure people

When you’re smiling by JACK TROUGHTON

CHILDREN’S CHARITY Make A Smile earned over 873€ as the beneficiaries of one of the Costa Blanca’s first Christmas Fair’s. Hundreds of people enjoyed the sunshine at the Inn on the Green in Javea and browsed the stalls offering a variety of gift ideas. Visitors were charged a 1€ entrance fee to the event – all donated to Make A Smile – and the charity’s team of volunteers also ran a successful tombola. And charity President Tony Grande later told RTN: “The generosity of the community is awe inspiring and allows us to continue our work supporting underprivileged youngsters on the Costa Blanca.” The money was spent the day after the fair at Macro in Finestrat; stocking up on food and essentials for the children cared for in EMAUS homes and the charity’s special unit for mentally challenged youngsters at Relleu. The Make A Smile team also thanked the annual fair’s organisers, Nicola Franklin of Heaven Boutique, together with the inn on the Green’s Jan Bigsby, and Matt and Brian Taylor. For more information about Make A Smile, visit its Facebook page at www.facebook.com/makeasmile.es.

Peace festival in Denia

Nicola and Jan (centre) flanked by the charity team

THE PEACE group, Moviment per la Pau de la Marina Alta, is organizing a peace festival on Sunday, 15th November, from 11am-9.30pm, in C. La Vía in Denia. If it rains it will take place in La Sala Polivalente De Llunatics De Juventut “, C. Ronda de Las Morallas 47. The event will show solidarity with refugees, and oﬀer information for everybody to help refugees. There will be live music, talks given by members of Amnesty International, UNHCR, and Doctors without Borders, together with children’s activities, face painting etc., and other projects and surprises.

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

life&leisure people 

Santa makes early visit

FATHER CHRISTMAS proved to be an ‘early bird’ when he attended a charity gift fair on Sunday as guest of honour. by KEITH NICOL

THE MAN in red delighted children with his appearance at the Christmas Gift Fair at the Salones Carrasco in Javea and was guest of honour – cutting the ribbon to open the annual event. More than 800 people helped raise more than 1,000€ for Friends of the Children of EMAUS and made a timely start making to festive shopping for family and friends. Carole Saunders, charity President, thanked organiser Lesley Saunders for her hard work in bringing a wide variety of stalls to the event. “Everyone going through the door pays 1€ and that is used to help children cared for in EMAUS homes. “The whole event was very successful and there was a wonderful atmosphere in the hall – everyone seemed to enjoy themselves,” she said. The main event, the Christmas Gift Fair, is held on 28th and 29th November at the Denia Marriott Hotel and will feature more than 150 stalls – and Santa will be back!

Carole Saunders with Father Christmas

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

life&leisure charity

Home and away Lions with books and AMPA members

by JACK TROUGHTON

TEULADA MORAIRA Lions Club has been busy donating money to two educational projects on the Costa Blanca – and joined an international relief eﬀort in the Western Paciﬁc. More than 3,500€ was spent in total after another year of dedicated fund raising by the club to back its commitment to local community work and to the worldwide network of international Lions Clubs. At the Santa Maria Magdalena Primary School in Benitachell, club President David Platt and colleagues donated 1,100€ to the parents association AMPA. The money is being used to help establish

a ‘book bank’, building up a library of school books to lend to pupils whose parents might struggle to provide text books. And 20km inland, the Lions have for some time been supporting the village school of Benigembla. Earlier this year the head teacher asked the club if it could assist buying two computers and software – with compatible musical equipment – all to help youngsters with lessons. The total cost was 1,437€ and everything was installed in time for the current term – the Lions Club Treasurer later being presented with the bill. Most of the cash raised at events funds

work in the municipality of Teulada-Moraira and the surrounding area. However, when the call for help came from the Lions Clubs International Federation for help in the wake of the devastation caused by Typhoon Soudelor, the club was spending again. Teulada Moraira Lions dispatched 1,000€ to be added to the money already committed by the LCIF to clubs ‘on the ground’ where the need is greatest. The international federation has been given the highest award possible for its eﬀective ﬁscal management and its commitment to accountability and transparency.

