RTN North Edition 614 by Round Town News

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north EDITION In memory of lost mariners

Your English Newspaper

22 - 28 JulY 2011

COSTA BLANCA fishermen headed a flotilla of boats leaving harbour to scatter flowers in memory of those lost at sea. p3

MARTIAL ARTS Club Deportivo Washinkai has won an award to acknowledge its standing as the largest karate club in the Province of Alicante – and its still growing p20

New shared custody law in the Valencian community THE NEW ‘Law for Family Relations’, for children whose parents live apart, is now in force p31

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

RTN Golf School

Find out about the three different courses for all levels of golf players p63

An inspector calls by Jack Troughton

Big is beautiful

Carpal tunnel syndrome is a painful progressive condition caused by compression of a key nerve in the wrist p42

Issue 614

Forest fire alert

SOARING TEMPERATURES and tinder dry undergrowth prompted the Valencia Government to issue a Level 3 fire risk warning this week – putting the community on red alert. Read the full story on page 3

PLUCKY PENSIONER Maisie Venn was the victim of a “nasty” practical joke after sending a roving gas inspector away from her door. She accused the freelance engineer of spitefully switching off the supply to her boiler and also turning off the water at the outside mains. Maisie, who lives in Moraira, warned that inspectors were currently plaguing the area and cold calling unsuspecting householders – before charging inflated fees to issue a certificate of inspection and replace parts. The man smartly dressed in navy overalls sporting the word ‘servicio’ in red arrived on her doorstep last Thursday and she attempted to explain she had already had a service of her Repsol bottled gas tanks. Maisie – who previously almost had her fingers burned with a 400€ bill – said: “He went away but he turned off my gas on the way - there is a switch outside the casita where the bottles are stored, and I have a strong feeling he turned off the water as well. “I was not frightened, just annoyed – it gets on my goat that they can do these things. Actually, I thought it was rather nasty.” She said “over the years” she encountered a number of the inspectors at her home and had once been “caught out”, adding: “A friend who

spoke Spanish thought they were genuine and it cost 400€, so I gave them a cheque. CANCEL

“But as soon as they had gone I went to the Repsol office in Benissa and they said ‘no way’ and told me to cancel the cheque, so I did.” Maisie - who keeps busy working in the Benissa charity shop and as a member of U3A, said the engineers returned to demand payment and when they started kicking at the locked metal doors of the storage unit, she ‘phoned the Guardia Civil. “An officer stood there while they removed all the parts they had replaced – and then a friend of mine replaced everything for me at a fraction of the cost.” She has asked a friend to write a note in Spanish to tell the inspectors their services were not required – and recommended other expats do the same. “It seems to me these bogus gas inspectors are trying to make money out of vulnerable people. They try to impress with their uniforms and official looking clipboards,” she added. However, her friend Patricia Henn, who also lives alone, said she was “absolutely terrified” after a surprise visit. Continued on page 5

22 - 28 JULY 2011

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See our editorial on Page 34 BENIDORM BENIDORM ALBIR TEULADA PEDREGUER BENITACHELL MORAIRA OLIVA

AGENTS SOUTH

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SAN MIGUEL TORREVIEJA QUESADA ALGORFA ORIHUELA ORIHUELA SAN FULGENCIO MURCIA GUARDAMAR

In memory of lost mariners

22 - 28 JulY 2011

Beniarbeig Saturday Rastro has been moved

Flotilla on the horizon

by Jack Troughton COSTA BLANCA fishermen headed a flotilla of boats leaving harbour to scatter flowers in memory of those lost at sea. The Fisherman’s Guild of Javea celebrated the festival of patron saint The Holy Virgin del Carmen with a ceremony dating back more than 30 years. And chief skipper Moises Erades explained how for the first time the statue of the patron of the sea was carried across Javea Bay by a small fishing boat, the

Forest fire alert Continued from front page The Emergency Co-ordination Centre (CCE) announced the ‘pre-emergency’ condition and announced all troops and fire-fighting equipment were in a state of high alert. Level 3 is the highest code rating and underlines the Valencian Community is at “maximum risk” of forest fires igniting. And the CCE, which maintains contact with all town halls and the emergency services, warned it was forbidden to light fires and barbeques were banned in forested areas. A spokesman said: “The government reiterates that it is forbidden to make any type of fire, including in authorised recreational areas. All local regulations for agricultural fires, or any other type of licence, previously authorised, are

‘Irene y Joaquin’, along with local dignitaries including Mayor Jose Chulvi. Last Saturday’s festival began with a wake up crescendo of firecrackers, and during the morning the statue of Virgen del Carmen was taken from the Casa del Pescador – where the image resides throughout the year – to Javea Port’s Loreto Church for a Choral Mass. At 1pm the town’s 19 registered fishing boats headed a fleet of craft out into Javea Bay to scatter flowers for those lost at sea – and especially for fishermen who have lost their lives.

suspended. “Given the period of extreme risk of forest fires, the government recommends maximising precaution in all forested areas of the Community and to follow the orders arising from the declaration of the Level 3 pre-emergency.” ADVICE The CCE has issued the following advice to the public: Do not smoke while walking through woodland or throw cigarette butts or matches from vehicles; do not light a fire in any circumstances, and do not use devices such as fireworks or explosive material such as firecrackers, bangers, or rockets. It has also warned when using any equipment that could spark flames – such as welding tools, brush-cutters, circular saws, or generators

– workers or company representatives must comply with safety standards for the prevention of fire when in or near forested land. The spokesman added: “If you detect a fire, first of all you can try to smother it by pouring water or dirt onto the heart of the flames or beating the fire with a live tree branch. “If you spend more than a minute without managing to suppress the fire, it must be reported immediately ringing the Valencian Emergency telephone number ‘112’ or reporting it to the nearest authorities.” And the CCE said in case of a fire the public should always follow instructions given by staff assigned the task of monitoring and extinguishing a fire. The spokesman said: “Remember, if you need to ring the dedicated emergency telephone number ‘112’: you can ask to speak in English.”

The Saturday Rastro at Beniarbeig has been relocated to the centre near the local Cultural Bar where the mid-week market is held. There are two bars, with toilets, and ample car parking right next to the market. There is ample room for future expansion. Currently both Vergel and Beniarbeig are short on both stalls and customers. This could change but it takes an effort from everyone to support the rastro. Thursdays Rusty’s next to Mercadona Benitachell/MMoraira Road, 1.30am – 3pm Saturdays El Verger Market 9am – 1.30pm Saturdays Beniarbeig Market 9am – 1.30pm, Town centre Sundays Pedreguer Market 9am – 1.30pm Sundays El Verger Market 9am – 1.30pm Tuesdays Bar Bella Vista 10.30am – 3pm In the bar area

22 - 28 JulY 2011

Office of Fair Trading puts its foot down by Jan Gamm CUSTOMERS BUYING online in Spain from UK companies should notice a difference in payment procedures from this month. The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) in the UK has issued a directive that companies must stop the practice of making ‘hidden surcharges’ for card payments. Consumers are habitually informed of added payment charges in the last stages of their payment process online and this is particularly prevalent when paying for air tickets. British consumers paid around £300 million in surcharges in 2009 with those figures expected to escalate for the period 2010, prompting the OFT to demand a more transparent approach from providers charging for goods or services against card payments. The prices on online goods, particularly airline tickets, are frequently presented within a ‘low cost strategy’, leading the consumer to believe a bargain is on the table. As the payment process develops, however, the introduction of ‘drip fed’ surcharges often takes the payment to a level that bears no resemblance to the original advertised offer. By the time the consumer learns of the total cost of the item, abandoning the purchase is less attractive than ‘paying the two bucks’. Airlines have been ordered to make the price clear from the outset of purchase and barred from introducing hidden surcharges toward the end of the transaction.

MINIMAL And it is expected the practice of surcharging could be banned altogether on the basis that the charges to suppliers are deemed by the OFT to be “minimal.” Airlines and other suppliers are to be encouraged to advertise the price of tickets and other items ‘up front’. “You cannot buy online with cash and people are frustrated about being asked to ‘pay for paying’,” said Cavendish Elithorn, Senior Director of the Goods and Consumer Group of the OFT, adding, “We will take enforcement action against any businesses that continue to use misleading surcharging practices.” The OFT’s decision to act followed a 90 day investigation into the practice of surcharging in response to a ‘super-complaint’ from ‘Which’. For further information visit www.oft.gov.uk

Breathing life into the old girl… THE IMPRESSIVE Baroque organ in the Church of San Juan Bautista Arciprestal Callosa d’en Sarrià is beginning to sound just like new again, thanks to the restoration and repair to its ancient bellows created in the eighteenth century. The organ was built in 1754, now brought back to life more than two and a half centuries later by neighbourhood association the Association of Friends of l’Orgue of Callosa d’en Sarrià with the help of experts. There is a conflict of data as to the provenance of the organ but it is hoped that when the internal mechanism is opened a signature might be revealed…

Passengers affected by ATC strike represented in court this week By Jan Gamm PASSENGERS AFFECTED by the air traffic controllers’ wildcat strike on 3rd and 4th December 2010 opened their case in court this week with an asset liability claim that could result in a €10 million pay-out for airport authority AENA. Lawyer Luis Vericat of Cremades and Calvo-Sotelo is asking for compensation of 10,000€ on behalf of each passenger, a figure he claims is just and reasonable considering the damage and discomfort caused to travellers during the two day walk-out. STRESS Four of the 16 ATCs involved were in court to give statements on Monday in an attempt to justify their actions that resulted in air traffic being handled by the

Spanish military for several months. One of the ATCs on the stand said air traffic controllers were placed under tremendous pressure from their employer (AENA) resulting in stress and in some instances physical illness as a result of having to work excessive hours, leading to the strike action that caused chaos last December. IRREGULARITIES President of the Air Traffic Controllers Union, Camilo Cela, appeared on Tuesday wielding accusations that AENA mishandled the ATC crisis in December and also sent documentation to the court that contained at least two ‘irregularities’ concerning security sheets on the day of the strike that arrived at court ‘signed’ despite a waiver being in place during the afternoon of the strike. The case continues…

22 - 28 JulY 2011

Looking after number one

L’Ampolla Beach, Moraira

Maisie and the gas bottles

continued from front page “I have a gas tank and a contract with Repsol. The first time they came a couple of weeks ago I showed them the paper and said it had just been inspected and they went away,” she said. “However, a few days later there was this man inside the gate banging at the door and saying he was a gas inspector and I told him to get off my property but he would not go so I said I would ring the police,” she said. “He finally went, slamming the gate and shouting ‘puta’ – whore – so I did ring the police.” And Patricia added: “I think these sods deliberately pick on people who live on their own – it is intimidation at the end of the day and I have warned all my neighbours they are about.” There is a requirement that residents using propane or butane gas have a certificate of inspection which lasts five years. Inspections can be carried out by Repsol or Cepsa engineers who will only call by appointments made through either of the energy companies.

by Jack Troughton BEACH LOVERS are invited to take a break from lazing on the sand and work out with free gym and Tai Chi sessions in Moraira. Teulada Town Hall has organised the exercise classes on the ‘blue flag’ L’Ampolla Beach during July, August and September.

The gym classes are every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday, between 10.15am and 11am, and are taken by a qualified person, people wishing to take part should wear comfortable clothing. And the Tai Chi takes place on Mondays and Wednesdays between 9.45am and 10.45am and again are supervised.

Hosbec ad campaign to support Costa Blanca Tourism

HOSBEC HAS launched a 400,000€ promotional campaign on 6th July expounding the attractions of the Costa Blanca, targeted at strengthening sales in the domestic market throughout the summer season. Benidorm is heavily featured in the campaign but also included are Albir, Calpe, Guardamar and Denia with an impressive 300 plus advertisements placed with newspapers (with emphasis on women’s publications) radio and websites, in corroboration with major national tour operators. A number of catchy slogans have been utilised to promote an image of the Costa Blanca as a sunshine paradise, including: “I love being in the clouds.” The promotion will continue through August.

22 - 28 JulY 2011

One of World’s best sundials British teenager’s destroyed by vandals identity ‘lost in Spain’ VANDALS HAVE destroyed the sundial in the Port in Alicante, reputed to have been one of the best in the World and designed by astronomer José Vicente Pérez. The sundial is located at the pier access to restaurants in the area east of the Port. One of the arms has been broken off so the sundial can no longer record the position of the sun. Pérez, outraged at the destruction of the sundial said, “The disappointment is huge and the pity is that we do not learn. A few months ago it was the turn The of the sculptures of Ripollés that were sundial thrown into the water, and now it is my now sundial: it’s outrageous.” destroyed

Photo by John Nguyen: Aimee with her parents

by jan Gamm A BRITISH teenager is trapped in an identity nightmare due to her inability to prove she exists. 14-year-old Aimee Rayner-Okines was born prematurely 6th July 1997, in Denia Hospital. Parents Steve Okiines, 45, and Claire Rayner, 35, have constantly battled with the Spanish authorities to issue a birth certificate for Aimee, without success. The St Albans family were on a brief visit to Spain at the time of Aimee’s birth, seven weeks premature by emergency Caesarean and weighing 4lb 9oz. Staff at the hospital gave Mr Okines some papers to fill in, after which they allegedly assured him they would “take care of everything.” INSUFFICIENT The family returned to Britain but discovered that what they believed to be Aimee’s ‘birth certificate’ was simply medical paperwork when they applied for Child Benefit; subsequently refused against insufficient proof of birth. Until Aimee has a birth certificate she cannot apply for a passport, open a bank account or even qualify for a bus pass: she simply does not exist.

The Benefits Agency eventually authorised child benefit when Aimee was three, after her parents provided copies of her medical records to prove her existence. However the Home Office maintains is still cannot process Aimee’s registration for citizenship until she can produce a birth certificate from the country of her birth and the Spanish authorities have so far refused to issue one. Attempts to intervene by their MP, Government minister Grant Shapps, have also failed. The desperate family have now asked foreign minister David Lidington for help to sort out Aimee’s bureaucratic mess. Shapps, MP for Welwyn Hatfield, said he first approached the Foreign Office to assist the family five years ago. GONE To further complicate matters, when the couple flew out to Spain last April to revisit Denia hospital they found it had gone; a shiny new replacement in its stead! “Staff there suggested I write to the Spanish President to get it sorted,” said Mr Okines. And the moral of the story is: check your documentation carefully if you have given birth unexpectedly in Spain.

25% of claims for unemployment benefit are fraudulent

MINISTER FOR Labour, Valeriano Gómez, said on Tuesday that of the 235,000 recipients of unemployment benefit investigated over the last year, more than a quarter claimed for payments fraudulently. Speaking at the seminar ‘Spain 2020: Analytical Reflective Horizons’ the minister noted that many of the claims made were the result of desperation in the crisis and the effects of Spain’s unprecedented problem with rising unemployment.

New arrival at RTN Congratulations to RTN’s Danny and girlfriend Louise on the birth of their daughter, Mia Rose, on Tuesday morning 20th July, weighing 6lbs 7oz. Proud new Grandfather Geoff Gartland, Managing Director of RTN, said “she is beautiful and absolutely perfect.” Everyone at RTN sends their love, wishes them the best for the future and we expect to see Danny back at work Mia on Monday morning. Rose

22 - 28 JulY 2011

Up-date on health cover in Spain

LAST WEEKEND I read the front page of the Costa Blanca News and was not surprised at all to discover that there are many British travelling on holiday to Europe without obtaining a European health card or even taking out travel insurance. by Should an accident or illness occur, an ambulance duly arrives and will take the patient to the nearest National Health hospital and treatment will be carried out in accordance with European law after first checking their status regarding payment. If there is no current EHIC card, full charges will apply. If you have a current EHIC it allows you to access state-provided healthcare in all of the Euopean Economic Area (EEA) countries and Switzerland, but even so it may not always be totally free. It is then possible that you can seek reimbursment for any costs incurred when you are back in the UK. However, the EHIC is not an alternative to travel insurance. It will not cover any private medical healthcare or the cost of things such as mountain rescue in ski resorts, repatriation to your home country, lost or stolen property or flight cancellations etc. If you have neither travel insurance nor an EHIC card, bear in mind that medical costs can be pretty daunting and if the patient is unable to return to their home by normal means, the costs will rise considerably. This risk of receiving another large bill because of not arranging insurance, just assuming that nothing nasty is going to happen to you or any family member, beggars belief. WHY NOT Apply for your card, by telephoning 00 44 1912 181 999 before going on holiday, and save both stress and money. At this stage it is worth mentioning the continuing red bodies on the beaches. Sunburn is unpleasant, painful and dangerous and can also be a reason for medical help being sought with costs incurred.

Jennifer Cunningham

Moving on from holidays, there are still people living in Spain who think the EHIC is sufficent to cover them for all eventualities. This, of course, is not true, and again the bills could be large. If Spain does not receive payment they could seek to apply an embargo on your home and bank accounts. There is no other way to cover your medical costs but by the state or private health insurance. If you retire early from the UK you are not entitled to the Spanish national health until you reach 65 for a man and for a woman 60+. The other way to gain a little help is to apply (long before leaving the UK) for the SI (previously E106 ) which you may be entitled to. The SI is valid until the expiry date shown on the card, which is one to two years only. You will also need to become a resident of Spain to be able to use this card. There is a way which you can pay the state quarterly, but, it often works out more expensive than going privately, with all the disadvantages of course: language problems; the long waiting lists; and often the total lack of privacy when in hospital. I understand there are still ex pats returning to the UK for treatment. This situation is no longer correct and in the words of the the DWP in Newcastle when we spoke to them: “We now have much better facilities to check on these people and will charge them if it is found they live in another country”. The NHS is a residence-based system. Once you have moved abroad you are no longer entitled to medical treatment in the UK under normal NHS rules, regardless of whether you own a property and are still registered with a GP or not. You must spend 7 months in any one year there. Once again big brother is watching and snooping all the time on us. You cannot have access to both state systems at the same

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.

time: you have to make a choice. I realise that we are not encouraged to join a private health company in the UK, but here you either play russian roulette with your money and your health, or you accept that accidents and illnesses do occur and plan accordingly, which is the wisest route to take. Thankfully, because the Spanish goverment has always encouraged private insurance, the premiums are far cheaper than they are in the UK. However, be very careful that you select wisely. look for ‘Guaranteed for Life’ in the documentation as well as ‘The Age you join is the Age you Stay’. If you do not find this statement you will find yearly increases can be extremly expensive, often becoming prohibitive over the years with a huge increase for the over 60s, which is when you most need health cover of course. At present, via my company, there are some wonderful offers available for life on health insurance with special payment terms. If you are at all worried about dealing with Spanish hospitals, Mandy, who is bilingual and works full time in the Javea office, is available to assist you with any help you may need making appointments; translation of reports and very often just simply to listen. How about that for a service? It is just one of the reasons why in my advertisments I am able to use the words “Much more than just a voice on the phone.” N.B. For all those who disagree with any or all of my statements in this article please refer to the following websites or call the telephone numbers indicated. NHS UK www.nhs.uk FCO www.fco.gov.uk DWP (International Pension Centre) www.dwp.gov.uk: Tel: 00 44 1912 181 999

22 - 28 JulY 2011

Slim from within!

Alan Gilchrist The Costa Blanca’s Top Hypnotherapist

“WOW AND thanks” is the usual response that Alan Gilchrist, the Costa Blanca’s Top Hypnotherapist gets from his clients after his Fast Track Weight control session. As Alan says: “There are many ways to lose weight but at the end of the day, willpower is also required: each and every one of us has the ability to lose weight in any number of ways and true weight loss success is often a complex combination of both physical and mental challenges. Half the problem is addressed by the mind and the habitual / behavioural patterns that caused the person to gain weight in the first place - the other is how their body responds to different foods, caloric intake, fats, etc. My goal is to help them change their relationship with food for good, and also to help change the way they see and feel about themselves.” And that is where Alan’s unique powerful combination of Fast Track Hypnosis and Laser Therapy comes into its own. Many thousands of people have used Alan’s weight control techniques with great success and if they can do it then so can you! Too many people confuse ‘hunger’ with ‘appetite’. Hunger is a real need, whereas appetite is only a habit. The two are not the same! Appetite is provoked by suggestion while hunger is the message we send to our brain whenever the body needs essential nourishment. There are various reasons why a person can be overweight: for people with a medical condition because of glandular malfunction or some other physical problem, hypnosis may not be the solution and medical help should initially be sought. PEOPLE WHO OVEREAT BECAUSE OF EARLY PROGRAMMING BY PARENTS How many times were you told: “Eat it all up and you will grow up to be a big, healthy adult,” or, “Think

of all the starving children in the world and you are leaving that on your plate...” PEOPLE WHO OVEREAT BY COMFORT EATING This is again by programming from early years: “Don’t cry, here is a piece of chocolate: when you eat it you will feel better.” PEOPLE WHO OVEREAT BECAUSE OF EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS In the case of these people their overeating habits go deeper than the previous ones. Therefore the actual problem would have to be addressed and corrected. Alan’s Fast Track Hypnosis plus Laser Therapy is ideal for helping people who want to lose weight because of early programming or emotional problems, to help them achieve their target weight. And all this is completed in one simple session: Fast Track Hypnosis and Laser Therapy along with the CDs provided - so there is no need to go for multiple sessions, thus saving time and unnecessary expense. Fast Track weight Control is accomplished by initially helping you to lose your weight in a healthy manner and then maintaining it, instead of losing weight and then regaining it time and time again. Wouldn’t it be wonderful having your weight issues no longer an important part of your life? Have you lost count of the number of diets you’ve started, only to give up after a few weeks of constantly watching everything you eat? Perhaps you’ve tried traditional methods such as slimming organisations or pills, but found that you put the weight back on as soon as you returned to eating ‘normally’ Can you imagine how it would be to look in the mirror and to feel delighted with how you look? If you want to be slim, one session of Fast Track Hypnosis and Laser Therapy could be the difference between being overweight, depressed and downright

unhealthy, to being fit, alert, active and full of energy. You owe it to yourself to be as fit and healthy as you possibly can! “Hi Alan, I came to see you five weeks ago and to date I have lost 17 pounds. It’s absolutely brilliant. I was addicted to coke and chocolate. I have stopped all that and just drink water instead. I played your CD every day for the month as you told me, and now just a few times during the week. I didn’t find it hard at all and I am not even snacking between meals, which is great. Thanks Nicky R...” “Dear Mr Gilchrist, I received hypnotherapy last March for a weight problem. At the time I weighed 15 1/2 and had spent my entire life from the age of 16 on freak diets, which failed to work in the long term. I consulted you as a last ditch - I mean no disrespect, but I didn’t believe that hypnotherapy could help me. However, as I had unsuccessfully tried just about everything else, it was all that remained and I reluctantly decided to give it a go... “As I left your clinic after that session, I must confess that I felt no different from when I went in, and politeness prevented me saying so. I did, however want to be fair, and so I carried out your instructions. From the morning following my hypnotherapy, I found that somehow, I only wanted to eat sensible food. Sweet shops and bakeries might as well have been selling bits of wood - like magic, their hold over me was gone. I have to date lost 4 1/2 stone by eating three sensible meals a day and snacking, if I feel I want to, on fruit or a slice of brown bread. Needless to say I am now a confirmed believer in the efficacy of Hypnotherapy. With gratitude, Mary” Alan holds his Fast Track Hypnosis sessions in Cabo Roig, Guardarmar, and Benidorm.

