InVLC July 2013

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#35

Make the most of the Valencian Community

July 2013

Eternal summer

Monthly essentials Language learning German Corner Recipes Articles Health News

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The very best in Valencia & the Community

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Regulars 4 Before we start 5 Did you know...

6 News in brief 8 German Corner 9 Dutch Corner 16 City Maps 31 Classifieds, Weekly markets & Rastros

inVLC Talks 7 Monthly essentials 13 Independent review 18 Getaways

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in this issue

Language learning 26 Learn English with the British Council 27 Language exchanges Health, Food & Drink 12 Cocktails 14 Recipes 30 Staying safe in the summer heat

Features 10 Valencia Blues Society 22 P.E.P.A. Part II 28 Ringing Cedars of Russia Part II

inVLC is for all people in the community of Valencia: whether born here, visiting for a day, or living a new life in the sun.

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Before we start

As high as a kite on the 4th of July

Welcome one and all to the July edition of inVLC. Summer is most definitely here as the city begins to slow down as we head towards August.

head to one of our major distribution points over the summer to pick up your copies as we cannot be assured of business opening times during the months of July and August. So head to places like Spainsburys, Finnegans, This month we have a selection of articles on Loved Books, Portland Bar or Charters. a range of topics from the second part of our article with PEPA, an article on the Valencia In the coming months we would like to Blues Society, reports from a recent trip to introduce a new Letters page to inVLC. So if Toronto in Canada and how to stay healthy you have any comments or questions etc... and safe in the summer heat. please send them along for inclusion.

You will also find our regular Monthly For those of you on Facebook, don't forget to Essentials, Independent Review, German and check the inVLC page regularly for more up to Dutch Corners, News and Recipe pages. date event information and general chat.

As we are the only English language magazine in Valencia that publishes 12 Enjoy July! editions a year, we will be back in August with a summer special. We advise that you Lisa & Paul

Competition time The ellow below was snapped wearing a witty T-Shirt. We have deleted a word which we want you to guess. So what exactly, is his business? The first correct answer, if we receive one, or the funniest if we don't, wins a surprise gift. Send your answers to invlceditor@gmail.com

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Did you know

that in July...

1966 England won the FIFA world cup for the first time beating West Germany 4-2 in the final. London’s Wembley Stadium was the venue for the final with 93,000 spectators inside to watch the game including the Queen and Prince Philip. It is thought around 400 million people watched the match on television. At that time it was the largest world cup with 70 countries competing, England were amongst the favourites to win and got as far as the semi’s playing Portugal before conceding a goal.

1966 Colour television transmission in Toronto Canada began. America was the first but the programmes were scarce so it was many years before we all started to buy colour sets.

1971 On the 3rd of July Jim Morrison of the band Doors was found dead in Paris of heart failure. The American singer songwriter and poet had developed an alcohol and drug problem and the cause of his death is still disputed. The Doors formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, their first album The Doors’ was released in January 1967.

1985 Live Aid was a dual-venue concert held on 13 July 1985. The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine. Billed as the "global jukebox", the event was held simultaneously at Wembley Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom (attended by 72,000 people) and John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States (attended by about 100,000 people). It was one of the largest-scale satellite link-ups and television broadcasts of all time: an estimated global audience of 1.9 billion, across 150 nations, watched the live broadcast.

1967 BBC2 began a limited schedule of colour services with transmissions live from Wimbledon a favourite outside broadcasting programme.

Colour TV’s were very expensive and take-up was slow. It was 1969 before BBC1 and ITV started to show programmes in colour.

1996 Dolly the sheep, the first mammal to have been successfully cloned 1969 from an adult cell is born at the Roslin Institute in Scotland.

American Neil Armstrong became the first man to walk on the The cloned lamb was named after the singer and actress Dolly Parton. moon. The astronaut stepped onto the moon’s surface in the Sea of The name was reportedly suggested by one of the stockmen who Tranquillity. As he put his foot down he said the words we all now assisted with her birth after he learned that the animal was cloned know – “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind”. from a mammary cell. The cells had been taken from the udder of a Apollo 11 launched on July 16th and landed on the moon on the 20th, six-year-old ewe and cultured in a lab using microscopic needles in 8 days after liftoff on the 24th it splashed down in the Pacific Ocean. a method first used in human fertility treatments in the 1970s. After producing a number of normal eggs, scientists implanted them into 1970 surrogate ewes; 148 days later one of them gave birth to Dolly.

A holiday flight from Manchester to Barcelona went missing with 105 Dolly's birth was only announced publicly in February 1997 to a storm passengers and 7 crew members on board. The Dan Air comet jet of controversy. In January 2002 she was found to have arthritis in wreckage was found the following day, it had crashed into the Monsey her hind legs, a diagnosis that raised questions about genetic Mountains claiming the lives of all on board, the victims were buried abnormalities that may have been caused in the cloning process. in a mass grave close to the village of Arbucias, no relatives attended After suffering from a progressive lung disease, Dolly was put down as the Spanish authorities insisted burial took place within 48 hours. on February 14, 2003, at the age of six. Her early death raised more questions about the safety of cloning, both animal and human.

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1997 The transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to China, referred to as "the Handover" internationally and "the Return" or "The Reunification" by Mainland Chinese, took place on 1 July 1997 and marked the end of British rule in Hong Kong.

2011 On the 10th of the month the News of the World published its last edition after 168 years, with the headline “Thank you and goodbye”.

Rupert Murdoch’s decision to close the paper came in the wake of the phone hacking scandal and mounting criticism of the way they gathered information on the likes of showbiz celebrities, royals, even down to a kidnapped girl’s voicemail being hacked. Some of those responsible are already serving prison sentences and many more are still the process of defending themselves in court.

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News in brief Midsummer fiesta ends in tragedy

End of term commiserations

Midsummer fiestas in Alicante ended in tragedy this weekend when A Costa Blanca nightclub, which invited students who had failed their a 10-year-old boy was killed after setting off a fire-cracker inside a exams to commiserate for free was so overwhelmed by responses tin can. that it was forced to cancel the party.

The city was in the middle of its Hogueras festival, where colourful monuments and bonfires are set up in honour of San Juan's Day and the summer solstice, and which combines with the fiesta for the city's patron saint, San Blas.

Mil Beach, on the urbanisation Mil Palmeras in Pilar de la Horadada (Alicante) advertised on Twitter that for each subject failed – which had to be accredited by producing results slips – students would get a free drink.

Whilst setting off bangers in the street, along with several other “Bring your exam results to our end-of-term party – free drink for children as is customary during many Spanish fiestas, the child let a every subject failed! Let's write ourselves an unforgettable summer,” firework off inside an empty drink can. When it exploded, a shard of said the 'tweet' by the club when advertising the event. metal shot out and hit him in the jugular vein.

But literally hundreds of scholars believed to be mostly sixth-formers The child was rushed to A&E at Alicante General Hospital in a private and university students announced on Twitter that they were going car as he was bleeding profusely but despite every effort, the child to attend. died.

According to the club boss, the party was cancelled at the last minute Benicassim when they realised they were going to be 'overrun with bad students getting drunk for free'.

Iconic rock festival that brings in revellers from all over the world will not be cancelled this year after all, despite the organisers having a More possible bad news for increasing food prices debt of around four million euros.

The European Commission wants to raise the IVA on food to 10 per Die-hard fans of the FIB festival in Benicassim were dismayed to cent from 4 per cent. learn that they may not get their fix of al fresco indie and rock in the popular coastal resort town after the firm behind the event, There are concerns in Spain after news from Brussels of a plan to Maraworld, went into voluntary receivership in February. raise IVA on food. The rise would affect basic foodstuffs such as bread, milk, eggs and fruit.

Maraworld then had to wait to see whether its creditors agreed with its proposed payment plan, but it has recently announced For the moment Mariano Rajoy has not made any comments or that the majority of those they owe money to are satisfied with the decisions and the President of the Spanish Confederation of Bread arrangements.

Producers (CEOPAN), Lorenzo Alonso said that it would be absurd to raise the tax on bread.

They propose to pay off half of their four-million-euro debt and settle the balance within five years.

This means FIB 2013 can go ahead, and tickets have just gone on sale for the four-day festival which runs from Thursday, July 18 to Sunday, July 21.

