Who? What? Where? Why? When? November 2012
Issue Three 2013 LIFESTYLE - FOOD INFORMATION - HOBBIES - GARDENS - FINANCE . FOOD- OFFERS . OFFERS- .GADGETS . HOBBIES . GARDENS . FINANCE . ETC LIFESTYLE GADGETS -. INFORMATION
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5Ws Issue Three 2013
g n i r p S
has Spr u
Despite the windy start to the year, the Mediterranean has started to bloom again, so we have been out with cameras and laptops to bring you our choicest items for Issue Three of 5Ws!
Don’t forget to keep an eye on www.5Ws.biz where you are welcome to leave comments and where you can make sure that you catch up with our latest issues. If you have an article that you would like to submit or an advert for an event, why not email manager@mabc.biz
ng !
Issue 3 2013
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CONTENTS 22
featured
08 22
Pego and Paella by Sarah Farrell
The Importance of a Community Tom Parkinson
34
Facebook Marketing by Steve Mitchell
46 Valencia 50 Surviving the Down Turn 56 100 FAQs about Notaries 64 Antiques Quiz 78 Behind the Scenes
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56
30 regular 06 30 38 39 40 42
What’s On? 44 IKEA Photos of the Month 66 Poisonous Shades of iTunes App Picks Grey Part 3 Music & DVDs 71 Secrets... Currency 77 MABC HGOL Next Event
All the information in the magazine is the copyright and responsibility of the contributors. If you wish to know more about 5Ws please contact the Editor at manager@mabc.biz or via the website www.5ws.biz Published by Marina Alta Business Club SL CIF: B54067996 Tel: 966 461 913
March 7th 2013 - 7:30pm
Jรกvea Old Town - Time Bar, next to the Correos (right)
March 15th 2013 - Lunch 12:30pm Denia - Haweli Restaurant Ctra. de las Marinas km 2,69 Denia
March 21st 2013 - 7:30pm Parador Hotel, Jรกvea - along the Sea Front
Lanzerote Branch meeting details by email
966 461 913 & 681 001 300 www.mabusinessclub.com www.mabc.biz manager@mabc.biz 6|
5Ws Issue Three 2013
Bringing Business Together in Spain
Concerts Costa Blanca presents in association with the charity TODOS JUNTOS JÁVEA & the Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía (Valencia Opera) the first night of a new production of MOZART’s ETERNALLY POPULAR
DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE The magic flute - La flûte enchantée
Saturday 6th April 2013 at 20:00h Grazia Doronzio - Daniel Johansson - Mandy Fredrich - In-Sung Sim Loïc Félix - Jinkyung Park - Maria Kosenkova - Marina Pinchuk Conducted by : Ottavio Dantone After this performance - and all included in the price of your ticket - there will be a full cava buffet supper during which we shall be joined by the superb chorus of the Valencia Opera who will sing 3 or 4 famous opera choruses for us. We hope - as for Tosca last year - that the Zauberflöte artists will join us for a drink ! With the excellent cooperation of the Box Office of the marvellous Valencia Opera House this will bring to a happy conclusion a truly memorable evening after which Concerts Costa Blanca will be able to pass, to our collaborators - the charity TODOS JUNTOS JÁVEA - a substantial payment destined to assist the poor of Jávea.
Email info@concertscostablanca.com
WE HOPE YOU WILL JOIN US !
Tickets at €125 (incl. bus & refreshments etc.)
Première: Vienna, 30th Sept 1791, Theater auf den Wieden. Libretto by : Emanuel Schikaneder [Production : Teatro Regio di Parma : Stage director : Stephen Medcalf]
Pego and Paella Pego is a charming little Spanish town with the Segaria hills providing a dramatic backdrop while the Mediterranean Sea can be seen from higher ground.
Pego’s place in paella’s history
Turn back time
Walking through Pego old town provides an instant history lesson with historic buildings signifying the importance of the church and the Moors in bygone days. Between Pego and the main N332 and AP7 roads is the magnificent marshland natural park, which is home for a wide variety of wildlife as well as an important ricegrowing area.
A good time to visit is Thursday morning as this is market day. The bustling street market is held in and around the Placa del Mercat or market square. You will find stalls selling clothes, shoes, food, second-hand books (including English and German novels), bric-a-brac and traditional Spanish pottery.
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During your meander around the market, you can take in the main historic buildings and traditional family-run shops in Pego as they are all within easy walking distance. Pego’s rich history dates back to prehistoric times but it was the Arabs who came and left their mark on the town in many ways. You can see the Moorish influence in the cuisine, some of the architecture and also in the cultivation of rice.
The Iglesia del al Asuncion (Church of the Assumption) looms over the old town with its bell tower standing high and mighty over the town. The church dates from the 16th century and houses an impressive Gothic altarpiece. There are a couple of bars in the square by the fountain where you can stop to relax and watch the world go by before continuing on your historic tour of Pego. Around the corner from the church is the Ecce-Homo Chapel, which is one of Pego’s most symbolic monuments and named after Pego’s patron. It was previously a hospital and shelter for travellers or pilgrims in bygone days and dates from the 18th century Baroque period. The building is octagonal to symbolise the eight initiation rites for life and death.
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On the other side of the Church of the Assumption is the18th century Casa de Cultura, which is a former manor house once owned by the influential Torres-Sala family. It now houses the library, museum and a contemporary art exhibition. You can find out all about Pego’s rice cultivation in the Ethnology Museum inside the Casa de Cultura. Across the square is the town hall, which is housed in a 19th century mansion, and has an underground corridor that you can walk through to get to the little Plaza del Portxins.
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Two kilometres from Pego is the Ambra Castle which dates back to the 12th century and whose function was to guard the road between Pego and the Vall d’Ebo. Nowadays you can enjoy fantastic views over the town, the orange groves and the rice fields. If you stop for lunch in Pego town centre, you could try the coques de llanda, which are small pizza-type snacks with various topping such as onions, peas and peppers. These are sold in the little bakeries. As you would expect in a ricegrowing region, the local Bomba rice is the star attraction in many dishes, such as paella, arroz a banda (rice cooked in the oven) and arroz en crosta (another oven-baked rice dish containing chicken, pork, black pudding and chickpeas with an egg crust).
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Marsh mellows After exploring Pego town centre and sampling some local cuisine, it may be a good idea to find sanctuary in the tranquil natural beauty of the Pego-Oliva marshlands or marjal. This nature reserve is one of the most important wetlands on the Spanish Mediterranean coasts and is where the local Bomba rice is cultivated. The town’s Moorish past is also clearly remembered in the nature park as the Arabs brought rice cultivation to the area. They were responsible for providing a series of irrigation channels from the rivers to the marshland to provide water. While walking through the nature reserve, you may spot numerous aquatic birds, such as kingfishers, herons and linnets as well as types of fish which have set up home here. One of the rarest species is the Valencia hispanica, which is a tiny fish known locally as a samaruc. There are several walks around the Pego marshes, which can take one or two hours and offer far-reaching views to the Segaria hills. One route follows a path alongside the River Bullent to the Font Salada (or Ullal del Burro), which is a saltwater spring said to have medicinal properties and is great for people with skin problems to bathe in.
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In the summer months you can enjoy a boat ride across the marjal. However, the pathways make for fairly gentle walking or cycling too. All around you will see the rice fields which produce the special Bomba rice, which the locals would argue is the best rice there is! The fields extend over 1,250 hectares The rice is still cultivated using ancient crafts which guarantee less disruption to nature as well as making sure that only the best grains are selected. Bomba rice needs three cups of water to one cup of rice -most varieties just need double the amount. Bomba absorbs more stock than others, yet the grains remain distinct. It’s not creamy like Italian Arborio rice or sticky like Asian rice. In the supermarkets, such as Mas y Mas, you can buy Bomba rice made in Pego. Look out for the variety produced by the El Segardor firm, which comes in a small canvas sack. This has won awards and been selected as one of the top three Bomba rices
In the words of a master Valencian designer and artist Javier Mariscal, who designed the chair in the Big Brother diary room, summed up the importance of rice. He said: “For me, the great symbol of Valencian nationalism is to go to eat a paella on the beach.”
Sarah Farrell is a journalist and managing director of the online travel guide www.mydestination.com/alicante
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THE IMPORTANCE OF A COMMUNITY IN THE SALE & VALUE OF A PROPERTY IN SPAIN by F. A. L. Parkinson
Jacksons Administradores de Fincas
When a buyer acquires a property in Spain that belongs to a community, this person is not only investing in the property but also the community it is located in. This may be beneficial or negative depending on the way the community conducts itself.
1.Q - Can I as President be the administrator as well & is the of benefit to the community?
A community has to be created by law if there is community property i.e. a swimming pool within its ownership. This applies to all types of property even where townhouses have a communal roof. The Spanish Law that applies to communities is the Horizontal Law.
A - The answer is yes, the President can also be the Administrator & yes this can be beneficial to the community in the day to day control of it particularly with regard to the collection of service charges from the members, efficiency in the day today running of the community also leads to lower expenses & savings on administration costs.
Many buyers of community property bought off-plan in the boom years in Spain & consequently there was no community existing when they signed to buy their property & consequently it did not have any influence on their decision to purchase.
2.Q - I do not receive notice of meetings, minutes or accounts of the community.
Today things are very different where a lawyer acting for the buyer will ask to see the minutes & accounts of the community to form a view on the community his client is buying into. Hence a poorly run community who are not meeting their obligations to maintain & administer their affairs in a business like manner or are unable to agree expenditure for improvements or renewals are not an attractive proposition to buy into leaving the seller in a situation where his investment has lost value to the market. On the reverse side, a well run community with good members acting in the majority in their community become an attractive proposition to buy into adding value to the owners property & giving it the edge in selling in a competitive market.