For an appointment, brochure or a free of charge initial consultation on your particular problem, contact Alan Gilchrist on 659 229 408 or visit his websites www.alangilchrist.com www.thegastroband.com or www.fitnosys.com

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Satisfied

Dear Millie A quick note to say how much we appreciate the efficiency of your organisation. We have subscribed to El Perpetuo Socorro Health Insurance for a number of years now and have been most satisfied with the service received. If we have had any queries they have been answered promptly and courteously by yourself and your delightful staff. The phone is answered within a few rings and you always call back when you promise to. This kind of service is a rarity these days and so refreshing to encounter. We would recommend your company to anyone. With thanks and our best wishes. Mr and Mrs Martyr

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Loyalty only extends one way THERE HAVE been many letters recently on the pros and cons of budget airlines. I would like to share my experience with ‘JET2.CON’ Having been a frequent flyer with this airline for some years, I was invited to join their ‘Loyalty Scheme’. This rewarded customers with one point for every pound spent in return for a free flight when you accrued the sum of 600. Very creditable I thought, but it appears loyalty only extends one way as what happens with flights from Murcia airport during the winter months? They pack up. Not much loyalty there then. I will say that following my communications with CEO Philip Meeson a limited service now operates from Murcia during the winter. Back to the loyalty points: I was saving mine to enable my family to come and visit and had accrued almost 1,600, which means I had taken flights which cost over one thousand six hundred pounds

– however, on receiving my ‘statement’ this week, 253 points have been deducted because they have “expired.” Are we being treated like children or just conned? It is like giving a kid sweets then taking them back because he has not eaten them! What a way for a responsible company to operate! Also when booking my latest flight I was advised “all taxes and charges included,” but our survey proved that ‘taxes and charges’ apparently do not include hold luggage, seat booking, credit card charge and fuel supplement. Is this another Jet2.CON? Has anyone else had the same experience, if so register your complaint in writing to CEO Philip Meeson at Dart Group PLC, Low Fare Finder House, Leeds Bradford International Airport, Leeds, West Yorkshire,LS19 7TU, letting him know how you feel. Ian Benson, Orihuela Costa

Incensed with rage Only joking AS A 77-year-old disabled (at birth) but ‘with it’ and ‘on the ball’ on matters of disability, I have been very involved in disabled issues both in the UK (12 years ago) and for the past 10 years here in Spain. The article about the refusal to allocate a badge to this couple incensed me with rage and utter horror. Even though I do not live in the area, I will be contacting the British Consul about such treatment - every little helps I feel! My husband and I live in the Murcia region and the same sort of thing goes on here, but does seem to be improving, depending upon the Ayuntamiento of the town you live in. Although they are in the district of Alicante it should not make any difference as everyone who is legally entitled to a blue badge, recommended by their GP should be sufficient for Social Services to sanction the permit without all the shenanigans people have experienced here. It is outrageous and of grave concern to those people who need one for very obvious reasons regarding parking, but then let’s face it, there are not nearly enough blue parking places anywhere in Spain, and some are placed too far away from public buildings etc. This is a matter for the British Consulate at least, if not for European Human Rights to take on board, hopefully for instant action, but then nothing is ever instant when it comes to bureauocracy, sadly. Right now we are working very hard on improving ‘access for all’ and indeed I am the coordinator of A4A in San Pedro del Pinatar under the umbrella of ADAPT which has been supported by the previous Council to such a degree that they have made improvements in places that we highlighted during 2010, much to our delight. We presented a silver plaque to the Correos in San Pedro for making the Post Office completely accessible, where before it was impossible to enter in a wheelchair or with a pram, without climbing steps and trying to open 2 huge heavy doors to gain access. We continue to make our observations and are hoping the new Mayor in San Pedro del Pinatar, indeed all the new PP Councils throughout the Mar Menor area, will encourage our efforts to improve access and remove barriers wherever possible, thus making their towns real tourist attractions. It would be terrific if an ‘Access For All’ group could be set up in the Alicante region - perhaps some of your readers on the Costa Blanca who feel equally as strongly about these issues could take up the cudgels: what do you think? I will get off my ‘soap box’ for now and send this to you today in the hope you will print some, if not all of it. Thanking you for keeping your finger on the pulse on behalf of disabled people and long may you continue to do so… Sheila

SO SORRY if I upset you Jill Morrison... My friends young and old took my views in the manner it was intended - as a lighthearted joke. Life is too short to take offence at everything you see or hear. Nevertheless, I am sincerely sorry for any sorrow I may have caused you. But relax a little more and try seeing the funny side of life. It was an OBVIOUS windup. I take it I will not get Christmas card this year… Lloyd Lupin (man of the people no more)

Pet safety when driving Dear RTN, regarding your article ‘Making it clear: road safety in Spain’ in Issue 611, as a retailer of pet car harnesses, I was particularly interested in the reference to pet safety. In what was otherwise an excellent article, I would like to recommend that dogs should always be restrained with a seatbelt via a car dog harness and never a collar, as such practice can result in injury and potential irreparable damage to the spine or, in the worst case scenario, fatality if one were involved in an emergency braking incident or accident. June Duncan, The Mutts Nutz, Moraira

happy to take our money TO SAY I am fuming is only the half of it. Every Sunday my wife and I take an elderly lady (89) to the Bahia hotel for a coffee. She gets a breath of fresh air, a change of scenery, and a drink of something that takes her fancy. She does not like crowds so the Bahia is perfect, nice and quiet, and about to become a little quieter from this week. Starting from last Sunday, unless you are dining, you have to pay 10€ to park your car, no exceptions. They are happy to take our money through the winter out of season

(although it’s hard to raise a smile from most of the staff) but now because ‘the season’ is here we pay. What amazes me is the dining room is deserted most of the time, as is the bar, and most of the car park, so exactly what do the management hope to gain? Maybe they should read about the law of diminishing returns. I fear the only thing going for it now is its location. T Frazer, Puerto de Mazarron

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Amanda Braund Car-reg Costa Blanca 625 864 373 caregcostablanca@hotmail.com www.carregcostablanca.com Angie Daley The Leader Newspaper 686 367 421 - jessang563@hotmail.com Carol King Cristal Glide Glass Curtains 688 666 555 www.cristalglide.es/cristalglide.es@live.com Carolyn Shedden Forget me Not Charity Shop

Cherie Walker Indigo UK and Worldwide Car Hire www. indigocarhire.co.uk /sales@indigocarhire. co.uk Tel: 00 44 113 308 2016 Christine Quinlan Body Harmony. 966 795 103 www.bodyharmonytherapies.co.uk bodyharmony@tinyworld.com Janette Bennett Torrevieja Lions idsbennett@hotmail.co.uk www.torreviejacostalions.org Jean Williamson Dapa.biz www.dapa.biz jean@dapa.biz

Karen Dowsing New 2 You New and Used Furniture 965 715 605 www.new2you-furniture.com info@new2you-furniture.com Lynn Paterson Teeth White Spain 605 309 263 www.teethwhitespain.com teethwhitespain@gmail.com Liesl Cavender Spanish Ink 902 906 200 Ink Cartridge Specialist sales@spanishink.com www.spanishink.com Rosa Perez Ortu単o Rosa Helps Interpreter and Translation Services 646 141 903 rosa@rosahelps.com www.rosahelps.com Vicki Riley El Principe Language Centre www.elprincipecentre.com info@elprincipecentre.com Tel: 965 999 047/ 696 102 874 Virginia Mora Lopez Advance Translation Services 629 201 192 www.dapa.biz/advancetranslations.com vivitorrevieja@gmail.com

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Just a bit of a clean-up… by Jan Gamm THIS WEEK a team of workers set about the extensive cleaning of the Basilica of Santa Maria in Elche in readiness for the year’s favourite fiesta, the Nit de l’Albá (Night of the Dawn) on 14th and 15th August, when a magnificent firework display will light up the night sky. At one time families offered a rocket to the Holy Virgin in thanks for each of their children but nowadays the celebration has become consolidated into a pyrotechnic display shared by the whole community. The display begins at around 11pm and continues for a full hour until midnight, when all the city lights go out and the ‘Gloria’ is sung, before the sky explodes again with a white starburst released from the Basilica. WATERMELON The traditional final act of the fiesta is for each person to eat a watermelon. Younger members of the community prolong the party by firing rockets and popping firecrackers into the early hours, with the more daring taking part in the traditional ‘Guerra de Carretillas’,

Sleeping off the heat is bad for your health THE SPANISH Heart Foundation (ESF) has advised that exceeding the recommended amount of sleep of seven to eight hours per night could increase the risk of cardiovascular disease by as much as 1.57 times. Summer habits that might seem healthy, like taking extra sleep at night and during the day can be dangerous to cardiovascular health. An analysis of 30,000 adults by the West Virginia University School of Medicine found those sleeping five hours or less had a twofold increased risk of developing cardiovascular problems compared with participants that rested seven hours.

chasing each other with push carts decorated to look like dragons, spitting fireworks from their mouths in scenes recommended for only the bravest spectators. CIGAR ‘The Heaven’, the great linen canopy at the height of the dome, represents the sky and conceals the mechanics permitting the ascent and descent of the aerial stage devices. It is dated at around 1530, symbolises a celestial gateway and features a peep-hole called ‘The Door to Heaven’ that is opened and closed three times during the pyrotechnic exhibition to admit the aerial stage device. Operators are given leave from work to carry out their tasks at a vertiginous altitude in the dome of the Basilica. And working higher than all of them is Francisco Rodenas, involved in the preparations for the annual fiesta since 1959. For Francisco, in addition to the companionship and a pride in his work, his happiest moment comes One of when the job is done and he smokes a cigar with his colSpain’s leagues - at the very top of Santa Maria. finest For a programme of events visit pyrotechnic www.iesnitdelalba.edu.gva.es/ displays

Camps resigns!

By Jan Gamm FRANCISCO CAMPS, president of the Valencian Generalitat, has decided to step down in the face of enormous pressure from within the PP, just two months after winning his third majority in the May regional elections. The course of action was deemed by party leaders to constitute the least possible damage to PP Leader Mariano Rajoy’s presidential campaign which coincides with the autumn hearings of the Gürtel case in which Camps is accused of ‘improper passive bribery’.

Camp’s resignation as President of the Valencian Generalitat was inevitable following his decision this week to pay a 46,000€ penalty against a plea of ‘guilty’ in the Gürtel case - to stay on he would have had to continue in office with a criminal record. Camps’ replacement is mayor and coordinator of CPAP Castellón, Alberto Fabra, who when speaking of his predecessor remarked: “It is a difficult time, both politically and personally.” He described Camps as “…a great friend and a great president of the party,” stressing that Camps had left his position with strength and dignity. Former Vice President Victor

Campos, PP Officer Rafael Betoret and PP Deputy Ricardo Costa, also implicated in the case, are yet to turn in a guilty plea with their defences severely compromised by Camp’s falling on his sword. The decision of Francisco Camps to resign represents the removal of a huge thorn in the side of presidential candidate Mariano Rajoy. However, political comment predicts that the scandal surrounding the PP’s involvement in alleged corruption over the trading of valuable contracts in exchange for favours is far from over and that Camps’ resignation has come too late to rescue the PP’s soiled reputation.

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Consulate rock steady by jack Troughton MUSIC FANS enjoyed the backing of a band of British Consulate staff at the world famous FIB – the Festival Internacional de Benicassim. Thousands of Brits travelled to Castellon for the annual event and many were helped home by consular staff at a special office opened in Valencia to deal with problems, frequently lost or stolen passports. And even before the first band hit the stage, the British Consulate in Alicante were planning ahead, discussing with local authorities, FIB organisers and police the best way of dealing with crime and how to support British nationals. Leaflets were distributed around information points to help out and information posted on Twitter and Facebook. The festival week is historically known as one of the busiest times of the year for British Consulates in both Alicante and Barcelona, the cities hubs for fans flying into Spain for FIB.

STOLEN Lloyd Millen, Vice-Consul based in Alicante and working at the temporary Valencia office, said: “Considering the huge number of Brits that attended the festival, we knew that there would be quite a few lost and stolen passports to deal with. “The good thing is that most of the festival goers had travel insurance, which means they may be able to claim back the cost of an emergency passport we have issued – otherwise losing a passport can be expensive.” Paul Rodwell, the Alicante-based Consul, co-ordinated the operation, said: “We received lots of positive feedback about our response and it was a great feeling to see all of the /consular teams working flat out to offer high quality assistance. “We made the process of getting an emergency passport as stress free and simple as possible. The preventative work and liaison work with the security forces and festival organisers certainly paid off and I am pleased British nationals we helped were able to get home safely.”

Lloyd Millen (centre) issues an emergency passport

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LEBARA IS AVAILABLE AT The Phone Shop: Cabo Roig - 688 228 888

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Dona Pepa, Quesada - 966 731 928 www.thepostboxquesada.com

22 - 28 JulY 2011

Bastille Day celebrated in white in La Vila BASTILLE DAY, 14th July, celebrated as National Day in France, prompted French visitors from Madrid to mark the occasion with a ‘White Dinner’ at the Paseo de la Playa Centro de La Vila, where diners dressed completely in white. More than 750 guests enjoyed typically French cuisine with speeches by French Consul Georges Marc Sanchez and the mayor, Jaime Lloret. Tickets for the party were sold at 5€ and entertainment was provided by local traditional dance groups. The dinner was the first of its kind to be held in the region.

Huge collection of summer and nautical fashion at Yacht Club Fashion Show

The Butterfly Fx Altea and Sukier Model International presented a night full of fashion in KU Playa, Benidorm on Thursday, 14th JulyAt 11.30pm. The terrace of Ku Playa was transformed into a catwalk with male and female models from Sukier Model International showcasing the ‘Yachtclub – Summer collection 2011’ by The Butterfly Fx Altea. The show started with a collection of both onshore and offshore sailing wear for him and her, featuring international labels such as the Swedish brand Holebrook – One of the most important producers of nautical fashion wear inspired by the Scandinavian Archipelage with a traditional Swedish quality combining functionality and fashion; Nyl – Fashion TechnologySportswear; and Slam – Advanced Technology Sportswear, both Italian labels, specialise in producing professional regatta clothing with style and comfort. Next was The Butterfly Fx’s collection of surf wear: Kanewai, an all-American watersport brand excels in long-term comfort from isotermic materials like Lycra, neoprene and nylon complimented by a sporty design. A collection of summer outfits for day and night followed, with fresh and bright colors and accessories for the daytime and more classic and romantic lines for the evening. The highlight of the show was The Butterfly Fx’s swimwear 2011 collection by Brazilian designer Veronica Maiesku. Although some of the nautical collaborators failed to deliver the stage setup, decorations and the prizes as promised, The Butterfly Fx and Sukier Model International gave a spectacular show and the audience were very well entertained by the huge and varied collection presented. The Yacht ClubSummer Collection 2011 was

a pre-presentation to the annual Costa Blanca Fashion Week and the Best Male And Female International Model Competition which is organized by Sukier Model International later in the summer. International models from various agencies around the globe will profile the latest fashion from upcoming designers infashion centres all over the world, with collections exclusively on sale at The Butterfly Fx in Altea during and after the Costa Blanca Fashion Week. So, if you’re wondering what to wear on the beach, boat or in the water,day or night, or just want to feel fresh, new and comfortable, visit The Butterfly Fx in Altea old town atC/Jesus 1, Casco Antiguo, Plaza Iglesia or call 96 644 5358 / 617 56 12 58. Also on Facebook: The Butterfly Fx - Altea

Support from the Steppe By Jack Troughton AFTER MARCHING the length of Hadrian’s Wall for charity, former soldier Hugh Norton received a hero’s welcome from colleagues at Footlights Theatre Group – about to embark on the Russia-based musical Fiddler on the Roof. Former Coldstream Guardsman Hugh – who reports for duty as ‘The Constable’ in November’s production – was pictured being presented with a cheque for 100€ by Footlights’ treasurer Gill Moorcroft. Hugh completed the 135km ‘yomp’ last month in aid of Help for Heroes – the UK-based charity helping seriously injured servicemen and women and the bereaved families of the fallen. To date he has received pledges and donations approaching 4,000€. Footlights – currently taking a summer break from rehearsals in Calpe, will bring the award-winning musical to Alfaz del Pi, Calpe and for the first time Torrevieja, during November. Tickets will go on sale in September priced at 12€ for adults and 8€ for children under 14.

Chelsea earns replay

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by jack Troughton EXCITED YOUNGSTERS graduating from this summer’s Chelsea FC soccer school could have a chance to work with top coaches again in 12 months time. Sponsored by Bay Radio, more than 90 youngsters completed a week’s course at four centres across the Costa Blanca – with discussions already tabled to repeat the experience next year. And excited goalkeeper 12-year-old Taylor Brown was spotted by Chelsea Foundation scouts and offered the chance to join 28 other hopefuls in Valencia at the start of next season. Javea Mayor Jose Chulvi was at the town’s football ground to present 51 players – aged five to 14 - with certificates and thanked organisers for choosing the international resort to host the academy. “It is very important to learn to play football as a team

Dogs have their day JAVEA’S NEW Country Line Dancers donated more than 200€ to the animal charity APASA after raising money at the ‘end of year’ social The dancers had been disappointed at having to pull out of a planned demonstration at the charity’s barbeque in Pinosol Park earlier in the summer because of the unsuitable surface in the park. Instead money raised by a raffle staged during the dinner dance was handed to APASA’s Maggie Shuck at a presentation at Javea Golf Club. She explained the problems of having to care for more than 200 dogs at the charity’s rescue centre – compounded by a recent outbreak of a virus at the pound. The line dancing classes resume in September and anyone wanting to join the fun with this social group should contact David on 96 647 0632.

Icing on the cake

By Jack Troughton XABIA RUGBY Club has celebrated the marriage of senior player Dale to Louise and a very special wedding cake. The cake was decorated with the fleet-footed player being tackled by his bride and the club extends its congratulations to the couple. Meanwhile beach rugby continues every Thursday evening for all ages and abilities at Javea’s Arenal Beach– the Under 17s play between 7pm and 8pm and the seniors start at 8pm. Meet outside the Jalousie Bar (formerly Champagne Bar) on the front: newcomers welcome. For more information call 688 640 092 or Facebook groups Xabia Rugby Club or Escola del Xabia Rugby Club.

The mayor, players and coaches

sport,” he said. “Because it improves you as people and you learn to play as a team. “You learn to compromise and how it is not what you do as an individual but how it is a team effort. I hope we can do it again next year.”

Former Premiership referee Graham Barber confirmed discussions were already planned for a replay next summer when qualified Chelsea Foundation trainers would return to the area.

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Big is beautiful

by Jack Troughton MARTIAL ARTS Club Deportivo Washinkai has won an award to acknowledge its standing as the largest karate club in the Province of Alicante – and its still growing. Representatives of the club attended the 10th Gala of the Valencia Karate Federation – the only federation in Spain –and a celebration of the top clubs, best sportsmen and instructors in the region. Washinkai President Ray Sweeney – who was thrilled at being reunited with federation president Marceliano Gomez – said: “I am very pleased with all that the club has achieved in such a short space of time here in Spain. We will be opening new dojos in the coming months.” And Ray and club instructors Sarah Lakin and Geovanny Sanchez held a meeting with the federation’s vice-president Francisco Gabriel Gonzalez Saiz to discuss closer links with the body, while all three also enjoyed chatting with key players and old friends, including Andres Alarcon of Sant Joan d’Alacant Karate Club and Francisco Gomez. Pictured (left to right) are: Sarah Lakin; Marceliano Gomez; Ray Sweeney; Jose Giner, the Tai-Jitsu Federation President; Francisco Gabriel Gonzalez Saiz; Vicente Cerezuela Torres of the Tai-Jitsu federation; Francisco Gomez; and Geovanny Sanchez. Washinkai Karate is the municipal school of Javea and Benitachell and currently offers free trials for new students and beginners at its Javea summer course. For more information contact Ray on 637 564 416 or visit www.washinkai.org

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Charity’s raffle bonanza by jack Troughton AGE CONCERN was cruising when members of the charity’s committee went to collect a cheque from Torrevieja travel company David Coachtrips. The charity has received almost 5,000€ in donations as David runs a raffle with clients being given a chance of winning a Mediterranean cruise and 200€. Age Concern’s President Maureen Payne, Vice-President Pam Horabin and Secretary Jan Lane called in at the Coachtrips offices in San Luis to be handed the latest ‘interim’ payment. Tickets remain on sale until the end of the first week of next month and the name of the lucky winner will be announced on the company website www.coachtripsonline.com on Monday 8th August and in company advertising during the week. Making the presentation, David said: “We

cannot wait for the draw to take place and we are really looking forward to presenting the winners with their prize. TICKET “May I express my sincere thanks to our hard working couriers who, despite the many duties they have to attend to on every excursion, have willingly taken on the extra task of selling tickets for this important charity. “I would also like to say an enormous thank you for the incredible generosity of our customers in supporting this effort.” Age concern also extended its thanks to ‘The Rascals’ for its Rags to Riches concert which raised 1,000€ for the charity. And Age Concern’s CBS Walk-in-Centre on La Siesta closes from Friday 29th July until Monday 5th September, while the charity shops at Torrevieja and Montisenos both shut their doors from Friday 29th July until Monday 29th August.

David presents the cheque

Afternoon tea with PCN Spud Murphy’s running total reaches dizzy heights for PCN

AFTERNOON TEA was organised as a commercial event but as the owner of Manolo Franscisco Lidon is committed to raising money for Paul Cunningham Nurses and he decided at the very last minute to do a ‘clink-clink’ Tombola! Tomorrow night the Variety Show Group and La Marina Tappers are at Manolo followed by a Quiz Night and Play your Cards Right next Tuesday 26th July. Tickets are just €2 and are available from Manolo Restaurant. Please call 639 318 526 to book your place. If you would like to enter our FREE competition to win Afternoon Tea for Two on Wednesday 10th August just send your email address to sueinthesun@hotmail.co.uk or call 639 318 526 to register your entry into the competition.

LAST WEEK Jennifer Cunningham, Founder and President of Paul Cunningham Nurses, met with Lisa and Shaun, who are approaching their 10th Anniversary of serving great food at Spud Murphy’s in Playa Flamenca. Jennifer presented them with the very first €10,000 fundraising certificate from PCN. Jennifer said: “I wanted to personally thank these very special people for all the hard work they have done in the last two and a half years raising money for PCN. The now famous race nights have become an annual event. “Having lost my son Paul at just 33 to spinal cancer I know how much the support and care from the Sue Ryder Hospice meant to me and this is what I and my team strive to provide for

others through the charity Paul Cunningham Nurses, providing Hospice Care at Home when it is needed most. “We always need people to help as volunteers to distribute collecting tins or to help with events that can be as simple as a coffee and cake morning to an elaborate dinner and dance. Don’t forget we now have a PCN Charity Shop in Playa Flamenca beach side of the N332. ‘Give a little, help a lot’ is what we ask and I thank all of those of you who do from the top and bottom of my heart.” You can contact Paul Cunningham Nurses on nurses@paulcunninghamnurses.com or for fundraising sueinthesun@hotmail.co.uk and 639 318 526

20 22 -- 26 28 may JulY2011 2011

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‘Look at me’ ad to promote Spanish veg AN ADVERTISEMENT featuring a naked Spanish farmer has been broadcast on Spanish television networks this week in a campaign by the UPA (the union of small farmers and ranchers) to raise awareness of the high quality of Spanish fresh produce in the wake of the European E-coli outbreak, in which it was falsely claimed that the infection was sourced in Spain. The ad, under the slogan: “Eating fruit and vegetables in Spain is natural,” is expected to prompt a surge in trade. The farmer is semiclothed in a black jumpsuit that is snipped away with scissors to reveal his assets. The Secretary General of UPA-Andalusia, Augustine Rodriguez, insists that the

Ministry of Agriculture is not doing enough to secure speedy compensation for farmers that sustained heavy losses as a result of embargoes in the E-coli crisis.

Domestic violence victim critical A WOMAN in Valencia has been hospitalised with stab wounds to her face, neck and arms after being stabbed, allegedly by her 56-year-old partner, with a 24-inch bladed knife in front of her two young children. The victim, known as 36-year-old MLC, has an uncertain prognosis following the assault. The victim’s partner, covered in blood, was taken into custody by police and is expected to face a charge of attempted murder. Victims of gender and domestic violence in Spain may call for help by ringing 016.

Watts In Britain By

Paul Watts

Home from Costa Blanca...