Everything that goes up must come down, but there comes a time when not everything that’s down can come up. :: George Burns

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inVLC talks

Monthly essentials

July 1st Canada Day is the national day of Canada, a federal statutory holiday celebrating the anniversary of the July 1, 1867, enactment of the British North America Act, 1867 (today called the Constitution Act, 1867), which united three colonies into a single country called Canada within the British Empire. Originally called Dominion Day, the holiday was renamed in 1982, the year the Canada Act was passed.

Canada Day observances take place throughout Canada as well as among Canadians internationally.

July 26th - 28th Low Cost Music Festival comes to Benidorm with performances from the likes of Portishead, Belle and Sebastian and Glasvegas alongside a host of Spanish acts. www.lowcostfestival.es for more information.

July 4th American Independence Day. Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July, is a federal holiday in the United States commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain. Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, family reunions, and political speeches and ceremonies, in addition to various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States.

To celebrate head on over to the Portland Ale House where we are sure they will be marking the occasion in style.

July 4th - 28th Feria de Julio de Valencia includes a series of concerts in the Jardines de Viveros and other activities. Performances this year come from the likes of Earth Wind & Fire, La Habitacion Rojo and The Original Blues Brothers Band. Other events such as firework displays etc... are also to be found around the city.

July 18th-21st DreamHack is a three-day festival held at the Feria de Valencia of eSports and digital culture. It’s an intense experience for gamers all around the world. DreamHack is a brand recognised worldwide for holding the world’s largest LAN-party, demo-party and computer festival. DreamHack events are drug and alcohol free, which allows all ages to participate – attracting people who have an interest in computers, gaming, designing, music composition and competitions.

Check out www.dreamhack.es for full information and prices.

July 19th-21st FIB. Four days of sea, sun and sound at this years Benicassim Music Festival with performances from Queens of the Stone Age, Beady Eye, Primal Scream, Arctic Monkeys, Johnny Marr and The Killers amongst others. A full program of events and information can be found on their website www.fiberfib.com July 22nd-Aug 11th Tramo IX is a Fairground set up in the Turia Riverbed in the same location as the International festival and the Wine Festival etc. Rides, games and prizes for all ages and open from 18:00 until 1:00 Sunday through Thursday and from 18:00 until 2:00 on Friday and Saturday.

Happy Independence Day

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German Corner

M.C.

Du bist, was du isst!

Es ist schon erstaunlich, wie wenig der Mensch als Lebewesen im allgemeinen in seine Zusammensetzung investiert und wie viel in seine eigene Eliminierung. Diese Einleitung wirkt zugegebener Maßen ein bisschen abgedroschen, aber bei genauerer Betrachtung findet man doch reichlich Indizien für die verdrehten Prioritäten des Homo Sapiens Sapiens.

einer fahlen Chemiekugel unterscheidet? Haben wir uns von unserem Körper geistig so weit entfernt, dass wir verdrängen, dass unser gesamter Organismus aus dem besteht was wir ihm zuführen?

Auf der anderen Seite: Wer weiß zu welchen Vorteilen das Spiel mit unserer Ernährung noch führen wird!?! Vielleicht kann man sich in einigen Jahren sogar das stundenlange Bad in der Sonne sparen und den eigenen Hautton durch die Wahl der entsprechend manipulierten Maissorte individuell anpassen. Oder der Verzehr eigens kreierter Depilierungsgurken ermöglicht dem ambitionierten Metrosexuellen ein glückliches Leben ohne Körperbehaarung.

Viel weises scheint dem einst so weisen Primaten abhanden gekommen zu sein. Ganz ohne mit Zahlen über die weltweite Produktion traditioneller Landwirtschaft und deren modernes Gegenüber zu jonglieren, entdeckt der aufmerksame Beobachter in jeder Situation erstaunliche Ereignisse. So skurril unsere Lebensweise für Besucher aus anderen Welten erscheinen müsste, Valencia ist kein Paradebeispiel für gesunde Lebensweise. Unsere so normal ist sie für uns geworden.

Stadt ist jedoch im Wandel. Die Menschen suchen Auswege auch aus dieser Krise. Für Liebhaber der Eigenversorgung stellen angrenzende Ich zähle mich zu den glücklichen Vertretern meiner Generation, die Dörfer kleine Anbauflächen zu Verfügung - teils gegen Miete, teils ihren Aggressionen weitgehend unbeschwert von Massenproduktion gratis. Gemeinschaften bilden sich. Karotten bohren sich in den und Billigwahn lieber in der freien Natur zu entkommen versuchten, fruchtbaren Boden. Tomaten erröten in der valencianischen Sonne. als mit Hilfe von Joysticks und Ego-shootern. Hier über die Vor- und Städter genießen ihr ganz persönliches Paradies. Kinder erfreuen Nachteile der modernen Kinderzimmerelektronik zu sinnieren würde sich an wohlschmeckenden Speisen. Der gesundheitsbewusste doch um einige Weltumrundungen zu weit führen. Doch wühlt sich Konsument findet abgesehen von werbewirksamen Ansätzen eine Frage immer wieder durch die unüberschaubare Masse an internationaler Supermarktketten, Aushilfe im Mercado Central oder Fragen ohne Antworten: Was zum heiligen Berg ist mit unserer in speziellen Läden über die Stadt verteilt. Teilweise zu höheren Ernährung passiert?

Kosten? Ohne Zweifel. Hier bleibt die persönliche Entscheidung welcher Part des Lebens den größeren Wert hat, der eigene Körper Ein besonders kurioser Fall von “Prioritätenverwirrung” stellt oder die fremde Unterhaltung. Du bist, was du isst! mir nach Jahren immer noch imaginär die Zehennägel auf.

Lebensmitteleinkäufe sind ja grundsätzlich eine recht mühsame Der Unterschied zwischen einem Mann und einem Joghurt? Joghurt Angelegenheit. Persönlich durfte ich allerdings beobachten, wie ein gibt es auch mit Kultur. mir zumindest physisch nahestehendes “Beispiel” seine spärliche Zeit tatsächlich damit verbrachte, von einem Supermarkt zum anderen zu reisen, nur um in jedem Shop die penibel vorsortierten Angebote zu ergattern. Prospekte wurden studiert, Schnäppchen markiert, Routen eingeteilt, Sprit wurde verfahren und die obligatorischen Schlangen an den verschiedenen Supermarktkassen wurden ungeduldig ertragen, um am Rückweg ein paar Euro mehr in der Tasche zu haben. Über die Qualität der erstandenen Billigprodukte muss nicht weiter spekuliert werden. Zugegeben, die arme Frau hatte stark unter dem überdurchschnittlichen Fertigprodukte Verzehr ihres geliebten Sohnes zu leiden. Umso erstaunlicher, als plötzlich der neue Flatscreen mit fast 2 Metern Spannweite inklusive eigens gebauter schwenkbarer Fernsehinsel im Wohnzimmer stand.

Ist unsere Gesellschaft so von Werbung und Wirtschaft verzehrt, dass wir alles was funkelt und blinkt über unsere ganz eigenen Urinteressen als Lebewesen stellen? Bringt ein sportlicher Zweisitzer mit virtuellen Pferdestärken so viel mehr Lebensfreude, als der Biss in eine liebevoll aufgezogene Rinderhüfte? Ist unser Nervensystem so abgestumpft, dass wir nicht mehr erkennen, wie sehr sich der Genuss einer auf natürliche Weise gereiften Tomate vom Verzehr

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Dutch Corner

Louise van den Berg

Nu is het dan eindelijk zomer en kunnen we genieten van de zon , het strand en de vele zomerse aktiviteiten die in en rondom Valencia plaatsvinden.

De hele maand juli zijn er concerten in het park "Viveros", gelegen naast het museum "De Belles Artes", vanuit het drooggelegde rivierbed "Jardin de Turia" te bereiken. Ook is er elke zaterdag om 12 uur 's nachts vuurwerk, iets wat hier in Valencia heel serieus wordt genomen! het vindt plaats op de Marina Juan Carlos 1, vlakbij het strand van Valencia, Malvarosa.

Ook zijn er in de stad de hele maand juli evenementen , voor uitgebreide informatie adviseer ik een blik op de website van de Ayuntamiento de Valencia (www.valencia.es) Een tip voor mensen die hier op vakantie zijn: op de tourist informatie kantoren is er een Valencia tourist card te koop die veel voordelen heeft als je uitgebreid de stad wil bezichtigen. Ze zijn verkrijgbaar in verschillende "formats", er is er bijvoorbeeld een ,waarbij al het openbaar vervoer binnen de stad gratis is; er is ook een pas speciaal voor gezinnen.

