RTN North Edition 591

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north EDITION banned from local authority buildings LOCAL NEWSPAPER Portalmas has been banned from local authority buildings in a Marina Alta town sparking protests about the freedom of the press. p3

Your English Newspaper

Issue 591

11 - 17 February 2011

Legion’s crowning glory

World Cancer day THE AECC (the Spanish association against cancer) set up a stand in the reception of Hospital Clinica Benidorm on World Cancer Day, last Friday 4th February, to promote healthy eating by offering fruit and green salad brochettes to passers-by. p14

Those banks again!

‘Everyone knows that it isn’t the humble cashier who is to blame for ‘la crisis’ or even the bank manager (probably) but the word ‘banking’ has itself become a little tarnished.’

Suzanne O’Connell, Customer Care at Ábaco this week takes a look at the banking system. p30

your stars Kenny Corris takes a look at your stars for the coming week. p46

Weekly TV Round Up

by Alex Trelinski, broadcaster and freelance journalist. p54

See page 17

Members of the Legion with (from third right) Deputy Maria Asuncion Prieto, Consul Paul Rodwell and RBL District Chairman Chris Wyatt

by Jack Troughton ORGANISERS OF April’s benefit concert in Alicante to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the Royal British Legion remain confident they will have a royal guest. It is hoped a member of the Brit-

ish Royal Family will accept an invitation to visit Spain and enjoy an international party at the new Auditorio of the Diputacion de Alicante.

While the Legion has yet to confirm the identity of its

guest, protocol would mean the ‘milestone’ concert on Saturday, 2nd April would also be honoured with the presence of Spanish royalty.

And anyone celebrating their own 90th birthday in 2011 will also be treated to a free ticket to a very special historic event – and the largest celebration outside the

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UK. They will join dignitaries from both the UK and Spain in the audience.

The concert celebrates the founding of the Legion in 1921and its first annual Poppy Day on 11th November that year – marking the end of the Great War on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918.

COLLABORATE The benefit concert – with two performances at noon and 19.00 – has been organised by the Legion’s District North-Spain in collaboration with provincial government’s Department of European Residents.

Continued on page 3

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BENIDORM BENIDORM ALBIR TEULADA pedreguer BENITACHELL MORAIRA OLIVA

SAN MIGUEL TORREVIEJA QUESADA ALGORFA ORIHUELA ORIHUELA SAN FULGENCIO LA MARINA VILLAMARTIN MURCIA GUARDAMAR

Censored!

by Jack Troughton

LOCAL NEWSPAPER Portalmas has been banned from local authority buildings in a Marina Alta town sparking protests about the freedom of the press.

The Spanish free paper’s distributors were informed that the Mayor of Javea, Eduardo Montfort “expressly ordered” its edition number 64 be barred from all municipal buildings and offices.

And a spokesman for the paper said the move restricted “the freedom of information” and prevented it from keeping readers in the municipality informed unless they visited its website www.portalmas.net. “Maybe the politicians do not agree with what is published in our pages, but we restrict ourselves to reporting subjects which we believe to be of interest to our readers, covering local and regional news,” he said.

“Although we do recognise that in many cases what we publish is not of interest to the governments of some town halls.”

He said temporarily Portalmas was carrying out its function in Javea through its website to keep readers informed. It was claimed the paper and the plurality of its content was created without dependence on any political party or ideology “and as is the case with Javea without any type of economic agreement which could provoke censorship of the content.”

Showroom opening times; Monday- Friday 10am-1pm

11 - 17 February 2011

Continued from front page Money raised from ticket sales will go directly to the Legion in Spain to help provide economic, social and emotional support to British citizens and their dependents that served or are serving in the Armed Forces.

At an Alicante press conference on Monday, British Consul Paul Rodwell was joined by the Deputy for European Residents Maria Asuncion Prieto, the Legion’s district Chairman Chris Wyatt and Wendy Dengate – in charge of organising the event – to announce details of the benefit concert.

Wendy, who appealed for more sponsors, said: “We are hoping to have some Royal patronage but this has yet to be confirmed.

“There will be many events in the coming year to celebrate this milestone but I believe this will be the biggest event outside the UK. PROUD “We hope this will be a spectacular event and we are very proud to have artists from the UK to make up a wonderful programme.”

Starring at the Auditorio will be female soprano group All Angels; Ruth Lorenzo, the popular finalist from hit TV show the X Factor; brass band Just Brass and the Spanish Army Display Team of the Legion Brigade of Almeria.

The concert also features 200 voices from five choirs under musical director Chas Smith and the Torrevieja Band of Pipes and Drums, as well as specially written music.

And during the performances there will be a Drumhead Service taken by Bishop David Hamid, the Bishop of the Diocese of Europe, together with representatives of the Legion and other military organisations marching with their standards.

Consul Paul Rodwell paid tribute to the welfare side of the Legion, helping former servicemen and women and their

families living in Spain and “working selflessly” in the community.

INITIATIVE “I ask everyone to buy a ticket,” he said. “The Legion has taken the initiative to work directly with the Diputacion de Alicante. It is something we really encourage at the Consulate and it is fantastic to see the voluntary sector working with the Spanish side.”

Deputy Asuncion Prieto said the concert was helping integrate British residents and was important for both expats and Spanish citizens.

“With the celebration of this event we intend to bring closer the British and Spanish cultures, to share traditions and jointly celebrate the great work done by the royal British Legion during the last 90 years,” she said.

“From the beginning, the Diputacion de Alicante has completely supported this event and the work carried out by the Legion. Thanks to the support of our President Joaquin Ripoll, this association has been able to organise this benefit concert that, without a doubt, will be the most important for the British community in the Province of Alicante.”

Tickets are now on sale for the concert priced €12 for the noon matinee and €15 for the evening performance. They can be purchased by calling 966 860 735 or by email to rbltickets2011@gmail.com, from offices of the Costa Blanca News and The Leader, or through branches of the Royal British Legion.

11 - 17 February 2011

New face for PP

by Jack Troughton THE PARTIDO Popular rolled out its big guns on Wednesday in support of 36-year-old Jose Juan Castello, the party’s candidate to become the Mayor of Javea.

Regional party chiefs said they were “delighted” to introduce the multilingual lawyer to the press and party faithful as a young man with energy and ideas to win the town hall election on 22nd May. General Secretary Antonio Clemente – deputising for Valencia President Francisco Camps who was in Berlin – was joined by Vice-secretary Jose Ciscar, and Vice-secretary for organisation David Sera in welcoming the candidate back to his hometown.

Mr Castello, who has the backing of local party president and former mayor Juan Moragues, thanked the party for its confidence in him and said he looked forward to the challenge of winning the “keys” to the town.

Born in Javea and from a family well-known in the town, he studied at universities in Valencia, England, Dublin and the United States, and plans to return the resort to a modern version of the jewel captured on canvas by renowned painter Sorolla.

“It is important we create a society to safeguard the future of Javea,” said the attorney, who joined the PP in 2002. “We need a Javea that benefits everyone.”

And handing over the baton, Councillor Moragues said it was a very special moment to welcome “a new character, a young person and someone who is dynamic to lead this party to win the elections.”

JACKPOT He said by selecting Mr Castello the party had “hit the jack-

Close encounter: Messrs Castello (right) and Chulvi shake hands.

pot” and the veteran pledged his experience to help the new face meet the people.

General Secretary Clemente said the party believed its candidate could win the top job in Javea. “You have ideas and great potential”.

He said the PP was a national party and had the solution for the current crisis in Javea, Valencia and Madrid.

And the politician playfully asked Mr Castello who was the socialist PSOE candidate for the mayoral office in Javea and was told “Jose Chulvi.”

Mr Clemente retorted: “No, the socialist candidate is Zapatero, it is not Jose Chulvi but Zapatero – Zapatero and his cuts.

The problem is Zapatero. The solution is the PP, a strong and united party.”

And in a totally coincidental piece of theatre, moments later the two rivals for the post of mayor of Javea, Messrs Castello and Chulvi came face to face with each other in the street and exchanged greetings – the unscripted encounter caught on camera by following press photographers.

Vulnerable residents get support from Spanish social services and local associations THE BRITISH Consulate, the Diputación of Alicante and the Alicante Social Welfare Department (Bienestar Social) yesterday hosted a workshop for local English speaking associations and Spanish social services.

The workshop forms part of a project called ConeXiones, which aims to connect different groups and promote joint working and communication to better support vulnerable residents in Alicante.

The workshop was focused on round-the-table activities to enable social services and local associations to discuss casework, learn about the different services that each of them offers, and get to know each other better. Both social services and local English speaking associations were impressed and surprised at the different services available, and learnt about resource they had previously been unaware of.

Matilde Sanchez from the

Alzheimer’s Association of Torrevieja said: ‘For me, the most helpful aspect was talking to the different social services and finding out the different services they could offer. When we discussed case studies, I was delighted to find out that the social services at my table were able to offer a concrete solution to a difficult case I am currently dealing with.”

From the social services side, feedback was also positive. Social worker Carolina from Los Montesinos said: ‘I’m really pleased about the information I have gathered; it will be beneficial for the residents of my area. The atmosphere has been fantastic - making connections between different groups is extremely important.”

British Consul Paul Rodwell commented following the event: “I was really impressed and motivated by the enthusiasm we saw today.

Both associations and social services seemed really keen to take this to the

next level, and start cooperating on a local level with regular meetings.”

He added: “The discussion on the tables about casework was also very encouraging – I was amazed to see how my group came up with solutions for extremely difficult cases when they put all their expertise together.”

The event was opened by the Diputada for European Residents, María Asunción Prieto, and Maribel Pastor, the director of services for the Alicante Social Welfare Department, who both gave their support to the initiative. The provincial director of the Alicante Social Welfare Department, Alberto Martinez Díaz, said he was pleased to see so many different associations and social services represented.

The event, held in Rojales, was attended by associations including HELP Vega Baja; Age Concern; the Royal British Legion; the Alzheimer’s Association of Torrevieja and Puma 22 in their new role as Help at Home.

Break in suspects at large

By Julie Day On Sunday 30th January a couple living in the Orihuela Costa area were broken into by two men. Luckily nothing was stolen, as the owners returned to their house just in time, but Vecinos Cooperando, a neighbourhood watch scheme on the Orihuela Costa is asking people to be on the lookout for two men driving a red Seat Leon, with the registration number 3869 FWL. One of the men is 6ft tall, well built and well dressed, whilst the other is 5.10ft tall and skinny.

The break-in was reported to the Guardia Civil the following day and officers have confirmed that the car is not stolen. However, at present the suspects are still at large.

If this vehicle is sighted, please call the Guardia Civil immediately.

11 - 17 February 2011

Pinafore sails on

Steve (front third from left) meets the cast

by Jack Troughton TENOR STEVE Williams is flying into the Costa Blanca to provide an international rescue for the spring production of the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta HMS Pinafore.

The experienced singer and actor reported for duty on Wednesday evening to sign on with the Calpe Gilbert and Sullivan Society (CAGS) to play the key role of Able Seaman Ralph Rackstraw.

The crew of the good ship Pinafore was forced to send an SOS – Save Our Show – when Philip Ashley, cast as Ralph, was forced to pull out of the production and its performances on 31st March and 1st April at the Casa de Cultura, Calpe.

Computer class MEMBERS OF the Lions Club of Jalon and Orba purchased a computer to the delight of pupils at the Virgen Pobre School in Jalon.

Pictured accepting the equipment from the club’s President Stuart Aitchison are Sofia and Alison Puig.

And watching the presentation are (standing from left) School Director Jose Luis Gil, Lion Andrea Aitchison, Mayor Jaume Castells, and Lion Mary Smith.

Sue and Mike Burgess threw the production the lifeline after contacting Steve, an old friend from the world of amateur theatre in Newport, South Wales. It was a happy coincidence for the show that the singer had just sold his hotel in Lynmouth and was free to accept the challenge.

Steve has already played many lead parts in Gilbert and Sullivan, including Nanki Poo in the Mikado, Colonel Fairfax in Yeoman of the Guard, and, importantly, Ralph.

He will arrive for rehearsals two weeks before the show, and mike and Sue told RTN: “We are absolutely delighted to have been instrumental in bringing Steve to the Costa Blanca both for CAGS and for ourselves to be able to show old friends the wonderful place in which we now live.”

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11 - 17 February 2011

Vargas Llosa elevated to marquis

by Jan Gamm PERUVIAN MARIO Vargas Llosa, 2010 winner of the Nobel laureate for literature, has been created a marquis by Spain’s King Juan Carlos.

Speaking from Lima, the unassuming author declared, “It’s a very kind gesture and I am grateful to the king and to Spain, but at the same time I’d like to say I was born a plebeian and I’ll die a plebeian…”

Don Jorge Mario Vargas Llosa’s extraordinary and universally appreciated contribution

Gang caught selling drugs in condoms NATIONAL POLICE have arrested a network of 12 people caught selling drugs concealed in condoms in Benidorm. Cocaine and heroine were hidden inside the condoms. Arrests were made in the Armanello area of the town hwere numerous drug users are also know to gather. Police say that an investigation has been underway for several months, after they became aware that more drugs were being distributed in the area. The arrests included people in Vila Joiosa and also a family – two parents and their son. The investigation remains open.

to Spanish literature and language includes novels, comedies, historical works and political thrillers. His range of novels includes ‘Conversation in the Cathedral’, ‘Aunt Julia and the Scriptwriter’ and ‘Feast of the Goat’. He is acknowledged as one of the leading lights of the Latin American literary boom of the 1960s.

The 74-year-old has written more than 30 novels, plays and essays and was the first South American winner of the Nobel Prize since 1982, when it went to Colombian Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

Vargas Llosa

Massive IVA fraud exposed

NATIONAL POLICE have made thirteen arrests in connection with IVA evasion as part of a criminal framework thought to have coined €13 million for a number of companies and societies throughout Spain.

IVA fraudulently deducted from the price on certain merchandise enabled retailers to tag items well below the market price and it is alleged that 25% of the €13 million haul involves prominent manufacturers and retailers yet to be named.

The operation to expose the fraud against the Hacienda was carried out by officers of the UDEF (Central Unit of Economic Delinquency) in collaboration with the police. Arrests took place in Madrid, Malaga, Guadalajara, Alicante and Barcelona.

MerPolice are expected to provide further chandise seized information later this week.

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Firefly’s ‘Fluorescent Rave’ Company Women 4th Annual Gala Awards

COMPANY WOMENS’ 4th Annual Awards ceremony on Friday 11th March will coincide with The International Woman’s Day centenary! Company Women awards recognise achievements by women in business with talent, tenacity, strength and passion for their business.

NOMINATIONS HAVE POURED IN FOR THE FOLLOWING CATEGORIES: Business Excellence; Customer Focus; Top Banana and Company Women of the Year: Three local charities will be supported by sponsorship monies: The Emaus Association (children’s orphanage);

Easy Horse Care Rescue Centre and Puma 22.

Join them at Las Ramblas Golf Club, Campoamor, (near C.C. Le Fuente), 20.00 for a cava reception, followed by the awards, a three course a la carte menu and live entertainment for just €35 per person.

For reservations, call Tracey Cavil 634 295 243 or email tracey@companywomen.org or Belinda Regan 678 138 025: belinda@companywomen.org to receive a booking form.

Forms are available by email and at the next Company Woman Lunch on 3rd March at Fairways Restaurant, Villamartin. For further information on the awards and menu, visit www.companywomen.org

Georgie may (centre) living the dream!

By Julie Day THE FLUORESCENT Rave in Firefly Quesada (above Howard’s gym) on 4th February consisted of glow sticks, neon lights and fluorescent clothing. The night was a resounding fund raising success in aid of ‘Hearing Dogs for Deaf People’ and local celebrity Georgie May’s Mount Kilimanjaro charity climb later this year.

Georgie is set to complete her first album with the record company 6913 Recordings, a new singing project with producer Robbie Fithon, named ‘The Undertakings’; a string of film and television work of which at the moment cannot be named, and she is also the lead role in the feature film ‘Be My Valentine’. A busy girl with high ambitions, she always “…dares to dream,” as

she says. Well - who’s dreaming?

She is living it!

FUNDRAISERS THIS MONTH A ‘Red and White Amour Ball’ is to be held on 12th February for Valentines, with the colour scheme being red for singles and white for partners – mysterious ones are invited to wear black…

With complimentary glasses of bubbly at the door, the night is set to be a good one!

A ‘School Disco’ on the 18th offers prizes for the best dressed; a ‘Black and White Ball’ is on the 25th and a ‘Masquerade Ball’ on 4th March kicks off the party season. “Fundraising is a passion of mine. Giving to others is the most rewarding thing that an individual can do and so I do as much as I can,” said Georgie May.

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11 - 17 February 2011

Qatar wants the Benidorm look

Terra Mítica in fraud enquiry

Hotel Bali in Benidorm

A 44-STOREY skyscraper in Qatar is to be built by Alicante constructor Ecisa. The authorities in the Qatar capital, Doha, gave the contract for the new building to the Spanish company because they want Doha’s skyline to resemble that of Benidorm. Ecisa are responsible for building 20 percent of Benidorm’s skyscrapers. The new building will resemble the Hotel Bali in Benidorm.

Terra Mitica in the docks

TERRA MÍTICA theme park defrauded the tax office of €4.4 million between 2000 and 2001 along with other companies, according to a report by a tax inspector and another independent report. Courts in Valencia ordered the independent inspection after the tax office announced

their findings. Up to 20 other companies have also been denounced. The courts are hearing from 11 businessmen involved with the fraud this month. If found guilty, they could be charged with fraud, money laundering, misuse of public funds and fiscal crimes.

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Torrevieja’s innovative Valentine’s campaign

Semana Santa to receive the feminine touch

The Nazarenos

by Jan Gamm WOMEN IN Seville have been granted equal opportunities with men to take part in the ceremonial bearing of holy thrones bearing images of the saints during the Semana Santa celebrations in the Andalucian capital of Seville, in a controversial decree passed by the Archbishop of Seville, HE Juan José Asenjo.

The carrying of the thrones is considered a privilege and so far traditionally ‘men only’, for both social and practical reasons. The contenders are required to support a weight of up to six tonnes, barefoot and in cramped and over-warm conditions beneath massive platforms displaying effigies of the saints.

The journey from the collective chapels across Seville to the cathedral and back can

take many hours and while some of the ‘cofradias’ have accepted the role of women recently, three brotherhoods – El Silencio, La Quinta Angustia and El Santo Entierro – continue to have reservations and refuse to comply with the decree.

They are now considering their options for appeal, preparing to take their grievances all the way to Rome, on the grounds that the activities required to take part in the proceedings are both “unseemly” and “unsuitable” for women.

The decree, effective from 2nd March, also allows women to be among the ‘nazarenos’ – the sombre ranks of hooded penitents that parade through the streets in pointed hats, bearing huge torchieres on their hips.

It is expected the move will transform the Semana Santa celebrations this year.

By Julie Day IF YOU are visiting Torrevieja’s town centre over the next few days, look out for the four giant love hearts (people dressed up) parading around the town’s streets.

In the Saint Valentine’s campaign, organised by the department for Commerce together with APYMECO (Association of Small and Medium Businesses), the four hearts will hand out bookmarks emblazoned with the slogan “Enamórate de Torrevieja” (fall in love with Torrevieja) and sweets.

Anyone wishing to have their photograph taken with the hearts will also be able to do so.

The hearts will parade around the major streets of the city, including areas of La Mata during commercial hours only. From this afternoon (Friday 11th February) the

main square will also house a giant 12m2 screen emitting messages of love from residents that have recorded them for their partners.

And finally, residents are asked to vote through Facebook for the best-dressed shop window in this Valentine’s Day campaign. A total of 13 businesses in Torrevieja have taken part and votes must be registered by visiting www.facebook. com/comerciotorrevieja.

Instructions are given in English and votes will be entered into a raffle in which a number of prizes can be won. The prizes include four tickets for the musical Chicago, which takes place from next Thursday 17th February until Sunday 20th February; and a dinner for two at La Huertica restaurant.

Votes must be made before 18.00 on Monday 14th February.

Town hall paid for palm trees and left them to die

EIGHT PALM trees on Benidorm’s ‘poniente’ promenade have been cut down recently because they were dead. In 2009, as part of a grand project to glam-up the seafront, 55 date palms were planted – 33 provided by the Generalitat government, and 22 by Benidorm town hall – but eight only lasted a year and a half. The opposition party in Benidorm blames local government for neglecting the trees and not providing sufficient irrigation. The government says that there are many different reasons why the palms have died, including that the problem could be something to do with their proximity to the sea.

Old church demolished in Benidorm THE OLD San Francisco church in Benidorm was razed to the ground last week by the authorities. The church was in a severe state of ruin due to damp, cracks and leaks, and was also attract-

ing illegal occupation from insalubrious tenants.

Technicians estimated one year ago that a refurbishment would cost €2.3 million. The church stood next to the Calle Italia.

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Out in the cold

by Jack Troughton SMOKERS BARRED from lighting up in bars and restaurants claim they are being discriminated against as they are forced outside.

They say they have no option but to brave the winter temperatures if they fancy a fag – and say with the price of cigarettes soaring they have been dealt a double blow.

Since the new law was imposed on 2nd January there has been a storm of protest from the hospitality industry – and the gloomy forecast that a quarter of bars and restaurants may be forced to close as customers melt away.

Signatures are being collected to win a debate in Valencia’s parliament and rebels are said to be plotting direct action to force a rethink.

However, owners and managers of expat bars and eateries remain philosophical and pledge they will remain law abiding – rather than risk fines running into thousands of euros.

RTN visited Benidorm’s ‘English Quarter’ to gauge the feeling on a blustery grey afternoon when temperatures felt more Britain than Spain.

Smokers Margaret Davies and Ann Jones, friends from South Wales, were outside Shooters Bar and happy to give the thumbs down to the new law.

SNUG “My grandparents kept pubs between the wars and there was always a smoking room or a snug. Why can’t they do that here? We are being discriminated against,” she said.

“You would not have a non-smoker coming

out here in the cold to escape the smoke but we have no option.

“Spain was the only place where you could still come and enjoy a smoke.”

And Margaret predicted: “This ban has already killed the pubs at home, they have all closed and cigarettes have gone up so much here too, the ‘tabacs’ are empty.

“People are losing their jobs because of this ban. I think they will rue the day, I really do.”

In the Village Pub it was admitted trade might suffer and there had been “a lot of grumbling” from patrons and staff – all forced out onto the terrace. “We have a lot of unhappy staff who enjoy a smoke as well.”

However, it was also underlined that smokers arriving in Benidorm from the UK were already used to being banned from smoking on licensed premises.

At the Ibrox Bar – where bravehearts observed the ban on 2nd January despite the televised football clash between Rangers and Celtic – there were calls for proper policing of the ban.

GRIPE RTN was told that customers griped they were still allowed an illicit smoke in some bars and wanted Ibrox staff to turn a blind eye. “We are not going to break the law but it should be a level playing field.”

And in the Magic Roundabout Pub and Restaurant, tables near the door had become a favourite with smokers wanting to nip outside for a quick cigarette.

Nigel and Yvonne Turner run the Cumberland Bar and said business was booming at the moment as the ban had been firmly instigated from the New Year and drinkers knew

Ann Jones (left) and Margaret Davies

they would not be confronted with a blue fug of smoke. Nigel, who reports on the resort’s entertainment scene for RTN, said the bar was lucky to have a large terrace and attractions such as the popular pub quiz now took ‘smoking breaks’ to allow contestants some light relief. “ We have noticed a lot of borderline smokers who do not bother now because they have to go outside,” he said. “We have had one or two grumbling but generally it is accepted and the majority of people visiting from the UK have got used to it over the last three years.”

However, he did complain about the lack of official information about the finer points of the law and legal definitions. “I had to contact my own lawyers to find out what was happening.” And he said: “People say it is

killing the industry in England but I do not subscribe to that. “Even though people have been allowed to smoke here since immemorial and bars were still closing.”

Yvonne added: “We do have a hard core of smokers who go outside and there is no longer a blue haze in here!”

No-one is prepared to predict what will happen when the high season returns and how people can be stopped lighting up in crowded bars and nightclubs.

And there were warnings of a new offence – leaving cigarette butts on the pavements – but must bars have buckets standing ready?

Nigel said: “We have heard a couple of people say they will not come to Spain again – but I ask where they will go because everyone else in Europe has to toe the line.”

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World Cancer Day at Hospital Clinica Benidorm

Professionals of the ITIC of HCB and volunteers from AECC

THE AECC (the Spanish association against cancer) set up a stand in the reception of Hospital Clinica Benidorm on World Cancer Day, last Friday 4th February, to promote healthy eating by offering fruit and green salad brochettes to passers-by.

At present only patients within the Marina Baixa area have access to this treatment through their health care provider; others must apply through their assigned hospital.

HCB

The Instituto para el Tratamiento Integral del Cancer (ITIC) of the Hospital Clinica Benidorm has a comprehensive team comprising specialist doctors, technicians and nursing personnel offering personalised and compassionate care through the latest technology for diagnosis and treatment to the patients in its care.

Hospital Clinica Benidorm (HCB) has the experience of almost 25 years as a tertiary hospital in the treatment of oncology patients in the Marina Baixa, providing patients with specialist care under its ITIC (Integral Treatment of Cancer) programme.

Cooking up support

ITIC

BRAVE ABSEILER Jacqui Bevan has won support from customers and staff at the Paraiso Restaurant in Parcent ahead of Saturday’s cliffhanger.

Jacqui is taking part in a charity abseil organised by the Leos Club – the junior section of the International Lion Club - at the Laude Lady Elizabeth School in Lliber.

The challenge is to raise money for children’s cancer charity Aspanion and a delighted Jacqui was presented with €200 by Paraiso owners David and Victoria Reeley – with more cash to follow from clientele.

‘A Spoonful of Sugar!’

Rehearsals are in full swing for The Stage School of Performing Arts next production, ‘Mary Poppins’ This well loved show is taking place at The Careline Theatre, Alcalali on the 2nd April and the students along with a guest adult cast are really excited to be bringing a slice of Disney magic to the theatre. Sam Cox will be playing the part of Bert along with Liberty Glister as Mary Poppins, Georgia Barnwell and Ben Markwick as Mr&Mrs Banks and Sadie Edmeads, Gracie Glister, Seren Davies and Ellie Shafeek sharing the roles of Jane and Micheal. With wonderful sets, colourful costumes and energetic musical routines, the show promises to entertain everyone, so be sure to book your tickets now. Call Alison on 618 890 607 for more details or email lucy@thestageschool.com. www.thestageschool.com

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Bad attitude

WITH REGARDS the letter of the week from OJ West, what an odious little man you show yourself to be, not only with your thoughts but the fumes you obviously exhale everywhere. How can it be the fault of UK non smokers that a smoking ban was brought in, may I ask? To label all UK non smokers as, and I quote, “…smug dimwit Brit nonsmokers” is appalling.

What an attitude you have, OJ West, to people who have chosen not to become drug addicts and inflict their habit on all those around them. You say that several bars have shut in your area: is this the fault of the dimwit non smoker who, if they had frequented said bars before the ban would still be in them regardless of a smoking ban? Or is it the fault of the smokers whose need for their drug means they are incapable of visiting their favourite watering holes because they cannot get their fix indoors anymore?

Or is it indeed the hard economic times that are upon us at the moment?

The majority of our friends smoke and would always smoke when we went out for a meal. I must say it is quite pleasant to come home at the end of the evening and not smell like an old ashtray - is that being smug? Unlike you, OJ West, who complains about non smokers for some reason only known to yourself, we have never complained about people smoking around us when we go out; we just enjoy the evening, enjoy the company we are with regardless of the smoke (something SOME smokers cannot reciprocate). I ask you, OJ West, who truly is the dimwit, the nicotine addict who breaths in 60+carcinogenic poisons with every inhale of a cigarette or the person who doesn’t?