A - This is bad administration & the information can be recovered from the Administrator by formal request (in writing by certificated post is recommended). A well run community usually has a community website which provides transparency to it’s records with historical accounts, minutes & information on the next forthcoming meeting with regard to it’s agenda & status (ordinary, extra ordinary or annual). The law provides for a meeting to have a 51% attendance to vote on matters but it is normal that the meeting will have two times 30 minutes apart where by the second later meeting time does not require this quorum & consequently a small number of owners are able to steer the community in their preferred direction. If you find out about a meeting that you disagree with the outcome of you are entitled to go to court within 3 months of this discovery to make a application to have the meeting made invalid.
Jacksons are Chartered Accountants & Administrators advise on property administration, company & personal finance www.jacksons-group.com Tel: +34 966 424 380 For financial & tax matters. Email: f.parkinson@jacksons-group.com 22 |
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3.Q - The community meetings are in Spanish & so are all the subsequent documents & I do not understand what is happening in the community. A - Documents that need filing legally in Spain with the appropriate authority have to be in Spanish. However by majority of owners vote the language of the meetings can be changed to English or any other language; this changing the minutes & other written documents of the community too. It is considered good practice by an Administrator to have the appropriate language skills available for community members.
4.Q - My service charge has risen 3 fold since I bought my new apartment 5 years ago & I cannot see where my money is being spent. The promoter was our President until recently. A - Often new communities were formed by the Promoter & initially as a new development there was no need for maintenance so the community fees were low. As the property ages the need for maintenance becomes apparent & this needs to be addressed & carried out in a controlled manner. This should be handled by a consultant surveyor who makes regular inspections & provides budget costing for the agreement of the community at their meetings. Caution is advised when the President is the Promoter as there needs to be a distinction between the works that are those of the Promoter to conclude the garden & other community areas from the maintenance spending of the community.
5.Q - I have to pay extra service charge to a new fund for renewal works but these works have never been carried out. A - This fund will be the result of an extraordinary general meeting convened to approve a major spend by the community. Often this is to paint the whole building. The minutes of the meeting should provide for record of the use of the money & also the approval of the competitive tendering for the cost of works provided to the community at this meeting by the community officers. The new funds paid should be paid to a separate community account to provide for these works & the President & community officers are obliged to provide details of the conduct of these funds at a community meeting.
Popular questions asked by Presidents & owners in communities
Charming townhouse in Altea with west facing terrace and views to the Old Town. The townhouse is located in a tranquil area of the Casco Antiguo and has a sunny patio and the house is distributed on 3 floors. From the patio you enter to the ground floor living room and an open plan kitchen, on this
floor is also a guest w/c. Stairs lead up to the lounge area and a bathroom, it would be possible to create a second bedroom on this floor. From here, stairs lead to the top floor which has the master bedroom and access to the sunny west facing terrace overlooking the roof tops and the Church of The Old Town.
KT735: Charming Townhouse, Altea, Costa Blanca, €245.000 • • • •
estilo de la vivienda mediterráneo estado de la vivienda buen estado Casco Antiguo se distribuye en 3 plantas
Dormitorios • 2 dormitorios WC • 2 wc • 1 bañeras
The house is in good condition, features original elements such as wooden beams, doorsteps and windows and the character of a traditional townhouse has been maintained through the reforming that has been done by the recent owner.
Exterior
la soleada terraza orientada al oeste con vistas a los tejados y la iglesia de la Ciudad Vieja Entorno La casa está en buenas condiciones, cuenta con elementos originales, como vigas de madera, umbrales y ventanas y el carácter de una casa tradicional se ha mantenido a través de la reforma que se ha hecho por el titular reciente.
KT735: Charming Townhouse Altea Costa Blanca, €245.000
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Solana Casas Info A perfect house purchase begins with perfect local knowledge, so best to use a local property broker When searching for a property (abroad) a lot of time is spent on the internet surfing, contacting agencies and filtering through all the information. Often with a lot of confusion because of duplicates and different pricing. On behalf of the client, Solana Casas goes hunting amongst a close network of estate agents in Costa Blanca northern region for a bespoke selection of relevant prospects which are sent via email for studying and evaluation at the client’s leisure, in peace and comfort. Located in Altea, Danish property broker Marianne Klauber cooperates with local agencies to find the right home for each client, a tailor made search to suit any individual/personal requirements. Solana Casas also works as an intermediary between the client and the local contacts involved in a property purchase to make the property purchase complete, such as lawyers, banks, accountants, and other relevant Spanish authorities. This combined with a personal guide during viewing trips, makes the property search more focused and successful. V.I.P services also available through a fixed advance fee, which is refunded when a property is purchased through Solana Casas, please enquire for further details. Marianne Klauber Solana Casas Altea, Alicante, Spain Mob: (00 34) 607 899 352 Email: mk@solanacasas.com www.solanacasas.eu We look forward to receiving your enquiry
KT735: Charming Townhouse, Altea Costa Blanca, â‚Ź245.000 (continued)
Altea Townhouse on three Floors with Fantastic Roof top views
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KT735: Charming Townhouse, Altea Costa Blanca, â‚Ź245.000 (continued)
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Insects
from JaveaPhotos.com
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This and the following three photos were all snapped in the garden - The paper wasp was so absorbed in nestbuilding underneath a marble-topped table that she ignored the camera, even though it was almost touching her.
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The flower with pollenating bees was on the edge of a shaded clump of plants, peeping out of the shadows in vibrant colour. The Preying Mantis on the purple flower was almost a pet - I had caught it on a similar flower a few months before - barely large enough to cover the centre of the flower. Here, as an adult it is still convinced it is camouflaged! My favourite though is the Mantis on the right - as curious about me as I was about it! I call this photo “Boo!!� Gaile Griffin Peers
Facebook Marketing Love it or hate it, Facebook is here to stay and is one of the most widely-used social networking applications on the planet (according to Facebook in September 2012, 1.01 billion users). So the likelihood is that many of your existing customers are members and many of your potential customers too. So it would be churlish not to exploit this and communicate with your customers, right? However, there are good and bad ways to do this. Get it wrong and you will alienate potential new clients, so here are some “do’s and don’ts” for marketing your business, product or service on Facebook. Facebook Profiles Facebook Profiles are for individual and social use. Many people in the earlier days of Facebook set up profiles for their business activity, but doing this is a no-no and businesses must have a Facebook Page. How can you tell the difference? When you place the mouse pointer over the name, a Profile will have the option “Add Friend” but a Facebook Page will have the option “Like”. Now we ALL read the small print in the Terms & Conditions, don’t we Failure to do so could cost you dear, as the devil (as always) is in the detail. Facebook’s Terms & Conditions state that: “You will not use your personal timeline (i.e Profile) for your own commercial gain.” 34 |
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If Facebook discovers that a business is using a profile as a marketing tool, then they will suspend or delete the account. This could be catastrophic for someone who has been using a Profile for some time and has gathered lots of “friends” as all of these will be lost. Therefore, it is much better (and safer) to have a Facebook Page. A social networking consultant friend of mine once wrote: “People make friends with people, not businesses.” and I think that she is spot on there. Facebook Pages Also known as Fan Pages, a Facebook Page can be created by any individual with a Facebook Profile. In other words, you must join Facebook as an individual before you can set up a Facebook Page. Just go to www.facebook.com/pages/create. php where you will find that there are a number of different categories for Facebook Pages: • Local Business or Place • Company, Organisation or Institution • Brand or Product • Band, Artist or Public Figure • Entertainment, and • Cause or Community
marketing Depending on the category selected, you can either choose a Username at the outset, or after you have achieved a certain number of “Likes” for the page. Once selected, this Username will be the Page Name (people will be able to find your page from the Search bar). For example, if you were creating a page for a restaurant called Steve’s Diner in Dénia, you might choose to have the Username of StevesDinerDenia (the username can be a mix of upper and lowercase letters but no special characters such as hyphens, slashes or punctuation). Using uppercase letters to separate words looks better too when you are adding your details to business cards and flyers etc. The Page name is not case sensitive, so www. facebook.com/StevesDinerDenia would be the same as www.facebook.com/stevesdinerdenia but the first example is easier for us humans to “read”. Getting Likes & Promoting Your Page Now that you have your Facebook Page, you need to get some “Likes” so that you can interact with your audience. You can invite people who are already your friends from your Profile to like your page. You can also join Facebook Groups where you can advertise your Page and get people interested in your content. If you have a business with a physical location such as a bar, restaurant or shop then display your Facebook Page details so that people can “Follow” you and get updates and details
of special offers from your business via their Facebook News Feed (you could even make Facebook-specific deals or run competitions to encourage more people to follow and share your page with their friends). Those people who have liked your page will see your posts and updates in their News Feed. Good Marketing/Bad Marketing The idea behind using Facebook as a marketing tool is to keep your business relevant to those people who are interested in your product or service, therefore you need to post updates on your page regularly and keep an eye on who is interacting with the page. Existing and potential customers may ask questions about a product or an offer that you have posted, make sure that you answer these promptly where possible as no-one likes to be ignored when they have a question. A rule of thumb on how often to post would be once or twice a week so that people have the opportunity to see what’s happening in your business, but that would depend on the type of business. More than this could lead to saturation or could even be regarded as spamming. Some pages that I have liked in the past posted updates far too often (sometimes up to 20 posts a day) and filled my News Feed with so much “noise” that I couldn’t see the posts I was genuinely interested in that were from friends and other pages that I had liked. I took away my “like” from these pages and now
don’t see anything from those businesses (or to put it another way, they lost me as a potential customer). If your posts involve several pictures, create an album first and then put your post with the album rather than post 10 individual pictures with the same update text. This means that people can view the album picture by picture, with whatever description you want for each and it is only one post rather than 10 (no saturation). At the other end of the spectrum is to have no updates at all. You need to keep your page interesting with relevant content (so no pictures of cute kitties riding skateboards – keep that for your personal profile). For example, share articles from trusted sources on your page that are related to your business, if you’re being informative via your page, people are more likely to take you seriously and engage with your business. Netiquette Netiquette (or Internet Etiquette) needs also to be mentioned here. I have seen numerous posts from business pages on Facebook where the use of uppercase letters seems to be the only way they communicate. It is considered bad form to write only in capitals as it has been deemed to be the internet version of shouting at the recipient and it can be difficult to read. By all means emphasise individual words that require it (e.g. FREE! or NOW!) but not all of the text. Another bone of contention with Facebook marketing is the posting of the same advert into all of the Facebook groups to which those individuals belong. Frankly, this is just selfish and lazy marketing (the scatter-gun approach). Take the time to find out the purpose of the groups to which you belong (look in the tab marked “About” at the top of the group page). Also, read the guidelines that the group administrators usually provide somewhere in the group that will tell you which kind of postings are appropriate for the group and which are not. You may find that if you post your updates into a group that doesn’t want them, you could be alienating the very people that you are trying to reach and you could be removed from the group or even reported to Facebook for spamming and have your account disabled.