Valencia heeft veel te bieden op het gebied van "entertainment voor gezinnen; neem bijvoorbeeld het Bioparc, een gloednieuwe, diervriendelijke dierentuin en de Oceanografic,het grootste aquarium van Europa, geweldig voor een dagje uit! Voor gezinnen met jonge kinderen is er in de Jardin de Turia dan de speeltuin Gulliver geheten; een enorme Gulliver die op de grond ligt en voor heel veel klim en glijbanen zorgt; en het is gratis!

Het is ook mogelijk op verschillende plaatsen fietsen te huren; er is ook een stadsfiets met overal in de stad oppik-en wegbrengpunten,helaas zijn deze fietsen niet erg comfortabel, maar voor korte ritjes wel geschikt Iedereen een goede zomer toegewenst; hopelijk wordt het niet te heet!!

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Music

Damn right I got the Blues

The Valencia Blues Society or Sociedad de Blues de Valencia, is an organisation that has been established to give support to musicians and fans of Blues music in Valencia. They aim to spread the gospel of the Blues through educational and cultural works to bring a greater knowledge and appreciation of the Blues and it's legacy.

We interviewed Javier Perez about the societies work.

1. Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

My name is Javier Perez. I'm a psychologist specialising in forensic psychology as a profession and as a hobby I’m a Blues guitarist and obsessive Blues fan. I was born in Valencia where I have lived all my life. I fell in love with the Blues via rock 'n' roll records from people like, Elvis, Stray Cats and Johnny Winter; who were the musicians I knew and liked at 18. These records led me to BB King and Muddy Waters. Once I heard the first records by The Fabulous Thunderbirds and Stevie Ray Vaughan, I finally gave in and started collecting records. Between 1988-90, I met some new friends who played and we got together a Blues group called Blues Power and experimented with all of Chicago and Texas Blues we could. Around this same time, I met a guitarist from Houston who had deserted the army and was a one of a kind person. Together we formed another blues band called Little Fred and the Tijuana Jukes, and the truth is that the two groups collaborated together a lot. Personally my interests focus on Blues albums that were called Race Music; Blues and Ragtime Blues recorded between 1920 and 1940, and the Rhythm 'n' Blues from the late 50s and mid 60s.

A couple of years ago I started thinking about creating a partnership to provide a platform to show the richness and excellence of this art form to others and to perform this style of music in our city; a platform that would provide some way to learn, play and enjoy

this genre. The initial crazy idea was to create an entity solvent enough to promote and bring leading artists both European and American, but there were no promoters who would hire them to play in Valencia. I got in touch with fellow musicians and fans to see if they were receptive to my ideas, and they said yes, so I went into the development of the constitution and the design of the aims and purposes of the Association.

2. Can you give us an overview of the purpose of the Valencia Blues Society?

The purpose of the Society is to become a leader in the Blues scene in the Valencian Community, and to be a forum for communication amongst Blues fans and musicians. But above all, as a cultural association to promote, encourage and educate about Blues music in all its manifestations.

3. What events does the society get involved in?

We are developing a Cycle of Blues Cinema, which we have been doing since March. We have been showing a series of films in several places in Ruzafa (Recordshop and Hat Gallery) including Paris Texas by Wim Wenders and Honeydripper by John Sayles.

In July we will show films in collaboration with the Department Conselleria d´Educació, Cultura i Esport in the Palau de Pineda.

We have also conducted a Jam Session at Rock Bar Experience, a vinyl listening session of Blues called "The Voice of The Blues" in Recordshop where we listened to recordings from Tommy Johnson and Blind Blake made in the late 1920s, to Jimmie Vaughan in 1994.

On July 26th we are getting together with Loco Club for a night of Rough 'n' Tumble Rockin 'Blues with the Fab Blueshakers,

No great artist ever sees things as they really are, if he did, he would cease to be an artist. :: Oscar Wilde

the Tijuana Blues, and DJ Quique Lledo. From our earliest days we have had a few conversations about organizing a Blues Festival but it is only an idea and frankly, there is no hurry. We must bear in mind that Valencia Blues Society was only founded in December 2012, just six months in existence and our priority is to consolidate as an association and build from there. We really want to do something that makes a difference.

4. Do you receive any sponsorship or funding?

No, but we would be happy to. The Valencia Blues Society is funded entirely through contributions from its members and from events that we do.

5. What are your thoughts on the current live music scene here in Valencia and in Spain?

Bands in general and Blues bands are having to adapt to complicated conditions and local requirements. For this reason groups become duets or trios or transform and adapt their style. There are not many venues for artists to play. In most cases venues can no longer pay performers; the options are either a percentage of the bar (in the best case), to take a cut from the box office or to pass the hat.

This situation is also quite common amongst Blues and Country musicians in the United States. I think that essentially regardless of musical style all groups composed of amateur musicians or semiprofessionals are facing this kind of scenario. Obviously you cannot be a professional in these conditions.

6. Do you receive much support from local venues or other societies?

The truth is that the locals who I have contacted have been very receptive and have cooperated and been willing to undertake joint activities. The challenge is to organize something that yields economic results, which will allow us to develop; but there in lays the difficulty.

7. What upcoming events do you have planned?

Apart from the things I have talked about above, we have organised a School of Blues for different instruments, however, we are looking for the right space to host the activities. The Blues Society Jam Sessions will continue.

8. What future plans do you have for the Society?

What we see in the future is the coordination and management of a Blues Festival in Valencia sometime between next year and the following year. We want to produce something on the same level as other Spanish festivals held in Hondarribia, Cazorla and Bejar.

We are looking to find sponsors and either as part of a festival or independently, we would like to bring artists such as Stefan Grossman, Kim Wilson or Tom Feldmann to Valencia to do various instrumental workshops. We are also beginning to design, record and produce a compilation of Valencian Blues groups, which we hope will be available by the end of next year. Also in the medium term we are looking at the publication of books, comics, curating

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exhibitions and supporting all kinds of artistic expression that is connected with and related to the Blues.

Blues music has a rich heritage that continues to this day. There was a major resurgence in the mid eighties until the mid nineties and in 2003 Martin Scorsese produced a major TV series exploring the history and impact of Blues music. It is no exaggeration to say that Blues music has shaped almost all popular music forms from Rock n Roll through Rock music and Heavy Metal, Jazz, Soul through HipHop and Rap and forms the basis of much of the music we hear. It offers much more than the simple renditions heard in many bars of standards such as Mustang Sally. Artists such as Robert Johnson, Son House, Stevie Ray Vaughan, BB King and Buddy Guy took this deceptively simple form and created some of the greatest music ever recorded. BB King is now 87 years old and still continues to tour and record. Artists such as Joe Bonamassa, John Mayer and Jack White continue to prove that the Blues still has much to offer and it is great to see an organisation such as the Valencia Blues Society operating here and continuing to support and spread the Blues as far as they can.

You can contact the Valencia Blues Society and Javier Tijuana on Facebook or at xaviermariaperez@yahoo.es

12

Cocktails

Shades of Blues

Taking inspiration from our article on the Blues we present some The last Cocktail brings us south through Mississippi to Louisiana, Blues inspired cocktails to enjoy whilst listening to some great music again places famous for the Blues. When we arrive in Louisiana we and relaxing during the long warm summer nights. are greeted with another world famous export. Southern Comfort and things get a little bit Jazzier.

Two things that are inextricably linked to Tennesse are the Blues and Jack Daniel's, so here we have a couple of cocktails for you to enjoy.

Lynchberg Lemonade

Cajun Thunder

Ingredients

Ingredients:

1 part Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 1 part triple sec 1 part sour mix 4 parts lemon-lime soda

45ml shot of Southern Comfort 15ml shot of Jack Daniel's Dash of Tabasco

Instructions Combine and stir. Garnish with a lemon slice and cherry.

Instructions Shake and serve in a shot glass.

So far we have had some pretty manly cocktails, so for the final two recipes we are going to calm things down a bit.

Jack and Ginger Ingredients

Southern Hurricane

1 part Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 3 parts ginger ale

Ingredients: 45ml shot of Southern Comfort 45ml of Sour Mix 45ml of Orange Juice 45ml of Pineapple Juice Splash of Grenadine Glass: Hurricane

Instructions Serve over ice. Garnish with lime.