M Dixon, Javea

mail

talk tous

Email letters to rtnmail@roundtownnews.com with your full name and address

Email: rtnmail@roundtownnews.com

letter of the week

Left high and dry I’VE JUST read the letter from Rita about how places are now empty since the smoking ban. It’s probably due to the fact that we cannot get out there at the moment!

We have been to travelling to Alicante from Cardiff for the last 7 years or so for a bit of winter sun. ‘bmibaby’ has always flown this route four times a week and we were never on a plane that wasn’t full, or nearly so.

This year they have cancelled ALL flights

from January to April.

Their response was “It’s a commercial decision based on the fact that there is no call for flights at this time of year.” The only other airport we could have used was San Javier but as it’s a ‘seasonal’ airport, we are now being left high and dry - well rather wet and cold to be exact!

I’m pretty sure that arbitrary decisions like this will be felt all over the area as Cardiff has a massive catchment area.

Someone needs to reinforce the message that this is exactly the time of year when we older people want some sun and since Costa del Sol got too expensive, Costa Blanca is the place to be. In addition to our demographic, the planes always carried loads of stag or hen night parties.

Also, they used to put on extra flights for the half term holidays.

So come on bmibaby, rethink your decision...

Bob James

Never seen anything like this!

FRIDAY, 28TH January, at about 1.30pm, my husband and I were at Punta Prima overlooking the sea (by the now closed ‘Nautilus bar’) when about 200 small white sailing boats all in a horizontal line greeted the eye. It was an amazing sight and over the next two hours they moved further out to sea, (with small motor boats moving along the front and back of the line) but all at the same time and again all in a horizontal line!

We stayed watching this (as did others) thinking that maybe they would come

bus disgrace

HI - JUST to let you know of our disappointment in the Orihuela Costa town hall for the disgraceful way we were left in the city waiting more than four hours for buses to bring us back home. Buses coming to the wrong pick up points; people being herded like cattle (including some very elderly passengers and some in wheelchairs) had their day wrecked by the incompetence of the town hall’s planning.

People will not return next year unless they have concrete evidence that this will not happen again and for points scoring for election votes it is a shot in the foot.

Bill and Anne Riley

back into Torrevieja as the mist came down about 4.30pm but this did not happen! However, on Sunday, 30th January, at about 3pm these sailing yachts could be seen from Playa Flamenca beach far out on the horizon, still in a horizontal formation.

Could you please on our behalf try to find out what this spectacular sight was all about? We have lived in Los Dolses for 10 years and have never seen anything like this!

Regards, Valerie Taylor

Nasty fall

ON MONDAY 31st January, I sustained a nasty fall near the main roundabout in La Zenia. It resulted in my being taken to Torrevieja hospital for treatment to my face and nose which was fractured. I would like to pass on my sincere thanks to the Spanish lady who phoned the emergency services and two British gentlemen who assisted me, one of whom called at my apartment to inform my wife. Also I would like thank our neighbours Patricia and Chris for the help they gave my wife.

I would like to add that treatment I received at the Hospital was first class and I cannot thank all concerned enough.

Mr Keith James

Thanks for your support

THE MASTER and brethren of Caledonia Freemasons Lodge would like to thank all those who supported them at the Captain’s Table, Quesada, for a Charity Fish and Chip Night; a great meal and a good night was had by all. €265 was collected for the Paul Cunningham Nurses Charity.

Readers interested in freemasonry or charity functions should please let me know at randsbeken@hotmail.co.uk Richard Beken Charity Steward

Got a story?

902 118 999

rtnmail@roundtownnews.com

Not necessarily a death sentence for your palm YOUR READERS may be interested to know that finding the Red Palm Weevil in their Fenix palms is not necessarily a death sentence for the palm. Last year my Fenix showed visible evidence of the weevil, i.e. badly chewed fronds and a few of the grubs; subsequently, it was condemned by two experts.

I was quoted €300 for its removal. However, prior to going ahead I sought the advice of my local garden centre who prescribed a certain course of treatment, although without any guarantee. The treatment required the palm to have an insecticide called IMAXI (3 capfuls in 9 litres of water) sprayed into the crown of the palm every 20 days for four months and monthly thereafter. Additionally, a further 9 litres poured around the base of the palm. In my case, it has been 9 months since there was any evidence of the weevil and I am just about to prune the last two chewed fronds. All of the new growth is green and strong and the tree produces copious amounts of healthy flowers.

It may not work for everyone but it’s certainly worth a try - it certainly worked for me!

Ken Turner, Urb La Marina

11 - 17 February 2011

Medieval Market marred by transport chaos

Hundreds of residents had to wait hours for buses

by Julie Day A SPECTACULAR day out in Orihuela visiting the Medieval Market last weekend was ruined by a lack of free organised bus transport to and from Orihuela Costa to the market, causing chaos and much anger from coastal residents.

The Orihuela Costa town hall had arranged a free bus service for Saturday 5th February that would take residents from the coast to the market and back. However, the number of people wishing to take the free bus was severely underestimated, resulting in residents standing in queues for hours waiting for buses that did not arrive. By mid-morning, queues of over 150 people had formed but there was no one on hand from the town hall to resolve the problem. The situation in the evening for the return journey was just as bad with similar numbers of people waiting at the pick up points for several hours.

In the end, Orihuela’s councillor for the Coast, Sr. Aniorte, arrived and arranged for extra buses to come and take people back to Playa Flamenca – this was after they had already waited three hours, were freezing cold, had aching legs from standing for so long and had to deal with children who were tired and crying.

Sr. Aniorte blamed Stefan Pokroppa, the Playa Flamenca representative for European residents, for this debacle.

Teenager arrested for drug dealing at school

A BRITISH teenager was caught red-handed selling cannabis to school pupils in Teulada, Alicante last Friday 4 February. The boy, named only as M.J.C. was slipping the drugs through the railings and taking money from pupils in return.

Plain clothed police were patrolling the area after reports of drug dealing at Christmas.

The boy was found in possession of 40 grams of cannabis when he was arrested and has been taken into custody.

Statement from the Orihuela Costa Town Hall THE ORIHUELA Costa Town Hall is well aware of what happened on Saturday with regards to the organisation of the free bus service. As soon as the Councillor for the Coast, Jose Antonio Aniorte, found out the seriousness of the situation, he left a family gathering in Murcia to get back to Orihuela to sort out the problem.

Extra coaches were arranged during the morning to accommodate the overwhelming number of people wanting to use the free bus service. More than 700 people arrived to take advantage of the service, which was completely unexpected and nearly treble the number that used it last year.

The Councillor called Costa Azul Buses to arrange extra coaches, making a point of ensuring that extra coaches would be available for the afternoon/evening. Obviously, that was not to be the case and for that the Town Hall can only apologise for the distress and inconvenience caused, especially as this has overshadowed a fantastic day out for everybody.

A full inquiry into the incident is currently being made by Town Hall officials to ascertain what happened and the reason behind this breakdown in communication. Residents are assured that a better system will be put in place for future events of this kind.

Batasuna formally registered

By Jan Gamm FOLLOWING EXCLUSION from political election for the last ten years, Batasuna representatives (the group known as the political arm of ETA) could take a run at political power after formally rejecting ETA’s violence. The party’s statement is seen as something of a breakthrough after years of subscribing to violent terrorist activity to achieve political leverage and recognition. The ‘new party’ registered on Wednesday has undertaken to pursue peaceful activities within the law. Speaking of the policies of the new party, Rufi Etxeberria, Batasuna leader, confirmed the party’s rejection of violence in favour of, “…political commitment and democratic means.” The Socialist Party viewed Batasuna’s peaceful assurances with reticence; the Partido Popular declared that Batasuna should be disallowed from running for election, while its deputy secretary for communications, Esteban González Pons, went so far as to say, “…as long as ETA exists, no matter what Batasuna says, it cannot become legal.”

Rufi Etxeberria

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11 - 17 February 2011

Baggage brawl passengers kicked off Ryanair flight

by Jan Gamm AN INCIDENT involving passengers and crew on a Ryanair flight on Saturday ended with 104 passengers being removed from the flight, causing a three hour delay for the remaining 64 passengers travelling from Lanzarote to Charleroi in Belgium.

Mutiny broke out following an argument between one of the passengers and a flight attendant over excess baggage charges on an extra ‘carry on’ item of luggage. (Typically Ryanair has charged up to around €60 for on board excess items).

Immediately prior to take off at Guacimeta airport on the Lanzarote island resort, the pilot called for police assistance as the brawl

escalated, with the passenger’s companions joining the affray. Those passengers removed from the flight were left to seek alternative transport or spend another night in Lanzarote.

A Ryanair spokesperson confirmed that the passengers were “…disruptive and refused to comply with crew instructions,” after being charged a gate bag fee “…for outsized luggage.”

Police insisted that the aircraft be offloaded with each passenger identified before the flight could be resumed, and following further disruption recommended the entire group (all of whom were students at a Belgian college) were denied access to re-board the aircraft for security reasons.

Size really does matter

Thin Lizzy drummer dies in Spain

Gary Moore

GARY MOORE, the former drummer in the famous band Thin Lizzy, has been found dead in a hotel room in Estepona, Málaga.

No reports have yet been released about the cause of his death, but police say there is no need for them to launch an investigation. There will

be an autopsy.

Moore was born in Belfast and began his musical career in the 60s. He then joined Skid Row in 1970 and after that, Thin Lizzy.

He had recently been touring the Far East and had plans to play more concerts this summer.

He was 58.

Spain’s population smaller than thought THE REAL number of people in Spain is now said to be 46 million, although officially the figure is a million more: 47 million. The National Statistics Institute (INE) has confessed that its latest census based on the official ‘padron’ register from town halls is inaccurate. The reason is that thousands of foreign residents have left Spain and not informed their local town hall. The INE has also blamed town halls for being tardy in registering deaths in order to gain more financing for higher population numbers.

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Success for RTN Golf Club

by Noel Eastwell

Winner Phillip Andrew

RTN GOLF Club members turned out in force to support the first Members Competition of the year at El Plantio GC. Indeed the turnout was so good that we had to take an extra tee time to accommodate the demand, proving what an attraction El Plantio is and how popular RTN Golf Club has become.

In bright but cool conditions the first tee shot was struck at 12.00, right up the middle of the first fairway, much to the relief of Dennis Eddy and the disappointment of the people watching and waiting for disaster under pressure.

The Magnificent Championship Course at El Plantio tested the very best

Spain reviews age of consent for marriage

By Jan Gamm SPAIN IS to review the legal age at which a person may marry. The present legal age for marrying in Spain is 18.

However, youngsters of 16 may marry if they are ‘independent of parental support’ and 14-yearolds may tie the knot provided permission has been formally sought and granted by a judge.

Health and Social Policy Minister Leire Pajín has indicated that a committee has been set up to address the issue

of raising the age of consent for marriage but as yet no firm decisions have been made.

The aim is to achieve a policy that will consider the rights of parents of young people between the age of sixteen and eighteen.

Over the last ten years, 340 couples under the age of fifteen have married in Spain.

The new law is expected to come into line with last October’s recommendations made by the UN’s Committee on the Rights of the Child.

of the golfers we had on offer as not one of the 28 competitors managed to beat their handicaps. With the offer of a luxury apartment in Benidorm and a night out at Benidorm Palace as top prize for the winner of the Moneycorp Order of Merit, competition was keen but a great atmosphere prevailed amongst the members.

The first prize, a Levante & Lebeche polo shirt and a free round of golf at El Plantio was won by Phillip Andrew, scoring 34 points. He was full of praise for the presentation of El Plantio, particularly its greens. David O’Connor won second prize of a round of golf at El Plantio with a score of 33 points.

In conclusion members were asked

Nadal wins Best International Sports Personality THE BEST Sports Personality of the year for 2010 is officially Mallorcan-born tennis star RafaNadal.

He collected the award at the PremiosLaureus ceremony at the Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi, beating big names including Jamaican athlete Usain Bolt, Andrés Iniesta, Leo Messi, Sebastian Vettel, Kobe Bryant and Philippine boxer Manny Pacquiao. Nadal won the Roland Garros tournament, Wimbledon and the US Open last year and consequently snatched back his position as number one in the ATP rankings.

where they would like the April Members Competition to be held and 100% agreed we should return to El Plantio after the way they treated us. The next ‘members only’ tournament will now be at El Plantio on 5th April at 12.00.

The cost will once again be €30 for the round, including prizes. Get your entries in now to golf@roundtownnews.com Moneycorp Order of Merit – Top 10 1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Phillip Andrew David O’Connor Lydia Freelove Alan Gifford Peter Hazell Alan Freelove Peter Bryant Barry Grinsell John Humphrey Paul Carter

34pts 33pts 33pts 32pts 29pts 29pts 28pts 28pts 28pts 27pts

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Auction has wings Beauty and the brunch

by Jack Troughton

COSTA BLANCA charity The Guardian Angels was presented with a cheque for €408 after a successful auction.

The money was raised after a selection of goods went under the hammer during the sale at the El Cid Restaurant, Benidoleig.

And the cash will be used by The Guardian Angels in supporting lone parent families and getting mums and dads into

a positive mindset and improving their self-esteem through a series of workshops while helping them cope with the stress of raising a family singlehanded.

Pictured outside the restaurant with a cheque following the auction are the charity’s founder Tricia Tricia Barr (right) and fellow AnBarr (right) gel Tamsin German. and For more information fellow about the charity call TriAngel cia on 634 786 808 or visit Tamsin www.guardian-angels.es German.

Back on track

RTN IS happy to report the unmanned train station at Gata de Gorgos has been given a spring clean following reports it was in “an appalling state.”

Passengers travelling on the tram complained that while they enjoyed plying the rails between Denia and Alicante the station – built in 1914 – was full of litter and worse.

However, this week the bins were empty and the platform clear, although there was admittedly some rubbish lying between the tracks of the narrow gauge railway.

By Jack Troughton ANIMAL CHARITY Amigo Mio is staging a special bring and buy sale on Friday 18th February to raise cash to help pay vet bills.

Tickets for the event at Finca Abril, Benissa, are €5 each which includes brunch and drinks – and ladies will have the chance to be pampered with a range of beauty treatments on offer.

The action starts at 10.30 and Pauline Curtis, of Amigo Mio, said the intention was to make some money to pay veterinary bills of dogs that had received treatment while waiting to be found new homes.

“We thought a good old bring and buy sale would be a little different and so we hope everyone will bring something – and hopefully buy something,” she said.

“We are delighted that one again Eileen and Valerie from Skin solutions are supporting our dogs and offering mini treatments at mini prices!”

Parcent-based Skin Solutions is offering a range of 15 to 20 minute beauty treatments including massages and facials for €8, a manicure for €6 and a pedicure for €8. Because places are limited it is advisable to book by calling Eileen on 619 009 052 or 902 888 187, or emailing info@skinsolutions.es.

Pauline said the event would be held indoors should it rain and asked people to contact her beforehand if they were supporting the event so she could arrange appropriate supplies of food and drink. Call her on 625 767 781 or email finca.abril@gmail.com

Bert supports Amigo Mio

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Elvis double Thermal baths found tour returns in March

by Patricia Thompson THE POPULAR Elvis 2000 Double Show of 2010 also featured Darren Price, wowing the crowds with his hip-swivelling renditions of Elvis’ film years and comeback period, and Fiona McLean Peter Day, from Jukebox Legends says, “We have listened to people who so enjoyed the show last year and invited Darren back for a seven show tour over the first two weeks in March. We are very excited to have him back with us again.” Darren will feature the 60s Elvis. Peter’s Elvis 2000 show (known locally as the best Elvis sound around) will feature the 70s ‘Vegas’ years. Fiona McLean will also feature songs from Connie Francis, Brenda Lee and Patsy Cline in a three hour show buzzing from start to finish! Tickets will be limited so book early at all venues. The eight show tour will support Puma22 and Help at Home, with performances starting Tuesday 1st March and concluding Friday 11th There will be a great competition at each show with prizes up to €50.

DATES AND VENUES Tuesday 1st March Olympia, Mil Palmeras Wednesday 2nd March The Club, Quesada Thursday 3rd March Casa Ventura, San Luis Sunday 6th March Rocajuna, Punta Prima Monday 7th March Casa Nicolas, Altos del Limonar

Peter Day as Elvis 2000 (70s)

Wednesday 9th March The Lounge Bar, Torrevieja Thursday 10th March Los Arcos, Torrevieja Friday 11th March La Marina Sport Complex, San Fulgencio All shows start at 20.30 with tickets just €7.50 each. Pre-show meals are available from most venues by separate booking and tickets are at the venues NOW! Alternatively, call the ticket advice line on 695 135 134 or email info@jukeboxlegends.com

Archaeological investigations uncover that the thermal baths of Allon were built in the first century after Christ VILLAJOYOSA TOWN hall, with the council of culture and the municipal museum, discovered the Roman thermal baths of Allon through an archaeological excavation in 2006, in Calle Canalejas.

The baths were an important find, dated between 85 and 110 years after Christ.

The councillor of culture, Loli Such, emphasised the importance of investigative work into providing new and important information on this fascinating Roman example; the 4th biggest monument of its kind in the area.

The find numbers three tons of tiles and bricks, also coins and table ceramics, helping to date the thermal construction.

According to facts uncovered, bathers toured the ancient facilities by passing through a washroom and massage area, through a sauna with swimming pools of hot water, finally entering a relaxation area where they could spend time relaxing and talking. Their visit would end with a cold bath in a huge ‘frigidarium’ (swimming pool of freezing cold water).

The thermal baths of Allon

The work has revealed that the heating system of the thermal baths had a false floor circulating warm air from an oven.

It was also discovered that the entrance of the thermal bath featured a bar and a few shops.

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Watts In Britain By

Paul Watts

Private ownership of our forests?

FIRST OF all there was Maggie Thatcher giving away the water. Then John Major gave away school playing fields. Along pops Gordon Brown to give away the gold, and now the new co-op are going to give away the forests. What on earth, in this fair country, will be left? I know, I know I’m being very simplistic but if you look at the papers and on-line blogs it’s what a great many people are thinking.

Here, for example, is an email from Jack Andrews: “On February 2nd, the UN International Year of Forests was launched in New York ‘to raise awareness on sustainable management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests. This is a global platform to celebrate people’s action to sustainably manage the world’s forests.” He pleads, “And how do we in the UK respond to this? We sell off our woodlands! How perverse a reaction is that, you might wonder?” You might indeed, Jack.

Simon Ellis has a different viewpoint.

He thinks that provided there is adequate legislation, the outcome could be beneficial: “Selling off woodlands to private individuals or charitable bodies could be a very effective form of future management as long as public access is maintained. Private ownership could also boost commercial forestry/tree surgery firms and put more money back into the private sector.”

Simon thinks, “This knee jerk and very emotive ‘Save our Woodlands’ reaction needs to be carefully considered in the cold light of day. Successive governments have

brought this country to its knees – perhaps some woodland should be sold off to help clear the national debt.” Okay, but just imagine walking in a dappled glade complete with McDonald’s branded tree trunks?

I don’t know about you but I remain very suspicious of hidden agendas. Maybe I’ve been reading too many conspiracy theories but I feel uneasy about this. Also, I cannot remember the government having a mandate for this action. The aptly named Sue Groves is most emphatic. “No!” shouts Sue, “The people of Britain have an inalienable right across the land. Increasingly, we need this green lung to support our growing population.” She adds, “We have seen the Ramblers Association struggling to keep Rights of Way open when owners fence off the paths.”

The Forestry Commission is by no means an ancient institution though and all this talk of it takes me back to happy sunny days as a schoolboy in Cyprus. We had a really great history teacher in the shape of Mr Jackson. Ole Jacko was a teacher who really enthused over his subject; historical ebullience oozed from his pores. He fostered a love of the subject which I still have today.

Any road, picture the scene, there we were in our school on the cliff tops at RAF Episkopi gazing out over the Med, longing for the ‘going home’ bell, when old Jacko says, “Right, that’s the end of the Tudor Period, next week we’ll be starting the First World War.” He wittily added, “Not us obviously, that was all to do with a man called Princep.” How he chuckled at his own joke.

We just shrugged and headed for the coach but the talk home was all about how exciting the subject would be. Jacko had lit our blue touch paper. Sorry, I’ve gone off subject a bit. The point is Jackson touched on the birth of the Forestry Commission during those lessons and I do remember that it came into being on September 1st 1919. Or as Jackson ironically pointed out “…just two days short of being twenty years before the start of the second half of World War I!” The Forestry Commission’s website asks the following question, “If the early Commissioners saw our forests today, what would they think?” Their answer is, “They could probably still suggest plenty of improvements. But there’s no doubt about our achievements. The Commission has arrested the wholesale decline of Britain’s woodland, and begun to reverse it. Against a shifting social and political background, we have shown ourselves a flexible and adaptable organisation. The woods being planted and managed today will show the evidence well into the 21st Century.”

Do we really want such good works to be interfered with? And will it be beyond doubt that new private landlords won’t want to restrict public access? I suppose the overriding question would be whether they’d get away with it. I’m guessing, based on what has happened before, is that the answer will be yes. Oh well, see you down in the forest sponsored by Accurist, formally known as Sherwood…

Watts in New McDonald’s Forest, two muffins please...

Motown Valentines at the Lounge Bar

TREAT YOUR partner to a fantastic night of music and dancing this Valentines. The fabulous Drifter vocalist Roy G Hemmings will be recreating the Motown years, singing all the Drifters hits as well as many other wonderful songs from the golden era of Motown! Roy will be live on stage at 10.00 on Tuesday 15th February in the Lounge Bar, Aguas Nuevas, Torrevieja: 966 922 134.

Tickets are just €5 and include your first drink!

Don’t miss this opportunity to see one of Motown’s greatest singers. Tickets are available from the bar now!

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Easy Horse Care Rescue Centre launches the ‘Keeping Faith’ appeal Is Faith still suffering?

by Jan Gamm MINIATURE HORSE Faith was rescued from a yard in Catral last August with horrific leg injuries. Her owner had tied her up – in Faith’s struggle to free herself, the rope cut through her skin and damaged the bone; the flesh rotted and the poor horse was left in horrendous pain. Equine Vet Dorthea had never seen anything like it before on a living horse. RTN interviewed Sue Weeding, founder of the rescue centre: Sue, how did the Centre save Faith?

“It was a race against time to control the infection. We were amazed this little horse was still alive. Dorothea saved Faith’s life back then and has visited and treated her every single day since. It hasn’t been easy; Dorothea has used ground breaking stem cell treatments to grow new flesh to cover the wound.”

“Faith is full of life and a very happy little horse. You wouldn’t know that there was anything wrong with her until you see her leg.

We were devastated when x-rays revealed that part of the bone has died due to prolonged exposure to air. Her only hope for survival is that Barcelona specialist vet Gasper Castelijns will be able to amputate her front leg; more complicated than a back leg amputation. Gasper has spent the last three weeks researching and speaking to other specialist equestrian surgeons around the world to be sure that it would be a viable operation for Faith and enable her to have a long and pain free life.”

Will the operation be costly?

“Even though Gasper will give his time freely, the cost is still estimated at around €8,000; beyond the Centre’s means. The Rescue Centre is a charity, with no official fund-

HELP Vega Baja AGM

THE ANNUAL General Meeting for members of the HELP Association of Vega Baja is to be held on Monday, 28th February, at 10.00 for 10.30, at the Restaurante Pizzeria Asturias (next to the water tower), Carretera Torrevieja – Cartagena.

A current membership card will be required for admission to the meeting. If you have any top-

ics to be discussed under ‘any other business’, or any nominations for the committee posts of HELP Vega Baja, please submit them in writing by 14th February to the following address: Richard Garland: HELP Association of Vega Baja, Calle Lope de Vega 45, San Miguel de Salinas 03193, Alicante.

Faith is full of life despite her injuries

ing, relying on donations, sponsorship and fundraising.”

How can RTN readers help?

“By visiting the Rescue Centre; sponsoring Faith; supporting one of the fundraising

Give the cat a home!

events being organised or simply put your spare change in our collection tins.”

To follow Faith’s progress or to make a donation, visit: www.easyhorsecare.net or call Sue: 652 021 980.

LEON IS a stunning, long haired ginger cat with the sweetest nature, discovered on waste ground. He was very thin and having difficulty breathing. An x-ray showed he had suffered some form of impact, possibly by a car, and most of his internal organs had been shunted up between his lungs and his ribcage. This meant that he could not eat and was struggling to breath.

Thanks to the hard work and dedication of the vets who performed a lifesaving operation on Leon he made a full recovery but he does not have full Leon lung capacity. Leon can look forward to a long life, but only without the stress desperof outdoor living. He needs to be an indoor cat, so if anyone can guarantee an ately ‘indoor lifestyle’ and wants to offer this beautiful, gentle boy a loving home, wants a new home please contact Yvonne on 630 422 563.

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11 - 17 February 2011

Creating floral art The Heat is on

by Jack Troughton

INTERNATIONAL FLORAL designer and teacher Barry Grey visits the Costa Blanca next week to show off his skills to enthusiasts.

Barry is the guest of the Marina Alta and Costa Blanca Floral Club on Thursday 17th February and will present his demonstration ‘To Revel in Creation’s Crafts’.

Author of the book ‘A Privilege and a Pleasure – a Life with Flowers’, Barry is a NAFAS UK national and international floral designer and has used his talents for the Festive Decoration of Gawsworth Hall in Cheshire, a beautiful Elizabethan home which attracted hundreds of visitors this year, and also runs a successful floral school – now in its 17th year.

The demonstration is at the Salon de Actos, Espai Senieta, Moraira, at 15.00. Doors open at 14.00 and entrance is €6 for club members and €10 for visitors.

The club is also to make a donation to the social services and Protecion Civil of TeuladaMoraira towards buying medical supplies for the new ambulance.

For further information call Pat on 966 471 526 Barry Grey or 648 713 638, or Sue on 966 896 350 or 610 927

Eric Taylor

By Jack Troughton HEAT GOLD began broadcasting on Friday giving favourite ‘golden oldies’ a spin across the Costa Blanca on 94.1FM. RTN’s own Eric ‘ET’ Taylor was at the helm at the new Moraira studios it shares with sister station Heat FM, the former sailor presenting his regular afternoon show.

Heat Gold specialises in music from the fifties, sixties and seventies – although Eric, who started a radio career while serving

Flooding in Calpe

FLOODING IS being caused in Calpe due to concrete barriers that were originally erected to prevent water entering the streets in 2007.

The authorities in Calpe say there are drainage problems at the Quisi ravine, but the water’s path is blocked by sand which has clogged up the drainage channel. CalleLuxemburgo (las Salinas) is experiencing the same problem. The town hall has instructed the Hydrographic Confederation of Júcar (CHJ) to resolve the problem and install a system to prevent storm drains from becoming blocked.

English cinema a hit in Jávea

ENGLISH-SPEAKING residents are flocking regularly to Jávea’s Jayan cinema because it shows films in original language during the week. The cinema reports that it is surviving the crisis and that its theatre is usually full on ‘version original’ nights. Moviegoers can now also enjoy a package including a three-course dinner and a film for €13.

on Ark Royal, promises the eighties will also feature on his daily show between 14.00 and 17.00.

And the DJ, who pens RTN’s Music Scene and also organises the hugely successful annual Moraira International Music Festival, shares duties at the Heat Gold microphone with fellow presenters Mike Lee, Ray Peters and Barry Moon.