Steve Mitchell, Fontana Design www.fontanadesign.eu 36 |
5Ws Issue Three 2013
iTunes App Picks
£1.99
Kindle Developer: Amazon Price: Free The best library of literature to choose from, not least as one of our sponsors U P Publications only publishes e-books on this platform at the moment. Cross platform support via Whispersync, means that this free app is available on smartphone, android, PC, Mac, iPhone and iPad as well as all the Kindle Tablets - so no link to this app purely because we haven’t the space to cover them all! There is a great choice of fonts and ways to read… Plus Kindle is the most comprehensive reading app out there, so an essential download! To find it you can start from Amazon’s website, or search for Kindle in your device’s online store.
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Move The Turtle An educational application for iPhone and iPad that teaches children the basics of creating computer programs, using intuitive graphic commands. Do you remember the Logo programming language? A friendly Turtle will introduce your child step by step to the basic concepts of programming in a colourful graphic environment. Who knows, maybe your child will be the next outstanding programmer! By completing the tasks, one after another, children learn: how to plan complex activities composed of simple elements; how to reuse previously completed work; how to use graphics, spatial orientation and sound in programming and they will become familiar with the notions of loops, procedures, variables and conditional instructions.
Plus it is FUN!!
The Nutcracker Step into a fully animated storybook adventure of a great classic. With original illustrations and full symphonic orchestral excerpts of Tchaikovsky’s timeless ballet. For children at least 6 years old. This app featured in February 2013 as a top 30 pick by The Guardian Newspaper. FEATURES: Tap on the Nutcracker to start reading - Tap on the owl to strike 8 o’clock - Help Clara put the Nutcracker together - Fight against the Army of Mice! - Jump on a nutshell pulled by two dolphins ABOUT TIMBUKTU - Timbuktu is an award-winning creator of mobile applications for children. Timbuktu’s apps for iPad and iPhone combine age-appropriate stories with colourful and witty illustration, rich animation, and great music to get children excited about reading and discovering the world. Timbuktu’s apps help children learn through sight, sound and physical interaction.
Music & DVDs With the Brit Awards still fresh in my mind as I write, I thought this issue we might look at Music, for a change. If you are in the UK and want to see Mumford and Sons’ “Gentlemen of the Road” Live Tour then you need to grab your tickets for the 19th and 20th July fast, as the UK venue is the only one for the Tour not already sold out! http://www.mumfordandsons.com/ In the unlikely event that you have not yet heard them you can listen to ‘I will Wait’ on YouTube free. Their Albums and tracks are available on iTunes, YouTube and most surviving Music Stores. The West London Group formed in 2007 Their 2009 debut album “Sigh no More” was not released in the US until 2010 although it became a huge success both sides of the Atlantic. Their “country” style meshes with traditional US music while their eclectic mix of classical and modern instruments gives them a uniquely English flavour. This year they have won categories in both the Grammy Awards (US) and the Brit awards - so if you haven’t heard them yet, you will
GaileGP
Spain +34 68 864 0092 (Glenn Tullett) glenn@rabbitfx.com www.rabbitfx.com
terRegulation - Infinity International is registered by the Financial Services Authority under the Payment Services Regulations 2009 for the provision of payment services. Our firm reference number (FRN) is 67835. Infinity International is also registered with HM Revenue and Customs as a money Services business. Our registration number is 12273818. As a Money Services Business we follow a strict code which incorporates all the requirements of the 2007 Money Laundering Regulations and other legislation.
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You can look us up on the HMRC website https://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/msbregister/checkTerms.do
Community Administration by English Chartered Accountants & Surveyors providing premium quality services at competitive fee rates to communities across the entire Costa Blanca from Denia to Murcia. Sevices include- Monthly site meetings with Presidents & community members; monthly accounts, community website, ,maintenance schedules & estimates , professional advice on all aspects of the running of communities. Cabo La Nao, El Pla no135, Buz贸n: 37, 03730, J谩vea, Espana t: + 34 966 460625 m: + 34 606 0061241 e: info@jacksonsadministradoressl.es w: www.jacksonsadministradoressl.es Jacksons Administradores S.L. CIF: B-54485834 Administradores: David A Mayer FCCA ACA F.A.L. Parkinson
Homes Gardens & Lifestyle What the Papers are saying... www.homesandgardens.es
Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th April Torremolinos, Palacio de Congresos 10.00 am – 7.00 pm 42 |
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Wednesday 29th & Thursday 30th May La Finca Golf & Spa Hotel, Algorfa, 10.00 am – 6.00 pm
If you would like to participate in the Show and see your business bloom please contact GM Events on the Spanish/ English phones 695 399 841 & 966 761 050 or email office@solproductions.tv and we will provide you with further informa-
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Ready-to-assemble (flatpack) furniture was invented by Gillis Lundgren, who was a Swedish draughtsman. He developed the idea when he needed to fit an IKEA table into his car. According to reports, Lundgren broke the legs off his IKEA table so he could fit it in the car then put them back on at home! He then discussed the idea with his employers at IKEA. The company later built its entire business around the concept, launching its first flat-pack piece in 1956. Most products IKEA produce now are ‘self assembly’ The company is the world’s largest furniture retailer. Founded in Sweden in 1943 by 17-year-old Ingvar Kamprad, who later became one of the richest people in the world, the company’s name is an acronym comprising the initials of the founder’s name (Ingvar Kamprad), the farm where he grew up (Elmtaryd), and his hometown (Agunnaryd, in Småland, South Sweden). The company is known for its modern architectural designs on various types of appliance and furniture, often associated with a simplified eco-friendly interior design.
Putting it all together Have you ever been to IKEA? You go to the nearest store, wander round picking up pretty things you don’t really need, find the checkouts, pay, figure out how to fit it all in the car, load up then grab yourself a 50c hotdog and then drive it all back home. The next day you open the flatpack box and find a set of cryptic instructions, a bag of
screws and different sized bits of wood with holes in odd places only to find yourself at war with your own sanity. It is tedious at best and tantrum-inducing at worst - which is where we come in, we take the stress away completely! We buy, deliver and assemble IKEA furniture on the Costa Blanca and Costa del Sol.
For more information about easy flatpax visit www.easyflatpax.com or like our Facebook page www.facebook.com/easyflatpax If you want advice about which IKEA products we recommend just get in touch! Get your stylish, affordable IKEA furniture delivered straight to your home safely and stress free! We cover the Costa Blanca & Costa Calida. We guarantee to beat any other quote you receive and we are faster than any other shopping service. www.easyflatpax.com. We can also assemble your furniture for you so your dinner chairs don’t end up with the legs on the wrong way! Just ask for a quote, our assembly work is guaranteed for 2 years!
The Constant Traveller:
Barrio Ruzafa (Russafa) Valencia You may be contemplating visiting the city centre of Valencia shortly for some Christmas shopping, or perhaps going up for a night at the Opera, (which reminds me as I write, to book tickets for the Queen Tribute concert in the Palau de Musica on December fourth!). Whatever the reason for a visit, an overnight or two is essential to capture the ambience of this lovely city, sitting as it were, right on our doorstep. Ten years ago the Barrio Ruzafa, was still very much a marginal place to visit. Barrio Carmen, its much more famous cousin, was the place to be and be seen in; the night life scene was legendary; the bars and restaurants spilling over the narrow streets crowded by the young `pijos´ (yuppies) of the time. Property prices shot through the roof, and the most savvy sold up, and bought in the very much cheaper and cosmopolitan Ruzafa. Ruzafa already boasted an important colony of artists, avantgarde designers and a diaspora of migrants which gave it a frisson of bohemian risk for the unknowing, innocent traveller. The new incoming wealth, and a thorough urban renewal by scheme carried out by the Valencian City Government, (while it 46 |
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still had the money) has resulted in a still very much multi-cultural Barrio, but now it´s more up-market and a delight to spend some time exploring. Originally an ancient Arab town in its own right, (Russafa means garden in Arabic), still boasts a few Morrocan shops and traditional tea-houses, but now the accent of the majority is on up-market Tapas and Montaditos in a plethora of traditional, modern, or quirky bars and restaurants at every corner. One thing to remember though, is you are extremely unlikely to see an Ènglish Breakfast´ sign here; this zone is multi-cultural, however, Mediterranean style. There are so many eating places, that it´s difficult to recommend, but Restaurant Método in Calle Puerto Rico, (almost next door to the Landrover Agent) deserves a mention, as does Café Tocado, Calle Cadiz 44, a good place to finish a night out with its frequent mini theatre acts, music and of course copas…a great atmosphere! Ruzafa is old style shopping; the Mercado Central still forms the basis of fresh food purchasing, but one can buy just about anything in tiny specialised shops, old fashioned ironmongers, hat shops, bi-
cycle repairs, a shop specialising in honey, delicatessens, spice shops and bodegas where you can sample before you buy.
have tagged a Youtube video on the next page, but the actuality really is special.