Southern Harmony Ingredients

Instructions Stir and serve over ice with Orange wedge and Cherry for garnish.

20ml shot of Southern Comfort 1 splash of 7-UP or Sprite Lemon Wedge 35ml shot of Jack Daniels 120 ml of Sour Mix Instructions Combine over ice and serve.

SoCo Manhattan

ly! i b si on

p es ! r joy ero n eeeah s a b Pleon't D

Ingredients: 65ml of Southern Comfort 22ml of Sweet Vermouth Dash of Bitters Instructions Shake, garnish with a cherry and serve in a martini glass.

13

Independent review

El Timple

Located at the top of the main street in Montserrat El Timple is a large, friendly restaurant with a small terrace situated out front.

Having visited the Montserrat Fair we headed to El Timple for a late dinner and were very pleasantly surprised by the quality and price of our meal.

All the dishes were of very good quality, tasty and the portions were sizable.

Our food was washed down with water, Coke, a couple of beers and coffee.

The menu offers a range of Tapas dishes and main courses. The four And guess what? of us opted to try a selection of dishes from the Tapas menu to share.

The entire meal that amply fed four people was around 30â‚Ź.

At first glance the selection of Tapas dishes on offer is not as broad as many establishments but here you will find the 'old faithful' list of A bargain! options. Salads, Patatas Bravas, Stuffed Mushrooms, Calamari etc.

It can often be hard to decide where to eat in and around Valencia as We selected the Stuffed Mushrooms, which were large and tasty, many of the Spanish style Tapas bars and restaurants seem to offer Cheese which was excellent, the Summer Salad and the House Salad much the same menu and options. However, quality and quantity can which were both excellent and on a higher level than most salads vary wildly so it is always nice when you come across a place that is offered in similar establishments. We also had the Patatas Bravas, that bit better than the average.

Mussels and endless supplies of Bread.

We will be back soon.

El Timple. Avda. Jaime I, 72. Montserrat. Valencia.

Guitar Lessons Rock, Funk, Heavy, Indie, Blues etc Improvising/Soloing Chords & Scales Listening & Ear training Songwriting Customised lessons to the interests of the student Masters degree in Music with teaching experience.

Contact Paul at twentyhertz@twentyhertz.co.uk

Practice your English at the same time!

Beginner to intermediate level All ages welcome.

14

Recipes

Marina Lekkerkerker

It's so easy to make your own bread!

I love Spain, but I love brown bread even more. Or almost so. And Ingredients I am lucky, because right now I can have my bread and eat it! To escape the heat I am staying in my motherland Holland for a little 500 grams of flour (whole meal, normal, strong flour, or a type of your while. In Amsterdam to be more precise. And oh boy, do I enjoy my own choice) and some extra for dusting breakfasts and lunches!

20 to 25 grams of fresh yeast (depending on the standard size of the Spanish bread is not too bad, but nothing beats brown, spelt or package you're using) muesli bread and all the other multi cereal whole meal feasts you get or alternatively a package of 7 gram dried yeast here. Good thing with the Dutch is that they´re not very nationalist.

Not because they are angels, but because they have always been an 230 ml lukewarm water international trading breed. So it´s not only good Dutch bread I get here, but good bread from all over the world!

Optional: 1 or 2 tablespoons of olive oil (good for the bread's texture and helps to make the bread last a bit longer) Spanish options 1 teaspoon of salt In Spain it´s mostly plain white bread. Brown bread used to remind the Spanish of the hunger years and was hence disregarded. But Optional: some sesame, poppy or other type of seeds things are changing. Supermarkets like Carrefour sell semi fresh made brown bread and in Lidl you can buy packets with special flour A bread tin (although you could also just shape your bread in a big mixes to make your own bread. Also, places with lots of Northern roll) and baking paper European immigrates tend to have their own bakeries. But you know what? You could just make your own bread yourself. All you need is flour, yeast, water, salt and patience.

It's easy!

I might not be able to sum it all up in just one paragraph, but don´t be put off by that. Bread making is really simple. And once you´ve mastered the basics, you can start varying and make some special bread. Just visit my blog for a follow up recipe for focaccia. This is an absolutely gorgeous flat and salty Italian bread. You can make it by adding some extra olive oil and salt to your basic dough and garnish your bread with a topping of your choice. Or what about Libyan flat bread with pumpkin and spices? But as I said, basics first...

Never trust a man, who when left alone with a tea cosy ... doesn’t try it on. :: Billy Connolly

Sharing Even better is to double the amounts mentioned above. This way you can make two loaves of bread. Not to keep - your fresh bread will soon become stale. This is normal since you don´t use any preservatives. But still, it´s better to make two loaves of bread and you can make your neighbours happy with a loaf as well. They might like it so much they start making their own bread as well and give one of their loaves to you!* Preparation In a lot of authentic recipes the authors tell you to start with a heap of flour. Next you need to make a little hole in this mound in which you have to dissolve the yeast and water after, bit by bit, you are allowed to mix in the flour. Pff, how complicated!

Order?

I did some experimentation and tried to mix everything at the same time to see what happens... Well I can tell you, the only thing that matters is that you need to dissolve your fresh yeast in most of the lukewarm water before mixing it with the rest of your ingredients. Or if you use dried yeast, mix it with the flour before adding the liquids.

The rest doesn´t matter. The only thing with bread making that´s really important is the proving, so don´t fool around with that. But we´ll take it step by step.

Mixing

second round of kneading, you can put your bread in a bread tin or shape it in a form of your choice. If you like, put some sesame or other seeds on top. Leave the bread for another 45 minutes in a warm place and preheat your oven to a temperature of 220 degrees Celsius.

Finally Bake your bread for about 40-60 minutes (depending on the flour used and quality of your oven). When you think the bread is done, take it out of its mold and knock on the bottom. If it sounds hollow, you bread is done. If not, leave it a bit longer in the oven without the mold. After baking, leave the bread for about 30 minutes to cool on a rack. Then eat and enjoy!* * If you made too much and you don't have any neighbours or friends to make happy, you can deep freeze your bread after cooling.

To defrost, just take it out of the freezer and be patient or put it in a microwave on the defrost setting for 1 or 1,5 minutes. Afterwards put it in a preheated oven for some 5 to 10 minutes. The bread will taste as if you just made it!

With the above in mind, start mixing all your ingredients in a bowl.

Save some flour for dusting your work top or for adding a bit to your dough if necessary. Mix everything well with your (washed!) hands.

If your dough is too dry (meaning it doesn't stick together), add some extra water. If it´s too sticky and your hands are covered in a yucky kind of substance, add some flour.

Kneading and proving Once you've got a manageable ball, continue your kneading on a dusted work top or table. Roll, massage, knead and cherish your dough for at least 10 minutes to free the gluten. This will help to make the dough a nice elastic bouncy texture (gluten is not bad you know, it's just people with allergies that have problems with them).

After the kneading, shape the dough in a ball again, put it back in the bowl, cover with cling film or a tea towel and let it prove in a warm place for some 45 minutes. During this time the yeast will do its work (and you can do something else) and make your dough 'airy' which in turn will make your mix almost double in volume.