Benitachell Bowls

A FANTASTIC competition took place with 96 bowlers from different clubs on the Costa Blanca playing in this 10th anniversary of the annual sponsored “Bankia Triples Classic”. This was excellent bowling, with one point between the winners and second and third, and a shot difference of 4 between second and third. The winning team were Malcolm Sprawson, Linda & Mike Smith, in second place, Harry & Gail Chick with John Coates, and in third place Rod Warnes, Chris Evans & Clive English. Last week’s rain meant two games this week. Tuesday’s was a home game against Vistabella. One draw and a loss completed the game and the higher shot difference gave BBC 7 points. The Berleen League team once again performed brilliantly, Mike Smith skippering his team of Derek Mawson, Steve Griffith and Linda Smith to a 24-8 win. Wednesday saw the “Winter League” away to “San Louis Belugas”. Maggie Lawley, Jacquie Roberts, Mary Cockell and Tim Woodcock took 5 shots on the first end of their game and although the opposition fought back they ended up worthy winners 21-15.Alex Fisher, Terry Corner, Vivian Erridge and Bert McLean (BBC Winter League Captain) secured another 2 points by achieving a terrific score 28-8. Dudley Davis and his team, Clive Langan, Carol Davis, and John Avey also dominated their game and won 28-9. A draw and a loss of 2 shots on the last 2 rinks resulted in a 43 shot difference and an excellent 9-3 victory away from home. The BBC Winter Rinks sponsored by Prudential International and DirektOptik saw tight games this week with “Doggett Coat & Badge” winning 21-20, “Los AgentosSecreto”also winning 19-18 but “Gt Expectations” lead the table by 2 points from 5 teams 2 points behind. For a full update and further information about forthcoming games and results, please visit www.benitachellbowlsclub.com.

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

life&leisure people  

Krakow welcomes coffee morning ladies THE MORNING Miss Chief Coffee group travelled to Krakow last weekend for a trip of culture, history and socialising.

The ladies outside Auschwitz on Remembrance Sunday

by JEANETTE RICE THE TWELVE ladies from the coffee group arrived at the beautiful city of Krakow in Poland and instantly felt welcomed by the locals as they toured around various parts of the historic buildings including the castle and the Jewish quarter. It was a weekend of fun but also reflection as some of the group gathered on Remembrance Sunday at the entrance to Auschwitz, wearing their poppies, before entering the two camps and hearing the never to be forgotten accounts of past atrocities. Lynette Ward, one of the group, said “if you want a break in a beautiful city then Krakow is the place to go. It is a city full of history, culture and passion and our visit to the Auschwitz and Birkenau camps left me feeling humbled, saddened and deeply emotional.” The ladies were in a reflective mood but were determined to see and do as much as possible over the four days and many said that they planned to return in the spring to spend longer exploring the city and surrounding areas. On the final evening the expat ladies celebrated in style the 65th birthday of one of their members, Mrs Nicky Chapman, and all enjoyed an evening of food, wine and music before retiring ready for the homeward journey on the following morning. The “morning miss chief coffee group” meet every Monday at the train station bar in Alfaz del Pi at 11am. The group is open to any ladies of any nationality although English is the spoken language.

Nicky Chapman

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

life&leisure advertising feature

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Move and feel twenty years younger. Is it possible? During the past several months we have been writing about how Jeffrey van Keeken’s training can help you get in the shape of your life no matter how old you feel. One of his clients, Rubina Morton, herself an expert, a Reiki master, and president of the association for reflexologists, knows anatomy very well and has assessed Jeffrey’s work both from a personal and professional viewpoint. Being over 50, she appreciates how training with Jeffrey has greatly influenced her well-being and strength. Rubina commented “Actually, I didn’t know I had a problem until we started to train, and then I realized that I had a weakness in alignment. I found it very difficult to do a simple lunge. It took quite a few weeks to learn how to do it properly. After that, my life got better. As a reflexologist, I have to lean forward all the time to do my clients feet. Sometimes my shoulders seem very rounded. Now I’m holding myself upright so I am not caved in at the end of the day. I have more strength in my arms because I am more upright. I have never felt so strong, healthy and fit and I am doing things I have never done before. I am quite amazed how my body has changed.” When asked what people should do to get started with training, Rubina stated “I would absolutely recommend Jeffrey. A lot of clients come my way, with a lot of problems, from posture to strength, and I now recommend they go and see Jeffrey. They come away very happy. If you suffer from something, he can fix it”! To get in the best shape of your life, contact Jeffrey on 674 49 83 76. Visit his website for more information: www.PersonalTrainerJavea.es.