Barrio Ruzafa is located south of the Grand Via GerArt aficionados should head for Color Elefante, in manĂas, and is more or less ten minutes walk from the Calle Sevilla, where you can meet the artist Carles Al- station, turning right at the Plaza de Toros, walking bert, or Studio Nacho Murillo, in Calle Clero both in- down Calle Ruzafa and crossing Gran Via Germanias. ternationally acclaimed and exhibited artists at work. Teatro Russafa in Calle Denia has become an impor- How to get there tant centre of culture and drama for the barrio. We were fortunate to have seen an excellent play in this Bus from Javea, but better to catch the express bus, lovely little theatre a few weeks ago. otherwise it´s a two hour plus tour of the towns off the N332. A special mention should be made of the Fallas in March. Ruzafa converts itself into a fiesta zone, and Car: Parking is expensive in Valencia, but if you inthe illuminations around Calle Cuba are spectacular. I sist, there is ample parking at the Modernistic and
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beautiful Mercado Colon, Galerias Jorge Juan, and down near the Mercado Ruzafa.
HUSA Llar, *** Colon, 46, Valencia.
A good option is to leave the car at Xeraco, just off the motorway after Gandia and take the train into Valencia Estaci贸n Norte. The train is very efficient, on time and very inexpensive by British standards.
Senator Parque Central Hotel,**** Plaza Sanchis Guarner, Valencia.
Where to stay If you want to savour the ambiance of Valencia, you must stay in the centre of town. In or near Ruzafa: Petit Palace Germanias Valencia ***+ Calle Sueca 14, Ruzafa, Valencia.
Fallas link Barrio Ruzafa Illumination Fallas www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLkzbGpGPDQ Enjoy Ruzafa, we frequently do! Norman MacRitchie Reeley
SURVIVING THE DOWNTURN IN THE RESTAURANT AND BAR SECTORS Adam Simmons
I recently spent three months in Lanzarote in the island’s main resort, Puerto del Carmen (PDC), which gave me a chance to observe the efforts local bars and restaurants made to attract customers. In fact, what I should have written is the complete lack of effort, with the sole marketing activity in many cases having a barely coherent youth outside the premises trying to entice customers in off the street.
Keep Residents Happy However much tourists love your establishment, they will only be around for one or two weeks and there is no guarantee that they will come back next year.
Ask yourself which sort of customer generates more business: a moderate or heavy drinker who comes To give a little background: in the municipality of into your establishment several times during their Tias, where PDC is located, there were 260 bar-caf- one week stay or, say, a resident who will come in for eterias, 117 cafeterias and 419 restaurants1 and the morning coffee two or three times per week all year? majority of these will be in PDC. The supply of such establishments has increased year on year although Research the number of tourists has remained broadly stagnant. There are two types of research which an owner’s esThere are two major areas of PDC which attract tablishment can do: the “walk-around” and “online”. significant footfall, namely the “Strip” and the “Old The walk-around involves going around the neighTown”. The Strip is a long, coastal road and the core bourhood and seeing what competing establishments touristic section of the Strip is around 2km in length. offer and how busy they are. The Old Town is built around the port and is made up of a warren of small streets on the hill overlooking For example, one bar of my acquaintance was in an the port. area in which none offered Wi-fi to its customers and so there was a golden opportunity to create a first The tourist mix is predominantly British, German mover advantage by installing it. and Irish, with a surge of Spaniards from the mainland during July and August. The Canary Islands gen- Online research is a way of getting inspiration from erally suffer from much less seasonality in tourism elsewhere. The world is your oyster. Take an idea than the Costa Blanca, with a steady volume of tourist from other bars and restaurants around the world, but arrivals throughout the year. make sure you adapt them to your own, local circumSo, let us examine four options to help bars and res- stances. taurants survive. 1
http://www3.gobiernodecanarias.org/turismo/ estad/estadisticas.htm
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Innovate Unless your restaurant is Michelin starred, the product you serve is going to be not particularly different from your competitors and this is even more true of bars; all bars have access to the different brands of say, gin (from local to upmarket) so, your core product is either very similar to what your competitors provide or identical. To differentiate your establishment, you need to work on your “augmented product”. This could be entertainment (quiz nights) opening hours (if all your competitors are shut on a Monday evening, have you considered opening then?) or a loyalty scheme (buy nine coffees, the tenth is free).
Communicate This is perhaps the major failing of so many businesses in the hospitality sector. In brief, if you have a great product but not enough people know about it, you are simply wasting your time and money. Creating awareness of your business has never been easier or cheaper, yet it is startling how many businesses have not taken advantage of this fact. For a bar to set up a Facebook page costs nothing. There are groups such as Like Spain Members (http://www.facebook.com/groups/LikeSpainMembers/) which will help you get your business noticed. There are three groups of people who fail to use this technology to their advantage: “non-users”, “nominal users” and “bad users”. Sadly, there are too many businesses which do not use Facebook; for example the owner might say that he or she “doesn’t like Facebook”. Well, nobody likes paying tax either but it has to be done. The reality is that a significant proportion of your current or potential customers DO use Facebook, and you ignore the medium at your peril. The second group of people are “nominal users”; in other words, a Facebook page is set up and is then ignored. In a sense, this is even worse: if a page is not updated regularly, people might think that you have gone out of business. If inadequate information is provided on the FB business page, why should anybody make the effort to find out information which should be readily available? Finally, there are “bad users”. I have seen business pages with cartoons and beautiful pictures of clouds and sunsets, but what do these have to do with the bar or restaurant? What should be included, in addition to obvious information such as location and opening hours, are news items. These can be what football matches are being shown on a particular day or new menu items. Once the news is posted, everybody who has requested “get notifications” should receive this news. Facebook is the cheapest and simplest option. For those catering for an international customer base, a website may be a better option. But the same principles apply, namely communicate regularly and relevantly with the public.
Getting results from your advertising: A few simple guidelines Before you advertise Identify your goals. Focus on achieving them through your advertising campaign. What are the realistic results that you are trying to achieve? You need to discuss them with your chosen advertising agent. Advertising is vitally important for market capture, but you need to be very clear on the objectives from the start. You also need a company logo for all your advertising, and you need to be very clear on how you are going to deal with resulting sales leads to convert them into sales. Choosing a newspaper. What are their distribution numbers, and where do they distribute? Do they publish online also? Do they have a media pack and price list to send for potential advertisers to study? How many readers do they have? How long have they been publishing? Are they willing to help design and redesign the advert for you, sending new proofs as required at no extra cost, as part of their service?
Designing your advert Keep it simple! Identify a client’s need in your advert. Every product fills a need for something, but you need to identify that need in your advert first, no matter how obvious. Budget for a campaign minimum of 12 weeks/editions in the press, and take the biggest suitable space you can realistically afford, whether it be a module in classifieds, or a double full page. Your potential customers may not know you, they need to know you are going to be around long term. It is also unlikely that they will respond from the first advert unless it is a one off event being advertised. Be realistic, advertising is an investment that will pay off longer term. An added bonus of longer term advertising is that you can often get a fixed place in a publication, so readers will know where to find you. You can also achieve better discounts in your advertising. If you pay up front for a whole campaign, further discounts are added. It is a good idea to consider colours that stand out but not too garish or loud. Consider a space that will comfortably house the content… and go for a unique look Try and be in both paper press, and online. Your potential clients could be using both mediums. RTN offers both for our advertisers, for example.
Use satisfied customer recommendations in your publicity. Use case examples, of how your company and product has surpassed clients needs, wants and expectations. Target your audience, and location market. Use specific area references in your case examples, eg Javea, Moraira, La Marina.. Try and keep the advert simple, do not overfill the space, or confuse the reader. If the advert looks squashed, get a bigger space, or reduce the content. Images are excellent, a before and after image for example. Any message should be clear and concise. Your goal is to get people to contact you as a first step, the sales will follow. Try and use a slogan that will stick in peoples minds! Request supporting editorials to fully explain your service/ product (these are often added free or reduced cost to longer campaigns). Change your adverts’ content regularly but always use your logo. Speak with your agent regularly to give feedback, and look for changes in the advert if you feel response has been poor after several editions Last but not least: Give a reason why people should contact you sooner rather than later. Make it easy for them, use simple contact details, offer a no obligation quotation, free advice, but try and build up some urgency …fix that leaking roof now, unique offer while stocks last, stop wasting money, live better now. If you wish to talk in confidence and without obligation, regarding an individually tailored advertising campaign with RTN (Round Town News), please feel free to contact me, colin@roundtownnews.com or call me directly on 0034 627068561.
Colin Rich Account Sales Round Town Newsgroup SL mobile: 627068561/ Office: 902 118 999 Email: colin@roundtownnews.com Web: www.roundtownnews.com
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www.roundtownnews.co.uk Josie Mitchell Sales Executive 607 744 153 josie@roundtownnews.com Colin Rich Advertising Sales 607 553 870 colin@roundtownnews.com
member of
100 FAQs about Notaries Part One of Six
The notary is a public officer of the Span-
ish State that guarantees citizens the legal certainty they need in their relationships, whether they are personal, contractual, or entrepreneurial. In addition to monitoring and ensuring the legality of transactions, the notary plays an equally important role as advisor, offering completely impartial advice. A Notary is duty bound to offer the most appropriate legal means to achieve the legitimate aims pursued. Advice and and Counselling are the foundations of their role as lawyers because it is important to understand the consequences and effects of what you are signing. The General Council of Notaries, has published around 500 issues frequently raised by clients (www.notariado. org) - this series of six articles features the top 100 most frequently asked questions with some general answers. Subjects covered will include:
The notary will always advise impartially on the pros and cons of each situation, within Spanish Law. Their scale of fees is preset and cannot vary - much of their advice is free - so it makes sense to be familiar about how they can help and it can avoid lengthy legal procedures and high costs if you take the trouble take advice from the notary before taking any legal action.
