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8 - 14 JulY 2011

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Expat’s loan struggle by Jack Troughton RETIRED BUSINESSMAN Mike Kemp is locked in a bitter David and Goliath battle with banking giant Barclays over the 100,000€ mortgage used to help buy his outlawed home in the sun. The former local politician and company director believes the bank failed to carry out sufficient due diligence before advancing the money on the house in 2005 – one of the estimated 1,200 illegal dwellings in Catral, Alicante. And Mike, 69, has taken his fight to the head offices of the multi-national bank in London staging a one-man demonstration as shareholders arrived for last year’s annual general meeting and handing out hundreds of leaflets. He has also written a series of letter to Barclays in Spain and to the banking group’s chief executives in London, John Varley and successor Bob Diamond, and Chairman Marcus Agius. Mike told RTN he was “desperate” and the stress of the ongoing situation surrounding his 350,000€ finca had already cost him his health and his marriage. “And my house is currently worthless. ATTACK “I have suffered two heart attacks Mike – I arrived healthy and full of life exKemp pecting to enjoy my retirement,” he and said. “Now I wake up in the morning pet

and I don’t want to do anything, I get depressed and I am going through a divorce because the wife has had enough.” He said he still owed 46,000€ on the Barclays loan issued through the Torrevieja branch but was “flatly refusing” to make anymore payments. Instead he has instructed a solicitor and barrister on a “no win, no fee” basis to take the bank to the Spanish courts – and plans legal action in the UK. Mike said: “I regard Barclays as being totally responsible for the position I am in, due to neglecting to carry out extensive searches on my property which would have shown it was illegal. “There were 1,200 illegally constructed properties in Catral at the time I applied for my mortgage.” He said he had lost money on his first attempt at purchasing a Spanish home which was also illegal – “I saw a TV programme while still living in Hull and alarm bells started ringing.” MORTGAGE However, he was assured his present house was “completely legal” and “to make myself 100 percent sure I was advised by an executive of Barclays to apply for a Barclays’ mortgage because he said the bank ‘would not advance a mortgage on an illegal property’.” Continued on page 3

8 - 14 JulY 2011

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8 - 14 JulY 2011

continued from front page Mike added: “Barclays has ruined the last five years of my retirement, which have been five years of hell.” He said Barclays advertised itself to expats as “your partner in Spain,” but he remained “disgusted” at the bank’s handling of the situation and its inability to investigate what went wrong. Mike said he believed the “buck must stop” with the chief executive of the international banking group and added he could not rule out taking further direct action in the UK to gain publicity for his cause. In correspondence with Mike, Barclays Bank Spain said when the mortgage was agreed in 2005 the property was legal. REPORT Expert reports to the bank said the house was more than five years old – a point he disputes because it was a new build rather than a reform and constructed on rural land – and officially registered before a notary. “Consequently we understand that Barclays acted correctly as the aforementioned property can be used as housing, be sold,

and therefore can be mortgaged because it has been appraised by an expert approved by the Bank of Spain for mortgage purposes,” wrote Fernando Moreno Canillas, for Barclays in Madrid. He said valuation companies used by the bank were approved by the Bank of Spain and were qualified to carry out valuations needed to advance money. “I have to inform you that when your mortgage was formalised in 2005, the town planning situation of your property was legal, and if subsequently there has arisen any irregularities, Barclays Bank SA is not responsible for them because we fulfilled the legal formalities before formalising it.” Mr Moreno Canillas said to prove this Catral Town Hall had levied the IBI tax on the property in 2007 and Mike had paid it. He added he sincerely regretted earlier responses from the bank’s customer services department or from head office in the UK had not been satisfactory – and advised Mike of his right to contact the Commission for the Defence of Customers of Banking Services, registered with the Bank of Spain. As RTN went to print we were expecting an update from Barclays in London.

Award flags for Orihuela Costa beaches IN HIS first public act as Councillor for the Coast, Bob Houliston, accompanied by fellow councillors Martine Scheurer and Ana Mas, participated in a flag-raising ceremony on 30th June to mark the awards gained by Orihuela Costa beaches for the 2011 season. The Punta Prima beach was awarded a record three flags: the European Blue Flag, the ‘Q’ quality flag and for the first time the Eco Playas award; not just for cleanliness of the beaches and the water but for a combination of services including security, life-saving and first aid. Also awarded were: Playa La Zenia ‘Cala Bosque’ – for the first time Playa Flamenca, Playa de ‘Cala Capitan’, Cabo Roig, Playa de ‘La Caleta’, Cabo Roig, Playa de ‘La Glea’, Campoamor, Playa de Barranco Rubio, Cabo Roig Port ‘Q’ QUALITY AWARDS WERE ALSO MADE TO: Playa Flamenca ‘La Estaca’, Playa de ‘Cala Capitan’, Cabo Roig, Plata de ‘LaGlea’, Campoamor, Playa de ‘Mil Palmeras’

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8 - 14 JulY 2011

Crime network uncovered in the Marina Alta by Jan Gamm IN A web of alleged crime and deceit police in the Marina Alta are in the process of investigating a contract killing of 34-year-old Colombian citizen Sandra Franco who died after being shot three times at her home in Denia on 15th April 2010. The killing is now known to be motivated by revenge as a result of the woman’s affair with a 55-year-old German national whose wife allegedly commissioned the murder. In the process of investigating the killing, police also uncovered a web of extortion, arms trafficking and money laundering, although the gunman hired to kill Sandra Franco is still at large, having fled the country. Six people have been arrested in Javea, including the woman alleged to have contracted the shooting, with her husband taken into custody on other charges. The investigation has been carried out by agents of the Homicide Unit and Specialist Crime Central Violenta

Sandra Franco pictured in 2009

(UDEV) with the corroboration of the Provincial Brigade of the Judicial Police and the Commissioner of Denia. Sources have confirmed that statements were taken this week from the six prisoners, including two Polish men, one German man and a Polish woman. One has been released with the remaining five on remand, one with an agreed bail of 20,000€ against a range of of-

fences that include complicity to murder; arms trafficking; extortion; money laundering and conspiracy. Police have seized evidence from a total of nine house searches that includes two Ferraris; two Mercedes; gold and silver bars; two Audis; more than 15,000€ in cash and a haul of ammunition. 15 bank accounts have been frozen pending further investigation.

Cover up or pay up RTN READERS are warned to ‘cover up’ in public to avoid being fined up to 300€. In Barcelona, signs were put up at the start of the season warning visitors to comply with the city dress code and now in the Marina Alta area a number of readers have been stopped and cautioned by police to wear a shirt over swimwear; men appearing bare-chested are also being warned to wear a shirt while out in public and even while driving. One reader, 28year-old air conditioning engineer José Catala, was told that the law was for his “own protection” when he was cautioned by a local police officer to put on his t-shirt while driving his van.

Proceed with caution

by Jack Troughton PEOPLE TEMPTED to buy property after being encouraged by development minister Jose Blanco and the Spanish government’s controversial road show are warned to be “extremely vigilant.” Northern Ireland MEP Jim Nicholson has spoken out saying the promotion claims that the market was transparent and sound “must not be taken at face value.” In a letter to the Belfast Telegraph, the Ulster Unionist said he had been involved in many cases where people from Northern Ireland who had lost houses and holiday homes thanks to “unjust planning laws” and retrospectively applied legislation. “He (Blanco) should sit down with the many people from Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK who have lost their entire life savings,” said Mr Nicholson. He said he and other members of the European Parliament were campaigning for Spain to change its laws. “In the meantime, my advice to anyone thinking of buying a property in Spain would be to proceed with extreme caution.”

8 - 14 JulY 2011

Torrevieja Mayor finally announced by Julie Day EDUARDO DOLÓN is now officially Torrevieja’s new mayor after being sworn into office last Friday following a delay of two weeks. The official act took place at noon on Friday 1st July in the plenary room of the town hall, which was bursting at the seams with family, friends and well-wishers. Dolón, former councillor for Culture and Fiestas, will now hold the position of Mayor of Torrevieja and head of the PP for the next four years, taking over the role from Pedro Hernández Mateo, who now works full-time as a regional member of parliament for the Valencian Government. The newly-elected council consists of 15 councillors from the PP; 6 from PSOE; 4 councillors from the new APTCe party and 2 from Los Verdes. Dolón elected his cabinet at the beginning of this week, resulting in the formation of a new government team with many councillors in new roles, whilst some remain in former positions. Eduardo María del Carmen Mateo is now the present councillor for Health, Charities and Voluntary OrganisaDolón, tions; María Dolores Sánchez Roca now holds the position of councillor for Fiestas, Markets and MunicMayor of ipal Buildings; Inmaculada Montesinos Pérez is the councillor for Pensioners and the Census; Rosario Torrevieja Martínez Chazarra is councillor for International Residents, Immigration, Youth and Coexistence and with his chosen Integration and Luís María Pizana Boj now holds the position of councillor for Tourism and Culture. In his speech, Dolón affirmed that, “the people of Torrevieja will pay less for the town hall.” and councillors and that, “we’re not here to make loads of money but to serve the residents of this town.” delegates

Shootout in Pilar de la Horadada

POLICE HAVE arrested two men after a bizarre shooting incident thought to be motivated by revenge, in a cocktail bar in Pilar de la Horadada. The men, driving around in a ‘pick up’ type vehicle at 1.30am on 20th June, sprayed the blinds and interior of the bar with a 7.62mm calibre assault weapon, similar to a Kalashnikov and commonly used in armed combat, before driving away. Civil guards found cartridge casings at the bar, where a considerable amount of damage included a completely shattered stock of glassware and bullet holes in the blinds and furnishings. Two Spanish men aged 27 and 32

respectively have been arrested this week and charged with possession of an illegal firearm following an investigation that led police to an address in Pilar de la Horadada and another in San Javier. Nobody was hurt in the incident.

Burglary gang dismantled THE GUARDIA Civil in Murcia has dismantled an organised gang that preyed on homeowners whilst they were asleep and burgled their homes. The gang is thought to be responsible for more than 17 burglaries in the Murcia region and Alicante province and once inside the houses of the unsuspecting residents, they would take their car keys and flee in the vehicle. The cars were then quickly dismantled and the parts sold on. Officers involved in the operation located a scrap yard in Agost where the cars were taken and several vehicles have been recovered. However, some had already been dismantled. They also recovered personal effects of the victims of the robberies, number plates and documents relating to other stolen cars. The burglaries that have been attributed to the gang occurred during the month of June and took

place in several towns including Almoradi, San Miguel de Salinas, Pilar de la Horadada, Rojales and Novelda. Two people have been arrested in connection with this operation, codenamed ‘Bassam’ by the Guardia Civil, and are being held on suspicion of burglary, vehicle theft and conspiracy. Both were male, aged 27 years, of French and Algerian origin and were both living in Dolores at the time of their arrest. A spokesman for the Guardia Civil told members of the press that the investigation began in early June, when officers realised that all the robberies had the same MO and were occurring within the same locality; the southern part of the Alicante province. The surveillance operation allowed them to confirm their evidence and led to the arrest of the two individuals who had rented the facilities.

8 - 14 JulY 2011

24 hour fire watch by Jack Troughton VOLUNTEERS ARE mounting round the clock fire watch on the forest areas of a Marina Alta resort as the risk of fire rises in tinder dry conditions. Members of the Civil Protection service in Javea – reinforced by the town’s voluntary fire fighters – are keeping watch 24 hours a day from four key watch towers, this year including one at Tossal Gros. Their task is to help enforce the prohibition on lighting fires – especially cooking fires and barbecues - and to keep an eye on the skyline to prevent incidents developing into a forest fire. Councillor Juan Ortola said the aim was to prevent a major blaze. He said the support of

the public was “indispensible” in preventing a major incident. WEAPON And he appealed for residents to also keep a sharp lookout, as the speed in locating a fire was on of the “better weapons in the fight against fire.” The councillor said anyone sighting a column of suspicious smoke should call the emergency services on 112 or a 24-hour manned dedicated number 648 015 256. Civil Protection teams are also warning that remainders of food and glass should be placed in bins and garden and farming rubbish should not be dumped in wooded areas. The public is also being warned of the dangers of discarding cigarette butts and spent matches near trees and grassland.

Blazing trees in Javea last summer

Benidorm booming, beaches buoyant, and bodies galore… BENIDORM HOTELS are looking forward to a steady summer surge in business with a 91.2 occupancy throughout June and bookings expected to remain buoyant throughout the season, according to figures released on Tuesday by the Hotel Association of Benidorm and Valencia, Hosbec. Even in the four-star category, occupancy was an impressive 89.4% and two star hotels pulled in 92.9%. The attractions of sun, sea, sand and sangria are proving irresistible to the British market, showing a substantial increase in interest in Benidorm holidays over the 2010 season. The beaches are groaning under the weight of sun worshippers and hotel managers are beaming from ear to ear…!

Yacht Club Party and Fashion show in Ku Playa Benidorm

THE BUTTERFLY FX – Altea and Sukier Model International will be presenting the Summer Collection 2011 on 14th July at 11pm at Ku Playa Benidorm. Collaborating in this event are well established companies within watersports, boat charter, sailing and navigation schools such as Benidorm Sailing; Iberomar; Pailabot; Practicas Nauticas and Nautica Baluma. The party opens with a spectacular fashion show with models from the Model agency Sukier Model International, presenting surf and sailing wear, Summer

The outside terrace

fashion for day and evening, casual wear and bikinis, with brands from professional fashion technology sportswear to more casual urban design wear, featuring labels from Sweden, Italy, US and Spain such as NYL, Holebrook, Kanewai, Slam, The Butterfly Fx and Smash. This event is a pre-presentation of more to come at Costa Blanca Fashionweek August – September 2011. For more information please contact The Butterfly Fx Altea at 96 644 5358 / 617 561 258 or email us on fx@thebutterflyfx.com

8 - 14 JulY 2011

Grave issue in Sax

Fire destroys part of Natural Park

The cemetary at Sax

by Jan Gamm IN SAX near Alicante this week a funeral fell into disarray when the local gravedigger had to saw off parts of a coffin that would not fit into its designated niche at the municipal cemetery. First the handles and trim were removed from the coffin but when a renewed attempt was made to slide it into the niche it still stubbornly refused to budge. The undertaker, gravedigger and helpers proceed to chop

off bits of coffin, observed in appalled silence by relatives of the deceased, until eventually interment was achieved, albeit in a wrecked coffin. Cemetery Councillor Pedro Iborra, in office for less than a month, said he “regretted” the undignified incident in response to outraged complaints from the mourners involved. The cemetery is to undergo expansion shortly as only 30 niches remain available. Similar incidents have occurred in Elda and also in Petra.

Museum of Sacred Art in Orihuela pulls in the tourists THE DIOCESAN Museum of Sacred Art in Orihuela has received more than 13,400 visitors in just four months; about 3,000 visits per month on average. Certain tourism companies list the museum as one of the most important in the community and a star attraction for cruise line tourists calling at the port of Alicante. It is proposed that opening hours should increase to accommodate interest in the many fine exhibits featured within the museum that include an engraving of Saints Justa and Rufina that emerged last year; the 18th Century work was found lurking in a cupboard and had to be restored.

THE GUARDIA Civil in Pilar de la Horadada is investigating whether the fire that destroyed part of the Sierra Escalona Natural Park on Monday was arson. Within the locality of the fire a vehicle was found completely burned out. It had no license plates and officers suspect that it might have been stolen. The fire was detected at 4am by a resident in Pilar de la Horadada, notifying the Pilar Municipal Rural Patrol. They quickly attended the fire which could be seen from miles around due to its location on the crest of the Pico Alcor Mountain range. The four hectares of Mediterranean scrub and pine destroyed in the blaze has high environmental value, in an area that is a protected natural reserve; one of the most valuable assets of the Natural Park. In fact, the proximity to the reserve was a major concern for fire fighters because its dense woodland would have helped the fire spread rapidly. The fire was tackled by members of the Provincial Forest Fire Consortium of Alicante,

based at the Orihuela, Torrevieja and Almoradi fire stations. The fire helicopter based in Alicante, two fire planes from Valencia, the Guardia Civil and the Murcian Police were also involved in the operation. After five hours, the blaze was brought under control. The vehicle was found in an inaccessible area near a farm and on a country road which has no exit. It is a popular area for walkers and hunters and the nearest road is the Rebate road, which is located about three kilometres away. The Sierra Escalona is one of the most important natural places in Europe and is home to many Bonelli’s and Golden eagles. In recent years ecologists have even spotted the Iberian Imperial eagle in the park, one of the world’s most endangered eagles. It is home to the largest concentration of owls in the world with more than 70 different species living in the area, which also hosts many carnivorous mammals including bobcats, badgers, genets and weasels.

8 - 14 JulY 2011

Rubalcaba speaks out for mortgage defaulters by Jan Gamm THE FIRST Deputy Prime Minister and PSOE candidate at the forthcoming general election, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, has defended the victims of foreclosure and verbally rapped the knuckles of banks that adopt aggressive policies in an attempt to recover mortgage debt. Speaking at a meeting earlier this week with Marcelino Iglesias, secretary of the PSOE, Rubalcaba said: “We know that banks need to collect mortgages but they cannot continue to do this at the expense of the people.” RISKY Facing bitter complaints from the banks after presenting measures approved by the Council of Ministers, Rubalcaba severely criticised bank management, pointing out, “Who created these mortgages?! Who is more responsible? He who asks or he who gives?” and slammed the judgement of branch managers that approved mortgages that were “risky” and in some cases completely impossible to pay. The package approved last Friday included measures designed to protect home owners from foreclosure and also raised the minimum auction price on repossessed properties to 60% of appraised value.

Executive First Vice President, Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba, talks to the secretary of the PSOE, Marcelino Iglesias

Priceless manuscript stolen from Santiago Cathedral

THE CODEX Calixtinus, a 12th Century illuminated manuscript and priceless gem of historical, religious and cultural heritage, has been stolen from a vault inside the Cathedral de Santiago. Caretakers of the vault discovered the manuscript was missing on Tuesday but investigators fear the theft might have taken place some days previously. The original of the manuscript was kept in a vault while a facsimile was exhibited to the public. The manuscript is thought to have been targeted by professional art thieves.

Benidorm involved in immigrant trafficking network By Jan Gamm SPANISH POLICE have smashed a network trafficking immigrants that were put to work in the agricultural sector in the provinces of Valencia and Albacete, with 54 people arrested in an investigation that began in April 2010. In a system that exploited Indian and Pakistani nationals, immigrants were charged 8,000€ to be transported to Spain, with assassination threats made against their family members to ensure the debt was paid. In one case police have evidence that this threat was carried out. FORGERY A range of forged documentation was implemented to enable the immigrants to travel and to work on arrival in Spain. Many were offered the opportunity of marriages of convenience with Portuguese citizens. Initial arrests were made in June 2010 when nine people were taken into custody on their way to work in fields near Valencia; 20 more were arrested in Favara near Valencia in November 2010 and finally 25 people based in Benidorm and Valencia, including the ringleaders, were apprehended as a result of information learned from earlier arrests. EVIDENCE Included in the haul of evidence seized by police were 15 falsified Pakistani passports; forged identification documents for 41 foreigners including seven Bulgarians and various items of computer equipment. The investigation involved a joint effort on the part of local police in Benidorm; the Group VI UCRIF Central General Commissariat for Immigration and Borders; UCRIF Valencia and Valencia UIP Provincial Brigade of Public Safety.