AFTER TWO weeks on the Costa Blanca you’d think one would be relaxed and in a tranquil state of mind. Well, one was, and one continued to be so for at least an hour on British soil. One was positively glowing with post-Albirian and La Nucian serenity until one opened one’s front door and found that one had received a letter from a bunch of legalised bandits called Excel Parking Services. One was then extremely pi**ed off! Excel Parking Services, for those who do not know, is ‘an approved operator’ (whatever that means) and a member of the British Parking Association BPA. They operate in accordance with the ‘Code of Practice for Enforcement on Private Land’. Hmmm, all sounds a bit like wheel-clamping thuggish-ness brought up to date and dressed-up-slick, to me. And that’s just what it is. It’s modern day ‘yobbery’ that employs modern day technology to criminalise and financially cripple ordinary law-abiding folk. Okay, here’s my story: Last week I parked at the Iceland store in La Marina Benidorm, did some shopping and left - no problem (And, can I say, how nice to have an Iceland store out in Spain - one with such a nice big car park too). Right: go back several weeks and I did something similar over here in Britain and whoops - big problem. I parked at the Iceland store in Sutton Coldfield, did some shopping – and started a financially crippling time-bomb ticking away. In the space of twenty minutes I had electronically activated and unknowingly breached “the car park terms and conditions in the privately operated car park at Iceland in Sutton Coldfield.” It would however, be a few more weeks until the letter plopped on my door and I find this all out. Just in time to coincide with my return to these shores. A great welcome home – I don’t think... What had happened on that day was this: I dropped the ‘management’ off to get some in-store Icelandic bargains whilst I remained in the car, gripped as I was with a Lee Child thriller. Now, it must be said, I paid no heed to the parking notices; I was oblivious to the ANPR (spy surveillance gear) controlled pay and display. I just wanted to get on and read the next chapter to see how Jack Reacher was going to escape the fiendish death his enemy had cunningly planned. In any case this Iceland and its Iceland Customer Car Park wasn’t in the centre of town. Oh no, it wasn’t a prime site car park whereby you might nip off to do other nonIcelandic things. No, if you parked in the huge but clearly not-oft used and practically empty car park, you were there specifically to shop at Iceland. Which is what we did; or rather what Mrs WattsinBritain did; I was in the car reading my book, remember? Okay, clearly, ignorance of private parking regulations is no excuse (look I’ve got me hands up) but the fine imposed for the twenty minutes that I’d parked in the ‘huge but empty car park’ was beyond all sane comprehension. Do you know how much these legally sanctioned thugs fine you? For under half-an-hour without a ticket in Sutton Coldfield’s Iceland store you must be prepared to lose one hundred of your pounds. Yup, a bloody ton; a hundred quid! Where did they get that figure from? Is it not a trifle extreme? Clearly those Icelandic bargains we purchased have now become heavy Icelandic burdens. That was one expensive pizza supper, I can tell ya... Me, I’m keeping out of that store for evermore. These modern day pirates at Excel very considerately send you a photo of your car entering and exiting the car park. Maybe this little memento of your time at an Excel-operated-mugging-zone is to make you feel better. In years to come you can look back with a warm glow at your whole Excel experience and maybe you’ll think that you’ve not completely wasted a hundred quid. Maybe… Anyway, these modern day Dick Turpins must be making a flippin’ fortune. Although, what they spend it on is a mystery. Their web-site is amateurish to the extreme - a five year-old could design a more sophisticated one. And they don’t appear to have used their ill-gotten booty for an expensive office block as there is no physical address; it’s just a box office number given. I guess they might be worried about getting doggy-doos through their front door. So then, dear reader, take heed of my cautionary tale and either do not enter a car park that has an Excel sign on it; or read the huge board of small-print very, very closely. One lady told me she went into the store to check if they had a certain product before paying for her parking. They didn’t, so she left and Bingo… it cost her sixty quid. Ho hum, the joys of living in Blighty. Watts in Britain, so you don’t have to be…

14 JulY JulY 2011 2011 228 -- 28

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TERRA MÍTICA is an Oasis in the centre of Benidorm. For the new season the park has a new, leafy and fresh environment with eight new falls, two new fountains and a new system to pulverize the water and decrease its temperature (7º lower). In Terra Mítica visitors can now find more plants and trees (590 trees, 15,000 bushes, 20,000 new flowers and more than 800 palms). At Terra Mítica, you don’t have to wait for fun! The rides work 100% so queue time is kept very low. Moreover, the rides have been inspected and checked to guarantee safety. Children are very important for the Theme Park of Benidorm and three new rides have been introduced in the Egyptian area: Anilus (the ship), Clepsidra (crazy cups) and Kexoke (crash cars). Terra Mítica have more than 36 exciting and fun rides to enjoy: Magnus Colossus, the biggest coaster in Europe; La Furia de Tritón, a water ride with two high falls, where you travel in a big boat; El Vuelo del Fenix features a free fall - a 54-metre drop in 3 seconds! And Titanide is the inversed coaster. Shows are also important in Terra Mítica too with The Return of Barbarroja is one of the most important. ‘Dreams’, showcasing artists from the Cirque du Soleil, launches this season. And for the kiddies Terra Mítica offers shows like The Puppets or Pandora’s Dream. In short, more than 16 shows are available within the park. For visitors needing to recharge batteries, Terra Mitica has more than 15 different places to find something delicious to eat with a choice of Pizzas, pasta, hot dogs or tasty Mediterranean dishes: everything is possible in Terra Mitica. And the souvenir shops provide visitors with a range of mementoes of the perfect day out! www.terramiticabenidorm.com. Tel: 902 02 03 40

22 - 28 JulY 2011

Sid’s Adventures in Spain

Spanish lessons by

Jane Cronin

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

part 7

Sid has just emerged from his hotel to explore his surroundings in Spain for the very first time. SID STROLLED out of his hotel down the busy narrow street trying not to look like a typical tourist by goggling at everything he saw. He did not want people to think that he felt in any way out of place. After twenty minutes of nervously dodging children, dogs, manholes, motorbikes, scaffolding, strolling ladies and rushing delivery men Sid was relieved to see ahead of him and an acceptable looking café with a terrace. He managed to clear a path and collapsed into the nearest seat. He addressed the waiter in his best Spanish: “Una taza de té inglés por favor señor”. Imagine his

astonishment when the waiter replied: “Cuppa tea mate? Milk ‘n sugar? Be with you in two tics.” Sid salió de su hotel dando un paseo por la calle estrecha llena de gente, intentando no parecer el típico turista observando con asombro todo lo que veía. No quería que la gente pensase que se sentía fuera de lugar de ningún modo. Después de veinte minutos esquivando bastante nervioso a niños, perros, alcantarillas, motos, andamios, señoras paseando y repartidores con prisa, Sid estaba aliviado al ver un bar aceptable con una terraza. Consiguió hacerse un camino entre la gente y se tiró al asiento más cercano. Llamó al camarero en su mejor español —Una taza de té inglés por favor señor—.

Imagina su sorpresa cuando el camarero le contestó: —Cuppa tea mate? Milk ‘n sugar? Be with you in two tics. Whilst Sid sipped his mug of tea, which he had to admit was a lot nicer than the one he had been served for breakfast at the hotel, Sid observed the scene around him. Actually he did more than observe, he also heard and smelt an entirely new world. It was as though the volume was turned up too high, with one noise competing with another to be heard. The general hum of traffic was interspersed with sounding horns, screeching tyres and running engines. Through the door of the café came the noise of a gaming machine and a television set playing pop song videos.

Mientras Sid bebía a sorbitos su taza de té, que tenía que reconocer sabía mejor que la que le sirvieron en el desayuno del hotel, Sid observaba la escena que le rodeaba. En realidad hizo más que observar, también oyó y olió un mundo completamente nuevo. Era como si hubiesen subido el volumen demasiado, con un sonido compitiendo con otro para ser oído. En el sonido general del tráfico se mezclaban los cláxones, ruedas que chirrían y motores encendidos. Por la puerta del bar venía el sonido de una máquina tragaperras y una televisión emitiendo videoclips de música pop. You can get the whole story of Sid’s Adventures as a paperback or e-book via my website: www.janecronin.eu

Bronze for the Spanish Syn THE SPANISH Synchronised Swimming Team crowded onto the podium on Wednesday after lifting the Bronze medal in Shanghai, China, at the 2011 World Championships. The team ‘danced’ to the strains of Balkan music in a near perfect performance in the water,

Hurry, offers Liberty Seguros free voucher offer ends

LIBERTY SEGUROS, the number one expatriate insurance provider in Spain, wants to make sure customers take advantage of these fantastic promotions. But hurry these offers end soon! Until 31st July, every customer who takes out a fully comprehensive car insurance policy (with a premium over 300€), will receive a 30€ petrol voucher to use at any Repsol filling station. Plus, for customers who take out a home insurance policy (with premiums over 200€), there’s a 30€ shopping voucher to use at any branch of El Corte Inglés. As with all offers, terms and conditions apply. Liberty Seguros has a wide range of insurance products, both for personal and business use. So if you need to buy quality car or home insurance at an affordable price, want to deal with a reputable, secure company, AND benefit from these special promotions, then speak to Liberty Seguros. Their car insurance includes immediate cover, no-claims discount, assistance and repairs service 24/7, legal assistance and a cour-

Theft of biblical proportions A THIEF who stole various items from the cave sanctuary of San Pascual Bailon in Monforte has been corresponding via notes with

the priest custodian: “If you need to eat, the solution is not to be found in breaking in and stealing,” wrote the priest, and stuck the note on the steel

Notes on the door to the shrine

chronised Swimming Team with Russia taking the gold medal and China the silver. The next goal will certainly be the London 2012 Olympic Games. However, Coach Ann Tarrés, delighted with the team’s performance in Shanghai, concedes there are some rough edges to polish before 2012.

end soon!

petrol and shopping 31st July

tesy car. However, there are a number of upgrades available for even greater flexibility and all documentation is in English. Customers requiring home insurance are assured of the best type of cover for their individual circumstances: whether homeowner or tenant, there are 30 types of cover offering solutions for your protection and security. Advice and quotations can be sought through Liberty Seguros’ specialist international clients department, with operators who speak many languages including English and German. Alternatively, for customers who prefer a more personal touch, they have the option of meeting face-to-face with one of Liberty’s brokers. As Liberty Seguros works with only the best brokers, their customers are assured of premier service with the flexibility to tailor a policy to suit their specific requirements and in a language they understand. To learn more about these offers and to get details of your nearest broker visit: www.libertyseguros.es/expatriates/en

door set into a side wall of the shrine. “Sorry – I need to eat,” was the reply posted a few days later. A number of thefts have occurred in churches and chapels in the region, with items taken ranging from religious statuary to copper wiring, benches, sewer grates, door knobs and mailboxes – anything containing metal that can be sold for scrap. The Shrine of Our Lady of Orito and San Pascual was erected by the Franciscan friars Alcantarines on the ruins of the Chapel of the Nativity in 1555 following the discovery of a tiny image 42mm, of the Virgen de Orito.

15 - 22 21 october 2010 - 28 JulY 2011

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22 - 28 JulY 2011

money

22 - 28 JulY 2011

Will stockmarkets head south for the summer? WITH ITALY the latest victim of the credit squeeze, are we about to see another stockmarket crash? There is an old expression “Sell in May and go away”. This is followed up by “Come back on St Leger’s day” (around mid-September for those nonhorse racing types). It may not be the shrewdest idea to base one’s finances on old expressions, but there have been studies on this subject which show that since 1950, the worst 6 months for performance of the stockmarkets has been between May and November. The reasons can be varied but almost every year it has happened. There are those who will ignore the problem times and with the aid of the extra nip of their favourite brew, will see themselves through them. Others will sell up but often too late and then crystallise a loss, coming back into the markets after they have picked up. I am not a monger in scare but I would not be surprised if stockmarkets are down significantly over the next 2 months. If Portugal,

Italy,Ireland and Greece (4 of the 5 PIIGS) can cause such a stir with their debt problems, what will happen when Spain, the final piece in the PIIGS jigsaw, admits that their ‘model’ for recovery is not much better than the rest? I see this as a huge opportunity. We can help by setting up funds to drip in over the next few months taking advantage of lower values. When markets pick up again, the real winners are those who bought at a low. IS MY INVESTMENT PLAN VALID IN SPAIN? Someplans are more tax efficient than others. PEPs and ISAs are tax favoured in the UK, as are

Premium Bonds. Not so in Spain. We use the phrase ‘Spanish compliant’ which refers to the tax position rather than the validity of the policy. This, as with most things in Spain, is a little cloudy but the general view is that if it is Spanish compliant it means that no tax is deducted on any growth until a withdrawal is made and even then the calculation is hugely beneficial for Spanish tax residents.It is vital that you review the investment and make sure that it is taxed as little as possible. For more information call John Hayward on 96 558 7633 or email john.hayward@spectrum-ifa.com

Company Women Cool Down WHY NOT join Company Women at The Emerald Isle, La Florida for couple of hours on 4th August for a buffet style lunch - with free swimming for Company Women members and guests and the chance to enjoy a few pampering perks. Company Women’s July lunch held at Rocky’s Arena was an opportunity to combine business with pleasure with informative presentations by Sandra Moya from Asepro Business Accountancy and Deborah Yunis Quintana from CBS Consulting. You might have missed Rockys but if you feel you’re wilting a little and need to rejuvenate why not come and join us on Thursday 4th August. Don’t forget your swimming cozzy! For more details visit Company Women’s website at www.companywomen.org

22 - 28 JulY 2011

legal

22 - 28 JulY 2011

New shared custody law in the Valencian community by

Carlos Baos

of White & Baos Abogados English & Spanish Solicitors

THE NEW ‘Law for Family Relations’, for children whose parents live apart, is now in force. This new Generalitat Valenciana Law Number 5/11 of 1st April is also called the ‘Valencia law for shared custody’. This law applies to children under the custody of parents within the civil neighbourhood in the Valencia Community. ‘Civil neighbourhood’ should not be confused with ‘administrative neighbourhood’ or the ‘place of residence’. Civil neighbourhood is regulated under the preliminary title of the Spanish Civil Code. As a general rule the civil neighbourhood of under age children will be the same as the parents. Please take into account that children of a foreign parent who acquire Spanish nationality can opt for civil neighbourhood in the Valencia community if they live or are born there. Firstly we must say that this new Law has created some legal and political controversy. The central government of Spain has agreed to file a constitutional appeal against it based on the fact that it regulates over civil institutions that did not exist in the field of civil statuary Laws of the Valencia Community and thus exceeds the powers of the region in

breach of the exclusive faculties of the State. In any case we have to highlight the fact that this Law clearly points out that in the absence of a Family Coexistence Agreement (Pacto De Convivencia Familiar), agreed consent by both parents regulating the relationship between each other and their children in a friendly matter, it will be the judicial authority who will set the following points of the relationship: a) Coexistence regime between the children and their parents. b) Relationship regime between the children and their brothers, sisters, grandparents and other family members: this is something new and different to the previous applicable law, as did not expressly mentioned these relatives. c) Distribution of properties and house goods owned by the family. d) Setting maintenance and expenses amounts for the children. One of the main novelties of this Law is that it establishes in article 5.2 that the general rule will be the shared living regime between parents and children (equivalent to JOINT CUSTODY in a broader sense). Only the custody or living regime could be granted to one of the parents when it is necessary to guarantee the well being of the minors and supported by the necessary backups and reports from doctors, social workers etc. In these cases a system for family relations must be set to guarantee the relationship of the minor with both parents

(contact, visits, and holidays). The judge can also monitor the family situation periodically. Also this Law states in its article 6 that in regards to who will keep the use of the properties and house goods, that in case of allocating the family home to one of the parents being the other parent the sole or part owner, a compensation should be paid to the parent who loses use of the property. The compensation amount will be determined taking into account the general renting fees in the area where the property is located. In addition the Law states that the allocation of the house will be on a temporary basis setting a maximum period of use which can be modified by a Court decision. One of the most notable aspects of this Law is that it foresees the revision of any definite Decree granted as per the previous legislation, in a separation, divorce and annulment court process. This revision could be applied for by any of the parties or the prosecutor. This could mean a significant increase in the amount of decrees to be revised requesting among others the shared custody and the allocation of the family home previously given to the other party, etc. The information provided on this article is not intended to be legal advice, but merely conveys general information related to legal issues. We kindly invite you to visit and comment about this article in our blog at http://www.white-baos.com/blog/ - your comments in this respect will be greatly appreciated. This article is available in English and Spanish at www.white-baos.com.

Marc White LL.B. & Carlos Baos (English & Spanish Solicitors) © White & Baos Abogados 2011 - All rights reserved. C/Diana 19, 2º-D, 03700 Dénia (located 1 minute away from the La Via underground car park). Tel: 966 426 185. Send your questions to spanishlawyer@roundtownnews.com or info@white-baos.com

money

22 - 28 JulY 2011

Car trouble by

Suzanne O’Connell Customer Care at Ábaco

I THOUGHT that picking up a reasonably priced second hand car for my 18-year-old son would be a straightforward process. Tired of running a taxi service and falling over scooter parts on the patio, the option of a tidy little run-around seemed a good one: I couldn’t have been more wrong. To begin with there’s the purchase price. You don’t seem able to buy anything, even a wheelbarrow, under 1,500€. Then there’s the insurance - if you can get insurance at all. Many companies won’t even consider anyone under the age of 21 without three years’ driving experience and we’re talking well into four figures if they do. Then there’s the sheer nuisance of it all. Cars, like property, can have debts held against them. When

you pick up a second hand car you have to make sure that you aren’t picking up someone else’s debts as well. As if it wasn’t complicated enough, some second hand car dealers have been asking for additional documentation. You don’t have to have a padron or residencia certificate to purchase a second hand car in Spain, but some dealers are insisting that you do. We became aware earlier this month of a couple of non-residents who felt so pressurised to meet the ‘requirement’ that they applied for a residency certificate in order to comply. The bank became involved and transferred their account to a resident account and their fiscal representative, who should have known better, even presented a resident tax return instead

of a non-resident one to the Spanish tax authority - a level of proof of residency that some residents of many years haven’t yet achieved! Needless to say, they eventually came unstuck as the Spanish Tax Authority started claiming tax from them and investigating their savings in the UK. They realised what a fine mess they were in and eventually asked Ábaco for help: all for a second-hand car. This might be the tale of a series of unfortunate events but it’s also a reason for getting timely advice from people who you can trust. If you would like a FREE, no obligation tax consultation with one of Ábaco’s friendly team of advisers call the ÁbacoConnect Help-line 96 670 3748: www.abacoconnect.com”

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 Tel: 96 558 7633 M obile 61820473 1

•QROPS Pension Transfers •Inheritance Tax Planning •Retirement Planning •Life Assurance

•Mortgages •Currency Exchange •Funeral Plans

Baskerville Advisers S.L. CIF B-63/137.020; Correduria de Seguros; No. de registro RDGS J2306; Seguro responsabilidad civil AIG Europe No. 0131900503.1330; Registro Mercantil de Barcelona, Tomo 35489, Folio 170, Seccion 8, Hoja B-269534

Transport labourers earning good money MARKET RESEARCH by Servef (Valencian Employment Service and Training) has revealed that the most sought after job roles in the Baix Vinalopó area are those of transport labourers and porters, despite assumptions that the biggest employers in the area are in the shoe manufacturing sector. 6,650 contracts in haulage labour and related jobs were processed last year, compared to 4,798 contracts relating to footwear and leather goods. Transport workers and porters earn better salaries, improved from four years previously from 700€ to 1,100€ per month now. And casual labour contracts are popular with employers that prefer to hire by the month, week or even by the hour. Jobs in the construction sector continue to be thin on the ground.

legal

22 - 28 JulY 2011

Is British credit due to you? by

Michael Olmer

Solicitor, Link Point Legal and Business Services

IF YOU are planning returning to Britain after living in Spain for a number of years you will almost certainly need to re-establish your credit rating to be able to take on a new mortgage, bank overdraft, or even a mobile phone contract. I am grateful to the Head of Consumer Affairs at Experian UK for providing me with some guidance on how the UK credit reference system works, which may help returning expats to obtain credit in Britain in these straightened times. Although the large credit reference agencies operate in several European countries, including Spain, at present there is no mechanism for exchanging information between their various national subsidiaries, although this may change in the future. When planning your return, you should always obtain a copy of your Spanish credit report. As you may be aware, in Britain you have a statutory right to obtain a copy of your credit report from the various credit reference agencies, and a similar right exists in Spain. To obtain a copy of your Spanish credit

report, for example from Experian, go to their website at www.experian. es/assets/legal/white-papers/accesobadexcug.pdf to download the paper form which you must print out and send by post together with a copy of your NIE number or Certificate of European Community Residency to the address given in Madrid. There is no charge for this service, and a couple of weeks later you will receive a copy of your credit report. If you intend returning to Britain you should then get a certified translation into English of this report. As the credit reference system is based on your address, if you have been out of Britain for less than six years the credit reference agencies will still be able to produce a credit report for you based on your old address in Britain. If you have been living out of Britain for more than six years, your British credit record will have lapsed, and this is the case even if you have maintained British bank accounts, credit cards, or other British credit agreements but they have been registered to overseas addresses. Interestingly, if your British bank

accounts or credit cards have been registered to “care of” addresses, this may help keep your British credit record alive. Even with a good Spanish credit record this will mean that it will be virtually impossible to obtain credit immediately on your return to Britain, and you will be considered in the same way as any other immigrant. This can be especially problematic if you are hoping to obtain a mortgage to buy a property in the current financial climate. ‘Self-certified’ mortgages no longer exist in Britain, and indeed the number of mortgage products available in the market has reduced from some 27,000 in 2008 to only about 2,500 today and lending criteria is strict. Even if you have been in permanent employment in Spain, unless your employer has had its accounts audited by one of the big multinational firms of accountants, its accounts and your salary records may be treated with a great deal of skepticism by British lenders. If you have been self-employed here in Spain or run your own business,

some lenders may be prepared to consider your Spanish financial status but only either if your firm’s accounts have been audited by one of the big multinational firms of accountants, or you agree to have your last three years’ accounts re-audited by one of the accountancy firms on the British lender’s own panel at your own expense. Lenders will start to consider lending to you after you have been permanently back in Britain with a satisfactory credit record after between 1 and 3 years, the implication being that you may have to spend some time in rented accommodation. On your return to Britain you must register on the electoral roll and start to rebuild your British credit record from there and your ‘credit score’ should then start to improve. If you are planning to return to Britain please contact us well in advance so that we at Linkpoint, together with our associated firm of British accountants, can assist in properly planning the financial as well as the practical aspects of your move.

Calle Andromeda 24, 03581 Albir - Alfaz del Pí, Alicante. Email: client@linkpointlegal.com Web: www.linkpointlegal.com Tel: 96 626 0500 Fax: 96 686 52 77

money

22 - 28 JulY 2011

QROPS around the World Part 3 Taking lump sums from new Zealand QROPS by

Stephen Ward & Robert Burns IN OUR third article of our world QROPS tour we are inspired by recent press articles making all kinds of false comments about the supposed risks of taking 100% of the fund in cash after transferring benefits from a UK pension scheme to a New Zealand QROPS. The same supposed risks have been repeated time and time again for almost three years without a single one of the predictions coming to fruition. The most recent claims we have seen are, as always, riddled with misinformation and are designed to scare rather than inform. The main claim is that “HMRC will introduce retrospective legislation, applying massive fines to individuals who have withdrawn 100% of the fund transferred to a Qualifying Recognised Overseas Pension Scheme in New Zealand.” One recent article agrees that “technically

speaking, there are circumstances where it is possible to have the whole of your fund payable to you as a lump sum,” but then goes on to suggest that although to do so is within the rules, if the rules should change then a penalty of 55% of the value of the fund transferred may be levied retrospectively. This is like saying that anyone over 50, but under age 55, who withdrew 25% of their UK pension fund in cash prior to 5th April 2011, which was within the regulations at that time, will now be liable to a tax charge of 55% as the rules changed making the minimum age to take benefits 55 from that date. Is that likely to happen? Of course not, because if you take benefits from any pension scheme, whilst complying with all the regulations at the time, you cannot be punished in the future if the rules then change. Apart from being the way pensions’ legislation is applied, it is basic common sense. The legislation is very clear…. if you are a non UK resident you may transfer your UK pension fund or funds to a QROPS. During the first five tax years of non UK residence no more than the current UK levels of benefit may be taken from age 55 else a tax charge will arise. However once someone has completed five

When someone has completed 5 complete and consecutive tax years as a non UK resident the pensions legislation of the jurisdiction where the fund is based is followed

complete and consecutive tax years as a non UK resident, it is the pensions legislation of the jurisdiction where the fund is based that then applies in terms of the allowable benefit structures with no UK tax applying. New Zealand legislation permits up to 100% of the fund to be withdrawn with no deduction of tax. We cannot help it if this is how the law works nor if this is how it has worked for over five years. What we can say is that many clients

find this option highly attractive, but some other advisory firms for their own reasons do not. So if you are told anything other than this in terms of how the law works just ask to be shown the relevant legislation - silence will then ensue. For further information about QROPS, QNUPS, Pension Planning and long term investment opportunities please email review@qrops.es or see http://www.prempensions.com and http://www.qrops.es

THIS ARTICLE IS WRITTEN BY STEPHEN WARD AND ROBERT BURNS, PREMIER PENSION SOLUTIONS S.L., July 2011. Please see our advert on Page 2. At the forefront of the industry with over forty years combined experience with pensions, regulated and authorised, liaising directly with providers and HMRC, Stephen and Robert are two of the leading authorities on QROPS. E: review@qrops.es T: 965 790 918 www.qrops.es www.prempensions.com or www.qropsnz.com

22 - 28 JulY 2011

Home Garden

Brought to you by

www.spanishhomefinder.com

Spain’s Illegal Properties THE ILLEGAL property issue surrounding many Spanish properties has been in the news a lot in our part of the woods, and if recent headlines are to be believed: ‘Most illegally built homes in Andalucía to be allowed to remain standing’, then there is good by news just around the corner for many. Chris Marshall Of course also ‘just round the corner’ is the election here in www.almerimarlife.com Spain so I suspect we will hear quite a bit of ‘good news’ for property owners in general, including those having difficulty paying their mortgages. For now, though, the new decree being prepared by the Junta de Andalucía on the isolated illegal properties built across the region will allow the buildings to remain, but says that they will never be declared legal. “The decree intends to bring order to a reality, but notes that the law cannot allow the properties to be made legal.” In the Axarquía and Almanzora valley alone as many as 25,457 illegal homes have been counted and it is estimated that 89% of them will fall into the new legislation. In Andalucía as a whole the number of illegally built properties is estimated to be between 300,000 and 500,000. No real surprise then that both the PSOE the Partido Popular indicated that they want to reduce the number of properties being embargoed through owners not being able to keep up the mortgage. Zapatero has said that he wants to increase the minimum monthly income under which property could not be embargoed to 961€. There has been agreement that the value of the property must be maintained and that in such cases they should not be auc-

tioned off by the banks. It’s considered that if the property can be said to hold a greater value, it will help in reducing pending debts with the bank if the owners are finally evicted. There is cross party agreement too on avoiding abusive mortgage clauses, but both main parties have stopped short of considering the handing over of the keys as clearing the mortgage debt. Elsewhere in the Spanish property news this month a number of stories were of interest, although not always good news, as the overall picture remains somewhat bleak and depressed it has to be said! The Bank of Spain has predicted that house prices will continue to fall for the next two years. According to official figures, house prices have fallen by an average of 15.4% since the first quarter of 2008, which is a staggering 20% after inflation. The property market is continuing to struggle with the over-supply of houses built up during a massive boom that turned to bust at the start of 2008. The 100% mortgage deals that have helped to revitalise the Spanish property market for the last year are coming to an end so what little success the Spanish developers and their funding banks have had in selling off new builds looks to be coming to an end. The Spanish cabinet has approved new timeshare legislation in Spain to control what they call the multi-ownership industry. The legislation adapts the Spanish regulations to European norms, and takes into account new holiday packages with the intention of better protecting the consumer. It affects the contracts for tourism assets, the acquisition of long-term holiday

products, and the resale and exchange of timeshare and other variants. The new legislation regulates the time of exercising a right of withdrawal, extends a ban on advance payments and establishes a payment schedule for long-term contracts. According to a recent survey over the last 12 months 39% of Britons with second homes overseas say they’ve found them an increasing financial burden. More than half admit to losing sleep worrying about their homes or say their holiday homes are making them struggle to keep their heads above water financially. As a result, 61 per cent of those holiday home owners surveyed said they made a loss on their properties last year. It’s understandable then that given such misery, 44% are trying to sell up. And finally… an interesting statistic: the average amount of time people spend looking around a house before deciding whether to buy it or not is approximately 17 minutes and as a result a new ‘rent to buy’ property service has emerged. ‘Trybefore-you-buy’ is an alternative way of buying property, and bearing in mind it will be one of the biggest purchases most of us will ever make, it makes sense to try it first and be certain. The scheme works by seller and prospective buyer agreeing on the value of the property and a “test” rental period before the property is rented out. Once the rental period is up the prospective buyer chooses whether or not to buy it. If a decision to buy is made, some or all of the rent paid is put towards the cost of the property. Sorry, one more figure to mull over… Spain had nearly 700,000 new homes sitting unsold at the end of last year!