For more information call 966 494 363, visit www.heatgold. fm or email studio@heatgold.fm.

1115- 17 2011 - 21February october 2010

23 25

Vast differences in house and content insurance cover THE CLAIMS department in the Javea office often receives calls from clients regarding house and by contents cover. The policy we offer is, as far as I am concerned, the best on the market. Yes, of course I would say that, but I have a vast amount of experience and know how to ask the right questions when comparing other policies.

The major problem people have when deciding to go ahead with a policy is that it is not fully explained to them on purchase. Therefore, when claiming, they either have not understood the policy as it’s written in Spanish, or they assume they are covered for everything because they haven’t asked the right questions, or just by being lied to but in a very clever way, either verbally or by the advertising.

The JCC Consultants in the four offices will go through the major points of our policy with you, one of these being accidental damage; this is not an extension on a product’s guarantee but a very necessary part of a policy which costs a minimal amount.

Accidents do happen in the home - for example spilling red wine on your best Persian rug, or dropping a pot of paint while up a ladder and subsequently spilling the contents over the sofa! There are many accidents ‘waiting to happen’ in the house. Then there is accidental cover on the building which would cover damage to your bathroom suite; accidental damage to your windows and doors or, in the extreme, an earth quake tremor under 6.5 on the richter scale which could have a major effect on your house, causing cracks or movement and which would not be covered by the consortium until it was in excess of the 6.5, in which case they would study the cover. Also very important is sufficient liability cover (always confirm the amounts) and legal defence.

When it comes to contents cover, take very great care you know exactly the cost of replacing everything within your home. You would be surprised when you start adding up, how much it all costs. Failure to insure an adequate amount could and does cause problems when claiming. ‘New for old’ is important, together with the percentage that will be paid out by the insurer.

It sounds so simple and, one could be forgiven for believing that everything you own would be covered, but the phrase ‘contents cover’ does not necessarily mean it will cover all your contents.

There are some policies that only cover a few items and at a very limited amount. For example, if you have a very expensive TV system, some policies will not cover an exact replacement or get anywhere near it. There are, I believe, policies that don’t even cover theft! Yes, extraordinary isn’t it?

I do, however, feel expectations

Jennifer Cunningham

are far too high even with a good policy, and then of course, when these expectations are not met, pure rage can take over and the claims staff can come in for very serious verbal abuse. Often the anger ends up on my email, asking me to sort it out or pay for the problem myself! Please read your policy document before attacking us, and remember I am just the middle man. The insurer always writes the contract and underwrites the policy, not me. I can assure you we are a very honest, genuine hard working SL company, highly regulated in Spain, with constant updating on the changing laws of Spain and training and exams on the products the staff handle every day. We work alongside Spanish Insurance companies who are amongst the most highly ranked organisations in Spain. They are and have been committed to the expatriate market for years, with a good understanding of our needs.

I am always warning people not to be seduced by a cheap price; there is so much more to consider.

The rules and regulations are different from the UK, despite people thinking to the contrary. Everything takes far longer to resolve, which I sometimes find very irritating.

Running a company in Spain is one of the most difficult and frustrating operations I have ever done; it’s similar to walking upstairs backwards with a blindfold on! Despite all this, I am still here and, thanks to many loyal clients together with the Insurers who help me as much as possible and, combined with my hard working professional staff, I have managed to collect many trophies from Liberty Seguros for various reasons. Not bad for an oldie!!

Yes ladies, it can be done and there can be life after losing a son.

Having said that, if I had known in 1992 what I know now perhaps I would not have started anything at all. However, I am glad I did it when I did because so much has changed within the insurance industry, attracting many who should not even consider starting selling policies.

Put it like this, they would not be allowed under the FSA to even think about setting up by themselves. I find it appalling that there are so many indivuals with no financial support behind them, believing that selling insurance is both easy and that a quick return is made.

The investment is huge, because it takes years to build up a good portilio of renewals, which you only keep if the product, service and all the insurers are secure.

P. S. 24 hours after writing this article, my girlfriend and I were burgled, she woke up to find a man in a balaclava at the foot of her bed, on ringing the police they were just not interested and wouldn’t even come out. So don’t say it won’t happen to me, it can and does.

Jennifer Cunningham Insurances S.L The Costas leading insurance consultant.

If you have a question please email her at: jennifer@jennifercunningham.net Regulated and Authorised by the DGSFP in Spain.

“We are mo

re t h an j u

st a v oice on the phone”

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04 10 February February2011 2011 11 - 17

The right to die in Spain

by Jan Gamm SPAIN’S NEW law drafted in 2010 to allow sufferers of incurable disease to “die with dignity” is to be approved next month.

The law carries stringent outlines of patients’ rights along with strict guidelines for medical staff in attendance.

The law as it stands in Spain states that euthanasia is illegal, yet the law does allow that a sick person judged to be in control of their mental faculties can refuse treatment.

The new law is based on legislation currently in place within other European countries but is likely to cause debate within the Catholic community.

Europe is divided in its approach to assisted death, each country within the union adopting a combination of measures to achieve an ‘acceptable’ policy.

ACTIVE EUTHANASIA Such a decision requires a deliberate action such as an injection to end a patient’s

life. This is illegal in Spain.

PASSIVE EUTHANASIA This is simply the withdrawal of medical treatment with the deliberate intention of ending life.

ASSISTED SUICIDE This is an active provision of a substance or other means to allow a patient to end their own life.

The issues surrounding euthanasia and its associated concepts is broad and covers the rights of parents to decide whether a newly born life may be ended; what constitutes ‘unbearable suffering’ and ‘quality of life’ and is further complicated by legal consent and definitions of ‘life’, as is the case with pregnancy terminations.

A law ‘Guaranteeing the Right to a Dignified Death’ was passed in Andalucia in 2010 following support across the board from all political parties.

Dying with dignity

Spanish lessons by

Jane Cronin

A weekly ‘cut out and keep’ feature helping you to learn basic Spanish

Recent past tense answers

Lesson 144 ONCE MORE I am here, coming to your rescue with the answers to last week’s questions. I know you have been losing sleep, biting your fingers nails to the bone and scouring grammar books incessantly for the last seven days, but at last the agony is over. (I have to create these little scenes in my head to keep me entertained, please don’t worry about me).

First of all we need some past participles of these regular verbs – as follows: Cocinar – cocinado.

Bailar – bailado.

Aprender - aprendido.

Comer – comido.

Firmar - firmado.

Visitar – visitado.

Comprar - comprado.

Ir – ido Conducir - conducido.

Cambiar - cambiado.

(1 point each = 10 points) Next were some sentences to be translated into English. Here are the answers, but don’t forget that there are various ways to express the same idea in English, so it’s unlikely you have exactly the same wording as I have.

1. He arreglado todos mis papeles esta mañana.

I have sorted out all my paperwork this morning.

2. ¿Qué tal habéis dormido?

How have you slept?

3. ¿Cuántas páginas has leído de tu libro?

How many pages of your book have you read?

4. El señor no te ha oído.

The gentleman hasn’t heard you.

5. Lo hemos buscado por todos lados.

We have looked for him (or it) everywhere.

6. Los niños no han comido suficiente.

The children haven’t eaten enough.

(2 points each = 12 points)

Man told ‘lose weight’ for operation to remove 30kilo tumour A 200-KILO man with a 30-kilo tumour on his testicles has been told by doctors he must lose weight before they will operate.

Daniel Enrique Morales has to drop to 80 kilos because surgeons say his obesity prevents them from removing the growth.

Morales underwent an operation to remove a 50-kilo tumour from his abdomen in 2009, which went well.

Next you were asked to put the auxiliary verb “haber” into the right order. Here it is.

We have hemos I have he You have has You have (plural) habéis He / she has ha They have han

(4 points) Next came some irregular past participles, as follows.

Abrir (to open) abierto (opened) Escribir (to write) escrito (written) Decir (to say/to tell) dicho (said/told) Hacer (to make/to do) hecho (made/done) Morir (to die) muerto (died) Ver (to see/to watch) visto (seen/watched) Volver (to return) vuelto (returned) (1 point each = 6 points) Now for some more translations, this time into Spanish: You may have different interpretations of the “you” form used, as the English doesn’t give us any indication.

1. I have spoken to my neighbour - He hablado con mi vecino.

2. You have written a letter – Has escrito una carta.

3. He has slept well – Ha dormido bien.

4. We have seen the film – Hemos visto la película.

5. You have come back from holiday – Habéis vuelto de vacaciones.

6. They have drunk a lot of beer – Han bebido mucha cerveza.

(3 points each = 18 points) And finally, here is the question to the series of possible answers with a generous 10 points for the right answer. It was: ¿Has estado alguna vez en Madrid?

1115- 17 2011 - 21February october 2010

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business

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11 - 17 February 2011

Long distance learning becomes a reality with TeamViewer by

Karla Darocas

Information Technology & Communications

FOR MANY years, friends and acquaintances from different parts of the World have asked me if I could teach them how to build their own website, or make their own graphic, or videos, and other software applications over the Internet.

Of course, I had to decline as there wasn’t any way to enable this kind of long distance learning because the software programmes needed to be seen to be understood. Just describing what to do and how to do it – over the phone – was not a viable reality for beginners or anyone who needed to be ‘shown’ what to do because that is how they processed their learning.

Well – that changed recently thanks to a new bit of software that is free and easy to install called TeamViewer. Now, if a client in Canada, USA, England or just down the road wants to learn website design and development with a software programme such as FrontPage or Expressions Web, then I can help them with the aid of TeamViewer.

TeamViewer lets me open a connection to my students’ computer – and together the two of us can role play the step by step methodology of the website design software. Or we can go through the steps of editing a video on Movie Maker and then uploading it to YouTube – or edit photos in PhotoShop and then upload them to KodakGallery and sharing them with family and friends… you get the idea!

These are just some examples, but it is unlimited in the revolutionary way I can help people to help themselves on their PC’s.

TeamViewer has another mode that can also aid me

TeamViewer connects two computers over a server

with helping my students move very large files that would bog down or bounce from an email service.

For example, if a student has designed a flyer and the graphics are very large because it has to go to the printers, they can let me know where it is on their hard drive, and I can transfer it over to my hard drive and look at it – make corrections and then slide it back over to their computer again!

Basically, TeamViewer is a remote desktop tool that is easy to use by connecting two computers over a server.

All a user has to do is open the TeamViewer programme and it opens a gateway or “session”. That

session displays a session ID and session password.

Once that is established, the user (who in this case is my student) emails me those details. I open my TeamViewer programme and enter the session ID and password and choose between – viewing the desktop of the student in order to teach the software application – or choose the file transfer mode.

And that is it – we are working together without leaving the office or cosy home!

Contact me if you would like to learn more about long distance e-learning and how TeamViewer could help you! DOWNLOAD TEAMVIEWER FREE – www.Darocas.com

Karla Darocas * Business Communications Software Training & Computer Repairs *Helping You to Help Yourself 965 973 234

Five years residency for illegal immigrants fleeing domestic violence A NEW draft Law of Foreign Affairs states that illegal immigrants escaping domestic violence, or with children of Spanish nationality, will be allowed to stay in Spain legally for five years and then their situation will be reviewed. They will also be given a work permit. The authorities say that anyone falsely declaring domestic violence will immediately be deported.

Valencian bar owners want cigarette smoke back!

A 200-PERSON strong protest was held last week in Valencia by angry bar and restaurant owners from the city who desperately want to see cigarette smoke back in their premises. Protesters gathered in force outside the central government offices in Valencia in a bid to convince the authorities that smoking should be allowed in closed public spaces despite the obvious health risks. The group claim that the new anti-smoking law is having a catastrophic effect on their businesses and want to see a change in the law that permits small premises to choose whether or not to allow smoking, or allow for smoking rooms. This was how the law stood before the new legislation came into effect on 2 January. Another protest in planned for Madrid on 21 February outside the Congress of Deputies. Tea shop owners are reported to be suffering the most, as their business depends on offering smoking pipes to customers.

legal

Tax implications by

Marc White & Carlos Baos English & Spanish Solicitors

CAN I exchange my property in Spain for a property in another country, and if so what are the tax implications in each country?

This transaction is known in Spain as a permuta and is becoming increasingly common due to the difficult housing market in the whole of Europe.

We will concentrate on explaining how this system works in both the UK and Spain; but this will be similar in other countries, France, Germany, Holland, etc.

There are many people who wish to move in either direction but are unable to do so as they cannot sell their house. I appreciate that it may not be straightforward finding a buyer in each country who wishes to proceed simultaneously on this basis, but the mechanism for doing so does exist.

Essentially the conveyancing process will run its course in the normal way in each country although the key is to make the two transactions interconnected, that is to say completion in the UK is dependent upon the deed being signed before a Notary in Spain.

11 - 17 February 2011

The standard searches will be carried out in each case and once they are complete it will be possible to proceed to exchange of contracts in each country.

It goes without saying that an English solicitor will need to be involved as well as a Spanish lawyer. Well I would say that, wouldn’t I (!) but it is absolutely true that professional undertakings will need to be given between the two countries and the two legal systems have to interface seamlessly.

Regarding the taxes payable, each property will be treated separately and the purchase price agreed in each case. Where there is a difference between the price of the two properties this can be settled at time of completion, and one should ideally aim to agree a price for both properties in either euros or sterling from the outset in order to simplify matters. There is an inherent currency fluctuation risk although this can be

29

minimised by ‘buying forward’ if desired.

Finally, the result of a house swap between countries is likely to be an appropriate time to review one’s Wills. I have promised in the past not to refer to Wills in every article, but the issue is one of real importance here.

It is quite common that a person’s English Will makes totally different provisions to their Spanish Will because the assets in each country are so different. The change of a person’s address alone does not mean that a new Will should be signed; but the change in the location of the person’s assets is the relevant factor here.

The information provided in this article is not intended to be legal advice, but merely conveys general information related to legal issues. *This article is available in English and Spanish at our Web site: www.white-baos.com

Marc White LL.B. & Carlos Baos (English & Spanish Solicitors) © White & Baos Abogados 2010 - All rights reserved. C/Diana 19, 2º-D, 03700 Dénia (located close to the Glorieta Square at the end of Marques de Campo). Tel: 966 426 185. Send your questions to spanishlawyer@roundtownnews.com or info@white-baos.com

Illegal immigrants suffering domestic violence to be ‘allowed to stay’ A NEW bill being brought in by the Spanish government will allow migrants who are victims of domestic violence to remain in the country despite their ‘illegal’ status. Following meetings with labour groups and business representatives last week the bill is presented for approval with a broad spectrum of incentives for gender violence victims to report crimes against them. Spain’s present domestic violence rate ranks amongst the highest in Europe, along with statistics that indicate almost half of all marriages end in the divorce courts.

The new bill will allow victims (both men and women) to re-

port domestic violence without fear of deportation for themselves or for their children.

Spanish marital and divorce laws are seen as somewhat casual by social and religious groups and blamed in part for the collapse of Spain’s family culture. It is possible in Spain to obtain a divorce after only three months of marriage with no requirement to submit evidence of blame for the breakdown of relations. And an uncontested divorce is offered via the internet for €440 via www.divorcioexpress.com!

Gender violence is seen by Spanish Prime Minister José Luis

The country’s worst shame

Zapatero as the country’s “…worst shame…” and “…unacceptably evil.” The new bill is seen as vital to increasing the likelihood of reported violence within the home.

money

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11 - 17 February 2011

Those banks again by

Suzanne O’Connell Customer Care at Ábaco

If you work in a bank, it’s probably not been the best year for you, in one form or another. Of course, everyone knows that it isn’t the humble cashier who is to blame for ‘la crisis’ or even the bank manager (probably) but the word ‘banking’ has itself become a little tarnished. And it rubs off.

There’s perhaps a feeling of ‘them’ and ‘us’ between banks and their customers that has grown during this economic downturn. A divide that wasn’t always so evident.

One of the things that most impressed me from my experience of banks in Spain was their ‘hands on’ approach. They would ring up the utilities or make some arrangements that banks in the UK wouldn’t dream of.

Recently I was impressed when our bank bent the rules a little to cash a cheque for my daughter. Something that I wouldn’t have dared consider possible in our very formal UK system. Of course, this sometimes informality can also appear as irregularity and inconsistency. The service received and the decision made can seem to depend upon which bank teller you chance upon or the day of the month. Sometimes you might feel like the best of friends, other days the enemy.

Account fees are probably one of the main

topics of conversation and the jury is out on which bank and branch serves expat needs best, Love them or hate them, they are key entities within the economy and within the tax enforcement system. Most people are now aware that bank accounts can be embargoed or ‘frozen’ if there are outstanding debts or fines unpaid.

But did you also know: • Banks are prioritising your payments. For example, if you have a mortgage payment to go out and a utilities bill at the same time but not enough funds to cover them both, they’ll most likely pay your mortgage.

• Banks and the Tax Authority do talk. We are seeing cases where queries about interest declared on savings in the UK are being taken up with UK banks by the Spanish Tax Authority.

• You have up to 56 days to cancel a direct debit or other payment that has been made from your bank account. Even when the money appears to have been taken out, it is in fact in limbo and you can ask the bank to return it to your account, free of charge. Banks do have their uses and we’ve probably all had cause to be variously delighted or infuriated by them.

However we feel they’re here to stay. Unless we return to cash under the mattress of course.

“If you would like a FREE, no obligation tax consultation and help with completing your annual tax declaration contact one of Ábaco’s friendly team on ÁbacoConnect Help-line 966 703 748 www.abacoconnect.com”

Santander offers tender on Polish Bank

WBK Bank

By Jan Gamm TOP SPANISH lender Banco Santander has tendered an offer for 100% shares in Polish Bank Zachodni WBK for just under €4.3 billion, as part of an arrangement between Banco Santander and Allied Irish Banks to acquire AIB’s stake in BZ WBK. In September 2010 Santander agreed to purchase Allied Irish Banks’ 70.4 per cent holding for 2.9 billion euros, outbidding French bank BNP Paribas and Polish top lender PKO BP. The deal would strengthen the Spanish lender’s presence considerably in the Polish market and is awaiting approval by the Polish financial regulator KNF. The tender expires 25th March.

Welcome to Moneycorp

RTN’s Jack Troughton at Moneycorp’s head office

TO RECOMMEND foreign exchange expert Moneycorp to readers, RTN accepted an invitation to go to London and take a first hand look around this dynamic company.

In hard cash terms, it clearly pays to buy foreign currency and make international money transfers through a specialist – clients enjoy the best exchange rates and lowest charges.

However, new customers sometimes worry about who they are dealing with over the telephone or internet, so it was RTN’s task to go behind normally locked doors and put human faces to the corporate name.

It was soon discovered that Moneycorp was driven by an enthusiastic professional team dedicated to efficient service and looking after people’s cash.

“

I am very impressed by Moneycorp. Yet again the money is in my account on the day you promised with no hassles. We are all ready to complain when things go wrong, so I thought I would just take a minute to say thank you, as each time I used Moneycorp it has gone right.

Shelley Spencer

Currency

Jack Troughton reports on the leading Foreign Exchange expert and tells you why

is recommended by

Bank on Moneycorp Foreign Exchange expert Moneycorp smoothly moves currency across borders to arrive on schedule at a customer’s chosen destination.

The corporate client dealing floor

Growing numbers of corporate and private clients trust their money to the specialist London-based company and in return enjoy a quality personal service tailored to their specific needs.

Spanish expats can easily benefit from the best exchange rates available and low commissions offered by Moneycorp - whether they are moving money out of the UK or repatriating it.

And the company’s efficiency in dealing with foreign exchange – or F/X – and making international money transfers has earned a ringing endorsement from the Daily Telegraph.

The national newspaper recommends its readers use Moneycorp after being impressed with its service and customer care.

In fact, one of the questions frequently asked amongst the 600 plus employees of the company is: why do people still use High Street banks?

SERVICE Marc Morley-Freer, Moneycorp’s Commercial Director, explained the company’s philosophy to RTN: “We strongly believe in long term customer service rather than short term gain. That is the over-riding core principle from the board room all the way down to the bureaux de change.

“It pays to use the experts and we like to be expert in everything we do with honesty and integrity – we are all about giving the best guidance we can, it is often about holding people’s hands.”

He added: “People say F/X is scary. It’s not. Plumbing is scary if you don’t know how things work. The key is giving all the facts to the client to let them make an informed decision.”

Continued overleaf g

“

Playing by the rules LEGISLATION, REGULATIONS and good practice at Moneycorp ensures clients – and their cash – are safeguarded.

A key legal requirement came into force last November – the Payment Services Regulations, which demands all payment institutions register with industry regulator the Financial Services Authority.

Compliance officer Debbie Doyle said companies faced a 2011 deadline to register but Moneycorp had already put all of FSA procedures in place.

“Once a client has purchased currency with us and paid for that currency, part of the rules is that we have to safeguard those funds, she said.

“If Moneycorp was suddenly not around, the client has some comeback with the FSA and once they are contracted, their funds are safeguarded.”

REGULATE Debbie said that “unfortunately” the foreign exchange part of the industry was not regulated by the FSA. “We would love it to be, because it would get rid of the companies that are not very good – get rid of the cowboys. I think it helps the industry in general by being regulated.”

And she said since 1996, Moneycorp had been had been accredited with ISO 9000, a quality assurance certificate that involves annual inspections to keep the coveted ‘kite mark’.

“We already had the ISO accreditation, which pretty much covers everything in the FSA rules in any case,” added Debbie.

And Moneycorp’s financial health has been monitored since 1987 with an annual audit by the leading City accountants Price Waterhouse Coopers.

Debbie also underlined that all client data was kept secure. “We are a telephone based company and we have to check the person who calls is the genuine client.”

On-line customers can trade using a bank debit card, she said, but callers could not pay by debit card over the telephone. “It is another regulation, we cannot store card details – it means no one could hack in and get those details.”

IDENTITY She said all customers had to open a trading facility to buy and transfer currency which meant giving Moneycorp identification – especially when they lived overseas.

“Some people see that as a negative, but we have to do it and if they go to another company and are not asked for documents, it is not a good company,” she said.

“We do not credit check people but we do, however, do identity checks. It protects people against identity fraud.”

And she said clients were asked why they were purchasing currency. “If you are buying a property in Spain but sent the money to Mexico it would raise questions.

“We need to understand why and by understanding we can also insure e are doing it the right way for the client and give the best guidance to the client.”

Moneycorp’s head office

Spotlight:

Moneycorp bureau de change at Gatwick Airport

Continued...

And he said the Moneycorp service was centred on ensuring clients received more money. “We want to be the expat’s friend, banks tend not to be.”

A modern transparent and regulated company dealing in F/X for more than 30 years, Moneycorp has its corporate dealing floor opposite Harrods in Knightsbridge, its headquarters are around the corner in Sloane Street, while the private client section, customer service and market development departments, together with the ‘back office’ – which handles the paperwork and settlements of trading – are based in Victoria.

IMPORTANT The importance of Spanish expats means there are offices on the Costa Blanca and Costa del Sol, and globally, offices in Australia and the United States.

However, the most publically seen ‘face’ of Moneycorp is its bureaux de change premises at Gatwick, Stansted, and Southampton Airports, and in the Oxford Street and Knightsbridge areas of West London.

Supplying these retail outlets and wholesale deliveries of cash to other bureaux means there is also a strongroom filled with pallets piled high with banknotes. For security reasons, it was the one area where the doors were not thrown open to an RTN inspection.

On the corporate dealing floor, the team kick off with a morning briefing. The value of sterling is sliding against the euro and the downward trend is highly visible on monitors dominating the room.

Key account manager Marianne Gilmore explained all staff were proactive and were frequently dealing with finance directors of medium sized public limited companies – such as Sykes Timber, Butterfly Poultry, and the charity Care International UK - so needed to be “completely in the picture.”

Clients were mainly companies involved in import and export and the majority of trades involved the euro or the US dollar and she said the banks “are not interested” in providing a service or giving a good spread of prices to clients

unless they completed a high volume of trades.

BUSINESS “A client looking to move £150,000 or £200,000 will get a poor rate from a bank – but nowhere near as bad as the kind of rate you will get from a bank as a private client,” said Marianne. “At least a bank will recognise a corporate client in a bid to get repeat business.

Moneycorp director Marc MorleyFreer

“We are more competitive on the rate to start with because we need to make less profit than a bank because of our lower overheads.

“We also want to help people take advantage of changes in F/X rates. A bank will not ring someone up about a move in his favour but we do, to take advantage of a market 24/7 and make sure clients have access to the information.”

Both corporate and private clients also have the advantage of dealing directly with real Moneycorp people. It means no-one is left on hold listening to music, while all calls are recorded for security on both sides.

At Victoria, RTN’s chat with David Kerns, Dealing Manager for private clients, was interrupted when he shot off to ensure a transfer of several million pounds into Euros went without a hitch. Some clients are obviously recession proofed.

He said certain members of staff were

‘dealer qualified’ and others, including himself, were Members of the Society of Technical Analysts, a recognised qualification that enabled them to research currency price history and anticipate future moves in valuation.

GRADUATE Other colleagues joined as graduates and worked their way up to become private client dealers. David added: “To be in a position to do this they go through internal training and focus on certain aspects such as sales, economics – fundamentals which impact on the financial market “It gives them the ability to understand the market but make sure they can express themselves and explain things in laymen’s terms to private clients. It is very important you do not flummox a client but express what is going on in a manner which explains what is going on.”

And he cannot understand why clients used banks for F/X trades – even if they were friendly with or related to the person at the till – because of the poor deal they would get.

“We undercut the banks in almost everything. Banks are notoriously lazy,” said David, formerly a ‘spot dealer’ with NatWest, who underlined Moneycorp could offer up to the minute exchange rates.

“If I go into a bank next week to convert £100,000, I will be in a branch and speaking to someone over the till at the foreign desk and be offered the bank’s daily rate. It will not be far off the tourist rate,” he said.

“They will offer nothing else than that, no guidance and no ideas what is happening in the market and whether it is a good time to trade or whether the market may move in my favour in the near term.”

However, he accepted that many private clients worked against a tight time frame governing when they could trade. They must be happy with what they can get and not look back in horror because they can not always hit a high or low in the rate.”

Banks currently handle around 80 percent of the foreign exchange and international transfer market. Moneycorp aims to reduce the figure.

Getting to know you OPENING A Moneycorp account is simple and opens the door to making easy foreign exchange and international money transfers.

Expats living in Spain will be asked for proof of identity and proof of their address – safeguards against identity fraud and money laundering.

Manager of private sales, Dan Barker said it was part of a process Moneycorp called ‘know your client’ and part of the company’s legal compliance duty.

“Opening an account is straightforward, we just need some details to know who the person is,” he said. “Our compliance procedures are probably stricter than 99 percent of the market.

Our compliance team is very thorough – their job is to protect both the client and the company.”

And he said when trading, customers would be asked the source of funds and what they were being used for. “Over time they build up a pattern that we can always refer back to and if there is any change we can always ask some more questions.”

BENEFIT Dan said the sales team explained the benefits of opening an account and the process of registering with the company.

“By this stage you hope people have bought into Moneycorp – it is pretty convenient when you get going,” he told RTN. “It is pretty easy for someone in the UK to be comfortable with their bank. We have to ask them what price they are paying for that convenience – are they getting a good exchange rate from the bank. We can easily save a client between one and five percent.”

Private clients can also register to use the on-line Global Payments System (GPS) which gives them the opportunity to trade over the internet or telephone Moneycorp and trade directly through the dealing floor.

Dan said about three years ago it was decided to launch a new team of ‘customer service representatives’ to answer queries and trade up to £20,000.

TELEPHONE “It made for a brilliant client experience because they asked questions and were dealt with directly without being passed from telephone to telephone,” he said.