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

life&leisure motoring

Tim Saunders Independent unbiased car reviewer

Skoda Fabia Estate WHEN A friend needs a shipment of books collecting from the docks it is extremely convenient that I am testing the new Skoda Fabia Estate.

ATHOUGH ONLY a small car, it has a surprisingly large boot, large enough in fact to swallow 1,000 books, once I’ve loaded each of the 13 sizeable and fairly heavy cartons. One of the rear seats has to be pushed down to accommodate two of the cartons but Heidi (2) is quite happy sitting beside them in her car seat. We have started the process of selling our house and although we started throwing out much of the stuff we have accumulated over the years, there has still been enough to fill the Skoda’s boot. That boot is also fitted with an easy to operate cover so that its contents can be hidden from prying eyes. This is truly a versatile vehicle because it is large enough for a family of four with plenty of legroom fore and aft. This Skoda really does rise to most challenges a family will throw its way. One minute it will be a reliable commuter, the next it could carry a kayak or bikes on the roof thanks to its roof bars and then of course it is a useful load-lugger.

Add to this the fact that its tiddly little 1.2-litre petrol engine returns on average around 60mpg. Despite its small engine it is still quite swift reaching 60mph from standstill in just 9.6secs, going on to a 124mph top speed. Not so long ago you would never have thought ‘It feels like an Audi,’ but it does because not only does it look classy with its clean lines and attractive design it feels well put together and there’s a good quality interior. I am testing the SE L version, which comes with a list of features as long as your arm, including 16 inch alloy wheels, acoustic rear parking sensors, black roof rails and tyre pressure monitoring. This model only has electric front windows which means that the little urchins in the rear can wind the windows down. Designing a car interior is a diﬃcult thing to do successfully because it needs to be hardwearing but also comfortable and sophisticated if it is ever going to woo a buyer. It is always interesting to see what new ideas designers come up with and what is carried over from other vehicles. There is brushed aluminium on the dashboard, a growing fashion, particularly in Audis. There are plenty of cubbyholes and pockets for odds and ends, but the little rubbish bin the driver’s door

with its tiny sandwich bag sized bin bag is, in my opinion, taking things a little bit too far. Whether I would use the little pockets on the side of the front seats to store pens or not, I am not sure. They might be handy for sweets on a long journey but, if forgotten about, the sweets could melt and ruin the upholstery. The black upholstery incorporates funky white patterns that liven it up. What this Skoda scores highly on is its load carrying ability and clever use of storage space; there are even storage compartments under the front seats. I find the six speed manual gearbox generally a decent unit but, on occasions, I do find myself stirring custard. I also find that the cruise control mounted on the stalk to the left of the steering wheel is not one of the more user-friendly I have come across and is pretty fiddly, but it is a competent motorway cruiser and the seats are fairly supportive. “It’s difficult to imagine a better car for a young family than the Skoda Fabia Estate,” writes Parkers, the car experts. Skoda Fabia SE L 1.2 TSI 110PS From £12,460 0-60mph: 9.6secs Top speed: 124mph Power: 110bhp Economy: 58.9mpg

Advanced motorist Tim Saunders is the former Business and Motoring Editor of the Bournemouth Daily Echo. His regular test reports appear in numerous newspapers, magazines and websites throughout the UK, Ireland and Gibraltar. For more independent unbiased car reviews and videos visit www.testdrives.biz

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

life&leisure people /////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////

Albir remembers THE CHURCH of England in Albir held a moving Service of Remembrance on Sunday with traditional readings and prayers. by Jack Troughton A simple card stood by a picture of poppies on a table in the church with the simple heading: “We will remember them.” Moments of silence were staged before the service to set the mood and the congregation joined in the first and rousing hymn ‘And did those feet in ancient times’, sung to the well-known tune of Jerusalem. The church holds a service of Holy Communion every Sunday at 9.45am in the Norwegian Seaman’s Church in Carrer Mart and Holy Communion is also staged at the Forum Nostrum in Alfaz del Pi every Thursday at 11am. More information can be found at the website www.costablanca-anglicanchaplaincy.org or by calling the local Church Warden Hazel Layt on 96 689 5306 or 659 018 400. As one of the seven churches of the chaplaincy, Albir has organised Carol Singing on the beach at 3pm on Monday 14th December; and on Monday 21st December at 4pm, the church will stage a traditional Carol Service.