Part One Personal and Family Relationships
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Prenuptial documents - marital agreements - Must they be made before marriage? What are the requirements?
Family and Personal Relationships Wills and Estates Homes and Real Estate Mortgages and Loans Companies and Corporations Miscellaneous
Prenuptial agreements establish provisions relating to matrimonial property, and other general provisions relating to marriage. If you are not governed by any statutory right you may want to agree, for example, a separation of property interest, should the marriage dissolve. In leasehold rights may also be given to cover certain covenants on inheritance.
Topics from the right time to make a marriage contract, to inheritance issues and queries about the sale of homes, such as knowing what rights attend purchasers property, or what the implications are for a seizure of the property by one married partner from another aswell as questions concerning the creation of companies, and the costs of the intervention of the notary, etc..
Marriage contracts can be made before or after marriage at any time - the only requirement is that the agreement is notarised with both spouses present. 2 Before I was married, I made a a written agreement to separate property but it was not notarised. Is it legal or will there be peoblems because it was not registerd?
Everyone has the right to go to the notary at the beginning of any agreement or negotiation, and it is advisable to do so before signing any legal document.
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It is valid if the marriage to took place within one year, but may be challenged in court by third parties in good faith if it was done against their interest. Accordingly, we recommend that you take your document to the Civil Reg-
istry where the marriage is registered to be notarised, as soon as possible (this information is available on the Family Book).
3 What differences exist between
community (communal) property and individual property? How do I secure my individual property. Also, I bought a flat which will not be completed until after the wedding. We will both live theer but I want it recognised that the property is mine because I paid for it. Is this possible? If so, what must I do prior to marriage? Implicit in the term Community Property is the concept of pooled assets owned by both a husband and his wife, as opposed to their personal and exclusive property. Generally, communal property is anything purchased during the marriage by either spouse, those representing them or acquired through the work of husband and wife. Individual property is that acquired by inheritance or gift, or to replace individual property that they owned before the marriage. Selling or mortgaging marital property requires the consent of both spouses. Upon the death of one spouse the conjugal partnership is effectively dissolved an the deceased’ share is spread between the remaining partner and the heirs of the deceased. The principle applied to this separation of property is that, in effect, it is as if they had not married. Each spouse remains the owner of their own assets without commonality. The debts of each spouse relate solely to their own share of the property, alone. When an item is in doubt, it is assumed that half of it was owned by the deceased. This is the general idea, although there are many special cases and variations to the general rule. If you are not Catalan, Valencian or Balearic by birth or marriage, the marriage will be governed by the ‘régimen de gananciales’ (or the system of Aragon, Navarre and Biscay, all very similar). If you want to opt for something else you will need a notarised marriage contract stating your intentions and the agreement of your spouse. If you want to record the appartment as your
own, your wife must formally agree that the money spent was exclusively yours and your ownership would then need to be recorded on the land registry as exclusively yours. However, there is one limitation: the creditors of a wife and children could consider it as a Dowry ( the life interest in a part of her husband’s estate allotted to a widow by law ). If you want to extend this idea of exclusivity not only of the appartment but also to other property to be acquired, then a notarised matrimonial pact ensures the legal separation of property. Note that the economic circumstances of a marriage can change at any time as can the balance of wealth between partners. The notary’s fees vary depending on whether the agreement is simply to recognise formally the wealth distribition in the marriage, which is an act with no value, or if the notary is also required to liquidate a former agreement, which would raise the cost depending on the value of the goods awarded to each of the spouses.
4 Can I make a matrimonial apreement retrospectvely?
An agreement can be granted retroactively if it causes no residual effects on third parties (eg, creditors). It is possible, however, to take this action more simply by liquidating/ selling the currently shared communal property.
5 I am buying a house with my partner. I’ve put in 96,000 euros and my boyfriend, now husband, 18,000. I do not want to make a separate property declaration but I want to put on the deed the amounts of money that each has contributed to protect my interest as if it was an undivided separate property. What options do I have?
It is advisable to talk to notary from the outset, not leave it until the end, when everything is agreed and signed. If the marriage has a ‘separate property agreement’, the spouses buy in proportion to the price of each contribution (if you put € 10 and the other 90 €, the first acquires 10% and the second, 90% of the peoperty). If you have no notarised agreement in place, community property law prevails so it is assumed that the two made an equal contribution because it is assumed that everything in marriage is communal unless proven otherwise. However, there is one exception: if the spouses offer convincing evidence that the money given privately belongs to each individual, and they claim that in the deed of sale, 58 |
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then they could buy on an undivided exclusive basis in proportion to the money contributed by each, without having to change their community property status by the separating the property. This issue is complicated and well worth discussing in more detail with your notary.
6 We want to get married soon and have a
money contract for the purchase of a flat. We each pay half the mortgage, but the initial capital was not equal as one partner paid much more than the other (about 70% -30%). Can this situation be stated without mentioning separate property? In case of separation, can we each recover our share, despite splitting the mortgage? Can this situation complicate other formalities like Income Tax? We must distinguish between home ownership and payment of the price. The property will be owned by the percentages you yourself declare to the notary in the deed of sale. The percentage of ownership or ownership is not changed by the fact that the share of payments made subsequently is different. In principle you have three options: 1) Buy in proportion to the price (no interest) to calculate what each ends up paying at the end of each’s share of the loan. 2 º) Buy in proportion to the initial payment of each and change the ownership percentages at the end of the loan, according to what actually was paid by each. 3rd) Buy in proportion to the initial investment and refund the difference in cash if it turns out that there is any overpayment. Possibly the most correct solution is the first (stating this agreement in the deeds and fixing the percentage of the acquisition) because there is a commitment between them to pay half the loan installments. Thus, if one fails to pay there will be no doubt, whatever the terms of the loan, and the other may claim reimbursement of half the fees (though the ownership of the property would not be altered by it; it would then be a simple matter to reclaim the money). For Income tax purposes, if there is a separate agreement for each then they will be treated separately, within the range permitted by law, based on the percentage of the fees actually paid, up to their percentage of ownership (if 30% of the property, then at most 30% of the shares). Finally, note that, if you are married without having made provision, under the law of community property, the wages and income earned by each will be shared equally, even if only one partner works.
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c) If you are married and have children between you, they
My girlfriend is legally separated with a are the legal heirs, failing a testamentary heir, without 13 year old son, and I am single. we bought prejudice to any other legitimate rights that the law recogan unevenly funded property according to nises. Your spouse will be entitled, in any event, to a life interest in one third of the estate. Beyond that, there are our different economic situations. What possibilities to integrate any property you own into comwould happen in the event of a break-up or munal property (if you choose this matrimonial contract) my death in the following cases: a) in the there are lots of options that enjoy various tax breaks. current situation, b) if there is common marriage and child (communal property), c) if I wonder if, in the case of an established we stayed childless with communal property? marital separation, one of the spouses can Not being married, you have no legal right to inheritance, purchase and deed property in their individbut you can be name each other as your heir or bequeath ual name.
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certain properties, including a share of the property. Consequently, assuming that they are subject to common law: a) If you die in the current situation, the people you have designated in your will will inherit (without prejudice to legitimate heirs who may exist), and, failing that, your legal heirs.
b) If you are married but have no children together, your wife is your legal heir unless your parents live ( who override the spouse). In any case she would be entitled to a life interest in half of the estate if you live with your parents, or two-thirds in the other cases.
If there was a separate property agreement in place - either because it has been expressly agreed in capitulations, or because it is legal in the autonomous region to which they belong, there is no problem the buying spouse’s ownership is clear. If, however, the marriage was based on Community Property the marriage exists until there is a legal separation of the spouses or the dissolution of marriage by divorce or the death of either (art. 1392 Civil Code). In this case, any
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property that either spouse acquired before the dissolution of the community of property will be integrated into itand will have to be included in the inventory of all assets due to be split. The fact that there has been a de facto separation of the spouses (temporarily or permanently) does not prevent the goods are purchased by either of them to be marital. This is the general rule and, therefore, it is advisable to regularise the situation by notarising a separation on the marriage contract, if there is agreement between the spouses, or by filing a lawsuit for marital separation. However, there are some qualifications: • In particularly serious cases of de facto separation established over several years court decisions may recognise that property can be purchased individually by the spouse who pays for it. However, these are special cases that should not serve as a general guideline. • All that is acquired without payment (ie, by gift, inheritance, unpaid assignment, etc.) is privately owned by the spouse who receives it, even if married under the community property rule. • If the purchase is made by a spouse stating that the money invested in it is personal in nature (for example, because it uses money received by inheritance or donation or that the money comes from the sale of belongings acquired in that way), in this case the property you buy is personal and overrides the rules of community property. In this case, the proof requires that the money has to be documented as personal and a simple affirmation or declaration by the buyer is not enough. Usually filing a previous document on inheritance or a gift receipt showing the money, or a deed of sale in which the spouse is listed as the exclusive seller is required. For more detail, as circumstances can differ substantially, please check directly with your notary.
9 My partner and I each acquired half a
house where we had our usual residence and shared a mortgage. We have a daughter together. We are in the process of separation and would like to know what are the rights of each in relation to the property and custody. Each accounts for half of the house. They can award it to one, who would take over the mortgage and the personal obligation with the consent or acquiescence of the lending institution, offsetting cash to another by applying Article 1062 of the Civil Code. The custody of the child is held by both in principlebut if the parents live separately and cannot agree joint custody, the judge will decide the parent in whose care the children who are minors will be placed and will determine the contribution of each parent to meet the child’s care needs.