But with a private client data base of more than 100,000 people,

Regular as clockwork

EXPATS NEEDING to make regular transfers of cash from the UK to Spain will find a perfect solution with Moneycorp’s unique Regular Payment Plan.

A direct debit is set up from the client’s British bank and Moneycorp collects the sterling and sends euros abroad – an ideal way of making mortgage payments overseas or receiving pension income.

And the plan, in house known as a RPP, has proved to be increasingly popular since competitors’ alternatives

David Kerns, private clients dealing manager

there were times when something “out of the ordinary” occurred on the market and the team was stretched.

The decision was taken to give clients the option of an internet service. “We call it GPS; to the client it is just an on-line system.

It allows them to register separately with that – giving them the ability to either go and trade on-line or telephone in and trade through one of the guys here – depending on preference or mood.”

And he said it also allowed clients to go behind the scenes and track the progress of their trade. “Therefore people should be able to generate the answers they would have asked over the ‘phone on-line themselves.

“It is a matter of choice. There are a lot of people comfortable using the internet and others who prefer to talk. It has the potential to reduce the number of incoming calls but it is not at the expense of our service should people choose to telephone in.”

such as a Nationwide card, which allowed free withdrawals from ATMs in Spain, have been withdrawn.

Teresa Reith, a senior dealer, said an RPP could quickly be set up over the ‘phone or by filling out a form and the transfer – the minimum is £250 – could cost as little as £4.

She said the money was debited on the day selected by the client and the plan could involve any frequency of payment – weekly, monthly, every couple of months or annually.

“Basically, there are very few banks where you can pay a standing order abroad,” said Teresa. “And once set up, an RPP is a fully automated service and just runs until the client lets us know he wants to change it or cancel.”

An RPP also allows clients to choose to

fix the sterling amount leaving their account or the euros they receive in Spain.

Moneycorp also has an option that allows customers to fix both for a period of between six months and two years.

“Clients have the ability to lock in exchange rates,” said Teresa. “This protects against currency fluctuations.”

And she said since the demise of the Nationwide card there had been a surge of people opening a RPP with Moneycorp.

“In the beginning we had a lot of people asking why they should use Moneycorp when they could go to a hole in the wall and get the interbank rate – and you could not blame people for doing that,” said Teresa.

“But once that was withdrawn as a free service, we have seen quite a few people changing to an RPP with us.”

Spotlight:

11--17 17February February2011 2011 11

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Property

Can you make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear?

By Guest Writer Michael Rushe of House Proud Property management & Letting

Quality images make a big difference

In my last article I stressed the importance of quality photography when promoting your Spanish property either for sale or holiday letting. Many holiday letting websites now offer a range of

photographic facilities to further enhance the appeal of your holiday letting’s advert. On the best websites you can add panoramic views, virtual tours and videos. While these latest technological advances are welcomed their use can be fraught with difficulty.

The facility for being able to post a video of your holiday home on a website so that perspective clients can get a better view of your property sounds great on paper. It is relatively straightforward to do as well. Most good digital cameras can take video and this then can be easily uploaded onto the website. However, being able to produce a good video is not so easy. If you do not know what you are doing you can make a pig’s ear of it. There is nothing worse than watching a badly thought out and poorly edited video that shakes, rattles and rolls all over the place. A video like this put perspective clients off enquiring about the property.

It is advisable to seek professional advice and assistance if contemplating adding a video to your on line advert. A professional set of photographs including a video and or virtual tour can cost as little as €300. This can be a worthwhile investment as professional photography will make your advert stand out head and shoulders above the others and will almost certainly pay for itself within the first letting season.

However, even photography of the quality of Lord Snowdon or a David Bailey will not make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear. To succeed your property must reflect quality, value for money and, above all, that it is cared for by you, the owner. If the photographs suggest that

you don’t care that much about your holiday home the holiday maker will care even less.

You can overcome this perception with a little investment in time and money. As I have mentioned before each photograph should be composed but no amount of dressing up or display will work if the property does not look homely and inviting.

Even though you may not live in your holiday home all year round you should make it look as if you do. To compete in today’s market your holiday home must have the basics – a kettle, fridge/freezer and cooker etc – but the little things that accessorize a house into a home – pictures on the walls and tasteful ornaments on the shelves – can make a big difference when attracting a client.

House Proud Property Management & Lettings Tel 96 578 1731 or 680 274 831 | info@houseproudindenia.com | www.houseproudindenia.com

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11 - 17 February 2011

What to do about woodworm, termite and dry rot problems It is a common misconception to think that woodworm, termite and dry rot infestations only occur in old houses full of antique furniture.

Unfortunately this is not so and quite often structural timbers used in new-builds harbour different types of infestations which become manifest over the years and cause a great deal of damage before we realise we have a serious problem on our hands.

As you might expect in a hot country like Spain, there are a myriad of wood-boring insects. I will now list some of the most frequently found in our homes: Powderpost beetle (Lyctus brunneus) Causes extensive damage to hardwood such as ash, elm, and oak. Tunnels along the grain and causes severe damage infesting parquet flooring.

Deathwatch beetle (Xestobium rufuvillosum) Found in hardwood in southern Europe, such as ash, chestnut and oak. The larvae tunnel towards the centre of the timbers causing damage which is always much more extensive than may be apparent from the surface of the wood.

House Longhorn beetle (Hylotrupes bajulus)

The Longhorn likes to attack softwood, often used as roofing timbers. These infestations can result in extensive structural weakening if not caught in time.

Dry rot (Serpula lachrymals) This is a wood-destroying fungus which can cause devastating damage to buildings if not treated correctly.

Once you have identified a woodworm problem in a door frame, support beam, lintel, or on a piece of furniture, do not waste time on DIY remedies.

Look for a qualified specialist surveyor or pest Termite control technician who will diagnose the problem damaged professionally and determine the extent of the wood infestation and the damage caused. They will then proceed to inform you on how best to resolve the problem. More often than not, DIY solutions don’t work and end up costing you much more money in the long run.

My final piece of advice is that prevention is always your best bet. Those of you who live in villas, town houses, or fincas might do well to inspect your beams once in a while, especially the beams which are located on the outside of the building.

Having your beams injected professionally will give you peace of mind and will avoid you having to spend much more money having them replaced.

Written by Charles Caffarena de Witt of Woodtech, the Costa’s top Woodworm & Termite specialists. Call Charles on 625 160 325 or 965 699 335.

Spotlight: Property

11 - 17 February 2011

Properties of the week brought to you by spanishhomefinder.com

Search- view -enquire magnificent villa in pego

Magnificent Villa in Pego. 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms, private swimming pool and tennis court and fantastic views.

485,000 euros

apartment Orihuela costa

2 bedroom full furnished ground floor apartment in Orihuela Costa on a very picturesque urbanisation, communal pool and near golf courses.

115,000 euros

10 bedroom village house cehegin 10 bedroom historical village house in Cehegin with 3 kitchens, billiard room, library and much more. This unique property was built in the 1700’s and covers 1200 m2 and comes fully furnished with antiques and traditional dÊcor.

800,000 euros

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health

11 - 17 February 15-21 JANUARY2011 2010

Mastitis Ask the Specialist by

Dawn Blythe S.R.N. R.M.

DEAR DAWN, I am currently expecting my third baby. I successfully breast fed my first child without problems, but to my dismay I had to stop breastfeeding my second baby very early on due to mastitis.

This has somewhat shattered my confidence. Please can you offer any advice?

Firstly I am most surprised that you had to stop breast feeding your second baby as the golden rule with mastitis is DO NOT STOP FEEDING. I can only assume that unfortunately you were ill-advised.

Mastitis (inflammation of the breast) is usually caused by infection, typically in the first weeks of breastfeeding when bacteria may enter the milk ducts via a sore or cracked nipple. It may also occur when a mother suddenly stops breastfeeding and the breasts become engorged with milk.

This in turn leads to milk ducts becoming blocked.

Symptoms will vary dependant upon the cause of the mastitis. If the cause is infection a section of the breast will become hot, sore and swollen. The mother is likely to feel gen-

erally unwell with ‘flu like’ symptoms. When the cause is engorgement the breasts feel hard and lumpy but it is a localised problem without general malaise.

Mastitis often occurs when the baby is not latched correctly to the breast and is therefore not feeding correctly. Your Midwife will be able to advise you if you are experiencing problems.

Do feed your baby on demand in order to keep your milk supply flowing. Engorgement and blocked ducts are common when mothers attempt to time feeds.

If despite your best efforts you do get mastitis you should see your GP as soon as possible who will prescribe a course of antibiotics suitable for breast feeding mothers.

There are also certain things you can do to relieve the discomfort.

Try massaging the affected breast during a feed. Between feeds any cooling treatment can help. Placing a frozen cabbage leaf (the large leaves from the outside of a drumhead cabbage fit best!) over your affected breast gives profound relief.

Most importantly, do seek help from a Midwife as soon as you are experiencing any breast feeding difficulties and whatever you do do not be persuaded by anyone (professional or otherwise) to give up breastfeeding.

This article has been written by Dawn Blythe SRN, RM. Dawn is a British trained midwife who has spent over 20 years caring for mothers and babies in expatriate communities. She now offers midwifery care (excluding delivery) to the patients of ‘The English Medical Clinic’, Albir. To chat to Dawn, pop into her free ‘drop in’ clinic on Wednesday mornings. Email englishmedicalclinic@gmail.com

Breaking the deadly sedentary habit SEDENTARY LIFESTYLES are becoming common in children and adults living in Spain. The term ‘sedentary lifestyle’ is, in fact, a medical term used to describe a lifestyle where there little or no physical activity. A common way of describing an individual who leads such a lifestyle is as a ‘couch potato’.

Any activity that involves sitting or lying motionless for long periods of time would be considered sedentary. These would include watching television, reading, sitting in front of a computer… Any individual who spends long periods of time, perhaps the better part of their waking hours, engaged in these types of activities and without any or very little vigorous physical exercise or exertion, could be described as living a sedentary lifes tyle.

The worst part of this lifestyle is that it leads to many preventable causes of death.

Following are some of the diseases/ illnesses that a sedentary lifestyle may contribute to: • Depression • Type 2 Diabetes • Obesity • Colon cancer • Anxiety disorder • Osteoporosis • Lipid disorders • High blood pressure Because of this sedentary lifestyle mortality

is 30% higher in elderly men and doubled in women compared to people of the same age with an active lifestyle.

The majority of individuals are well aware of the health benefits that regular and vigorous exercise brings. However, in spite of this people still fail to get a sufficient amount of regular exercise in order to maintain the proper level of health and fitness. An example of the bad consequences of a sedentary lifestyle is muscle atrophy, where the muscles become smaller and weaker through lack of use, resulting in such individuals being at real risk of injury. It’s worthy of note that many sedentary people complain of back pain and easily injure their back muscles.

Sore back muscles are a relatively minor complaint in comparison to what many are suffering from because of their lack of physical activity. The very serious health problems I’ve listed above should give anyone living the sedentary life reason to pause and really think about what they are doing to themselves and their bodies.

The following tips may help you to get more physically active right now.

• Speak with a Personal Trainer who can plan your exercise programme around your goals, taking into account any injuries, illnesses or conditions you may have.

• Get an exercise partner. If you really don’t

Karen Clarke of KC Fitness & Personal Training

enjoy working out by yourself, then don’t.

Ask a friend, relative, husband or wife to work out with you. Get your personal trainer to plan your exercise routines together and then schedule regular times throughout the week when you’ll get together. You’ll not only enjoy your exercise a lot more but also cement your relationship with each other.

• You can build physical activity into your routine household chores. Need to clean the house? Then do it with gusto! Is it autumn?

Why not get out and vigorously rake up the leaves? The car looking dirty inside and out?

Forget about the automatic car wash and do the job yourself. Not only will you get some much needed physical activity by doing these chores yourself, you’ll also have a sense of satisfaction for a job well-done.

• The family that works out together lives

healthier and longer together. Get everyone involved in physical activity, including the dog and cat. (The goldfish may be a problem) Is it the weekend? Then get outside to the beach for a walk or an exercise session with your Personal Trainer. This is a much better and more enjoyable way to spend time together as a family then sitting brain numbed in front of your television all weekend with your eyeballs popping out of your heads.

You can see that these few tips of breaking your sedentary lifestyle are not really that difficult to implement in your life and routine. It’s simply a matter of deciding how important your health, fitness, and quality of life are to you and to your family. So, stop making excuses, put the newspaper down and break the deadly sedentary lifestyle right now! Make that change today!

Article written by Karen Clarke of KC Fitness & Personal Training www.kcfitness.net Tel: 675 875 936 One to one Personal Training sessions with Karen are only 20 Euros per hour!

Is this a trapped nerve in my back?

When a trapped nerve is diagnosed, most commonly it refers to a spinal nerve. The spinal nerve is the portion of a nerve just as it leaves the protection of the spine.

When the spinal nerve leaves the by spine it passes in close proximity to the discs (the shock absorbers in our spine) an area where they are particularly vulnerable. It is here The Costa Blanca that the nerve is most commonly Chiropractic Centre irritated, although the nerve can also become trapped or irritated further along its course.

Most commonly spinal nerves become irritated in the lower back although they can equally become so in the mid back and the neck. The nerve carries messages controlling a number of functions in the body and so symptoms will vary person to person. Symptoms can include localised pain in the spine as well as referred pain into the leg, arm or chest. Other referred symptoms may include tingling, pins and needles or muscle weakness.

So how does a nerve become irritated? Bad posture, movement habits or an accident will cause mechanical stress in the spine, particularly in the disc. When

Lawrence King

sufficient stress is put through the spine, the vertebrae will move out of position and the disc will herniate and irritate the nearby nerves (previously known as a slipped disc).

For a solution for a trapped nerve or any other spinal related complaint please call the Costa Blanca Chiropractic Centre on 966865432.

For an appointment with Dr. Lawrence, please contact The Costa Blanca Chiropractic Centre on 966 865 432 or call Dr Lawrence direct on 656 589 740.

11 - 17 February 2011

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11 - 17 February 2011

Proper support now and for many years

by Patricia Thompson RESIDENCIA MONTEBELLO in La Nucia is a Nursing and Care Home and also has sheltered apartments. Just recently it has purchased 10 recliner chairs from PROMINENT the well established Dutch company specialising in bespoke armchairs and recliners made from top quality materials and leather.

RTN went along to view these chairs, to see if the residents like them and to find out what is special about them. We spoke with Monika Welchering (pictured) who is Manager of Residencia Montebello. Monika tells us “The chairs are excellent. We have them in one of our main sitting rooms, and in other parts of the complex.” “You can just tell from the first touch that they are quality and that they will last extremely well. When you sit in one you can immediately feel support along your whole body, particularly behind the legs and thighs when you are stretched out.”

At the time of our visit the Care Home residents were having a meal, so Monika demonstrated one of the chairs herself.

Later, in a different part of the Care Home complex we came across some residents using another three of the chairs. “They are extremely comfortable,” the three ladies agreed. And they admitted often taking a nap in the chairs, rather than going back to their rooms. Well, why not!

A good chair with proper back support will improve your posture and therefore eliminate or reduce back pain and stiffness. The chair should have a good shape to it and reflect the natural

Monika stretches out

The Prominent Van

posture of your body. At Prominent the owners Marja and Eddie Schermacher will take your unique measurements (height, weight, build and health) into account to place you into the right seating position. Taking these measurements ensures correct support for the neck, back and the small of the back.

So if you, or one of your loved ones, suffers from a sore back, neck pain or has a specific health problem or injury, then please bear in mind that PROMINENT chairs will ease the stresses and strains placed on the body by the simple act of sitting. And if you or your loved one has difficulty getting out of (or into) a chair, at Prominent they have ‘riser’ chairs which provide ideal support for the whole body at the touch of a button. A ‘riser’ chair will help you get to your feet by taking all the pressure off their knees and tendons, and vice versa when you sit down.

Or it may be that you are a physiotherapist, a chiropractor, a doctor or a back specialist who treats or nurses patients with these ailments. If so, you will already appreciate the importance of good positioning.

At the PROMINENT showroom you will find a huge range of armchairs and recliners that can be tested, and then measurements taken, to obtain exactly the right custom-made product.

If you would like to know more about how Prominent chairs can assist you, your loved one, or your patient, please telephone 965 793 229 or call into the showroom at Poligono Industrial Teulada. There is ample parking. The opening hours are Monday-Saturday 10.00 – 14.00: Website: www.prominent.nu

Onwards and Upwards for New 2 You It has been 21 years since New 2 You first opened its doors in Torrevieja. Since then and despite two different periods of economic uncertainty, the business is going from strength to strength. Last weekend saw a new chapter in the New 2 You success story with the opening of their very own outlet in the Zoco Market, which is a regular attraction for those who like grabbing the bargains and getting up early on a Sunday morning! The company’s main store is located in Elyseos Playa near Mar Azul and two streets away is the original shop that was established all those years ago; now a bedroom shop selling top quality beds and bedroom furniture including mattresses of all shapes and sizes at unbelievable prices.

The company also boasts a small outlet in Dolores, but it is their flagship store in Torrevieja, which has been dubbed “…an Aladdin’s Cave”, that really gets furniture purchasers excited.

CUSTOMER SERVICE Within the four walls of the 550 square metres store is a huge array of top quality new and pre-owned furniture, which has been handpicked and cleaned by the dedicated New 2 You sales team and is complimented by new accessories that are also available from the store. In fact everything that you need to make your house into a home is there for you. New 2 You owner Karen Dowsing has seen lots of change since she opened the first shop in 1989 and she says that she owes a lot of success not only to her parents, with whom she started the business but also her team of friendly and loyal staff. “My priority has always been and always will be customer

service,” Karen told RTN, “I believe that our emphasis on helpfulness and service, combined with only accepting quality second hand furniture is the secret of our success.

Many people who call in my shop think they have come to the wrong place and say that it cannot possibly be second-hand furniture that they are viewing.”

ENTHUSIASM New 2 You is much more than your average pre-owned furniture shop and many people do not realise the fantastic range of new home accessories that they stock in their flagship store. In fact, everything you need to compliment your home from decorative curtains, cushions and lamps to practical items such as kettles, kitchenware and bedding are available at New 2 You and that is what makes it different from all the other second hand furniture suppliers. When you talk to Karen, her enthusiasm about her business is contagious and she is very excited about her new market venture. Karen’s first day as a market trader took place last weekend and after a long day of trading she emerged grinning from ear to ear. Karen has taken the pitch over from her Dad, Trevor, who has been established at the market selling quality ladies clothes and men’s outsize garments for over ten years.

Keen to retire and enjoy some Spanish sunshine on the weekend, he offered the pitch to Karen and she wholeheartedly accepted!

NEW WEBSITE Karen will use the market store to display the furniture on offer at New 2 You. There

Living room setting

New beds

will be smaller items on view, which can be bought and taken away on the day and her friendly team is on hand to discuss your requirements or arrange a viewing of any items that you may have for sale.

The shop is situated in the top right-hand corner of the market and anyone wanting more information should contact New 2 You on the contact information below.

This exciting new chapter also coincides with the launch of the brand new website, which can be seen on the same web address as previously: www.new2you-furniture. com. Anyone wishing to sell, buy or part-exchange good quality used furniture should contact New 2 You on 965 715 605, email info@new2you-furniture.com or visit the website on www.new2you-furniture.com

11 - 17 February 2011

Have your marble floors cleaned and polished professionally

by Rod Cunningham KEEPING YOUR marble floor clean can be a tricky task. There are many products you can buy that will keep the floor looking great for a few days or even a few months but then the smears start to appear. Having your floor professionally cleaned and polished by a professional company can save you time, money and headaches.

Floor Restore, based in Javea, is a family run business owned by Ryan and his wife Sophie who make it their mission to bring your floor back to its former glory. Using specialist machinery, Ryan will work his magic

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in various stages.

1) (If required) grinding of the floor which takes a layer off as if exfoliating skin in order to take away any marks, chemicals and preparing for the next stage.

2) Removal of scratches – marble flooring can become chipped or scratched and can look unsightly so Ryan will use his machinery to remove these 3) Polishing – using wire wool & specialist equipment Ryan will polish your floors to bring back the lost shine making your floors look new again 4) Sealent – this is a special product which will lock in the chemicals and shine and also

A beautiful longlasting shine, even in heavy traffic areas

Offices use Floor Restore as well

‘Mind your language’ at El Principe Centre MANY BRITS would admit that as far as language is concerned we are not the most advanced nation. Although many Ex Pats here on the Costas have a genuine desire to learn Spanish, they tend to give up easily and not advance so quickly as other European citizens such as the Eastern Europeans, Dutch and Scandinavians.

What are the barriers then to learning Spanish to us Brits? Are we too lazy? Too old? Are we contemptuous of other languages as our own is so widely spoken throughout the world?

Perhaps the reasons are more complex…

Firstly, our naturally inhibitive culture prevents us from ‘letting ourselves go’. Therefore, we freeze whenever we have to communicate in a language other than our own. We hate to make a fool of ourselves by sounding silly in a foreign language so we stick to speaking in English, as it is the only language in which believe we can be taken seriously. The consciousness of ‘getting it right’ can be very restrictive when trying to communicate spontaneously, as is needed in everyday life situations. Many people would rather say nothing than say it wrong, rather than accept that they will get it wrong many times before they get it right. British people also often have an unrealistic expectation of just what is required when learning Spanish and expect to be fluent after just a few lessons.

If only it were that easy!

Also, we tend to ‘stick together’, living on British Urbanisations and rarely venturing into Spanish bars and restaurants. How many of us watch Spanish TV; read Spanish newspapers; listen to Spanish radio or go to Spanish cinema without the earphones?

Many people will say that they are ‘too old’ to

Vicki Riley

learn, but I have had students into their 70s and even 80s that have really progressed with Spanish. We are all individuals: some of us do find learning Spanish easier than others, but we can all learn, maybe just at a slower rate. Some of us are better at speaking, some at listening, some with grammar etc, and it is very important not to compare yourself with other people.

There will always be someone who knows more than you and someone who knows less.

Just think to yourself: “have I improved, do I know more Spanish than a week/month/year ago?” If the answer is “yes”, you are doing well!

At El Principe Centre in San Miguel de Salinas, the classroom atmosphere is informal and students are taught a mixture of useful grammar combined with conversation practice of the same. Students are taught to construct their own sentences and not repeat phrases parrot fashion. Semi-intensive courses cost only €5 per hour.

For more details of forthcoming courses ring 965 999 047, email info@elprincipecentre.com or visit the website on www.elprincipecentre.com

protect it from accidental spills.

Floor Restore can do various floors including terrazzo, tiles, outside areas and vanity units. Here is what just two of Ryan’s clients have to say: “Ryan from Floor Restore has cleaned my floors following two floods. He is an excellent worker and nothing is too much trouble for him; he really is my knight in shining armour!”

A. Hardman, Denia “Our marble floor was scratched and had lost its shine, but after Floor Restore

had worked their magic it is now bright and shining again. Many thanks to Ryan for the prompt and efficient service. We are very pleased with the result.”

R & B Kershaw, Javea Having a professional refinish your marble floor by grinding, stripping, repairing and polishing will bring back its lustre and beauty.

Call Floor Restore today on 965 797 051 or 689 075 125 or email floor-restore@live.com for a free, no obligation quote.

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11 - 17 February 2011

Computing with aunty virus

Messages not received on Blackberry Meri from Torrevieja and Bob via email ask: HI AUNTY. Is there anyway I can be notified if a recipient has opened an email I send from Gmail?

My granddaughter has been having troubles with her Blackberry (she lives in the UK) and hadn’t received any messages I’d sent, since Christmas. Also, how can I alter the autofill box when I go into my Gmail account as I left the ‘c’ out of .com? And finally, how can I delete obsolete names from my address book?

Aunty Says: There is no email receipt function in Gmail Meri, in fact

for some unknown reason non of the ‘webmail’ type of email services, including Yahoo and Hotmail, have adopted this valuable function. However there is a way you can get around this and that is to setup/install an email client program on your computer. Windows comes with ‘Outlook Express’ (98 and XP) or ‘Windows Mail’ (Vista and Win7) that will do the job, or you can download Mozilla’s free and wonderful Thunderbird which sits nicely with Firefox. There is a guide on how to set this up under the ‘How Do I’ section on the www.enecomputers.net website that will show you how to do it. When the wrong information appears

in the auto complete drop down list you can highlight it and press the ‘delete’ key. You can manage your Gmail address book from the ‘contacts’ link on the left menu when you are on your Gmail main page.

Problems with upgrade Lola via email asks: HELLO AUNTY, I have a problem with the upgrade to AVG free 2011. AVG is running but since it was installed my computer is having all sorts of problems that did not happen with the old version. For instance when I try to open Firefox I get a message “unresponsive script” and to press stop or continue. I press continue and it loads eventually. The screen freezes up every time I attempt to do any daily tasks. Also the updates seem to take an eternity: I am beginning to wonder if I should have left well alone.

Aunty Says: Hi Lola. There are a number of features that AVG installs when you choose the ‘standard’ rather than ‘custom’ installation and I suspect these may be causing some of these problems.

There is a section on the ‘How Do I’ page on www.enetcomputers.net website that will take you through the install process of AVG that should sort this out. The Firefox problem may be an ‘extension’ or ‘plugin’ problem which you can uninstall from ‘tools’ ‘addons’ within Firefox.

That’s all for this week, email me on auntyvirus@roundtownnews.com and I will do my best to sort you out

HP Photosmart Joan via email asks: HI AUNTY, love the column and thank you for your information on SuperAntiSpyware, it was very useful. I have a Windows Vista note book and in the drop down window on the paper size does no t say A4. I have measured the paper and that size does not appear. The printer is an HP Photosmart and works with my other note book. Is there any way you could let me know what paper size I could put in to print on A4. I have tried some of the paper sizes and now it only prints in the top left hand corner of the page.

Aunty Says: I’m not too sure about this Joan as I have always seen A4 as an available paper size on all printer programs. Maybe try reinstalling the software from the HP CD/DVD and check that your location is set to the UK or Europe where A4 is used.

Emails straight to delete box

Joan via email asks: ALL MY incoming emails are going straight to my Delete Box! Is there something to change in my setup?

Aunty Says: The only time I’ve seen this Joan is when a ‘rule’ has been setup in OE (Outlook Express). To check this, start OE and click on ‘tools’ from the menu bar. Go to ‘message rules’, ‘mail’ and untick any settings in the lists. Also check there are no addresses in the blocked senders list under ‘message rules’

Google translate Bert via email asks: HI AUNTY. I wish to translate a letter from Spanish to English. I have scanned the letter onto my computer and its now in a PDF format. I have tried using Google Translate but although it tells me it is translating, nothing happens. I would appreciate your help.

Aunty Says: You will need to scan the document using the OCR (Optical Character Recognition) function of your scanner which is normally an available option before you start the scan. You should then get the option to save the document to Word or Writer etc. in a text format which you can then copy/ paste into your favorite online translator. Let me know how you get on.

11 - 17 February 2011

GADGET INSPECTOR

The case of the Swan Teasmade THIS WEEK the Inspector catches up with an old friend – The Swan Teasmade.

First invented in Victorian times, these gadgets only became widespread with the availability of electric versions in the 1930s.

They reached a peak in popularity in the 1960s and 1970s with the Goblin Teasmade, particularly in the UK. And now Swan has re-introduced a 21st Century version for the modern tea drinker desperate for that earlymorning cuppa.