The potter’s wheel

THE SKILLS of a fifth generation craftsman were demonstrated to members of U3A Marina Baxia during a visit to the Alfareria Ceramica factory in Agost. Owner Emili Boix was able to make 15 pieces – pottery and figurines – in around 30 minutes as the 39 members of the group looked on. The party was able to explore Agost before enjoying lunch and before returning to Albir, headed for a little retail therapy in Miro y Decora and Conchi Decoration. U3A Marina Baixa holds its general meetings on the fourth Monday of each month at the auditorium in the Casa de Cultura Alfaz del Pi. However, the next Meeting though, is on Monday 30th November, as the venue was booked up on the 23rd of the month. The doors open at 10am and the desks close at 10.50am for a prompt 11.00 am start. Anyone who has not heard of the association and would like to join is assured of a very warm welcome. More information can be found on the website www.u3amarinabaixa.com and there is also a Facebook page. Those without internet access can call Secretary Joan Flint on 96 586 1226 or 663 637 167.

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

life&leisure teams

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Alfaz Fantasy Football League by RTN REPORTER

FEW GOALS last weekend in the Premier League gave the Alfaz Fantasy Football League a total of 20 goals,7 clean sheets, 30 yellow cards and 1 red one. Joe’s team, Keith Lard F.C., is still at the top of the A.F.F.L. just 15 points ahead of Arthur’s Wombles. Paul’s Elite Kitchens, Swinton, remain in 3rd place just 1 point ahead of the former leaders Leon’s Racing Sandancer. Lyn’s team, Handbrake City, are firmly in the relegation zone at 12 points behind Alison’s Foxywise. In the Mark Carter Ladies Section, Jin’s Dream Team were top scorers, moving to within 2 points of the leaders, Maxine’s Plaistow13hammers. Joanna’s Hup Hannah City slipped down to 3rd while Angie’s Blues stayed in 4th place. At the bottom Handbrake City has closed the gap on Foxywise to just 12 points. Jin’s Dream Team have taken an early lead in the chase for a 20€ voucher sponsored by QUICK SAVE Supermarket in Albir, with a 3 point lead over Kate’s Rafter’s Roasts. In the U.K.T.V.SPAIN Junior League, Super Rhys, last season’s

Imanyo Golf Society “Phil Ward Carers Cup”

winners, are struggling to retain their title as Nathan’s Tyrannosuarez-Rex F.C. are only 1 point behind. Gino’s Minions are in 3rd place. Bradley’s team, Hero to Zero, are looking to be relegated before Christmas as they are already a massive 77 points behind Teigar’s Tigers. In the Leonard Knowles Construction Golden Boot League Joanna’s Hup Hannah City extended their lead over Keith Lard F.C. to 22 points. This week 6 teams are in the monthly Premier Imports Draw for a case of cava. Last month’s winner was Darren’s Finestrat Reds. Manager of the Month for November is sponsored by The Everest Restaurant in Albir who offer a fine Indian Cuisine as well other tasty dishes. Keith’s team, Last One Out, have won this week’s breakfast for 2 at Rafters, sponsored by Kate. All the results are on the website www.alfazffl.com or in any of the following bars; in Albir, The Local & Wyndhams, in Alfaz, Robins Nest, in Moraira, Barilloche, and in Benidorm, Union Jack.

THE SECOND cup competition day was sponsored by Phil and Margaret Ward. The defending winner, Eamon Murphy, played off a lower handicap than last year and just managed to retain the cup by winning on count back. The day started at Imanyo’s with the traditional full English breakfast. The format was full handicap stableford with a blind draw for four holes for double points after the games were completed. At the course Antonio and his staff were, as usual, very accommodating. On Sunday and Monday the heavy rain had washed out the bunkers, but, by Wednesday most had been repaired, after great work by the ground staff. The weather was perfect for golf although some of the men wore trousers for the first time. The winner of the ”Phil Ward Carers Cup” was Eamon Murphy with 36 points on count back, and the runner up was Donald Main with 36 points. The Endeavour award went to Mo Chaplin, and three nearest the pins were won, hole 2 Eamon Murphy, hole 5 Brian Court and hole 14 Donald Main. The presentation was held at Imanyo’s and was followed by the usual good food and drink. The society’s thanks go to Antonio, Norma and all the staff. The football card was won by Jack Day with Bolton Wanderers winning 20€ and raising 20€ for this year’s charity, Parkinson’s.