10 6 months ago I bought a property in
Barcelona with my then girlfriend. We did not marry, she wants to leave, I want to stay in the property. During the relationship I provided three times more salary than her. What part of the value of the apartment do I have to give (we still have a mortgage for 29 years) if she sold me her share? I would also like to know how much it will cost and if I have to also change the ownership of the mortgage. Not being married, in principle, the right of ownership of property is determined by the deed of sale, regardless of how payments and loan receipts. We assume that you bought 50% each. The fact that you paid out more money on the mortgage, only gives a right to be refunded the amount you paid of your girlfriend’s liabilty. If you both agree that you will stay with the home, your girlfriend must sell her 50%, you then take over the entire existing mortgage loan, freeing her, or you can perform a condominium extinction being an indivisible loan (this option entails a tax reduction because only taxed between 0.5 and 1.5% of the total value of the property according to the Autonomous Community). Normally we would take advantage of this time to settle all accounts connected with the loan because you will pay the current value of the half the peoperty, minus the portion of the outstanding loan and the amount you paid in excess, updated with legal interest. The steps to follow are: 1) Talk to the bank to inform them that you will stay with the home and the mortgage. The bank has to give consent. 2 º) See your notary with all documentation to prepare the corresponding deed and mortgage documentation. The costs are for writing, recording, transfering tax (from 6 to 8% of the price, according to the Community), IIVTNU (municipal tax capital gains, exempt if less than one year of the deed of purchase), and the fees for document management. Your notary will be able to give you a full estimate of the expenses once they have seen all the documents.
11 Mother is a widow from a relationship lasting 15 years. This man was legally separated and in turn had three daughters. There is a will, but the money in the bank is in his and my mother’s name. On the death of this man, who inherits this money, my mother and/ or his daughters?
Subject to proof to the contrary, we must presume that the money belongs to current account holders (your mother and her partner) equally. In case of death, half the money existing at the date of the death belongs to your mother and the other half would be for the heirs of the deceased. To find out who the heirs are would depend on whether he had made a will and what it says. A lack of will, means that the three daughters are the only heirs, equally.
12 My father, aged 70, has married for the
second time. After three months his current wife required him to put his property in her name. The assets he has are the result of the division of an inheritance for my father, my brother and I when my mother died. He refuses to do so and they are getting divorced. Getting married meant losing his widower pay. If you divorce, Can you recover your pay again? Does my father have to give her a pension? She has the right to ask your father for a pension if he claims that the separation is due to an economic downturn on their situation before marriage. As for the loss of the widower’s pension, without knowing the specific manner in which it occurred,it would be best to consult directly with the agencies concerned.
13 I have an widowed aunt whose husband
left a long time ago without agreeing a separation or divorce, or settling their communal property. After her husband left her and before he died he bought another home that was his primary residence. On going to sell this house we have been told that the first thing to do is to dissolve the conjugal partnership and claim the legacy to win the whole house. She wants no part of the rest of the estate or of the conjugal partnership, just to keep the house in order to sell it. I have several questions about it: Can there be a dissolution of the conjugal partnership for the house forgetting the rest of marital property? Is there any way to prove that the property was acquired exclusively with his money to avoid the formalities of the dissolution of the community property and inheritance partition? How do we sell the house? 62 |
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Only a judge can declare bankruptcy and the dissolution of a conjugal partnership but a period of absolute separation makes a good case for abandonment. However, a lack of judgment, means that marriage legally exists and without any legal cause for dissolution we must assume that it exists and is continuing and that all assets of the couple are common, unless proven otherwise, for example, stating that goods are donated or inherited. Confirm first that she is the sole heir and the presence or absence of a will, which your notary will help you with. You can then claim for a partial settlement and inheritance, referring only to the property. Other assets of the estate would not be awarded, unless his aunt is the sole heir.
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If a property was bought or inherited before marriage, what rights over the property and the value it can generate does the spouse acquire if it is refurbished after the marriage? Especially if my property is where we will set our residence? The property and furniture need structural reforms. If the couple marry under the rule of community property, the property that each spouse had owned before will be unique to each. This does not change because assets are invested in mutual funds for communal benefit, although there will have be a claim against the private estate of the spouse who owns the assets which will be paid at the time of liquidation of the marriage through “refunds”. As for the house, it should be noted that since the marriage, all products and profits obtained by the property, whether or not improved constitute a Dowry. Peoperty, even unique to one spouse, when made into the residence of the family, requires consent from both partners before taking any action to dispose of it.
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I am the owner of an apartment with my partner, but we are not married nor do we have children. In my will I can only dispose of 50% of my possessions, leaving the rest to my heirs, in this case my parents. I want to leave my part of the property to my partner. Can I reflect that in the will? Do my heirs have to renounce my inheritance? How I can do that? If part of the property has to pass to my heirs, can can I ensure that they cannot force my companion out of the property? In the will you may leave half your share of the property to your partner. That legacy will remain valid provided that sufficient assets in the estate to pay your parents half the
value of the assets to which they are legally entitled as heirs. You can also ask them to renounce the inheritance, but they are free to do or not. In any case, your partner will not be forced to leave the floor plus you can leave them a life interest. There can be no objection to ordering a legacy of money for your parents indicating that your payment is legitimate, but it could create a problem in a future valuation. Talk to your notary to get details about the different alternatives. Note also that if you were married your parents share would not be half but a third.
16 Can I speak directly to a notary to effect separation of property? Does the separation of property prevent a spouse’s debts impinging on the other spouse? Under communal propery, can anyome seize, assets such as a house to get the 50%? If so, what rights does the other spouse have concerning the house? Of course you can go directly to a notary. Note that without a marriage contract to invalidate a claim of separate property each spouse’s debts are their personal responsibility, unless the obligation was incurred to meet the ordinary needs of the family, in which case either can answer for the debtor spouse. The answer to your second and third question will vary depending on whether there before the change of matrimonial an obligation arising under a community, depending on the nature of the proprietary solution or debt Dower. If the separation of property was only agreed and signed after the debt debt arose then Community property rules will apply and the common answer “in any case” concerning the obligations of the two spouses or of one with the other’s consent (art. 1367 of the Civil Code). This also applies if the debt was incurred by one spouse in the cases listed in art. The DC 1365 and when the debtor spouse is a merchant, and all marital property may be required to answer for their debts, if the other spouse gives consent or acquiescence. The latter is understood as granted when a partner is practicing a trade with your knowledge - consent is assumed but if opposition is expressed in both cases, consent may be revoked. In these cases, the debtor spouse responds first with their private estate. If not enough, the creditor may request the seizure of marital property and may require the debtor’s consort to pay the debts from the assets held by the debtor in the community property, which then leads to its dissolution. The truth is that just as the Civil Code establishes a presumption of equality and communal property in respect of the estate of marriage in Article 1361, the debts incurred during the same does not give them the same treatment. But it is clear that the legislature did not intend the prejudice of creditors by a change of regime that is only learned when it’s too late to enforce credit. But the spouse is protected from debt that clearly did not benefit them and their homes are rarely forfeited unless the debt was shared..
Antiques Quiz Picture A 1) From what country does this saucer come?
A
2) Who was on the throne in the UK when this saucer was made?
Picture B 3) What French phrase is used to describe the colours in this type of Chinese Decoration?
Picture C 4) What liquid was this bowl made to serve? The answer is in the picture 5) From what country does this bowl come?
Picture D 6) Which English Factory commonly used a Crescent Moon for its Mark? 64 |
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B
Picture E 7) From what country do these saucers come? 8) What word is commonly used to to describe this type of Porcelain/ pottery from this country?
C
9) What does the word answer to question 7 translate to in English?