Second round of kneading and proving After all this, you need to knock the air out of the dough. So knead again for 5 to 10 minutes. Experts say this second kneading and proving will enhance the quality of your dough. It definitely improves the texture and taste of the bread so it´s worth the effort. After this

15

Marina Lekkerkerker For more recipes and stories please visit the blog: www.cantinamarinacatering.blogspot.com

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18

Getaways

Reflections on Canada

This month we’ve decided to go a bit further afield for our Getaways article. Following my recent trip to Toronto and the surrounding area, I’m going to tell you what makes it such a great place to visit for people looking for something a bit different.

people in Canada from other countries who have told me how easy it was to integrate into society and how helpful and friendly the people are. This is another thing which surprised me: The people are just generally nice and when they offer you help, they actually mean it and they really are just super happy to meet you. Having spent most This was my second trip to Toronto in as many years following a of my adult life in Glasgow, to start with I actually thought people period of far too many years where I completely neglected my second were taking the mick; my sister did however let me know pretty early country (being part Scottish, part Canadian). Although after arriving, on, that that’s just how the Canadians are. it was a place that felt like I’d never left it and memories of my childhood summer holidays came flooding back. The biggest reason I arrived in Toronto Pearson airport at about 8pm local time where I for my journey this time was to see family both old and newly arrived was collected from the airport by my dad whose first question to me but also to become reacquainted with the land I once called home. was “Do you want to get an ice-cream”? I’m a huge fan of ice-cream and was delighted to be taken to Baskin Robbins after just stepping Toronto is the largest city in Canada and the fourth largest city in North foot off the plane. When we got there the first thing I noticed were America, meaning you’ll never fall short of things to do or see (I will the amount of flavours available. How was I supposed to decide in highlight some of the things I did while visiting later in the article). the few minutes it took us to get served? I’m no longer used to such Toronto is one of the world’s most diverse cities by percentage of choices and it was confusing me, prompting my dad to tell me that my non-native born residents, with about 49% of the population being sister’s favourite was Chocolate Peanut Butter and thereby making born outside Canada. One of the great things about this is you’ll see my decision for me. It was delightful and is now most definitely, a all races and nationalities living together and socialising without the firm favourite. problems you can witness elsewhere in the world. I have met many

19

Sex was the most fun I ever had without laughing. :: Woody Allen

During my whole holiday the amount of choice was something that off and admire some of the other dogs in the park. overwhelmed me a great deal in restaurants, supermarkets and even shopping malls. The choice available often left me looking for help. Canada’s Wonderland What to eat!? Where to go!? What to buy!?

The next big thing on our list that I wanted to do was go to Canada’s The following day I picked up my rental car, a white Mazda 3 and an Wonderland which is Canada’s first major theme park and remains automatic. I haven’t driven an automatic for about eight years and I the largest, boasting 16 roller coasters. The park also features a water hated it then. So, how was I going to get through three weeks driving park, which was only opened at the weekends while I was there so one? Although it took me a few days to stop reaching for the clutch, I missed out on that this time as we decided to go on a Monday the driving experience was amazing. Other drivers on the road were when we knew it would be quiet and we wouldn’t have to queue for courteous, polite and most importantly, able to follow basic rules of the rides. While we were there we rode a large variety of the roller the road such as obeying traffic lights, speed limits and stop signs. coasters including the Leviathan that opened in 2012 and is one of Another thing I loved about driving in Canada was seeing the huge the biggest and tallest roller coasters in the world. And although we swimming pools being driven down the road with a police escort. enjoyed the roller coasters, as the day wore on we headed towards However, one of my favourite driving experiences while there was on the quieter rides. Two of our favourites being the lazy river and the the drive home from Niagara Falls sitting behind a black BMW Z3 with water logs. the license plate 'I’m Gay'. That really made my day.

The day was great and we very much wanted to return but were Niagara Falls unable to due to time constraints.

Niagara Falls is the collective name for the three falls that straddle the border between the Canadian province of Ontario and the U.S state of New York. From the largest to the smallest, the three waterfalls are the Horseshoe Falls, the American Falls and the Bridal Veil Falls. The Horseshoe Falls lie on the Canadian side and the others on the American side. The Canadian Horseshoe Falls powerful flow peaks at 900,000 cubic feet per second. The remainder of the river flow is diverted upstream from the falls and shared by Canada and the United States for hydroelectric production. These beautiful and powerful falls attract thousands of tourists every year.

Toronto Zoo

The next point of call on my agenda was Toronto Zoo. A place I remember quite clearly from my childhood but once I arrived, only a few things popped up as being familiar. The zoo has over 5000 animals of over 500 species and is one of the largest zoos in the world. Although the zoo is quite a bit bigger than Valencia’s Bioparc, it’s not as modern and in my sister’s and my opinion, the Bioparc is a more enjoyable day out. I was surprised to see that the giraffes at the zoo were still the same ones we visited as children; the oldest will be celebrating her thirtieth birthday in August making her almost So day one of my holiday was spent in Niagara Falls and while as old as me.

I recognised some parts of it, there were other things that were obviously new. On arriving the first thing we did was go for an ice cream. This time I opted for a Cookie Sandwich with Cake Frosting flavour. After our ice cream we walked along the falls edge enjoying the cool spray. As we were getting closer to the falls and the spray stopped, we realised how hot it was and we were dry within seconds.

While walking we would stop to admire the views and watch the boats which are called Maid of the Mist that go right up to the falls getting the passengers soaked before turning back and heading to dry land. Of course once we had finished admiring the falls the next stop was the souvenir shops where we purchased some reminders of the day. Before returning home for the night we stopped in at a local buffet restaurant for some dinner where the food was good and plentiful with free refills on the drinks.

The next few days were spent shopping, eating out, taking the dog to the park and spending time with the family. While I was there I must have visited ten different shopping malls each one offering a different variety of shops, eateries and services. We would often take the dog to High Park in the early evening. The park offers sports facilities including a pool, cultural and educational facilities, gardens, playgrounds, a small zoo and plenty of off leash spaces for the dog, including forest walks and a huge run including picnic benches and some agility apparatus. Each night we would take the dog to one of the off leash areas and let him run some of his energy

20

Children should neither be seen or heard from – ever again. :: W.C. Fields

This year the zoo has got two new residents in the shape of panda bears that have got most of my family there pretty excited and desperate to visit the zoo as soon as they can. Favourite animals in the zoo were the giraffes, polar bears and the cougar. As the zoo is so big it offers transport within the grounds using what they refer to as the Zoo Train. You can hop on and off this as desired or take a full trip round the zoo in it; we did both. We finished our day off with a bit of shopping buying presents in the many souvenir shops dotted around the park.

Pacific Mall Pacific Mall is the largest indoor Chinese Asian shopping mall in North America and has over 450 mini-shops. There were a large variety of shops selling home electronics, CD’s, DVD’s, phone accessories, glasses, furniture, fashion items, toys, stationary and food. While there my delighted sister had a Hello Kitty key cut for her apartment and purchased a variety of Hello Kitty goodies. We had a huge portion of noodles for lunch which were tasty and authentic.

To drink I had my first Bubble Tea; I chose green apple and lychee flavour and enjoyed it. I’ve noticed a Bubble Tea shop has opened in Valencia close to Plaza Reina and am looking forward to a visit.

In the centre of the mall there was karaoke happening that pulled

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huge crowds and there was apparently a very famous Chinese singer there. The Pacific mall was a great alternative day out and something completely different from the norm.

Toronto city A few days were spent exploring this diverse city. I spent a day wandering up Queen Street where alternative shops lined the street.

There were tattoo parlours that also sold specialist clothing, huge music shops where any music enthusiast could spend hours, second hand record shops where prices started at 50 cents, vintage shops with genuine original items, alternative clothes and shoe shops. The items I purchased while on Queen Street were considerably cheaper than where I’d seen them elsewhere. When we were walking along the street we were stopped many times by promoters offering free goodie bags from shops such as H&M, ice cold cans of Coca Cola, bottles of ice tea, shop discounts and I don’t remember what else.

Coming off Queen Street took us onto Spadina Avenue at China Town where all the street signs are in Chinese as well as English. This also continues with some of the bigger banks as well as the many shops.

China town is a great place to go buy all your Canada tourist tack to take

21

home. You’ll find many shops selling Canada merchandise such as T-shirts, magnets and key rings. Amongst the tack shops you’ll also find street markets selling all sorts of food stuffs like exotic fruits I had never seen before and dried prawns and fish: The smell was overpowering!

We turned off Spadina Avenue to take us to Kensington Street where the more alternative locals hang out. We looked about the shops at the vintage merchandise and genuine cowboy boots. Here you will also find organic fruit and vegetable shops as well as vegetarian and vegan cafes and restaurants. The bar we chose for a drink had a local feel with plenty of drink choices, friendly staff and a broad range of clientele.

The last major tourist attraction we enjoyed was the CN Tower that is a 1,815.4 ft high concrete communications and observation tower.

The tower was completed in 1976 becoming the world’s tallest freestanding structure and world’s tallest tower at the time. It held both records for 34 years. To get to the first observation deck you get in a lift and once you get there you can enjoy a meal or drink in the restaurant or just take in the views where on a clear day you can see the Falls. Down one level there is the glass floor where you can look straight down onto Toronto which wasn’t something I liked to do.

There is also the possibility of taking the lift another floor up to the sky pod which is the highest point you can reach, thirty three more stories high. And for the more adventurous there is the edge walk that is the CN Tower’s most thrilling attraction in its 35 year history, and the first of its kind in North America. It is the world’s highest full circle hands-free walk on a 5 ft. (1.5 m) wide ledge encircling the top of the Tower’s main pod, 356m/1168ft (116 storeys) above the ground. While we were at the CN Tower we just enjoyed the views.