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Fast Track Hypnosis – A part of my life PEOPLE OFTEN ask me why my style of Hypnotherapy is different from the conventional way. It all stems back to my early years as a Hypnotherapist by in Belfast in the early 80s, when Hypnotherapy was a relatively new alternative treatment viewed with scepticism by many people. The Costa Blanca’s Having trained as a Hypnotherapist I opened a Top Hypnotherapist small office in Belfast. One of the Sunday newspapers then did a feature on me, and word started to get around that there was this guy who could help people with their problems, and it just started to grow from there. I saw the employed; unemployed; multi-millionaires; TV and Radio personalities; people from every walk of life. In a short space of time I had seven clinics throughout Northern Ireland and was working seven days a week flat out. People were coming to see me for various reasons, but in Northern Ireland it was completely different from Mainland UK because of the many victims of the troubles. In those early years, counselling was very limited so I had to help thousands of people caught up in the conflict. There were bomb victims; people who had been shot; members of the security forces who could not cope; the list was extensive… I attended the survivor of the Kegworth air crash which killed 46 people, to help them come to terms with it, and to get them on another flight. A woman came to me for insomnia after waking up one night with four gunmen standing around her bed. I could tell you countless more stories like these, and I am sure that no other Hypnotherapist has ever had to do what I had to! And sadly, I am still getting these sort of people coming even now to my Northern Ireland clinics. It was because of this that I came away from my conventional training whereby people would be regressed into their childhood to try to recall the origi-

Alan Gilchrist

nal cause of their panic attacks, or other problems. This could take up to 15 sessions or more to achieve, when clearly it wasn’t in their childhood at all - it was because of what had happened to them now! These people had suffered enough and wanted their problems sorted out as quickly as possible and to get on with their lives. And that is exactly what I did! I came away from conventional Hypnotherapy and developed my own techniques, (also introducing specialised equipment from America to speed the whole process up) cutting everything down to the fastest way possible without losing any effectiveness, to get these poor people sorted out as fast as possible. Having developed these techniques I then called it Fast Track Hypnosis and I have been using this method ever since. People would say to me “does it work?” When I started doing these new techniques the media (TV, newspapers and radio) wanted to know if it really did work and so started putting me to the test. I proved my “Fast Track Stop Smoking in 30 minutes” twice on TV (and quite recently was put to the test with the Fast Track Weight control session). On another programme I helped a psychologist get over her agoraphobia. On another occasion a programme featured my helping a company director overcome a fear of flying, then the cameraman who was in the studio filming it came along to get over his own flying phobia as well! Another showed me helping a young boy of ten years of age, who was having panic attacks. (Incidentally he did not want to go to school because of these attacks, and tried to throw himself out of a car at 45mph). Again all these problems were resolved in a very short space of time (only 4 sessions were required). And over the years there were many other tests! In all my years in practice I have heard almost everything, nothing would surprise me anymore. It

has not all been doom and gloom, hearing all these terrible stories, there is a great deal of satisfaction in my job. People would also ask me if I ever use hypnosis for myself. Of course I do and have done so throughout my career! I have seen Hypnotherapists advertising Hypnosis as a completely new way of helping women when giving birth to their babies. All my children were born under Hypnosis and my eldest is now 21 years of age! I used it for each one of them - no pain relief was required. My equipment was taken to the hospital and used there, along with a crowd of doctors and nurses watching everything that I did. (In fact one of the midwives came to me years later to stop smoking). Hypnosis was also used for their exams and accelerated learning and when my children had injections our family doctor thought it was hilarious that they would laugh with him as he gave them the jab. I had to show numerous medical students this very quick technique. The children were also into horse riding – I used hypnosis to boost their motivation and confidence, each one a Championship rider. I use ‘autohypnosis’ to simply chill out between sessions! “Alan, I can’t begin to thank you enough. It has just been TWO WEEKS since I first came to see you and the transformation in me has been unbelievable. Steadily I have become more like my old self. I feel a greater sense of calm at work, the fear has subsided and that’s how it will stay. I look forward to my baby as a blessing. You have restored my hope and given me a new zest for life. Fast Track Hypnosis is a truly remarkable experience, one which I will happily share with others. Take care - K “ Alan holds 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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Absolute silence.... MY HOME was attacked with Molotov cocktails in the same manner as the St Luis urbanisation, by, I suspect, the same gang. The Guardia said that there was no evidence of the identity of the attacker but I was able, with photographic reconstruction, to prove that the culprit was the son of my neighbour. He has been convicted and I have been asked to provide evidence for compensation. He is a minor and did not work alone: he knows the identity of the rest of the gang, all from Crevillent, and I think I know the name of the ringleader. I have provided evidence and my telephone number to the St Luis Neighbourhood watch, the Commercial Area manager, the lawyer acting for the urbanisation, OARI, and others: the result? Absolute silence… If these people really want this gang brought to justice, before they kill, then they will have to get off their collective backsides and do something. Perhaps you can jog them along by publishing this letter. Name withheld

mail

talk tous

Email: rtnmail@roundtownnews.com

get them off my back AS MOST of us do, I was continually pestered by Movistar (ex Telefonica) about going onto their ADSL service. I kept saying no and told them to take me off their contact list. However, they continued and finally at the end of March I gave in and said “Okay, send me the deal in writing, with the Ts & Cs,” to get them off my back. The next thing they said was. “We are going to record the next bit of the process.” I was asked questions and in this again asked them to send as above. True to form in Spain, I never did receive any of this in writing! However, I did get a courier delivery a week later of a box and signed for it, not knowing what it was. Turned out it was a Movistar router! Immediately I telephoned the 1004 number and told them I did not want it - they said “tough titty” (or words to that effect), “You have contracted for the service!” But I have not signed a contract or other document, so how could this be? They said it was in the recorded telephone call that I had agreed to take their service and this was the equivalent of a contract in Spain! I insisted they cancel immediately (cooling off period doesn’t seem to exist here) and advised I would NOT be installing the router: they could come and collect it. On 7th April I was cut off from my existing supplier. Immediately I telephoned 1004: they said speak to my existing provider, which I did but they said I had to get the line back from Movistar. How can you be cut off from a service by a third party?

I had to sign a new contract with my old supplier for some unknown reason before they would do anything about getting me back online. To cut a long story short, daily telephone calls to each supplier were a waste of time until I eventually made a sufficient pain of myself to get some reference numbers from Movistar for a cancellation. I advised these to my existing supplier but each time they went to Movistar for the line they were refused. Eventually, using the reference numbers repeatedly, they were allowed and two weeks later we got the line back. So from 7th April to 15th June we did not have an ADSL service from anyone but, true to form again, I got billed for a service I did not have by both companies for April, May and June. I am in the process of obtaining refunds but won’t hold my breath. In addition the many phone calls to my existing suppliers ‘customer service’ (not a phrase understood by 98% of company personnel) were charged at a premium rate, so I will attempt to get reimbursed for those but do not hold much hope. Please everyone, be very wary of saying anything to Movistar that might infer you are interested or you too will get sucked into the maelstrom of unprofessional, unethical, surely illegal, sharp practices that this company is infected with. Caveat Emptor! John Price

Permission finally granted Got a story? 902 118 999

rtnmail@roundtownnews.com

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

IN NOVEMBER 2009 I set up a petition to get a walkway from the Rotonda at Lomas de Cabo Roig down to the N332, as the walk down to the medical centre and Farmacia was so dangerous and at night near impossible. We had so many near misses that it was worrying so many of the residents raised a petition with hundreds of signatures. After many trips to the town hall we had good news this week when we were told that permission was granted and plans passed to have this walkway done; we are just waiting for the new Mayor to find the money. So I would like to thank RTN for all your help and publicity over the last two years. I will keep you informed of any changes. Beth Kellaway

That’s what I think

I THINK the over-sixties should be in bed by 10.30pm! I was in a bar last week behind four old folk and they just dithered about - it took 15 minutes for them to order 4 coffees! They moved from table to table trying to make up their minds where to sit and one guy complained his coffee was cold after he had sat looking at it for twenty minutes… A van should have taken them away. Lloyd Lupin

what would have happened if...? RE RTN 1st - 7th July: Jan Gamm’s article ‘Making it clear’ - my brother and his family booked a hire car through Easy Jet to be collected at Alicante Airport. On arrival at my home the car had no warning triangles or High Visibility vests. They borrowed mine until we could buy some. I hate to think what would have happened if they had been stopped by the Guardia on their visit – they would have been relieved them of a large amount of their holiday money no doubt. So car hire renters - be warned! Peter Gallant, Alicante Reply IN RESPONSE to Mr Gallant’s letter, RTN made enquiries with two car hire companies locally that confirm the law requires them to supply one High Visibility vest only - for the driver. Hirers need to request additional Hi Vis vests from the company at point of hire for additional passengers. A representative of Javea Cars said, “We do our best to ensure vehicles are equipped with safety items but unfortunately cars are the target of petty theft, with items such as High Visibility vests and warning triangles going missing on a regular basis.”

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Express airport bus service may end by Julie Day REPORTS IN Spanish and English press that the new direct express bus service that links Torrevieja to Alicante airport may be terminated after a mere four months are unlikely to be true. The bus service, which began functioning just a few months ago on 23rd May, was awarded to the Costa Azul bus company until 23rd September – a fact that was kept quiet by the town hall of Torrevieja in the run up to the municipal elections, and which could be deemed as suspicious by some. However, an official from the town hall explains: “The second tender was a condition put in place by the Valencian Government and not the town hall of Torrevieja, yet this is a standard procedure. After the four month period, the subsequent running of the airport bus service will automatically go out to tender as it is obliged to do so.” It has been commented that after the 23rd September, a date that coincides with the end of the summer season, the service will no longer be deemed viable and will be stopped; an act which would seem illogical after years of petitioning for the service along with all of the effort gone into realising the wishes of many. “The running of the bus service to Altet will go out to tender in September, although it is a possibility that the same company will continue to manage this service as they run all of the other bus services around Torrevieja, are the most reliable and the most efficient,” continued the town hall spokesperson. The Vega Bus company, a company that lost out to Costa Azul in the petition for the job, now claims that Costa Azul

will report low bus user figures so that the continuation of the express airport service does not go out to tender at all. It has been reported that in the first few days since the service began to run, no more than 40 people travelled on the 16 journeys a day, 8 to the airport and 8 to Torrevieja’s bus station; a number which was hoped would stabilize and settle at around 100. At the beginning of the week, RTN spoke to a bus driver from the airport and a lady who issues tickets at Torrevieja’s bus terminal ticket office. Between the hours of 7am and 3pm on Monday approximately 80 tickets for the service had been sold from the Torrevieja bus terminal, with still 3 journeys to run on that day. At the other end, the bus driver at the airport had sold around 40 tickets between 7am and 11am, probably the quietest period of the day, with 5 return journeys left: “Obviously, some times are quieter than others but that depends on the timetable for the flights and has nothing to do with our service not being viable,” said the driver. “Weekends are extremely busy. I haven’t heard anything about the service not continuing,” he exclaimed. Elaine Black from Torrevieja concurred: “Last Friday around 2.30pm I was at the bus station waiting for the bus to Cartagena and I was amazed at how many people got on and off the airport bus.” The supposed low bus user numbers has been blamed on the lack of publicity. However, there are signs at Torrevieja’s bus terminal, at the airport outside of the arrivals exit, as well as a big sign at the bus stop and on the Costa Azul website (http://www.costazul.net/es/lineas-y-horarios/

Greater police presence in Pilar to cope with increase in residents

Beach areas in the Pilar municipality will have a stronger police presence in summer

By Julie Day A STRONGER police presence on the streets of Pilar de la Horadada during July and August has been put in place to cope with the increase in population over the summer season. With as many as four times the usual number of inhabitants in the municipality during the summer and up to 100,000 people staying in the area, the department of Police and Citizen Safety has decided to temporarily restructure and reorganise the police force in order to allow more agents to patrol key areas on a daily basis. A total of 20 agents, 30% more than at any other time of the year, will patrol busy areas such as the beach, markets and the town centres of Pilar and Pinar de Campoverde, as well as carrying out other services such as controlling the traffic, street sellers and forest fires.

Advertising for the service at Alicante airport

torrevieja-aeropuerto-alicante.html). When asked, everyone said that they had heard of the bus service through friends or through the press and that they would use the service in the future.

Do oil and golf mix? IF YOU want to learn all about the health benefits of olive oil and in particular those produced in the Valencian region, go along to Torrevieja’s Habaneras Commercial Centre this Saturday. There will be a stand where representatives of the Valencian Community’s olive oil delegation will offer information on the characteristics of the oils produced in this region, as well as

offering tasters of bread with samples of the various oils plus magnets, pens and balloons to take home. In addition, mini-golf will be set up where the holes form a map of the oil-producing regions. This event, which aims to encourage healthy eating habits in young people and families in particular, will take place during the morning of Saturday 9th July.

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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 state-of-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

Don’t let a leak spoil pool time!

• 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

• 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 appointment 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

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

THE POST BOX

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

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2 r a im n e B / 1 r a im n e B r/ fa o ij n Be

Championes Sports and Cafe Bar

Home cooked

food

Happy hour 4pm - 7pm Music Everyweekend Sunday roast Bookings Recommended Benimar 11

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Benijofar/Benimar is a bustling community which offers a wide variety of shops and bars with plenty of parking and easy access to the motorway. Tuesday in Benijofar offers a busy street market with a variety of stalls. Within a short walk is a delightful shop, Finishing Touches, with many unusual gifts for birthdays, anniversaries, etc… so well worth a visit. To improve your Spanish, Benijofar has a dedicated education centre, ‘ha BLA r’ which offers one-toone tuition or in a small group. This is situated on the main road through Benijofar. A great supermarket, Safeway, is situated near the traffic lights, stocking great value food products, cleaning products and pet products plus lots more. A five minute walk will take you to Benimar Urbanisation and you can stop for a meal at Bar Studz offering a delightful ‘menu del dia’, or if you fancy a drink call into the lively So Bar with its friendly staff and electric

atmosphere. If you prefer to eat at home visit Quicksave, your local English supermarket which has a wide range of constantly changing special offers. The Card Place which stocks great gifts and also offers a postal service to the UK. Benijofar and Benimar is definitely a place to visit for shopping, lunch, evening meals or a leisurely drink. A five minute stroll from Benimar 1 you will find Benimar 2 where there is a delightful bar, under new ownership, Thistle and Dragon, where you can have a peaceful drink or a lively environment watching full sports tv coverage or alternatively visit Championes Sports and Cafe Bar where ther is a wonderful Sunday roast, quiz night on a Monday and a lovely terrace to enjoy your drink.

Art, song and dance in the park

A piece from the Light and Shade collection by Amparo Sigalat

by Julie Day TORREVIEJA’S PARQUE de Naciones or park of Nations will be a hubbub of activity this weekend as it plays host to the annual ‘Baile de las Naciones’ on Saturday. The event will feature plenty of singing, dancing and delicious food and drink, beginning at 6pm with the official opening ceremony and awards, and running on into the early hours. The Baile de las Naciones is organised by ASILA, an association that helps immigrants settle into and integrate into life here in Spain. This year, the International Costaleros will be bestowed an award in recognition for the work that they have done towards the inte-

gration of the many nationalities that make up Torrevieja. Those attending this lively and colourful event can pop into the exhibition centre Los Aljibes, located at the top end of the park, at the same time, where Amparo Sigalat, an artist from Gandia, is exhibiting her work, an homage to the poet Miguel Hernánez, under the title ‘Light and Shade’. Amparo’s work consists of creative pieces using either coloured glass moulded and shaped by fire or every day recyclable objects positioned so that shadows contrast with light, creating an extra dimension. The exhibition will run until July 29th and can be seen on Tuesday to Saturday between the hours of 11.15am – 2pm and 5.15pm – 9pm.

Beach security at risk in Orihuela Costa

A SUCCESSFUL security initiative launched recently in Orihuela that employed bike patrols on the local beaches to combat petty theft and pickpocketing is at risk of collapse following the election of a new council dragging its heels implementing this year’s campaign. Agents patrolled the beaches in the area and paid particular attention to the security of the personal belongings of beach users, bringing down the incidence of petty theft by an impressive 60% - yet decisions vital to the success of the project are being delayed. New mayor Monserrate Guillén was unavailable for comment on this matter at the time of going to press.

Who’s a pretty pony? By Julie Day The Easy Horse Care Rescue Centre is running low on funds after vets and travel fees required for the care of a number of sick and injured ponies have spiralled and depleted what money they had. Now more than ever, the centre needs public support to continue with their mission of caring for poorly horses and donkeys, many recovering from mistreatment. This Sunday 9th July, the Centre is hosting its first ever ‘Miss Pretty Pony Beauty Pageant’, with ten entrants into this high profile competition and ten titles on offer. All will win a title and a rosette, yet there can only be one Miss / Mr Pretty Pony 2011. The fun kicks off at 1pm with TKO Radio compere Davy Jones. Special guest judges include the fantastic Andy Jones; Little Miss Dynamite Suzie G; Dan the Man; Ruben Migues from Vega Baja Spanish Television; Easy Horse Care supporter and local

celebrity Georgie May; Louise from Looking Good boutique and long time supporter of the centre, Tony Bulley from the Max Scuba Diving Centre. As well as the beauty pageant there will be plenty more activities including scuba diving trials organised by the diving centre and face painting. As always, food and drink will be available. Entrance to this special event is a small donation, which will be put towards the centre’s funds. Groom and accessorise your chosen miniature horse at the centre for 5€ - bring along ribbons, bows, hair accessories and anything that will make your chosen horse look more appealing. Participants must arrive at 11am, or to book your place in advance please call 652 157 636: your own ponies are also welcome. If the centre raises the desired amount on the day, the scuba divers and participants will dine under water in the centre’s pool.

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Lazing in Finestrat

Watts In Britain By

Paul Watts

WHY IS it that a working week seems like an eternity, while a week on vacation is but a blink of the eye? You’d think that lazing on a beach would take forever but here I am thinking about having to pack up and head back to Blighty soon - aarrrgh! It’s so unfair! How quickly holiday time gallops by. Mind you, I’m running short of reading material; already I’ve worked through Michael Connelly’s Echo Park and Nine Dragons; Lee Child’s 61 Hours; Graham Greene’s Our Man In Havana and, hot off the hard back press, Peter James’s Dead Man’s Grip – a great thriller set in my home town of Brighton. It seems strange reading about all my old haunts while the Med twinkles lazily around on Finestrat beach (hard life, eh?). I’m sure that Danny Collins will recommend it… If, like me, you ever get short of a book why not visit, Swop Shop in Benidorm? It’s on Avda Almaria and situated in the road that leads down to the beach opposite the Hotel Don Pancho. There is always a great selection and you can exchange books too. When I lived here it was a regular place to visit. In the spirit of fairness though, I should say that other book shops are available. And if you’ve got a Kindle - just ignore the above! Anyroad folks, upwards and onwards - there is work to be done and emails to answer. And as I’ve mentioned more than once your emails are lifeblood to us poor hardworked hacks! I had a humorous letter this week from Jeremy K, an erstwhile resident of the Jalon Valley, who takes issue with me over my recent Father’s Day rant. He feels in particular that I treated ex-president Tricky Dickie quite badly.

“Dear Sir,” writes Jeremy, “As an avid reader of your musings in the RTN each week, I feel I must comment on yet another injustice done to the memory of that great statesman Richard Milhous Nixon.” He continues, “To say that he was in some way single-handedly to blame for the worldwide menace of Father’s Day kitsch is incorrect - just as it would be wrong to read anything into his middle name being used for a character in The Simpsons!” Could be heading into conspiracy-theory-land here, eh Jeremy? “Dishonesty and lies dogged his career,” Jeremy adds, “and he was never given a fair chance. History will see him in a different light eventually, like our own Tony Blair.” Jezza, (can I call you that?) I’m one hundred per cent with you on that. Jeremy also has some helpful comments on another item. He says: “Your article the previous week on supermarket trolleys made me think of a money spinning idea.” Jeremy feels that too many trips to the supermarket are marred by the elderly trying to get to grips with ‘driving’ those supermarket trolleys. As he says these pieces of equipment, “handle differently from their normal form of transport, the Zimmer Frame (and not easy for a mind befuddled by daytime television).” His solution is simple: “Why not adapt the Zimmer to have a fold up and lock basket in front? - A dual-purpose and convenient aid; and a solution to Health & Safety issues. It may also stop the Government having to legislate for compulsory supermarket trolley driving tests for Pensioners.” He ends, “I remain Sir, your obedient reader.” Well, thank you Jeremy for your ideas and your obedience; although as I’m rapidly approaching dotage I might soon be one of those daytime-television befuddled hazards in your supermarket. I can hear ’er-indoors saying, “What do you mean, soon?” Okay, enough already. Me I’m heading for the beach while there’s still time. Watts in Albir, for the time being…

Fertilizer leak injures worker A LEAK of phosphoric acid from the tank of a truck carrying hazardous liquid fertilizer paralyzed the movement of thirty transport lorries in the industrial area of Pla de la Vallonga last Thursday and caused a warehouse worker minor injuries. The truck, carrying eight tons of ‘Abofan’ loaded in the town of Lorca, Murcia and destined for Constantino Gutierrez in the Babel industrial estate, pulled in at Vallonga at 8am. When the

driver turned at Vallonga the cargo started leaking “like a geyser,” coming into contact with the arm of the worker who was taken to hospital with minor abrasions but released a few hours later. Local police took the precaution of cutting off access to an entire block of buildings and set up roadblocks to prevent access, forcing transport vehicles to divert cargo and causing disruption to school buses and deliveries to bars and restaurants.

Toying with child safety

By Jan Gamm THE HEALTH Department in Marina Baixa is launching an incentive with the cooperation of hospital staff in the area and also parents to promote child safety in the home, particularly with regard to safe toys for children. The aim of the project is initially to collate information on the numbers of emergency cases deemed to be the result of children coming into contact with unsafe toys, with focus on design, manufacturing materials and informative labelling for consumers. Head of the programme in the area, Dr Francisco José Navarro, said: “Surveys are being launched to collect data from parents to help record the circumstances of some of these avoidable accidents in the home that can cause injuries and needless deaths of young children.” A high risk area is identified as toys imported from the Far East that have been produced using inferior materials, sold in Spain at a low cost, representing a temptation for parents feeling the squeeze in the ‘crisis’. It is recognised that accurate labelling of toys is paramount for child safety. Toys that are too small can pose a choking risk for toddlers; inflammable toys; items manufactured using toxic materials and also ‘climbing’ toys made with flimsy material inadequate for use are all examples of how children may be injured at play, resulting in trapped fingers; choking; cuts and bruises, respiratory problems and even burns. It is expected that guidelines will be released for parents to include information on how to check toy safety and how to recognise toys that present a hazard.

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The sad demise of the traditional Spanish wedding by Jan Gamm IT IS no secret that Spain enjoys a good ‘knees-up’, never more so than at weddings. Sadly, the established family tradition of spending a king’s ransom on a daughter’s wedding is dying a slow and painful death as a result of economic hardship. Statistics show that wedding ceremonies have been reduced by more than half, now 58% less than in 2008 and at the lowest level since the beginning of the financial squeeze that forced couples and their families to utilise their hard-saved wedding funds to meet household bills and pay off debts. NO FRILLS Couples that take the plunge despite being financially embarrassed tend to do so in a civil service, bowing out of an opulent church wedding in favour of a more frugal

nod to the legalities and following with a ‘no frills’ party at home for close friends and relatives. No fancy cars or carriages, no festoons of flowers, no fireworks and only a limited supply of champagne to liven up the proceedings. Older couples have taken over the traditional church wedding in Spain – presumably because they can afford it – along with second marriages. LIMITED CHOICES Along with the demise of the white wedding, dozens of associated industries that rely on the wedding trade have taken a downturn, such as bridal boutiques, patisseries that now miss large wedding cake commissions, photographers, limousine hire companies and florists. And as many companies limit their stock to survive the crisis, brides that do have a budget to spend have a more limited choice so opt to buy online, taking their business Love on a budget out of Spain.