Re-styled in modern materials, the teasmade still retains that retro look, evoking memories of the original yet without the horrifying buzzing alarm guaranteed to wake the dead, or those steam-generating capabilities reminiscent of a Turkish bath. It has a sleek and compact design to fit neatly on that modern, slimline bedside cabinet and weighs in at a miserly 2.6kg. It comes with a generous 600ml water capacity, which is quickly (and quietly) brought to the boil for that refreshing first cup of the day – only waking you with the built-in radio or alarm

once it is ready to pour from the ceramic teapot.

Just to show it is a truly modern device, the Swan Teasmade comes with the ubiquitous auxiliary input for connecting a portable music player such as an Ipod Touch. The traditional whirring mechanical clock is also replaced by a bang up-to-date LCD clock display with analogue face and auto-dim function to avoid those feelings of being trapped in a searchlight after dark.

And for those fond of a little late night reading there is a built in reading light – assuming you still read something as old fashioned as books!

The Swan Teasmade is available in White or Cream, with or without built-in radio and comes with a two year manufacturer’s warranty.

The Inspector´s Verdict: the Swan Teasmade is ideal for that quick getaway the morning after and costs a reasonable £54 from www.amazon.co.uk including shipping to Spain.

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11 - 17 JANUARY February 2011 8-14 2010

Some recent questions answered by

Clodagh & Dick Handscombe Practical gardeners and authors

HOW TO PROTECT CONTAINER PLANTS OVERWINTER Many of our container plants were caught by the heavy frosts at the end of January.

What do you suggest we do to prevent this next winter?

Move as many as possible of the small pots into unheated greenhouses. We only turn a heater on if we have a long cold spell and when we start to sow vegetables seeds this month. Move the remainder of small pots and larger pots and trays of planted up cuttings into a temporary greenhouse set up each winter by lining a gazebo with a large plastic sheet as illustrated.

Wrap very cold-sensitive plants such as strelitzias, echiums and hibiscus in two layers of fleece. Protect the collection of plants on a covered terrace on cold night by pulling down blinds. Place over-wintering experimental containers of vegetables against the house wall where the temperature is a few degrees above that in the garden due to radiant heat from the house.

When we plant out our earliest spring

vegetable plants and seeds on the vegetable plot we cover them with upturned water bottles or home constructed plastic tunnel cloches. Avoid buying more very ‘frost tender’ plants.

HEALTH FROM YOUR GARDEN At a U3A conference on practical health ideas, you mentioned a website on which you had a blog titled’ Health from your garden’.

Can you remind us what it is?

Yes, look up the blog on www.wddty.com - the ‘What doctors don’t tell you’ site.

SEED CATALOGUES We have read the very useful chapter on growing flowering plants, shrubs and trees and would like to have a go, perhaps with something unusual that one cannot find in the garden centres. What seed catalogues should we obtain?

We suggest you look up the websites of Chiltern Seeds, Plant World , Thompson and Morgan and Jungle Seeds for starters.

If you don’t like ordering on the internet ask for their hard copy catalogues. If you order they will automatically send you the new catalogue each year.

ADVANCE DATES FOR YOUR DIARY Next month you will have two chances to ask us questions face to face and obtain autographed copies of our books.

Set up a temporary greenhouse this winter

On Wednesday 2nd March we will be giving a talk with question time to the Costa Blanca Gardeners Circle on the topic ‘Realistic valuefor-money gardening’ at the La Senietta theatre room in Moraira.

On Saturday/Sunday 17th and 18th March, we have been asked to man a Gardeners Corner Question and Answer stall where we can answer questions all day and autograph

Clodagh and Dick’s practical gardening books will be found to be useful for both experienced and new gardeners coming to Spain. The useful quartet of books can be obtained from bookshops or by email from the websites of Amazon, Santana Books, Bookworld and The Royal Horticultural Society. © Clodagh and Dick Handscombe www.gardeninginspain.com February 2011.

books at the ‘This is Spain Exhibition’ at the Albir Playa Hotel, Albir.

CLODAGH AND DICK’S BOOKS Each book is designed to help you better understand and use the Spanish climate, soils and plants to achieve easy maintenance colourful, perfumed and productive gardens and apartment terraces.

11 - 17 February 2011

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Discover the Costa Blanca

Derek Workman continues his series of excursions from his book ‘Inland Trips From the Costa Blanca’ which features 22 detailed trips that lead you to spots you’d never find by yourself.

Cabanes

represented by the town hall, (although some will tell you that the genuine two pillars are the siesta and the fiesta). Fixed to the side of the 14th-century town hall is a sign warning the young chaps of the village that playing the game of pilota against the wall is strictly forbidden. At least they haven’t gone to the lengths of some places where they plaster the wall in a corrugated design to thwart the young lads bit of fun. One the top of the church there’s still a large illuminated star – either they can’t be bothered to remove it each Christmas or they are still waiting for the imminent arrival of Balthazar and his two pals. A tiny alleyway up the side

I ended up in Cabanes recently when I was out looking at towns up the coast on the Costa de Azahar. The first thing I spotted as I walked into the centre of town was the Pub Beguim on Carrer Calvari, which styled itself as a champañeria and corkleria. The first is easy enough to work out but I really couldn’t fathom out the second, other than it’s something to do with pulling corks out, therefore an arty-tarty name for a wine bar.

As it was also closed I couldn’t go in and ask.

of the church intriguingly draws you forward – only to end in a car park so you have to turn around and come back.

On Carrer de Sant Mateu there’s a mixture of architectural styles, but you can’t help but be intrigued by the delightful little balcony at number 16, where you can imagine Juliet leaning over to throw a rose to Romeo.

Otherwise, it’s just a bland skinny building four storey’s high, although it does show signs of a fair age. A couple of doors up is something that would look more at home in the Austrian Tyrol, with its massive stone blocks and abundance of wood. Here it just looks daft.

The fuente in the plaza

Cabanes church

They must be a very event village because not only is there the Fuente del Buen Suceso but also the Plaça Verte del Bon Succés (using both the Castillano and Valenciano versions of the spelling), although the fuente is actually in the Plaça des Hostals and topped with four nubile mermaids whose out-thrust bosoms mark the four points of the compass. (The translation of suceso is event but I couldn’t find out what the event was so as least I hope it was successful.)

The Plaza Iglesia, is home to the two pillars of Spanish life, the Church and the State,

Cabanes town hall

To discover more about Spain, visit www.derekworkman-journalist.com and http://derekworkman.wordpress.com. http://valpaparazzi.wordpress.com are random notes about life in Spain. Derek Workman’s books, Inland Trips from the Costa Blanca and Small Hotels and Inns of Eastern Spain are available from most good books shops or direct from the publisher, Santana Books, www.santanabooks.com or Tel. 952 485 838.

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11 - 17 JANUARY February 2011 8-14 2010

Loud and clear I love my postbag. I get most of my mail online these days, but snail mail does arrive, and I do my best to answer every letter. It is my contact with you, and it is you that I write for, so it gives me a chance to say thank you, and to hope that you will keep reading. I greatly appreciate the variety of questions and the quality of the information received. When you see the length of the average message I receive, and the subsequent space that I have to both write the question and answer it; you will realise that I have to severely précis even the shortest communication.

The mail that hits my Spiritual Page reflects your own feelings, and what’s on your mind. When mail is highly personal very often a public airing would not be a good idea. As a confident my work is, however, always private and confidential whatever I do. A good question can help others who are hesitant to express their spirituality; and the answer therefore goes towards helping anyone who has an issue with all aspects of spiritual happenings or wishes to garner confirmation on all aspects of spiritual life.

The old concept of spiritual enlightenment was so different to today. Spiritualists have learned that instead of being viewed as silly or weird, or both, that people are becoming more naturally inquisitive, more open, and certainly less afraid of expressing their developing spirituality. I myself was subjected to terrifying, but strong Mediums, cold scout huts and dusty hymn books.

Whilst these managed to help me affect my psychic development; nowadays you can discuss your spirituality and your specific wants and needs at a Spiritual Café, like the Maya Bistro in Albir. Here is a quite unique Spiritual location, where you can chat, ask questions or just pop in for a coffee amongst some like minded people. Though each of us enjoys our own personal version of what Spirit actually means, this can be shared in the right atmosphere. In the past many kept their spiritual beliefs deep within, and said very little about their own spiritual connection.

When Spiritual Mediums started to hit

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

Kenny, several years ago you told me that I had a brother in Spirit and I told you that I hadn’t. Last week my Mother died, and on talking to my sister, for the firs t time in years, she has told me that you were right.

My Mother had a still born baby boy the year before I was born. I do have a brother in Spirit, and you were right all along.

Kari. S. Kari, thank you for telling me your story. In readings, the souls of departed children rush through and they are usually very poignant since children do not hold back and when cleared to come through do so without question. I am glad that we have had the chance to piece together the story, though in this case it did confirm the sad death of your brother.

Families often keep secrets and I have to be careful because I can inform clients of things they know nothing about. Though I do make mistakes, Spirit rarely does. I am going to light a candle for you and your brother in light and love!

the silver screen, Spititualism became more acceptable, and reached a status of high profile. Considering that Spiritualism is a registered religion ( one of two) in the U.K. there was very little promotion in the media, unless you read Psychic News, which has supported Spiritualism for many decades, and still does, of course. I was delighted to work with the wonderful Molly Parkin on her show on BBC Wales. Molly insists that I was one of the first broadcasting Mediums, and she admired my dedication as a young man to eschew my Saturday Night out in London for a thermos flask of coffee and a seat on the milk train to Cardiff, and the Studios. I have fond memories of Molly because she believed in me, and didn’t hold back. She believed in healing power and used her own personal magnetism to attract people to her, and her show was an absolute delight.

Sharing is something that Spiritualists do very well. We care and share because we can, and because we want everyone to share what we have, and what we have developed. That’s why I love the luxury of a full page each week in the RTN, amongst the other magazines that I currently work with.

It is a chance to get that message through, that the Spirit World exists and that we can communicate with those who have passed over to the other side. This communication is with faith and love and a sincere need to provide the proof of Spiritual existence.

Every programme, and every phone- in, each well written letter to the media, is a step in the right direction.

Spirit isn’t new, but we are finding different ways of opening the doors to our Spiritual energies, to ensure that the right message gets sent out and that nobody has to feel alone in their belief; or their desire to acquire relevant information in pursuance of Spiritual enlightenment. We are all becoming more intuitive and more aware, abandoning fears and trepidations for a positive Spiritual future, and the sincere hope is that, above all, we are not alone, and that this life is possibly only just our beginning.

Love & Light... Kenny Corris

Kenny’s diary Readings at Bistro Maya Albir on Monday February 14th and Wednesday 16th February, from 16.30 to 19.00. Call Els or her team at: 966 868 213 for information or to make a booking. Free parking nearby.

Workshops and Courses begin in the Spring Please call or email me to be included in the current mailing list for 2011.

2012 Network updates: email: kennycorris@hotmail.com

April 16th Spiritual Fair at The Maya Bistro: now booking!

contact kenny Appointments: 96 587 8424 Mobile: 686 361 594 Web: www.kennycorris.net Forum: www.kennycorris.net/forum Email: kennycorris@hotmail.com Please contact me for inclusion in my healing list!

horoscopes by Kenny Corris A trouble shared is a trouble halved, and certainly, right now you could do with a friend at your side. With a brief that insures you that the worst is well and truly over, you have a strong conviction that better times are just around the corner, so eliminate fear, and work with the maxim that you are almost there, and that even if someone moves the goalpost you are about to score.

With the dextrous actions of Saturn bringing wisdom and fortune, nothing is written in stone, and you are free to make your mark any which way that you can. Make sure that others are sympathetic to your current aims, and that you are very sure of what you are about to take on in the common scheme of things since you know that you can make a difference in what you now do.

You’re in two minds and as such you do not have to make a decision just yet. There is something not clear, and someone has been misleading you with idle gossip and small talk. With the power invested in you make your own mind up bearing in mind that the truth will always be revealed, and that you must put your own needs first for a change, not wait for others to have their go.

Aspects of the Moon’s phase bring you to putting energies into a domestic based project. There is clutter to eliminate, and when you do so you can better love what is left. Be ruthless and rid yourself of that which you are holding onto, with a brief that you are to send out a new instruction based on future energies, and not so held back in the distant memories of the past and what that entails.

Accept a challenge for the right reasons, since this must show your capabilities and your ability to take control when and if you need to. It seems that your progress has been somewhat delayed by the thoughtless and selfish actions of others, who do not have your interests at heart, and who do not see you as you wish to be seen. Be distinct and have the temerity to do that which you know that you can, and show them.

Finances are a current focus, and you have been acting on impulse just lately, which hasn’t helped the financial aspect of your life. With Uranus in pole position it is time to take control of your money and to check out better investment and economies all along the line. There is nobody to blame, but you are naturally gifted with the powers to change habits and make suitable cuts in expenditure.

Keeping control keeps you well within the conscious balance of your highly prized equilibrium. Feeling angry this week means that you don’t have to look far from home to see what is wrong, and just how you can make things better before the rot sets in. However there are many ways to skin a rabbit and you need to look before you leap and remember that everything happens for a reason.

With planetary actions causing a smoke screen you are best to side with your own hopes and intentions when unravelling a tissue of spite and lies. There is a strong need for you to discover and resolve just where things went wrong, and that is the point where you say a fond goodbye and just walk away with your pride intact and far better and more important things to get involved in.

With planetary actions causing a smoke screen you are best to side with your own hopes and intentions when unravelling a tissue of spite and lies. There is a strong need for you to discover and resolve just where things went wrong, and that is the point where you say a fond goodbye and just walk away with your pride intact and far better and more important things to get involved in.

Face that which you must, but realise that someone is stirring things right now to manipulate the situation. Believe what you have been told with a pinch of salt, but do ask yourself what had to happen to make things come around this way? Take action, not revenge and make any decisions based on the tried and trusted and not on hearsay and negativity of the heat of the moment.

You are so concerned to help others, but when you need the help it seems nobody comes running very fast. You are very much helping to keep control of a situation, but remember that new brooms sweep clean!

Once things are really done and dusted you can relax and look back at a time when you are keeping things going and achieving what you must do all along the way.

With the Sun shortly poised to enter and elevate your second house, you are about to enjoy some nostalgia shared with someone from the past.

Whilst you realistically live for the moments of now, you are a sucker for the harnessing of past energies as the foundation of today, with all that it brings you. Simply look inside yourself to see the psychic energy within and enjoy using it for everyone’s sake.

If it’s your birthday this week...

Act as if nothing has really happened and then you can stall and re focus on just what you need to. This is not mindless repetition of the past, it is the a way of illuminating your pathway ahead and starting a new journey without reinventing yourself.

8-14 2010 11 - JANUARY 17 February 2011

47

Word Ladders The key rule is that you must only change one letter at a time as you move from one rung to another, and the word you make must be a proper word! Therefore you may move from BATH --> BATS but not from BATH --> CASH because that changes two letters in one go which is not allowed.

Cryptic Crossword

Sudoku ACROSS 1. I went to the match instead of mother. Was it scratched?

(4) 3. Be a crooked vendor. Could you stoop to it? (4-4) 9. Bound to crush a missing head (7) 10. Piece of peel (5) 11. Mourn headless nations audibly (12) 13. Mainly level side (6) 15. Bending factory. I’m in it (6) 17. Five hundred and one point east and eat mixture to confuse (12) 20. Heir to head of throne shows ownership (5) 21. Ran up to row south and ended in straits (7) 22. Paste tin in order to become sufferers (8) 23. Breeder kicks the dust (4)

DOWN 1. In chief, an omission the editor abused (8) 2. Magic champion. Pick up your gun (5) 4. Apparently where to find the winning post and lay on charm (6) 5. Cyril’s paid in strict order (12) 6. Eve being topless ran an advertisement up for the gallery (7) 7. The epitaph on grave’s end is mellow (4) 8. Switch cash on the field (6,6) 12. Tangled dress set is emphasised (8) 14. Urgent way out inside knowledge (7) 16. Bird has permit - about travellers’ rest (6) 18. Endless bitter fruit. A short distance on high (5) 19. Vessels upturned. The sign of arrest (4)

ACROSS

DOWN

1. Ornamental belt (4)

1. Bashful (8)

3. Depose (8)

2. Dark brown (5)

9. Feat (7)

4. Exact (6)

10. Topic (5)

5. Revivalist preacher (3-9)

11. Gamble (4,3,5)

6. Gluttonise (7)

13. Pottery fragments (6)

7. Always (4)

15. Indifference (6)

8. Private (12)

17. Gratitude (12)

12. Ugly sights (8)

20. Boredom (5)

14. Heighten (7)

21. Voter (7)

16. Vex (6)

22. Bar (8)

18. Additional (5)

23. Overtake (4)

19. Profound (4)

Wordwheel

Quick Crossword

You can play these wordwheels by whatever rules you like.

But there is at least one nine letter word hidden in each wordwheel (and thus using every letter in the wordwheel).

For many players the fun element and biggest challenge of the wordwheel is to find a nine letter word. Other than that, the rules are up to you - but generally you should restrict yourself to only finding words that contain the central letter, as otherwise you will find huge numbers of words in many puzzles!

Win a meal for 2!

Inn Plaice in Torrevieja (Mon-Thu) Nemos (Next to RTN offices in La Nucia)

by answering the Cryptic Crossword correctly.

Answers by email to: office@roundtownnews.com | or Fax: 96 585 60 54

Euromillions Draw Friday 4TH FEBRUARY

2

11 24 35 47

5

3 UK, one Spanish and one Portuguese ticket each won a 5,789,546 Euros (£4,873,639) jackpot prize

9

Answers & Winner Last week’s Crossword and Suduko answers found on page 51/54. Crossword winner for issue 590: Len and Lyn Bunce, Jardin Del Mar, Torrevieja.

music scene

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Chill Factor Vocal Duo

C Compiled by

Eric Taylor

HILL FACTOR are Pam and John Pearson, a highly professional musical duo with a difference as their repertoire focuses on classic pop/rock songs performed in their own style. They began a professional writing and recording career in the 90s, working in RAK studios, London with the legendary music producer Mickie Most. This duo is a delight to listen to as they perform two sets – acoustic and electric. Their acoustic set combines the unique sound of John’s ten string acoustic guitar with Pam’s edgy and soulful vocals, giving a performance of flair and originality followed by an electric set which is...electric!. Together with Jack Hazebroek

(drums) and Luc van Breda (bass) they are ‘Rio’, (a new melodic rock band). For more details phone John or Pam on 696 731 290 or check out www.pamandjohn.net FEBRUARY GIGS •Friday 11th Monte Pego Social Club (RIO) •Saturday 12th Coll de Rates Mountain Restaurant, Parcent 13.30 •Saturday 12th Steinways Jazz & Blues Club, Denia (RIO) •Sunday 13th Coll de Rates Rte., Parcent 13.30

(John Acoustic) •Saturday 19th Private Party (Bar 23, Jalon) •Saturday 26th Coll de Rates Mountain Restaurant, Parcent

Black Glitter Rock/Soul Band GEOFF BRITTON has recently returned from playing in UK and is now part of a new and exciting band called ‘Black Glitter’. The line-up is 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. Geoff said, “Kelly is a really great singer - she has a powerful voice and what’s unique is she can do all the songs in the original keys.” There is plenty to enjoy - quality musicians,

classic songs and some great dance music. Support live music and see a new and exciting band: for more info phone 647 946 306.

GIGS IN FEBRUARY •Sunday 13th Don Quijote Bar, Paichi Centre, Moraira •Friday 25th The Beer House, Santa Pola •Saturday 26th Steinways Jazz & Blues Bar, Denia

Matt Mason/Curtis – Singer/Entertainer MATTHEW MASON (The artist formally known as ‘Curtis!’) is an extremely accomplished vocalist with a powerful voice, indulging in every type and genre of music, from the infectious ‘swing’ era, to a fine selection of music from all the decades that will have you dancing. If you haven’t had the pleasure of hearing Matthew’s singing look out for him.

Matt even runs an entertainment company providing Race Nights, with horses, greyhounds and pigs. To contact Matt you can email him on matthewcurtis09@yahoo.co.uk or call 662 504 969.

GIGS FOR FEBRUARY Saturday 12th Sunday 13th Monday 14th

Tuesday 15th Friday 18th Thursday 24th

Friday 25th Saturday 26th

Oliva Nova Golf Club, ‘Valentines Night’ El Cid Bowls Club, Benidoleig 13.00 La Pista Restaurant, Jalon ‘Valentines Night’ Javea Bowls Club ‘Valentines Night’ Cagneys Bar, La Marina Teulada/Moraira Lions Club, Charity Night Morgans Bar, San Miguel Arthurs Bar, Els Poblets

ET’s Golden Oldies Disco Tel: 965 748 199 or 659 921 875 or email: etinspain@hotmail.com If there are any music venues or acts that wish to be featured in this column,please contact Eric directly.

Paul Melba - Le Cabaret, Cumbre De Sol PAUL MELBA is one of the best respected comedy impressionists in the world who has appeared before Her Majesty the Queen on Royal Command Performances. Back in the 70s, Paul appeared on ‘The Comedians’ with his great impressions and wonderful delivery. Paul will be appearing at Le Cabaret, Cumbre del Sol, Benitachell on Saturday 12th February. Guaranteed to be a great night’s entertainment: Entry €5 – with a meal available. For bookings and details of future events in Le Cabaret phone: 663 733 811 or check out: www.lecabaretspain.com. Le Cabaret is located in the Lirios Centre, on Cumbre del Sol, Benitachell.

11 - 17 February 2011

Palladium’s big birthday On the fiddle

WORLD FAMOUS variety theatre The London Palladium comes to the Costa Blanca for a two-man show to celebrate its centenary.

Talented duo Chris Allen and Barry Britten take to a Benissa stage to pay homage to the stars that have appeared in the London theatre over its illustrious history in ‘Palladium Nights’.

The theatre itself celebrated its 100th birthday on Boxing Day last year but the pair plans something just as spectacular – and the show will support charity Friends of the Children of EMAUS. The audience will be treated to tributes to historic names such as George Formby and Gracie Fields, Flanagan and Allen and the Crazy Gang and also acknowledge the American ‘invasion’ when the Palladium hosted to stars from across the water like Frank Sinatra and Danny Kaye.

Barry Britten.

SERIES And there is also homage to television and the long running series ‘Sunday Night at the London Palladium’ hosted first by Tommy Trinder and later Bruce Forsyth, and the revival ‘Live From the London Palladium’, presented by Jimmy Tarbuck.

Palladium Nights is being staged at the Casa de Cultura on 16th and 17th February. Doors open at 19.30 for the curtain up at 20.00 and tickets are €12 each.

Booking is advisable, and tickets are available by calling 965 581 483, or by credit card on-line at www.philipashley.com. Discounts are offered for groups of 10 or more, call for details.

Producer Philip Ashley said 25% of the ticket price would be given to charity and he was pleased once again to be supporting the Friends of the Children of EMAUS.

Rising star pianist Natalia Kuchaeva to perform in Calpe ILISIÓN-ARTE brings pianist Natalia Kuchaeva to the Hotel SH Ifach for a recital on Friday 18th February at 21.00.

Borm in Moscow, Natalia began her musical studies aged six, later attending the Tchaikovsky Academy and graduating from the Gnessin Academy, finishing her Postgraduate studies at the Luzern Academy in Switzerland with Konstantin Lifschitz.

Natalia achieved a First in the International Competition ‘Nikolai Rubinstein’, París 1998; the First Award international Festival Young Soloists, Moscow 1999; the Fifth Award Natalia Kuchaeva International Competition in Ettlingen,

Alemania 2004 and International Competition ‘José Iturbi’, Valencia 2006; and the Audience Awards at the International Competition ‘Alexandr Scriabin’, Grosetto, Italia 2008.

Natalia Kuchaeva has recorded CD collections that include works by Schumann; Rachmaninov and Prokofiev, performing as a soloist as well as in chamber groups in Russia, Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Netherlands, Greece and Switzerland. She has also performed as a soloist with the Moscow Symphony Orchestra; the Valencia Symphonic Orchestra and the Malaga Symphony Orchestra.

FOOTLIGHTS THEATRE Group has begun rehearsals for its next production -the internationally successful musical Fiddler on the Roof.

The story of Tevye is set against the background of Tsarist Russia and tells of the Jewish milkman’s attempts to provide for his family and maintain the traditions of his faith while constantly under pressure from his strongwilled daughters.

The stage musical became one of the longest running Broadway shows after opening in 1964 and an Oscar-winning film version of

49

Fiddler was released in 1971.

It was specially chosen by Calpe-based Footlights to provide further opportunities of parts for a wide age range of members – particularly the enthusiastic youngsters who joined the cast of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.

Footlights is one of the largest musical theatre groups on the Costa Blanca and specialises in lavish shows including the recent successes of Anything Goes, Me and My Girl, Evita, Oliver, and Oklahoma.

Rehearsals are held on Thursday evenings at Marcia’s Dance Centre, Calpe, under the guidance of Director Sue Burgess. Anyone wishing to join Footlights should call Sue on 965 581 543 or Secretary Trevor Harder on 965 870 198.

50 61

1114 - 17 February 2011 - 20 may 2010

Dance School students in Duran Duran video

P

by Julie Day

UPILS FROM Torrevieja’s Dance Academy & Stage School are to feature in a Duran Duran music video soon to be released. Filming for the track ‘Before the Rain’, a song from the band’s new comeback album, took place in Torrevieja and Villamartin last weekend.

Michael Redfern, famed for his part in the old Oxo adverts alongside Lynda Bellingham, took the leading role in the music video with students from the dance school joining him.

The academy’s older students featured in the ‘ballroom scene’ and were dressed

accordingly, whilst the younger girls were kitted out as military girls for their scene.

Although the filming involved many hours of waiting around between shoots, all students behaved “professionally and impeccably,” according to Academy Principal Suzanne, also the chief choreographer for the shoot: “I was very proud of all of the children and they are a real credit to the school,” she enthused.

The Dance Academy & Stage School offers accredited examinations through the BTDA together with medal tests, catering for those that want to perform for fun or those that

III Drag Queen Competition sold out

By Julie Day TICKETS FOR Torrevieja’s third annual drag queen competition have completely sold out and tonight’s (Friday 11th February).

The popular competition, inaugurated in 2009, is an integral part of the town’s colourful and vibrant Carnival celebrations, and as well as providing entertainment, has the aim of electing and crowning a Carnival drag queen who will take part in the Carnival processions due to take place towards the end of this month.

Entrants to the competition come from all over the country and include several from Torrevieja itself and other surrounding towns.

If you were hoping to buy last-minute tickets at the door, it is highly unlikely that any will be available unless a number of people with tickets fail to turn up on the evening.

Drag Queen at last years event

Sunshine Smoothie 2 Nectarines 4 oz of white seedless Grapes 100g of Soya Yoghurt 1/2 tsp of Manuka Honey 1 tbsp of Sunflower seeds (makes 2 glasses) A VITAMIN packed, energizing smoothie that’s a satisfying and healthy snack at any time of day. It’s rich in vitamin A, which helps maintain a healthy skin and immune system NECTARINES contain vitamin C, folic acid, calcium, magnesium, beta carotene and potassium. They are an antioxidant, anticancer and energizing GRAPES contain vitamins C and E, calcium, antioxidants, phosphorous, flavonoids and These recipes are supplied by The Kamala Centre. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us at The Kamala Centre on office@thekamalacentre.com or call us on 965 985 869. If you would like a copy of any of these recipes you can download them at our website www.thekamalacentre.com

potassium. They are anti-cancer and good for cleansing the skin and digestive system.

The younger pupils with Michael Redfern

want a future career in performing arts.