Where we stood you could see right into the Blue Jays stadium where Toronto’s major baseball team play and we were lucky enough to be able to see a bit of the action from our bird’s eye seats.

collected lots of doggy goodies such as food samples, treats, brushes, poop bags, toys and there were even some stalls offering free pet pictures and grooming. There were also areas fenced off to allow the dogs to run around and play and water bowls everywhere for the dogs to drink from. The dogs themselves were amazing; some of them dyed bright colours and others in silly little outfits with their nails painted. There were dogs being pushed in prams, dogs in bags and dogs in what looked like baby carriers, we also witnessed one cat in a pram who occasionally got taken out for a walk on its lead.

The festival was free and was great for the companies to promote the services they offered. An excellent day out for the dog as well who fell asleep as soon as we arrived home.

I was in Canada for three weeks but the time flew by. I had a thoroughly enjoyable visit and hope to return again very soon.

You cannot get flights direct to Toronto from Valencia so I flew Swiss Air via Zurich and Montreal. I was very happy with Swiss Air and Woofstock would use them again. On my return my flight from Zurich to Valencia was cancelled but the airline were very helpful and thorough with my I was lucky enough to be there when the Woofstock Festival was on. return flight options; they also put me up in a hotel for the night paid Woofstock is North America’s largest festival for dogs and being a for my taxis and gave me vouchers for food. So as well as a trip to dog lover this was an excellent day out near the end of my trip. There Canada, I got a free night’s break in Switzerland to get over my jet lag. were plenty of stalls literally offering something for nothing and we

LITTLE AMERICA FOOD and DRINKS

American food store specializing in products imported from United States C/ Músico Peydró No 54 46001 Valencia 607 231 006 www.facebook.com/Valencialittleamerica

22

P.E.P.A.

The helping hands charity. Part II

Second part of our article on P.E.P.A. where we interviewed still am, plus I'm on our fund raising committee.

Chairperson Patricia Taylor 3. Does PEPA help other animals?

1. Why did you decide to get involved in PEPA? Only in as far as advertising an animal for rehoming on our website When my husband Ken and I retired early to Spain, it was an ideal and on Facebook - and by networking amongst our contacts. Offhand opportunity to get involved in something dear to my heart. I went I can recall that we've rehomed: a turtle, a couple of rabbits, a goat, a along to the very first PEPA open meeting - and have been hooked baby pot-bellied pig and a parrot. ever since!

4. What help or support do you get from the government?

2. What are your day to day duties as the chairwoman?

PEPA like many animal charities in Spain does not get any help from Pretty varied, with many duties not being easily defined. A daily the government or any other official bodies. task as President is to answer emails sent to PEPA. Other duties are: interaction with the Spanish authorities, especially with 5. You mentioned yesterday that people from other countries adopt regards to our two charity shops; representing PEPA at fund raising dogs from PEPA, can you tell us more about this? functions; monthly input in the PEPA newsletter and working alongside our Treasurer Sean Hall-Smith in the authorisation and This year, since PEPA has been more active on Facebook, payment of invoices. All the PEPA Board members, and many of our approximately 12% of the adoptions have been by people living volunteers, are multi-tasked and wear different hats for different in the UK. We’ve built up a list of approved transporters who give jobs. For example Joe Goodwin, our outgoing President, was and favourable reductions to charities. Before we allow a dog to be still is responsible for the management of our feral cat sterilisation adopted into the UK, we'll speak personally with the future owners programme. I have always been involved in the rehoming team and I and also arrange for a home visit to be carried out, usually these are

There are lies, damned lies and statistics. :: Mark Twain

23

done by UK based animal organisations. PEPA owes a big thank you to Rosemary MacDonald, from our rehoming team, for being largely responsible for all aspects of publicity.

6. Have there been any particular stories or dogs that stand out for you?

There are lots of stories. The one that is particularly pertinent to me now is Mandi’s story. Mandi is a little terrier who was dumped almost 2 years ago on the outskirts of the town where I live. She lived on a roundabout for at least 6 months, presumably waiting for her owners to come back for her. Gradually Mandi moved further into the town and was fed by many a kind person. Unfortunately she was extremely wary and wasn't going to allow herself to be caught. She even gave birth and successfully reared 4 puppies out on the streets. The pups were all picked and adopted pretty quickly. I fostered two of them; they were gorgeous - typical little dogs with huge characters. To get back to Mandi: after a year out "in the cold" she was eventually picked up by a Spanish man who had been regularly feeding her. I was very keen to foster her and see her rehomed into a loving family and so she came to live with us. The good news is that Mandi soon settled down with us and developed into an affectionate little girl.

The bad news is that she had Leishmaniosis and could not be treated because her kidneys were so damaged. Mandi has been with us for 9 months and is now in the final stages of kidney failure. Nothing can be done for her. We’ve adopted her; at least she'll die having an owner to call her own.

7. What advice would you give to someone who encounters a stray or abandoned dog?

A lot depends upon the circumstances. Firstly we advise to ensure that it he is a stray and not a "latch key" dog. Is he wearing a collar?

What condition is his coat in? Is he very thin etc? Then, if possible we ask that the dog is taken to the nearest vet to check whether he is microchipped. Vets rarely charge for this service. Where appropriate we’d also advise to put up notices and take a photo along to the local police just in case he is lost. If the dog is a stray and if PEPA does not have any available foster carers, as is sadly often the case, we try to encourage the finder to care for the dog, whilst we support them by advertising the dog on our website, through the English speaking publication and through Facebook. Each case is different and according to the circumstances and our finances we'll give medical support, especially in the case of a pregnant female or injured dog.

Often the stray dog is very nervous and will not let anybody go near him. I’d always advise in these cases to please feed and give water to the dog and provide basic shelter if possible and to try to slowly gain the dog’s confidence.

She came to me badly injured, she was 4 years old and had never lived inside and been petted and fussed. It took her very little time to appreciate the benefits of living the “good life”! She is so faithful and loving – and surprisingly has never been dirty in the house.

There are lots of people, within our circle, who have adopted stray dogs and would agree.

9. If someone was interested in fostering/adopting a dog what would be expected of the person and what are the benefits for both the person and the dog?

With respect to adoption PEPA, as with all animal charities, would expect that the dog is given a secure, loving home. We do "vet" all future owners to ensure that they and the dog are well matched. The PEPA rehoming team doesn't generally get to meet the new owners, however our foster carers do and they have the last say as to whether 8. All your animals are neutered which in Spain is quite rare, what are the adoption takes place. Here is an extract from our adoption the benefits of doing this? contract: There are far too many unwanted dogs in Spain. Except in very rare cases our experience at PEPA has been that rescue dogs, whatever their background, have adapted remarkably well to living alongside people as family pets. In fact I think that rescue dogs make the most loving and loyal of companions. One of my dogs is a Podenco who was born and bred to hunt.

“By signing this contract you accept the conditions of the Valencian Law 4/1994, of the 8th of July, concerning the regulations relating to domestic pets. This law covers maintenance, housing, and veterinary care. Preventative measurements should be taken against all normal diseases and disorders, including Leishmaniosis.

24

Within the Valencian Community, it is also law that every dog should be vaccinated against rabies, micro-chipped and should have a Pet Passport. By signing this contract you are agreeing to comply with this law.

Obtaining the Pet Passport is relatively inexpensive and will enable you to travel with your dog to most other European countries, incl. the UK, and will therefore save you the potential distress of having to leave your dog behind, if you are not returning to Spain.

We would also urge you to have your dog sterilized/castrated if s/he has not already had the operation. No animal adopted via PEPA may be used for breeding purposes.

You can ask us to re-home the dog, if within 15 days you find this dog is not for you. During this trial period, P.E.P.A. reserves the right to visit you at your home to ensure that the animal is being treated properly and, if necessary, remove it. After fifteen days you agree to accept full responsibility for the animal’s welfare and the conditions of this contract. Should your circumstances change in the future and you need to find a new home for your dog, if you contact us, we will do whatever we can to help you re-home your pet. Under no circumstances should the animal be destroyed unless certified as necessary by a qualified veterinary surgeon”.