Knight Insurance launches new 25€ discount promotion

KNIGHT INSURANCE Brokers S.A. (KIBSA), the largest independent broker serving foreign residents in Spain, is offering new and existing customers an opportunity to save 25€ on all KIBSA insurance covers from now until 30th September 2011. Customers can save 25€ on all new policies, to be deducted from the premium once payment is confirmed. All customers have to do is visit any Knight Insurance office with ‘The Greenback’ voucher or call for a quote on any of the following telephone numbers to take out a policy and claim the 25€. • Fuengirola 952 660 535 • Nerja 952 524 600 • San Pedro 952 782 162 • Javea 965 793 797 • Ciudad Quesada 966 719 089 • Torrevieja 965 713 343 • Alfaz del Pi 965 889 516 • Mazarrón 968 199 121 • Mojácar 950 475 841 • Orihuela Costa • Mallorca 971 677 546 966 760 037 Roy Knight, managing director at KIBSA, explains: “We are not like some companies who give discounts to new customers only - we will give exactly the same 25€ discount to our existing customers who take out additional policies with us to insure new risks! “Our client base exceeds 50,000 so new customers can be assured that if they switch to Knight Insurance for any or all of their insurance needs they will be cared for by an established and professional insurance broker in Spain since 1966 – over 45 years!” Being general insurance brokers, KIBSA are not tied to any one company. They work closely with leading, international insurance companies to obtain several quotations on a client’s behalf before recommending the best way forward. KIBSA offers a complete service and a range of comprehensive insurance products including: car, home insurance (buildings and contents), health, life, marine, commercial, pet, travel, golf and other types of leisure, and legal insurance. This extensive range of products means that customers have no need to go anywhere else for their insurance needs. If you would like more information or to print out a voucher visit KIBSA online at: http://www.knight-insurance.com/ discount/discount.htm http://www.knight-insurance.com.

Gay Pride launches in Madrid GAY PRIDE launched in Madrid at 6.15pm last Saturday with a parade featuring 30 colourful floats, dominated by thousands of pink and white balloons. Brass bands struggled to be heard over Abba music and scores of brightly costumed Gay Rights protestors waved banners proclaiming: ‘Health and Equality by Law’, and ‘Support Gay Marriage’. An affectionate and enthusiastic

crowd was joined by Secretary of State for Equality, Bibiana Aido and secretary of the National AIDS Plan, Tomas Hernandez, in attendance with other political leaders such as the Secretary of Social Movements of the PSOE, Pedro Zerolo; the coordinator of IU, Cayo Lara, and a spokesman for the coalition in Congress, Gaspar Llamazares. The march ended in the Plaza dÉspaña.

15 - 21 2010 8 -october 14 JulY 2011

23 27

Courageous trucker pulls woman from burning car by Jan Gamm A TRUCK driver bravely rescued a woman from a burning car last Friday after a serious accident on the AP-7 near Villajoyosa. The car went off the road and rolled several times, bursting into flames down an embankment. The truck driver, 47-year-old Azañedo Felix Moral, en route to L’Alfas del Pi, saw the fire and immediately stopped his vehicle, grabbed a fire extinguisher from his cab and without hesitation ran to the burning car, dousing the door before breaking the window with the extinguisher bottle and dragging the woman out. The driver of the car, a 38-year-old Russian national, was conscious when emergency services arrived on the scene and informed police that there were two passengers in the car. However, despite a thorough search of the area including a 250 square metre perimeter, no other victims were found and it was concluded the The woman was airlady was mistaken and suffering from shock caused by her severe burns. lifted to the She was taken to La Fe University Hospital in Valencia in a condition de- Burns Unit scribed as “critical.” at Le Fe

Ibiza to Alicante ‘Voyage of the Century’ COURAGEOUS CANCER sufferer Victor Rodriguez is one of 22 swimmers taking part in the ‘Voyage of the Century’ a 180 mile relay race that commenced from Ibiza Sant Antoni this week to arrive at Postiguet Alicante on Saturday, in support of the Spanish Association of People Affected by Lymphoma, Myeloma and Leukemia (AEAL). 21 stages of between two and four kilometres (about 20km total) will be covered by each swimmer, depending on their fitness and sea conditions: two swimmers had to abandon the relay after suffering facial jellyfish stings.

Contortionist tries to escape from jail in a suitcase

PRISONER JUAN Ramirez tried to escape from a Mexican prison hidden inside his wife’s suitcase! Arjona Maria del Mar, 19, attempted to leave the prison after visiting her husband, with a suitcase that attracted the guards’ attention as it seemed to be bulkier and heavier than when it arrived. On opening the suitcase the Houdini-like Ramirez was curled up tightly inside in a foetal position. Ramirez is serving 20 years for illegal possession of a weapon.

8 - 14 JulY 2011

money

8 - 14 JulY 2011

Celebrating the ‘Hole-inOne’ with Golf Insurance WHILE GOLF is a sport that conjures images of relaxation in the heart of nature, it’s very competitive and requires heavy concentration. Having absolute peace of mind is essential to the game and having the right golf insurance can make it much more enjoyable. With the summer heat now in full swing and yells of ‘Fore!’ echoing all around, here are a few things to keep in mind before stepping out onto the course:

GOLF EQUIPMENT IS EXPENSIVE Golf is an expensive sport that can easily set players back a few thousand euros. Woods, irons, putters, golf carts and golf shoes are items of high value and stolen on a daily basis from golf clubs worldwide. Golf bags should never be left unattended but even the most watchful eye can wander. Thieves often hang around golf courses looking for unattended bags full of high worth clubs. Experienced thieves cover old, useless clubs with brand new headcovers and swap them with identical ones belonging to an unaware victim. Victims don’t notice they’ve been robbed until they reach for their brand new iron. To avoid this, cover woods and irons with clearly marked, low-end headcovers that do not draw attention. INJURING YOURSELF HURTS MORE THAN YOU THINK The hunched-over putting stance combined with the repeated control of fine motor skills and

small muscles can lead to soreness and fatigue. Yips aside, any golfer, regardless of ability, can tell you about the sprains and pains endured while trying to perfect that drive. Back, shoulder and wrist pain are the most common for golfers. Sports medicine and special treatments can be costly. The best golf insurance will cover medical expenses and more.

INJURING OTHERS IS EASIER THAN IT SEEMS Although it seems uncommon, people often get hurt by errant golf balls, thrown clubs and overturned golf carts. With the increased popularity of golf, more and more players, caddies, spectators, motorists’ even adjacent homeowners are suffering injuries. While the Pros can get away with an apology and autograph, other golfers need to be prepared to cover the medical and/ or repair costs of their victims. While the traditional warning of ‘Fore!’ is still used to warn others of a wayward golf ball, it’s not enough to cover players in case of accidents. Liberty Golf by Liberty Seguros, the number one expatriate insurance provider in Spain, covers the incidents mentioned above and much more. Also included with Liberty Golf is ‘Hole-in-one’ coverage, which covers the extra costs involved in celebrating that lucky shot. So, with Liberty, all golfers have to do is bask in their glory! To find out more about Liberty Golf and to find your nearest Liberty Seguros broker, visit www.libertyseguros.es/expatriates/en. MORE ON LIBERTY GOLF • Liberty Golf provides theft coverage when the clubs and

equipment are stored with the caddy-master, or at the professional shop in officially recognised Golf Clubs, or while being transported by the insured. • Liberty also covers breakage and/or damage to equipment during the course of play, including fire. • As well as covering medical expenses, Liberty Golf covers death and permanent disability resulting from accidental injury occurring in the Golf Club. • Liberty Golf includes Third Party Liability of up to €100,000. ABOUT LIBERTY SEGUROS Liberty Seguros is the leading expatriate insurance provider in Spain with over 150,000 international clients, committed to providing high quality, competitively priced insurance products and services to both personal and business users. Liberty Seguros has been in operation since 2001 and is one of the top 10 insurers in Spain with a total of 1.5 million customers. It is part of the Liberty Mutual Group of Companies, the 5th largest property and casualty insurance company in the US with more than 90 years experience in the sector.

8 - 14 JulY 2011

legal

8 - 14 JulY 2011

Practical advice about weekly accommodation rentals to tourists by

Carlos Baos

of White & Baos Abogados English & Spanish Solicitors

THE ARRIVAL of the warm weather and the summer holidays definitely increases the number of rental contracts, and in particular the letting / renting of properties to tourists. These contracts are often agreed for 1 or 2 weeks or even daily. In this regard we would like to provide some basic tips in reference to these typical summer contracts. BASIC ADVICE FOR THE LANDLORD (OWNER-LESSER) You should be aware that the Valencian Community has adopted the ‘decreto’ (a kind of Law) number 92/2009, which regulates the letting / rental of tourist properties. The objective of this Law is firstly to try to ensure the quality of the properties and facilities rented to tourists on order to protect the tourists from unsuitable or unsafe properties, and secondly to try to reduce the number of tourist properties let out beyond the control of the authorities. If you rent a property to tourists in exchange for rent, as many people do, with immediate availability and for holiday or leisure

purposes for weeks or days, then the above mentioned ‘decreto’ is likely to apply as well as the following obligations amongst others: • You should inform the pertinent authorities about the use of your properties as rentals to tourists, unless you only rent one tourist property; in this case it is voluntary to do so. • In any case, even if you rent just one property you must comply with the conditions stated in the D.92/2009, particularly in Annex 1, which indicates the minimum size of the rooms, appliances to be provided in the kitchen, the need for an evacuation plan of the property, list of emergency phone numbers, and other requirements. If you regularly rent or are engaged in dealing with this kind of rental you could be considered as a tourist housing management company and must be registered as such and comply with the rules. In general you as landlord should also take the following basic precautions: Use a letting contract that properly suits your particular circumstances; ask your solicitor for advice. Draft an inventory of all the contents of the property including details of the furniture and the electrical appliances, take photographs and write a value for each item. Check out your tenant’s (lessee’s) credit, request copies of their ID, NIE or passports, payroll slips, assets etc. Request the tenants to make a deposit at the time of reservation and ask them to pay the remaining balance upon

arrival, once they are satisfied with the state of the property. Make sure you have an adequate insurance contract. BASIC ADVICE FOR THE TENANT (LESSEE) Request the landlord to provide you with all the information, pictures etc, about the property before reaching any agreement, ask for a detailed inventory of the furniture, appliances, etc, and the exact location of the property - if possible check this information before arrival. The contract should include all the relevant and important points such as: the amount of the rent, the length of the rental, how the payment(s) and refund of the deposit will be effected, about the delivery and return of keys, etc. Make sure that the landlord is entitled to rent the property, request a copy of his/her ID, telephone number, contact details and a certificate (nota simple) from the Land Registry. If the Landlord requests you to make a deposit before arrival in order to make the reservation then ask him to provide you with a copy of his/her bank account details where the name is clearly shown. In principle the name in the account should be the same as the landlord’s. 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 our Web site: 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

8 - 14 JulY 2011

Take that to the bank

Suzanne O’Connell Customer Care at Ábaco

WHAT SURPRISES you most about Spain? Is it the fiesta that begins at 1am? Driving around roundabouts in the outside lane? Or the speed (or lack of it) with which things get done?

All of these have caused me to gawp, gesticulate or drum fingers in frustration at different times. For example, I arrived with complete incredulity at Rojales fiesta last summer to discover that at 1am the party is only just starting - time for my hot chocolate and bed socks (in the winter that is). I continue to watch in amazement as cars engage in some kind of dancing ritual, weaving in and out of each other at roundabout exits, and marvel that we ever managed to get a telephone line installed… Another surprise: they can mess with your bank account. Yes, that safe and secure bastion of privacy can be raided by the Spanish tax man/ woman without your permission. Now that just wouldn’t happen in

the UK – would it? Okay, they might indiscriminately charge you £30 or more for an overdraft letter but help themselves to your hard-earned cash? Surely not… If they don’t in the UK (and someone might advise me otherwise) they certainly do in Spain. They can dip in their fingers for fines, for taxes, for anything they think you owe and you haven’t paid. The banks have an allegiance with the tax authorities in a way that we are not used to. So when they send out letters for confirmation of non-residency we are, understandably, confused and just a little bit nervous. Why is it important for the bank to know whether you are resident or non-resident? There are two types of account and it is important that your bank has you down for the right one. If you are a resident you will need to have a certificate from your bank annually as part of your resident tax declaration. If you are a nonresident your account is tax free but you should be paying non-resident imputed tax annually.

Every year, Ábaco receives queries from clients about the non-resident confirmation letter. This is a letter that banks routinely send out every year or every two years to check that those clients with non-resident accounts are still non-resident. Not surprisingly they also charge you for the privilege. It’s now 17€ per person to have your account retained as a non-resident one. The letter requires you to sign and return. If you don’t, your bank account might be blocked until you can provide proof of tax residency in the UK. So if you receive this letter, don’t be surprised. It’s a standard issue and needs nothing more than your confirmation. Sign it (if you are non-resident that is) and be done with it and enjoy all the more pleasant surprises that Spain has to offer. 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

legal

8 - 14 JulY 2011

Embargos Part 2 by

Michael Olmer

Solicitor, Link Point Legal and Business Services

THIS IS the second of two articles on the subject of Embargos. In this article I shall explain what to do if you are advised that an Embargo has been obtained against your bank account or other property. If the Embargo is to be imposed to recover a debt due from you after a court case, the first that you will know about it is that you will receive a recorded delivery letter advising you that in 30 days either your bank account, or other property will be frozen to collect the debt. This initial warning is known as an ‘Apremio’. If you fall into arrears with your mortgage, your lender has the right to impose an Embargo to prevent you disposing of the property so that it can be put up for forced sale at auction. Government agencies such as the Spanish tax, or social security office, can also impose Administrative Embargos to collect debts or fines without first going to court. In this case, if your bank account is subject to an Embargo, the bank will place the amount in a ‘suspense account’ for 20 days during which you can attempt to resolve the matter. If you receive notice of an Embargo the most important thing is not to panic. If you agree that the debt is properly due contact your creditor to see if you can come to terms to pay off your debt by

installments, or raise finance to clear it before the Embargo becomes absolute. If you dispute the amount of the debt, or that you are the owner of the money, property, or goods that are to be subject to the Embargo, it is vital that you take formal steps to challenge the amount before the period of 30 days expires after which there is very little that can be done to contest it. The threat of Embargo is commonly used by debt collectors to frighten debtors into payment, without first either obtaining a court judgment or following the correct procedures to obtain an Embargo. If a potential Claimant fears that a debtor may try and hide or dispose of his assets before then it may be possible for a Claimant to obtain a precautionary Embargo. This would prevent a debtor disposing of property and ensures that it would be able to satisfy a judgment if it loses the case. This is known as an ‘Embargo Preventivo’, and there is a similar procedure in England known as a ‘Freezing Order’. This type of Embargo must be granted by a judge and is subject to the Claimant showing that the Defendant is the true owner of the property they are seeking to freeze, that it falls within the classes of property that can be subject to an Embargo, and also that the Claimant has the means to compensate the Defendant and third parties if his claim should fail, and may be required to give financial guarantees.

The Claimant must return to court within 20 days to have the Embargo confirmed, at which time the Defendant has the opportunity to object to the Embargo. If the Claimant does not return to court within this 20 day period the “Embargo Preventivo” lapses. If an Embargo becomes absolute, the property that is attached can then be taken by the Judgment Creditor or, in the case of an Embargo which the government has obtained, by the state. You will then be placed on a blacklist of debtors, or ‘morosos’, which is maintained by the Spanish government, and which is consulted by credit reference agencies. To sum up, if you believe your property has been subject to an Embargo, do not panic but ask yourself and take advice on the following points • Is the debt properly due? • Has it been properly demanded? • Are you the owner of the property which is the subject of the Embargo? • Does the property fall within the classes which can legally be subject to an Embargo? • Is there any way of paying the debt or doing a deal before the Embargo becomes absolute? As with any legal matter, it is vital to take timely advice and we at Linkpoint are ready and available to assist you.

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

8 - 14 JulY 2011

QROPS around the world Part 2 by

Stephen Ward & Robert Burns IN OUR last article 2 weeks ago we noted the existence of various jurisdictions around the world that are available for UK expats to transfer their UK pension rights to. We looked in particular at Guernsey, considered its advantages and the key disadvantage associated with the absence of any investor protection. ISLE OF MAN QROPS This week we remain relatively close to home and consider how QROPS work in the Isle of Man (IOM). Until very recently, although widely sold in Spain, an IOM QROPS could never be a suitable option because of the absence of a double taxation treaty between Spain and IOM. This meant that income taken from the IOM pension scheme was taxed at 20% which could neither be reclaimed nor offset against liability to tax in Spain. Add to that a Manx inheritance tax charge at 7.5% of

the fund on the members death meant other jurisdictions, in particular Guernsey were always a better option.

SECTION 50C That now has all changed. The Manx Government introduced ‘section 50C’ into its tax law last October. The Income Tax (Pensions) (Temporary Taxation) Order 2010 amended the Income Tax Act 1970 by inserting a new section 50C. These schemes (following an HMRC review) are capable of being registered with HMRC as a QROPS. The main characteristics of a Section 50C scheme are: • Available to residents and non-residents of the Isle of Man; • Registered with the Manx Insurance and Pensions Authority; • Tax-approved by the Assessor of Income Tax; • At least 70% of tax-relieved funds must provide the member with an income for life; • Income from investments is exempt from IOM tax; • Pension income for non-residents of the IOM is paid gross. • No Manx IHT charge applies on death. Where there is reference to ‘tax-relieved funds’, this is interpreted by the Assessor of

Income Tax to mean the value of the fund transferred in. So the section 50C requirement to designate at least 70% of tax-relieved funds for a pension means at least 70% of transfer values received must provide a pension. The remainder can therefore be paid as a retirement lump sum. And here then lies the key advantage of a Manx section 50C QROPS. EXAMPLE SHOWING THE KEY ADVANTAGE OF IOM S50C QROPS If you are aged, say, 45 and transfer in a UK pension fund of £100,000 which by your 55th birthday accumulates to £180,000 – then provided you have been outside the UK for at least five tax years the permitted lump sum is: 30% of the transfer value - £30,000 plus 100% of the investment growth - another £80,000 Therefore, in this case a total of £110,000 may be then taken as a lump sum. Under UK rules this would be 25% of the fund (i.e. £45,000) and through a Guernsey QROPS 30% of the fund (i.e. £54,000). IOM – THE QROPS JURISDICTION OF CHOICE? In a QROPS jurisdiction which offers investor

The Isle of Man may become the jurisdiction of choice for QROPS

protection through an Ombudsman service, a robust system of regulation associated with pension schemes and a potential lump sum which can significantly exceed UK rules has obvious attraction. IOM QROPS tend also to have lower fees than the Guernsey equivalent so for those looking for a long term and stable solution then IOM may become the jurisdiction of choice. 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

FOR SALE house in Alicante, fantastic views, 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 50 metres from beach. 130.000€. Call Susan on 654-658-985

FOR SALE Alicante house , fantastic views, 2 bedroom, 2 bathroom, 50 metres from beach.

130.000€

Call Susan on 654-658-985

8 - 14 JulY 2011

Home Garden

Brought to you by

www.spanishhomefinder.com

Agent fatigue can kill the sale of your property AS THE economy bumps along burdened with debt and uncertainty the only growth seems to be in the frustration felt by many property owners due to the stagnation in the property market and the apparent lack of activity by some estate agents to do something about it. Property owners are so fed up with time wasters, ri-

diculous offers and no sales that some wonder: why bother with agents at all. This is what I call ‘agent fatigue’ and its debilitating symptoms can stifle enthusiasm and kill a property sale. Ironically agent fatigue affects agents as well as property owners. Agents are also fed up with time wasters, ridiculous offers and no sales. It has led to ennui and apathy and a growing impression that some agents are just sitting on their hands waiting for something to happen… Property is selling but not with the ease and quantity that it did in the past. What agents are finding difficulty in doing is matching the demands of owners to get the best price and the expectations of buyers to get a bargain. In general the problem is that in a falling market the gap between what a property owner wants and what a buyer expects to pay is widening. Other factors are exasperating the situation, not least the glut of property on the market at the moment. In these circumstances only properties in top condition can have any hope of attracting buyers and achieving

By Guest Writer Michael Rushe of Javea Estates

a sale. Personal circumstances can also have a detrimental effect on price such as when an owner needs a quick sale to clear mortgage or other debts. Prices are depressed further as the banks flood the market with reprocessed properties not only at lower prices but with attractive financing attached. One property owner struggling to sell his house recently said to me, rather dismissively, that he’d had enough agents selling his house. However, on reflection, it seems that he doesn’t have enough agents but is in fact one short – the agent that can make the sale. Property owners need to snap out of agent fatigue and revitalise their sale. Now is the time to reassess what you have to offer. If the agents you are using have not given you the hope of a sale then change them. What have you got to lose? Try to see your property as a buyer would see it. Seek out advice and help because there is plenty out there if you go and look for it. Don’t moan about what agents aren’t doing- get up and do something about it. After all, it’s your property not theirs!

8 - 14 JulY 2011

Hot weather ramblings by

Clodagh & Dick Handscombe Practical gardeners and authors

GARDEN WINE TASTINGS Saturday night after a long but interesting day: Clodagh away, so how better to pass a few minutes than with a glass of fruity wine bought two Fridays ago from Finca Sunrisa, a hobby vineyard set in a sensible, low maintenance but interesting garden near Jalon which I visited with gardening friends for a friendly wine tasting. If that sounds a good idea phone 966 481 296 to arrange a tasting for 4 to 12 friends or members of your local gardening or social group. Luckily the prices are sensible as we don’t get paid for our newspaper articles. But wine and writing are a good way of keeping a 74-year-old brain ticking. NEEM SUPPLIERS I have some new information on Neem and other ecological garden products. As mentioned in this column two weeks ago I have visited the Spanish company Sojivit which started out as an importer of soya milk from India and then branched out into developing producing and

marketing eco products for organic fruit and vegetable growers and amateur and professional ecological gardeners through a joint Indian and Spanish operation. Most importantly, they have a mail order division www.tiendasplanet.com. At present the site is only in Spanish but it is easy to follow. As a result of my visit they now realise the number of expat gardeners that are interested in eco products and they are looking to translate the site. Of immediate interest to many will be their neem oil based and preemulsified product Fortneem 1500, a good general insecticide for flower and vegetable gardens and orchards. They also have useful fungicides, microbic soil improvers, and improved compost packs that have good water retention properties. A Spanish company but my contact, the Managing Director Jose Manuel, has good English for replying to emails. Sods law! Just before I came into the house for a grilled trout dinner (fish caught in Cuenca earlier in the week as a change from carp and cat fishing) some wilting salvias and stevia were watered under a clear blue sky – half an hour later as I switch on the computer it is now raining! Continuing on suppliers of ecoproducts: www.trabe.net has improved its internet shop and is now available in English: their products include neem propolis and dried nettles which we have used for some years. For queries Fransisco Ibanez speaks and writes good English.