The academy has once again been invited to London’s West End to perform in a variety show this year and is hoping to take a group

later in the year. Contact the academy now for details on 627 371 731 or email thedanceacademyandstageschool@yahoo. co.uk

Chicago tickets still on sale TICKETS ARE still available for the Chicago musical due to be shown at the Municipal Theatre in Torrevieja from next Thursday and a number of last-minute discounts have been agreed for the Thursday and Sunday performances. The councillor for Culture and Fiestas, Eduardo Dolón, announced a series of changes to the price of tickets for the first and last day of the show, in a bid to promote cultural activities taking place in Torrevieja.

These changes have been agreed by the Joaquín Chapaprieta Municipal Institute of Culture in collaboration with the department for Commerce and Hotel Industry and the production company Stage Entertainment.

Tickets for the Thursday performance at 20.00 and the two Sunday performances at 17.00 and 21.30 will now be priced at €35 for rows 1 – 11 and €30 for rows 11 upwards.

In addition, any couples that purchase their tickets from the theatre box office (on Valentine’s Day only) will be offered a

2 for 1 deal for the same performances on Thursday and Sunday. One half of the couple may purchase the tickets but they can only purchase a maximum of two tickets and cannot buy tickets on behalf of anyone else. Tickets for the Friday and Saturday shows are priced at €45 for rows 1 – 11 and €40 for rows 11 upwards with a 20% discount for over 65s.

To obtain this discount, residents must bring photographic identity such as a passport that clearly shows date of birth and a photo.

The musical Chicago will take place on •Thursday 17th February at 20.00 •Friday 18th February at 18.00 and 22.30 •Saturday 19th February at 18.00 and 22.30 •Sunday 20th February at 17.00 and 21.30.

Tickets can be purchased from the Municipal Theatre box office Tuesday – Friday between the hours of 11.00 and 13.00, from two hours before the start of the show or through www.servicam.com

tv Friday 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Wanted Down Under 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Save My Holiday 12:45 Cash in the Attic 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News 14:30 Regional News 14:45 Doctors 15:15 Escape to the Country 16:00 BBC News; Regional News 16:05 Deadly 60 16:35 Bear Behaving Badly 17:00 Dani’s House 17:30 Tracy Beaker Returns 18:00 Newsround 18:15 Weakest Link 19:00 BBC News 19:30 Regional News 20:00 The One Show 20:30 A Question of Sport 21:00 EastEnders 21:30 QI 22:00 Hustle 23:00 BBC News 23:25 Regional News 23:35 Graham Norton Show 24:20 National Lottery Friday Night Draws 24:30 Right at Your Door

07:00 Childrens TV 11:20 Pingu 11:25 64 Zoo Lane 11:45 Waybuloo 12:05 In the Night Garden 12:35 Ready Steady Cook 13:00 Daily Politics 13:30 GMT with George Alagiah 14:00 Due South 14:45 To Buy or Not to Buy 15:30 Real Rescues 16:00 Cash in the Celebrity Attic 16:45 Flog It! 17:30 Perfection 18:15 Antiques Road Trip 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 One Man and His Campervan 20:00 Julia Bradbury’s German Wanderlust 20:30 An Island Parish 21:00 Mastermind 21:30 Life in a Cottage Garden with Carol Klein 22:00 Can’t Take It with You 23:00 Fast and Loose 23:30 Newsnight 24:00 The Review Show 24:50 A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints

51

11 - 17 February 2011

07:10 The Hoobs 07:35 The Hoobs 08:00 Freshly Squeezed 08:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 08:55 Frasier 09:25 According to Jim 09:55 Secret Millionaire USA 10:55 Desperate Housewives 11:55 Gok’s Clothes Roadshow 13:00 Channel 4 News 13:05 Prince Valiant 15:05 Cookery School 16:10 Countdown 16:55 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Come Dine with Me 18:30 Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:25 4thought.tv 20:30 Father Ray Comes Out 21:00 Relocation: Phil Down Under 22:00 Embarrassing Bodies 23:00 The Million Pound Drop Live 24:20 10 O’Clock Live

07:00 Daybreak 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV News 14:55 Granada News 15:00 May the Best House Win 16:00 Dickinson’s Real Deal 16:59 Granada Weather 17:00 Midsomer Murders 18:00 The Chase 19:00 Granada Reports 19:30 ITV News 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Coronation Street 21:00 Children’s Hospital 21:30 Coronation Street 22:00 Comedy Rocks with Jason Manford 23:00 ITV News at Ten 23:30 Granada News 23:35 30 Years of An Audience With 24:35 Take Me Out

07:00 Childrens TV 09:20 Peppa Pig 09:30 Roary the Racing Car 09:40 Hana’s Helpline 09:50 The WotWots 10:00 Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:00 The Vanessa Show 12:45 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 13:40 Five News 13:45 Build a New Life in the Country 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 Home and Away 15:50 Family Recipe 15:55 Animal Rescue Squad 16:10 Lying to be Perfect 18:00 Five News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 Zoo Days 19:55 Meals in Moments 20:00 Five News at 7 20:30 Vets in Action 21:00 Ice Road Truckers 22:00 The Mentalist 23:00 Law & Order 23:55 NCIS 24:55 Cops in Crisis

08:00 Back Inside Britain’s Fattest Man 09:00 Best of Oops TV 10:00 UK Border Force 11:00 Lie to Me 12:00 Real Filth Fighters 13:00 Project Runway 14:00 UK Border Force 15:00 Stargate SG-1 17:00 Lie to Me 18:00 The Simpsons 18:30 Futurama 19:00 Emergency Animal Rescue 19:30 The Simpsons 21:00 Futurama 22:00 The Simpsons 23:00 Louie Spence’s Showbusiness 24:00 Got to Dance

08:30 Alpine Skiing 09:45 Live Alpine Skiing 11:15 Biathlon 12:30 Live Alpine Skiing 13:45 Live Alpine Skiing 15:00 Live WTA Tennis 16:45 Euro 2012: All Access 17:30 Live Biathlon 18:45 Live Ski Jumping 19:45 Alpine Skiing 20:00 Live Athletics 21:30 Strongest Man 22:30 Biathlon 24:00 Extreme Sports: Freeride Spirit 24:30 Alpine Skiing

07:00 Nothing to Declare 08:00 Jerry Springer Show 09:00 Maury 09:50 Celebs 24/7 10:00 America’s Next Top Model 11:00 Four Weddings 12:00 Maury 12:55 Celebs 24/7 13:00 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 16:00 Criminal Minds 17:00 Charmed 19:00 America’s Next Top Model 20:00 Ghost Whisperer 21:00 Bones 22:00 Criminal Minds

Crossword Solutions 590 CRYPTIC SOLUTIONS Across: 6 Morning; 7 Pluck; 9 Rigid; 10 Dormant; 12 Downtrodden; 14 Flat-dweller; 18 Milkman; 19 Admit; 21 Means; 22 Current.

Down: 1 Toxic; 2 Indigo; 3 One; 4 Plumed; 5 Scanned; 8 Corrals; 11 Snowman; 13 Plaited; 15 Taking; 16 Endure; 17 Lions; 20 Mug. QUICK SOLUTIONS Across: 6 Greatly; 7 Start; 9 Piety; 10 Arrival; 12 Provocation; 14 Incredulity; 18 Clarity; 19 Droll; 21 Adult; 22 Succour.

Down: 1 Trait; 2 Halter; 3 Ale; 4 Strict; 5 Creator; 8 Trickle; 11 Avidity; 13 Include; 15 Rarely; 16 Thrice; 17 Flout; 20 Hue. WORDWHEEL 591: FORETASTE

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tv Saturday

52 40

11 - 1726 February Feb - March 2011 4 2010

07:00 Brainiac: History Abuse 08:00 Vet Adventures 09:00 Guinness World Records Smashed!

10:00 WWE Superstars 11:00 Soccer AM 13:00 Wayne Rooney’s Street Striker 14:00 A Town Called Eureka 15:00 Futurama: Welcome to the World of Tomorrow 15:15 Merlin the Return 17:00 Futurama 19:00 The Middle 19:30 The Middle 20:00 The Simpsons 21:00 Futurama 21:30 Futurama 22:00 The Scorpion King 23:45 Road Wars 24:45 Drugs Wars: DEA

07:00 Breakfast 11:00 Saturday Kitchen Live 12:30 Baking Made Easy 13:00 BBC News; Regional News 13:15 Football Focus 14:00 British Olympic Dreams 14:30 A Question of Sport 15:00 Live Six Nations Rugby Union 17:25 BBC News; Regional News 17:35 Live Six Nations Rugby Union 20:00 All New Total Wipeout 21:00 The National Lottery: Secret Fortune 21:50 Casualty 22:40 Come Fly with Me 23:10 BBC News 23:30 Match of the Day 24:55 The Football League Show

07:00 Bob the Builder: Built to Be Wild 08:00 Basil and Barney’s Game Show 08:30 Arthur 09:00 Richard Hammond’s Blast Lab 09:30 Project Parent 10:00 Dick & Dom’s Funny Business 11:00 Trapped Ever After 11:30 OOglies 11:45 Copycats 12:15 My Life: Toy Soldiers 12:45 MOTD Kickabout 13:00 Escape to the Country 14:00 Fort Apache 16:00 Into the West 17:30 Final Score 18:15 Easy Virtue 19:45 Flog It! 20:30 Dad’s Army 21:00 Blackadder Rides Again 22:00 Faulks on Fiction 23:00 The Tudors 23:50 Nurse Jackie 24:20 Fast and Loose 24:50 La Vie en Rose

07:00 Mini CITV 08:25 CITV 10:25 Coronation Street 12:45 This Morning: Saturday 13:50 Monk 14:50 ITV News 14:55 Looney Tunes: Back in Action 16:35 Star Wars Episode V: the Empire Strikes Back 18:55 Granada News 19:05 ITV News 19:20 New You’ve Been Framed!

19:50 Harry Hill’s TV Burp 20:20 Ant & Dec’s Push the Button 21:35 Take Me Out 22:50 Benidorm 23:45 ITV News 24:00 Shaun of the Dead

07:00 Treacle People 07:10 The Hoobs 07:35 The Hoobs 08:00 Freesports on 4 08:55 The Morning Line 09:50 Friends 10:15 Olly Murs: Stars and Strikes 11:15 Glee 12:15 Friends 12:50 Just Go with It: T4 Movie Special 13:20 Friends 13:55 Big Bang Theory 14:20 Big Bang Theory 14:50 Channel 4 Racing 16:55 Secret Supper Club 17:25 Come Dine with Me 17:55 Come Dine with Me 18:25 Come Dine with Me 18:55 Come Dine with Me 19:25 The Political Slot 19:30 Channel 4 News 19:55 4thought.tv 20:00 The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen 22:00 Million Pound Drop Live 23:20 AVP: Alien vs Predator

07:00 Childrens TV 09:10 The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill and His Best Friend Corky 09:30 Play!

09:40 Rupert Bear 10:00 Olivia 10:10 The Mr Men Show 10:30 The Milkshake! Show 11:00 Meals in Moments 11:10 Extraordinary Dogs 11:40 How Do They Do It? 12:10 Laureus World Sports Awards 2011 13:10 Ice Road Truckers 14:10 Building the Super Bridge: Megastructures 15:10 Rear Window 17:20 North by Northwest 19:55 Five News 20:00 NCIS 20:45 NCIS 21:40 CSI: Miami 22:40 CSI: NY 23:40 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 24:40 Forensic Files

07:00 Breakfast 08:35 Match of the Day 10:00 The Andrew Marr Show 11:00 The Big Questions 12:00 Country Tracks 13:00 The Politics Show 14:00 EastEnders 15:30 Live Six Nations Rugby Union 18:00 Songs of Praise 18:35 BBC News; Regional News 19:00 Antiques Roadshow 20:00 Countryfile 21:00 Lark Rise to Candleford 22:00 British Academy Film Awards 24:00 BBC News; Regional News 24:25 Girl with a Pearl Earring

07:00 Childrens TV 08:00 Basil and Barney’s Game Show 08:30 Arthur 09:00 Richard Hammond’s Blast Lab 09:30 Gimme a Break 10:00 Dick & Dom Go Wild 10:30 Cop School 11:00 Something for the Weekend 12:30 Film 2011 with Claudia Winkleman 13:00 Monk 13:45 The Wrong Man 15:30 EastEnders 16:00 Priceless Antiques Roadshow 16:10 Flog It! 16:40 Escape to the Country 17:25 Madagascar 18:25 Ski Sunday 19:10 Shanghai Knights 21:00 Top Gear 22:00 Toughest Place to Be a Paramedic 23:00 Match of the Day 2 23:50 The Cry of the Owl

07:00 Mini CITV 08:25 CITV 10:25 May the Best House Win 11:25 The Biggest Loser 12:30 This Morning: Sunday 13:30 Dinner Date 14:25 ITV News 14:30 Columbo: Candidate for Crime 16:30 Midsomer Murders 18:35 Granada News 18:50 ITV News 19:05 Harry Hill’s TV Burp 19:35 Dancing on Ice 21:30 Wild at Heart 22:30 Dancing on Ice: The Skate Off 23:00 That Sunday Night Show 23:30 ITV News 23:45 Freddie Flintoff Versus the World 24:45 Comedy Rocks with Jason Manford

07:00 Treacle People 07:10 The Hoobs 08:00 FIS World Snowboarding Championships 08:25 That Paralympic Show 08:50 Battlefront 09:10 Friends 10:10 Hollyoaks 12:50 Glee 13:50 The Simpsons 14:25 The Simpsons 14:55 Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals 15:25 Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals 15:55 Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals 16:25 Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals 16:55 Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals 17:25 Deal or No Deal 18:30 Time Team 19:30 Channel 4 News 19:55 4thought.tv 20:00 Come Dine with Me 21:00 People’s Supermarket 22:00 The Promise 23:50 Alan Carr: Chatty Man 24:55 LA Confidential

07:00 Childrens TV 09:00 Little Princess 09:15 The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill and His Best Friend Corky 09:30 Family!

09:45 Rupert Bear 10:00 Olivia 10:15 The Mr Men Show 10:30 The Milkshake! Show 11:00 Family Recipe 11:05 Animal Rescue Squad 11:25 Stansted: The Inside Story 12:25 Emergency Bikers 13:25 Cowboy Builders 14:25 40 Guns to Apache Pass 16:15 What a Girl Wants 18:15 Pocahontas 19:55 Five News 20:00 North Sea Hijack 22:00 Revolver 24:15 An American Haunting

07:00 Hour of Power 08:00 Bill Bailey’s Birdwatching Bonanza 09:00 It’s Me Or The Dog 10:00 Football’s Next Star 11:00 WWE Superstars 12:00 WWE: Experience 13:00 The Real A&E 14:00 A Town Called Eureka 15:00 Emergency Animal Rescue 15:30 Emergency Animal Rescue 16:00 Futurama 16:30 Futurama 17:00 The Middle 17:30 The Middle 18:00 The Simpsons 18:30 The Simpsons 19:00 Got to Dance 20:30 The Simpsons 21:00 The Simpsons 21:30 The Simpsons 22:00 Hawaii Five-O 23:00 NCIS: Los Angeles 24:00 House

07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Wanted Down Under 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Save My Holiday 12:45 Cash in the Attic 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News 14:30 Regional News 14:45 Doctors 15:15 Escape to the Country 16:00 BBC News; Regional News 16:05 Deadly 60 16:35 Bear Behaving Badly 17:00 Big Performance 17:30 Blue Peter 17:55 Shaun the Sheep 18:00 Newsround 18:15 Weakest Link 19:00 BBC News 19:30 Regional News 20:00 The One Show 20:30 Inside Out 21:00 EastEnders 21:30 Classroom Wars - Panorama 22:00 Outcasts 23:00 BBC News 23:25 Regional News 23:35 A Question of Sport

07:00 Childrens TV 12:05 In the Night Garden 12:35 Ready Steady Cook 13:00 Daily Politics 13:30 GMT with George Alagiah 14:00 From Thames to Tigris 14:30 Due South 15:15 To Buy or Not to Buy 16:00 Cash in the Celebrity Attic 16:45 Flog It! 17:30 Perfection 18:15 Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 One Man and His Campervan 20:00 Geert Wilders: Europe’s Most Dangerous Man? 21:00 University Challenge 21:30 Baking Made Easy 22:00 Horizon: How to Mend a Broken Heart 23:00 Episodes 23:30 Newsnight 24:20 Mad Men

07:00 Daybreak 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV News 14:55 Granada News 15:00 May the Best House Win 16:00 Dickinson’s Real Deal 16:59 Granada Weather 17:00 Midsomer Murders 18:00 The Chase 19:00 Granada Reports 19:30 ITV News 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Coronation Street 21:00 The Lakes 21:30 Coronation Street 22:00 The Biggest Loser 23:00 ITV News at Ten 23:30 Granada News 23:35 Total Emergency 24:35 That Sunday Night Show

07:10 The Hoobs 07:35 The Hoobs 08:05 Freshly Squeezed 08:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 08:55 Frasier 09:25 According to Jim 09:55 Undercover Boss USA 10:55 Desperate Housewives 11:55 Relocation: Phil Down Under 13:00 Channel 4 News 13:05 The TV Book Club 13:30 Laura 15:10 Cookery School 16:10 Countdown 16:55 Deal or No Deal: Love Week 18:00 Come Dine with Me 18:30 Coach Trip 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:55 4thought.tv 21:00 Dispatches: Lessons in Hate and Violence 22:00 One Born Every Minute 23:00 Alan Carr: Chatty Man 24:10 Joy of Teen Sex

07:00 Childrens TV 09:30 Roary the Racing Car 09:40 Hana’s Helpline 09:55 The WotWots 10:05 Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:00 The Vanessa Show 12:45 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 13:40 Five News 13:45 Build a New Life in the Country 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 Home and Away 15:50 Family Recipe 15:55 Animal Rescue Squad 16:10 Derby 18:00 Five News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:25 OK! TV 20:00 Five News at 7 20:30 How Do They Do It? 21:00 The Gadget Show 22:00 Royal Navy Caribbean Patrol 23:00 Steven Seagal v Justin Lee Collins 24:00 Half Past Dead

07:00 Brainiac: Science Abuse 08:00 Vet Adventures 09:00 Best of Oops TV 10:00 UK Border Force 11:00 Lie to Me 12:00 Real Filth Fighters 12:30 Real Filth Fighters 13:00 Project Runway 14:00 UK Border Force 15:00 Stargate SG-1 16:00 Stargate SG-1 17:00 Lie to Me 18:00 The Simpsons 18:30 Futurama 19:00 Emergency Animal Rescue 19:30 The Simpsons 20:00 The Simpsons 20:30 The Simpsons 21:00 Dream Lives for Sale 22:00 Road Wars 23:00 An Idiot Abroad 24:00 Inside: Surviving Prison

tv Sunday

tv Monday

08:30 Biathlon 09:30 Live Luge 10:15 Ski Jumping 10:45 Live Alpine Skiing 12:30 Live Luge 13:00 Live Alpine Skiing 14:30 Biathlon 15:15 Live Biathlon 16:00 Live Ski Jumping 17:45 Live Biathlon 18:45 Alpine Skiing 19:00 WTA Tennis 20:30 Live Speed Skating 20:55 Wintersports Weekend 21:00 Live Speed Skating

07:00 Nothing to Declare 08:00 Jerry Springer Show 09:00 Maury 09:50 Celebs 24/7 10:00 Four Weddings 11:00 Four Weddings 12:00 America’s Next Top Model 13:00 Nothing to Declare 13:30 Nothing to Declare 14:00 Nothing to Declare 14:30 Nothing to Declare 15:00 Biggest Loser US 16:50 Celebs 24/7 17:00 Mannequin 19:00 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 20:00 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 21:00 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 22:00 Criminal Minds 23:00 Criminal Minds 24:00 Criminal Minds

Blackadder Rides Again BBC2 21:00

08:30 Live Luge 09:30 Ski Jumping 10:00 Live Alpine Skiing 10:15 Live Luge 11:00 Live Alpine Skiing 12:30 Biathlon 13:00 Ski Jumping 13:45 Live Ski Jumping 15:30 Biathlon 16:00 Live Biathlon 16:45 Live Athletics 18:15 Live Biathlon 18:55 Alpine Skiing 19:15 WTA Tennis 20:30 Live Speed Skating 21:10 Wintersports Weekend 21:15 Live Speed Skating

British Academy Film Awards BBC1 22:00

08:30 Hockey 09:15 Hockey 09:45 Live Alpine Skiing 11:15 Ski Jumping 12:00 Live Snooker: The Welsh Open 13:45 Live Alpine Skiing 15:00 Live Snooker: The Welsh Open 18:00 Eurogoals 18:30 Champions Club 19:45 Alpine Skiing 20:00 Ski Jumping 20:45 Hockey 21:30 Ski Jumping 22:30 Snooker: The Welsh Open 24:20 Eurogoals 24:50 Alpine Skiing

Watch New Season TV for Free with the RTN Network 966 463 170

07:00 Nothing to Declare 08:00 Jerry Springer Show 09:00 Maury 09:50 Celebs 24/7 10:00 Four Weddings 11:00 Nothing to Declare 11:30 Nothing to Declare 12:00 Passport Patrol 12:30 Passport Patrol 13:00 Mannequin 15:00 Four Weddings 16:00 Four Weddings 17:00 RSPCA Animal Rescue 17:30 RSPCA Animal Rescue 18:00 America’s Next Top Model 19:00 Fat Families 20:00 Four Weddings US 21:00 Cougar Town 21:30 Cougar Town 22:00 Bedlam 23:00 Notting Hill

07:00 Nothing to Declare 08:00 Jerry Springer Show 09:00 Maury 09:50 Celebs 24/7 10:00 America’s Next Top Model 11:00 Four Weddings 12:00 Maury 12:55 Celebs 24/7 13:00 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 15:00 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 16:00 Criminal Minds 17:00 Charmed 18:00 Charmed 19:00 America’s Next Top Model 20:00 Ghost Whisperer 21:00 Nikita 22:00 America’s Next Top Model 23:00 Bedlam 24:00 Criminal Minds

tv Tuesday

11 26 - 17- March February 2011 Feb 4 2010

07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Wanted Down Under 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Save My Holiday 12:45 Cash in the Attic 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News 14:30 Regional News 14:45 Doctors 15:15 Escape to the Country 16:00 BBC News; Regional News 16:05 Deadly 60 16:35 Bear Behaving Badly 17:00 Dead Gorgeous 17:30 Blue Peter 17:55 Shaun the Sheep 18:00 Newsround 18:15 Weakest Link 19:00 BBC News 19:30 Regional News 20:00 The One Show 20:30 EastEnders 21:00 Holby City 22:00 Outcasts 23:00 BBC News 23:25 Regional News 23:35 The Richard Dimbleby Lecture 2011 24:20 Nuns Aloud

07:00 Childrens TV 10:55 Guess with Jess 11:05 Postman Pat 11:20 Pingu 11:25 64 Zoo Lane 11:45 Waybuloo 12:05 In the Night Garden 12:35 Ready Steady Cook 13:00 Daily Politics 13:30 GMT with George Alagiah 14:00 Due South 14:45 To Buy or Not to Buy 15:30 Living Dangerously 16:00 Cash in the Celebrity Attic 16:45 Flog It! 17:30 Perfection 18:15 Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 One Man and His Campervan 20:00 Natural World 21:00 A Farmer’s Life for Me 22:00 The Chinese Are Coming 23:00 How TV Ruined Your Life 23:30 Newsnight 24:20 Mad Men

07:00 Daybreak 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV News 14:55 Granada News 15:00 May the Best House Win 16:00 Dickinson’s Real Deal 16:59 Granada Weather 17:00 Midsomer Murders 18:00 The Chase 19:00 Granada Reports 19:30 ITV News 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Grimefighters 21:00 The Brit Awards 2011 23:00 ITV News at Ten 23:30 Granada News 23:35 The Nutty Professor

07:00 Treacle People 07:10 The Hoobs 07:35 The Hoobs 08:00 Freshly Squeezed 08:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 08:55 Frasier 09:30 According to Jim 10:00 Undercover Boss USA 11:00 Desperate Housewives 11:55 A Place in the Sun: Home or Away 13:00 Channel 4 News 13:05 Roman Holiday 15:10 Cookery School 16:10 Countdown 16:55 Deal or No Deal: Love Week 18:00 Come Dine with Me 18:30 Coach Trip 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:55 4thought.tv 21:00 Gok’s Clothes Roadshow 22:00 Big Fat Gypsy Weddings 23:00 Shameless 24:10 The Big C 24:45 Big Bang Theory

07:00 Childrens TV 09:55 The WotWots 10:05 Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:00 The Vanessa Show 12:45 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 13:40 Five News 13:45 Build a New Life in the Country 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 Home and Away 15:50 Family Recipe 15:55 Animal Rescue Squad 16:05 Love Will Keep Us Together 18:00 Five News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:25 OK! TV 20:00 Five News at 7 20:30 Extraordinary Dogs 21:00 Stansted: The Inside Story 22:00 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 23:00 CSI: Miami 23:55 CSI: NY 24:55 Law & Order

07:00 Brainiac: Science Abuse 08:00 Vet Adventures 09:00 Best of Oops TV 10:00 UK Border Force 11:00 Lie to Me 12:00 Real Filth Fighters 12:30 Real Filth Fighters 13:00 Project Runway 14:00 UK Border Force 15:00 Stargate SG-1 16:00 Stargate SG-1 17:00 Lie to Me 18:00 The Simpsons 18:30 Futurama 19:00 Emergency Animal Rescue 19:30 The Simpsons 20:00 The Simpsons 20:30 The Simpsons 21:00 Got to Dance 22:30 The Simpsons 23:00 The Scorpion King 24:45 Mental

07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Wanted Down Under 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Save My Holiday 12:45 Cash in the Attic 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News 14:30 Regional News 14:45 Doctors 15:45 Nigel Slater’s Simple Suppers 16:00 BBC News; Regional News 16:05 Deadly 60 16:35 Bear Behaving Badly 17:00 Copycats 17:30 M.I. High 18:00 Newsround 18:15 Weakest Link 19:00 BBC News 19:30 Regional News 20:00 The One Show 20:30 Rip Off Britain 21:00 Waterloo Road 22:00 MasterChef 23:00 BBC News 23:25 Regional News 23:35 National Lottery Wednesday Night Draws 23:45 Film 2011

07:00 Childrens TV 10:40 Big & Small 10:55 Guess with Jess 11:05 Postman Pat 11:20 Pingu 11:25 64 Zoo Lane 11:40 Waybuloo 12:00 In the Night Garden 12:30 Daily Politics 14:00 See Hear 14:30 Hairy Bikers Short 14:45 To Buy or Not to Buy 15:30 Living Dangerously 16:00 Cash in the Celebrity Attic 16:45 Flog It! 17:30 Perfection 18:15 Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 One Man and His Campervan 20:00 Top Gear 21:00 Madagascar 22:00 A History of Ancient Britain 23:00 Have I Got Old News for You 23:30 Newsnight 24:20 Mad Men

07:00 Daybreak 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV News 14:55 Granada News 15:00 May the Best House Win 16:00 Dickinson’s Real Deal 16:59 Granada Weather 17:00 Midsomer Murders 18:00 The Chase 19:00 Granada Reports 19:30 ITV News 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 UEFA Champions League Live 23:00 ITV News at Ten 23:30 Granada News 23:35 UEFA Champions League: Extra Time 24:35 Police, Camera, Action!