D
10) During which Holiday is the next Antiques Fair at Canor, Teulada? Answers: 1) England 2) George IV 3) Famille Verte 4) Tea 5) Worcester 6) China 7) Japan 8) Kutani 9) Nine Valleys 10) Easter
E
Part three of our serialised Thriller... see Issue 1 on www.5Ws.biz to start the book from the beginning
A Poisonous Shade of Grey by © Mai Griffin 1997, 2008, 2013
In Death’s dark realm, where none of us may stray, The light glints through a Poisonous Shade of Grey. A Glimmer glimpsed, beyond a heart’s endeavour, Where lost souls wander in their dark forever. Anon
6 – Tuesday 21st (cont) “Mrs
Tiller – the lamb – when would you like me to deliver it?” The butcher’s small round eyes stared over a pair of half-circle spectacles as he lowered his head and tucked his double chin into the top of his blue-striped apron. “I’m terribly sorry,” said Ann, swallowing her panic, “There has been so much extra stuff to freeze – vegetables from the garden... I just haven’t room for it after all. Can you hold it for me please, just for a week or so?” On Thursday, Eddie would be taking the children to his parents for one of their long weekend visits. They went two or three times a year; she never accompanied them. It was supposed to be ‘a real rest for mummy’, according to their Grandma, but what she really meant was that she could have her son all to herself again! They were not really on bad terms, she and her mother-in-law, but they had a fragile relationship that they both knew would stay cordial only if not tested by close proximity! Cathy and Christopher adored their grandparents and were so excited by the coming trip they didn’t appear to be aware of anything strange in her behaviour, not that they were likely to do so at seven and five years old. Eddie too, was preoccupied with his job and plans for the weekend, but perhaps, reflected Ann sadly, he no longer 66 |
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loved her... was not concerned enough to sense her deep distress. She was suddenly mindful again of her surroundings. Mrs Hoskins, the Butcher’s bustling, kindly wife, stood transfixed behind the counter and was staring at her, openly concerned. In the dimness of the small village shop, with its crowded, tin-heavy shelves, Ann nervously swept back a wayward strand of fine hair from her eyes and tried in vain to tuck it behind her ear. She suddenly felt overwhelmed. The air was thick with vegetable odours rising from the wire trays, carelessly stacked, which tripped feet and snagged tights. Like an automaton, Ann took what was being pushed at her and heard the woman say, “This will really do that cold of yours some good, you poor thing, your nose is quite red!” It was a packet of lozenges... “And here, have a tissue for your eyes – streaming they are!” Mr Hoskins was retreating to his lair at the rear of the premises. Ann wondered what he had replied to her request. He was probably annoyed. To hide her confusion she was glad to admit to a cold and added the cure to her basket. She mopped her face and threw the tissue in the bin as she went out into the street. She must get a grip on herself and not give anyone else reason to remember her behaviour as odd. She couldn’t afford to draw attention to herself in this way:
not before she had got rid of the body. At home, after putting away all the groceries, Ann sat in the spare bedroom gazing at the girl’s clothes. She would have to dispose of them – but how? It was odd that she had never considered Joyce a threat to her marriage but, from the way Eddie always spoke of her, how could she possibly have guessed? It was shocking to discover that “Good Old Jo,” his secretary, had the looks of a fashion model, assured and beautifully groomed. Inevitably, her mind again retraced the events of the past twenty-four hours. Yesterday had begun normally enough. Her neighbour Jenny came in early for Ann’s shopping list, as she did every Monday. On Fridays, Ann did the same for Jenny. It suited them both to cut down on trips to Reading. It saved petrol and more importantly, if delays occurred because of heavy traffic, at least one of them was still at home to take care of the four children after school. Their two houses shared the narrow lane to the road and they joked that if only one at a time was driving out and about, the other would not have to reverse a mile to allow free passage! As always, they had coffee as they went over the required items. Many things were cheaper in town than in the village shop but as far as was reasonable they liked to support the lo-
cal traders, so things were added or crossed off and new lists made. Their two families shared a comfortable relationship altogether. Jenny’s twins were only five, but they got on well with Cathy and Chris who assumed the role of ‘boss’ unopposed! It was a pleasant association without being too intimate. Too much lack of privacy would have been unwise for people living in such close proximity but the four adults were also good friends. Ann’s whole life was comfortable and well-ordered or so she had thought, until now! She was utterly devastated by the appalling revelations and subsequent events, after Jenny drove away. As she sat on the bed contemplating Joyce’s beautiful clothes, her senses reeled again, as sickeningly as they had when she came round, after fainting the day before, crushed under the weight of the girl’s body. She would never forget those wide, mad eyes staring through her, into death. The once beautiful face, inches from her own, was distorted – smeared with vile coffee-coloured froth. The shining, scarlet lips were curled back over pale gums in an agonised fixed snarl. The girl was unmistakably dead! Screaming uncontrollably, Ann had pushed herself free and fled blindly to the bathroom where she was violently sick. She had no concept of time as she cleaned herself up and showered, her mind mercifully blanked out what had just happened – unable to cope with the revulsion. When she emerged, in a state of trance-like calm, Ann was almost convinced she’d had a terrible nightmare; she would find everything normal again. The scene of devastation and the corpse in the sitting room brought her speedily to her senses. Staring at the twisted figure on the floor Ann groaned aloud, despairingly. What could she have done? She had not been certain that anything was wrong with the coffee. God only knew what poisonous substance had been intended for her, but it had caused the girl’s gruesome death. She was not hypocritical enough at that juncture to feel sorrow at her rival’s fate – it served her right; justice 68 |
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had triumphed, the biter bit! Good grief: was she losing her mind? She should be working out a plan of action not spouting clichés! Her first instinct, and firm intention, had been to ring the police. She actually got as far as dialling but realisation slowly dawned that her husband’s sordid affair would become known; and for goodness sake, it must have been a miserably cheap affair! She always did the household accounts and Eddie kept little money for himself – just cigarette money, as he put it. Joyce, judging by what she said, had obviously seduced him with little private suppers. No, not suppers, they would have been lunches; Eddie was hardly ever late home in the evenings. Something else the girl said came back to her: she had waited for her visitor to go, so that they could be alone. She must actually have been hiding when Jenny left! It was now patently obvious. She had come to commit murder! She was sure to have provided herself with an alibi and must also have been careful not to be seen in the immediate vicinity, so she wouldn’t have come by car, thereby attracting attention in a small village. She had been barking mad but not necessarily stupid! The more Ann considered all the angles, the more the conviction grew that she was right – nobody else on earth knew that Joyce had been here. It followed therefore, that the best way of dealing with the ghastly situation was to keep it quiet. Because Ann felt no responsibility for the woman’s demise – and hoped, by concealing it, to keep her marriage and home intact – she had set about her task with determination and efficiency. A glance at the clock told her that time was on her side; could it be merely two hours since Jenny left? No one was due back for lunch and casual callers were few; the long stony road put people off. Ann suspected that even the postman waited until he had enough mail to make the trip worthwhile! So, she could count on being undisturbed until the children or Jenny returned after four-o-clock. First, she had dragged the dead girl to the cloakroom and thrown after her,
all her belongings; handbag, gloves, a shoe that had fallen off in the hall as a leg caught in the doorway and an embroidered lace handkerchief which had fallen near the window and was almost hidden under a chair. She left the body on the tiled floor then, while worrying what to do with it, she tackled the sitting room. The tray had been overturned leaving a mess of milk, sugar and coffee that looked daunting but, fortunately, none of the crockery was broken. Ann was amazed to realise how childishly pleased she was that it had survived intact: already, more mundane things were taking precedence over the unreal disclosures and events of the last few hours, from which she felt curiously detached. On her knees, as she scrubbed the carpet, odd things Joyce had said floated through her mind: how could she accept that he had been thinking of leaving her? Eddie was so considerate ...and they had always talked easily to each other. She wouldn’t believe it. Joyce had obviously schemed to take Eddie away and when she failed, this had been her last resort – murder! The contemptible creature had been insane. She had wanted Eddie at all costs but Ann could understand why, and was equally willing to go to any lengths to keep him. If she had known of the affair, might she even have contemplated drastic action herself...? Even murder? She shuddered; she could not answer honestly. What of the future? With Joyce out of his life, Eddie was sure to forget her in time... Ann would win him back. Was she really dowdy? Had Eddie implied that she was, or even told his secretary that he had an unattractive wife? Such a betrayal seemed completely out of character, but she wondered; how well did she really know him after all? When the room was restored to its usual neatness, Ann had surveyed it with satisfaction. Quite surprisingly, there was no messy evidence of Joyce’s death throes: all that bubbling brown mess. Ugh! She shuddered – it had been difficult to focus her attention. Knowing the carpet wouldn’t dry for hours, she decided to explain it by saying she had over-watered a pot
plant. To support this she had moved one to the coffee table and wet the soil until it could hold no more. Water brimmed to the edge of the container and she reflected that Eddie wouldn’t dare to criticise; he often nagged her about forgetting to water the damn things ...then she’d had the presence of mind to water all the others too. At last, there had been no excuse for putting off what she most dreaded. She forced herself to return to the grim scene in the cloakroom with everything necessary to conceal the body. She could not bury it clothed, it would make it too easy to identify... although, with any luck, it would never be found! Three hours later, stripped naked, Joyce lay firmly bound in black mulching plastic – bought for the strawberry bed in a moment of enthusiasm, but never used. The actual stripping was a merciful blank in Ann’s memory. Sickened by the horror of it all her mind must have slipped a cog and operated on automatic through most of the ordeal. Her first plan had been to hide the body temporarily under the firewood piled in the garage. The logs wouldn’t be needed for months so there was no fear of Eddie moving them, but whichever way she tried, it was impossible to stack them tidily over the oddly shaped bundle. Had she been able to straighten the body out it would have been easier to wrap, but it refused to co-operate and finally it had been simpler to bend it. In retrospect, with a commendable air of detachment, Ann felt that she’d done a good job. It was a smaller parcel than she had dared hope, in spite of the yards of plastic. Had Eddie been in a position to comment, she smiled grimly, he would say it had obviously been wrapped by the owner of a sticky-tape factory with no faith! When the logs slipped yet again, Ann had to pause to regain her breath. She was badly out of condition for coping with such physical exertion. She was soaking wet with perspiration and had the horrific thought that it would be four or five days before she could dispose of the body properly. Somewhere she had heard that if someone died in what was called ‘full
Can’t wait for the next instalment? The book is on Kindle and as a paperback on Amazon
flesh’ they burst and…! Leaning weakly against the freezer she had also realised that in very little time the body would smell, the garage was always faintly warm – probably because of the freezer – the freezer! The solution to her dilemma: it was certainly big enough and only half full. Stocks had dwindled far too low but a visit to the cash and carry always resulted in parting with more money than they expected so she had been putting off the trip. Before revulsion overcame her, Ann emptied it completely and had heaved the black bundle into the cabinet. There were sufficient packages and boxes to hide it completely, still leaving enough space overhead to replace the wire baskets holding smaller items. Ann had finally closed the lid with relief. All that remained to do was to collect up the clothes, hide them somewhere and clean the cloakroom; no problem, it was fully tiled. A side door gave direct access to the kitchen from the garage and as she hurried through to tackle the distasteful chore, she had noted with satisfaction that she still had a good two hours left to prepare for the return of the family. Satisfied at last that all was sparklingly clean, Ann had packed the clothes into an old suitcase and pushed it under the spare room bed. With no time to do more than remove all the labels and burn them in the lavatory bowl, Ann regretted having no a furnace or even a fireplace,
she could have burned the lot: hat, bag, shoes too! A bonfire was out of the question. Even if she waited until the weekend to light one, she couldn’t hope to cover the traces well enough to escape Eddie’s eagle eye. Later, standing at the kitchen sink, she turned on the hot tap and washed her hands again …would they ever feel clean? Looking over the field towards Jenny’s house, ‘Far Acre’, she reflected on their good fortune, being in such a lovely quiet spot – just the two properties, built at the same time by a local speculator. There was no danger of other dwellings springing up. The farmer wouldn’t part with more land, which was why it had appealed to them. Country born Eddie enjoyed the decent sized garden and space to breathe fresh air. Standing there alone, the peace was almost tangible and she couldn’t bear the thought of losing it all. Slowly, Ann had discerned something in the garage behind her, moving – scraping... then she distinctly heard a faint cry and three sharp metallic raps! Her raw, already frayed nerves, could take no more: in her imagination, she saw red talons tearing through black plastic to scratch and tap on the icy freezer wall and, with an anguished shriek of terror, she collapsed in a dead faint onto the tiled floor. ...to be continued in our next issue
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To understand the man - meet the child....