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

life&leis ure clubs 

Ladies wax lyrical

Inside the candle factory

by JACK TROUGHTON THE ‘LADIES that Lunch’ group of Javea U3A had plenty to talk about over their latest meal following an enlightening visit to a candle factory. A good chat over an enjoyable feed is usually the group’s priority but this

time there was a special appetiser in the form of the Kerzenfabrik candle factory Fabrica de Velas in Beniarbeig. The 30 group members were able to see artists at work; sculpting candle wax by hot and cold methods and then seeing ﬁnished products on sale in the

factory shop. They then headed for Javea Old Town to enjoy a typical Spanish lunch in Fuentes Restaurant/ And for more details of ‘Ladies that Lunch’ outings and other Javea U3A activities, visit the website www.u3ajavea.org.

Oliva U3A ‘Ademuz Autumn Gold’ walking and sightseeing event THIS YEAR, as an experiment, we added sightseeing trips, for the non-walkers, to the nearby ancient towns of Teruel and Albarracín.

We all arrived at the Casa Domingo Hotel, Ademuz on Tuesday afternoon and enjoyed the usual excellent evening dinner. On Wednesday morning the non-walkers boarded the bus to go to Teruel for a guided tour around the town. Wednesday’s Amble/Walk was the “Ruta de Bohilgues” gorge and river walk. There was a bit of drizzle in the morning which didn’t spoil the walk & scenery. On Thursday the sightseers went to the ancient and historical town of Albarricín. Meanwhile the walkers climbed up the hill to the Cruz de los tres Reinos. Friday morning, before returning home we had a stroll along the side of the Turia river at the back of the hotel. Apart from Wednesday morning, the sun shone, and we all had a very enjoyable break in the beautiful area of the Rincón de Ademuz. On our last night at the Casa Domingo hotel, we were invited to pick apples from a nearby orchard, so we all went home with a 5 kilo bag of freshly picked apples, courtesy of the hotel owner. The “experiment” was deemed a great success and the format of the walking and sightseeing event will be repeated next year.

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

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Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

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Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

meals out and coach outings. We meet

- 3pm Intermediate class 3pm - 4pm Intermediate plus class 4pm - 5pm Call: Andrea Murphy ( 0034 ) 616 478 157 TAPPY TOES DANCE CLASS FOR BABIES from 18 months, at 4kwatro in Albir, 11am, call Louise on 655 781 068 for more information. LADIES DANCEFIT WITH L.A DANCE at 4kwatro in Albir, Mondays at 7.30pm, call Louise on 655 781 068 for more information

on the top floor at The New Asturias Restaurant, Punta Prima between 2.30 p.m. and 5.00 p.m. on the 2nd and 4th Wednesday of each Month. Open to all age-groups. For more info call Margaret on 966730569 or Brian on 678807159. Looking forward to meeting you.

GOLD WANTED English Jeweller wishes

REPAIRS Washing machines, Dishwashers & Dryers. Also Boilers and any electrical problems. 24hours. Cheap prices Tel 604 103 909 MR FIXIT FOR ALL YOUR ELECTRICAL, PLUMBING, GENERAL & Appliance Repairs. No Callout Charge. 698 320 434

to buy broken or unwanted Gold and K9, PET ONLY TRANSPORTATION We only use fully fitted out ex police vehicles to transport your pet. DEFRA Registered, Fully legal.Specialist in Animal only Transportation. Owners welcome to travel with there pets k9transportation@hotmail.com UK: (00)442380 668 000 SPAIN: 671 797 151 PET TRAVEL UK Family pet transporters Spain/UK. Travel with your pets for free. All air conditioned vehicles (no vans) www.pettraveluk.co.uk. Removals also arranged in other vehicles. Tel UK 0800 612 4922 or Spain 960130537 IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A DOG OR PUPPY please join our Facebook group. We have many dogs, large, small, scruffs and pedigree! Just go to Facebook and search Costa Blanca Dog Homing. Even if you cannot offer a home, rescues are always needing foster homes, and just sharing the dog posts really helps us to help them.

Silver jewellery & coins for cash. Call for an appointment. Peter (7 days) 664 890 990. Member of the Nat. ASSN of Goldsmiths

STRICTLY SOCIAL CLUB Why not come and join us for an afternoon of entertainment, fun, quizzes and games. We also have speakers, and arrange

RESTAURANT FOR SALE IN ALBIR Est.12 years..Seats 36 inside. Nice sunny terrace with further 20 seats. Very low rent 640 euro a month with lock up garage. 50,000€. Tel 634 369 353 FRANCHISE OPPORTUNITY Own your own lingerie, clothing and swimwear boutique. Prices from 10,000 Euros including stock and shop fittings. Full help and support given throughout. Established company with over 10 years trading in Spain. Call Peter on 660 170 355 without obligation.