If you speak German or have a German friend www.neem-handel.de probably has the fullest list of neem based liquid and dried neem products: such things as neem-based toothpaste and shampoos that we use - the site is in German but the owner, Gerald Moser, understands English. A NEW PEST TO LOOK OUT FOR By the way there is a new pest working its way northwards from Andalucia and Murcia. It is a beetle that bores into Agaves and hundreds of larvae and beetles develop inside the fleshy leaves in a similar way to the palm weevil in palm trunks. We understand that the chemical products recommended for treating palm trees can also be used on agaves – but as far as we know they are not ecological. NEW COSTA BLANCA BRANCH OF MEDITERRANEAN GARDENING SOCIETY By the way if you are a garden enthusiast you might be interested in joining an interesting international gardening group: the new Costa Blanca Branch of the Mediterranean Gardening Society. More details can be obtained from edith.haeuser@gmail.com. Dick attended an interesting bimonthly meeting and garden visit today. It was nice to see a good number of ideas applied from ‘Your Garden in Spain – From Planning to Planting and Maintenance’

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

applied. Most importantly, the style of garden had been decided early taking into account the fifteen practical options described in chapter 2. 2 of the book. SUMMER THINKING Now is not the time to start to do heavy gardening work except between 6am and 10am but it is a good time to quietly think about changes to existing gardens or how to start on a new garden in the autumn. There are chapters dedicated to each possibility in our books. CLODAGHS AND DICK HANDSCOMBES BOOKS The books are found invaluable by experienced and novice gardeners alike and whether they have a small or large villa, finca, townhouse or apartment. They can be obtained from high street and commercial centre bookshops and mail order bookshops such as Santana Books, Bookworld, Amazon, Angloinfo Spain and the Book Depository.

8 - 14 JulY 2011

Excel Airconditioning

Georgie Durbin

DID THE heat of June already begin to get you down? What of July and August!? Excel Air conditioning can provide an energy efficient solution with their A grade air-con systems which will be perfect for the extreme heat of the upcoming summer months. With a product range from both major and smaller manufacturers’ you can have your home cool by means of any budget and fully guaranteed for between two and five years. Excel Air conditioning is a family run business operating on the Costa Blanca for more than eight years, built on a growing reputation with hundreds of happy clients and great recommendations. They pride themselves on taking as much care and consideration of your home as they would of their own home. Not only an installation firm, they have the experience and professionalism to offer maintenance and servicing from a fully qualified team,

which is able to offer a range of services to suit your needs at extremely affordable prices. Excel is always offering new and better products, keen to give great value-for-money. Many of the airconditioning systems they can provide take into consideration energy efficiency and environmental issues. And it is because of these growing environmental concerns and the economic climate of today that they also offer a great range of solar powered water heaters for constant hot water usage, and keeping the bills down. So whether you’ve never had an air conditioning system, or are looking to replace an old one, speak with Excel. Based in Polop this reliable company can install most units within 3 days! Contact them by email at services@excelairconditioning.com or telephone the Head Office at 966 897 772: Mobiles 680 154 432 or 676 265 675. Be like a penguin and stay nice and cool with Excel this summer

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8 - 14 JulY 2011

A new experience AT THE opening of Cocos Beach Bar in Calpe the owners wisely chose to have Coolashade install 10 shade sails and on this breezy evening they were a Godsendâ&#x20AC;Ś It was a windy evening, not cold by any means but the breeze was chilly and as patrons entered the seating area at the rear of the bar and saw how much protection three side-mounted shade sails were giving they were most grateful, finding that they could sit and enjoy their drinks safely buffered from the wind by the shade sails: a great place to relax on a gusty night! MULTIPLE PURPOSES The shade sails kept everybody protected from the wind and are an obvious necessity for shading day time visitors. The owners know that shade is important for the comfort of its patrons and by investing in Coolashade shade sails they are providing their customers with a stylish product that gives up to 98% UV protection and at the same time allowing just the right amount of air to flow around the area. And not only will the shade sails provide sun protection for the customers, they will also protect the new furniture that is part of the ambience in this new and trendy bar, effectively reducing the risk of fading and lengthening the life of costly soft furnishings with the Coolashade sails fitting in and complimenting the surroundings perfectly: the disco lights danced on the shades, sparkling and shiny, reflecting and enhancing the party mood. WISE INVESTMENT Coolashade shade sails are built to last and with a ten year guarantee the investment that the bar has made is a solid one - as solid as the purpose-made posts that support these stylish sails. Bar owners with an interest in investing in the future and introducing shaded areas that are both practical and attractive should contact Coolashade Shade Sails by phone or email via the website at www.coolashade.com

Home & Garden

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8 - 14 JulY 2011

When will they ever learn? SAD OLD world isn’t it when the headline of the week has to be that the Spanish Airports Authority (AENA) has confirmed there won’t be any strikes this summer. It is good news of course, but the point is that it shouldn’t be news at all, as a group of well-paid people doing what they are paid for, at the most crucial time for the economy that they have helped cripple with their previously extortionate wages is really what we should expect right? Sorry, I am in a bit of a mood as yet more domestic violence fatalities have been reported: a 28-year-old Ecuadorian woman died last Sunday morning in Zaragoza after allegedly being strangled by her partner, also an Ecuadorian national, and a 55-year-old woman has been murdered, with her daughter in hospital after they were attacked and stabbed by the woman’s former partner in Hernani, Guipuzcoa. Unfortunately it doesn’t stop there as in Barcelona a 40-year-old woman was arrested for killing her 43-year-old husband by stabbing him in the chest, and a 17-year-old was taken into recently arrested after confessing to killing his mother and 12-year-old brother, whose battered bodies were found at their home in Portugalete. Add to that the 13 deaths on the roads last weekend, ironically the same weekend that saw the 120kmp/h speed limit re-introduced, and one is left wondering: “When will they ever learn?” Same could be said about the health of the nation, or more

specifically the ‘growing’ problem of obesity as 45.2% of children in Spain aged between 6 and 9 are overweight or obese; a problem described as “serious” by the public health authorities and that affects kids from poorer backgrounds and also those that have video consoles, computers and TVs in their own bedrooms most of all. No wonder then that the Spanish Food and Nutrition Safety Agency (AESAN) found that Spaniards are swapping olive oil, fresh salads and vegetables in favour of fast food, sweets and fizzy drinks. The survey of 3,000 people showed only 43% ate vegetables every day and the majority ate twice as much red meat as recommended. It discovered that the lack of vegetables, fruit and cereals is causing binge eating and increasing cases of colon and breast cancer. And with almost 50% of Spaniards not doing any exercise, the country is seeing an obesity pandemic. On a far more positive note I had to smile when I read that Southern Europeans work harder and longer than Germans; debunking recent comments made by Chancellor Angela Merkel that workers in debt-mired Greece, Spain and Portual are lazy. A statistics-based report published by French bank Natixis chief economist Patrick Artus (June 2011) said Germans worked less annually and during their lifetime than Southern Europeans, and did not work more intensely than their neighbours either. The study, based on OECD and Euro-

stat figures, said a German’s average annual work duration (1,390 hours) was substantially lower than for a Greek (2,119), an Italian (1,773) a Portuguese (1,719) and a Spaniard (1,654). ‘About time’ has to be the response to news that the cost of making and receiving mobile phone calls while travelling in Europe has come down again. From 1st July, operators cannot charge more than 32p per minute (plus VAT) for outgoing calls, and 10p per minute (plus VAT) for incoming calls. The new tariffs are the latest in a series of annual price reductions forced on the mobile industry by the European Commission. Brussels has said it aims to equalise roaming and domestic charges by 2015. And finally…Ryanair has launched a new route between Málaga and Malmö in Sweden with one flight per week, on Sundays. The low cost airline already operates between Málaga and Stockholm Vasteras, Stockholm Skavsta and Gothenburg - yet more evidence of the changing face of the tourist market here in Spain 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.

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

No shorts or flip flops in Congress The public gallery

A DRESS code for Congress has been set this week in Madrid. Those attending plenary sessions are required to dress in long trousers or a skirt and men are required to wear shirts with sleeves – strictly no tank tops. The dress code has been confirmed on the request of the Bureau of Congress to the Secretary General to formulate set standards for Congressional meetings in line with “…the proper attire and due decorum.” The issue came to the attention of the Bureau after several school children on tours of the public gallery appeared in ‘flip-flops’ and shorts.

Las Aventuras de Sid Spanish lessons by

Jane Cronin

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

part 5

Here are the answers to the questions I asked at the end of last week. I’ve tried to keep my answers fairly simple, but there are alternatives as well. If the whole thing has gone over your head, please don’t worry, just enjoy the story!

1. ¿Cómo era la puesta de sol que vio Sid? La puesta de sol era una gloriosa mezcla de rojos, violetas, naranjas y rosas. 2. ¿Por qué no pudo Sid explicarse al taxista? Porque no hablaba suficiente español. 3. ¿Qué sensaciones tenía Sid al ver la vista al mar? Sentía satisfacción y pensó que tenía mucha suerte. 4. ¿Dónde quería estar Sid? Sid estaba seguro que quería estar en España. By the time Sid arrived at his hotel he was already exhausted with all the excitement of the day. He fell into bed and went straight to sleep, vaguely noticing the air-conditioner humming in the background and the sound of people laughing and shouting in the street below. As it was already past midnight Sid thought it was odd that so many people, including small children, seemed to be out and about, but he assumed there must be some special reason. Cuando Sid llegó a su hotel ya estaba agotado por toda la emoción del día. Se tiró a la cama y se durmió enseguida; vagamente notaba el zumbido del aire acondicionado al fondo y el sonido de la gente riéndose y gritando en la calle. Como ya era pasada la medianoche, a Sid le pareció extraño que tantas personas, incluyendo

niños pequeños, estuviesen fuera en la calle, pero supuso que había algún motivo especial. At seven o’clock the following morning Sid woke up with a start. He looked around in confusion unable to remember where he was, but soon the events of the previous day came flooding back. Despite his tiredness the night before he was happy to see that he had remembered to put on his flannelette pyjamas and had folded his clothes neatly on the bedside chair. Breakfast was in half an hour, so having completed his ablutions, and rinsed his socks in the foot bath thoughtfully provided; Sid got himself ready for the day. He had an appointment to view his new home later in the week, allowing a few days to relax and have a good look around incognito. A las siete de la mañana siguiente Sid se despertó de un salto. Miró a su alrededor confuso sin poder recordar donde estaba, pero enseguida los acontecimientos del día anterior le volvieron a la mente. A pesar del cansancio de la noche anterior, se puso contento al ver que se había acordado de ponerse su pijama de franela y había doblado su ropa con cuidado en la silla al lado de la cama. El desayuno era dentro de una media hora, así que después de terminar su aseo, y aclarar sus calcetines en el lavabo para los pies instalado con tanto detalle, Sid se preparó para el día. Tenía una cita para inspeccionar su nuevo hogar más adelante en la semana, lo que le permitía unos días de relajación y así investigar sus alrededores de incógnito.

8 - 14 JulY 2011

switching to Firefox 5

Computing with aunty virus

Problems upgrading Graham via email asks: I HAVE a Dell laptop and Asus notebook both upgraded to Windows 7 Home Premium, The laptop from vista and the notebook from Windows 7 starter. Neither unit will update Windows 7 SP1, it installs but crashes at 15% configuration. Both seem to have problems with the product ID being out of date. I put in the new product Key - it says ‘activated’ but nothing changes. Microsoft will not accept an email without a current Product ID. Both upgrades were purchased from Amazon and are Microsoft Genuine. With the Asus I also cannot get it to load Internet Explorer 9, it says in the history that it was successful but the screen and

‘tools’ ‘about internet explorer’ still shows version 8. Any help on SP1 and IE9 upgrades would be appreciated. Aunty Says: I’m not too sure about this one Graham. I’ve never had much faith in any Windows upgrades (compared to a fresh install) and these issues certainly suggest that’s where your problems originate. How long do you leave it at 15% as these updates can take a good while to download and install? You can view all of your Windows updates from Control Panel where you can uninstall certain updates and check any error messages. Try uninstalling IE8 via Control Panel and re-downloading IE9 from www.microsoft.com.

Receiving unwanted channels

Owen via email asks: HELLO CAN you help me please? We just got back from holiday in Wales and we keep getting porn channels popping up and when I try to close them it just pops up more. Aunty Says: Sounds like you have some virus or spyware on your computer Owen. Check your antivirus program is up to date and do a full scan with Malwarebytes and SuperAntiSpyware. You can get them from www.download.com and they are both free.

Rose via email asks: I AM a keen reader of your page every week in RTN and hope you can help solve a problem for me. I have a Dell laptop about 5yrs old but still running very well. Recently I switched to using Firefox 5 as my browser and since then I get ‘Unresponsive Script’ error messages which seriously slow the whole computer down until I clear them. Examples are: ‘A script on this page may be busy, or it may have stopped responding. You can stop the script now, or you can continue to see if the script will complete’ Even if I tick the box to say ‘don’t advise me of this again’, the same ones appear regularly, so something is not clearing. Others have suggested uninstalling Firefox and reloading it, but is there anything else you can recommend? It seems to be the only thing that is slowing down an otherwise youthful ‘old’ laptop, so I’m keen to solve it. Aunty Says: From the script messages you sent me it looks like a Java related problem which most websites rely heavily upon. This may well be a problem caused by the ‘Ask’ toolbar which seems to appear now and then. Go to ‘tools’ ‘addons’ ‘extensions’ and select the Ask Toolbar from the list. Click ‘disable’ and restart Firefox. If this doesn’t resolve the problem then check you have the very latest version of Java. This could also be associated with some spyware so run a full scan with Malwarebytes and SuperAntiSpyware.

What should I buy? Pete from Lomas del Golf asks: HOLA AUNTY, I need your advice on what to buy: I have an old Time machine (Remember Time Computers?) which is at least nine years old and I feel it is time I bought a new one. The old girl has been very good over the years but like most of us old pensioners is slowing down. I want to know what I should be looking for in the way of memory and other specs on the new machine. I need it mainly for photo and video storage (3000+ photo’s on my PC and external hard drive) with the ability to use Skype and Messenger plus the odd bit of writing and letter storage. I would prefer a tower over a laptop but that is not as important as its ability to do the job well, and I would take your advice on price. Love your column, keep up the good work.

Aunty Says: I do remember Time Computers Pete. I don’t think you can beat the little slimline Acer towers you can get from Carrefour for around €250. They come with Win7 Home, 4GB of memory and enough hard disk space to store tens of thousands of photos. They have Windows in Spanish, but I know eNET Computers will install an English version with all the security and programs at a very reasonable price. Give Phil a call on 687 362 844 if you need some advice or want to book one in for a conversion.

PC query Roy via email asks: DEAR AUNTY this is a PC Query. l have windows 7 and when l try to print a label, the last line of the address prints to the left and not inline. This is in Word.

Aunty Says: Hi Roy. Check your paper size is set to A4 and not the US version of A4 known as ‘letter’. You can do this from the ‘printer setup’ or ‘page setup’ option or via the printing program installed with your printer.

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

8 - 14 JulY 2011

GADGET INSPECTOR

Gadget Inspector investigates the case of: a gaggle of gorgeous gadgets THIS WEEK the Inspector raids Goldfinger’s gadget drawer and discovers what gold can do for your gadget oneupmanship rating. The iPhone 3GS Supreme Rose (top-left) costs an eyewatering €2.15 million. This ultra-bling mobile phone took 10 months to make and has a 7.5 carat single cut diamond set into the navigation button. The casing contains 271 grams of solid 18 carat rose gold, and a front bezel housing 136 diamonds with a total of 68 carats. Oh, and just in case there aren’t enough diamonds already, the rear logo has 53 in total including four 2.5 carat pink baguette cut diamonds. Next is the Nintendo Wii Supreme (top-right) at a much more budget-conscious €335,000. This glitzy gaming console took 6 months to create and is surely the ultimate in personal entertainment. The console has over 2.5kg of solid 22 carat gold, and the front buttons are inset with 78 diamonds totalling 19.5 carats. Moving on… we have the Gold MacBook Air (middle-left). With a positively bargain-basement price of a mere €3,500, surely everyone can afford one. The polished case is 24 carat gold and there is a flat/crystallite interior. But it´ll cost another €2,000 if you want the apple logo in 14 carat gold with 3.8 carats of sapphires. Maybe only the one then … But what if you want your music on the move? Welcome

to the iPod Touch Supreme (middle-right). Costing a very reasonable €155,000 you can fully expect teenagers to be queuing around the block for one of these. The body has been moulded using 149 grams of solid 22 carat gold. The Apple logo on the rear is made from 21 grams of gold and houses 53 coloured diamonds. Barry Manilow will never sound so good! Finally we have the Aurumania Gold Bike Crystal edition. Costing a mere €80,000, keeping fit and looking good has never been easier, particularly as only 10 have been built. The track bike is plated entirely with 24 carat gold and decorated with more than 600 crystallised Swarovski elements. And just in case you´re worried about rust, there is a 10 year ‘no-quibble’ guarantee. Oh, and they’ll deliver it anywhere in the world under their ‘White Glove Service’ - so you can get straight down to the shopping precinct and impress your mates. The Inspector’s Verdict: They say gold is one of the best investments you can make and any one of these gadgets certainly contains enough for any serious gold magpie. But would you dare take any one of these out in public or leave it on display? And if it’s likely to be locked up in a vault or safety deposit box isn’t it defeating the whole point of owning one? What a fantastic dilemma to have!

health

8 - 14 JANUARY JulY 2011 2010 8-14

A guide to different types of stair lifts ONCE AGE is progressing it becomes more and more difficult (sometimes even dangerous) to go up and down the stairs. Some people choose to live downstairs only, or to move to another place, or to go back to their native country. But in truth often there is no need. Stair lifts are designed to make life easier, and come with a choice of features depending on your particular needs. If you or a loved one struggle with your stairs, installing a stair lift can give you increased mobility and independence. A1 Stairlifts are an experienced stair lift company that will visit your home to take measurements of your staircase and carry out an assessment of both your current situation and long term needs. Straight and curved stair lifts are the two main types, and as their names suggest, a straight stair lift moves in a straight direction, whereas a curved one will be adapted to deal with any bends in your stairs. Each type of stair lift can be customised to meet your individual requirements. As it is safer to be transported up and down stairs in a seated position most stair lifts have some kind of chair to sit in. Swivel seats make it easier to get on and off the stair lift. â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Perchingâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; stair lifts are available for people who are unable to bend their knees or straighten their legs fully. For people who have difficulty bending their legs or sitting,

stand-on stair lifts are available. Wheelchair stair lifts can be found in many public buildings, but most homes donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have staircases wide enough for a wheelchair platform to be fitted. Outdoor stair lifts can be installed if necessary, and can help people reach their front door or give them access to their garden. If your stairs have a single turn, an alternative to installing a curved stair lift is to fit a wooden bridging platform to enable the stair lift to negotiate the bend. A1 Stair lifts will advise on the most suitable option for your home. Comfort and ease of use are crucial when using a stair lift. There are a number of options available, depending on your needs. For instance, if you have arthritis and find it painful to operate button controls, you might consider having a joystick fitted instead. Adjustable armrests are also useful to have, which help you feel secure when moving up or down the stairs and can be folded out of the way to improve accessibility. Whatever your mobility needs, buying a stair lift is a major investment. You should use a reputable company like A1 Stairlifts who always give a written quotation and are clear about the terms and conditions and most importantly the after sales service. Call 902 002 161 and for further information and to see their range online you can visit their website www.a1stairlift.com

This minivator stairlift is on a straight staircase

8 - 14 JulY 2011

Retirement and organising health care provision: Part 6 by

Claire Cerro Atyeo, RGN

Prestige Nursing and Social Care Services

THE FIRST article was intended to provoke thought to instigate honestly about your current situation, your health and care needs and that of the future. The second article looked at the differing care facilities and services available and in the third at the different types of Nursing/Care homes and semi-dependent living facilities. Part four gave you an idea of the questions you should ask and things you should be looking for when visiting and choosing one of these facilities. In Part five, we looked at home nursing and home care, the differences between the two, how to choose between the two and the problems experienced here in Spain. Part six and the final in this series will explain how to establish what type of home service you want/ need, and how to tell the type of care you’re buying in and from whom. ESTABLISHING WHAT YOU WANT/ NEED It is important to take the time to consider what care and attention you are actually looking for, talk with family/friends, ask your doctor and make a list of what attention you need now and what may be needed in the future along with your expectations of the service. Many people choose a nursing company over a care company because they are assured that all their care of the moment and that of the future can be catered for without the need for changing staff and the added hassle of looking for a new company and building new relationships. CARE COMPANIES …are licenced to provide companionship, shopping, meal preparation and domestic duties. NURSING COMPANIES …are licenced to undertake all of the above and

nursing care duties such as personal hygiene assistance or full personal hygiene, injections, medication dispensing and evaluation of the medication, mental and physical ability assessments, progress evaluations, wound dressing, nutritional programmes, health education and teaching. HOW TO TELL WHAT TYPE OF CARE YOU’RE BUYING IN AND FROM WHOM There are so many companies and individuals out there offering these types of services, it makes it very difficult to know who or what you are choosing! The definition written above clarifies the boundaries of care each type of company may offer, individuals offering these services are bound by the same regulations and should be registered in the same manor (NB If you have an individual attending you, under Spanish law you effectively become an employer and are liable for organising government contributions unless they prove to you that they are autonomous and issue you with invoices). To assist you with deciding the type of company you are considering, here are a few pointers of questions to ask and things to check. FOR BOTH CARE AND NURSING LICENCED COMPANIES 1) Both should hold liability/indemnity insurance 2) Both should be registered with Registro mercantile central Madrid 3) Both will be more than happy to produce both these documents for your viewing. 4) Both will provide you with a comprehensive price list of services available: hourly rates, extra payment times and those rates i.e.; night duty, weekends/ fiesta’s and travel costs.