Secrets...
We all have little secrets, but keeping the secret and avoiding others finding out about it – that is a skill; for those discovering what it is – that is a joy. And so it was with the Blytheton Gang, six little boys growing up together, who were in no way grown-up; and one of them had a secret... Every Wednesday, after school, had been sacrosanct for weeks – the gang meeting – always held in Derek’s grandad’s shed, but one Wednesday, Thomas shocked them all. This would be his last week. “What? Why? You can’t...!” came from the other five. “...Are you going away?” queried Curly. “Poor Thomas – his mum and dad can’t pay the rent?” That was Sweaty. “It’s your dad isn’t it? He’s... left your mum...” Wally guessed. “Do you not like us?” asked Eck with the beginning of a tear. He needed to toughen up. “I am joining a Secret Society!” declared Thomas, his cheeks flushing ever so slightly. Wow! A Secret Society... That sounded so much better than just being in a gang. “Could we join too?” asked Sweaty eagerly. “Oh no, you can only join if you have a big sister,” Thomas explained condescendingly, being the only one who had
by Mac Black
a sister. “Where do you go?” Jacko wanted to know. “I can’t tell you that. It wouldn’t be a secret place then, would it?” stated Master Thomas Watson confidently, feeling very important. The next Wednesday’s meeting was bad. Thomas was sorely missed – and so were the sweets. Mr Watson, his dad, owned the little sweetshop in Main Street, and each gang member benefited from Thomas being one of them. Mr Watson knew them all well and gave them extra sweets for their pennies when they visited his shop. Normally, on a Wednesday, Thomas had brought along a big bag of free sweets which were shared, but with no Thomas – no sweets. This was serious. How could they encourage Thomas back? They saw him every day, but he was resolute. The ‘Secret Society’ had him hooked. The third Wednesday without Thomas, Sweaty had an idea. “Why don’t we find out where he goes?” he said. “If we discovered that, then it wouldn’t be a secret any more, and he’d come back – with the sweets.” No one disagreed with that, in fact they were enthusiastic. So, the following Wednesday, instead of being in the shed,
they would hide in the garden opposite Thomas’s house and follow him to wherever he went for his ‘Secret Society’. So, on Wednesday, five pairs of eyes were peering through Mr Murdoch’s hedge, at the house door directly opposite. Mr Murdoch lived alone and was still at work. He would wonder when he returned why the ground was well trampled at the hedge. The door on the other side of Blytheton Road opened, and out stepped Thomas. He looked around furtively. They ducked down quickly and tried not to giggle. Thomas’s sister came out as well. She was seven, a year older than her brother. “Hurry up Mummy, or we’ll be late again,” the boys heard her shout, and out came Mrs Watson. The boys gave each other a knowing look. His mum and sister must be members of the ‘Secret Society’ too. “What if they go for a bus?” Jacko hissed in Sweaty’s ear. Oh, no-one had thought of that. Sweaty only shrugged his shoulders, but it was ok, they started walking in the direction of the town. It was hard work for the five boys dodging behind fences and hedges and dustbins so as not to be seen. Then the main road was reached and there was no more cover available. They watched from round a corner as Mrs Watson reached out her hands on either side, taking Thomas’s hand in one, and his sister’s in the other, and together they crossed the road. They had arrived – and went straight in the entrance of St James’ Church Hall. The eyes of the little watchers sparkled. Success – 72 |
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they now knew where the ‘Secret Society’ met – but they couldn’t stop at that! What happened in there? Crossing the road was not easy, but they followed the Green Cross Code, and in no time, all five were outside the entrance to the hall. They could hear music from a very out-of-tune piano. They could also hear a female voice shouting numbers in time with the music – obviously a special secret ritual. There was no guard on the door – now that wasn’t very clever – so there was nothing to stop the five peeping in through the swing doors to see – the secrets. And there was Thomas, moving about daintily with ten girls who were learning to dance... A Secret Society indeed! Next morning at school, they all talked, to Thomas. “Can I have the next dance?” asked Jacko. “Do you need a tutu for your Secret Society?” asked Wally. Curly and Eck danced around together, in front of him. “Wouldn’t you like to come back with us – Twinkletoes?” asked Sweaty. His mother was very annoyed at him refusing to return to the dancing class. His dad just smiled – he thought it was a Sissy thing anyway, and gave his son extra sweets for his pals. Twinkletoes, as he then became known, rejoined the old gang – that now had a new name too – The Real Secret Society.
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Over 17 years of faithful reporting Local news Local views Local Advertisers
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Behind the scenes with M G
When any organisation has an AGM, the committee has to work hard.
If this applies to you, please consider the following,
Members have to be informed and provided with printouts of the agenda and the minutes of the last AGM.
If you are NOT registered to vote, not voting doesn’t mean anything – it makes no statement and doesn’t count because no-one knows you exist. If you do register your vote, then both voting and abstaining count! It tells all Parties that we are here and CAN speak up if we have to. This is an apolitical issue – as changes to our EU membership will affect all UK ex-pats.
In our case, we had to worry about arranging a lunch, which meant sending out menus, noting everyone’s choices, making table plans and providing place-names. ‘No problem’, I know you are thinking... However, we were also, simultaneously, entertaining a VIP from London. Arrangements had to be made for our guest speaker to be interviewed by the Press and for him to broadcast ‘live’ on Bay Radio. The term ‘guest speaker’ is peculiarly apt because we were honoured by the presence of Nigel Evans MP – Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, UK. You may actually have heard him on Bay Radio, on Saturday February 2nd. He made a very good impression on everyone, especially our members who were able to meet him at lunch. He answered all the many varied questions put to him with much good humour and without hesitation. I accompanied our Chairman, Gaile Griffin Peers, when she went to meet Nigel at Valencia Airport and we had plenty of time to get to know him on the drive back to Jávea – but more of that later. There was one topic in particular that, as a Branch of Conservatives Abroad, we are very keen to promote voter registration. With the issue of European Membership in the news, it is more important than ever for expats to register if they still have a vote. 78 |
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EVEN IF YOU INTEND TO ABSTAIN.
Accounts of Nigel’s visit appeared in local newspapers including the RTN, Euroweekly, Costa Blanca News and the Grapevine and we are very grateful for the coverage that they and Bay Radio gave as it was an opportunity to promote the need for voting regististration. As his visit was very short and full of engagements Nigel did not have much time to relax. After lunch on Saturday Gaile and I managed to drive him around the area while it was still daylight. He was keen to see the Pueblo and the Fishermen’s Church in the Port. He was very impressed and declared his intention of coming back here for a holiday as a one-day stay was certainly not enough to do justice to the area! The tour had to be cut short as we were due to have dinner with the rest of the committee at nineo-clock! We did eventually reach home before 1am, which was just as well because Gaile and I were due to return Nigel to Valencia on Sunday morning, picking him up at 8.30 am. It was a real pleasure to do so, as he is excellent company and any fears we may have had about entertaining a stranger were soon dispelled. We had asked a lot of him, packing so much into one day, but he coped with enthusiasm and made the occasion fun for us all. If I still had a vote, he would have it, without a doubt!
If you are interested in finding out more about Conservatives Abroad or would like to find out where your local Branch meets please visit www.conservativesabroad.org
Javea Conservatives Abroad covers the North Costa Blanca with members from south of Altea to Valencia and inland to the Jalon Region. Our own website is www.javeaconservatives.org
2013 Events 25th March - Reception for Conservatives Abroad members - House of Lords - London April - Visit to the Campello Caves and the Turron Factory - coach and lunch included To find out more please contact the Branch chairman@javeaconservatives.org
NOTES FOR APPLICATION AS AN OVERSEAS VOTER DID YOU KNOW? • • •
2.5 million British citizens are eligible to register to vote from overseas. At the end of 2007, just 14,000 expatriates were registered to vote. Last year 198,000 Britons left the UK to live overseas, all of whom are eligible to vote in the upcoming UK Parliamentary Election.
COMPLETING THE FORM
You will need: • The address of where you were last registered in the UK • The date you were last registered in the UK • Your Passport number
please contact Lesley Taylor; lesley.taylor@conservatives.com; 0044 (0)20 7984 8015, or contact your former local Conservative Party Association Office - contact details can be found on www.conservatives.com
RETURNING THE FORM
Send to the Electoral Registration Officer covering the You will have to find someone to support what you say in your constituency where you were last registered. To find the declaration. He or she can be anyone who: address of your Electoral Office visit www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/overseas and insert your postcode • Is aged 18 or over; from your last address in the UK. • Has a British passport which describes his or her status as a “British Citizen” and lives overseas; FOR FURTHER INFORMATION • Knows you but is not a close relative (husband, wife, parent, grandparent, brother, sister, child, or If you require further information or assistance in grandchild). registering as an overseas elector you can contact: If you left the UK before you were old enough to register, you Lesley Taylor Or visit: www.conservativesabroad.org or will have to provide a copy of your full birth certificate and www.dontleaveyourvoteathome.com or information about the parent or guardian whose registration www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/overseas you are relying on.
NOMINATING A PROXY VOTE
If you are unable to nominate a close family member or friend to vote on your behalf the Conservative Party can help. For help appointing a proxy vote
CONSERVATIVES ABROAD www.conservativesabroad.org
Promoted and Printed by Alan Mabbutt on behalf of the Conservative Party, both at 30 Millbank, London, SW1P 4DP
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