LA BAMBA’S BALLROOM / LATIN / ARGENTINE TANGO / SEQUENCE DANCING. Los Rosales Restaurant, Guardamar CV895 ( near Lemon Tree Sunday Market ) MONDAY- Social Dance 8.30pm - 10.30pm ( Sequence Class 7.30pm - 8.30pm ) FRIDAY- Social Dance 7.30pm - 10.30pm WEDNESDAYNew beginners class ( new beginners welcome every Wednesday ) 2pm

BUSINESS DEVELOPER WANTED Medcare is seeking a business developer for its Benijofar clinic. This is an important role within a fast-growing medical company with clinics in Spain and the UK. The successful candidate will be target driven and demonstrate a proven ability for face-to-face and telephone sales. Fluent in English, with other languages preferred but not essential. Email CV to doctors@medcarespain.com RECEPTIONIST AND OFFICE WORKER WANTED Medcare is seeking a parttime receptionist and office worker for its Benijofar clinic. Key responsibilities for this role include coordinating aesthetics and cosmetic surgery clinics, liaising with doctors and patients, and assisting marketing and sales staff with business development. You must be friendly, caring and efficient. Fluent English required, other languages a bonus. CV to doctors@medcarespain.com

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

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GOLD WANTED English Jeweller wishes to buy broken or unwanted Gold and Silver jewellery & coins for cash. Call for an appointment. Peter (7 days) 664 890 990. Member of the Nat. ASSN of Goldsmiths

WANTED I BUY ANY CAR van,Caravan,4x4 Etc.British, Spanish. Immediate cash 600 781 873 ibuyanycar@hotmail.com

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

including Costa Calida. Tlf: Pristine Pools on 966 774 199 or 678 080 500 www.pristineswimmingpools.com NO CALLOUT CHARGE. SEE MAIN ADVERT ON FRONT PAGE OF CLASSIFIEDS

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SPANISH MOVES Small removals and deliveries. Spain/UK Budget prices. Last minute jobs undertaken. www.spanishmoves.net. Pet transport also arranged in our air conditioned pet/ people carriers. Telephone UK 0800 612 4922 or Spain 960 130 537 DIGBY REMOVALS Weekly removals to and from Spain. 1 box to full household. Storage – UK & Spain. Insurance included. Worldwide removals inc. USA, Australia & New Zealand. Call today for FREE advice no obligation quote. Tel: 676 582 333 or +44 1268 728 855 email: sales@digbyremovals. co.uk or visit: www.digbyremovals.co.uk

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

I BUY RECORDS LP´S SINGLES AND CD´s ANY STYLE, JAZZ, BLUES, POP, PUNK, ROCK, ETC... TOP CASH PAID. 622 750 117 RECORDS AND CDS WANTED Pop, Rock, Jazz, Blues. Top Cash Paid. 630 665 363 TURN YOUR UNWANTED FURNITURE Electrical, Household Goods and Bric-abrac into Cash. Anything! Anywhere! 965 319 220 / 663 012 541

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

TORREVIEJA & SURROUNDINGS Ladies, enjoy a gentle spanking and much more. The Headmaster visits you at home. Details: headmaster@live.co.uk DENIA,BEAUTIFUL BRAZILIAN GIRL Sexy body, Affectionate. Call Victoria: 634 805 553 GENERIC VIAGRA Blue Pill Spain supplies all your generic Viagra at the best prices. Buy Super Kamagra, Kamagra, Kamagra Polo, Super P-Force, Aurogra, Tadalafil/Cialis or weight loss pill Sibutril. email bluepillspain@gmail.com or call 660 332 803. Nationwide Delivery Service SOPHIE ESCORT Slim elegant naughty lady. Hotel / home visit available. Tel: 693 357 526 CASA ANGELA TORREVIEJA Luxury Private Chalet, parking. Drinks invitation. Feeling alone? Just want some company? Exotic girls from South America. Call us, come and enjoy! Also Escort Service. Full discretion. Street: Avenida Asociacion Vistimas del Terrorismo. 609 573 468 or 639 832 118