Property Matters by Chris Marshall is sponsored by www.piagi.com The Currency Specialists, offering the best foreign exchange rates and currency prices. You can hear Chris each month on the weekly Property Matters show on Bay Radio Costa Almeria 91.5FM and 95.5FM ( www.bayradio.fm) with Bob James, Mondays at 4pm.

22 - 28 JulY 2011

Clodagh & Dick Handscombe Practical gardeners and authors

JULY, THE hottest month of the year, is when your choice of plants and the way they were planted is severely tested in terms of whether you have a colourful garden when the garden is most used, whether you chose plants appropriate to your microclimate and soils – the soil may well change from one part of the garden to another, and whether you in fact planted them correctly in terms of full sun, semi shade, dappled shade or full shade positions. The winter will be the next real test when you see how they fare when cold winds blow and, in some areas, frosts occur. Review your garden now and make notes of what summer improvements need to be made for next year. Don’t go out now to buy and then plant new plants. Rather wait until the period October to March on the coast and March to June in frosty areas for most plants. Your basic choices are to have: Only local native wild plants: with a slice of a mountain side you may have a good collection on day one. Others can be rescued from building sites and road widening, purchased from Cultidelta near Delta Ebro in the south of Cataluña or grown from seeds purchased from Semillas Silvestres based in Cordoba. And of course a few va-

Choice of plants rieties will be available from some garden centres. Plants totally suitable for Spain and grown in Spain, often in the open air; these days perhaps only a third of what are offered in garden centres. Plants totally suitable for Spain but imported from overseas hothouses - but being forced and often large specimens they often need several years of constant care to establish root systems that enable them to survive. Plants partially suitable for Spain. These include Northern European annuals and perennials and subtropical /tropical plants most suitable respectively for the semi-temperate areas inland of true Mediterranean climate conditions of coastal hotspots that never get frost. Before you make final choices, walk the local countryside, visit local gardens/botanical gardens open to the public – will include a list next week, walk round the neighborhood and local parks and study the possible choices of plants described in ‘Your Garden in Spain – From planning to planting and maintenance’. Then of course there is the choice and mixing of colours as many plants have several choices of flower colour and some have choices of leaf colour: Read Chapter 2.6 ‘Painting with plants’ presented in the above book before you make

Grow new plants from cuttings or seeds

your final choices and purchases. Once you find plants that love your garden conditions reduce the cost of stocking the total garden by growing new plants from cuttings or seeds. Having started our garden 25 years ago from abandoned agricultural terraces it is obviously now full of plants and colour at all times of the year – recognize that the range of possible greens available is often greater than the range of flower colours. It’s so sad to see some local gardens flowerless

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

Home & Garden

in the summer heat. Even more so when they looked great in the Spring. Clodagh and Dick handscombe’s books include instructions for caring for plants during each month of the year. The books can be purchased from bookshops and via internet mail order siteas such as Santana Books. At present they have a special summer offer for ‘Apartment Gardening Mediterranean Style’. It will save your garden as well as being a great present.

22 - 28 JulY 2011

Brought to you by spanishhomefinder.com

22 - 28 JulY 2011

DYNA POOL - Swimming Pool Leak Detection - Save Time, Save Chemicals, Save Water & Money If you have a swimming pool the chances are that your water is being metered by your water supplier. If your pool has a leak it could be costing you a fortune! We are the Number 1 specialists on the Costa Blanca for pool leak detection and repair. We have over 5 years experience with both newly built pools and established pools on the Costa Blanca. We use cutting edge detection equipment so the cost of curing your pool leak need not be expensive. Swimming Pool Leak Detection Call Dyna Pool, the Costa Blanca’s premier Leak Specialists and save time, money, and unnecessary property damage. With our stateof-the-art equipment and methodology, we find and fix all kinds of concealed leaks. An unrepaired leak could mean real trouble to a pool owner. For example a 1mm hole would release up to 350 gallons of water per day. Not only is this wasting our most precious resource it could prove to be very costly. It is important to remember that the water that you are losing is also chemically dosed. You are, therefore, throwing away your hard earned cash on both chemicals and water. More important than this is the fact that the water has to go somewhere and this can inevitably lead to structural damage being caused not only to the pool shell itself but to surrounding foundations and footings to buildings.

You may have a leak if: • Pool has air in the system • Equipment loses prime • You see cracks • Pool surround is sinking or lifting • There are wet patches around the pool • You add water more than once a week Having said that, don’t panic, we offer the following leak detection services: • Initial site visit to carry out a full diagnostic test of the pool plant equipment. • Full pressure test, cctv test using cameras to provide a full picture of the offending pipe work of your pool and report on all associated pool pipe work. • On location of the leak we will submit our quote for the repair should you require us to do so. Dyna Pool also offer a full range of other pool services including the repair and replacement of: • Skimmers • Hoover pipes • Jets/Impulsion Lines • Bottom Drains • Pool Stairs • Coping Stones • Switch Gears

Home & Garden

Don’t let a leak spoil pool time!

• Pumps • Sand Filters • Electric Junction Boxes • Re-tiling and Re-grouting of pools There is no swimming pool problem we cannot find or fix! All pools are susceptible to leaks, whether old or new, plaster or vinyl. Leaks can be caused by ground movement and settling, aging, even your pets. Fortunately, Dyna Pool has a complete leak detection service to find and repair annoying leaks before further damage can occur to the pool or

surrounding area. Call us to make an appoint ment so that we can find and repair that leak! All work is undertaken and guaranteed by our legal registered company in Spain. The season to enjoy pools is short. Many problems that are commonly experienced can be solved without draining the water from the pool. Downtime for your pool maybe avoided. It is likely we can provide a solution to your problem without draining the water from the pool. Call FREE on 900 801 133 or 650 461 394 Website : www.dynadrain.com Email: dyna-drain@hotmail.com

Brought to you by spanishhomefinder.com

22 - 28 JulY 2011

Holidays in Spain IF WE ignore the financial plight of the world, which has dominated the headlines as you would expect, it has actually been a pretty uplifting week headline-wise. One of the best for me was that we have an answer as to why Spaniards stay at home for their holidays rather than venture abroad: they are scared! That’s right, the macho men of Spain, who will happily beat up their partners, watch a man with a sharp stick kill a bull and tie up and leave a pet dog to die are scared of driving abroad! A recent survey reported that 40% are afraid to drive abroad and a whopping 80% are scared to drive in a country that drives on the left. Rather spookily the same percentages cropped up in my second favourite headline of the week: ‘Kick out foreigners who cannot get jobs’, as 40% of Spaniards believe that foreigners who have been out of work for a certain length of time should be ‘sent home’, and 80% feel there is an ‘excessive’ number of nonSpanish people living in the country. Reminds you of home eh… Apparently Spain has the second highest foreign population amongst the 27 EU countries with 5.7 million foreign citizens registered which equates to 12% of the population. Unfortunately if they are fed up now they are going to have to learn to live with it as the expat way of life is attracting more and more people with nearly a third of UK employees considering leaving the country in the next five years. Although

with 86% of would-be emigrants attracted by the idea of achieving a better work-life balance, and 83% drawn by the prospect of more money I am not convinced that Spain will be high on many people’s list. Although... experts in Germany are recommending what they call ‘Spanish yoga’ during working hours, claiming that taking a siesta midway through the day improves employees’ productivity and accuracy. Could still be hope, then, that we will see more expats heading to Spain. Of course one assumes the Spanish are happy enough for people to come on holiday though, which is good news because as the summer holidays start, families are making plans for last minute getaways, and it seems Spain is still a top destination. Budget airline easyJet has published a ‘top five’ list of destinations visited by UK tourists in 2011, and Spanish resorts took three of the five spots, with the Spanish city of Palma de Majorca taking up another place. Brits taking advantage of plentiful cheap flights to Malaga made the Spanish city and gateway to the Costa del Sol the most popular holiday spot for 2011 so far. A good range of flights to Alicante from London and other regional hubs gave the Costa Brava gateway second place in the list, and large numbers of holidaymakers finding good deals on flights to Palma de Majorca gave the Spanish island third place in the list. All sounds promising, especially when you consider that holiday firms have slashed costs of summer holidays to Spain this year.

For example Thomas Cook is offering over 1,000€ off some breaks to the country. The discounts are as a result of increasing turmoil in the Middle East and the spiralling recession. And finally some quickies to end this week: Alicante Airport will allow embarking on foot only in the winter as the tests which followed Ryanair’s threat to cut back operations over the passenger bridges issue have shown it would be too risky in the summer. Google Maps is to include traffic information in real time for Spain. (Until now the service has only been available in the United States and the U.K) and the European Union has introduced a new set of rules for facilitating cross-border maintenance payments - the rules are aimed at making it easier for families to recover maintenance fees when, for example, one parent lives in a different European country and is refusing to give financial assistance to his or her ex-partner or their children. Chris runs an expat blog about life in Spain (www.almerimarlife.com) and is a regular contributor to a number of publications and radio stations in Spain, as well as writing a monthly column for the Telegraph Expat site and is a Telegraph Expat guest blogger. He lives in Almerimar with his wife Sands, four cats, two Harleys and more often than not a glass of red. His column in the RTN is sponsored by Central Contracts (www.centralcontracts.com) a leading car leasing company supplying cars and vans to business users and private individuals.

Views from a balcony is sponsored by Central Contracts (www.centralcontracts.com) a leading car leasing company supplying cars and vans to business users and private individuals. See also www.almerimarlife.com/expat-technology-blog Email: chris@almermarlife.com Social Networks: Twitter - Facebook - Facebook Group

22 - 28 JulY 2011

Problems with Gonuts4free

Computing with aunty virus

Encountering an error Paul via email asks: CAN YOU please help? I have a new Acer laptop and all is working fine except when I log on to YouTube. After a period of say 3 to 7 minutes the computer crashes and a worded blue screen comes up saying something about encountering an error and forced to close down. The laptop restarts itself and out of the options I choose ‘start windows normally’ and I get a little notice saying Microsoft is checking

the problem but they never tell me what it is. I’ve tried IE9,Chrome and Firefox but all with the same result. Is there some issue re 32 or 64 bit IE9? Enjoy the column but wish it was larger. Aunty Says: What you have described here Paul is the infamous Windows Blue Screen of Death (BSoD). The message itself is usually pretty useless, and is rarely visible long enough to read anyway, but it does indicate that you have a serious problem

somewhere. As it is only happening when you are watching YouTube then maybe look at reinstalling Adobe Flash Player and even update your graphics card drivers from the Acer website. There is always a chance this could be a virus or spyware so run a complete scan as well and let me know how you get on.

CMOS battery Robert via email asks: GOOD MORNING Aunty. I have noticed in the past few days when I switch off my computer one day and switch on the next day the date and time have not moved from when I switched off the previous day. Can you advise me please? Aunty Says: This normally suggest the CMOS battery is running low Robert. There is a small 3volt watch type battery the size of a 10c coin located on the main board that keeps certain system information stored (such as date/time) even when the mains power is off. It is easily replaced and you can buy them from any supermarket.

Is this safe?

Brian from Denia asks: HI AUNTY, I have been given a lead with a USB connection on one end and a car cigarette plug on the other. Please advise if I would be safe to use this for my laptop. The lead hasn’t got the transformer in-line like the home charger lead has. Aunty Says: I wouldn’t plug that into your laptop Brian as you could do some serious damage. The USB ports on your laptop are not there for receiving a charge, they are specifically for connecting other USB devices. You can use the cigarette lighter/USB converter to charge a phone or satnav that is designed to receive a 5v charge through its USB port, but for a laptop you will need a special converter with the correct voltage and plug to match your laptop.

David, Roger and a few others via email ask: YOU USED to recommend Gonuts4free.com as an ISP but they appear to have major problems or have gone out of business as myself and several of my friends are having problems with emails on Gonuts4free and can not make contact with them through their Contacts link. Have you any idea what their problems are? Aunty Says: I have had a load of emails regarding Gonuts problems, particularly their email service not working properly but I can’t find any definite answer. The number for the dialup connection has changed since I last visited their website and it is now to 908 274 413, but I don’t think that would only affect the email service. They now only have 902 phone numbers which I won’t call as they are ridiculously expensive so I cannot contact their staff to confirm whether it is now a chargeable service or whether it is being phased out completely. If it is now chargeable you may as well go to ADSL/broadband. It was always a mystery to me how Gonuts could provide a free service for so long, and in all honesty I’m surprised that the demand for dialup is enough to make it worth their while anymore.

Message error 403 Mick via email asks: I DON’T know if you can assist: I have windows 7 premium and I visit Spain every few months. I have Windows defender and MacAfee anti virus. Whilst in Spain I use my own computer at the local library but when I try to access websites such as Ebay, todaysgolfer and thegolfchannel, up comes the message ‘error 403’. When I ask what that means it comes up that Internet explorer can get into the sites but doesn’t have permission to view. I have been advised to take out the tick in the proxy server box but there is not a tick in that box. I would be obliged if you could help.

Aunty Says: Not an easy one to diagnose I’m afraid Mick. You will need to try a few different things to establish exactly where to problem lies. The first thing is to try your laptop in a different free WiFi location, such as an internet café or bar, to eliminate whether it is the Library’s internet connection that is limiting your connectivity. If everything has been working fine back in the UK it does suggest that it is the library that is restricting access to certain sites. Also try using a different browser, such as Chrome of Firefox, to see if the problem is associated with your browser program. Let me know how you get on.

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

22 - 28 JulY 2011

GADGET INSPECTOR

Gadget Inspector investigates the case of: The Trio of Trash THIS WEEK the Inspector is talking a load of rubbish – nothing unusual according to Mrs Gadget. Rubbish bins, as we all know, are un-sung heroes in the daily fight against domestic muckiness and mess – but why should they be merely filthy, smelly receptacles tucked away in a dingy cupboard or dirty corner of the kitchen? Please welcome three stylish, yet functional contenders for Miss Trash 2011… Firstly we have the Ovetto Bin, retailing at €170. Designed by Italian architect Gianluci Soldi, the Ovetto is Miss Brighton – classy, yet modern and stylish. There are three 30-litre compartments, not only for general waste but also allowing for separation of items for recycling. With its retro look, this bin would be at home in any contemporary kitchen and the pivoting base allows easy access to the compartments when used in a tight space. Next on the cat-walk is the Simply Human Sensor Bin, at a pricier €275. Wearing the sash of Miss London, this contender is techpacked and the model of business efficiency.

Equipped with a sensor designed to open the lid as the bin is approached, and then close the lid again once the rubbish has been deposited - the Simply Human makes chucking the left-overs a doddle. There won’t even be any nasty niffs as the built-in deodorisers give nasty odours the elbow. Our final contender is the Wesco Kickmaster costing €230. Tattooed with the name Miss Glasgow, calling this bin rubbish would be most inadvisable: with such a hardcore pedigree you’d expect your waste to be dealt with efficiently and without emotion. There is a 33-litre compartment - not the largest on offer, but the satisfying kick-action of the foot pedal and graceful sliding action of the flaps makes up for this. The air-tight design will also keep the odour of any decomposing body parts well under control. The Inspector’s Verdict: And the winner is…well, you decide. If price and style is the most important then the Ovetto offers the best value. If, however, you´re a tech freak

then it has to be the Simply Human Sensor bin. And if you own a Rottweiler and have gold sovereign rings on all fingers then it has to be the Wesco Kickmaster. The Inspector

would recommend a wheelie-bin considering the number of times the bin gets emptied, but until the Tardis bin is designed one of the above will have to do.

health

22 - 28 JulY 2011

Carpal Tunnel Syndrome by

Joan McLellan

M.C.S.P S.R.P Grad Dip

MY NAME is Joan McLellan, and I am a Physiotherapist. Quite often I see patients who have Carpal tunnel syndrome, a painful progressive condition caused by compression of a key nerve in the wrist. It occurs when the median nerve becomes pressed or squeezed at the wrist. The nerve runs across the front of the wrist joint into the palm of the hand supplying the thumb, index and middle fingers. It runs beneath a tough ligament, the flexor retinaculum, which forms the roof of the carpal tunnel whose floor is formed by the front of the wrist joint. Next to the nerve runs the flexor tendons which close the fingers. The space in the tunnel is limited, so if, for any reason it becomes congested, pressure on the nerve interrupts transmission. HOW DOES IT OCCUR? Arthritis is one of the main causes of pressure due to inflammation in its active stage. Inflammation of the tendons may also be the cause. Sometimes it occurs in pregnancy when there is a tendency for fluid in tissues to swell in general. In some people the tunnel is simply smaller than normal. However, mechanical problems due to occupation or sport are by far the main causes. The occupations are likely to involve heavy hand work and repeated use of vibrating tools. Other factors include trauma and injury to the wrist which cause swelling. This can be a mere sprain, fracture or dislocation. It can even be caused by the use of tight wristbands such as are used when playing tennis. Women are three times more likely than men to develop carpal tunnel syndrome, perhaps because the tunnel is smaller. The dominant hand is affected first and produces the most severe pain. People with

diabetes or other metabolic disorders that directly affect nerves and make them more susceptible to compression are also at higher risk. Carpal tunnel syndrome usually occurs only in adults. WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS? Symptoms are usually gradual beginning with pins and needles, a burning sensation, and itching and numbness in the palm of the hand and fingers, especially the middle, index, and thumb. Some sufferers say their fingers feel swollen and useless although no swelling is apparent as it is confined to the inside of the tunnel. The symptoms often first appear during the night, since many people sleep with their wrists bent down thus causing more compression. On waking, the need to ‘shake out’ the hands is often felt. As the condition worsens pain is felt during the day and can be such that it spreads up the forearm to the elbow and even sometimes as far as the shoulder. The strength of the grip decreases making it difficult to form a fist, or grasp small objects. In chronic or untreated cases the muscles of the base of the thumb may waste, and sometimes the sensation of hot and cold is affected. TREATMENT AND MANAGEMENT Treatment should begin as early as possible. Any underlying cause such as diabetes or arthritis should be treated first. The severe pain is often controlled by wearing a resting splint at night which keeps the wrist straight or slightly cocked up. For about two weeks it is best to avoid activities that worsen the symptoms. A splint is often necessary to immobilise the wrist to prevent any

Pressure on the wrist is the cause

further damage from twisting or bending. Applying ice packs helps to reduce the swelling. Physiotherapy in the form of ultrasound is also effective, as are the simple specific exercises that the Physiotherapist can teach to keep the flexibility of the hand, and very importantly to stop the muscles wasting away. Anti inflammatory drugs are often effective too, but if these do not work a steroid injection onto the tunnel is normally advised. The theory behind this treatment is that the cortisone counteracts the inflammation and swelling in the tunnel allowing more room for the nerve. Exercises, stretching and strengthening can be helpful in people whose symptoms have abated. If conservative measures fail surgery is recommended. It is inadvisable to postpone surgery if the symptoms persist because wasting and weakness of the thumb and fingers will increase disability. Six months tends to be the average time. The operation is done under local anaesthetic normally. Many surgeons favour endoscopic as opposed to traditional open release. Carpal tunnel release is one of the most common surgical procedures normally performed as an out patient. Reoccurrence of the condition is very low and there are usually no complications.

This article has been written by Joan McLellan a physiotherapist since 1974. Joan has surgeries at the L’Ancora Tennis Club in Javea, at the Clinica Britannia in Calpe, and at The English Medical Clinic in Albir. And she will do home visits whenever necessary. For more information call 609 954 237 or email joan.mclellan@gmail.com

Give your face a lift HAVE YOU got that sagging feeling? Does that old-looking face in the mirror fail to reflect how you feel on the inside? Ageing looks may be inevitable, but we don’t have to like them. Now, with advances in cosmetic surgery, we don’t have to put up with them either. One of the most popular cosmetic surgeries is facelift surgery. In the past, facelifts were associated with an unnatural, startled look – not any more. Today’s facelifts offer natural results that can leave you looking years younger. What exactly is a facelift and what can it do for you? As we age, time and gravity take their toll and our face sags: facelifts do exactly what they say – lift the face back to where it used to be. During facelift surgery an incision is made close to the hairline, excess skin removed and skin repositioned. The result is a firmer, younger look; neck skin can be tightened, too. But how do you know it is safe and that you will get the results you want? The key to a good facelift is to follow three simple rules – get good advice before treatment, only trust a qualified and skilled practitioner, and make sure you get the correct aftercare. Here on the Costa Blanca it is easy to follow these rules as British medical practice Medcare has done the hard work for you. Medcare’s GP offers free advice on cosmetic surgery and can arrange a free consultation with a qualified and experienced cosmetic surgeon at Medcare’s clinics in Benijofar and Alfaz del Pi. And, Medcare will be there to give you the aftercare you need. Aftercare is a critical, though often neglected, part of the process. Good aftercare ensures the best possible healing and minimises complications, so you get the results you want safely and with minimum discomfort. One patient who chose Medcare for her facelift surgery and couldn’t be more delighted was Mary, whose husband bought her a

facelift for her 50th birthday. As she puts it: “I’d been considering a facelift for a long time but it seemed such a big thing. Going through Medcare couldn’t have been easier, though. Medcare made the arrangements, the surgeon was excellent – reassuring and professional – and the nursing staff put me at ease. The result was fantastic. I lost that old, weary look and am happier and more confident. My husband is very happy with his new, younglooking wife!” If you are considering facelift surgery and want to know more book your free consultation with Medcare today on 96 686 0258 or email doctors@medcarespain.com Medcare can help with all other forms of cosmetic surgery too. For more information visit www.medcarespain.com In addition to full GP surgery, Medcare offers a wide range of healthcare services in English including dental, cosmetic treatments, osteopathy, podiatry and specialist Diabetes care.