5) Both will produce a monthly or weekly invoice which will clearly state the company name, address, CIF number and invoice number, also your name, address and NIE number. Care Companies will also need to charge IVA – Nursing Companies are exempt. FOR LICENCED NURSING COMPANIES 1) The company will have trained registered nurses offering 24/7 emergency assistance. 2) The company will assign you a registered nurse who will oversee the care you are receiving and will continually evaluate your progress or increasing needs. 3) Your Assigned trained nurse will be registered with the Nursing & Midwifery Council NMC of England and also with the official college of nursing Alicante or Valencia, both of these are a legal requirement to practice nursing here in Spain and your nurse will be able to produce their registration cards which clearly states their name, and pin number which is personal to them, the NMC card also has an expiry date. 4) A Nursing Company will not only have indemnity/ liability insurance but also full medical insurance, which again they will be happy to show you. 5) Good nursing companies will interchange between care work (domiciliary) and nursing according to individual needs. As I said these are just points to consider, ask and research, no company is better or worse, it is essentially down to personal choice, needs and compatibility, but it is important to do your homework and check that your company is properly licenced; if not there are no safeguards or assistance should an incident or misconduct of care occur… Remember you are inviting strangers into your home at a time when you, or your loved one, are most vulnerable.

For more information Telephone Prestige Nursing and Social care Services on 687 015 517 or email info@prestigenursingcostablanca.com

Fabulous Fashion Show at Moda La Finca Group Photo by GTS Pictures: From left: Dorothy, Susan, Denise, Karin, Britta, Marlies, Helga Ralf, Serji, Francesca and Hetty

NO LESS than nine models, seven ladies and two gentlemen, paraded in beautiful clothes from Moda La Finca on Sunday. Guests enjoyed cold Bitburger Beer and Bratwurst sausages with compere Helga organising an army of helpers including Willy from Bitburger, who supplied cold beer on tap, tables and chairs and sun umbrellas. Elli, master baker on the day, provided trays of delicious cakes and the regular staff from Moda La Finca worked hard to ensure everything went smoothly. DJ Peter played music on request and also the background music for the fashion show and the audience were able to view items from the outlet as well as designer clothes from the boutique. There was a beautiful range of summer wear and some of the Frank Lyman collection towards the end of the show

was a preview of the fall collection. Helga kindly invited Paul Cunningham Nurses along to do the raffle and with some wonderful prizes on offer ticket sales reached 156€. After the show it was time to take a closer look at the lovely clothes and cool off in the newly extended fully air-conditioned Boutique. The selection is stylish and it is certainly the place to go if you are looking for that special outfit with plenty of red-labelled garments indicating generous discounts. Moda La Finca is definitely a place for ladies to take their men shopping - not only is there a huge range of mens’ clothes, there is also a comfortable seating area where they can relax, have a complimentary coffee or soft drink and read the paper while they wait! A very pleasant shopping experience…

HAH needs YOUR help! DUE TO the continued success of HAH Help at Home, both in the Mar Menor and Costa Blanca areas, we are now looking for more Carers who would be able to give a little of their time to help others. Quite a lot of people go back to the UK for the summer months, but unfortunately there are still a lot of people struggling to cope here. You do not need to be experienced, just common sense and the desire to help is all that is needed. Some of our Carers are qualified and both teams have qualified Nurses to assess and implement care plans. Time given will be of your choice, and based on what you can give, with some weeks busier than others. If you think you can give a little time please contact Jackie, HAH Help at Home (Mar Menor) on 96 857 5231, email helpathomespain@gmail.com or call Sheila, HAH Help at Home (Costa Blanca) on 603 245 020 or email info@HelpAtHomecb.org

8 - 14 JulY 2011

Enlightenment Often in my life, and certainly when I needed it, whether I thought it or not, has come the cartoon bubble. It has managed to prove things to me, and it has suddenly made me realise things that weren’t immediately obvious with the purpose of lightening up my life. Well I guess I am of an age when I am looking back on what I did, and like all of us when we do this, wonder why I had to do what I had to do. In hindsight it is so easy to say that we could have, should have, would have, sadly these phrases are automatically followed by a BUT, which means that we didn’t. My enlightenment happened comparatively early on as I began to see that there was a spiritual pathway and that I belonged on it. I made my own way, stubbornly and yet surely and with a chance that I may have fallen over, but with a determination that if I did then I could pick myself up. So I was responsible for those initial shy steps and the knowledge that I would do what I could and that my stubborn energies would see me safely through. It worked, and as soon as I got to eliminate fear it worked even better. As time went by I learned and watched and listened and Spirit just guided me through all the way with Love and Light. The easiest way of explaining enlightenment is to imagine that two rooms are connected by a central door. One room is filled with light, whilst the other is dark. If you have the temerity to open the interconnecting door what will happen? The light will enter into the darkness, but the darkness cannot and never will enter into the light. This entering of light is the process of enlightenment, and it means that illumination brings light to banish the dark. So in life when light enters we are blessed with the energy of something that really does lighten our life, even if we are in that dark space in the dark room at the time. Our darkest day however cannot affect the energy of the light as it shines

postbag Email your letters to me at: kennycorris@roundtownnews.com Kenny, things keep moving around my house. My husband says that I am mad, but it seems to me that things get moved around quite often, and I lose things. Many of these things I find at a later date in places that I would never ever put them, or they go for ever. Help! Tove J. Well, Tove, these things are always happening in my home too. I do admit to running around looking for my glasses whilst I am already wearing them, but apart from that many things get moved about, lost, or even broken. This may be caused by Spirit having a laugh, since I very often do find the selected items in another situation, always somewhere that I would never put anything. If things are taken during a sitting they are known as,“aports,” whilst the arrival of a gift from Spirit is known as an, “asport.” Whatever, it is confusing to have to chase your own tail as things seem to have a mind of their own sometimes!

upon us. We have all had dark days and maybe even darker nights of the soul, and have suffered as a result. Sometimes we cannot even see the light and therefore cannot illuminate our lives no matter how we try. Yet maybe we have had the experience of the dark tunnel which has hope clearly illuminated at the end of it and inspires us to travel along it with the knowledge that the light at the end will see us safely through. Margaret Thatcher always carried a torch in her handbag after the Grand Hotel bombing in Brighton. Alone and terrified she was unable to see what floorboards had collapsed in her room, and could not negotiate her way from her bed, though she keenly sensed part of the room was exposed to the elements on that dark night, and she had to remain motionless until rescue came. The trusty torch was a permanent feature of that famous handbag. In Spain we are used to power cuts and have back up candles and lighting poised to kick in if we need it. The lighting of the candles bathes our darkened rooms with a rosy glow, and we can use it in emergencies to lighten our way as best it can. Often we do not appreciate things until we no longer have them, and that’s a fact! If what is needed in your life is to turn on the lights it may be that this process isn’t as easy as it may sound. The darkness of our lives may need a guiding light to inspire and enrich it, and this maybe so difficult right now. Light energies work very well with our processing centres as they bathe our negativities with a big dose of energy. Life’s rich pattern can be better seen under the focus of illumination as it punctuates our life and shows us that however dark things may seem there is a light shining out there for us somewhere, somewhere.

Love & Light... Kenny Corris

Kenny’s diary Readings at Bistro Maya: Monday 7th July and Wednesday 13th July from 16.30 onwards. For information and advanced bookings for mini readings please contact Els and her team on: 966 868 213. August Dates to be Announced shortly: Readings at La Fustera, between Calpe and Benissa from 10.00. Call Penny Smith on: 965 749 182 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 Mighty Uranus retrogrades, until December, in the comfort and security of your seventh house of consciousness. This powerful action often causes instability, but it issues you a challenge instead and the temerity to see it through, and to win, hands down. You sometimes need to be told what you can do, and having more faith in yourself makes things so much easier to take on. Magic Jupiter is calling the shots and many doors previously slammed shut are now opening to you, at long last. You deserve to be able to see the progress you have made, and to feel the difference that you have always wanted for those who love you. Someone, however, waits for your loving care, as they are unable to attract your attention just now, and are afraid to ask you directly. Plans may change after actions this week, but this will prove to be somewhat of a blessing in disguise for you. Whilst testing your operational skills, and your attention to detail, there will be solution and a better understanding amongst those who are currently around you; and this can only lead to you making the right decisions. You are free to make changes that will make everyone happier. Venus is in attendance and brings you the passionate energies that you need to feel so much better about yourself. As love enters your heart it is only too easy to see the compromises and excuses that have just lately punctuated your emotions and that have helped you to close down your soul. The opening of your psychic senses, and a belief in better times ahead will put you back on track. With the Sun so close you have a great chance to take centre stage and show others what you can do, rather than showing off. Just lately you have needed the attention, but by using your intense powers of persuasion and your charming ways, everything has turned up trumps for you. Intelligence and wit will serve you well as they show you are balanced and poised to move on. As Mercury is en route you have a chance to look before you leap, because you may have got things very wrong. Wait and see isn’t a lame excuse to just do nothing, but it is an essential for establishing new ground rules. Since you will shortly have access to great powers of communication, know that the time isn’t quite right for what you really want to happen right now, and stall. Balancing those scales is quite a doddle at present since you seem to have made sacrifices and are starting to see yourself as others see you. Harmony and peace are the aims of someone who knows their true value, but who no longer have to count the cost. Saturn directs the good times that are coming your way, and you are just in the mood to celebrate in style with those who truly love you. Planetary actions are designed to test you this week, as you are more involved in a matter than you would wish to be. Since someone has changed the goal posts, it is up to you to play along and to support the team any which way that you can. This does not mean that you have to take sides, however, since you must not compromise your gut reactions, whilst following your innermost feelings. Jupiter is in cahoots with a wayward and stubborn Taurus, bringing illumination in darkness and certainly giving you both a run for your money and a way forward to escape to. With romance drawing you into a secure situation there is also the chance that the uplifting power of your sensitive and intuitive energies will come into force and help you all along the way to your true desires. Pluto opposes Venus whilst sheltering in your third house. Family values are brought to the front, and it is here that work has to be done. There must be a solution that involves all concerned and someone must take control. Here it is action that is wanted and needed and quiet words need to be exchanged to facilitate. There is a way through all this and you will find it and re write the rules. Taking over responsibilities are a great way to get noticed, but things will not work for the better until all who are involved start doing their best to comply. Your temper is frayed this week, but to lose your temper will not help the general cause. Whilst truly there are some deals to be done, play your own cards close to your chest and show all and sundry just how powerful you really are. Influences of Comet Chiron are inspiring and life changing. Nobody needs to ring the changes as badly as you do. Since you have the foresight and the direction there is no excuse for not making a fresh start now that you can. You are not running away, whilst others are, you are moving on, and should demand the support and the guidance that you both need and deserve to have all around you.

If it’s your birthday this week... Know that you have waited long enough, and that when the going gets tough the tough truly do get going. Oddly enough there is a way forward that you could take, but won’t just yet. You have your reasons, but eliminate stubborn pride and see what you are then left with!

8-14 JANUARY 8 - 14 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 7. It’s stupid to begin in an easy job (5) 8. Where certain chessmen are bred? (7) 9. Hothead joins American company - he’s married, of course (7) 10. The tree is not so young (5) 12. There will be no repetition - because no profit was made? (5,5) 15. He will knock lots down for people to pick up (10) 18. Engaged couple’s expectation after breakdown? (5) 19. Naval sword wounded girl (7) 21. There could be no sense in unity (7) 22. It produces a fine sort (5)

DOWN 1. Out of which love shines? (5,5) 2. Flower or kitchenware given to youth leader (5) 3. Wager article is letter in Greek (4) 4. The captain’s game? (6) 5. A number are too old for the scope insurance risks (8) 6. The chief road to progress (7) 11. Telephone teacher - he’s needed in the circus (4-6) 13. Lied over wicked person (8) 14. Looked angry when milk producer got in sleigh (7) 16. The tidiest street on the French Riviera? (6) 17. The manuscript about beer is not for the fair sex (5) 20. Thanks ship for news agency (4)

ACROSS

DOWN

7. Freshwater fish (5)

1. Transmits (10)

Wordwheel

Quick Crossword 8. Ingredient (7)

2. Bisect (5) 3. Burn slightly (4)

9. Contrary (7)

4. Discover (6)

10. Deserves (5)

5. Fortifications (8) 6. Region (7)

12. Shelter (10)

11. Father Christmas

15. Singer (10)

(5,5)

18. Healthy (5)

13. Inmate (8) 14. Ask (7)

19. Local (7)

16. Go to bed (6)

21. Sailor (7)

17. Pungent (5)

22. Goodbye (5)

20. Fruit (4) 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 1st july

8 11 23 31 46 8

No ticket won the 156,881,528 Euros (£141,820,902) jackpot prize

Answers & Winners Last week’s Crossword and Suduko answers found on page 53/54. Winner for 611: Jack Micklefield, Ciudad Quesada

music scene

8 - 14 JulY 2011

Jazz Festival in Full Swing Vibes From The Costas by

Tony Poole

from www.vibesfromthecostas. blogspot.com

HIS SUMMER’S San Javier International Jazz Festival is now well under way. Our happy ticket competition winners have all been enjoying the event. Graham Lewis of Torrevieja on the Lee Ritenour evening said, “Thanks for the tickets, both artists were great and we had a brilliant evening.” The opportunity to see guitarist Ritenour with Grammy Award winner pianist/composer Dave Grusin will certainly be highlight for many. Ritenour showed a lot of respect to the fans, backstage and out front, posing for photos and signing autographs. While the rest of the band made the quickest exit after a concert that I’ve ever witnessed. I wondered if they actually bothered to wait for Lee, and perhaps he had to hitch a ride back to the hotel… I’ve witnessed some strange going-ons backstage before, like when John Foggerty totally blanked the Festival Director at the IX edition. There will be no such antics from the band leader for the next concert.

The third week sees one of the true statesman of jazz, Wynton Marsalis (check out ‘Wynton Marsalis, Part 1 & 2’ recently recorded for 60 Minutes on YouTube), and Jazz At Lincoln Center Orchestra plus singer Carla Cook with the Albert Bover Trio (Fri 8th), rock blues guitarist Elvin Bishop plus the Jaume Vilaseca Quartet with sitar player Ravi Chary (Sat 9th), and Chicago (Jul 12th). The most anticipated concert of the XIV edition is the first ever performance of supergroup Chicago in Spain. They are also playing Madrid (14th July) and Gerona (15th July), then on to Switzerland before returning to the USA. Formed in 1967, they have not lost any of their magic since their heyday in the 70s and 80s. The line-up will include original band members Robert Lamm on keyboards, vocals; Lee Loughnane on trumpet; James Pankow on trombone; and Walt Parazaider on woodwinds; as well as Jason Scheff on bass, vocals; Tris Imboden on drums; Keith Howland on guitar; Lou Pardini on keyboards; vocals and Drew Hester on percussion.

Televisión Española’s second channel (La 2) will rebroadcast twelve concerts early this autumn, starting with the Lee Ritenour Band. The concerts will air from Monday to Thursday starting on 29th August during the late night time slot, and will begin at 12:30am. Radio Nacional de España’s Radio 3 will also retransmit several concerts. The concerts are scheduled for 11:00 pm on Sundays throughout July, and will feature commentaries from the

prestigious musical journalist Rodolfo Poveda, host of the radio program ‘Trópico Utópico’, one of the most popular programs in Radio 3’s lineup. For reservations contact the San Javier Festival Office: 96 819 1588 or 96 819 1568 or email festivales@sanjavier.es Full programme information at www.jazz.sanjavier.es Facebook users visit XIV ed. San Javier International Jazz Festival 2011 (Spain).

More festival and concert information at www.vibesfromthecostas.blogspot.com Email news and views to vibes@roundtownnews.com Keep the ViBES ALiVE!

Jazz

competition

Win tickets for Hiromi & Lucky Peterson RTN IS proud to be the official English newspaper for the San Javier International Jazz Festival. In collaboration we are giving away loads of free tickets to see some amazing concerts throughout July. This week we have two pairs of tickets to see: Hiromi - The Trio Project & Lucky Peterson on Saturday 23rd July at

the Almansa Park Auditorium; QUESTION Who is the new mayor of San Javier? A Pepa García B Juan Martinaez Pastor C Alberto Nieto Meca Email your answer together with your name and telephone number. Entry by email only to vibes@roundtownnews.com

Standing ovations applaud Andrew Lloyd Webber performances MELODY MAKERS International performances of ‘An Evening with Andrew Lloyd Webber’ last Saturday received a standing ovation with organiser and director Nigel Hopkins adding a second matinee performance due to the excessive demand for tickets long before the day of the concert. Audiences left with only one question on their minds: When are tickets available for their next performance of ‘An Evening with Disney?’ It has been announced that these performances can be heard again at the Salon de Actos at Castelar College in San Pedro del Pinatar on 30th July. If you missed out before you still have an opportunity to enjoy this incredible evening of entertainment…

Great Britain vs Spain JUNIOR STRIKERS Football Academy presents their annual Charity Match on Saturday 9th July at the Estadio Ikomar in Pilar de la Horadada with doors opening at 7.15pm: kick off will be at 8pm. The format has been changed this year from the usual England vs Spain adult game. Children have been selected to play in this year’s match by local coaches Junior and Trino, to raise funds for the Butterfly Children (Debra Espana) and local swimming champion Adam Stewart who needs to raise 500€ to be able to compete in November’s Downs Syndrome International Competition in Portugal. Local dance group Dance Extreme will again provide pre-match and half time entertainment. Event organiser Junior said: “This event has grown each year and become something that locals look forward to. The match was well

supported last year with more than 300 attending. I would love to better that this year, so please come down to cheer the teams on. We have chosen to raise funds for two great charities, there is no admission fee but all donations are welcome, with proceeds split between The Butterfly Children and Adam Stewart. Your support is needed.” Pilar de la Horadada based company Costamed Consulting are this year’s main sponsors and they have also agreed to be the annual charity match sponsors for the foreseeable future. Junior added, “It’s great news that I have found a sponsor willing to support this event year on year. I would like to thank Costamed Consulting owner Nicola Tait for joining forces with me in order to make this charity event a success.”

Too hot and bothered to learn Spanish? AS SUMMER kicks in, the old ‘grey cells’ seem to struggle to work to maximum efficiency. ‘Mañana’ seems to be preferable to doing anything - the only thing is, in the summer ‘Mañana’ lasts for two months! How many times are we told that things take longer in the summer in Spain, if indeed they happen at all, as companies close down for August and even if they are still open they work on a “go slow” basis that any union official would be proud of. It is all part and parcel of the rich tapestry of life in Spain and once we accept it, our blood pressure subsides and we know that we have finally adjusted…! Learning Spanish is no exception, as the brain becomes addled with the heat, and family descends on us, accompanied often by grandchildren, all of whom expect to be wined, dined, and entertained, despite the fact that when we go to the UK to see them, we are left to our own devices as they continue their normal lives! If we are lucky, we escape the heat and return to the UK for as long as possible, hoping for rain and cold and not a freak heatwave. At least here we have air con, the beach and the pool to cool us down but the UK is unbearable when its hot. September to Easter is the most popular time for classes, and El Principe Centre in Sam Miguel de Salinas are currently offering a 20% discount on all semi-intensive courses booked before the end of July, making the total cost of a 48 hour course only 192 euros. For further details, email info@elprincipecentre.com, ring 96 599 9047 or visit www.elprincipecentre.com. SEPTEMBER Level 1 Starts Monday 5th September 2011, finishes Friday 30th September 2011. Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings 9.00-13.00. (4 SPACES AVAILABLE) Level 2 Starts Tuesday 6th September 2011, finishes Saturday 1st October 2011. Tuesday Thursday and Saturday mornings 9.00-13-00 (5 SPACES AVAILABLE) Level 3 Starts Monday 5th September 2011, finishes Thursday 29th September 2011. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons 13.30-17.30 (6 SPACES AVAILABLE)

- 14 JulY 2011 Feb 26 -8March 4 2010

47 47

OCTOBER Level 1 (beginner with a base)Starts Thursday 6th October 2011, finishes Saturday 12th November 2011. (6 weeks) (4 SPACES AVAILABLE) Tuesday afternoon 13.30-17.30 and Saturday morning 9.0013-00 Level 2 Starts Monday 3rd October 2011, finishes Friday 28th October 2011. Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings 9.00-13.00. (6 SPACES AVAILABLE) Level 3 Starts Monday 3rd October 2011, finishes Thursday 27th October 2011. Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons 13.30-17.30 (6 SPACES AVAILABLE) NOVEMBER Level 1 Starts Monday 13th November 2011, finishes Friday 9th December 2011. Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings 9.00-13.00. (5 SPACES AVAILABLE) Level 2 Starts Monday 31st October 2011, finishes Friday 25th November 2011. Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings 9.00-13.00. (6 SPACES AVAILABLE) Level 3 Starts Monday 31st October 2011, finishes Thursday 24th November 2011. Monday, Wednesday and Friday afternoons 13.30-17.30 (7 SPACES AVAILABLE) DECEMBER Level 2 Starts Tuesday 29th November 2011, finishes Saturday 24th December 2011. Tuesday Thursday and Saturday mornings 9.00-13-00 (SPACES AVAILABLE) Level 3 Starts Monday 28th November 2011, finishes Thursday 22nd December 2011. Monday, Wednesday and Thursday afternoons 13.30-17.30 (SPACES AVAILABLE)

The Albufera Natural Park: tradition and nature ‘PALUS NACARARUM’ for the Romans - ‘Al Buhaira’ for the Muslims - L’ Albufera for the people of Valencia: a traditional and natural landscape. However, in antiquity famous writers described the landscapes of La Albufera and its surroundings as a beautiful, huge extension of water and rice between the rivers Jucar and Turia. Now you are invited to discover and enjoy this special location of kings, traditionally inhabited by farmers and fishermen, and where some writers thought they had found ‘the essence of Valencia’. La Albufera represents a short trip from modernity to the country, the most remarkable wetlands of Spain. Its history explains the area’s traditional pastimes of sailing, fishing and rice fields; a picturesque place where you will have the opportunity to visit ‘barracas’ (typical cottages) and watch the Latin sailing race…a rural atmosphere just ten minutes from Valencia.

charity

8 - 14 JulY 2011

HELP BBQ and Auction HELP VEGA Baja held a Charity Pool Party, BBQ and Auction on Saturday 2nd July in Quesada, kindly hosted by volunteer Margaret at her home. Prizes were donated for the raffle and auction which took place after a delicious barbecued meal. Thanks must also go to Ken and Julie for the BBQ; Mike for manning the bar and Mark and Lesley for their preparation and also those who donated items or gave money to boost much needed funds. The event raised over 480€ for the HELPCARE Programme, a free healthcare scheme introduced for the benefit of current members of HELP Vega Baja who hold a continuous membership of at least six months. The programmes have been developed in conjunction with Care 4 You in Spain, a leading provider of nursing services on the Costa Blanca

for many years. The HELPCARE Programme supplements the services available from the Spanish Health Services but does not replace them. Member benefits, available only

through the San Miguel office or Emergency HELP line are: Scheme 1 Nursing Care in the home immediately following discharge from hospital and Scheme 2 End of Life Care.