With regards to someone who would like to foster a dog; a member of the PEPA rehoming team always pays a home visit to explain the ins and outs of fostering and to ascertain what type of dog is required or would be suitable. Apart from providing a secure loving environment, the role of the foster carer is also to help the dog to reach his full potential to ensure that he is successfully adopted.

At my age flowers scare me. :: George Burns

PEPA holds various fund raising events throughout the year. Our fun days and markets/rastros are successful. As PEPA operates over a fairly large area it’s not always feasible for people to attend all our functions. One of the best ways that supporters can help is by holding a fund raising event within their home; such as a coffee morning, bring and buy, book sale, pot luck lunch and so on. It doesn’t have to be a grand affair at all, just a get together with a few friends. People have been so generous towards PEPA in this way.

11. Are there any benefits of being a registered charity such as help with the shops you rent, taxes etc?

Sadly no! We pay a commercial rent on both our shops and do not receive any tax reductions.

12. Here in Spain maybe dogs are still seen as being working animals where as in Northern Europe they are seen as being pets, why do you think this is?

I think it is a cultural difference that is gradually changing. It’s been my pleasure to meet many concerned and caring animal lovers within the Spanish community.

13. Many people have good intentions but lack education when it comes to animals, how do you think we can change this?

As a visitor to this country, I personally feel that the best way for nonSpanish people to “educate” is by example. Open days in Protectoras 10. One of the ways people can help is by fund raising what are some and dog shows are also excellent ways in raising the profile. It is on of the best fund raisers you have had?

PEPA’s wish list to be able to set up a programme whereby local vets

25

are recruited to visit schools to talk about animal matters. No doubt there are Spanish charities and animal organisations throughout Spain that already do this.

14. Are there any particular dogs that people seem to want more than others such as a certain breed, puppies, older dogs, males, females, large, small etc?

The vast majority of our dogs are custom made – ie mixed breeds! (If we do have any dogs that appear pure bred we’d ensure that he/she is sterilized before adoption). Small sized dogs are obviously popular and rarely stay on our books for long. Similarly, German Shepherd dogs. Puppies are also popular, although a lot depends on what breed or mixture of breed they are. Sadly Podencos are more difficult to rehome, possibly because there are so many here in Spain. It is a shame as they make the most amazingly loyal and affectionate pets and are lovely dogs to have around the house.

15. What do you see happening in the future for PEPA? At the moment I do not envisage large changes. It is not our ambition to open a shelter. All our dogs are in private homes or small family run boarding kennels. It would be great to open another charity shop in a larger town and raise more funds so that we can increase the activity on our feral cat sterilization programme and be able to support more people who have rescued dogs and puppies and are willing/able to look after them until rehomed.

You can contact Patricia Taylor on 96 283 3325 For more information head over to: www.pepaspain.com and join their mailing list to keep fully informed about news and fund raising events.

P.E.P.A. C/Cervantes 26 Bajo, La Font d'En Carros, 46717, Valencia.

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26

Beautiful minds

by Suzanne Mordue

Activity 1 Look at the sentences below.

Are they true or false?

1 Only opticians can use adaptable glasses 2 Stirling Moss was a motor racing driver 3 Sir James Dyson got his cleaner design right first time 4 Trevor Baylis has designed products for stunt men 5 The A-bike can be made smaller 6 Most glasses have two lenses

Activity 2 Look at the words below. Fill in the missing vowels to make some words from the article: 1 If you are really interested in something you have _nth_s_ _sm 2 Doctors use a syr _ng_ to take your blood.

3 Many electrical machines contain b_tt_r_ _s 4 If something is bl_ck_d it stops working

The Dyson cleaner In many homes around the world you can see a cleaner that looks like a spaceship. This is the Dyson vacuum cleaner which uses something called ‘cyclonic separation’ to separate the dirt.

This means that you do not need a bag for your cleaner and it does not get blocked so it is very practical. The idea came to Sir James Dyson after he kept having problems with his vacuum cleaner.

He decided he could design a better one and he made over 5,000 prototypes before he got it right.

He tried to sell his invention to manufacturing companies but they were not interested so in 1993 he opened his own factory. The Dyson is now one of the best-selling cleaners in the UK and the US and Dyson himself is believed to have earned over a billion pounds.

So keep dreaming and inventing, one day you might get it right!

Word of the week A ‘new lease of life’ is when someone is happy because they have a new chance in life

For more fun activities to help you learn English visit www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish

Look at the adjectives below. Do they refer to the Sinclair C5 (C5), adaptable glasses (AG), the wind-up radio (WR) or the Dyson cleaner (DC) ugly ___

hi-tech ___

practical ___

tiny ___

cheap ___ ___

simple ___

dangerous ___

Activity 4 Could you be an inventor?

Choose A or B and then check the answers.

1 Do you often stay up all night to finish something?

A Yes B No 2 Are you good with your hands?

A Yes B No 3 Are you creative?

A Yes B No 4 Are you very patient?

A Yes B No 5 Do you like making new things?

A Yes B No Mainly As – You are a natural inventor.

Mainly Bs – Sorry, you haven’t got what it takes

Answers

Adaptable glasses Do you wear glasses? If so, can you imagine life without them? In 1985 Joshua Silver was a professor at the University of Oxford. One day a conversation with a colleague about lenses for glasses gave him an idea. He thought ‘Can I design a pair of glasses that could be changed by the wearer?’ In places like Africa there are often no opticians in small towns and so people can’t buy glasses. He designed two plastic lenses that are filled with a special liquid. Using syringes you change the liquid between the lenses until you can see clearly. The glasses are not beautiful but they are easy to use and cheap to make. So far 30,000 pairs have been sold and this is also helping people to learn to read. People who could not work because of their eyesight have been given a

The wind-up radio When you switch your TV on tonight think about all those people without electricity. Trevor Baylis was thinking about this in 1989 when he came up with the idea of designing a radio that could be powered by hand. In common with Joshua Silver he wanted his invention to be cheap and easy to use. He wanted even the poorest people in developing countries, who don’t have electricity and cannot afford batteries, to use it. The radio has a generator which is powered by turning a handle. In 1996 it won a BBC Design Award for Best Product and Best Design. Baylis often stays awake all night working and has also designed a range of inventions to help disabled people.

All this from a man who started his working life as a stunt man!

Activity 3

Activity 1 1F 2T 3F 4F 5T 6T

The Sinclair C5 The C5 was a simple vehicle which moved at 24 kilometres per hour and had three wheels.

You didn’t even need to have a driving licence to use it. The C5 was invented by Sir Clive Sinclair in 1985. He spent millions of pounds developing this product and even encouraged Stirling Moss, winner of sixteen F1 Grand Prix motor races, to advertise the vehicle. Unfortunately it had many problems. It did not work well on hills and the battery was easily damaged by rain. It also wasn’t very safe. The C5 was so tiny it was difficult for much larger vehicles to see it. Only 12,000 were ever sold and Sinclair lost a lot of money. This didn’t stop his enthusiasm for inventing and in 2006 he started selling the ‘A-bike’ a lightweight folding bicycle.

new lease of life as well. Silver continues to think big and dreams of the day when millions will be using his technology.

Activity 3 ugly AG hi-tech DC practical DC tiny C5 cheap AG, WR simple C5 dangerous C5

Have you ever dreamed of building your own time machine?

Do you wish you could invent something new? You can find many inventors in British culture, although some of their designs have been more successful than others. Here we look a few.

Activity 2 1 enthusiasm 2 syringe 3 batteries 4 blocked

© Mat Wright

© British Council 2010

27

In Scotland there is no such thing as bad weather, only the wrong clothes. :: Billy Connolly

TOBACCONISTS MONTROY

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Lotto, Primitiva, Euro Millions & Quinieles

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English spoken

‘Estanc

British cigarettes, tobacco and produce

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Te enseñamos inglés

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Intercambios Portland Ale House - Calle Salamanca, 10 - Tuesday & Wednesday 8:30pm English Night & Thursday 8:30pm German Night Anfora - Avenida de Francia, 65 - Thursday 8pm St Patricks - Gran Vía Marqués del Turia, 69 - Thursday 8pm English, Spanish & German Cafe de las Horas - Calle del Conde de Almodovar - Monday 8pm The Lounge - Calle de la Estameneria Vieja - Monday 9pm Big Ben - Plaza Honduras, 36 - Monday 8pm El Labratorio - Plaza Cors de la Mare de Deu, 3 - Tuesday 7pm The Black Sheep - Plaza de la Porta de la Mar, 6 - Tuesday 7pm Sofa Club - Avenida Tirso de Molina, 15 - Tuesday 7pm Ubik Cafe - Calle Literato Azorin, 13 - Tuesday 8:45pm Sally O'Brien - Avenida de Aragon, 8 - Thursday 8:30pm Route 66 - Avenida Regne de Valencia, 59 - Thursday 8:30pm GALP Godelleta Bar/Rte - Friday 5:30pm

very bad life until now.