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

life&leisure sports

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Rugby La Vila LAST SUNDAY, at home, the first team played against Hospitalet Barcelona. and won 64-0. The team stays top of the table with a 5 point lead over the second team. Next Sunday the first team will travel to Valencia, to play against Les Abelles, and the bus will leave at 8am from Villajoyosa train station. If you want to join the team a return ticket will cost 10€ payable on the bus, but please phone the club to book. Next Saturday from10am to 2pm the Under 12s-10-8s and 6s tournament is at Villajoyosa. At 11am the Under 16s will play away at Alicante, followed by, at 1pm, the Under 18s. At 5.30pm the womens’ team will play away at Valencia. On Sunday at 11am the Second team will play away at Alicante University and at 12noon the First team is away to Les Abelles at Valencia. At Villajoyosa on Saturday morning, there will be plenty of rugby, when the under 6-8-10-12 year olds will play from 10am until 2pm in a provincial competition. More than 100 boys and girls will enjoy rugby during the morning Next Friday and Saturday at Elche, Soc-

cer Stadium Jose Diaz Iborra, Avenue Libertad, the International Sevens will take place, where you can see the official national teams from Great Britain, Ireland, France, Spain and Portugal. Womens’ and men’s matches are on Friday from 4pm to 8pm. Tickets cost 8€. On Saturday matches are from 10am to 3pm. Tickets are 12€. A two day ticket will cost 15€ payable at the gate. Some of these teams will play in the next Olympics. Javi Carrión from La Vila will play for our national team. We also have two women playing for our regional sevens selection.

La Vila Rugby Club is situated at Carretera El Pantano, Villajoyosa. Just take the motorway AP-7 exit 66 (Villajoyosa). At the first roundabout head for the mountain. It is about 1 km from the Motorway exit 66. Alternatively, take the Villajoyosa by-pass, and take the middle exit, at the first roundabout bear right towards the motorway entrance and at the second roundabout bear left towards the mountain. If you are interested in joining La Vila contact Jason Craig on 659 67 47 68 or Ignacio Davila 608 06 82 08 or email oficina@rugbylavila.net

Pego Golf Society “Team Accumulator Competition” EVEN AFTER a week with no rain, on 10th November, Oliva Nova Golf Course was still very wet, coming over the shoes in places. The rough was long, and the fairways still would not bear the weight of a ball, as the ball would sink to its root, so, when the ball landed, it did not travel at all. There were 49 members and 2 guests in the field and, in the main “Team Accumulator” competition the winners were as follows: Division 1: In 1st place, Alan Barwick, Trevor Baker, Tricia Chapman and Roger Brown with 112 Points; in 2nd place, Ian Robertson, Patrick Lynch, Nigel Siddal and Richard Morris with 109 Points and, in 3rd place, Brendan Young, Penny Bardon, Paul Trigwell and Mr Ghost with 108 Points. There was only one two, by John Guest at the 6th hole. “Balls in the Water” was won by Patrick Lynch who scooped the pool with 113 balls. “Nearest The Pin” at hole No 5 with his second shot was Alan Barwick with 2 metres, and at hole No 16, nearest the hole was Penny Bardon with 1.4 metres. Finally, in the Semi Final of the Match Play Competition, which has been running all year, John Evans (17.6) defeated Steve Patton (12.3) by 2/1. If you wish to join Pego next week as a guest, they are playing a “Singles Stableford” on Tuesday 17th November. Please enter through the website www.pegogolfsociety.com or send an e-mail to Donna Green at pegohandicapsec@gmail.com.

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

life&leisure sports

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Lorenzo reigns in Spain The MotoGp World Championship reached its’ climax last weekend at our own local circuit, the Ricardo Tormo circuit at Cheste, just outside Valencia. by ALAN PALMER This final race was expected to be something very special, as Championship leader, and seven times previous MotoGP champion Valentino Rossi was taking just a seven point lead into the final round, ahead of his works Yamaha team mate Jorge Lorenzo. The only problem for Rossi was that he was starting last on the grid, irrespective of Qualifying performance, as a result of his stupid, impetuous tangle with Honda rival Marc Marquez in Malaysia a couple of weeks ago, which earned him some extra penalty points, whilst Lorenzo was starting wherever he qualified on the grid. Needless to say, Jorge seized this opportunity with both hands, putting his bike on Pole position, ahead of the two works Hondas of Marquez and Dani Pedrosa. Aleix Espagaro was an excellent fourth on his Suzuki with Brits next up as Cal Crutchlow’s ` B ´ Team Honda just pipped Bradley Smith’s ` B ´ Team Yamaha for fifth spot, ahead of Andrea Iannone on the works Ducatti in seventh, Bradley’s team mate, and Aleix’s younger brother, Pol eighth, with Danilo Petrucci and Maverick Vinales rounding out the top ten. Right from the start on Sunday Jorge made a massive declaration of intent, storming off the line, and taking the lead from