07:10 Sali Mali 07:15 The Hoobs 07:40 The Hoobs 08:10 Freshly Squeezed 08:35 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:00 Frasier 09:30 According to Jim 10:00 Undercover Boss USA 10:55 Desperate Housewives 11:55 Country House Rescue 13:00 Channel 4 News 13:05 Sabrina 15:10 Cookery School 16:10 Countdown 16:55 Deal or No Deal: Love Week 18:00 Come Dine with Me 18:30 Coach Trip 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:55 4thought.tv 21:00 Beauty and the Beast: Ugly Face of Prejudice 22:00 The Elephant: Life after Death 23:35 Big Fat Gypsy Weddings 24:40 Shameless

07:00 Childrens TV 10:05 Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:00 The Vanessa Show 12:45 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 13:40 Five News 13:45 Build a New Life in the Country 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 Home and Away 15:50 Family Recipe 15:55 Animal Rescue Squad 16:10 Jane Doe: Ties that Bind 18:00 Five News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:25 OK! TV 20:00 Five News at 7 20:30 Starlight: For the Children 21:00 Cowboy Builders 22:00 NCIS 23:00 Law & Order: Criminal Intent 23:55 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit 24:55 Poker

07:00 Brainiac: Science Abuse 08:00 Vet Adventures 09:00 Best of Oops TV 10:00 UK Border Force 11:00 Lie to Me 12:00 Real Filth Fighters 12:30 Real Filth Fighters 13:00 Project Runway 14:00 UK Border Force 15:00 Stargate SG-1 17:00 Lie to Me 18:00 The Simpsons 18:30 Futurama 19:00 Emergency Animal Rescue 19:30 The Simpsons 21:00 Dream Lives for Sale 22:00 Louie Spence’s Showbusiness 23:00 Mad Dogs 24:00 Inside: Surviving Prison

07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Wanted Down Under 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Save My Holiday 12:45 Cash in the Attic 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News 14:30 Regional News 14:45 Doctors 15:15 Escape to the Country 16:00 BBC News; Regional News 16:05 Deadly 60 16:35 Bear Behaving Badly 17:00 Copycats 17:30 Serious Explorers: Livingstone 18:00 Newsround 18:15 Weakest Link 19:00 BBC News 19:30 Regional News 20:00 The One Show 20:30 EastEnders 21:00 Human Planet 22:00 MasterChef 23:00 BBC News 23:25 Regional News 23:35 Question Time 24:35 This Week

07:00 Childrens TV 11:20 Pingu 11:25 64 Zoo Lane 11:45 Waybuloo 12:05 In the Night Garden 12:35 Ready Steady Cook 13:00 Daily Politics 13:30 GMT with George Alagiah 14:00 Due South 14:45 To Buy or Not to Buy 15:30 Living Dangerously 16:00 Cash in the Celebrity Attic 16:40 Flog It! 17:30 Perfection 18:15 Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 One Man and His Campervan 20:00 The Culture Show 21:00 The Hairy Bikers: Mums Know Best 22:00 The Spice Trail 23:00 Victorian Pharmacy 23:30 Newsnight 24:20 Mad Men

07:00 Daybreak 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV News 14:55 Granada News 15:00 May the Best House Win 16:00 Dickinson’s Real Deal 16:59 Granada Weather 17:00 Midsomer Murders 18:00 The Chase 19:00 Granada Reports 19:30 ITV News 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Endgame Afghanistan: Tonight 21:00 Emmerdale 21:30 Coronation Street 22:00 Marchlands 23:00 ITV News at Ten 23:30 Granada News 23:35 Odd One In 24:20 Send in the Dogs

07:00 Treacle People 07:10 The Hoobs 08:00 Freshly Squeezed 08:25 Everybody Loves Raymond 08:55 Frasier 09:25 According to Jim 09:55 Undercover Boss USA 10:55 The Good Wife 11:55 Help! My House Is Falling Down 13:00 Channel 4 News 13:05 River Cottage Bites 13:10 Funny Face 15:10 Cookery School 16:10 Countdown 16:55 Deal or No Deal: Love Week 18:00 Come Dine with Me 18:30 Coach Trip 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:55 4thought.tv 21:00 Relocation, Relocation 22:00 Rome Wasn’t Built in a Day 23:00 10 O’Clock Live 24:05 Russell Brand: Doing Life

07:00 Childrens TV 09:40 Hana’s Helpline 09:55 The WotWots 10:05 Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:00 The Vanessa Show 12:45 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 13:40 Five News 13:45 Build a New Life in the Country 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 Home and Away 15:50 Family Recipe 15:55 Animal Rescue Squad 16:10 Mystery Woman: Wild West Mystery 18:00 Five News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:25 OK! TV 20:00 Five News at 7 20:30 Live UEFA Europa League Football 23:10 Today You Die

tv Wednesday

tv Thursday

08:30 Eurogoals 09:00 Live WTA Tennis 14:45 Live Snooker: The Welsh Open 19:00 WTA Tennis 20:00 Live Snooker: The Welsh Open 23:00 Extreme Sports: Freeride Spirit 23:15 Athletics 24:15 Ski Jumping

53 53

07:00 Nothing to Declare 08:00 Jerry Springer Show 09:00 Maury 09:50 Celebs 24/7 10:00 America’s Next Top Model 11:00 Four Weddings 12:00 Maury 12:55 Celebs 24/7 13:00 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 15:00 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 16:00 Criminal Minds 17:00 Charmed 18:00 Charmed 19:00 America’s Next Top Model 20:00 Ghost Whisperer 21:00 Cougar Town 21:30 Hot in Cleveland 22:00 Fat Families 23:00 Bridalplasty 24:00 Criminal Minds

The Brit Awards

2011

ITV1 21:00

08:30 Extreme Sports: Freeride Spirit 08:45 WATTS 09:00 Live WTA Tennis 10:45 Live Alpine Skiing 13:00 Live WTA Tennis 14:45 Live Snooker: The Welsh Open 18:30 Alpine Skiing 18:45 Eurogoals Flash 19:00 Wednesday Selection 19:10 Riders Club 19:15 PGA Tour Golf 20:10 Golf Club 20:15 Sailing 20:45 Yacht Club 20:50 Wednesday Selection 21:00 Live Snooker: The Welsh Open 23:00 Alpine Skiing 24:30 Snooker: The Welsh Open

07:00 Nothing to Declare 08:00 Jerry Springer Show 09:00 Maury 09:50 Celebs 24/7 10:00 America’s Next Top Model 11:00 Four Weddings US 12:00 Maury 12:55 Celebs 24/7 13:00 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 14:00 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 15:00 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 16:00 Criminal Minds 17:00 Charmed 19:00 America’s Next Top Model 20:00 Ghost Whisperer 21:00 Four Weddings US 22:00 Bones 23:00 Grey’s Anatomy 24:00 Criminal Minds

UEFA Champions League ITV1 20.30

07:00 Brainiac: Science Abuse 08:00 Vet Adventures 09:00 Best of Oops TV 10:00 UK Border Force 11:00 Lie to Me 12:00 Real Filth Fighters 12:30 Real Filth Fighters 13:00 Project Runway 14:00 UK Border Force 15:00 Stargate SG-1 16:00 Stargate SG-1 17:00 Lie to Me 18:00 The Simpsons 18:30 Futurama 19:00 Emergency Animal Rescue 19:30 The Simpsons 20:00 The Simpsons 20:30 The Simpsons 21:00 Hawaii Five-O 22:00 Mad Dogs 23:00 House 24:00 NCIS: Los Angeles

08:30 Judo 09:00 Alpine Skiing 09:45 Live Alpine Skiing 11:00 Live WTA Tennis 12:45 Alpine Skiing 13:15 Live Alpine Skiing 14:30 Live Snooker: The Welsh Open 18:00 Live WTA Tennis 19:30 Alpine Skiing 19:45 Eurogoals Flash 19:55 Live Snooker: The Welsh Open 23:00 WTA Tennis 24:45 Alpine Skiing

Watch New Season TV for Free with the RTN Network 966 463 170

07:00 Nothing to Declare 08:00 Jerry Springer Show 09:00 Maury 09:50 Celebs 24/7 10:00 America’s Next Top Model 11:00 Four Weddings US 12:00 Maury 12:55 Celebs 24/7 13:00 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 14:00 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 15:00 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 16:00 Criminal Minds 17:00 Charmed 18:00 Charmed 19:00 America’s Next Top Model 20:00 Ghost Whisperer 21:00 Criminal Minds 22:00 Indecent Proposal 24:15 Bedlam

11 - 1726 February Feb - March 2011 4 2010

54 44

The TV Round Up by

Alex Trelinski

Broadcaster and freelance journalist

Holby’s risky exits THE REVOLVING door marked ‘Exit’ has been whizzing around quicker than Katie Price’s bedroom door on BBC 1’s Holby City with Robert Powell the latest to leave.

Powell leaves Holby City

Too many well established characters have gone over too short a time, and that is a dangerous gamble in trying to keep viewers happy. The new faces don’t immediately appear to bring any sympathy like the arrogant registrar Malick, who is in serious need of a good slapping to bring him down to earth.

Better news might be coming this

Tuesday when Laila Rouass makes her debut as a surgeon with a past connection with the slimy director of surgery, Hanssen. She should also have good cat-fight potential with the crazily ambitious Jac Naylor.

Ambition can be dangerous of course, and that’s led Ruth into a section order and a stay at a psych unit in Holby’s parent show, Casualty.

She certainly didn’t seem ‘game for a laugh’ when Matthew Kelly appeared as her consultant, charged with trying to unlock her complex mind. The poor woman’s had a dreadful time of it ever since she first appeared over three years ago and you hope that perhaps something good could happen for her around the corner. She certainly won’t be around for tomorrow night’s Clash of the Titans between Nick Jordan and a guest appearance from Holby’s Hanssen. Believe me it will be great fun to watch!

New and updated versions of TV shows rarely work and are often a sign of laziness and a lack of imagination.

But in one of the very few new season hits in the States, CBS seems to have hit the jackpot with the re-working of Hawaii Five-O which premiered on Sky last Sunday. Barring a brilliant opening sequence and an iconic theme tune, I found the original series with Jack Lord to be less enthralling than having

Alex O’Loughlin in Hawaii 5.0

an enema.

This new version has some zip about it, and is slick, and it has rightly kept the theme music. It is standard cop fare with an eastern flavour, but it works and is vastly superior to the original. By the way, there’s a very strong Hawaiian link to a new cop show ‘Blue Bloods’ on the new Sky Atlantic channel.

Tom Selleck, who plied his trade as

‘Magnum PI’ in Hawaii is back on the small screen in a starring role, and he actually shows what a good actor he is, as opposed to a lot of rubbish that he’s done over the years.

With the exception of ‘Torchwood’, which returns in July, there’s been a pretty poor track record of UK adult sci-fi drama in recent years, like the pointless reworking of ‘Survivors’ and last summer’s ‘The Deep’. Over two nights this week, we saw the start of Outcasts on BBC 1, and the early signs are good. It skips along very nicely, as it tells the story of a group of survivors from Earth that find a new planet that can support life. Nice, by the way, to have Hermione Norris back in a security role after she was blown up as Ros in ‘Spooks’ over a year ago. With the same production company, Kudos, behind this series, don’t rule out the odd surprise death here and there!

Finally, a change of mind. I’ve now really taken to the new judges on ITV 2’s American Idol. To use an old cliché, they have “made it their own”. Still miss Simon Cowell though!

American Idol judges

Fairy Tales of an SAC Book Review by

Danny Collins

copy@dannyjpcollins.com

MY WIFE opened the mail while I was in the shower and told me there was something for me. ‘A book,’ she called through the door, ‘for review I assume.’ ‘What’s the title?’

I shouted back through a mouthful of New Listerine mouthwash. Bloody hell, that stuff tastes good; should be served with a cherry in it.

‘Fairy Tales of a Sack,’ she said doubtfully, ‘except they’ve left the K off.’ Oh Gawd, I thought, a drag queen has sent me her bio. Well, it had to happen sometime. But no, when I finally dressed and looked at the package, the book was called Fairy Tales of an SAC, or Senior Aircraftsman, and subtitled ‘A young airman’s experiences in the Royal Air Force 1967-72’.

The book runs to 38 comedic episodes in the service life of SAC John McGregor – a local writer who now lives in San Fulgencio.

So where were the fairies? Ah, John, or Mac as he was known in the service, was an aircraft radio mechanic, known as fairies to differentiate them from the ‘heavies’ who worked in engines and airframes. Whew, that’s got that out of the way... You don’t want to upset these RAF lads, even the fairies. I once pronounced it ‘raf’ in front of an old expat here on the Costa and the old boy went apoplectic. It’s AR –AY –EF, see?

The point here is that John McGregor has a delightfully dry wit that had me chuckling out loud – baleful looks from my wife, who thought I was reading about drag

queens. It’s not a book for cover to cover reading in one sitting, these sort of books never are, but rather to pick up when you’ve got a few minutes to put your feet up and be amused. It’s a little pricey at €16 – that’s sterling converted to euros plus P&P - and here I’ll have my usual gripe about book publishing in general. Professional writers work on commissions and are paid for what they do. Unknown writers don’t and have to recoup the price of publishing and distribution in their book sales. Nor do they have large publicity machines behind them so they rely on you the reader and columns like this to spread the word.

John McGregor has written a fine book and deserves a few punters, so buy the book – just straighten your wife out about the title first, okay?

Author: John Mcgregor Publisher: Woodfield Publishing (paperback) Price: €16 ISBN: 978 1 8468 3109 8

Suduko Answer

motoring

by

Brian Deller

Author of Motoring in Spain

11 - 17 February 2011

Another vehicle registration problem AS AN expert in the Spanish motoring laws, I receive emails and phone calls from expats who need to know answers to sometimes odd problems not covered in my book or this column.

I received a piece of advice this week from a retired expat (name supplied) who is not resident here and so does not need to put his vehicle onto Spanish plates. He owns property in the Alicante Province. It appears that late in 2010, while visiting his property, his fairly new BMW car was stolen.

He duly reported it to the police and to his insurance company, waited for a few weeks until the insurance paid out and replaced it with another similar model.

Now this BMW had a special ‘personalised number plate’, where unlike in Spain, if you have a British car you may register it with an older number that has perhaps a special meaning. I would guess that all expats know this fact. After advising the DVLA that his car had been stolen, he duly

registered the new one at the DVLA with the same number, and thought no more about it other than fitting it with a top quality burglar alarm.

More recently, his girlfriend, who lives here, was taken suddenly ill so he rushed out from the UK in his new car to attend to her.

While near Torrevieja, with his car parked outside a café, he noticed a few men in suits gathered around his new car.

Being understandably sensitive to anyone being near his car, he went out and asked them what they were doing. They moved quickly away and got into a car and drove off with our correspondent hot in pursuit, hoping he had detected the gang that had stolen his car.

After a few kilometers they stopped and he rather bravely stayed watching them until they came over and arrested him for being in a stolen car. Yes you have guessed it: his old BMW was still on the stolen list and the new one has

the same registration as the stolen one. He has engaged a lawyer to sort the problem out as in Spain only Trafico issues registration numbers and they are not transferable. Unfortunately, he did not have the documentation in the car to prove that it was indeed his and the police were ignorant of the rules where you can transfer number plates from one vehicle to another in the UK. So beware if this happens to you. Carry your vehicle documents in the vehicle (certified copies are okay) and anything else that will help prove that the vehicle is indeed yours.

Correction to an earlier column with thanks to Jennifer Brotherston: the letter from the Spanish ministry advising that we expats using our UK driving licences need to have the same periodical medicals as do the Spanish when we are resident here: the correct web address is, www.spainvia.com/drivelicence letterADSL.htm

There is much more detailed information on all motoring subjects in my book. Brian Juan (John) Deller, Malaga, author, ‘Motoring in Spain’ www.spainvia.com. Tel: 666 888 870 Brian Deller, author, book Motoring in Spain, ISBN No 978 84 611 9278 6. Shops’ addresses in my web site at: www.spainvia.com/bookshopslist.htm

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11 - 17 February 2011

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Tlf:-Hugh-690-275-223

PETZBACK HOME Professional pet transportation. UK/Spain/UK www.petzbackhome.co.uk Ring 0044-1209-319204 PAWS PET TRANSPORT Spain-UK-Spain every month.

We look after your pets as if they belong to us. Call Joe for a chat on 966-074-576 or 650-341-087. email:pawspettransport@hotmail.com SMALL FRIENDLY BRITISH KENNELS individual runs, large excercise area. 25 mins Alicante airport. www.parkbark.co.uk 628-244-712

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY Home based internet business secure your future minimal monthly outlay, free health band, and much more www.referlife. com or tel:-663-559-806 RESTAURANT LEASE FOR SALE Fully fitted and licensed restaurant for sale at a very realistic price.The restaurant has been trading for 8-years and is well established. tele:687-913-775 FOR TRESPASO. BARRESTAURANT. Center of Torrevieja. Same owners for 23 years. Reason for sale, retirement.telephone:966-707-580 LARGE QUANTITY OF FLAT PACKED Pine Furniture from Denmark. Beds, Robes, Bedside Chests, Bookcases etc.Tlf:628-499-448 10 COLD DRINK/SNACK VENDING MACHINES with sites,€39,900.excellent cash income, no overhead, work from home, work only one day per week, €31,000 nett yearly. 25 pringle vending machines with sites €14,900.€250 per week guaranteed.965-326-442/ 659-696-455 SOLAR ENERGY BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY Long established company, own product range. First class training & support. Telephone 606586587

MOBILE/PARK HOMES FROM 15,000€ Fully furnished ready to move into, A/c, tel, eng tv, on permanent site, bar/res, pool,tennis,gym, shop. Walking distance to San Javier. 5mins to beach, Airport, hospital by car. Also bungalows for rent. Carol:-968-192-425.

Mob:-626-055-622 www. mobilehomesmarmenorspain. com CAMPING LOS GALLARDOS Come to Mojacar! Large campsite + mobile home park open all year, great expat community site, all welcome. 950-528-324. www.

CampingLosGallardos.com

AVON NEED AGENTS AND LEADERS work hours to suit you. For info Phone Rosh 966-785-520 LOOKING FOR FANTASTIC EARNINGS with no outlay? We are looking for Experienced S/E Sales Consultants for the Costa Blanca/Murcia regions Selling Golden Leaves Funeral plans to the ex pat market. Fantastic commissions paid! Phone SOS now for further details!Tel:966-787-123/665-096-710 FEMALES AND COUPLES 18 to 65 required for adult internet photo and video modeling.

Excellent rates. 697-697-842.

DRUMMER SEEKS BAND Versatile Drummer looking to join band or start one up. Ray:966-712-987

PALM AND TREE TRIMMING/ REMOVAL All Garden Maintenance Call 619-336-762

COMPUTER SOLUTIONS All your computer needs carried out in our workshop, or at your home or office. Sales, repairs, upgrades, etc. Alicante to Torrevieja plus inland. Call Jim on 966-790-520 or 616-211-023 BYTEBACK MICROS computer repairs/upgrades in your home.

Qualified technician. Systems custom built. Whatever your problem call: 965-312-006 or 606-127-424

QUALIFIED BUILDER All Building Work Undertaken.

Kitchens, Bathrooms, Extentions, Plumbing, Tiling etc. Alfaz del Pi and surrounding areas. George:966-860-008/637-181-116. No Job Too Small

TEETH WHITENING. Professional and pain free.

Cosmetic One Hour Treatment, from 99€. Javea, Denia, Calpe, areas. Tel:-680-501-404 or email: info@nulookteeth.com WEIGHT LOSS GUARANTEED/ GET FIT world class personal trainer €50 per hour.

659-696-455.

PRESTIGE NURSING offers Legal, Registered and Professional Home Care on the Costa Blanca. All your home nursing care service needs can be undertaken by our highly trained nursing/ domiciliary team. Call Prestige Nursing on 687-015-517

11 - 17 February 2011 quality pre owned furniture, many from show apartments etc.

Look at: www.michaels-javea. com Tel 96-579-1328 WHEELCHAIR Light, Foldable, Hardly used, like new, 150€.

Mobility Scooter 40km range 499€ Tlf:-627-019-403

WANTED INSTANT CASH PAID Antique and modern jewellery, vintage watches bought sold part exchanged, insurance valuations. Jewellery & watch repairs. Alexanders, Javea Port seafron near Bar Esquina.

Established since 2003. Tel: 965-792-595

Experienced mechanic required for busy workshop in San Miguel De Salinas.

The position is Full time with immediate start, undertaking all types of mechanical work in our state of the art workshop. You will be working alongside our existing mechanics to deliver a high standard of work and customer care.

Please forward your CV and covering letter to aftersales@autosdirect.es mixer, aluminum ladder, 4 acros 265euros, Quad suit 12 or over 150 automatic only for off road use 225euros, blue sky fridge 145cm tall internal small freezer 55euros. tel:-676-722-463 FUJITSU SIEMENS COMPUTER 17” TFT Acer Screen, Taken back to Factory Settings, with Office Professional Installed. Can be Seen Working.

Very Good Condition. Price 150€. Many Extras. Contact Jacquline 966-798-720.

TUBE HEATERS tubular heaters. suitable for wardrobes, bathrooms, garages etc. low running costs. new with guarantee. all areas covered.

From 30 euros. 628809829 tubularheaters@gmail.com PRORUN TX500 RS heavy duty treadmill as seen in health clubs.

As new, with speed, timer and distance indicators.150€ 966-262-762

S.O.S. INSURANCE Car-HomeHealth-Comercial. Funeral Plans and Insurance. Tlf:-966-787123/622-275-561/686-116-297

STOCK OF NEW LADIES SHOES (Unopened Cartons) Selection of 1500pr latest styles. Will accept 2 Euros. All perfectcondition. Tel:609-631-254 2 X MATCHING SOFA TABLES Circular, Diameter 60cm, Height 55cm, 3 legged pedestal base, Light oak finish. VCG. Altea area, Buyer collects. 50€ the pair.

691-202-307 POOL TABLE FOR SALE. BRAND NEW Never Used.

Bought new for 1500€, will accept 750€. Tel:-637-583-373 BUILDERS JOB LOT 3 lifts of scaffold, 2 walk boards, cement

AT MICHAEL’S you also get NEW high quality Spanish beds.

All sizes available as we deal directly with the manufacturers!

Famous brands like United Colors of Benetton, etc www.michaels-javea.com AT MICHAEL’S Chest freezer with large drawer at bottom. Top loading washing machine, etc 2-door fridge/freezer, as new.

Large Phillips solarium. Over 600 photos: www.michaels-javea.com AT MICHAEL’S Natural Bamboo 3-piece suites.Beautiful 3-piece suite in beige wicker/cane.

Several large carpets,very high quality. See over 600 photos: www.michaels-javea.com AT MICHAEL’S you can get part exchange on certain beds when you buy a New bed from our New Bed shop in the Arenal. See photos (updates every 5-6 days): www.michaels-javea.com MICHAEL’S 28 YEARS IN JAVEA ENSURES YOUR SATISFACTION! We sell high

VENUE NEEDED for DANCING CLASS

(Ballroom / Latin) Albir, Alfaz or Altea area Once per week 7pm - 9pm (Mon, Tues or Thur) Starting March 2011 Suitable for 20 persons I provide own music / player Drinks / Refreshments sold by you Contact Dawn:

96 688 1413 or 619 682 335

BALLROOM/LATIN/ SEQUENCE DANCING with LA BAMBA’s. Los Arcos Restaurant, Avenida Baleares, Torrevieja, New Beginners class Monday 10.30am-12.30pm. SOCIAL DANCE Saturday 7.30pm-10pm.

Tuesday Improvers Lesson 7.30pm-8.30pm plus SOCIAL DANCE 8.30pm-10.30pm. New Venue: The Wok Royal, Benijofer (966-714-820) New Beginners Class: Monday, 7.30pm8.30pm plus SOCIAL DANCE: 8.30pm-10.30pm. Bienvenido Chinese restaurant, at La Zenia roundabout.New Beginners Class: Wednesday 7.30pm9.30pm. Tel: Andrea and Brian 616-478-157 WEIGHT WATCHERS Call our Free English call centre now to find your nearest meeting.

900-818-794

QROPS FEES! Have you looked at transferring or cashing in your UK pension only to be dissappointed by expensive fees? If so call me. Lowest QROPS Fees Guaranteed! Paul 965-058-488 or 691-219-354 PINE SHOP SALE Double Bed. 270€ Tlf:-628-499-448 PINE SHOP SALE Hall Mirror 85€ Tlf:-628-499-448 PINE SHOP SALE Gate Leg Table 85€ Tlf:-628-499-448 PINE SHOP SALE Sideboard 155€. Tel:-628-499-448.

PINE SHOP SALE Large Bookcase 135€ . Tel:628-499-448.

PINE SHOP SALE Treble Robe 150€ . Tel:-628-499-448.

PINE SHOP SALE Double Robe 180€.Tel:-628-499-448.

PINE SHOP SALE 5+2 Chest.

135€. Tel:-628-499-448.

PINE SHOP SALE Bookcase 57€.Tel:-628-499-448.

PINE SHOP SALE King size bed. 285€.Tel:-628-499 448 PINE SHOP SALE Bedside Chest. 20€.Tel:-628-499-448.

KARAOKE MEDIA PLAYER “Brand New” 500GB. 70,000songs, software, songbooks, bar/home use.

275euros Tlf:-657-766-341 POOL, SNOOKER TABLES Also Table Tennis and Darts. Will beat any price!. Tlf:666-933-726. www.spainpool. com

WE BUY any car,van,motorhome,boat, jet ski.

Instant decision at good prices.

Tel 680 -665-583 WANTED I buy any car, van,Caravan,4x4 Etc.British, Spanish. Immediate cash 600781-873 ibuyanycar@hotmail.com BMW 120D SPORT Reg 12/05.63k.clim cont.

Silver,18”alloys,privacy glass.

ITV 2012.6sp.5 dr. Immaculate condition. 11,800€ tel:966-731-156/699-808-656 MITSUBISHI PAJERO RHD English Plates. 7 seater, 2.8L diesel, 2500€ ONO. Call for more information. Tlf:664-535-755-Moraira VOLKSWAGEN GOLF ESTATE, 2002 1.9 Ltr TDi , Automatic/ tiptronic, Spanish LHD, diesel, silver, alloys, climate control, all round electric windows. 6995€ www.venuscars.com 965 368 274.

SEAT IBIZA, REFERENCE, 2006 1.9 LTR Diesel, Spanish LHD, Burgundy, alloys, CD/MP3 player, electric windows, central locking, cruise control, climate control, only 49000 Klm . 7495€ www.venuscars.com 965 368 274 FORD TRANSIT CONNECT T200, 2005 1.8 TDCI, diesel, Spanish LHD, only one owner/driver. Very well maintained.4995€ www. venuscars.com 965-368-274 SUZUKI VITARA, 2002 4X4, Spanish LHD, Burgundy/Silver, 1.9 Ltr diesel, manual, only 43000 KLM 5995€ www. venuscars.com 965 368 274

SEAT TOLEDO, 1998 Petrol Automatic, white, Spanish LHD,air con, all round elc windows, good condition 2495€ www.venuscars.com 965 368 274 PEUGEOT PARTNER COMBI, 1998, 1.9 Ltr Diesel, Spanish LHD, Silver, air con, roof rack, power steering very good maintenance record. 3495€ www.venuscars.com 965-368-274 SUMMER COMING! Mercedes CLK Cabrio 2003 200 Kompressor auto tiptronic 1 owner 110.00kms fsh high spec Avantgarde model finished in met lavender blue with blue power hood, full grey leather every extra inc cruise control e/front seats stunning condition Spanish registered RHD only 8,950 tel. Frank 600726221/965687976 or view pics @ www.fwreurocars.com bargin! Fiat Punto 1.2 5 door 2004 2 owners 54,000kms aircon cd etc met silver/grey only 3,750 tel. Frank 600726221/965687976 www.fwreurocars.com looking for a car RHD & LHD vehicles for sale or exchange tel. Frank 600726221/965687976 WANTED, MERCEDES CLK CLK Elegance Wanted. Excellent condition, leather, 2004 or later, will pay up to 12,000€.