For more info contact P.E.P.A. on 650 304 746. www.pepaspain.com

28

Ringing Cedars of Russia Declan Lehane

I've just finished the 9th book in the series "the ringing cedars of Russia" and I'd like to go into one of the principle aspects of the series in more detail. This aspect is fundamental to all Anastasia's ideas and forms the foundation of the way life should be lived on Earth.

The concept is that all families/ small groups should have a one hectare (10,000m2) of land where they can live, bring up their children and grow their own food. The ideal situation would be where the Government would give every family this land for free, it would be theirs forever (their children would inherit it) and the produce from the land would be tax free. This Anastasia calls a domain and goes into general detail of how it should be designed.

To start with, it will have a fence around it but not a wire fence, a living fence made up from bushes and trees. A quarter of the space will consist of forest and another part will be allowed to grow wild.

It will have a house (made of wood or natural materials) and near it one of these trees which will be allowed to grow forever. There will be a pond near the house, a fruit growing area and a vegetable patch.

Each family would use their creativity to design their own beautiful space around this general design.

What are the advantages of this idea? The first and principle advantage is that it would bring us all closer to nature. It would engender in us an appreciation of the incredible miracle that is the natural environment and the interconnectedness of all living things.

We have been convinced/brainwashed over the centuries that what we (the human race) produce is in some way superior to nature in all its marvellous forms. Really, most of what we produce is dead, dead, dead and to produce it we have had to destroy part of our wonderful planet. Think of any modern machine and see what has had to be done to produce it and deliver it to your door.

Living in nature and with time we will grow to understand that the environment, if treated with respect and love, will provide for all our needs. It will feed us with the best quality food which at the same time will keep us healthy, clothe us, house us and most of all give us that inner peace and happiness we all desire so much.

Part II

The second is the peace of mind that we will get from knowing that we will have all our basic necessities guaranteed, the food we eat and a roof over our heads. When we have these covered we can really relax.

Nowadays, it's very difficult to get that peace of mind from a job.

There is no job that's guaranteed these days, no matter what they say and there are a lot that are just about surviving from day to day...

Even a large sum of money, where do you invest it? What investments are safe? Which bank is 100% reliable? Gold, where do you hide it?

What house is safe from robbery? Even if you have a job, gold and a lot of money, there will always be that underlying stress and fear of losing them. Having your food and accommodation secure gives you a solid base on which to build your life.

It's such a simple but powerful idea which would gradually take our society in a new and beautiful direction. Many of us can afford to do it and it really wouldn't cost that much. I am looking at a hectare in Alicante province to buy for the cost of 15,000â‚Ź (2,000â‚Ź expenses).

After I'll build a house (a legal straw bale house built by myself, with a little help from my friends) which can't cost that much. Our new society starts with us as individuals and our actions, let us be part of the solution!!

May the force be with you.

29

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30

Health

Staying safe in the summer heat

Although we have had a fairly mild spring here in Valencia we are now definitely into summer and the temperature has begun to rise. For many expats whether newly arrived or having lived here for a number of years, summer temperatures here can be a problem. Many of us come from Northern Europe and we are just not equipped for or used to the temperatures experienced here. Therefore it is important to stay safe during the summer months, so for those of you visiting for a week or so and those spending the summer months here in Valencia, we present our guide to staying healthy and safe in the sun.

- children under two years old - very elderly people - people with kidney, heart or circulation problems - people with diabetes who use insulin Heatstroke Heatstroke is far more serious than heat exhaustion. It occurs when the body can no longer cool itself and starts to overheat.

Tips

When the core temperature rises above 40°C (104°F) the cells inside the body begin to break down and important parts of the body stop Stay out of the sun during the hottest parts of the day, particularly working. between 11am and 3pm.

If left untreated, it can lead to complications, such as organ failure If you have to go out in the heat, walk in the shade, apply sunscreen and brain damage. Some people die from heatstroke. and wear a hat.

The symptoms of heatstroke can include: Avoid extreme physical exertion.

- mental confusion - rapid shallow breathing (hyperventilation) Have plenty of cold drinks, but avoid drinks that contain caffeine and - loss of consciousness alcohol.

What to do if someone has Heatstroke Eat cold foods, particularly salads and fruit with a high water content. Heatstroke is a medical emergency and should be treated immediately and an ambulance called. While you're waiting for an ambulance to Take a cool shower, bath or body wash. arrive, make sure that the person is as cool as possible. Move them to a cool area as quickly as possible, remove excess clothing and try Sprinkle water over your skin or clothing, or keep a damp cloth on the to cool them by fanning them. If they're conscious, give them cool, back of your neck. not cold, water to drink.

Keep your environment cool.

Heat exhaustion Heat exhaustion can occur when the temperature inside the body (the core temperature) rises to anything between the normal 37°C (98.6°F) up to 40°C (104°F).

At this temperature, the levels of water and salt in the body begin to fall, which can cause a person to feel sick, feel faint and sweat heavily.

Who's at risk?

Heatstroke can affect anyone, but some people are more at risk than others and should take extra precautions during hot weather, especially during a heat wave. These include: - the elderly - babies and young children - people with conditions that affect the body's ability to cool down, such as diabetes - those who have drunk too much alcohol (which dehydrates the body) - people on certain drugs and medications, such as antipsychotics and betablockers - people who might find it difficult to keep cool during a heat wave

If a person with heat exhaustion is taken quickly to a cool place, is given water to drink and has their excess clothing removed, they should begin to feel better within half an hour and have no long-term So, now you know what to look out for and have a series of tips to complications. help ensure that you all have a happy and healthy summer.

Without treatment, they could however develop heatstroke.

Certain groups are more at risk of developing heatstroke or suffering complications from dehydration, and should be taken to hospital.

This includes:

Happy Summer!

31

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Weekly Markets and Rastros Markets Monday

Montroy, Riba Roja, Manises and Valencia (Ruzafa)

Tuesday

Monserrat, Alfafar, Paterna, Turis, Bunol and Valencia (Jerusalem, Nazaret and San Pedro Nolasco)

Wednesday L’Eliana, Casinos, Piccassent, Alzira, Villamarchante, Aldai, Catadau and Valencia (Avd del Cid, Mossen Sorell and Grao) Thursday Alaquas, Gandia , Lliria, Yatova and Valencia (Torrefiel) Friday

Moraira, Turis, Villar Del Arzobispo, Torrente, Chiva, Bunol and Valencia (Benimaclet, Malvarrosa and Cabanyal)

Saturday

Real de Montroy, Gandia , Torrente, Cheste, Godelleta, Macastre and Valencia (Jesus Patraix, Pinedo)

Sunday

Alborache, Montserrat, Siete Aguas and Valencia (Plaza Redonda)

Rastros Every 2nd Sunday of the month at Bar Sardi in Pedralba. Table money donated to Animales y Naturaleza. To book tables phone Lin 680790059.

Every Sunday next to Mestilla football ground.

1st Sunday of the month, Montroy c/La Pau, 625 674 906 Sagrario Sat 13th, Sun 14th July GALP Godelleta, 09-14h. Craft Fair/ Rastro. To reserve your free pitch call Isadora 615 445 026 for reservations

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ENGLISH COURSES 2013-2014 OCTUBRE A JUNIO

TU LIBRO DE TEXTO GRATIS* CURSOS GENERALES Cursos de inglés general para niños, jóvenes y adultos

CURSOS ESPECIALES Cursos de Conversación y Business English

FECHAS DE MATRÍCULA [Si te matriculas del 1 al 26 de julio]* y a partir del 4 de septiembre Más información en el British Council (Avda. de Cataluña, 9). También puedes llamar al teléfono 963 392 980, visitar nuestra web www.britishcouncil.es o síguenos en www.facebook.com/BritishCouncilValencia

www.britishcouncil.es

UNIVERSIDAD DE CAMBRIDGE Cursos preparatorios para los exámenes de la Universidad de Cambridge