22 - 28 JulY 2011

Caution: Heat Exhaustion can lead to heat stroke which can and does kill by

Claire Cerro Atyeo, RGN

Prestige Nursing and Social Care Services

IT IS tempting to sit out and take in the sun, more so this year as the warmer weather took longer to arrive, but care should be taken, especially with humidity levels being so high. Heat exhaustion and heat stoke can be very serious conditions which, if left untreated, claims lives every year. The elderly need particular attention as they often have other medical conditions which make coping with the extra heat of the summer extremely difficult. WHAT IS HEAT EXHAUSTION? The body cools itself by sweating and then the sweat evaporates, and in cases of high humidity it is increasingly difficult for the evaporation process to be effective. So the core body temperature rises, putting greater stress on internal organs and the body has to work harder, hence the name: heat exhaustion. When the cooling demands of the body cannot be met, heatrelated illnesses occur. THINGS TO DO TO AVOID THE PROBLEM Dehydration is the biggest problem. The Institute of Medicine advises that men consume roughly 3 litres (about 13 cups) of liquid per day and women consume 2.2 litres (about 9 cups) of total beverages per day. But the amount a person should drink depends on the heat, their level of activity and medications. About 30% of older adults have a diminished sense of thirst and may not realise they are dehydrating, so we advise that if you have

elderly family members or neighbours, check on them regularly, ensure they are resting, avoiding strenuous activity; gardening, shopping and house-work can often wait for cooler days. Make sure they are using their air-conditioning systems or fans and wear light clothing and keep out of the sun. Encourage them to sip fluids continually, reduce the amount caffeine based drinks, and replace them with fruit juice, water and isotonic drinks (sport drink). Eat plenty of fruit and veg and keep away from alcohol. SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF HEAT EXHAUSTION Heavy sweating Paleness Muscle Cramps Tiredness or weakness Headache or dizziness Nausea or vomiting Fainting Skin: may be cool and moist Pulse rate: fast and weak Breathing: fast and shallow Should anyone show signs and symptoms then your first action is to cool them down using any means possible. If worried contact your GP, if you suspect Heat Stroke then call for medical assistance immediately.

This article is written by Claire Cerro Atyeo, RGN, of Prestige Nursing and Social Care Services. Prestige is dedicated to helping people to continue living in their own homes with greater ease for as long as they so wish. For more information telephone Prestige Nursing and Social Care Services on 687 015 517 or email info@prestigenursingcostablanca.com

22 - 28 JulY 2011

Candlelight CANDLES HAVE always been there in our lives - they have come a long way from the plain white household bundle, kept under the stairs or in a kitchen drawer, to candles so beautiful that we keep them around us as objects because they are far to pretty to burn. Now available in every colour under the sun, and every size and shape imaginable, every household has candles to burn. After a lengthy power cut here in Finestrat last year, which isn’t a rarity, the whole house became lit by candles one autumn night, and it was so wonderful to sit and look at that flickering mellow light bathing the walls with ripples of iridescent flames. It was how my house would have been lit originally and it seemed so very natural. People very often ask me how they can back up their messages sent to the Spirit World, and I always feel that the lighting of a candle helps to send a message to the other side. In every reading I always have at least one candle burning and I like to think that it is an illumination that can be picked up by those who have made their journey to the other side. Sending out the clear message with a candle can and does have some very wonderful effects. Mind you I can never waste a candle. Each and every one that I light is dedicated especially to someone. Maybe they need some tender love and care; or they could do with a bit of healing; or they are awaiting a message; or they just need some focus to help them along the way… whatever, I feel that the action of lighting a candle brings a special energy into play. Candles are loved and revered by all the angelic hosts. The valiant and illuminating flame that you choose to send may be just a small one, but the energy sent by the simple flame of a candle can back up your message and help to gain relevant attention from those who look to us on Earth. We benefit too by looking at the candle. I have run many workshops in which the flame of the candle reveals the colours of the auric fields. Now when I look at the flame of the candle I am able

postbag Email your letters to me at: kennycorris@roundtownnews.com Kenny, you talk of so many experiences that you have had. I have always wanted to see Spirit, but when I was a child my dead Grandmother came to visit me and we had never met in the Real World. I haven’t had any further connections, but I do not have any fear, what can I do? Can I progress? Alex P. Hi Alex, I am glad that you have recall of a visitation from your Grandmother, she must have seen that you had something special and wanted to meet you. I am glad that you have a good feeling about that very special psychic connection. Fear cannot help to connect you to Spirit, so it is good that you have an open energy, and that you want to make further contact. Establish a dialogue with Spirit. Tell them that you want to experience more and that you are unafraid. You will get good results, and let me know how things are going, with your good intentions there should be no problem whatsoever!

to see the rainbow cluster of energy that shines from even the simplest ones. I have taught many to witness the aura energy of a mere nightlight, but generally if you can find a good quality candle (beeswax is wonderful if you have it) a dinner candle from the supermarket will do just as well. Just look above the flame in a darkened room, and you will see above the energy of that flame the most wonderful colours. All the colours of the rainbow will be there but it takes a consciousness to see even individual colours, or to focus, and everyone can do it, just don’t give up…if there is no result try again. You will surprise yourself with what you see, as every flame is surrounded by the colour energies produced. It is no wonder that a message gets home quicker when accompanied by a simple candle flame. You may see one particular colour, and that can point the way to work yet to be done in the spiritual fields, or highlight your own particular, and unique auric colour because it shines especially for you. Please, whatever you do, do not leave your candle unattended at any time. I once arrived at a wonderful location in Norway, and several candles were lit to welcome me. Luckily it was me who smelt the burning first, as the tablecloth caught fire - it is all too easy when dealing with naked flames! If you want to send a special message to Spirit then light a candle. Ask that your energies be conveyed in the flame to those whom you wish to contact, or maybe too to someone who needs to communicate with you. In séance the flames often flicker and this is very often the presence of someone wanting to come through, albeit in Light and Love. If anyone needs your loving and tender care, or you want to send a message of your own making, or you feel that you need to light a candle for yourself, go ahead. As the flame burns then energies soar and the light awakens your message with love and devotion, ensuring a delivery and provoking a response!

Love & Light... Kenny Corris

Kenny’s diary Readings at Bistro Maya: Monday 25th July and Wednesday 27th July from 4.30pm onwards. For information and advanced bookings for mini readings please contact Els and her team on: 96 686 8213. August dates to be announced shortly: Readings at La Fustera, between Calpe and Benissa from 10am. Call Penny Smith on: 96 574 9182 or 687 926 021 for information and advanced booking. Readings in your area: Please make contact if you want to organise readings in your locality, or organise a psychic summer event for your favourite charity. Some dates available June/ July/August. Autumn Workshops: Listing shortly.

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 Something just isn’t right and no amount of persuasion will help you to change your ideas, or your mind. Not knowing exactly what it is that has charged your own highly developed sixth sense will challenge you, but your gut reaction is finely tuned and you have the temerity to carry all this through; whatever the reason. The blossoming of your psychic powers heralds new beginnings! Venus is in actions with Leo, bringing a new energy and setting new rules. There is so much to be achieved once you start to take yourself seriously, and are unafraid to be centre stage. Others are looking to you for guidance right now since you have eliminated fear, but they are waiting for something to happen and there is still a little piece of your puzzle that appears to be missing. Indecisive energies are seeing you miss out once more. You need to boost your innermost powers and then take steps to change the way that you look at yourself to allow success to come knocking on the door. Where you are, and where you should be, are two entirely different places, and they should be at one if you are to do what you really have to, move on to new horizons and take your place. Venus left you wanting more, but you really do have to square things before moving into fresh space and releasing your pent-up energies right now. On the surface you have managed to eliminate negativity, but there is still some way to go before you release the anger that you hold on to inside. If this means being confrontational then say what you have to, then stand your ground, don’t hide in your shell. Exalted by the Sun, now the Goddess of Love, Venus, herself plays flirtatious attention to you. With an open heart and the good intention of your thoughtful ways there are many ways that you could put all this into positive action, rather then to use it to boost your ego. Since you are in pole position right now use this time to take control and feel the love that is never far away, and what you could do with it. The entry of Mercury midweek means that finally channels of communication are open to you, and ears are ready to hear what you have to say. Nothing has been achieved by a current silence, and hopefully, this will mean an end to all that. Be calm, and above all do not lose your temper, however tempted you may be to throw in the towel, and tell it all like it is. Be kind. Be thorough. Get even! Financial matters need the expertise of your poised and balanced intentions if a way through is to be found. Someone isn’t paying their way, and recently there has been a lot of payout, and little recompense. Money comes and goes, but you have to make some money stick, and new intentions will see you safely through if economies can be juggled and made all down the line. The pathway to good intent is paved with broken promises, and simply someone has taken an opportunity to take offence for some reason, currently unknown to you. This is not an occasion to beg for forgiveness on bended knees, or to wait and see what will happen; it is a time to just be yourself and do things your way. If some people cannot handle this then they weren’t your friends to start with. With Jupiter playing away there is a need to think of yourself and make the onward plans that you wish, since achievement and purpose are on the cards, and you should not be held back in any way. There is a need for clarity and the emphasis is on what makes you happy right now. This isn’t selfish in anyway whatsoever, but it is self preserving and nothing less than you deserve. Confusing messages have forced you to put things on hold, rather then to deal with them as spur of the moment trifles to be dealt with and done and dusted. There is a reason for the delay not yet revealed, but during a hectic week you will begin to work out just why things have had to be this way, and with foresight see the loophole and take appropriate action when time tells. With your Planetary Leader Uranus in retrograde things are currently moving slowly, though you seem to have your priorities right for a change. This is a time when you should be making plans, but the sheer routine and pace of life right now prohibits this. There is light at the end of the tunnel, and something rather wonderful on its way to brighten your days and reward you amply and justly. Partnership issues bring you back to just where you started as there are some decisions to be made and your opinion as to count highly. There should be no coercion, but don’t let anyone railroad you into choosing Plan B when instincts tell you that you should leave your options open and see what develops naturally right now. The pathway opens to your real passions and desires.

If it’s your birthday this week... Turn your current impulses into reality as you start to value yourself, and do what you have to do right now. There will be doubts and they will nag you, but stay on top because the fun is about to start and someone will be put in their place.

8-14 JANUARY 22 - 28 JulY2010 2011

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. & 12 Across. Great actor, glad pens have changed, joins prohibitionist to show 21’s flag (4-8,6) 7. Admit he was a former 10 down of the 21 (5) 8. Mindful of hostilities out east (5) 9. Attempt to score in a game? (3) 10. Only half proper and harsh, but keep on trying (9) 11. How the car crossed the river? (6) 12. See 1 Across 15. Got rid of sailor who scattered oil on hut (9) 17. Acquire some strange things (3) 18. Glee a bird disturbed (5) 19. Former turn is accurate (5) 21. Being as one avers great power results (6,6)

DOWN 1. What a writer might have on his bed? (5,2,5) 2. Father goes to southern resort (3) 3. They have a definite stage in their lives (6) 4. Six feet under here - it’s serious having three feet! (9) 5. Escape publicity during the night before... (5) 6. ....Eric’s notable festivities (12) 7. A grey made brighter (5) 10. I’d go in now as leader of the 21 (9) 13. When such a mare can be quite fearsome (5) 14. Could be dearth of fibre (6) 16. Groan about a musicmaker (5) 20. Fitting beginning to 8, 10 and 9 (3)

ACROSS

DOWN

1. Eccentricity (12)

1. Unconcern (12)

7. Big (5)

2. Observe (3)

8. Squeeze (5)

3. Indigenous (6)

9. Charge (3)

4. Disgusting (9)

10. Exploiter (9)

5. Precipitous (5)

11. Lure (6)

6. Loss of affection (12)

12. Plunger (6)

7. Salute (5)

15. Bowdlerise (9)

10. House-painter (9)

17. Chopper (3)

13. Tread heavily (5)

18. Map (5)

14. Clergyman (6)

19. Impress deeply (5)

16. Clear (5)

21. Violation (12)

20. Mimic (3)

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!

Euromillions Draw Friday 15th july

6 26 33 34 39

No ticket won the 15,000,000 Euros jackpot prize

Tuesday 19th july

3 16 25 26 35

Answers & Winners Last week’s Crossword and Suduko answers found on page

One French ticket won the 23,148,546 Euros jackpot prize

53/54. Winner for 613: Len Bunce, Jardin del Mar

22 - 28 JulY 2011

music scene

Tony Francis – Singer/Entertainer

Compiled by

Eric Taylor Presenter Heat Gold 94.1FM

ONY FRANCIS has spent a lifetime in the music business. It is impossible to pigeon-hole Tony as his repertoire includes songs from big band onwards. He is a party animal with a wicked sense of humour, but is also very comfortable performing gentle easy-listening music. He gets his act into the audience and the audience into his act, so it’s good music, good fun and a good night out. For more information give Tony a call on: 678 029 919. DATES FOR JULY Friday 22nd, The Poli Bar, Busot Thursday 28th, Tropicana Bar, Paichi Centre, Moraira Friday 29th, The Piano Bar, Quesada

Ian Henry – Musician/Entertainer IAN HENRY has worked for over 30 years as a professional musician and entertainer. With his own brand of humour and unique musical and vocal talent, he is a much sought after compere and cabaret entertainer. Ian often plays keyboards with some of the local jazz bands and is also a classical pianist/organist so has the chance to play at many a Costa Blanca Wedding. He and his wife Gill also worked with the legendary Lyn Paul as the ‘Sound Of The New Seekers’. Try and catch his latest crazy Karaoke Fun Show, a full show of music

JJ Jones – Neil Diamond Tribute

JJ JONES is very accomplished singer/guitarist who comes over to Spain normally once a month for a few days. He has worked the circuit in the south of England, cruise ships and for five years toured Australia with his seven piece band. His act is a two hour spectacular of Neil Diamond’s hits (from the Hot August Night album to the film The Jazz Singer). For more information check out his web site: www.dinnershows4u.com GIGS IN JULY Friday 22nd, The Square Bar, La Manga Saturday 23rd, Don Quijote Bar/Rte., Paichi Centre, Moraira Sunday 24th, Bar Planet, Parcent

and comedy followed by karaoke. Ian is ideal for any event as he is a versatile and professional performer. Read more about him at www.doubleimpactmusic. com GIGS FOR JULY Friday 22nd, Chez Flo Bar, La Fustera (Ctra. Calpe), Moraira Sunday 24th, Spencers Bistro, Moravit, Moraira Tuesday 26th, Cavalier Bar, San Luis, Torrevieja 1.30pm (Every Tuesday) Wednesday 27th, Camping El Naranjal, Javea (Double Impact) Thursday 28th, Bar Ambi-

ente, Moravit, Moraira 10pm (Every Thursday) Friday 29th, Chez Flo Bar, La Fustera (Ctra. Calpe), Moraira

RIO – Classic Rock Band

RIO CONSISTS of four of the most highly respected international musicians presently working in and around the Costa Blanca. Pam (vocals) and John Pearson (guitar) are currently working as the popular duo ‘Chill Factor’ – together with Jack Hazebroek (drums) and Tommy Duffy (bass) they are ‘Rio’. Featuring Pam’s warm soulful voice, John’s impressive guitar skills and supported by the tight

rhythm section of Jack and Tommy, Rio play a mix of classic rock by artists like U2, Pretenders, Tears for Fears, Yes, Chaka Khan… For information or bookings please call 696 731 290. JULY GIGS Friday 22nd, An Shebeen Irish Pub, Javea Saturday 23rd, Arthur’s Bar, Els Poblets Sunday 24th, Aleluya Bar, Jalon 7pm

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.

Eric Delaney - The Legend W

22 - 28 JulY 2011

By Eric Taylor E HAVE just been told that Eric Delaney died suddenly on 15th July at the age of 87. Mention the name Eric Delaney to anyone who can remember the 1950/60s and the response is dynamic with the reminiscence of a generation bursting with the vivacity and aggressiveness of Jazz, Rock ‘n’ Roll and The Big Band Sound. Born in London, 1924, little did everyone know that on the music scene a time bomb was waiting to explode: a legend and overlord of the Drums/Swing and Big Band Sound in his own right, this is what Britain had been waiting for. In an extensive and diverse career that pioneered over six decades, the Eric Delaney Band was a creative concept all on its own, a complete change from the established and fashionable sounds of Glenn Miller and other big bands at that time. Eric was a showman who dominated the stage and the audience attention with what can only be defined as sheer mesmerism. He was a resident of Benidorm for many years, performing in the local venues and a regular at the Big Band Concerts. Eric you will be missed, I will always remember your shows and interviewing you on Onda Cero Radio. He was still performing up to his final days, bounding around the stage Eric Taylor with energy that a man half his age would envy. Our thoughts meets Eric at this time go out to Hannah and his family. Delaney

Curing the summertime blues

Calibre 95 plays Cala & Mar in Benissa

Lions at play

By Jack Troughton THE LIONS of Jalon and Orba and guests enjoyed dancing the night away at a summer party – raising more than 650€ for local children’s charities. The community club staged the dance at the Heredad de Elias Ferrer – the Bullring – in Alcalali. The gardens are a popular location for concerts, fiestas and weddings although it was the first time the Lions had hosted an event there. President Anna Cameron said: “By the end of the evening most of us were dancing and singing along to the music! The Nomad and The OK Band did us proud and in addition we raised money for our children’s charities.”

CALIBRE 95, a three-man band comprising Dario Gonzalez on vocals; Arne Stoffels on keyboards and Mario Cabrera on drums, are to appear at the Cala & Mar bar and restaurant at La Fustera (Benissa) on Saturday 23rd July at 11pm. The musicians of Calibre 95 are just 16 years old and after three years of playing small concerts, things have become serious, now in demand for concerts in Calpe, Alfaz del Pí, Campello and even Madrid; finalists in the pop-rock contest Musicaula. The band has a unique style with references to classic rock, pop rock, southern blues and even some folk elements. In Cala & Mar they will play covers of Dire Straits, Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, Revolver and some of their own songs. For more information visit: www.musicaula.com or phone 656 714 787.

Parcent 5 course fine dining including ½ bottle wine pp bread, ali-oli and dips - Only 12.95€ Live Music & Dinner Sat Aug 13th Strickland Band Lunchtime Platters only 7€ for 3 items Fantastic kids menu Try our new Armageddon Cocktail, Before it’s too late!! For 1 – 8 people Open all day Sunday Closed Monday

Tel 96 640 5398 For reservations

22 - 28 JulY 2011

Sound advice by Jack Troughton JAVEA PLAYERS, the longest established English theatre group on the Costa Blanca, is looking to recruit a new sound technician. Experience is desirable but Richard King is willing to teach the secrets of the trade to a new member of the team. Richard has found himself in constant demand over the last 12 months as the group has staged a number of productions and recorded two series of radio plays. And together with lighting colleague James Ward, he also lent his services to the Yahboo Theatre Company’s recent production of Canterbury Tales and Javea Players’ entry into the Costa Blanca Drama Festival. CUE The job of sound technician involves working closely with the director and stage manager of a production to record sound effects and replays them on cue during both rehearsal and production. Richard said of the backstage role: “It is great fun and rewarding to be part of a team that, although amateur, has a professional

Richard King

approach to everything it does.” Javea Players is always looking to recruit new blood, experienced or newcomers to the theatre, whether to perform or direct or to lend a hand backstage or front of house. Anyone wanting to take up Richard’s offer to man the sound desk can contact him on 96 579 2436 and anyone wishing to join Javea Players can call the membership secretary Geraldine Livesey on 96 649 5590.

Great news for music lovers

JOOLS COOPER and Christian Pearl are to reunite once again and perform their famous Pink Floyd Experience show at Bella Vista, Monte Pego on Thursday 4th August commencing at 9pm. Those of you that have seen their performances in the past will know that they are true to the sound and feel of the original Pink Floyd. What a lot of people don’t know is that David Gilmour was Jools Cooper’s mentor in his early days, and, in fact Jools was given his name by the group. Pink Floyd can safely be tagged as one of the most successful bands of all time, and even now, some forty years after their debut, they are still loved the world over. They were one of the most important and influential British progressive rock acts of the seventies (along with Genesis and Yes), It is a real shame that Pink Floyd no longer tour but in Jools and Christian the sound lives on and a great night will guaranteed for all. This is not a show to be missed… This gig is currently produced as a one off special for Bella Vista, but who knows if enough people want more and venues can be found they may be persuaded to do another.

22 - 28 JulY 2011

AECC presentation evening has new date LAST WEEK RTN informed readers that a cheque totalling approximately 15,000€ would be handed over to the AECC of Alicante by Maria and the Pink Ladies at a special presentation night on 4th August. This date has now been changed to Thursday 28th July. The cheque presentation will take place at some point during a spectacular evening to include a hot and cold buffet plus entertainment provided by Suzie G, at Fit4All in Punta Prima, from 8pm until late. Tickets at 10€ each can be obtained by telephoning Maria on 634 198 351 or by calling in to Fit4All at the Punta Prima roundabout.

Brigitta Kunstler exhibition LOCAL ARTIST Brigitta Kunstler will be exhibiting a collection of her oil paintings of Spain at the Liberia Europa Bookshop at Calle Oscar, Esplá 2, Calpe, from 1st August until 31st October. Admission is free and the exhibition is open from Monday to Friday, 10am - 2pm, 5pm - 8pm. Saturdays 10am to 2pm. For further information please call 96 583 5824.

“I wish to register a complaint” I’M THINKING of complaining to the bloke who sold me some oysters yesterday as they didn’t live up to expectations especially when it comes to their aphrodisiac qualities. I had six of them last night before dinner and only four of them worked (It may be worth noting that recent research has put saffron above oysters in that department anyway). The mere mention of the word is enough to guarantee a response from just about everyone, whether they have ever tried them or not. Having opened, served, as well as sold countless thousands of Oysters for many years the only

A pacific or rock oyster (Crassostrea Gigas)

thing you can guarantee is that anyone who says, “Eugh!” when offered an oyster, for the most part, have usually never even had one before. Slimy? No, only the bad ones, or if they are too warm (sometimes done deliberately to increase the size and appearance) and are ready to spawn but do not make good eating either way. So how do you describe the taste of an Oyster? Well, first rule never believe the stories from anyone who hasn’t actually eaten one: find a professional to advise you and open them, then think about house smells. Everyone’s house smells, good or bad it smells, at least to everyone else except the people who live there. You also have a natural taste in your mouth that you alone cannot taste and oysters are there to remove it. Taste a piece of bread or a glass of wine and remember the taste, have an oyster (yes, you do chew it) then try the bread or wine again, you won’t believe it, it tastes completely different. With two main different types, they are well worth a look. Native or flat oysters (Ostrea edulis) are quite rare now. They are flatter, hold less water so more perishable, rounder, and longer to mature (5 years) hence the higher price and stronger shells,

making them also harder to open. Stronger in taste and firmer in texture, these are available between September and April or more usually referred to as “when there is an R in the month.” Pacific or Rock oysters (Crassostrea Gigas) are common now and growing in popularity they are usually oval, frilly-edged and deeper. They taste milder and are softer in texture, available all the year round; maturing in only two years means they are cheaper. Rock oysters are farmed as they will not usually spawn in the cold waters around Britain even in the summer months the water does not match the temperature of the Pacific. In 1850 at the height of the oyster boom we as a nation consumed 1,750 million per year that’s more common than crisps are now, we even exported to Rome. Purified by law they are constantly monitored for purity. An allergic reaction to oysters free from harmful organisms is rare in the extreme; they are rich in metal traces, particularly zinc, easy to eat and quickly digested. The Oysters’ biggest problem is us humans, polluting their water, storing them badly and not knowing enough about them. We don’t know how to open or serve them and yet constantly and unfairly keep yelling, “Eeugh!”