Cheque for HAH from Jukebox Promotions :great new Country music tour in July

Peter of Jukebox Promotions presents Norah Bond with a cheque for 665€

HOT ON the heels of a successful Broadway & Hollywood tour, Jukebox Promotions are preparing a Country music explosion, Nashville Legends, to be launched in July. This show will be a major income stream for the fantastic HAH (Help at Home) Costa Blanca, to feature the fabulous Stetsons & Petticoats (Red Strokes and Christine King) and Jukebox Legends Country (Fiona McLean and Peter Day). It will feature the costumes and music of Dolly Parton, Dwight Yokham, Shania Twain and Garth Brooks and also include

songs by Jim Reeves, Johnny Cash, Don Gibson and Tammy Wynette and a special Patsy Cline vocal tribute too! A ‘rootin tootin’ mix of top Country singers - so don’t miss it! The July shows start at 8.30pm at: wednesday 13th, Asturias, Punta Prima Thursday 14th, Los Arcos (la Rustika), Avd Beleares Tuesday 19th, The Loung Bar, Torrevieja Thursday 21st, Rocajuna, Punta Prima Wednesday 27th, The Club, Quesada Sunday 31st, The Rendezvous, Campoamor, (tickets for this show are at 10€ and include a FREE buffet) Tickets for all shows (except The Rendezvous) are just 7.50€ with a special block booking deal: 2 FREE tickets when you order and pay for 10 or more - Please note this deal is not available at The Rendezvous). Tickets are at the venues now - Ticket info line 695 135 134 or www.jukeboxpromotions.co.uk HAH (Help at Home) Costa Blanca received another payment from Jukebox Promotions at the end of June. This time 665€ was handed over by Peter Day to HAH’s Norah Bond: “We thank Jukebox Promotions for once again providing us with such a valuable contribution to our expenses this month,” said Norah. “We expect to have our services fully operational in the region soon. We would love to hear from anyone else who has fund raising plans or ideas. Please email our press officer for fund raising at www.jukeboxlegends.com with details and for assistance.”

Help when you need it most MABS PRESIDENT, Jacqueline Phillips, says: “Our Head Office is in Javea, where the seven members of the MABS Committee meet regularly and are contactable at any time but those needing help should contact the nearest branch to their location: select from the numbers below: Murcia/ Mar Menor – from south of Torrevieja to Mazarrón and all points inland Lyn, Branch Director Tel: 693 824 511 Marbella – including Estapona and the rest of Costa del Sol Agnes, Branch Director Tel: 952 833 568 Marina Alta South – from Benidorm to Torrevieja and all points inland Sue, Branch Director Tel: 664 266 991 Marina Alta North – from Denia to Benidorm including Valencia and the Ayora Valley Elaine, Branch Director Tel: 966 482 662/699 152 167 Each is headed by a Branch Director, reporting monthly to the main Committee, some with a ‘Branch Committee’. Area Offices report to appropriate Branch Directors monthly, with an Area Coordinator sometimes forming smaller ‘working groups’ of volunteers at fund-raising events, services and MABS Charity Shops. VOLUNTEERS MABS’ most valuable assets with the guidance of their Area Coordinator visit people at home and in hospital; translate; provide transportation and equipment or a hand to hold. We couldn’t exist without them and we need more of them - so if you could give a few hours a week, please contact the Branch Director nearest you!

Sophisticattzz bets a winner! THE LADIES of Sophiscattzz enjoyed a great day at the Races as they celebrated their fourth ‘Royal Ascot’ together. The ladies tucked into a fabulous meal at the Treetops restaurant, expertly prepared by chef Chris who had another chore on the day - to judge the best hat! The winner was Di Hull. The Sophisticattzzs are planning another Charity variety night in October to raise cash for the ‘Davila Grewar Family fund’. Anyone willing to offer their services for FREE on the evening please contact Debbie on

96 676 2931. Or visit www.sophisticattzz.com The Sophisticattzz Dance Troupe are busy rehearsing two new dances for the occasion.

HELP Murcia Mar Clarkes Bar quiz night raises Menor 375€ for AFA Forthcoming events ‘A NIGHT at the Races’ on Friday 15th July at the Frank and Louise Bar, in Sucina will be under Starter’s Orders at 8.15pm. Tickets available in July for a Summer Dance at the Port Restaurant, Los Urrutias on Friday 19th August are €12.00 including dinner, live music and a raffle. ‘A Night at the Proms’ on 29th September will be held at the Olympia Restaurant, Mil Palmeras: the cost of €12.50 includes a meal. Elaine’s ‘Quiz with a Difference’, 20th October, is at El Carmoli Restaurant, El Carmoli. An autumn fair in November will be held at the Las Claras centre. Ring the following for tickets and details: Joan Mitchell 96 818 1943 The HELP office 96 857 0059 Gerry Sherry 96 837 1091

CLARKES BAR in Playa Flamenca continues to raise money for AFA via their Monday and Friday night quiz nights. Matilde Sanchez visited the bar on Thursday and gratefully accepted a cheque for 375€ from bar owners Tommy and Mary. Matilde said: “Every donation enables us to continue our work with Alzheimer’s sufferers locally. We rely on the

generosity of people like Tommy and Mary and all their customers and would like to say a very big thank you to them for continuing to think of us.” AFA Alzheimer’s Association of Torrevieja, although located in Torrevieja, provides care and advice to sufferers and their carers throughout the area 22 health region. It is a local charity that receives some support from the Town Hall, local businesses and private donations. The charity absolutely depends on these sources and the help it provides is directly linked. The latest initiative from AFA is the ‘Buy a Brick’ campaign to raise money to build a muchneeded residential care home for sufferers. For further information or if you would like to help us in any way, please contact Matilde Sanchez on 647 119 911, Judy Ferris on 610 082 593 or call in at the AFA shop in Calle Maestro Francisco Valejos.

8 - 14 JulY 2011

Asturian choir to perform in Torrevieja

It’s not what it is it’s what you call it The main hall of Torrevieja’s old casino

THE ASTURIAN Centre of Torrevieja in conjunction with the Casino Cultural Society have organised a concert of habaneras and polyphony as a prelude to the 57th edition of the International Habaneras competition due to take place at the end of the month. The concert, given by the Añoranzas Polyphony Choir from Langreo in Asturias, will take place from 8.30pm on Monday 11th July in the main hall of Torrevieja’s old casino, located on the Paseo Vista Alegre.

I don’t want to upset vegetarians especially as I married one, once. But why can I have only one portion of meat but yet have to suffer two helpings of vegetables (that’s double) just to get a balanced diet? When we were kids, like many others, we only had meat very occasionally so now I’m making up for it. Where are the restaurants that serve a thick cut steak that comes with two side dishes of lets say… extra meat? I’m sure the place would be packed…for a while anyway.

It’s not that I’m against vegetarian food either, there are plenty of fantastic dishes from all over the world which are not only traditional and delicious but just

happen to be vegetarian as well as healthy and nutritious. It’s just the name ‘vegetarian’ conjures up an automatic negative response: can’t we think of something else to call it? The automaticallygenerated disappointing feeling I get when I look at a menu or even a supermarket offering and the first thing I see is the fact that it’s ‘vegetarian’. Like we used to be, most couples are not exclusively vegetarian. I since have become very much a 50/50 person. When I make Lasagne, for instance, or Albondigas (meatballs) I use 50% fresh meat mince and 50% fresh vegetable mince (as it happens I also use a mix of 50% fresh tomatoes and 50% tinned tomatoes as then I always have a ready answer for which is best). My fresh homemade bread is even a blend of wholemeal flour and white. So, where are the restaurants that could cope with us both? Whilst most standard restaurants will, albeit reluctantly, offer a vegetarian alternative why can’t vegetarian

restaurants offer a meat alternative? Oh! Now I get it - its back to ‘what you call it’, as vegetarians must constantly be dismayed by the offerings put out by the majority of restaurants, can you imagine what carnivores would make of a similar single meat option in a vegetarian restaurant? Having both suffered appalling restaurant offerings in our previous choices of restaurant I have a suggestion: instead of opening a ‘vegetarian restaurant’ (which in my experience are exclusively owned and run by vegetarians) someone should invest in a nice restaurant, which sources local produce and serves a range of simple and yet exciting dishes which are healthy, nutritious as well as tasty and some of which have an (mf) symbol after the name of the dish which just happens to denote ‘meat free’. I suggest that ¼ of the menu is meat free (mf), ¼ of the menu is vegetable free (vf) (the kids would love it and so would I), a ¼ of the

menu is a 50/50 split between fresh vegetables and decent quality meat (the parents of children would love it) and the other ¼ is dedicated to fresh fish & shellfish. Think it would work? Well following a meeting with Nigel Winter at this years IFE (International Food Exhibition) who just happens to be the Chief Executive of The Vegan Society it seems we have more in common that you would ever have first imagined: For people, animals and the environment.

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

tv Friday

50 61

8 - 14 JulY 2011 14 - 20 may 2010

23:35 Backdraft

08:00 Freshly Squeezed 08:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 08:55 Frasier 09:25 According to Jim 09:55 Friends 10:55 Country House Rescue 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 14:00 Channel 4 Racing 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Four in a Bed 18:30 Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:25 Jamie’s 30 Minute Meals 20:55 Channel 4 Presents 21:00 Come Dine with Me 22:00 8 Out of 10 Cats 22:30 King Of 23:00 Alan Carr: Chatty Man 24:05 Big Bang Theory

07:00 childrens TV 09:40 Hana’s Helpline 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: Crime Scene Investigation 16:15 Ladies of the House 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 Fifth Gear 21:00 Danger: Diggers at Work 22:00 Castle 23:00 Law & Order 23:55 CSI: Miami 24:55 Inside Hollywood

07:00 Childrens TV 10:05 Trade Your Way to the USA 10:30 Fee Fi Fo Yum 11:00 Mission: 2110 11:30 League of Super Evil 11:40 Wolverine and the X-Men 12:05 Mortified 12:25 OOglies 12:40 MOTD Kickabout 13:00 The Sky at Night 13:20 Homes Under the Hammer 13:50 Live Golf 15:40 Kramer vs Kramer 17:20 Comedy Connections 17:50 Life Beyond the Box: Norman Stanley Fletcher 18:40 Porridge 19:10 Flog It! 20:10 Dad’s Army 20:40 Vincent Van Gogh: Painted with Words 22:00 Have I Got a Bit More News for You 22:45 Secrets of the Pop Song 23:45 Top of the Pops

07:00 Mini CITV 08:25 CITV 09:25 House Gift 10:25 Coronation Street 12:45 This Morning: Saturday 13:45 The Planet’s Funniest Animals 14:15 The Planet’s Funniest Animals 14:45 ITV News 14:55 Agatha Christie’s Thirteen at Dinner 16:55 Licence to Kill 19:15 Granada News 19:30 ITV News 19:45 You’ve Been Framed! 20:15 Odd One In 21:00 Penn & Teller: Fool Us 22:00 The Marriage Ref 23:00 ITV News 23:15 Ocean’s Twelve

07:10 The Hoobs 07:35 The Film Show 08:00 British Formula 3 International Series 08:25 The Grid 08:55 The Morning Line 09:50 Friends 10:20 The Hollyoaks Music Show 10:55 Smallville 11:50 Friends 12:20 Style the Nation 13:20 Dirty Sexy Things 14:20 The TV Book Club 14:55 Channel 4 Racing 17:05 Come Dine with Me 17:35 Come Dine with Me 18:05 Come Dine with Me 18:40 Come Dine with Me 19:10 Come Dine with Me 19:40 Channel 4 News 20:10 4thought.tv 20:15 Simpsons Movie 22:00 Camelot 23:00 Gangs of New York

07:00 Childrens TV 09:25 Mist: Sheepdog Tales 09:40 Rupert Bear 09:55 Olivia 10:10 Mr Men Show 10:30 Milkshake! Show 11:00 Pawn Stars 11:30 Eddie Stobart: Trucks and Trailers 12:30 Danger: Diggers at Work 13:30 Rosamunde Pilcher’s Summer 15:20 King Solomon’s Mines 17:20 Random Hearts 19:55 5 News Weekend 20:00 Cricket 20:55 NCIS 21:55 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 22:50 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit 23:45 CSI: NY 24:45 Forensic Files

07:00 Wibbly Pig 07:10 Dip Dap 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 Escape to the Country 13:30 EastEnders 14:30 Live Golf 18:30 Live Athletics 21:00 Top Gear 22:00 Coast 23:00 Mock the Week 23:30 In the Loop

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 14:30 ITV News 14:35 Survival: Tales from the Wild 15:35 Inspector Morse 17:35 Midsomer Murders 19:30 Granada News 19:45 ITV News 20:00 The Royal 21:00 Popstar to Operastar 22:00 Law & Order: UK 23:00 Popstar to Operastar 23:30 ITV News 23:45 Eyes Wide Shut

07:00 Sali Mali

07:00 Childrens TV 09:10 The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill and His Best Friend Corky 09:25 Mist: Sheepdog Tales 09:40 Milkshake! Monkey 09:45 Rupert Bear 10:00 Olivia 10:15 Mr Men Show 10:30 Milkshake! Show 11:00 Police Interceptors 12:00 Cowboy Builders 13:00 Restaurant Inspector 14:00 Rosamunde Pilcher’s Autumn 15:45 Man of the House 17:35 Matilda 19:25 5 News Weekend 19:30 Legend of Zorro 22:00 Master and Commander: the Far Side of the World 24:40 Sniper 2

07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Britain’s Bravest Cops 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Food Fighters 12:45 Cash in the Attic 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News 14:40 Doctors 15:10 Only Fools and Horses 16:05 Copycats 16:35 Scoop 17:00 Escape from Scorpion Island 17:25 Stuck on Sheep Mountain 17:55 Shaun the Sheep 18:00 Newsround 18:15 Pointless Celebrities 19:00 BBC News 19:30 Regional News 20:00 The One Show 20:30 The Good Cook 21:00 EastEnders 21:30 A Question of Sport 22:00 My Family 22:30 Miranda 23:00 BBC News 23:35 Graham Norton Show

07:00 Childrens TV 10:50 Big Cook Little Cook 11:10 Little Charley Bear 11:20 Zingzillas 11:45 Waybuloo 12:05 In the Night Garden 12:35 Pink Panther Show 13:00 Daily Politics 13:30 GMT with George Alagiah 14:00 Diagnosis Murder 14:45 To Buy or Not to Buy 15:15 Animal 24:7 16:00 Flog It! 16:45 Antiques Road Trip 17:30 The Weakest Link 18:15 Escape to the Country 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Great British Railway Journeys 20:00 Hampton Court Palace Flower Show 2011 21:00 Gardeners’ World 22:00 The Kennedys 22:45 The Kennedys 23:30 Newsnight 24:00 The Review Show 24:50 Golf

07:00 Daybreak

07:00 Breakfast 11:00 Saturday Kitchen Live 12:30 The Good Cook 13:00 BBC News; Regional News 13:10 Formula 1 15:40 Live Golf 18:20 BBC News; Regional News 18:40 Walk on the Wild Side 19:10 Total Wipeout 20:10 Tonight’s the Night 21:10 The National Lottery: In It to Win It 22:00 Casualty 22:50 Lee Mack’s All Star Cast 23:30 BBC News 23:50 Michael McIntyre’s Comedy Roadshow 24:35 Dark Water

07:00 Breakfast

09:30 Lorraine 10:25 Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV News 14:55 Granada News 15:00 Ten Mile Menu 16:00 Secret Dealers 16:59 Granada Weather 17:00 Midsomer Murders 18:00 Dinner Date 19:00 Granada Reports 19:30 ITV News 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Coronation Street 21:00 Love Your Garden 21:30 Coronation Street 22:00 Paul O’Grady Live 23:00 ITV News at Ten 23:30 Granada News

tv Saturday

tv Sunday

10:00 Andrew Marr Show 11:00 Sunday Morning Live 12:00 The Politics Show 13:10 Formula 1 16:30 EastEnders 18:00 Songs of Praise 18:35 My Family 19:05 Horrible Histories with Stephen Fry 19:35 BBC News; Regional News 20:00 Fake or Fortune? 21:00 Countryfile 22:00 The World’s Most Expensive Paintings 23:00 BBC News; Regional News 23:25 Seve: The Legend 24:25 Moving On

07:05 Treacle People 07:15 The Hoobs 07:40 The Hoobs 08:05 Freesports on 4 08:35 Triathlon 09:00 Friends 09:25 Style the Nation 10:00 The Countdown 10:55 Hollyoaks 13:30 The Simpsons 14:05 The Simpsons 14:40 T4 on the Beach 18:25 Deal or No Deal 19:20 Channel 4 News 19:50 4thought.tv 19:55 The Political Slot 20:00 A Place in the Sun: Home or Away 21:00 Marley & Me 23:15 In Her Shoes

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 All Star Mr & Mrs 21:00 Penn & Teller: Fool Us 22:00 America’s Got Talent 23:00 iTunes Festival 2011 24:00 Bowfinger

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 15:35 Gilmore Girls 16:30 Glee 17:25 Friends 19:05 My Name Is Earl 20:00 Hollyoaks 20:30 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 A River Runs through It 13:30 Deal or No Deal 14:30 The Good Wife 15:30 Come Dine with Me 16:05 Coach Trip 16:35 Location, Location, Location 17:10 Location, Location, Location 17:40 A Place in the Sun: Home or Away 18:45 Relocation, Relocation 19:50 Come Dine with Me 20:55 Grand Designs 22:00 Four Rooms 23:00 Tigerland

The Good Cook BBC1, 20.30

07:00 Emmerdale 09:30 The Biggest Loser 10:30 Too Fat to Toddle 11:30 The Only Way Is Essex 12:15 The Only Way Is Essex 13:00 Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties 14:40 America’s Got Talent 16:30 America’s Got Talent 17:25 America’s Got Talent 19:15 America’s Got Talent 20:15 Jurassic Park III 22:00 Practical Magic 24:10 Analyze This

07:00 Switched 07:25 Supernanny USA 08:15 Supernanny USA 09:10 How to Look Good Naked 10:15 How to Look Good Naked 11:15 Supernanny USA 12:10 Supernanny USA 13:10 Jo Frost: Extreme Parental Guidance 14:15 Great British Hairdresser 15:15 Hollyoaks 17:50 Friends 19:00 One Tree Hill 19:55 Big Bang Theory 20:25 Big Bang Theory 20:55 How I Met Your Mother 21:25 How I Met Your Mother 21:50 Friends 23:00 Chain Reaction

10:00 Time Team 11:00 Time Team 12:05 Time Team 13:10 Time Team 14:10 A River Runs through It 16:35 Grand Designs 17:40 Grand Designs 18:45 Grand Designs 19:50 Grand Designs 20:55 Grand Designs 22:00 The World’s Greatest Comedy Characters

The Simpsons Movie Channel 4, 20.15

07:00 Coronation Street 09:10 Emmerdale 12:05 Coronation Street 14:35 America’s Got Talent 16:30 America’s Got Talent 17:30 Twister 19:45 Back to the Future 22:00 Knocked Up 24:40 iTunes Festival 2011

07:00 Style Her Famous 07:25 Supernanny USA 08:15 Supernanny USA 09:05 How to Look Good Naked 10:05 How to Look Good Naked 11:05 Supersize vs Superskinny 12:05 Gok’s Fashion Fix 13:15 Great British Hairdresser 14:15 Supernanny USA 15:10 Supernanny USA 16:05 Supersize vs Superskinny 17:10 Flicka 19:00 Friends 20:00 Smallville 21:00 Friends 22:00 Epic Movie 23:45 Big Bang Theory 24:15 How I Met Your Mother 24:45 Star Trek: Generations

Law & Order: UK ITV 1, 22.00

10:00 Scrapheap Challenge 11:00 Scrapheap Challenge 12:05 Scrapheap Challenge 13:10 Scrapheap Challenge 14:15 Coach Trip 15:25 Coach Trip 16:35 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 23:00 Hunting Britain’s Most Wanted 24:05 Spaced

8 - 14 JulY 2011

tv Monday

52 40

8 - 1426 JulY 2011 4 2010 Feb - March

07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Heir Hunters 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Food Fighters 12:45 Saints and Scroungers 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News 14:40 Doctors 15:10 Only Fools and Horses 16:05 Copycats 16:35 Scoop 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