Marquez and Pedrosa, and so it continued. Further back “ The Doctor “ was demonstrating why he has won seven World Championships at the highest level, scything through the field, and gaining 11 places on the first lap alone. By lap 6 he was up to seventh, and with 18 of the 30 laps still to go he passed Andrea Dovisioso’s Ducatti to take fourth, and set off after the trio battling up front. He was, however, 12 seconds behind at that point, and as they say in the song, that’s where it ends. He was unable to close on the front three, and indeed dropped back to finish some 15 seconds adrift, after an inspired, and gallant effort to get back into the fight, against all the odds, but with the unstinting support of his millions of fans worldwide. Up front Lorenzo appeared to have it all under control, keeping Marquez in second, Pedrosa having slipped a couple of seconds behind., then, with four laps to go Dani made his move, and was suddenly on his team mate’s back wheel, and then in front of him, unfortunately he left his braking a smidgin too late in the overtaking manouvre, ran wide, and Marc gratefully accepted the return of second place. He then proceeded to try and claw back the space to Jorge’s rear wheel, but was unable to make an impression and Lorenzo won a faultless race, despite extreme pressure from Marquez in the closing stages, finishing the campaign with 330 points, to Rossi’s 325, with

Marquez third and Pedrosa fourth in the Championship. On the podium Dani Pedrosa was as happy as Jorge, because, despite not winning the Championship, this was his 100th podium, a feat only achieved by one other rider, yes, you guessed it, Valentino Rossi. In the junior Moto3 history was also being made, as Britain celebrated its’ first World Champion since the late, great Barry Sheene way back in 1977. Danny Kent, from Chippenham, having had a great first half of the season and a very difficult second half, came home ninth in the last race, securing just enough points to lift the Moto3 World Championship. Congratulations to Danny from all here at RTN. This coming weekend Formula 1 heads even further South to the fabulous Interlagos circuit in Brasil, after a fortnight which has seen Suzi Wolff announce her retirement from the sport, where she was the Williams Team Development Driver. I’m sure she will still be around, as her husband Toto is Executive Director of Mercedes. The new Haas team announced the appointment of Ferrari Development Driver Esteban Guttierrez as Romain Grosjean’s No. 2, he comes with Ferrari engines for next season, and both Sauber and Red Bull will have the same driver line ups, assuming Red Bull can find an engine for next season. Hopefully we shall know more this weekend.

Torrevejense Damien Aguero helps Atletico win 0:9

ONE TORREVEJENSE star of the future, footballer Damien Aguero is beginning to make a name for himself with the Atlético Madrid Youth squad. Running parallel with the Champions League, those teams who have qualified for the Elite European Competition also have their junior team competing for the Under 21 equivalent, with Atlético being one of the favourites for this year’s title. In their last game, it was never in doubt that the Madrid team would beat Astana, but nobody expected them to do it with such style nor ease, with the Spanish boys putting nine past the hosts, with 31 shots on goal and 21 of them on target. The game was played on an icy morning in Astana with the hosts having conceded 18 goals and only scoring one. In the clash last Tuesday week, played at the Astana Arena of the sports city of Kazakh, the area was covered in snow and it was -5C outside the stadium, with the only question for manager Oscar Fernández being to know if they would be able to acclimatize field conditions, temperature, etc ... The answer came within ten minutes with their first of nine with Damien having a hand in almost all of them. The Astana team managed only one shot all game, in the 50th minute, and that did not bother the Madrid keeper. In the next round, it’s going to be a little trickier as Atlético will host Galatasaray on 25th November in what will be their final home match of group stages. They then visit to Benfica for the last game, with Benfica and Atlético being the top two teams at the moment but Galatasaray being the wild card in the group who could also qualify.

Friday, November 13 - Thursday, November 19 2015

Rugby La Vila

LAST SUNDAY, at home, the first team played against Hospitalet Barcelona. and won 64-0. The team stays top of the table with a 5 point lead over the second team. Read the full story on page 86.