Edwin Cheeseman is a practical food consultant. If you have a question about food email cheeseman@roundtownnews.com

tv Friday

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22 -- 28 14 20JulY may2011 2010

07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Heir Hunters 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Cowboy Trap 12:45 Saints and Scroungers 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News 14:30 Regional News 14:40 Doctors 15:10 Only Fools and Horses 16:05 Copycats 16:35 Me and My Monsters 17:00 Escape from Scorpion Island 17:30 Fee Fi Fo Yum 18:00 Newsround 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News 19:30 Regional News Programmes 20:00 The One Show: Best of Britain 20:25 The Good Cook 21:00 EastEnders 21:30 A Question of Sport 22:00 My Family 22:30 Miranda 23:00 BBC News 23:25 Regional News 23:35 Would I Lie to You? 24:05 My Favourite Joke

07:00 Childrens TV 10:05 The Koala Brothers 10:15 Little Charley Bear 10:25 Small Potatoes 10:30 Chuggington 10:45 Mr Bloom’s Nursery 11:00 Gigglebiz 11:20 Zingzillas 11:45 Waybuloo 12:05 In the Night Garden 12:35 Coast 12:45 Madonna of the Seven Moons 14:30 To Buy or Not to Buy 15:15 Animal 24:7 16:00 The Weakest Link 16:45 Antiques Road Trip 17:30 Flog It! 18:15 Escape to the Country 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Great British Railway Journeys 20:00 Madagascar 21:00 RHS Flower Show Tatton Park 2011 21:30 Gardeners’ World 22:00 The Golden Age of Canals 23:00 Rob Brydon Show 23:30 Newsnight 24:05 Blade Runner

07:00 Daybreak 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV News and Weather 14:55 Granada News and Weather 15:00 Ten Mile Menu 16:00 Dickinson’s Real Deal 16:59 Granada Weather 17:00 Wild at Heart 18:00 Dinner Date 19:00 Granada Reports 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Coronation Street 21:00 Love Your Garden 21:30 Coronation Street 22:00 Phil Collins: One Night Only 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 Granada News and Weather 23:35 The Last Boy Scout

07:10 The Hoobs 08:00 Freshly Squeezed 08:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 08:55 Frasier 09:25 According to Jim 09:55 Friends 10:25 Friends 10:50 Channel 4 Presents 10:55 My House Is Infested 11:55 A Place in the Sun: Home or Away 13:00 Channel 4 News 13:05 Secret Supper Club 13:35 River Cottage Bites 13:50 River Cottage Bites 13:55 Blood Alley 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:25 4thought.tv 20:30 The Only Gay on the Estate? 21:00 Come Dine with Me 22:00 8 Out of 10 Cats 22:30 Alan Carr: Chatty Man 23:35 Chris Moyles’ Quiz Night 24:25 Big Bang Theory

07:00 Childrens TV 09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:20 Peppa Pig 09:25 Roary the Racing Car 09:35 Bananas in Pyjamas 09:50 The WotWots 10:00 Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 The Wright Stuff Extra with Gabby Logan 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Ice Road Truckers 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 CSI: NY 16:10 Emma’s Wish 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:25 OK! TV 19:55 5 News at 7 20:00 Cricket 21:00 Danger: Diggers at Work 22:00 Castle 23:00 The Mentalist 23:55 CSI: Miami 24:50 Inside Hollywood

05:30 Five Minutes With 06:00 BBC News 06:30 Our World 07:00 Breakfast 11:00 Saturday Kitchen Best Bites 12:30 The Good Cook 13:00 BBC News; Regional News and Weather 13:10 Formula 1 15:20 Racing from Ascot 17:50 BBC News; Regional News and Weather 18:10 Cars 20:00 Tonight’s the Night 21:00 The National Lottery: In It to Win It 21:50 Casualty 22:40 Lee Mack’s All Star Cast 23:20 BBC News and Weather 23:40 Eagle Eye

07:00 Childrens TV 09:00 Little Howard’s Big Question 09:25 Prank Patrol Down Under 09:50 Dennis & Gnasher 10:00 Trade Your Way to the USA 10:30 Fee Fi Fo Yum 11:00 Mission: 2110 11:25 League of Super Evil 11:40 Wolverine and the X-Men 12:00 OOglies 12:15 Richard Hammond’s Blast Lab 12:45 MOTD Kickabout 13:00 Diagnosis Murder 13:40 Anchors Aweigh 15:55 Life Beyond the Box: Norman Stanley Fletcher 16:45 Porridge 17:15 Live Challenge Cup Rugby League 19:30 Flog It! 20:30 Dad’s Army 21:00 Impressionists - Painting and Revolution 22:00 BBC Proms 2011 23:40 QI XL

06:30 ITV Morning News 07:00 Mini CITV 08:25 CITV 09:25 Ten Mile Menu 10:25 Coronation Street 12:45 This Morning: Saturday 13:45 The Planet’s Funniest Animals 14:15 ITV News and Weather 14:20 Agatha Christie’s A Caribbean Mystery 16:20 Columbo 17:50 Granada News and Weather 18:05 ITV News and Weather 18:20 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 21:15 Odd One In 22:00 Penn & Teller: Fool Us 23:00 The Marriage Ref 24:00 ITV News and Weather

07:10 The Hoobs 07:35 The Film Show 08:00 MSA Formula Ford Championship 08:25 The Grid 08:55 The Morning Line 09:55 Friends 10:25 The Hollyoaks Music Show 10:55 Smallville 11:50 Friends 12:20 Pop Up Pop Quiz 13:10 Dirty Sexy Things 14:15 The TV Book Club 14:45 Channel 4 Presents 14:50 Channel 4 Racing 16:55 Come Dine with Me Extra Portions 19:00 Channel 4 News 19:30 4thought.tv 19:35 The Mystery of the Nevada Triangle 20:30 The Space Shuttle’s Last Flight 22:00 Camelot 23:05 Kingdom of Heaven

07:00 Childrens TV 08:30 Hana’s Helpline 08:45 Roobarb and Custard Too 08:55 Little Princess 09:10 The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill and His Best Friend Corky 09:25 Mist: Sheepdog Tales 09:40 Rupert Bear 09:55 Olivia 10:10 The Mr Men Show 10:30 The Milkshake! Show 11:00 Mexican Food Made Simple 11:30 Eddie Stobart: Trucks and Trailers 12:35 Shoot-Out at Medicine Bend 14:20 Cheyenne Autumn 17:25 Silverado 20:00 Cricket 20:55 5 News Weekend 21:00 NCIS 22:00 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit 23:00 Boxing Live: British Heavyweight Title 24:35 UFC 79: Main Event

05:00 BBC News 05:30 Click 06:00 BBC News 06:30 The Record Europe 07:00 Breakfast 10:00 Andrew Marr Show 11:00 Sunday Morning Live 12:00 Country Tracks 13:00 BBC News 13:05 Formula 1 16:20 My Family 16:50 My Family 17:20 Bargain Hunt Famous Finds 17:50 Lifeline 18:00 Songs of Praise 18:35 Horrible Histories with Stephen Fry 19:05 BBC News; Regional News 19:30 Antiques Roadshow 20:30 Countryfile 21:30 Inspector George Gently 23:00 BBC News; Regional News and Weather 23:25 Sugartown 24:25 Moving On

07:00 Wibbly Pig 07:10 Dipdap 07:15 Pinky Dinky Doo 07:30 Tinga Tinga Tales 07:45 Octonauts 08:00 Deadly 60 08:35 Arthur 09:00 Junior MasterChef 09:30 Me and My Monsters 10:00 Friday Download 11:00 Something for the Weekend 12:30 The Story of GI Joe 14:20 EastEnders 16:15 Live Challenge Cup Rugby League 18:30 Swimming 20:00 Around the World in 60 Minutes 21:00 Top Gear 22:00 Space Shuttle: The Final Mission 23:00 Live MotoGP 24:00 Seraphim Falls

06:30 ITV Morning News 07:00 Mini CITV 08:25 CITV 09:25 May the Best House Win 10:25 Dickinson’s Real Deal 11:25 60 Minute Makeover 12:30 This Morning: Sunday 13:30 Dinner Date 14:25 ITV News and Weather 14:30 Survival: Tales from the Wild 15:30 Inspector Morse 17:30 Midsomer Murders 19:30 Granada News and Weather 19:45 ITV News and Weather 20:00 The Royal 21:00 Born to Shine 22:00 Law & Order: UK 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:15 Ocean’s Thirteen

07:10 The Hoobs 07:35 The Hoobs 08:00 Wakestock Festival 08:25 Canary Wharf Triathlon 08:55 The Crush 09:20 Friends 09:45 Hollyoaks 12:20 RockCorps 13:45 The Simpsons 14:15 The Simpsons 14:50 Coach Trip 15:20 Coach Trip 15:50 Coach Trip 16:20 Coach Trip 16:55 Coach Trip 17:25 Help! My House Is Falling Down 18:30 Deal or No Deal 19:25 Channel 4 News 19:55 4thought.tv 20:00 A Place in the Sun: Home or Away 21:00 Holiday Hijack 22:00 The Lovely Bones 24:30 Beverly Hills Cop

07:00 Childrens TV 08:15 The Save-Ums! 08:30 Noddy in Toyland 08:40 Hana’s Helpline 08:50 Bert and Ernie’s Great Adventures 09:00 Little Princess 09:15 The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill and His Best Friend Corky 09:30 Mist: Sheepdog Tales 09:45 Rupert Bear 09:55 Olivia 10:15 The Mr Men Show 10:30 The Milkshake! Show 11:00 Animal Rescue Squad 11:20 How Do They Do It? 11:55 Police Interceptors 12:55 Danger: Diggers at Work 13:55 The Omega Man 15:45 My Favorite Martian 17:30 The Karate Kid 20:00 Cricket 20:55 5 News Weekend 21:00 Cowboy Builders 22:00 Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines 24:10 Jet Li’s The One

tv Saturday

tv Sunday

07:00 Coronation Street 07:25 Emmerdale 07:50 Emmerdale 08:20 Loose Women 09:10 Judge Judy 10:25 Real Housewives of Orange County 11:30 Judge Judy 13:00 Coronation Street 13:30 Emmerdale 14:00 Emmerdale 14:30 Jeremy Kyle Show 15:35 Jeremy Kyle Show 16:40 Real Housewives of Orange County 17:40 Loose Women 18:40 Judge Judy 20:00 Odd One In 20:45 The Hot Desk 21:00 Penn & Teller: Fool Us 22:00 America’s Got Talent 23:00 iTunes Festival 2011 24:00 Peter Andre: Here 2 Help

07:00 One Tree Hill 07:45 Desperate Housewives 08:35 Being Erica 09:30 One Tree Hill 10:20 Gilmore Girls 11:20 Desperate Housewives 12:20 Being Erica 13:15 Heartland 14:10 Smallville 15:00 Hollyoaks 15:35 Gilmore Girls 16:35 Samantha Who? 17:00 Glee 18:00 Friends 18:30 Friends 19:00 My Name Is Earl 20:00 Hollyoaks 20:30 How I Met Your Mother 21:00 Friends 21:30 Friends 22:00 Gok’s Clothes Roadshow 23:00 Supersize vs Superskinny 24:05 Dirty Sexy Things

10:00 Deal or No Deal 11:00 How Clean Is Your House? 11:35 The Seven Year Itch 13:30 Deal or No Deal 14:35 The Good Wife 15:35 Come Dine with Me 16:05 Coach Trip 16:35 Location, Location, Location 17:40 A Place in the Sun 18:10 A Place in the Sun 18:45 Relocation, Relocation 19:50 Come Dine with Me 20:55 Grand Designs 22:00 Four Rooms 23:00 Vanilla Sky

The Only Gay on the Estate? Channel 4, 20.30

07:00 Emmerdale 09:35 The Corrie Years 10:00 Nanny 911 10:55 The Biggest Loser 11:55 The Only Way Is Essex 12:40 The Only Way Is Essex 13:20 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 - Behind the Magic 14:20 America’s Got Talent 16:10 America’s Got Talent 17:05 America’s Got Talent 19:00 America’s Got Talent 19:55 No Reservations 22:00 Nutty Professor 2: the Klumps 24:15 Red Dragon

07:00 Running in Heels 07:50 Supernanny USA 08:40 Supernanny USA 09:35 How to Look Good Naked 10:35 How to Look Good Naked 11:35 Supernanny USA 12:35 Supernanny USA 13:25 Jo Frost: Extreme Parental Guidance 14:25 Running in Heels 15:25 Hollyoaks 18:00 Friends 18:30 Friends 19:00 One Tree Hill 20:00 Big Bang Theory 20:30 Big Bang Theory 21:00 How I Met Your Mother 22:00 Friends 22:30 Friends 23:00 Dogma

10:00 A Place in the Sun 10:35 Time Team 11:35 Time Team 12:40 Time Team 13:45 Time Team 14:50 Time Team 15:55 Rope 17:35 Grand Designs 18:40 Grand Designs 19:45 Grand Designs 20:50 Grand Designs 21:55 Grand Designs 23:00 The Unsinkable Titanic 24:35 Time Team

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets ITV1, 18.20

07:00 Coronation Street 09:15 Emmerdale 12:05 Coronation Street 14:35 The Corrie Years 15:05 America’s Got Talent 17:00 America’s Got Talent 18:05 The Planet’s Funniest Animals 18:30 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 - Behind the Magic 19:35 The Mummy 22:00 Peter Andre: Here 2 Help 23:00 Must Love Dogs

Inspector George Gently BBC 1, 21.30

07:00 Style Her Famous 07:25 Supernanny USA 08:15 Supernanny USA 09:00 Jo Frost: Extreme Parental Guidance 10:05 How to Look Good Naked 12:00 Supersize vs Superskinny 13:05 Supernanny USA 13:55 Supernanny USA 14:55 Supersize vs Superskinny 15:55 Beauty and the Geek 16:55 Star Trek: Insurrection 19:00 Friends 19:30 Friends 20:00 Smallville 21:00 Friends 21:30 Friends 22:00 Channel 4’s Comedy Gala

10:00 A Place in the Sun 10:35 Scrapheap Challenge 13:45 Coach Trip 14:20 Coach Trip 14:55 Coach Trip 15:25 Coach Trip 16:00 Coach Trip 17:05 Baking Mad with Eric Lanlard 17:35 Come Dine with Me 18:10 Come Dine with Me 18:45 Come Dine with Me 19:20 Come Dine with Me 19:55 Come Dine with Me 20:30 The TV Book Club 21:00 River Cottage Every Day 22:00 Grand Designs Australia 23:05 Katie: My Beautiful Face 24:10 Spaced 24:40 Black Books

22 - 28 JulY 2011

tv Monday

52 40

22 - 28 2011 4 2010 Feb 26JulY - March

07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Heir Hunters 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Cowboy Trap 12:45 Saints and Scroungers 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News 14:30 Regional News 14:40 Doctors 15:10 Only Fools and Horses 16:05 Copycats 16:30 Me and My Monsters 17:00 Escape from Scorpion Island 17:30 Horrible Histories 18:00 Newsround 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News 19:30 Regional News 20:00 The One Show: Best of Britain 20:30 Fake Britain 21:00 EastEnders 21:30 Panorama 22:00 New Tricks 23:00 BBC News 23:25 Regional News 23:35 A Question of Sport 24:05 The Celebrity Apprentice USA

07:00 Childrens TV 10:05 The Koala Brothers 10:15 Little Charley Bear 10:25 Small Potatoes 10:35 Chuggington 10:45 Mr Bloom’s Nursery 11:05 Gigglebiz 11:20 Zingzillas 11:45 Waybuloo 12:05 In the Night Garden 12:35 My Favorite Wife 14:00 Swimming 16:00 The Weakest Link 16:45 Antiques Road Trip 17:30 Flog It! 18:15 Escape to the Country 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Celebrity Eggheads 20:00 Victorian Pharmacy 20:30 Wonderstuff 21:00 University Challenge 21:30 Antiques Master 22:00 The Life of Muhammad 23:00 QI 23:30 Newsnight 24:20 Torchwood: Miracle Day

07:00 Daybreak 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV News 14:55 Granada News 15:00 Auction Party 16:00 Dickinson’s Real Deal 16:59 Granada Weather 17:00 Wild at Heart 18:00 Dinner Date 19:00 Granada Reports 19:30 ITV News 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Coronation Street 21:00 Countrywise Kitchen 21:30 Coronation Street 22:00 Show Me the Funny 23:00 ITV News at Ten 23:30 Granada News 23:35 The Jacket

07:10 The Hoobs 08:00 Freshly Squeezed 08:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 08:55 Frasier 09:25 According to Jim 09:55 Friends 10:25 Friends 10:55 Three in a Bed 11:55 A Place in the Sun: Home or Away 12:55 Channel 4 Presents 13:00 Channel 4 News 13:05 Relocation: Phil Down Under 14:10 River Cottage Bites 14:20 Torpedo Run 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:55 4thought.tv 21:00 Dispatches 22:00 Embarrassing Bodies 23:00 Sirens 24:05 Coming Up

07:00 Childrens TV 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:20 Peppa Pig 09:25 Roary the Racing Car 09:35 Bananas in Pyjamas 09:50 Olivia 10:00 Little Princess 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 The Wright Stuff Extra with Gabby Logan 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Ice Road Truckers 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 Law & Order 16:15 Web of Desire 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:25 OK! TV 19:55 5 News at 7 20:00 Cricket 21:00 Police Interceptors 22:00 Swordfish 24:05 The Replacement Killers

07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Heir Hunters 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Cowboy Trap 12:45 Saints and Scroungers 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News 14:30 Regional News 14:45 Doctors 15:15 Only Fools and Horses 15:45 Nigel Slater’s Simple Suppers 16:05 Copycats 16:35 Me and My Monsters 17:00 Gimme a Break 17:30 Cop School 18:00 Newsround 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News 19:30 Regional News 20:00 The One Show: Best of Britain 20:30 EastEnders 21:00 Holby City 22:00 Richard Hammond’s Journey to the Bottom of the Ocean 23:00 BBC News 23:35 Imagine 24:35 Travellers

07:00 Childrens TV 10:05 The Koala Brothers 10:15 Driver Dan’s Story Train 10:35 Chuggington 10:45 Mr Bloom’s Nursery 11:05 Gigglebiz 11:20 Zingzillas 11:45 Waybuloo 12:05 In the Night Garden 12:35 Second Chorus 14:00 Swimming 16:00 The Weakest Link 16:45 Antiques Road Trip 17:30 Flog It! 18:15 Escape to the Country 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Celebrity Eggheads 20:00 Coast 21:00 Restoration Home 22:00 The Hour 23:00 Twenty Twelve 23:30 Newsnight 24:20 This World

07:00 Daybreak 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV News 14:55 Granada News 15:00 Auction Party 16:00 Dickinson’s Real Deal 16:59 Granada Weather 17:00 Wild at Heart 18:00 Dinner Date 19:00 Granada Reports 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Wildlife Patrol 21:00 Cops with Cameras 22:00 Homes from Hell 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 Granada News and Weather 23:35 Celebrity Juice 24:20 iTunes Festival Highlights 2011

07:10 The Hoobs 08:00 Freshly Squeezed 08:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 08:55 Frasier 09:30 According to Jim 09:55 Friends 10:25 Friends 10:55 Three in a Bed 11:55 A Place in the Sun: Home or Away 13:00 Channel 4 News 13:05 The Fairy Jobmother 14:05 Secret Supper Club 14:40 Channel 4 Racing 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:55 4thought.tv 21:00 The Sex Education Show 22:00 Undercover Boss 23:00 Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares USA 24:05 Alan Carr: Chatty Man

07:00 Childrens TV 09:25 Roary the Racing Car 09:35 Bananas in Pyjamas 09:50 Olivia 10:00 Little Princess 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 The Wright Stuff Extra with Gabby Logan 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Ice Road Truckers 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 Law & Order 16:15 Amber’s Story 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:25 OK! TV 20:00 5 News at 7 20:30 Mexican Food Made Simple 21:00 One Year to Go: Building Stratford 22:00 CSI: Miami 23:00 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 23:55 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 24:55 Crimes That Shook the World

07:00 Coronation Street 07:25 Coronation Street 07:50 Emmerdale 08:20 Loose Women 09:10 Judge Judy 10:25 Real Housewives of Orange County 11:30 Judge Judy 13:00 Coronation Street 13:30 Coronation Street 14:00 Emmerdale 14:30 Jeremy Kyle Show 15:35 Jeremy Kyle Show 16:40 Real Housewives of Orange County 17:40 Loose Women 18:40 Judge Judy 19:45 Take Me Out 21:00 Peter Andre: Here 2 Help 22:00 America’s Got Talent 24:00 Red Dragon

07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Heir Hunters 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Cowboy Trap 12:45 Saints and Scroungers 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News 14:30 Regional News 14:45 Doctors 15:15 Only Fools and Horses 16:05 Copycats 16:35 Me and My Monsters 17:00 All Over the Place 17:30 Little Howard’s Big Question 18:00 Newsround 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News 19:30 Regional News Programmes 20:00 Olympics 2012: One Year to Go 20:30 Great British Weather 21:30 Sherlock 23:00 BBC News 23:25 Regional News 23:35 The National Lottery Wednesday Night Draws 23:45 Not Going Out 24:15 Him & Her 24:45 Alien Autopsy

07:00 Childrens TV 10:05 The Koala Brothers 10:15 Driver Dan’s Story Train 10:35 Chuggington 10:45 Mr Bloom’s Nursery 11:05 Gigglebiz 11:20 Zingzillas 11:45 Waybuloo 12:05 In the Night Garden 12:35 Beautiful but Dangerous 14:00 Swimming 16:00 The Weakest Link 16:45 Antiques Road Trip 17:30 Flog It! 18:15 Escape to the Country 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Celebrity Eggheads 20:00 Rick Stein’s Spain 21:00 Top Gear 22:00 The Code 23:00 Never Mind the Buzzcocks 23:30 Newsnight 24:20 Botham: The Legend of ‘81

07:00 Daybreak 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV News and Weather 14:55 Granada News and Weather 15:00 Auction Party 16:00 Dickinson’s Real Deal 16:59 Granada Weather 17:00 Wild at Heart 18:00 Dinner Date 19:00 Granada Reports 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 The Corrie Years 21:00 50 Greatest Harry Potter Moments 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 Granada News and Weather 23:35 Nature’s Fury 24:35 Homes from Hell

07:10 The Hoobs 08:00 Freshly Squeezed 08:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 08:55 Frasier 09:25 According to Jim 09:55 Friends 10:25 Friends 10:55 Three in a Bed 11:55 A Place in the Sun: Home or Away 13:00 Channel 4 News 13:05 The Fairy Jobmother 14:05 Secret Supper Club 14:35 Channel 4 Presents 14:40 Channel 4 Racing 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:55 4thought.tv 21:00 Jo Frost: Extreme Parental Guidance 22:00 24 Hours in A&E 23:00 Murdoch: The Mogul Who Screwed the News 24:05 The Killing

07:00 Childrens TV 08:30 Thomas & Friends 08:45 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:10 Milkshake! Monkey 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:20 Peppa Pig 09:25 Roary the Racing Car 09:35 Bananas in Pyjamas 09:50 Olivia 10:00 Little Princess 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 The Wright Stuff Extra with Gabby Logan 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Ice Road Truckers 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 Law & Order 16:15 Mystery Woman 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:25 OK! TV 20:00 5 News at 7 20:30 Garden ER 21:00 The Removal Men: Pickfords 22:00 NCIS 23:00 Panic Room

07:00 Emmerdale 07:25 Nanny 911 08:20 Loose Women 09:10 Judge Judy 10:25 The Real Housewives of Orange County 11:30 Judge Judy 13:00 Emmerdale 13:30 Nanny 911 14:30 The Jeremy Kyle Show 15:35 The Jeremy Kyle Show 16:40 The Real Housewives of Orange County 17:40 Loose Women 18:40 Judge Judy 20:00 The Marriage Ref 21:00 America’s Got Talent 22:00 Benidorm 23:00 Must Love Dogs

tv Tuesday

tv Wednesday

07:00 Coronation Street 07:50 Emmerdale 08:20 Loose Women 09:10 Judge Judy 10:25 Real Housewives of Orange County 11:30 Judge Judy 13:00 Coronation Street 14:00 Emmerdale 14:30 Jeremy Kyle Show 15:35 Jeremy Kyle Show 16:40 Real Housewives of Orange County 17:40 Loose Women 18:40 Judge Judy 20:00 Born to Shine 21:00 The Xtra Factor 22:00 Nutty Professor 2: the Klumps 24:10 Alexander

07:00 One Tree Hill 07:50 Desperate Housewives 08:35 Being Erica 09:30 One Tree Hill 10:25 Gilmore Girls 11:15 Desperate Housewives 12:10 Being Erica 13:10 Heartland 14:05 Smallville 15:00 Hollyoaks 15:30 Gilmore Girls 16:30 Samantha Who? 17:00 Glee 18:00 Friends 19:00 My Name Is Earl 20:00 Hollyoaks 20:30 How I Met Your Mother 21:00 Friends 22:00 One Tree Hill 23:00 Dirty Sexy Things 24:00 Tool Academy

10:00 Deal or No Deal 11:00 How Clean Is Your House? 11:35 Carry On Sergeant 13:15 3 Minute Wonder 13:30 Channel 4 Presents 13:35 Deal or No Deal 14:35 The Good Wife 15:35 Come Dine with Me 16:05 Coach Trip 16:35 Location, Location, Location 17:40 A Place in the Sun 18:45 Relocation, Relocation 19:50 Come Dine with Me 20:55 Grand Designs 22:00 The Hotel 23:00 Country House Rescue 24:05 The Daily Show Global Edition

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

07:00 One Tree Hill 07:45 Desperate Housewives 08:35 Being Erica 09:30 One Tree Hill 10:25 Gilmore Girls 11:20 Desperate Housewives 12:15 Being Erica 13:10 Heartland 14:05 Smallville 15:00 Hollyoaks 15:30 Gilmore Girls 16:30 Samantha Who? 17:00 Glee 18:00 Friends 19:00 My Name Is Earl 20:00 Hollyoaks 20:30 How I Met Your Mother 21:00 Friends 22:00 Smallville 23:00 Cleveland Show 23:30 Cleveland Show 24:00 Big Bang Theory 24:30 Big Bang Theory

10:00 Deal or No Deal 11:00 How Clean Is Your House? 11:35 Blithe Spirit 13:25 3 Minute Wonder 13:30 Channel 4 Presents 13:35 Deal or No Deal 14:35 The Good Wife 15:35 Come Dine with Me 16:05 Coach Trip 16:35 Location, Location, Location 17:40 A Place in the Sun 18:15 A Place in the Sun 18:45 Relocation, Relocation 19:50 Celebrity Come Dine with Me 20:55 Grand Designs 22:00 Come Dine with Me 23:00 Catfish 24:55 Come Dine with Me

Emergency with Celebrity Juice Angela Griffin ITV1, 23.35 Sky1 21.00

07:00 One Tree Hill 07:45 Desperate Housewives 08:35 Being Erica 09:30 One Tree Hill 10:25 Gilmore Girls 11:20 Desperate Housewives 12:15 Being Erica 13:10 Heartland 14:05 Smallville 15:00 Hollyoaks 15:30 Gilmore Girls 16:30 Samantha Who? 17:00 Glee 18:00 Friends 18:30 Friends 19:00 My Name Is Earl 19:25 My Name Is Earl 20:00 Hollyoaks 20:30 How I Met Your Mother 21:00 Friends 21:30 Friends 22:00 Beaver Falls 23:00 Franklin & Bash 24:00 Alan Carr: Chatty Man

Murdoch: The Mogul Emergency withWho

Angelathe Griffin Screwed News Sky1 21.00 Channel 4, 23.00

10:00 Deal or No Deal 11:00 How Clean Is Your House? 11:35 The Desert Fox 13:20 3 Minute Wonder 13:25 3 Minute Wonder 13:30 Channel 4 Presents 13:35 Deal or No Deal 14:35 The Good Wife 15:35 Come Dine with Me 16:05 Coach Trip 16:35 Location, Location, Location 17:40 A Place in the Sun 18:15 A Place in the Sun 18:45 Relocation, Relocation 19:50 Come Dine with Me 20:55 Grand Designs 22:00 Time Team 23:00 A Time Team Special 24:05 Man on Earth

tv Thursday 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Heir Hunters 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Cowboy Trap 12:45 Saints and Scroungers 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News 14:30 Regional News 14:45 Doctors 15:15 Only Fools and Horses 16:05 Copycats 16:35 Me and My Monsters 17:00 Project Parent 17:30 Richard Hammond’s Blast Lab 18:00 Newsround 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News 19:30 Regional News Programmes 20:00 The One Show: Best of Britain 20:30 EastEnders 21:00 Traffic Cops 22:00 Torchwood: Miracle Day 23:00 BBC News 23:25 Regional News 23:35 Kids Behind Bars 24:35 Richard Hammond’s Journey to the Bottom of the Ocean

07:00 Childrens TV 09:30 LazyTown 09:55 Bob the Builder: Project Build It 10:05 The Koala Brothers 10:15 Driver Dan’s Story Train 10:35 Chuggington 10:45 Mr Bloom’s Nursery 11:05 Gigglebiz 11:20 Zingzillas 11:45 Waybuloo 12:05 In the Night Garden 12:35 Affair with a Stranger 14:00 Swimming 15:15 Live Golf 18:15 Escape to the Country 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Celebrity Eggheads 20:00 Space Shuttle: The Final Mission 21:00 Rick Stein’s Spain 22:00 Town with Nicholas Crane 23:00 Have I Got News for You 23:30 Newsnight 24:20 James May on the Moon

CROSSWORD SOLUTIONS 613

22 2011 - 28 JulY 2011 8 - 14 JulY

07:00 Daybreak 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV News and Weather 14:55 Granada News and Weather 15:00 Auction Party 16:00 Dickinson’s Real Deal 16:59 Granada Weather 17:00 Wild at Heart 18:00 Dinner Date 19:00 Granada Reports 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Tonight 21:00 Emmerdale 21:30 Coronation Street 22:00 Single-Handed 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 Granada News and Weather 23:35 Piers Morgan’s Life Stories 24:35 Odd One In

CRYPTIC SOLUTIONS Across: 4 Abandon; 8 Season; 9 Charger; 10 Result; 11 Loafer; 12 Dividend; 18 Penelope; 20 Forego; 21 Fencer; 22 Obvious; 23 Fierce; 24 Leagues. Down: 1 Astride; 2 Passive; 3 Toiled; 5 Beholden; 6 Norman; 7 Opener; 13 Exposure; 14 Concern; 15 Degrees; 16 Rouble; 17 Sewing; 19 Eyelid.