07:00 Childrens TV 12:05 In the Night Garden 12:35 Pink Panther Show 13:00 Daily Politics 13:30 GMT with George Alagiah 14:00 Rowing 15:30 Animal 24:7 16:00 Flog It! 16:45 Antiques Road Trip 17:30 The Weakest Link 18:15 Escape to the Country 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Great British Railway Journeys 20:00 Truth About Wildlife 20:30 Julia Bradbury’s Canal Walks 21:00 University Challenge 21:30 Antiques Master 22:00 Life of Muhammad 23:00 QI 23:30 Newsnight 24:20 Imagine: Ai Weiwei - Without Fear or Favour

07:00 Daybreak 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV News 14:55 Granada News 15:00 Ten Mile Menu 16:00 Secret Dealers 16:59 Granada Weather 17:00 Midsomer Murders 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 Strictly Kosher 23:00 ITV News at Ten 23:30 Granada News 23:35 Rambo III

08:00 Freshly Squeezed 08:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 08:55 Frasier 09:25 According to Jim 09:55 Friends 10:55 Country House Rescue 11:55 A Place in the Sun: Home or Away 13:00 Channel 4 News 13:05 Channel 4 Presents 13:10 Relocation: Phil Down Under 14:05 Operation Crossbow 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Quiz Trippers 18:30 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

07:00 Childrens TV 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: Crime Scene Investigation 16:10 The Obsession 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 Police Interceptors 22:00 Restaurant Inspector 23:00 Philadelphia

07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Heir Hunters 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Food Fighters 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 Scoop 17:00 Escape from Scorpion Island 17:30 Itch of the Golden Nit 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 Crimewatch 23:00 BBC News 23:35 Crimewatch Update 23:45 Imagine

07:00 Childrens TV 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 Pink Panther Show 13:00 Daily Politics 13:30 GMT with George Alagiah 14:00 Diagnosis Murder 14:45 To Buy or Not to Buy 15:15 Animal 24:7 16:00 Flog It! 16:45 Antiques Road Trip 17:30 The Weakest Link 18:15 Escape to the Country 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Great British Railway Journeys 20:00 Coast 21:00 Restoration Home 22:00 The Night Watch 23:30 Newsnight 24:20 Afghanistan: The Unknown Country

07:00 Daybreak

07:10 The Hoobs 08:00 Freshly Squeezed 08:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 08:55 Frasier 09:25 According to Jim 09:55 Friends 10:55 Country House Rescue 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 The Sea Wolves 16:05 Channel 4 Presents 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Quiz Trippers 18:30 Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:55 4thought.tv 21:00 Four Rooms 22:00 Undercover Boss 23:00 Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares USA 24:05 Alan Carr: Chatty Man

07:00 Childrens TV 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: Crime Scene Investigation 16:10 Inside Hollywood 16:20 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 Mexican Food Made Simple 21:00 Monster Moves 22:00 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 23:00 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 24:00 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Heir Hunters 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Food Fighters 12:45 Saints and Scroungers 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News 14:40 Doctors 15:10 Only Fools and Horses 16:05 Copycats 16:35 Scoop 17:00 Escape from Scorpion Island 17:30 Little Howard’s Big Question 18:00 Newsround 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News 19:30 Regional News 20:00 The One Show: Best of Britain 20:30 Great British Weather 21:30 In with the Flynns 22:00 The Apprentice 23:00 BBC News 23:25 Regional News 23:35 National Lottery Wednesday Night Draws 23:45 Not Going Out 24:15 Him & Her

07:00 Childrens TV 10.15 Little Charley Bear 10:25 Small Potatoes 10:30 Chuggington 10:40 Mr Bloom’s Nursery 11:00 Gigglebiz 11:15 Zingzillas 11:40 Waybuloo 12:00 In the Night Garden 12:30 Daily Politics 14:00 Diagnosis Murder 14:45 To Buy or Not to Buy 15:15 Animal 24:7 16:00 Flog It! 16:45 Antiques Road Trip 17:30 The Weakest Link 18:15 Escape to the Country 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Great British Railway Journeys 20:00 The Culture Show 21:00 Top Gear 22:00 This World 23:00 The Apprentice: You’re Fired! 23:30 Newsnight 24:20 Golf 24:50 The Culture Show

07:00 Daybreak

07:30 Sali Mali 07:35 The Hoobs 08:00 Freshly Squeezed 08:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 08:55 Frasier 09:25 According to Jim 09:55 Friends 10:50 Channel 4 Presents 10:55 Country House Rescue 11:55 A Place in the Sun: Home or Away 13:00 Channel 4 News 13:05 Relocation: Phil Down Under 14:10 River Cottage Bites 14:15 Proud Parents 14:30 Law and Jake Wade 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Quiz Trippers 18:30 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 8 Out of 10 Cats Uncut 23:50 The Killing

07:00 Childrens TV 09:25 Peppa Pig 09:35 Roary the Racing Car 09:40 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 The Battle of Mary Kay 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 The Contractor 24:50 Inside Hollywood 24:55 Poker: Aussie Millions

tv Tuesday

09:30 Lorraine 10:25 Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV News 14:55 Granada News 15:00 Ten Mile Menu 16:00 Secret Dealers 16:59 Granada Weather 17:00 Midsomer Murders 18:00 Dinner Date 19:00 Granada Reports 19:30 ITV News 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Animal Kingdom 21:00 Cops with Cameras 22:00 Homes from Hell 23:00 ITV News at Ten 23:30 Granada News

tv Wednesday 23:35 Crank

09:30 Lorraine 10:25 Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV News 14:55 Granada News 15:00 Ten Mile Menu 16:00 Secret Dealers 16:59 Granada Weather 17:00 Midsomer Murders 18:00 Dinner Date 19:00 Granada Reports 19:30 ITV News 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 The Unforgettable Leonard Rossiter 21:00 Lewis 23:00 ITV News at Ten 23:30 Granada News 23:35 Car Crime UK 24:35 Homes from Hell

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 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 The Xtra Factor 22:00 Terminator 2: Judgment Day

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 16:25 Glee 17:25 Friends 19:00 My Name Is Earl 20:00 Hollyoaks 20:30 Friends 22:00 One Tree Hill 23:00 Dirty Sexy Things

10:00 Deal or No Deal 11:00 How Clean Is Your House? 11:30 Crash Dive 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: Home or Away 18:45 Relocation, Relocation 19:50 Come Dine with Me 20:55 Grand Designs 22:00 The Hotel 23:00 Country House Rescue

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

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 Animals Do the Funniest Things 22:00 America’s Got Talent 24:00 The Pelican Brief

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 The Marriage Ref 21:00 America’s Got Talent 22:00 Benidorm 23:00 Practical Magic

07:00 One Tree Hill 07:45 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 15:05 Hollyoaks 15:35 Gilmore Girls 16:35 Glee 17:35 Friends 19:00 My Name Is Earl 20:00 Hollyoaks 20:30 Friends 21:30 Friends 22:00 Smallville 23:00 Cleveland Show 23:30 Cleveland Show 24:00 Ricky Gervais Show

Animals do the Supersize Funniest Things

Grime ITV2,

Channel 5 22.00 21.00

07:00 One Tree Hill 07:45 Desperate Housewives 08:35 Being Erica 09:30 One Tree Hill 10:25 Gilmore Girls 11:25 Desperate Housewives 12:15 Being Erica 13:10 Heartland 14:10 Smallville 15:00 Hollyoaks 15:30 Gilmore Girls 16:30 Glee 17:30 Friends 18:00 Friends 18:30 Friends 19:00 My Name Is Earl 19:30 My Name Is Earl 20:00 Hollyoaks 20:30 Friends 21:00 Friends 21:30 Friends 22:00 Rude Tube 23:00 Franklin & Bash 24:00 Alan Carr: Chatty Man

Emergency with The Unforgettable Angela LeonardGriffin Rossiter

Sky1 21.00 ITV1, 20.30

10:00 Deal or No Deal 11:00 How Clean Is Your House? 11:30 Jesse James 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 17:10 Location, Location, Location 17:40 A Place in the Sun: Home or Away 18:45 Relocation, Relocation 19:50 Come Dine with Me 20:55 Grand Designs 22:00 Come Dine with Me 23:00 True Stories 24:30 Come Dine with Me

10:00 Deal or No Deal 11:00 Call Northside 777 13:10 3 Minute Wonder 13:15 3 Minute Wonder 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 17:10 Location, Location, Location 17:40 A Place in the Sun: Home or Away 18:45 Relocation, Relocation 19:50 Come Dine with Me 20:55 Grand Designs 22:00 Time Team 23:00 A Time Team Special 24:40 Tigerland

tv Thursday 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Heir Hunters 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Food Fighters 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 Scoop 17:00 Escape from Scorpion Island 17:30 Richard Hammond’s Blast Lab 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 Traffic Cops 22:00 Torchwood: Miracle Day 23:00 BBC News 23:25 Regional News 23:35 Classroom Secrets 24:35 This Week

8 -2011 14 JulY 2011 8 - 14 JulY

07:00 Wibbly Pig

07:00 Daybreak

07:10 Dip Dap

09:30 Lorraine 10:25 Jeremy Kyle Show

07:15 Pinky Dinky Doo

11:30 This Morning

07:30 Tinga Tinga Tales

13:30 Loose Women

07:45 Octonauts

14:30 ITV News

08:00 Roar

14:55 Granada News 15:00 Ten Mile Menu

08:25 Dennis &

16:00 Secret Dealers

Gnasher

16:59 Granada Weather

08:35 Scooby-Doo Show

17:00 Midsomer Murders

09:00 Paradise Cafe

18:00 Dinner Date

09:25 Small Potatoes

19:00 Granada Reports 19:30 ITV News

09:30 Chuggington

20:00 Emmerdale

09:40 Gigglebiz

20:30 Tonight

10:00 Live Golf

21:00 Emmerdale

21:00 Rick Stein’s Spain

21:30 Coronation Street

22:00 History Cold Case

22:00 Single-Handed 23:00 ITV News at Ten

23:00 Mock the Week

23:30 Granada News

23:30 Newsnight

23:35 Piers Morgan’s

24:20 Seve:

Life Stories

The Legend

24:35 Party People

Cryptic solutions 611 Across: 1 Press; 4 Backing; 8 Natural; 9 Mason; 10 Oily; 11 Malinger; 13 Sofa; 14 Left; 16 Reviewer; 17 Data; 20 Dogma; 21 Aground; 22 Epsilon; 23 Green. Down: 1 Pontoon bridge; 2 Extol; 3 Sure; 4 Ballad; 5 Compiler; 6 Insight; 7 General pardon; 12 After all; 13 Savages; 15 Regain; 18 Amuse; 19 Brag.

07:00 Treacle People 07:10 The Hoobs 07:35 The Hoobs 08:00 Freshly Squeezed 08:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 08:55 Frasier 09:25 According to Jim 09:55 Friends 10:25 Friends 10:55 Country House Rescue 11:55 A Place in the Sun: Home or Away 13:00 Channel 4 News 13:05 Relocation: Phil Down Under 14:05 None but the Brave 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Quiz Trippers 18:30 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 Coppers 24:05 King Of Uncut 24:55 Channel 4 Presents

07:00 Childrens TV 09:10 Peppa Pig 09:25 Peppa Pig 09:35 Roary the Racing Car 09:40 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 16:15 Little Girl Lost: the Delimar Vera 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 Zoo Days 21:00 Eddie Stobart: Trucks and Trailers 22:00 Cowboy Builders 23:00 Candy Bar Girls 24:00 Police Interceptors

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

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

QUICK SOLUTIONS Across: 1 Prior; 4 Stumble; 8 Reclaim; 9 Inert; 10 Earn; 11 Sinister; 13 Doom; 14 Cede; 16 Ceramics; 17 Keen; 20 Learn; 21 Elevate; 22 Retreat; 23 Sweet. Down: 1 Perpendicular; 2 Incur; 3 Roar; 4 Summit; 5 Utilised; 6 Breathe; 7 Entertainment; 12 Commence; 13 Dormant; 15 Accent; 18 Evade; 19 News. WORDWHEEL 612: EGOTISTIC

Monterico Villa

Altea

Due to last minute cancellations the following dates are available at a luxury Villa in Altea: 15th to 22nd July & 27th August to 10th September

Normal price €2100

1200

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 14:10 Smallville 15:00 Hollyoaks 15:30 Gilmore Girls 16:25 Glee 17:25 Friends 18:00 Friends 18:30 Friends 19:00 My Name Is Earl 19:30 My Name Is Earl 20:00 Hollyoaks 20:30 Friends 21:00 Friends 21:30 Friends 22:00 Big Bang Theory 22:30 How I Met Your Mother 23:00 The Inbetweeners 23:30 The Inbetweeners 24:05 Rude Tube

Discounted price

€

That’s a saving of 900€!

This amazing property is located close to the lovely Spanish town of Altea la Vella, not far from the beaches of Altea, Calpe, Albir and Benidorm. The villa will sleep 14 people comfortably and offers a high standard of accommodation.

Call 637-708-491 NOW to book!

53 53

10:00 Deal or No Deal 11:00 How Clean Is Your House? 11:30 The Hot Rock 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: Home or Away 18:45 Relocation, Relocation 19:50 Come Dine with Me 20:55 Grand Designs 22:00 One Born Every Minute USA 23:00 Shameless US 24:00 The Closer 24:55 One Born Every Minute USA

54 44

8 - 1426 JulY 2011 4 2010 Feb - March

The TV Round Up by

Alex Trelinski

Broadcaster and freelance journalist

Murray’s fickle friends T V SPORTS punditry reached a new level of fickleness last Friday at Wimbledon. As Andy Murray was about to walk onto Centre Court for his semi-final encounter with Rafa Nadal, both John Lloyd and Boris Becker boldly and surprisingly predicted a Murray victory for BBC viewers. Three hours later after his annual semifinal flop, Lloyd and Becker proclaimed that they found it difficult to imagine Murray ever winning a Grand Slam event. Talk about turning full circle to cover up a stupid

A comedy disaster

Nothing wrong with good popcorn TV

The BBC Press Office must have received personal training from Alistair Campbell and some ex-members of the Soviet Politburo in a classic bit of spin from one of their overpaid cronies that had me wetting myself with laughter. In my column last November, I took great pleasure in rubbishing BBC2’s grossly unfunny ‘Stephen K Amos Show’, in what was one of a number of comedy disasters on that channel. There was no surprise from the Press Office last week that the show had been pulled, but we were treated to this line of genius from an unnamed goon: “Stephen’s show is not coming back to BBC2, as there is so much great comedy on the channel, and we just can‘t bring everything back.” An utter lie that was funnier than the actual programme and of course no indication as to what the ‘great comedy’ was that we were meant to have enjoyed. A priceless piece of spinning!

Book Review by

Nasty big spiders landing on planet Earth…lead man Noah Wyle (best known as Carter in ER)…and an executive producer called Steven Spielberg. Put these ingredients together and we have a new fun sci-fi se-

Dead Tomorrow

PETER JAMES methodically introduces his heroic DCS Roy Grace adventure with a line up of copy@dannyjpcollins.com crucial characters that leaves the reader wondering when the fun’s going to start. We are introduced to Hungarian street urchins, a Romanian racketeer, a young English girl in dire need of a liver transplant, a much-loved husband and father to be who dies in a motorcycle crash, and an organ match that can’t be found. Add to that the bodies of three young foreigners dredged up off the coast of Grace’s patch in Brighton whose corpses are devoid of heart, lungs, liver, kidneys, and upper bowel and we’re off, following DCS Grace as he tracks down a vile illegal transplant ring operating out of the old Eastern Bloc in which homeless teenagers are transported to the UK, murdered and their organs sold at high prices on the transplant black market. As usual, Peter James has thoroughly researched his subject and leaves the reader in no doubt that such a trade exists among the thousands of illegal immigrants arriving in the UK, unchecked by a border control that has seen its teeth withdrawn by political correct liberals and Europe’s moronic Human Rights legislation.

Danny Collins

prediction and not having the courage of your convictions to back up what you said in the first place; which was conveniently forgotten in the all-too-familiar post-mortem. The BBC coverage over the fortnight was as always of a high standard, but there were far too many camera shots of the spectators reacting on Centre Court and a hideous obsession in trying to put every celebrity on screen, rather than concentrating on a premium sporting event. Did you, like me, lose count of how many sightings there were of Pippa Middleton?

ries called ‘Falling Skies’ on FX UK, which started on Tuesday night. It may have been done before in many guises on the small and big screen, but its good popcorn TV and I see nothing wrong in that.

Stop the vultures swooping again

I feel sorry for Channel 4 over their buying of American shows. They either buy things like ‘The Event’ or ‘Camelot’ which are cancelled Stateside, or if they get a big hit like ‘Glee’, then Sky whizz in and buy it at double the price! The Channel 4 Press Office was obviously trained by the BBC on that one as they said the loss of ‘Glee’ would allow them to spend lots of lovely money on new programmes. No mention of course that their big blockbuster ratings show for younger viewers (and old ones like me!) had been stolen by Uncle Rupert and his cronies. So I wish Channel 4 better luck with the American version of the hit Danish TV series, ‘The Killing’ which was shown on BBC4 to great acclaim earlier this year. I’ve been kicking myself big-time for missing the original show on BBC4 after rave reviews: by the way, why has it not been repeated on BBC2? I enjoyed the feature-length premiere last night, and the good news for Channel 4 is that it is already being booked for a second run in America. Let’s hope for Channel 4’s sake that it’s not too big a hit for them, to stop the Sky vultures starting to swoop down again!

Suduko Answer Meanwhile, the hawks gather above the flock and mayhem follows mayhem before Grace and his dedicated band of detectives bring the villains to justice. Have no doubt that the UK is open and now prey to Eastern Bloc criminals who will stop at nothing, even murder, to make a profit. The term ‘to make a killing’ in business has never been truer. Apart from the sheer entertainment of James’ Roy Grace novels, the wellresearched truth leaps from the pages: a book not to be missed. Author: Peter James Publisher: Pan (paperback) Price: €11.20 ISBN: 9 78 0 330 45677 7

motoring

Brian Deller

Author of Motoring in Spain

JUST READ your column in RTN, informative as usual, however I am slightly confused. Last year I changed my UK licence for a Spanish licence at which point I had a medical - will this be okay until I am 70? The confusion is with this ‘3 month only’ statement on the certificate relating to Spanish licence holders or do they mean Spanish nationals? The other grey area is notification. If you are a Spanish licence holder do they notify you when the licence is due for renewal or when another medical is required? Hope you are able to help, I do appreciate that Spanish Law appears to change every other week! John Philpott.

Dear John, As explained in my book, the Spanish DL expires and it is noted on the card when a medical is due so please take

a look at the classifications column on your DL and the date in 4(b) near the photo on the front to see when the DL expires. Unless they have recently changed the system to save costs, you should receive an aviso (advice letter) about a month before the medical is due, but having just taken my medical two weeks ago where I went in early and I have still not received an aviso letter yet, do not rely on this letter now. I took the medical which is now done in the clinic with the application written simultaneously ‘online’ with the photo taken as well (the medical is at greater cost than in the past probably to pay for the new on line PC system at the clinics), perhaps the Trafico PC system has not generated an aviso as the medical has now been taken. Incidentally, the UK DLs expire every 10 years for a photo change. I wonder if any expats are driving around not realising this thinking that their UK DL expires at

8 - 14 JulY 2011

age 70 but as we know, any EU DL used by any expat resident in Spain expires automatically if the periodical medical is not taken according to the Trafico rules. My big concern at the moment is the proposal that EU drivers be banned from driving at a set age regardless of whether they are fit or not. In the UK it has been mentioned in Parliament that the age be set at 80 yrs. And we see in the UK Press reports of drivers 65 to 85 having bad accidents, as if to support the proposal. But by introducing the periodical medical system there, as it is here, withdrawing the DLs any set age could be avoided purely on medical fitness to drive. Sneaky people, politicians - but then many are lawyers... It is amazing though that there have been no letters in the UK Press objecting to this and it will be too late when a law is passed. Human Rights discrimination? I would say so.

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

Landrover Rangerover (2002) 3.0 Diesel - Hyundai Tucson 2.0i 4x4 Black (2007) 2.4 Petrol Fiat Punto Grande (2008) 1.4 Active Petrol - Landrover Freelander TD4 Sport (2005) - Hyundai i10 (2008) 1.1 Petrol - Renault Kangoo (2007) 1.5 DCi Diesel - Suzuki Ignis (2006) 1.3 DDIS Diesel - Ford Focus Estate Automatic(2000) Opel Corsa (2006) 1.2 Twinport Petrol - Peugeot 206CC (2004) 1.6 Petrol - Kia Rio (2005) 1.3 SOHC Petrol - Skoda Roomster Family 1.4tdi (2007) Citroen C2 (2005) 1.1 i Furio Petrol - Renault Scenic (2003) 1.9 DCi Diesel - Ford Cmax 1.8Tdci Full Spec (2008) Ford Focus (RHD) (2003) 1.6 Zetec Petrol - MGZR 1.4 105CV Anthracite met(2006) Opel Corsa (2003) 1.0 Petrol - Citroen Xsara (1999) 2.0 Image HDi Diesel -

€21,995 €11,995 €8,495 €11,995 €7,995 €7,995 €6,995 €3,995 €6,995 €6,995 €5,995 €9,995 €5,995 €5,995 €11,695 €4,995 €6,495 €3,995 €3,695

60 Cars Available across 2 Sales Sites

Landrover Rangerover Auto (2002) 3.0 200.000 Diesel - €21,995

Seat Leon (2007) 1.9 DTi Diesel 35.000km - €10,995

Ford Focus (2008) 1.6 TDCi Diesel 79.937km - €9,995

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

Renault Scenic (2005) 1.9 DCi Privilege Diesel - €8,995

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

Hyundai Tucson (2007) 2.0 Petrol 44.000km - €11,995

Ford Focus CMax (2007) 1.6 TDCi 68.599km Diesel - €10,495

Seat Leon (2007) 1.6 Petrol 42.667km - €9,995

Ford Focus (2007) 1.6 Trend Petrol 39.000km - €8,995

Seat Ibiza (2007) 1.4 TDi Reference 70 Diesel - €8,495

Suzuki Ignis (2006) 1.3 DDIS Diesel 52.000km - €6,995

Radar control for El Campello FIXED RADAR control has been installed along the N332 in the area north of El Campello following an accident last Sunday in which a motorcyclist was killed. The area was already a known accident ‘black spot’ prior to Sunday’s tragedy.