618-133-799 HYUNDAI SANTA FE V6 AUTO 2003 Spanish lhd 104,000km 8,500euro tel:660-375-093 FUEL SET FUEL TREATMENT Are you worried about your car failing the ITV because of emissions? Check out www. liquidengineeringspain.com for details of Fuel Set, which could solve your fuel emission problems.

BARGAIN FORD FIESTA 1.4 TDCI Turbo Diesel.

Sep/2003,LHD 5door, only 69,000klm, approx 43,000 mls, F/S/history, air/con e/ windows, remote c/locking, remote CDplayer, possible px, lady owner. Very economical.

4395euros ONO, 656-676-541 VW BEETLE. LHD. 2000 English Registered 1600€. Call:627-463-523 BUMPERS, WINGS AND MIRRORS All body panels for all cars supplied. Tel:-966-875-497 or 618-592-396 HEADLIGHTS4U.COM Left hand drive headlights supplied and fitted. All makes. Also air conditioning rechargeTel:-966875-497 or 618-592-396 WANTED Scrap cars, vans, lorries, plant and caravans.

Turn your scrap into cash. Free collection. Tel.689929395

59

60

11 - 17 February 2011

IM PAINTING interior and exterior painting to the highest standard. smooth or textured finish. up to 10 year guarantee. references available. call ian on 696-708-567 VILLAPAINTING.ES Spray application specialists.Interior and Exterior, wood-doors and metalwork Telephone 678-179-346 info@villapainting.es

GENERIC VIAGRA SAFE AND EFFECTIVE 100mg blue pills 24 for 50€ or fast acting oral jellies.

Call Ron TTMarketing Tlf:966-499-204 BEAT THE CREDIT CRUNCH! Blonde, English, Aged 44. 40€ all inclusive. Tlf:-626-324-088 SINCERE MAN WOULD LIKE TO MEET A Sincere Lady for long term friendship..Very Fit and Active.Tlf:-966-784-665Torrevieja area NEW IN BENIDORM MATURESUSI, 49 discrete, dedicated flute player, made in Switzerland. Offers from sensual massage to full premium service as outcalls or incalls. 7days 10am - 8pm Call 672-836-234 or www.maturesusi.com TOP TOTTI! I’M SCARLET a beautiful, classy, leggy English blue-eyed blonde available for incalls and outcalls, santa pola/guardanar areas. This is one escort experience you won’t want to miss! Phone 695-981-445.

SPANISH LADY PLAYA FLAMENCA near new Carrefour before La Florida. 35 years, attractive, classy lady, private house, parking. Offers all erotic services, massage, sexy lingerie, economical prices from 40€. Full discretion. Call Ana 680-735-412 DAVID TORREVIEJA 24 years old, gym body, Very sexy and hot, come see it for yourself for men and couples.call me 678-179-616.

TORREVIEJA TRANS CORAL stunning blonde,Huge breasts, sculptural body.Speciality erotic masage.Very feminine and sexy.

Call me 671 42 44 56 GENERIC VIAGRA 100MG 12 tablets for 30€ or 24 for 50€ also fast acting jellies and weekenders. Free discreet delivery. Quesada & surrounding area. Derek 685-207-378 ELEGANT, SLIM, SEXY LADY ESCORT My Place, Home or Hotel visits. Torrevieja-La Manga-Mazarron Areas. Tlf:693-357-526 DANI 24, SWEET GERMAN GIRL Offers erotic service.

House and Hotel visits or in my apartment. 650-104-534 Torrevieja PORNO DVD´S! The Best You´ve Ever Seen! Gay, Bestial,

She-Male, BDSM 10€ each. Tlf:636-929-511 SEXY FUN AND GAMES 63 year old. Sub/Dom Switch. Your place or mine. Available for females, males and couples.

Specialising in more mature females and cross dressers.

Torrevieja to Benidorm. Low Fees. Tlf:-655-058-554 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 NEW PLACE! TORREVIEJA Sexy girls from South America.

Come and enjoy, economical prices from 40?. NEW ADDRESS Zone Los Locos beach. 639-622-285 GAY MASSAGE by masculine sexy boys nr Benidorm Tel. 646 642 575 Discretion assured. Staff wanted www.gaymassage4u. com

POOL LEAK REPAIR SPECIALIST’S Pipe leaks pressure tested, detected and repaired. Structural leaks investigated and repaired. 100’s of private and communal pools successfully repaired on the Costa Blanca. Refurbishments and upgrades undertaken.

Replacement pumps, filters, salt systems, ph regulators and accessories supplied and installed. All work guaranteed.

British trained in the UK pool industry with over 15 years experience. Torrevieja and surrounding areas including Costa Calida. Tel Pristine Pools on 966-774-199 or 678-080-500 Email info@ pristineswimmingpools.com www.pristineswimmingpools.com SWIMMING POOL MAINTENANCE AND CLEANING SERVICE BY POOLTECHSPAIN. We are a fully legal, qualified and registered business who have been operating on the Costa Blanca for 6 years. We offer a professional, reliable, safe and efficient pool service, inc. re-grouting, pressure testing and leak repairs. Private and community swimming pools undertaken. Call now for more information on 965-725-565 or mobile 676-945-360/ 620-743048 www.pooltechspain.com

male, non smoker. Needing garden, TV, Internet. Tel.:680-501-404.

CLASSIC SPANISH OLD TOWN HOUSE CALLOSA. 3 double bedrooms (one en-suite) new kitchen, large living room/ diner. Bbq terrace and LOTS more. Recently reformed/fully furnished. 135,000€ Tel: 609-177-032.

MOBILE/PARK HOMES On Camping Pueblo in San Javier from 15,000€. Alucasa park home with 34mtr l/shape conservatory 3 sheds 2 a/c eng tv. Tel. Completly furnished. Must sell 25,000 euros ono. Carol:-968-192425. Mob:-626-055-622 www. mobilehomesmarmenorspain. com LOOKING TO RELOCATE We have new and pre-owned luxury park homes for sale throughout the UK 12 month occupancy part exchange considered on your Spanish or UK home for more information call 0044-151633-2321 or email : alan.aitken@hotmail.co.uk

SPECIAL OFFER Los Altos, Detached Villa, 220 square metre plot, only 113,000€ 669-283-973

VILLAMARTIN AREA Middle Town House, 2/3 Bedrooms, Bathroom, Seperate Toilet, Garage, F/F, Fitted Kitchen, 89.000€. Tlf:-669-283-973

la Vella. Refurbished, Fully Furnished. A/C and C/H, 2 bedrooms, bathroom, large lounge, Kitchen/Diner. 40M2 Sun Terrace with Bar-b-que.

Very large Garden, Private Pool.

Transport essential. No Pets or Children. 500€ per month plus bills. Available March 2011. Tlf:966-881-058/691-202-307 TORREVIEJA 2 Bed 1 Bath, 1st floor apartment, for long let. with lift, separate good sized kitchen with serving hatch to lounge/Diner. Galleria, and large balcony.TV, A/C. 1 min from sea front.609-550-734 1 BED BUNGALOWS on Camping Pueblo in San Javier with lots of ameneties.Carol 968-192-425 mob 626-055-622 www,mobilehomesmarmenorsp ain.com VILLAMARTIN HOUSE FOR RENT PRIVATE POOL Lovely 2-3 bed house for long term rent in quite area, Air conditioning, Furnished and an 8m x 4m Private swimming pool and Garden, english owned. 475euro PCM Tlf:-626-822-014 ATTRACTIVE APARTMENT TO LET Apartment in Oliva, comprising lounge, kitchenette, double bedroom, bathhroom, nicely furnished and heated. €250 pcm including bills. tlf:962-855-900 APARTMENT FOR RENT 3 bedroom, clean spacious apartment in Pedreguer town, close to all amenities. 2 bathrooms, lounge, kitchen, aircon and lift. Available now €450 per month bills included.

Call 638-207-343

SPANISH LINKS LTD Removals & Deliveries. Spain/Uk/Spain www.spanishlinks.co.uk Ring 0044-1209-843971 VAN LEAVING FOR THE U/K every two weeks space both ways. Great rates contact Joe on 966-074-576 or 650-341-087 or email civic1235@msn.com MAN & LWB SPRINTER VAN going to UK- Spain twice a month. Tel: 610-846-260 or 0044-7519-186-355 email:-van. man@hotmail.co.uk MICK WITH HIS VAN Removals Collections Deliveries. For a reliable effective service. Hourly rate or quote. Call Mick anytime 600-247-535 LARGE EMPTY VAN with experienced owner, driver returning to UK regularly. Dave: 965-329-610/ 686-767-839

TRANSLATOR Spanish and English speaking. Available for medical visits etc. Benidorm and surrounding areas. Tel Dawn: 626-337-258.

QUALIFIED TRANSLATOR Bi-Lingual Spanish-English, High Level French and German.

Confidential and Reliable Service. Competative Rates.

Torrevieja Area. Call Virginia on 629-201-192.

VENUE NEEDED for DANCING CLASS

(Ballroom / Latin) Albir, Alfaz or Altea area Once per week 7pm - 9pm (Mon, Tues or Thur) Starting March 2011 Suitable for 20 persons I provide own music / player Drinks / Refreshments sold by you Contact Dawn:

96 688 1413 or 619 682 335

1ST FLOOR APARTMENT ALTEA LA VELLA In a 3apartment country house, halfway between Altea/Altea

LONG TERM RENTAL, JAVEA AREA Small Villa preferred, or ground floor apartment. Retired

COMPUTER TUTOR Software training, ebusiness education, website publishing, photography, videography and more DIY tips and tricks for all of your

business and personal needs.

Karla Darocas - certified instructor since 1990. Tel: 96 597 3234 info@KarlaDarocas. com Referrences - www.

KarlaDarocas.com BRITISH GRADUATE TEACHER Offers secondary/ primary tuition. English/ Mathematics. Tel:-Margaret Johnson B.Ed. 965-350-516/ 616-660-687

ALL SATELLITE SYSTEMS Installed, Maintained and Repaired. 10 years experience with Satellites in Spain. All areas covered. Tlf:-Hugh-690-275-223 SMALLDISHTV@HOTMAIL. CO.UK UK TV no subscriptions fitted from 299.00 Euros Games consoles repaired. 605-547-662 SKYSUPPLIES Sky+/Humax HD/SD Digibox`s, White cards, LNB`s. Faults/realignments.

Advice. 966-194-013/ 600-899-096.

CRYSTAL CLEAR SATELLITE AND INTERNET TV for all your digital and TV requirements.

No Annual Fees on Sky Cards.

Steve:-660-186-505/Ros:-965584-097. www.ccsattv.com info@ ccsattv.com LNB SATELLITES The No 1 Satellite Company covering all the Costa Blanca since 2000.

Telephone 965-873-726 or 669-686-587 or see our advert on Page 2 every week.

RECORDS AND CD´S WANTED Top cash paid. Pop, Rock, Blues.

Tlf:-630-665-363

11 - 17 February 2011

61

Book an advert on this page and get a FREE premium listing worth 100€ on thebizspain.com. Contact your local representative or call 902 118 999 T’s & C’s apply Airport Parking

Awnings & Blinds

Tool Hire

Buyers Surveys

Electrical

Builders

Energy (Solar)

Gardening

Curtains

Stoves

Removals

Man with a Van •Removals •Drop offs •Pick Ups

Call 603 108 778

62

11 - 17 February 2011

The final whistle With Andy Kay Friday night rugger

f l o G N T R e t a d p u Club Dennis Jordan

Mike Probert

Region

Region

SOUTH

NORTH

WELL THE weather last week saw a chilly start to the day, with frost on the car windscreens on occasions and also on the courses, which held up the start of a few competitions being held last weekend, fortunately not for long though. Those clear blue skies came, gratefully welcomed by golfers playing in and around Alicante area.

Font Del Llop are offering €68 for 2 players playing 18 Holes and El Plantio have ‘Twilight’ green fees (playing after 13.00) for €30 or including a buggy, €40.

Have a good week all.

Jack Wilshire

RUGBY FANS aren’t treated that well when it comes to the 6 Nations Championships. Having paid more than a few million quid for the broadcasting rights, the BBC puts the best games in the best TV slots which invariably results in difficult travel plans for visiting supporters.

England’s fans copped it last week with a 19.30 Friday night kick off in Wales. However, everyone I’ve spoken to who was at the game said it was the most remarkable atmosphere they had ever encountered. Certainly the noise coming through the TV speaker at our house was nearly enough to drown out the complaints of the two children, unhappy as they were that ‘film night’ had been rudely interrupted. I’m sure it was a pain for many supporters to get to Cardiff on a Friday and probably an even bigger one to get home but I’ll bet those who managed it will remember that game for a very long time.

JACK THE LAD Jack Wilshire is hailed by many as the future of the England football team. If so, let’s hope he doesn’t get saddled with the ‘Claude Makelele’ role that he was asked to play in against Denmark. I know he plays there for Arsenal, but at club level and in the Premier League, it’s a different ball game.

On the international stage, you come up against players like Denmark’s young genius Christian Eriksen who found it too easy to get in behind Wilshire to attack England’s back four. To his credit, it was Wilshire who launched the move which led to England’s equaliser and with Gareth Barry seemingly coming to the end of his international career; it will make sense for Coach Fabio Capello to persevere with Wilshire now. That said, it seems a little sad to me that England’s next ‘bright, young thing’ is a defensively minded, holding midfield player. Isn’t that a bit dull?

BRICKS AND BALLS Justice: now there’s a funny word. A young thug who threw a brick in to the face of a young girl, fracturing her skull and breaking her nose and eye socket was this week fined a miserable £200 for his actions. Meanwhile, three Pakistan cricketers who were found guilty of colluding with spot-fixers during a Test match in England have each been banned for five years. Do the punishments fit the crime?

Well, in the case of 18-year-old Mohammad Aamer, five years is about right. He did something stupid, got caught but he will still have a career in front of him if he wants it when his ban expires.

Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif, who will be 31 and 33 respectively when they return, will find things a bit tougher; which is why they should have been banned for life. Both experienced cricketers, they knew exactly what they were doing and it could be argued that their crime was greater, involving as they did a young, impressionable player on his first tour. As for the brick throwing thug, stick him in a room, give the girl’s dad a cricket bat, shut the door and leave them alone for five minutes; probably a better deterrent than a 200 quid fine!

Jooinur

club!

THE ECONOMIC crisis impacts on all commercial activities and golf is no different with the announcement that TAD golf based in La Finca Commercial Centre has closed due to financial difficulties leaving a number of disappointed and frustrated customers and business partners.

Here in the south of the region, a number of courses including La Finca and Las Ramblas have started their greens’ ‘hollow tining programmes’, with some disruption to rounds as a result of un-even putting surfaces caused by this necessary maintenance work.

The good news is that the superb course at Las Colinas have announced an extension of their spring prices until 16/03/11 but book now to avoid disappointment.

Vistabella continue with their discount packages including a FREE 15-20 minute quick fix golf lesson from the professional either before or after your round at weekends and this is proving very popular.

NORTH Region Golf Course

RTN Price

Comments

Alenda

€45

Single Green fee

Alicante Golf

€46

Single Green fee + Buggy

Bonalba

€42

Single Green fee

Don Cayo

€43

Single Green fee

El Plantio

€45

Single Green fee

Font del Llop

€68

Two Green fees

Villaitana Par 62

€30

Single Green fee + Buggy

Villaitana Par 72

€40

Single Green fee

For more information email Dennis at dennis@roundtownnews.com or direct to www.benidormgolf.com on 630 714 373.

SOUTH Region Golf Course

RTN Price

Altorreal Las Colinas

Comments

€55

2 Players and 1 Buggy (Fridays)

€200

4 Players and 2 Buggies

€76

2 Players and 1 Buggy

(8am-9am and 12pm-1pm)

Hacienda del Alamo

€89

2 Players and 1 Buggy

Polarisworld Courses

€90

2 Players and 1 Buggy

La Serena

€76

2 Players and 1 Buggy

Roda

€80

2 Players and 1 Buggy

VistaBella

€72

2 Players and 1 Buggies (Weekend) 2 Players and 1 Buggy (From 2.00pm)

€45

There many more winter deals available and to obtain more information contact Mike at mike@roundtownnews.com or direct at Costa Blanca Green Fee Services on 966 704 752 or 661 345 931

PLAYING GOLF for RTN Golf Club members could not be better as everyone scores a hole in one to enjoy a complete discount package at the best prices possible.

Players can get out on 30 Costa Blanca courses and pay the most competitive green fees available.

This ‘superb’ deal means a RTN Golf Club member and up to seven guests can all be enjoying spectacular discounts at clubs along the coast. To book a round, all members have to do is to

send their requirements to the two agents, who will deal with requests quickly and efficiently.

For the south email: mike@ roundtownnews.com and for the north email: dennis@roundtownnews.com To apply for your membership card go to: www.roundtownews.co.uk and click on the Golf club logo on the homepage.

Allow 21 days for delivery

And the good guys won: Elche CF 1 - FC Cartagena 2 REVENGE IS sweet! Cartagena have waited over five months to put one over arch rivals Elche, following an early season undeserved defeat against Spanish football’s bad boys.

Three successive defeats had seen Los Albinegros slip outside the play off slots, but this hard fought victory lifts them up to 7th place on 35 points (good enough, as 6th place Villarreal ‘B’ are ineligible to qualify). Fantastic scenes greeted the final whistle, as grateful visiting players showed their appreciation to over 1,000 travelling fans, mustered in the top tier of the impressive Martinez Valero stadium. Manager JIM gave a debut to ex Real Betis ‘B’ midfielder Rodri, who along with Schmoller from Brazilian side Brasilense and Jose Carlos from Seville ‘B’, had arrived at the club during the January window.

Early play was scrappy, littered with many passes which went astray, and it wasn’t until the 17th minute that first Elche’s Samuel, then Lafuente, blasted over the bar, in what could be loosely termed as ‘shots on goal’. Elche continued from where they left off at Cartago-

nova stadium, targeting mainly Victor for nasty off-the-ball fouls. The game’s opening goal arrived on 35 minutes when Victor was blatantly tripped in the penalty area, then dusted himself off to coolly dispatch the resultant spot kick.

Elche keeper Caballero performed heroics by tipping over a Victor chip. A goal-bound Mariano diving header was cleared behind for a corner, before poor defending by the visitors presented Elche with an equaliser. A low cross from the right was allowed to reach the unmarked Angel, who planted the ball just inside the far post on 43 minutes.

Both sides came out for the 2nd half determined to take no prisoners, as ref Lopez continued to regularly book players on both sides. Elche looked more likely to score but was prevented by the brilliance of Casilla who pulled off superb diving saves on 51, and again on 64 minutes. On 68 minutes, Elche’s madman of a manager (JIM’s cousin), ranted and raved once too often and was sent from the dugout.

Botelho headed over from Victors cross on 72 minutes, before another Casilla

‘wonder save’ denied a powerful 25 yard free kick giving Elche the lead soon after. But, on 78 minutes, Victor converted a low cross from Rodri, to score what proved to be the winning goal.

Not surprisingly the remainder of the game saw more bookings than chances on goal, with the exception of another vital save from Casilla at his near post, making sure that Cartagena secured a much needed 3 points.

FC CARTAGENA LINE-UP Casilla,Cygan (Cala), Mariano, Herrero, Botelho, Longas (Julien), Lafuente (Txiki), Moral, Victor, Rodri, Pablo FORTHCOMING FIXTURE On Saturday, 12 February, KO 16.00, Cartagena are away at 8th place Barcelona ‘B’, for another important div 2a fixture. Back in September at Cartagonova stadium, Los Albinegros recorded an emphatic 5-1 victory, and more of the same would do very nicely thankyou!

For regular updates on FC Cartagena, check out www.nosoloefese.es or www. futbolclubcartagena.com.

ANYONE FOR FOOTBALL? Aged between 20 to 40 ? Torrevieja area Call Doug on 628 789 335

Clothing for golfers Noel’s world of golf

By Noel Eastwell Teaching Professional Campo de Golf El Plantio 639 730 891

I HAVE been lucky enough to have been involved in the game of golf for over 30 years and have seen many changes in the sport that I love. Not as many as some admittedly but still an awful lot. Before two weeks ago I always struggled to see why golfers everywhere could not find golf clothing that was really suitable for purpose. I know all too well that many companies have what they call golf clothing but most of these have been developed for sheer profit without too much thought for what golfers really need to perform at their best.

Modern materials means that it should be relatively easy to get clothing that can keep you warm when required and also cool and dry when it gets warm. Many clothing manufacturers make claims that their range of clothing will do this and many do but now that Levante Lebeche have arrived on the scene I am much more confident that we have a range of clothing that is fit for purpose.

Levante Lebeche is based right in the heart of RTN country at La Manga Resort in Murcia and has developed a range of clothing designed exclusively with the golfer in mind. I don’t endorse anything without giving it a huge amount of consideration.

That is why before agreeing to write this article I had to experience what they had to offer.

Last week I tested the full range of their clothing on La Manga’s West Course and was pleasantly surprised that I found something that lived up to it’s claims. On a day that called for waterproof clothing because of the early low temperatures I actually forgot I was wearing a waterproof jacket until the sun got warm enough to make me feel too warm. Any golfer who has struggled to make a swing in waterproofs will know exactly what I

mean; the fact that I forgot I was wearing a coat says all that needs to be said about this range of clothing for many golfers.

This is a range of golf clothing that I very happily endorse and would recommend to anyone who wants to be able to swing a golf club and stay warm in winter and cool when it gets warm. Have a look at their website: www.levantelebeche.com WIN A ROUND OF GOLF FOR 2 INCLUDING BUGGY AT THE BEAUTIFUL EL PLANTIO RESORT IN ALICANTE To enter this competition, simply answer the question below correctly. Every correct answer will be entered into a draw at the end of the month and the winner of this fantastic prize worth over €180 will be picked at random at the end of each month. Send your entries by email to golf@ roundtownnews.com. The decision of the editor of RTN will be final in making the winning selection.

QUESTION FOR 11TH FEBRUARY 2011: Which Spanish golfer won the first event of the 2011 Race to Dubai?

A. Pablo Martin B. Miguel Angel Jimenez C. Alvaro Quiros All answers must be received no later than 17.00 on 28th February 2011 to be entered into February’s draw, to be made on 28th February. The winner will be announced in RTN on 4th March 2011.

NOEL EASTWELL GOLF ACADEMY AT EL PLANTIO For the very best in golf tuition at prices you can afford, contact Noel on 639 730 891.

Any questions you have for Noel should be sent to golf@roundtownnews.com

FCTorreGolf at Las Colinas

Fishing Maggots End by

David Hoare

968 199 279 For further details ring Alan Roscoe 968 570 876 or email: anglerstogether@gonuts4free.com This week we were back to the Winter Championship series, this being the 9th in an eleven match series. The venue was the Rio Segura at Murcia. This is a venue full of fish but not on our match day. The north easterly wind has finally taken its toll as we had 8 blanks. The day was absolutely freezing as the sun does not get to the south side of the river this time of year. In saying that, Pete Hampshire started the day with only a polo shirt on but had to after a hour, put on a sweat top. ( This dress sense comes from his youth, as he lived in a cardboard box on top of the Yorkshire dales. ) Top anglers on the day 1st Ian ( From the Darkside ) fishing the pole using bread with 7.56 kg.

2nd Mick ( The Arsenal ) Hill fishing the feeder using corn with 6.88 kg.

3rd Dave ( The Bikeman ) fishing the feeder using corn with 5.56 kg.

Overall points with 2 matches to go.

1st Dave Hoare with 49 pts 2nd Bill Reade with 51 pts 3rd Clive Cleghorn 95 pts Terry Screen 95 pts PLEASE NOTE There are two vacancies within the club if anyone is interested in joining please contact Sue Swann on 966 729293

The winners had a great day at Las colinas Golf Course

OUR FIRST of the year to one of our preferred courses, Las Colinas, saw us arrive with cloudy skies and a chance of rain.

However, all was well and we managed our game without interruptions to put on wet weather wear.

It has to be said that this course is one of the very best around at the moment with the best greens we have played on for a while. Our own problem on the day was the ‘keep to the path’ rule; not sure why, as at least the ‘90 degree rule’ could have been applied. However, it was a great day enjoyed by all and our Stableford competition brought a new name to the top of winners list. Yes, well done Maurice - I am sure it was not the luck of the Irish, and he was playing with borrowed clubs - hate to think what might have happened if he had had his own!

Scores were average to good I suppose, as this is not the easiest of courses to record great scores and with fairways be-

ing soft underfoot the ball was not running that much. Anyway on the day the winners were: 1st

2nd 3rd 4th

63

11 - 17 February 2011

Maurice Sweeney 37 points Yes a small cut Maurice but that won’t worry you!

Brian Coombes 33 points Brian Mulligan 31 points David Winder 30 points

Nearest the pin on that wonderful hole 7, only 105mtrs, but with the green nestled between the trees and the pin above same trees you have to be accurate and Terry Sangwine was.

Great day had by all, though a little chilly as can be seen from the picture of the winners. Thanks to all the staff at Las Colinas, and we will be back!

ABBEY ANGLING RESULTS supplied by TERRY SCREEN Tuesday 2nd February 2011 saw the 2nd Match of the Abbey Angling Cup fished on the 8ft Drain, although recently we should perhaps change the name to the 13ft Drain as the water has been so high.

Fishing is still patchy with just the odd peg producing, the fish coming to maggot and corn. Hopefully as the weather gets warmer the catch rate should improve.

1st Mark (Kens Friend) Harrington with 6.320kg 2nd Bill (The Master) Reade with 5.700kg 3rd Ian (The Irish Wizard) Dalzell with 5.220kg All fishing the pole with maggot and corn All details are available from the Match Secretary Terry Screen on 965328368.

HONDON TROUT FISHERY Winner of the fly competition of February 5th is Jim McGirl from Pinar de

Campoverde.

This Saturday it felt like spring: a temperature of 20ºC and hardly any wind.

Excellent weather conditions for the 9 participating fly fisherman. Even the trout seemed to enjoy the warm sun as they were just playing around and annoying the anglers.

The whole afternoon all participants were busy searching for the fly of the day. The total amount of 31 trout was landed and the winner, with a catch of 8 trout was Jim McGirl, owner of pub The Rusty Nail. He went home with a voucher for 1 morning free fishing, a bottle of whisky sponsored

by Geoff and a box of flies, hand made by Geoff and all Hondon Trucha proof.

Jim sponsored the folding stool for the winner of next competition on Wednesday February 16th. The next Saturday competition will be on March 5th. If you want to participate in one of these competitions please contact Jan on 636314033.

ANGLERS TOGETHER Anglers Together was formed to introduce and encourage anglers of all abilities to meet up and get together to fish, either sea or freshwater.

Firm friendships have been formed during the time the group has been active and information on fishing venues and licenses required are available at the meetings or by regular emailed newsletters.

Meetings are held in two locations on the second Friday and Saturday of each month. Anyone with an interest in fishing (sea or freshwater) is welcome to come along to a meeting to see what we’re about.

The next meeting at Mary’s Bar, Campoverde (near Pilar de la Horadada) will be held on Friday 11th February at 12 o’clock.

There is a NEW VENUE for the Puerto de Mazarron meeting starting in January 2011.

On Saturday February 12th at 12 o’clock the meeting will be held at The New Royal Bar and Restaurant at El Alamillo, opposite the sea-front between Isla Plana and the Port.

Refreshments and lunch are available at each location.

Come along to a meeting nearest to you.