07:10 The Hoobs 08:00 Freshly Squeezed 08:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 08:55 Frasier 09:25 According to Jim 09:55 Friends 10:25 Friends 10:55 Three in a Bed 11:55 A Place in the Sun: Home or Away 13:00 Channel 4 News 13:05 The Fairy Jobmother 14:10 Secret Supper Club 14:40 Channel 4 Racing 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:55 4thought.tv 21:00 Help! My House Is Falling Down 22:00 The Killing 23:00 8 Out of 10 Cats Uncut 23:50 Rhod Gilbert and the Award-Winning Mince Pie 24:50 Channel 4 Presents 24:55 The Film Show

07:00 Childrens TV 08:25 Thomas & Friends 08:40 Noddy in Toyland 08:55 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:10 Peppa Pig 09:20 Peppa Pig 09:25 Roary the Racing Car 09:35 Bananas in Pyjamas 09:50 Olivia 10:00 Little Princess 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 The Wright Stuff Extra with Gabby Logan 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Ice Road Truckers 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 Law & Order 16:15 A Soldier’s Love Story 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:25 OK! TV 20:00 5 News at 7 20:30 How Do They Do It? 21:00 Air Crash Investigation 22:00 Cowboy Builders 23:00 Candy Bar Girls 24:00 Police Interceptors

QUICK SOLUTIONS Across: 4 Emptied; 8 Amazon; 9 Interim; 10 Riches; 11 Agency; 12 Customer; 18 Languish; 20 Talent; 21 Rotten; 22 Fancied; 23 Overdo; 24 Deplete. Down: 1 Caprice; 2 Sarcasm; 3 Bolero; 5 Mandarin; 6 Teeter; 7 Evince; 13 Maltreat; 14 Cistern; 15 Phantom; 16 Manage; 17 Pencil; 19 Groove. Wordwheel: TESTAMENT

07:00 Emmerdale 07:25 Nanny 911 08:20 Loose Women 09:10 Judge Judy 10:25 Real Housewives of Orange County 11:30 Judge Judy 13:00 Emmerdale 13:30 Nanny 911 14:30 Jeremy Kyle Show 15:35 Jeremy Kyle Show 16:40 Real Housewives of Orange County 17:40 Loose Women 18:40 Judge Judy 20:00 America’s Got Talent 22:00 Peter Andre: Here 2 Help 23:00 iTunes Festival 2011 24:00 The Only Way Is Essex 24:45 The Only Way Is Essex

07:00 One Tree Hill 07:50 Desperate Housewives 08:35 Being Erica 09:30 One Tree Hill 10:25 Gilmore Girls 11:15 Desperate Housewives 12:10 Being Erica 13:05 Heartland 14:05 Smallville 15:00 Hollyoaks 15:30 Gilmore Girls 16:30 Samantha Who? 17:00 Glee 18:00 Friends 18:30 Friends 19:00 My Name Is Earl 19:25 My Name Is Earl 20:00 Hollyoaks 20:30 How I Met Your Mother 21:00 Friends 21:30 Friends 22:00 Big Bang Theory 22:30 How I Met Your Mother 23:00 Rude Tube 23:30 PhoneShop 24:05 Beaver Falls

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

53 53

10:00 Deal or No Deal 11:00 How Clean Is Your House? 11:35 Living Free 13:20 3 Minute Wonder 13:25 3 Minute Wonder 13:30 Channel 4 Presents 13:35 Deal or No Deal 14:35 The Good Wife 15:35 Come Dine with Me 16:05 Coach Trip 16:35 Location, Location, Location 17:40 A Place in the Sun 18:15 A Place in the Sun 18:45 Relocation, Relocation 19:50 Celebrity Come Dine with Me 20:55 Grand Designs 22:00 One Born Every Minute USA 23:00 Shameless US 24:05 The Closer

22 - 28 2011 4 2010 Feb 26JulY - March

54 44

Sunday was nice guy day!

The TV Round Up by

Alex Trelinski

Broadcaster and freelance journalist

NICE GUYS do win, and so I raised a glass of cheap Cava in honour of inventor Tom Pellereau who got Lord Alan Sugar’s money in Sunday night’s final of ‘The Apprentice’ on BBC1. Tom said it was a great day for geeks with his victory, but it also proved that having a creative mind is far better than being a professional backstabber and ego-maniac. I felt a bit sorry for runner-up Helen, who in previous years would have been the winner, but lacked the crucial entrepreneurial edge in the closing stages. It was a cracking two hours of TV, including Dara O’Briain’s entertaining post-show interviews. By the way, somebody should invite Irish Jim to live over here, selling dreams and promises to unsuspecting ex-pats; he’d make a fortune.

Memory Lane There’s a weekly walk down memory lane that I can recommend for fans of ‘The Bill’ which was unmercifully and pointlessly smothered to death by ITV’s short-sighted management a year ago. Just tune into BBC 1’s ‘Holby

City’ every Tuesday night and you will inevitably spot a Sun Hill refugee popping up as a guest. No doubt that has plenty to do with the new boss at Holby being the final producer at the long-running ITV crime show!

Stench of dog mess

Newsnight A lack of imagination next?

I doubt whether ‘Tate & Lyle’ could match the sugar content of John Barrowman’s Saturday night sucrose fest, ‘Tonight’s The Night’ on BBC 1, which is a zillion light years away from his ‘Torchwood’ escapades on a Thursday. But it is done with such good grace and nature -with the versatile Barrowman being the playful kitten trying to do good - that you simply can’t help enjoying this high-octane glucosefilled guilty pleasure: next on his hit-list, a week presenting ‘Newsnight’?

I’m a massive fan of BBC sports coverage, but I thought their extensive coverage of the Open at Sandwich lacked imagination. There was a distinct lack of key graphics at important times, like

the leaderboard, or a caption telling you who we are seeing and what their score was. The large commentary team had some members that sounded bored or just unsure of their ability, and some key shots seemed to have just been missed. As a passionate believer in non-subscription sports events I hate to say it, but in all aspects (as shown in their US Open coverage), Sky Sports is on a different and superior fairway when it comes to televising golf. And like with inventor Tom on the same day, it was fantastic to see nice guy Darren Clarke win his first major, after all the personal tragedy in his life.

The stench of dog mess is a better prospect compared to a nasty rumour that has wafted its way in my direction over the last few days. The odious panel show full of unknown guests, ‘Through the Keyhole’, is set for a revival, though mercifully without Sir David Frost, who these days looks like a grotesque open-mouthed ageing extra for ‘The Walking Dead’. His old sidekick, Loyd Grossman and his irritating mid-Atlantic twang of self-righteousness have also been dispatched to the dustbin of TV mediocrity. Instead, Paul O’Grady is being rumoured to be the new host, with Vernon Kaye set to be the house-prowler. It’s all like having something nasty on the sole of your shoe, and being unable to shift it. Can’t ITV come up with something new in the field of entertainment? To answer that, based on the last few weeks, the response has got to be a clear NO!

Animal’s People Book Review by

Danny Collins

copy@dannyjpcollins.com

IN 1984 in the city of Bhopal, India, 20,000 people died when a leak at the US-owned Union Carbide pesticide factory spewed a lethal gas into the community. Today, 200,000 remain crippled by lung disease, gynaecological disorders, birth defects, and bone malformation. No compensation has ever been paid to sufferers and no blame apportioned for the accident. Indra Sinha is one of India’s foremost writers and has written this heart-wrenching story of ‘Animal’, a fictional victim of a fictional duplicate disaster in the fictional city of Khaufpur. Animal walks on all fours, the result of his spine crumbling from the effects of the gas that killed his parents and left him an orphan. He lives in a broken down outbuilding of the decrepit and still contaminated factory – as in real life Bhopal, the ‘Kampani’ (the US company responsible) fled back to the USA and never cleaned the site – with a senile old nun who once cared for him in the orphanage where he grew up. A commitment is honoured. Ma Franci is one of Animal’s people. As are a colourful crowd of beggars, bar owners, shop keepers, and peaceful activists such as Zafar, who fights an unending battle to bring the hated ‘Kampani’ to court in India, and Pandit Sonraj, the classical singer who’s throat was ruined in the disaster and who is the father of Nisha, of whom Animal suffers sexual fantasies and the pangs of unrequited love. But the most prominent of all Animal’s people is

Elli, the beautiful American doctor who has come to Khaufpur to open a free clinic. But is she collecting data for the hated Kampani? The result is a riveting novel set against a fictional set of events that mirrors the real-life tragedy of Bhopal and leaves the reader revelling in the warmth of Animal’s people and seething with righteous indignation at the complacency of American business in its dealings abroad. Animal spends his life looking at the world through eyes eighteen inches above the ground but he sees a world of love we could never imagine. ‘Animal’s People’ was shortlisted for the 2007 Man Booker Prize and should have won by a country mile. I thoroughly recommend it to readers everywhere. Author: Indra Sinha Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK (paperback) Price: 12.80€ ISBN: 978 1 4165 2627 8

Suduko Answer

motoring

Too late to save this vehicle? by

Brian Deller

Author of Motoring in Spain

KEN (NOT his real name) some weeks ago advised me that he came to live in Spain from the UK some 4 to 5 years ago and brought over his beloved Japanese ‘people-carrier’ that was “special” as it had a 3-litre diesel engine and an automatic transmission: the vehicle was not available new in Europe. Having lived here for 4 to 5 years, Ken was getting worried about the on-going correspondence in the English language papers about illegal vehicles being impounded and the mention that the UK practice of crushing them is now being discussed at high levels in the Spanish Government. Many people do not realise that many of the UK-plated vehicles do not officially exist as they are on a SORN, which means they are not on the roads at all, anywhere, as stipulated by the SORN (UK Statutory Off-Road Notification, regulations. See www.direct.gov.uk for full information. Amongst other rules as noted in the above website, a vehicle under a SORN declaration must remain in the UK for the period of the SORN. A SORN vehicle being used anywhere, especially within the EU, can attract a fine of up to £5,000 for the registered owner and the impounding

and destruction of the vehicle. So he asked me for advice. Studying the V5C, the first point I noted was that it was first registered in the UK in 1996 and Ken then acquired the vehicle second-hand in 2004, in the UK. Ken advised me that it was originally imported as a used vehicle from Japan into the UK. Three years after the new purchase in Japan the annual taxes are raised so much that it is financially better to sell it (export) and buy new again. The problem is now that the vehicle is three years older at least than the date of the first registration as noted on the V5C which in this case is 1996, which means that the probable year of first registration is 1993. But it has a UK registration plate so it is still legal in the UK, albeit at a higher rate of annual tax with the new pollution taxes now applying especially with an old design (dirty) diesel engine. This I believe is the reason that the authorities are not immediately accepting re-registration for Spain as I have reported some months ago. But Spain has much stricter rules now where used vehicles without Euro 4 for diesel engines, with Diesel Particulate Filters and the modern direct injection, cleaner engines and older vehicles are being turned away I advised handing the transfer procedure over to a local well known Spanish father and son team (they lived in the UK for a few years) who have the contacts at the various authorities but they now admit to having problems. So Ken

22 - 28 JulY 2011

uses his beloved vehicle almost daily as before, sweating that he may be stopped in a road block and the vehicle impounded. And if that happens the only action he could take is to pay the fine and costs and return it to the UK if it cannot, as it seems, be transferred onto Spanish plates. But there may be problems returning it to the UK with the new number plate recognition cameras in action. Me - I would sell the vehicle to someone in the UK where it is still registered (we hope) but may attract fines, or sell to a returning expat and buy a local smaller, much newer vehicle. He is in my opinion going to have to make the change soon and he may lose the chance to sell it at all as the pollution laws get much stricter. Googling the vehicle type in the UK shows that it has a market value of about £3,000 to £5,000, and there is an owner’s club. I hate to be the bearer of bad news but it is far better that owners know the facts so they can legally avoid the consequences (or accept them). ON A DIFFERENT NOTE I see that the expected new rules about chasing offenders in their home countries are moving along. It will be very expensive soon to commit an offence in an EU country and then drive home without paying the fines. See http://www. telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/europe/eu/8621178/ European-motorists-to-be-tracked-down-cross-border.html

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

Honda Civic (2009) 2.2 CDTi, FHSH- Ford Ranger (2007) 1 Owner, 2.5TDCi – Fiat Punto Grande (2008) 1.4 Active Petrol - Opel Meriva (2006) 1.7 Enjoy CDTi Diesel - Seat Ibiza (2007) 1.4 TDi Diesel - Hyundai i10 (2008) 1 Owner, FSH - Renault Kangoo Combi Van (2007) 1.5 DCi Diesel - Ford Focus (2008) 1.6 Tdci Diesel 5 door Seat Altea (2005) 1.9 Diesel - Seat Leon (2007) 1.6 petrol 5door alloys Citroen Picasso (2005) 1.6 Petrol - Suzuki Ignis (2006) 1.3 DDIS Diesel - Opel Corsa (2006) 1.2, only 65,000kms - Alfa Romeo 147 (2005) 1.6 Twin Spark Sport Petrol - Ford Mondeo (2006) 2.0Tdci Futura 130cv Diesel Mitsubishi Pajero 7 Seater (1998) 2.8 Diesel - Hyundai Matrix (2005) 1.6, 1 owner, FSH - MG ZR (2006) 1.4 Petrol - Renault Scenic (2005) 1.9 dci Diesel Mpv, FSH

€14,995 €13,995 €8,495 €7,995 €7,995 €7,995 €7,995 €9,995 €7,995 €9,995 €6,995 €6,995 €6,995 €6,995 €8,995 €6,495 €6,495 €6,495 €8,995

70 Cars Available across 2 Sales Sites

Renault Clio (2007) 1.2 16v Petrol 5door 50.100km - €7,995

Ford Fiesta (2008) 1.4 Trend Petrol 5door - 61.000km - €7,995

BMW 320D Auto (2002) 2.0 Diesel, 115.000 - FSH - €9,995

Skoda Roomster (2007) 1.4 TDi, 33.457KM - 1 Owner - €9,995

Opel Astra (2004) 1.7 CDTi 91.000km 5 door - €6,995

Nissan Almera Tino (2003) 2.2 DCi 145.000km Diesel Mpv - €5,995

Toyota Yaris (2002) 1.2 Petrol Full 73.000km - €5,295

Nissan Micra (2008) 1.4 Limited Edition Petrol - €8,995

Ford Ka (2003) 1.3 Petrol – A/C, Pas, 61.000km - €4,495

VW Caddy (2006) 1.9 TDi Life Diesel 83.000km - €8,995

Toyota Rav 4 (2002) 2.0, 1 Owner, 139.000 km - FTSH - €8,995

Peugeot 206 SW Estate (2003) 1.4 Diesel 144.000km - €4,495

22 - 28 JulY 2011

Indigo - Driving down the cost of car hire OVER THE last few years we have seen the cost of car hire rocket by nearly 25% compared to previous years. Even taking into consideration that prices rise due to inflation such a large increase in a comparatively short period of time has not been good news for British Expats on the Costa Blanca. Visits to the UK can be frequent for many reasons and some are unavoidable. At Indigo Car Hire we have seen over the last two years that customers are reducing the number of trips they make back to the UK. Key factors are the cost of car hire and the cost of flights, exacerbated by the unfavourable exchange rate. We all remember fondly the days when you could get a 7day UK car hire for £99.00 fully inclusive. Presently the average cost for an equivalent hire is around £124.00. The main reason for the price increase is the dreaded ‘Credit Crunch’ which hit car hire companies hard. In addition, last year the Volcanic Ash situation left thousands of passengers stranded and not able to collect their pre-booked car hire. The uncertainty of the disruptions resulted in many travellers making the decision to cancel their planned trip altogether. This had a knock-on effect on all car hire suppliers. Supply was another huge problem car hire suppliers had to contend with, especially in Spain. Car Hire companies simply could not obtain the amount of cars needed to service the number of expected customers due to the credit freeze. Rather than make less profit, many car hire suppliers raised their prices accordingly. Last year, car hire suppliers at Alicante Airport were charging nearly £250.00 a week for a basic car, which was more than a 50% increase. This seems like a huge hike but the car hire companies felt they

2011 CITROEN C1 1.4Hdi manual 5 door , Air con in bright Rally red 0Km Was 11,300 NOW €10,700 2011 CITROEN NEW C3 1.4hdi seduction With Zenith screen, Climate, Cruise, Alloys OKM Was 17,800 NOW €14,800 2007 CITROEN C4 PICASSO 2.0i CMP AUTO Exclusive in Nociola Full history one owner only 47,000kms €11,800 2007 CITROEN XSARA PICASSO 1.6 Hdi 110 Exclusive in €8,900 silver 57,000kms service history AC cruise 2005 CITROEN XSARA PICASSO 1.6 Hdi 110Hp Exclusive €6,800 130,000kms Full service history 2005 CITROEN BERLINGO 2.0 Hdi Multispace in silver €6,800 94,000kms recent tyres, services and timing belt 2004 CITROEN C3 1.4i CAS AUTOMATIC SX+ in silver only 55,000kms in excellent condition €5,300 2003 CITROEN C3 1.4i SX Air conditioning CD radio Good condition with 135,000kms in Blue €5,000 2002 CITROEN C3 1.4 Hdi Sx 130,000kms in blue with Aircon CD radio alloys €4,900 2001 CITROEN SAXO 1.4i sx with air conditioning silver metallic good runabout €2,300 2008 SKODA FABIA estate 1.4 Tdi 80 young only 15,600kms one owner in new condition €7,500 2005 RENAULT MODUS 1.5 Dci in yellow metallic climate control 96,000kms very economical €6,000 2004 SEAT IBIZA 1.4i Automatic with white paintwork 42,oookms 5 door Aircon €3,700 2004 RENAULT MEGANE SCENIC 1.9Dci Privledge full option pack with 108,000kms and Service history €6,800 2006 FORD KA 1.3i collection 70 Silver metallic with 57,000kms Perfect for a holiday home car €4,000 2001 OPEL ASTRA 1.6i Club white paintwork in nice condition, Air con alarm and nice sound system €3,800 1996 MERCEDES Clase C 220 Cdi Silver metallic with full option pack 158,000kms Very well looked after(P) €4,000

Cherie Walker, Reservations Manager

were justified in doing so to cover costs. On a happier note, we are pleased to say that car hire prices are definitely on the decrease at last. This year we can arrange car hire in the UK from around £109.00 per week, fully inclusive of the usual, tax, insurance, unlimited mileage and UK breakdown cover. More good news is that there is no upper age limit. At Indigo we can arrange car hire at all UK Airports, cities and now any worldwide location. We have special deals at both Alicante and Murcia airport so if you have family visiting for the summer and are looking to hire a car, do get in touch. We will search through our network of suppliers to get you the best deal possible in a no-obligation quote. We have been working with the RTN for some time now and will continue to offer any RTN readers a discounted rate on all UK Car Hire bookings. We have a great team of who are waiting for your call. Ring 0044 (0) 113 3082016 to speak to a real person and not a machine or email your enquiry to sales@indigocarhire.co.uk

Is it a bike? Is it a car? Is it a scooter?

THE JIAO is actually none of the above. It is a ‘personal mobility machine’ built for two that travels up to 25mph. ‘Off-the-wall; fun; a revolution in urban transportation and produced by General Motors, released 2010 and becoming more and more popular. It is a cute, Segway-based, all-electric vehicle with a 25 mile range on a single charge with two electric motors, one in each ‘driving’ wheel. The motors are powered by lithium-ion phosphate batteries, recharged via a standard wall

outlet. The motors also provide ‘braking’ for the vehicle, which is completely ‘driveby-wire’ and controlled manually or autonomously. Free from petroleum and emissions; free from congestion and accidents and ideal for nipping around town. And if you’re wondering, the name means ‘laugh’ in Mandarin. The ‘car’ is designed for large urban communities and GM projects that by 2030 we will all be driving one. Visit www.gm.com for more information.