Fine tuning for AECC in Alcoy IN ALCOY this week on Calle de Ridaura Sculptor, an exhibition of 35 specially tuned cars turned out in support of the AECC (Asociación Española Contra el Cáncer) with enthusiasts competing for a variety of awards for the best presented vehicles. AECC President Maria Teresa Alberola gratefully accepted the sum of 700€ on behalf of the charity and said the money would be used to support various workshops currently needing funds.

8 - 14 JulY 2011

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

Win a helmet from F&C Rentacar opens new offices Liberty Seguros LEADING EXPATRIATE insurance provider in Spain, Liberty Seguros, is giving new Liberty Motorcycle customers the chance to win an exclusive, highrange helmet. From 1st June to 31st August 2011, Liberty Seguros will raffle 65 helmets amongst all new customers taking out a LibertyMotorcycle policy. LibertyMotorcycle covers: • Roadside Assistance • Driver and passenger accident (optional) • Legal Assistance • Theft (optional) • Key replacement • Total loss (optional) Entering the raffle is easy. Customers should visit www.65cascosgratis.com and enter their name, new policy number and telephone number. They will find out if they’ve won right away. As with all offers, terms and conditions apply: subject to availability. Advice and quotations can be sought through Liberty Seguros’ specialist department, with opera-

tors who speak many languages including English, Dutch, German, Danish and Swedish amongst others. Additionally, they offer their products through a network of over 200 intermediaries for a personal, direct and exclusive service for all international clients. This personal service means that whatever the customer decides, they can be certain there is plenty of flexibility to tailor their policy and payment options to suit their specific requirements – and in a language they understand. To learn more about LibertyMotorcycle or to find out the name and location of your nearest Liberty Seguros broker, visit: http:// www.libertyseguros.es/ expatriates/en

F&C RENTACAR is a car rental company established in Costa Blanca and Costa Calida since 1993, currently operating from Alicante and Murcia airports, and in the near future the new airport based at Corvera. In addition, we have local offices in Gran Alacant, La Marina, Villamartin and Camposol. From 1st July, F&C Rentacar reopened its office in Torrevieja Costa and launching a brand new office in La Reiga. They believe that having local offices, in addition to a dedicated reservations team and internet booking system, enables a flexible and personal service. The level of returning customers is testament to the quality of service. The range of models has recently been increased with a car to suit all needs in the fleet, ranging from small economy cars to medium sized family cars and larger 7 and 9-seaters, including automatic models. And as the fleet is updated regularly, quality ex rental cars are offered for sale with transfer of ownership included. F&C has always been competitive on price and continues to serve its old client base as well as attract new clients. Customer feedback shows that loyal clients return year after year and many new clients come through referral. In addition to low prices, fantastic early booking discounts for advance reservations are offered – the earlier you book, the less you will pay! Avoid hidden costs at the airport: the price quoted at F&C Rentacar is the price that you will pay on arrival. They do not use comparison websites, preferring to offer an honest up-front price to their clients. Collection at the

airport could not be easier – one of the staff will meet you on arrival, and take you to your car. The flexibility of the company also allows you to pick up and drop off your hire car at any of these locations with no charge for different location drop-off. The company boasts friendly, helpful and professional staff of various nationalities whose languages include Spanish, English, German and Dutch. If you have any questions, F&C staff are on hand to help. Office opening hours are Monday-Friday 9.30am – 2.15

and 5pm – 7.30pm, Saturdays 9.30am – 2.15pm or email at info@fcrentacar. com The airport service operates 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Booking a car with F&C is easy: it can be done in person at one of the offices, by phone, fax or email but the most popular way to reserve your car is through the website www.fcrentacar.com or call the reservations team on 966 796 044 to reserve your car there and then. You can also now find F&C on Facebook!

Classified Ads 8 - 14 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

large empty van experienced owner driver returning to UK JulyAugust mobile 603 192 957

8 - 14 JulY 2011 pringle vending machines with sites €14,900.€250 per week guaranteed.965-326-442/ 659-696-455 SOLAR ENERGY BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY Long established company, own product range. First class training & support. Telephone 606586587

EXCEL AIR CONDITIONING. See main ad on page 13.Tel/Fax (Head Office) 966-897-772. Mobiles:680-154-432/676-265-675. 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

VERY HANDSOME 6 year old male Yorkshire Terrier, FREE to dog lovers only. Wonderful with children and dogs El Chapperel 966785448 TRANS-PET We do regular, doorto-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: 600-552-030/965-960-658 www.trans-pet.co.uk

BYTEBACK MICROS computer repairs/upgrades in your home. Qualified technician. Systems custom built. Whatever your problem call: 965-312-006 or 606-127424 PC SOLUTIONS 4U Description: For all your PC needs. Reliable,friendly service. Call Fred_634638664. Visits 20mile radius Benidorm. We buy PC\’s & laptops

MBE BUILDING Quality and Reliability. Painting & General Maintenance , Extensions & Alterations, Bathrooms & Kitchens, Electrical & Plumbing, Property Management. All works undertaken & references available. CALL Dave NOW for free estimate or advice 634328679 CONSTRUCTION All types of building work.Tiling BBQ´s. Have your own bar built. Painting and Maintenance service.call Paul for free estimate and advice. Moraira and surrounding areas. 660290-412/966-197-354

DRIVING TO THE UK? English guest house in France, close to Spanish border. Peaceful location, secure parking. www.millefleursbb.co.uk

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

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

BAR TRESPASO FOR SALE 3 year lease, busy bar in Benimar commercial centre, 79 metres inside and an 18 metre terrace over looking the new lake and park, with permission to extend the terrace further, regular clientel all year round, all fixtures and fittings included, genuine reason for sale price reduced for quick sale, call Christine 672697081 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

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 HOBBY PRESTIGE CARAVAN 4 berth, fixed bed, air conditioning, hot/cold water,fridge, continental awning, loads of storage space, spanish reg. ITV, many extras, lovely caravan, bargain 4,000 euros/ONO. Tel:0034667537370 or e-mail mandmwhybrow06@hotmail.co.uk. Loads of photos to send! TRAILER TENT holiday 240 duo, compact 2 berth trailer tent with 4 x 3 awning plus extras, hardly used, excellent condition 900€ Tlf: 966699882 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 968-192-425 mob 626-055-622 www.mobilehomesmarmenorspain.com BURSTNER VENTANA 480 TL Description: Sleeps 4,2 single & 1 large double bed. Fridge, kitchen, toilet, cottage foretent,etc. Spanish plates €6500.00 ono. Denia Tel.965747395

CAR SALES SITE TO RENT

HOLDS 30 CARS, FULLY LICENSED LOW RENT TEL: 620 738 023

8 - 14 JulY 2011 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 in-house 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. 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.24hourh omecareservices.com

LIVE IN HOUSEKEEPER or Nanny available immediately for work from Benidorm to Denia area. Must have own accommodation and full board Call 0034 674 728 184

TEETH WHITENING. Safe Professional Cosmetic Treatments and DIY Kits from 29€. Javea, Denia, Calpe, Benidorm areas. Tel:- 966-473-166 or 680-501-404. See www.nulookteeth.com

SATISFACTION! We sell high quality pre owned furniture, many from show apartments etc. Look at: www.michaels-javea.com Tlf:965-791-328. 2 X MATCHING SOFA TABLES Circular, Diameter 60cm, Height 55cm, 3 legged pedestal base, Light oak finish. VCG. Altea area, Buyer collects. 50€ the pair. 691-202-307 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 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

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

Sales Executive Needed… For a leading awning company in Alicante, with over 30 years experience, to cover the Calpe area.

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

Conditions Immediate contract and social security.Salary, commissions and incentives over 23,000€ gross/year.

CRAZY FIT MASSAGE VIBRATING machine, 150€ tel 966717877 STAGELINE PRO DJ StagelineProDJ Mobile twin decks, Amp, complete with four speakers, 1000Euros ono details 966717877 G.S PARTY HIRE Planning a party. Do you need tables,chairs,c rockery,glasses. Outside catering and bar for all occasions. Then contact me for more information on.635-109-375/693-371-654/966194-984 WEIGHT WATCHERS Call our Free English call centre now to find your nearest meeting. 900-818-794

English or German and Spanish required. Must have own transportation. Target Accomplish sales goals. Are you the right person for the job? If so please send your CV and photo to rhumanoscta@gmail.com

AT MICHAEL’S you can get part exchange on certain beds when you buy a New bed from our New Bed shop in the Arenal. See photos (updates every 5-6 days): www. michaels-javea.com AT MICHAEL’S Yamaha electric organ with a stand. Two large industrial fridges with looks. Portable air conditioner. Large 2-door American fridge/freezer. Photos: www.michaels-javea.com AT MICHAEL’S English Divan beds in the Port shop. Lovely Marie Antoinette bedroom set in beige, several matching pieces. See more than 600 photos: www.michaelsjavea.com AT MICHAEL’S Pine wardrobe, 3 doors. Several dining sets in pine, classic style, rustic, white, modern, wicker, glass and Castilian! See photos: www.michaels-javea.com Tel 96-579 1328 MICHAEL’S 28 YEARS IN JAVEA ENSURES YOUR

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

MOBILE KABAROKE for all occasions, BBQ pool party, professional equip and lights, rates to suit, call Alan or Kris 966896588 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:-666-933-726. 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 videos. 400+ music albums. Karaoke & DJ software etc etc. 225euros. CC accepted via paypal. call Paul . 659-511-951

ROYAL ENFIELD BULLET 500CC 1700Kms only. Many Extras, Spanish Registered, Insured, Fully Legal, One Owner. Half New price 2000€ Tlf:-606-075-644/966-786-858

LOOKING FOR A CABRIOLLET? 1 BMW 3 series and Z3, Mercedes CLK’S SLK’S AND SL, 1 Porsche Boxster Tlf Frank: 600 726 221 / 965 687 976 or www.fwreurocars.com ECONOMY? Hyundai Atos, 1litre prime, 2001, bright yellow, air con etc. Excellent car 3450€ Tlf Frank on 600 726 221 / 965 687 976 or www.fwreurocars.com HEADLIGHTS4U.COM Left hand drive headlights supplied and fitted. All makes. Also air conditioning rechargeTel:-966877-145 or 618-592-396 BUMPERS, WINGS AND MIRRORS All body panels for all cars supplied. Tel:-966-877-145 or 618-592-396 MERCEDES C240 ESTATE elegance, auto RHD, English Reg. Petrol, excellent condition full house. 4000€ or would PX LHD Spanish car. Tel 605369921. FIAT DUCATO 1996, 2.5 diesel, RHD, English Reg. Motor home conversion, 2 berth, fully equiped, 6.000€ or would PX Spanish LHD car. Tel 605369921 SEAT IBIZA 1.9SDI diesel, LHD, Spanish plates, new tyres, brakes and disks, 12 months ITV. 2300€ tlf: 675-878-601 FIAT BARCHETTA 1.9 injection, grey, petrol, perfect condition, covertablr, 1996, ITV, 3.990€ Tel 686620382 KIA CARNIVAL perfect condition, grey, seven seats, 2005, ITV 2013, diesel, 7.900€ Tel 686620382, 83,000km 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 661-403016. 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 600781-873 ibuyanycar@hotmail.com

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 over 15 Cabriollets in stock. Tel Frank your friendly English car sales on the Costa Blanca. Tel 600-726-221/965-687-976 or simply view our easy to use website www.fwreurocars.com

8 - 14 JulY 2011

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2 BEDROOM, 1 BATHROOM

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8 - 14 JulY 2011

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8 - 14 JulY 2011

The final whistle With Andy Kay

RTN Golf Club update

www.andykayevents.com

ALL QUIET on the Costa Blanca front now, well as far as golf goes anyway. Courses are offering some deals but they are not lasting as long as previous years and certainly not all day. A lot of the courses are still only offering the “twilight timings”.

Oh I say... Dennis Jordan NORTH REGION

Golf Course

RTN Price

Comments

Alenda

€89

2x1 offer 12pm – 4pm inc Buggy

Alicante Golf

€69

2x1offer 12pm – 4pm inc Buggy

Bonalba

€59

All Day: 2x1 offer inc Buggy

Don Cayo

€43

Single Green fee

El Plantio

€45

Single Green fee inc Buggy

Font del Llop

€74

All Day: 2x1 offer inc Buggy

Villaitana Par 62

€29

Single Green fee inc Buggy

Villa Aitana Par 72

€69

Single Green fee inc Buggy

For more information email Dennis at dennis@roundtownnews.com or direct to www.benidormgolf.com on 630 714 373.

Mike Probert SOUTH REGION

WITH THE onset of high summer please ensure that you have plenty of fluid when you play (not alcohol) and remember that thirstiness is the last sign of de-hydration and not the first sign. New and additional summer deals are still arriving from the local courses and for example Polaris World have extended all of their summer prices until 18th September 2011 and look out next week for some exciting news from La Manga. The deal of the week is from Vistabella 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 and buggy is now available until 15th September 2011.

Golf Course

RTN Price

Comments

Vistabella

€56

2 PL and 1 Buggy (weekend pm)

Hacienda del Alamo

€86

2 PL and 1 Buggy

La Finca

€164

4 PL and 2 Buggy

Polaris World Courses

€92

2 PL and 1 Buggy

Roda

€78

2 PL and 1 Buggy

Las Colinas

€82

2 PL and Buggy (from3pm)

La Peraleja

€76

2 PL and 1 Buggy

La Tercia

€65

2 PL and 1 Buggy

For more information contact Mike at mike@roundtownnews.com or direct at Costa Blanca Green Fee Services on 966 704 752 or 661 345 931.

Novak Djokovic Winner of Wimbledon 2011

To start off this week, a few thoughts about the All England Championships at Wimbledon: 1. It was good to see a new winner of the Men’s title. 2. Andy Murray played Nadal off the court for the first hour of his semi-final but one missed shot, and an easy one at that, gave Nadal a route back in. Murray will have to be at his best for an entire match to see off the top players in the world. 3. Wimbledon officials should make sound recordings of every match involving women who grunt or scream at every stroke and then replay it outside their hotel rooms every night. Let’s see how they like it! 4. Best Tweet of the Championships came from Arsenal fan and BBC radio presenter Mark Pougatch, who wrote: “Liam Broady, a fine tennis player and one superfluous vowel away from a legend...” 5. And on the BBC in general...John Inverdale is far and away their best presenter. The red button is just a fantastic bit of technology. Two colour commentators per match is one too many.

Murcia Golf Hound Murcia Region

NOT CONTENT with playing the best courses throughout Murcia, I report to you this week from the sunny shores of Barbados! Always keen to expand my golfing knowledge and experience in order to best advise you on your golf, when offered a week’s secondment I could think of nowhere better! After settling into my new basket for the week and experiencing some Caribbean hospitality we finally got round to playing the aptly named Barbados Golf Club (BGC). Having hosted the Barbados Open as well as the European Seniors Tour in 2003 I could not wait to get my paws onto this Caribbean gem! In true Caribbean style we were warmly welcomed to the course by all members of staff and I was pleasantly surprised by the exemplary caddy service. Our clubs were taken from the back of the car, cleaned and placed on our buggies ready to go to the first tee; something I felt sure would go down well on our shores here in the Costa Calida?! A chilledBarbadian Rum and Coke on the rocks in theclubhouse afterwards was icing on the cake for the BGC!

Golf Course

RTN Price

Comments

La Envia

€32

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

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

BIG FIGHT LET DOWN Okay, I admit it. I got caught up in David Haye’s prefight routine and honestly thought he had a chance against Wladimir Klitschko. Now, I grant you, watching the fight on German TV, in a pub, accompanied by the Lardy Boys of Javea 5-a-side football squad on our end of season drinkup and a little worse for wear probably doesn’t give me the right to make a scientific critique of the action. But broken little toe aside, Haye never got close to causing an upset and his hit and run tactics, which have served him and trainer Adam Booth so well in the past, are now a busted flush. Just where Haye goes from here is anyone’s guess - however, I can’t see him sticking to his decision to retire later this year. No-one likes to go out on a defeat and surely Haye will want to be remembered for a far better effort in the ring, not to mention a more courteous and measured build up outside of it. DIAMOND LEAGUE ATHLETICS With the World Championships in Daegu, South Korea fast approaching, this weekend’s Aviva Birmingham Grand Prix at the newly renovated Alexander Stadium should give us a further pointer as to which of the top name athletes are on course for podium finishes. Should you get the chance to watch the action on BBC TV, keep an eye out for Britain’s Mo Farah in the 5000m where he goes up against Imane Merga, Jamaican Asafa Powell in the 100m and, in what could be the clash of the afternoon Phillips Idowu versus Teddy Tamgho in the triple jump. And in terms of ‘one for the future’, the women’s pole vault features 19-year-old Holly Bleasdale who is now ranked third best in the world this year after setting a new British record last week of 4.70m. As well as potentially medalling in Daegu, Bleasdale is the hot favourite for gold at the European Under-23 Championships later this month.

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

The ‘Club Leaner’ Noel’s world of golf By Noel Eastwell Teaching Professional Campo de Golf El Plantio 639 730 891

WE HAVE all seen this popular phenomenon at golf clubs all over the World. Many golfers have been in their company. Many more have spent a considerable amount of money to have the pleasure of their company for the odd hour or two. Many have left their company wondering why they spent money with them and wasted so much time trying to do what they have told them. By now I hope you will realise I am talking about the teaching professional who takes the hardearned cash from your pocket to train you how to play golf. Instead you get someone who leans on a club for an hour and shows little or no interest in you or your golf swing until it is time to book another lesson and take your money for a service that really has not been rendered. I myself have spent a lot of time and money with these people and thought little of it as that’s what most of them have done for many years. In between I have managed to learn one or two things from them but it is now surely time for these people to offer the golfing public the level of service they deserve. Sadly over the years due to the lack of competition in the main the standard of golf coaching has not reached the heights it should have done in many instances. Please let me make myself clear at this point: there are indeed very many teaching professionals who offer great service and are incredibly knowledgeable and also offer good service to their clients. The sad thing is that there are also many offering little or no service and even less interest in the client. As I have said many times in RTN, value for money is very important in the golf industry and this must include the teaching side of golf as well as all others. Working and visiting many golf clubs over the years, I have often wondered just what coaches who lean on their clubs staring into space behind dark

8 - 14 JulY 2011

glasses get out of the game… Surely there can be no enjoyment in working this way for client or coach/ professional or whatever other name you want to give these people? It’s a good time to compare coaches - there are not so many now and the good ones will be keen to get your business. Ask around and get recommendations from friends - just make sure they are not ‘club leaners’. 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 8TH JULY 2011 Which European city will host the 2018 Ryder Cup? A. Madrid B. Paris C. Valencia 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. JUNE’S WINNER Jim Gaw from Quesada 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 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 All courses include unlimited range balls for the duration of the course. Call 639 730 891 or email golf@roundtownnews.com

Fishing Maggots End by

David Hoare

968 199 279

For further details ring Alan Roscoe 968 570 876 or email: anglerstogether@gonuts4free.com THIS WEEK’S competition using paste. was the 5th in the Summer All details are available from League series: 6 matches with the Match Secretary Terry the best 5 results to count. Screen on 965328368 The venue was the Embalse de Beniarres. This is the first Anglers Together time the club has fished this MEMBERS RECENTLY had venue near Alcoy. Again, a fishing trip to Murcia on the venue had a lot of water, the River Segura which was now receding. However, enjoyed by all: Winner; David any anglers going there Hoare, Second; Alan Roscoe, should be very careful near Third: John Theaker: another the water’s edge, as one of friendly match is planned for our anglers found when he the autumn. bottomed his car. It took all Anglers Together was formed the anglers an hour and half to introduce and encourage to dig it out and move it. anglers of all abilities to meet So beware if you are fishing up and get together to fish, alone you could be walking either sea or freshwater. home! Firm friendships have been formed during the time the TOP RODS ON THE DAY group has been active and 1st Lenny (Ex Cultural information on fishing venues Attache) Bolton, fishing the and licenses required are pole using paste with 39.86 available at the meetings kg or by regular emailed 2nd Dave (The Sweetie Man) newsletters. Hutchinson, the pole using Meetings are held in two paste with 35.42 kg. locations on the second 3rd Bill (The Master) Reade Friday and Saturday of each fishing the pole using paste month. Anyone with an with 21.48 kg. interest in fishing (sea or freshwater) is welcome to ABBEY ANGLING RESULTS come along to a meeting to supplied by Terry Screen see what we’re about. We are now half way through The next meeting at Mary’s the year, and this week saw Bar, Campoverde (near Pilar the start of the Summer de la Horadada) will be held Series with the first match on Friday 8th July at 12 being fished on the River at o’clock. On Saturday July 9th Murcia. at 12 o’clock the meeting will This water is in urgent need be held at The New Royal of work by the Murcian Bar and Restaurant at El Federation or the river Alamillo, opposite the seaauthorities to clear the pegs front between Isla Plana and on the upper reaches of the the Port. Refreshments and match length, as the reeds lunch are available at each are closing in and making location. them unfishable. No meetings are held in There was more flow on the water this week than previous August. For further details ring Alan but it is still producing Roscoe 96 857 0876 or reasonable weights. email: anglerstogether@ 1st Alan (The Chairman) Reid hotmail.co.uk (NB new with 16.180kg fishing feeder email address). If anyone using bread has emailed to our previous 2nd Lenny (Ex Cultural address (@gonuts4free) Attache) Bolton with please resend to our new 14.420kg on pole using paste address as we have not been 3rd Terry (Swing ‘Em) Screen receiving messages. with 11.220kg also on pole