Classified Ads 22 - 28 JulY 2011

All Major Credit Cards Accepted - 0.31e per word + IVA

Book your advert now 902 118 999 (ext 1)

EMAIL: classifieds@roundtownnews.com | WEBSITE: www.roundtownnews.co.uk | Fax: 96 585 60 54 | Or see our list of classified agents in this section

UK-SPAIN-IRELAND All European Destinations

Removals with the personal touch. Full/part loads. Parcels, flat packs, luggage, door to door service, Storage available, pets transported

Phone 965 696 750 • 0044 (0) 1460 74191 email: chrisyounge73979@aol.com

PRISTINE POOLS

• Professional pool maintenance & cleaning • Replacement pumps, filters, salt systems Ph regulators and accessories supplied and installed • Pipe leaks pressure tested, detected and repaired • Structural leaks investigated and repaired • Refurbishments & upgrades undertaken British Trained with over 15 years experience. Extensive references. All work guaranteed Tel: 96 677 4199 or 678 080 500 www.pristineswimmingpools.com Torrevieja and surrounding areas plus Costa Calida

22 - 28 JulY 2011

EXCEL AIR CONDITIONING. See main ad on page 13.Tel/Fax (Head Office) 966-897-772. Mobiles:-680154-432/676-265-675. Email excelairconditioning@hotmail. com. All credit/debit cards accepted. SERVICE AIR David Higton: (Tel) 966-865-883 (Mob) 629-308-505 (Email) cool@serviceair.biz

TRANS-PET We do regular, door-to-door journeys between the Costa Blanca and the UK.Our aim is to provide a professional, caring service for your pets.Boarding facilities for Cats and Dogs. This may be for an overnight stay or of longer durations.Tel:600-552-030/965960-658 www.trans-pet.co.uk

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS - COSTA BLANCA Confidential Helplines South - 625-912-078 North - 648-169-045 www.aa-costablanca.org

LABRADOR cross puppies FREE to a good home 617942466 SMALL DOGS CARED FOR IN OUR OWN HOME So if you need to go away on holiday but don’t want your dog to go into kennels then we will look after them. References available. Tel: 965843781 Mob: 622514980

DRIVING TO THE UK? English guest house in France, close

to Spanish border. Peaceful location, secure parking. www.millefleursbb.co.uk

BUILDER Leemabuilders Ltd. All groundworks and building works undertaken Domestic and Commercial No job too small Contact Lee:-634-349-039 www.leemabuildersltd.com

HAIRDRESSERS TERSAPASO FOR SALE very low rent, excellent clientel, Torrevieja 966786722 or 627065301 SOLAR ENERGY BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY Long established company, own product range. First class training & support. Telephone 606586587 RECESSION PROOF business for sale Benidorm. Men Only Sauna . Profit in excess of 55K per annum for last 3 years . Offers over 115000.00€. Tel: 96 626 0500. SATTELITE COMPANY FOR SALE Established for 7 years, kangoo van and trailer included, tools, sattelite meters, smart meters. 966712604 or mobile 626755156. 12.000€ ono. 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,€44,900.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

FIAT DUCATO CAMPERVAN Coachbuilt campervan on Fiat Ducato, 1996 LHD Spanish plate, ITV Nov, Sleeps 4, H/C water, central heating, 3 way fridge, shower and toilet, 3 ring cooker, €10,000 inc transfers. 647686567 Moraira TWO LARGE MOBILE HOME/ CARAVAN PLOTS have

come available on Camping Castillejo Park in Fortuna, the campsite is fully legal and has a private swimming pool, bar and restaurant. For more information please call (0034) 619003258 MOBILE/PARK HOMES from 17.000€, 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, 5 mins to beach, Airport, Hospital by car. (also bungalows for rent and caravan plots short term or permanent stays) Tlf Carol 968192-425 mob 626-055-622 www. mobilehomesmarmenorspain. com

BYTEBACK MICROS computer repairs/upgrades in your home. Qualified technician. Systems custom built. Whatever your problem call: 965-312-006 or 606-127-424 PC SOLUTIONS 4U Description: For all your PC needs. Reliable,friendly service. Call Fred_634638664. Visits 20mile radius Benidorm. We buy PC\’s & laptops

360º CONSTRUCTION Professional trustworthy service. All aspects of construction. 12 years experience. Spanish spoken. Portfolio available. 965 771 983 or 681 270 415

OPI ALFAZ SL are seeking a full time receptionist/Administrator for our busy holiday rental department. The successful applicant will have excellent computer skills and be able to communicate in both English and Spanish, spoken and written. He or she must have the ability to organize and work to deadlines. Please send your CV to: OPI Alfaz SL, Calle Ferreria 16, Alfaz del Pi, 03580 or by email to lisa. turner@opialfaz.com Due to improvements being made to our Alfaz office, we regret that we will be unable to see Clients in person on Monday 25th July. We will however still be able to deal with your enquiries by telephone or email. Take a look at our new

website www.opialfaz.com for holiday property and long term rentals 24 HOUR HOMECARE SERVICES LTD Wanted companions, carers to work in England as live-in carers. 3 weeks on, 3 weeks off. If you are caring, a good listener and cook contact Karen Jones on (0044) 01929 472 810 or mobile (0044) 07500 836688 email: 24hourhomecareservices@ googlemail.com or download application form from www.24ho urhomecareservices.com WAITER/WAITRESS REQUIRED for 5 star restaurant, must be experienced and must be able to speak English and Spanish. Call: 672 860 001 CARERS WANTED To work in England 3 weeks on 3 weeks off email CV to 24hourhomecareservices@ googlemail.com WORKING HOLIDAYS FOR EXPATS Join our team of selfemployed live-in cares in the U.K. We require live-in cares to provide housekeeping and personal care for our elderly clients in their own homes particularly during the autumn and winter months. Flexible bookings of 2-4 weeks to suit your personal situation. Experienced nurses or carers welcome, also those with no previous experience, our inhouse training is available. British/EU passport/references/ drivers/good spoken English essential. This progressive friendly company was established in 1962 and is a market leader in U.K. live-in care for the elderly, CONSULTUS CARE AND NURSING LTD. Call our local consultant Sandra Field on 658 965 204 or email s.field@ consultuscare.com or visit our website www.consultuscare.com.

22 - 28 JulY 2011 WHEELCHAIR Light, Foldable, hardly used! 150€. Electric Mobility Scooter, SUNRISE MEDICAL 40km range 499€. Both like new! Tlf:-627-019-403 PERGOLA 5MX3M Never erected. High quality solid timber, Treated. Ideal for Garden or Carport. €385 Will Delivery Free. 622-791-907 or si.whitworth@gmail.com

TEETH WHITENING. Safe Professional Cosmetic Treatments and DIY Kits from 29€. Javea, Denia, Calpe, Benidorm areas. Tel:- 966-473166 or 680-501-404. See www.nulookteeth.com

S.O.S. INSURANCE Car-HomeHealth-Comercial. Funeral Plans and Insurance. Tlf:-966-787123/622-275-561/686-116-297

DIESEL GENERATOR 4.5kva electric start 350€. Petrol generator 2.4kva 75€. Water pump Suzuki engine large capacity 150€ Tlf: 675878601 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. 691202-307 PINE SHOP SALE Double Robe 180€ Tlf:-628-499-448 PINE SHOP SALE CD stand 75€ 628 499 448 PINE SHOP SALE single Bed 135€ 628 499 448 PINE SHOP SALE 5+2 Chest 135€ Tlf:-628-499-448 PINE SHOP SALE Double Robe 180€ Tlf:-628-499-448 PINE SHOP SALE King size bed. 285€.Tel:-628-499-448. PINE SHOP SALE Double Bed. 270€ Tlf:-628-499-448

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 AT MICHAEL’S Small cane suite, 2-seater sofa and two armchairs. Castilian bunk beds. Two large comfortable wicker armchairs with matching table. See 600 photos: www.michaelsjavea.com AT MICHAEL’S Beautiful high quality bedroom set consisting of King size bed, 2 chest of drawers, mirrors and bedsides, all in lovely carved honey pine. 600 photos: www.michaelsjavea.com 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 MICHAEL’S 26 YEARS IN JAVEA - ENSURES YOUR SATISFACTION! We sell high quality pre owned furniture, many from show apartments etc. Look at: www.michaels-javea. com Tel 96-579 1328

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

videos. 400+ music albums. Karaoke & DJ software etc etc. 225euros. CC accepted via paypal. call Paul . 659-511-951

G.S PARTY HIRE Planning a party. Do you need tables,chairs,crockery,glasses. Outside catering and bar for all occasions. Then contact me for more information on.635-109375/693-371-654/966-194-984 GOLF SHARE FOR SALE Golf membership of AltoReal Golf Club in Murcia. Reluctantly selling to realistic offer. Call 628608133 WEIGHT WATCHERS Call our Free English call centre now to find your nearest meeting. 900-818-794

BALLROOM/LATIN/ SEQUENCE DANCING La Rustika (Los Arcos) Restaurant, Avenida Baleares,Torrevieja, Saturday Social dance 7.30pm - 10pm, Tuesday IMPROVERS LESSON 7.30pm - 8.30pm plus SOCIAL DANCE 8.30pm - 10.30pm (not second Tuesday of the month) Monday NEW BEGGINERS CLASS 10.30am - 12.30pm. Casa Ventura, San Luis, Torrevieja. Thursday NEW BEGGINERS CLASS 7.30pm - 9.30pm. Tlf Andrea and Brian 616-478-157

PINE SHOP SALE computer desk 50€ 628 499 448 PINE SHOP SALE Bookcase 57€. Tel: 628-499-448. PINE SHOP SALE 2 door - 2 drawer sideboard 155€ 628499488 PINE SHOP SALE Bedside Chest. 20€.Tel:-628-499-448. POOL, SNOOKER TABLES Also Table Tennis and Darts. Will beat any price!. Tlf:-666-933726. www.spainpool.com KARAOKE MEDIA PLAYER Special Offer 500GB. 80,000songs, software, songbooks, bar/home use. 195euros Tlf:-657-766-341 SINGERS, DJ\’S, KJ\’S 1TB media drive inc:-110k up to date karaoke tracks, 1k + M/F/duet backing tracks, 500+music

LOOKING FOR A CAR?

We have a nice selection of LHD and RHD Vehicles for sale or exchange from only 1500€, Automatics, Saloons, MPV´s, 4x4´s, Sports, Cabriolets, and Commercials. New and used Vehicles Sourced. We also have have a nice selection of automatics and over 20 Cabriollets in stock. Tel Frank your friendly English car sales on the Costa Blanca. Tel 600-726-221/965687-976 or simply view our easy to use website www.fwreurocars.com AUTOMATICS! Good selection in stock. Cabriolets! Over 20 in stock. SPECIAL! Ford Focus 1.8 TDCi manual. 2007 new model. 5 door. Dual climate. Cruise. 17 inch multispoke alloys. Bluetooth. FSH. Matt black. Rear privacy glass. Beautiful condition. 8750€. Plus 1 Auto in stock only 31000kms 2008 FSH Plus 1 Auto estate 47000kms, stunning condition. Going Home? Good selection of RHD Vehicles for sale or exchange. 600 726 221 or 965 687 976. www.fwreurocars.com HEADLIGHTS4U.COM Left hand drive headlights supplied and fitted. All makes. Also air conditioning rechargeTel:966-877-145 or 618-592-396 BUMPERS, WINGS AND MIRRORS All body panels for all cars supplied. Tel:-966-877-145 or 618-592-396 SEAT IBIZA 1.9SDI diesel, LHD, Spanish plates, new tyres, brakes and disks, 12 months ITV. 1950€ tlf: 675-878-601 WANTED Scrap cars, vans, lorries, plant and caravans.

Turn your scrap into cash. From Valencia to Alicante. Free collection. Tel: 689-929-395 FORD FIESTA A.4 TDCI, 2005 75,000km. Four door, white, reliable, economical and nippy. Excellent condition and two year ITV, 4,450€. Phone 661-403-016. REEM CLEANING SERVICES the Costa Blancas cheapest car valeting service for Benidorm and surrounding areas! Inside and outside clean ONLY 20€! Be Inspired.... and call the REEM TEAM today on 646-619-466. See our Facebook page by searching for REEM CLEANING SERVICES. ANY GOOD CONDITION cars wanted for cash. From year 2000, must have Air Con. Tlf:605-369-921. 9am - 9pm WANTED I buy any car, van,Caravan,4x4 Etc.British, Spanish. Immediate cash 600-781-873 ibuyanycar@hotmail.com

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22 - 28 JulY 2011

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22 - 28 JulY 2011

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22 - 28 JulY 2011

The final whistle With Andy Kay

RTN Golf Club update

www.andykayevents.com

Hail Oscar Dennis Jordan NORTH REGION

Mike Probert SOUTH REGION

HOPE YOU all enjoyed the British Open at The Royal St George in Sandwich Kent this year. I was fortunate enough Golf Course RTN Price Comments to attend this year and the atmosphere was great, although 2x1 offer 12pm – 4pm inc Buggy €89 as I am sure you know the weather wasn’t so good. Hospi- Alenda tality was excellent and playing the Prince’s golf course the Alicante Golf 2x1offer 12pm – 4pm inc Buggy €69 day, was just as rewarding. Bonalba €59 All Day: 2x1 offer inc Buggy Getting back to the courses here on the Costa Blanca the €43 Single Green fee offers for the 2x 1 are very good as this year they are in- Don Cayo cluding a buggy and proving popular. El Plantio €45 Single Green fee inc Buggy Don Cayo Golf in Altea La Vella have started the work for Villaitana Par 62 €29 Single Green fee inc Buggy the new water / lake feature on the 5th Tee, they have Villa Aitana Par 72 €69 Single Green fee inc Buggy altered the score card for the Par, so it is very clear for the players to accommodate this and hope it won’t affect For more information email Dennis at your game: this is a great course and very popular - if you dennis@roundtownnews.com or direct to haven’t yet played it, book a round, I am sure you will be www.benidormgolf.com on 630 714 373. pleasantly surprised.

LAST WEEK I gave you all some advanced information Golf Course RTN Price Comments about a special deal at the exclusive resort La Manga Vistabella 2 PL and 1 Buggy (weekend pm) €56 visited by the rich, famous and football stars past and 2 PL and 1 Buggy Hacienda del Alamo €86 present. I can now confirm that the special price for twilight golf La Serena 2 PL and 1 Buggy €75 at La Manga, available until 31/08/11, will be just €104 Polaris World Courses 2 PL and 1 Buggy €92 for two players and a buggy after 3pm and remember 2 PL and 1 Buggy Roda €78 that the high season public price is €149 (each) walking and €51 for a buggy so what a deal this represents. 2 PL and Buggy (from3pm) Las Colinas €82 The deal at La Finca of only €164 for 4 players and 2 2 PL and 1 Buggy La Peraleja €76 buggies continues popular as does the deal at Vistabella 2 PL and 1 Buggy La Tercia €65 where if you book any golf deal you can receive a second deal at a 50% discount when booked at the same time. The superb deal at Altorreal of only €55 for 2 players For more information contact Mike at and buggy will still be available any day until 15th mike@roundtownnews.com or direct at Costa Blanca Green September 2011. Fee Services on 966 704 752 or 661 345 931.

CONGRATULATIONS THIS week must go to South African Oscar Pistorius who, at an athletics meeting in Italy, smashed his personal best for the 400m and in doing so, posted a qualifying time for the Olympic Games in London next year. If you are not a fan of track and field, then the above facts may not mean much. However, it actually ranks as one of the greatest ever athletic achievements of all time bearing in mind that Pistorius is a double amputee and runs on prosthetic legs known as Cheetah Blades. It was back in 2008, after a long and exhaustive enquiry, that Pistorius won his case to persuade the IAAF, the sport’s governing body, that his blades were legal and gave him no advantage over able bodied runners. He subsequently failed to register a qualifying time for the Beijing Games but has never stopped striving to reach his goal. His new best time of 45.07 means he’s gone faster than any British athlete this year. In fact, to better put it in perspective, the time would have earned him fifth place in the 2008 Olympic final. Pistorius is a regular visitor to the UK and, having worked with him at the Paralympic World Cup in Manchester on a few occasions, I can tell you that he is one of sports nice guys. He’s a dedicated trainer, always makes time for the media and sponsors and is very good company off the track as well. He fully deserves his success and it’s going to be a pleasure seeing him compete in London next summer.

Murcia Golf Hound Murcia Region

WHAT A fantastic week we have just had at the Open Championship! It certainly made me feel like getting out on the links! In some testing conditions at Royal St Georges, and while all others were falling around him (I’m sure under pressure most of us have hit a few balls out of bounds on the courses of Murcia like Dustin Johnson!), Darren Clarke kept his nerve to seal victory! It was great to see that even in the intense heat of battle, the players could display sportsmanship. On the 16th fairway of his last round, Clarke hushed the crowd so that his fellow competitors on the next tee could play their shots. It was good to see the traditions of the game being upheld in the manner that they were intended.

Golf Course

RTN Price

Comments

La Envia

€33

Single Green fee

Alborán

€35

Single Green fee

Cortijo Grande

€29

Single Green fee

Almerimar

€42

Single Green fee

Aguilon

€40

Single Green fee

Desert Springs

€60

Single Green fee

Valle del Este

€90

2 Single Green fee+ buggy

La Manga Club

€52

1 Green Fee (Twilight)

La Manga Club

€104

2 Green Fees+Buggy

For more information contact the Hound on Facebook, twitter: murciagolf@roundtownnews.com or 651 045 700.

BAG MAN GETS THE SACK Whilst Tiger Woods was going through the public wringer in 2009 following a series of lurid sex stories, one of the men who stood by him was caddie Steve Williams. The New Zealander, who first worked with Woods in 1999, was by his side during his 13 major victories and his record breaking 281 weeks as the world’s number one. So, it has shocked the golf world to learn that Williams has been fired. Now, Williams is no saint on the bag and has ruffled a few feathers over the years whilst also earning around £3 million from his percentage of Tiger’s on course earnings. He considered Woods to be a friend but now it seems that friendship has been betrayed. Woods obviously believes that by hiring a new caddie, he will be better prepared to launch his comeback to the game after injury. Personally, I think it’s a desperate move by an increasingly desperate man. GREEN & GOLD NOW BLACK & BLUE Boy, did I enjoy last Saturday morning. First off, the Aussie rugby team was smashed by underdogs Samoa and then the Australian rugby union web site crashed. Ah, it doesn’t get better than that!

ANYONE FOR FOOTBALL? Aged between 20 to 40 ? Torrevieja area Call Doug on 628 789 335

Who’s going to do the job? Noel’s world of golf By Noel Eastwell Teaching Professional Campo de Golf El Plantio 639 730 891

FOR ALMOST as long as we expatriates have been coming to live in our beautiful part of The World golf societies have been the only way many could afford to play golf until recently. We do now have alternatives such as RTN Golf Club and annual memberships now also much easier to come by. The golf society though must continue to prosper. These are the lifeblood of golf for the vast majority of golfers and will hopefully continue to be so for many more years to come. Having spoken to many of our local golf societies, I see a large number seem to be struggling to get people to take responsibility for running the societies they belong to. This is fully understandable in some cases but without a committee many golf societies will fall apart. Without new blood on the committees we will see them become stale and boring and too set in their ways. New members of a golf society should be encouraged engage in the society fully and their input should be listened to if not exactly put into law. As long as their input is constructive they will do no harm. After a few years maybe these new members should be encouraged to stand for election to the committee to keep things running smoothly. Maybe we could see a rotation of jobs as well so that all committee members became aware of the duties of their colleagues with perhaps even a progression to captaincy after a certain number of years. For things to change and for us to see more people take the jobs needed to keep society golf going members need to be grateful to those who do take on these responsibilities so that they can just turn up and play golf at an affordable price. All members have a duty to discourage the

‘moaners and groaners’ who have nothing better to do with their time. Encourage them to have a society of their own perhaps where all members can whine to their hearts content. See how successful they are then! I hope I have given some people a few ideas that many can benefit from, now it’s down to the society members to get their societies running the way they will benefit most of their members. 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 22ND JULY 2011: Which golfer won the Barclays Scottish Open in 2011? A. Lee Westwood B. Luke Donald C. Sergio Garcia All answers must be received no later than 5pm on 30th July 2011 to be entered into July’s draw, to be made on 31st July. The winner will be announced in RTN on 5th August 2011. NOEL EASTWELL GOLF ACADEMY AT EL PLANTIO For the very best in golf coaching: contact Noel on 639 730 891.

Any questions you have for Noel should be sent to golf@roundtownnews.com

RTN Golf School Start & Go Course Duration of the course will be 8 hours over 2, 3 or 4 days according to the students requirements. We may be able to take the course over a period of 2 or 3 weeks. Aimed at beginners and those who want to come back to golf this course is aimed at getting people to fully understand the basics required to play golf on a full size golf course. Minimum number of participants: 3 Maximum number of peopl: 8 Cost 225€ per person Advanced Course Duration of the course will be over 3 or 4 days according to the students requirements. Aimed at those who have some experience of golf and want to improve. The participants will have a handicap. All aspects of the game will be covered including a playing lesson over 9 holes.

Minimum number of participants: 3 Maximum number of people: 6 Cost 280 Euros per person

All courses include unlimited range balls for the duration of the course. Call 639 730 891 or email golf@roundtownnews.com

Lo Romero Golf Members Matchplay Knockout 2011

Winner Gordon Willock

Golf; Alex Ward and Rafael Baeza, Professsionals at Lo Romero Golf. Rita East was awarded her runnersup trophy by Director of Golf Jaime Ibañez Peñalver, by the 18th green, with Gordon Willock receiving the trophy from General Manager, JuanJo Iñiguez, which will remain in the club house at Lo Romero. Gordon also received a replica trophy. Both players were gifted a T-Shirt as further recognition of their achievement throughout this tournament. On behalf of Lo Romero Golf we would like to thank all of the members that took part in the tournament, and we hope that you all take part again next year.

Fishing Maggots End by

David Hoare

968 199 279

For further details ring Alan Roscoe 968 570 876 or email: anglerstogether@hotmail.co.uk THIS WEEK’S competition was the Memorial match for one of our committee members who sadly passed away several years ago. The venue (one of his favourites) was the Embalse de Argos. The water level is only now starting to recede but is still higher than normal for this time of the year. The day was hot with the wind blowing from all directions. The carp are not showing as they used to; the big weights coming from the barbel population. TOP RODS ON THE DAY 1st Doug (The Welsh Goldminer) fishing the feeder using pellet with 42.76 kilos 2nd Ian (Irish Wizard) Dalzell, fishing the feeder using pellet with 23.40 kilos 3rd Paul (Poco Loco) Baxter, fishing the pole using paste with 17.78 kilos A word of caution when fishing with a pole: NEVER let go of it when there is a baited hook in the water. One angler found to his cost as he supported his pole’s, top 3 sections between his knees to get a drink and within a nano-second, 3 sections were in the lake, and even with a feeder rod to try and hook the section he watched it slowly disappear into the depths… You have been warned. ABBEY ANGLING RESULTS supplied by Terry Screen This week we fished the River Segura for the 3rd round of the Summer Series on 12th July. The pegs on this stretch are in urgent need of bank clearing: if all the local fishing clubs would get together and organise a working party it could be cleared in no time at all - previously only half a dozen fisherman took an interest and turned up on the day. The flow of water was greater this week than ever and with no recent rain the water must be coming from the Reservoir. This is drained off from sluices at the bottom of the dam and is cold and contains little oxygen; this affects the fishes feeding habits

Licence Course Duration of the course will be 5 hours over 2 days Aimed at people who do not have an official handicap or Real Federacion Espaniola de Golf licence. The course will cover the basic technical aspects of the game and etiquette. Includes 9 holes of golf on the championship course at El Plantio under The Rules of Golf. Minimum number of people: 2 Maximum number of people: 4 Cost 200€ per person

THIS YEAR saw Lo Romero Golf host its first members matchplay knockout tournament. The first of 5 rounds began early in April with the final set for 8th July. 24 members started the tournament with the winners progressing to the following stages: The final was contested between Gordon Willock, handicap 22 and Rita East, handicap 17. The match was a tight affair with Gordon Willock doing enough to win the tie on the 16th. Both players displayed good spirit, and finished the round on the 18th, greeted by D JuanJo Iñiguez, General Manager of Lo Romero Golf; D Jaime Ibañez Peñalver, Director of

22 - 28 JulY 2011

1st Bill (The Master) Reade fishing the pole using bread and paste with 12.480kg 2nd Ian (The Irish Wizard) Dalzell fishing the pole using pellet with 8.240kg 3rd Terry (Swing ‘Em) Screen fishing the pole using paste and bread with 7.420kg All details available from the Match Secretary Terry Screen on 96 532 8368 Anglers Together MEMBERS RECENTLY had a fishing trip to Murcia on the River Segura which was enjoyed by all: Winner; David Hoare, Second; Alan Roscoe, Third: John Theaker. Another friendly match is planned for the autumn. 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. The next meeting at Mary’s Bar, Campoverde (near Pilar de la Horadada) to be held on Friday 9th September at 12pm. On Saturday 10th September at 12pm 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. No meetings are held in August. For further details ring Alan Roscoe 96 857 0876 or email: anglerstogether@hotmail.co.uk (NEW EMAIL ADDRESS). If anyone has emailed to our previous address (@gonuts4free) please resend to our new address as we have not been receiving messages. Thank you

El Cid Bowls Club Anniversary Day

MEMBERS OF El Cid Bowls club celebrated their 23rd AnniversaryMonday 11th July with a short game of bowls and some fun activities that included skittles, a target mat spider and a football target game, along withfund raising stalls: ahome-made produce stall by El Cid’s very own bakersJeff and Anne Eslick proved the most popular. The day was rounded off with a freshly cooked paella and a total of 340€ was raised to boost club funds. During the month the bowlers enjoyed two victories in the NABA league winning 8 points to 4 over both FincaGuila and Javea Green; unfortunately this was reversed in their third game against Benitachell. The highlight of this match, however, was a superb victory for El Cid’s Maureen Coulson, Jack Wardrop and John Hawksby, who came from 15 points to one down to snatch victory on the last end 19 – 18 - well done to them. El cid bowling club offers a warm welcome to all, whether you are a new or experienced bowler, resident or visitor. Further information can be found at www.elcidbowlsclub.com