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SolTimes issue 370

16-22 JANUARY

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PUBLIC SPACE PLANNED

The Delegación de Gestión de la Ciudad del Ayuntamiento de Roquetas de Mar, through the Área de Parques y Jardines, has commissioned the drafting of plans for an area of public space 10,395 metres square in Las Colinas de Aguadulce.

It will include a playground, a multidisciplinary sports field and walking and running tracks.

The Concejal de Gestión de la Ciudad, Eloísa Cabrera, explained that ‘this is an important action that will improve the quality of life of citizens. We are fulfilling the promises made to increase the green areas and public spaces of Roquetas de Mar.’ The Concejal de Parques y Jardines, Francisca Ruano, said the project will ‘respect the space’s natural physiognomy by using slopes, and by creating a forest area to give even more scenic beauty. The fundamental objective is to provide ample space for the enjoyment of the whole family, in predominantly natural surroundings, providing a unique landscape with elements of fun, entertainment and sports.

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population increase

report by martin shortland see page 13

CUTS TO WATER SUPPLY INVESTIGATED The United Left of Roquetas de Mar has questioned the repeated incidents of cuts to the service of water supply and sanitation in the municipality.

They claim that there have been five incidents of cuts in the drinking water supply to the Roquetas barriadas of Roquetas centro, La Rocalla, Cortijos de Marín, Urbanización and Aguadulce Norte, on the 5, 15 and 20 of December and the 1 and 2 of January.

The IU spokesman, Ricardo Fernández, said that ‘Aquagest have been asked for the relevant reports on failures occurring in previous months.’

Questions were also raised about the projects approved in the last Junta de Gobierno Local on December 28 for the replacement of 550 metres of supply pipe that runs along the Rambla del Cañuelo. These works, which have been valued at more than 145,000 euros, are supposed to solve water shortages affecting the Cortijos de Marín, La Rocalla and La Urbanización.

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SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

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SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

Ex-pat homeowners take Spain to European Court of Human Rights AUAN Press Release, January 2013: A group of British pensioners have decided to take on the might of the Spanish State in the European Court of Human Rights

Having exhausted all hope of a preventing the demolition of their home via the Spanish courts a retired British couple from Albox, Andalucía, are now taking their case directly to the European Court of Human Rights.

This move is backed by AUAN and SOHA, two organisations representing hundreds of homeowners in similar circumstances in Spain.

The case echoes that of Len and Helen Prior whose home in Vera, Andalucía, was demolished five years ago on the 9th of January 2008 as the result of a planning dispute between the local council and the regional government. In both cases the properties had full building licences.

“We feel there is no other option” said AUAN president, Maura Hillen.

“In the case of Helen and Len Prior the Spanish Constitutional Court, the highest court in Spain, deliberated for two years over whether or not their property should be demolished by which time the house had already been flattened. And even if compensation is actually awarded by the Spanish courts, it can take up to fifteen years to receive any money. There must be no more demolitions without prior compensation’.

Philip Smalley, President of SOHA said, “While the problems that we face in the Axarquia are, in many ways, very different to those faced in Albox we all feel a shared wrong which must be righted. If only one of us can establish this fundamental right to live in peace in a home bought in good faith then surely this will help to shift the intransigence of the Spanish legal system and will be money well spent”.

The case will focus on Article 1 of Protocol Number 1 of the European Convention of Human Rights which guarantees the right to property. This is a fundamental right, which according to AUAN “holds little sway in the Spanish judicial system”.

“This is a David and Goliath struggle. This couple were on the brink of giving up when members of AUAN and SOHA put their hands in their pockets to fund the submission of this case. We cannot afford to fund this case any further but we intend to try to raise enough funds to see it through. We believe that this is not just about one couple or one case. It is about the fundamental principle that a person who acted in good faith should not be deprived of their home without prior compensation as a result of the action or inaction of the Spanish state. We feel that if this couple wins, we all win”.

Contact info@almanzora-au.org or call 661 329 919

Serón

7 minors have been found guilty of burglaries in Serón. The seven, aged between 12 and 16, committed 3 burglaries by forcing the entrances.

They took alcoholic drinks and electrical goods.

The Guardia Civil identified them from eyewitness evidence, from the similarity between the three crimes, and by the discovery of a stolen television in the house of one of the youngsters.

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...local news update

The Ayuntamiento de Nijar is delighted with the news from the Director of the Spanish Tourist Office in London that the Parque Natural Cabo de Gata Nijar is listed in this year’s Monocle magazine as being among the ‘100 best experiences of Spain’.

Monocle, which has a monthly circulation of 150,000 copies, produces features on what are considered to be the best cities in the world, and this year it is promoting Spain in the British tourist market.

The guide recommends all kinds of experiences, culinary, fashion, cultural or coastal; the Parque Natural Cabo de Gata Nijar has been selected as one of the best in the country. It is being promoted for its natural beauty, with over 1,000 plants and 1,100 species of animals, and is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve.

Arboleas

The Ayuntamiento de Arboleas has launched a course of vocational training for employment under the heading ‘Monitor de educación ambiental’.

This course is the brainchild of the Alcalde, Cristóbal García, who said that ‘we have to fight unemployment and this is a good training tool. Therefore, the Ayuntamiento is managing and organising different training courses for the unemployed.’

This course is aimed at unemployed people with a minimum level of education, ie la titulación de BUP, Bachiller Superior, COU or

the equivalent.

The course content will cover topics such as: introduction to the natural environment, the environment and contemporary society, environmental issues, general concepts of environmental education, environmental education and practical perspective, health and safety at work, environmental education and employment, environmental awareness and gender equality and prevention of occupational hazards.

The classes will commence on February 4 and end on May 9, a total of 320 hours. The maximum number of students will be fifteen.

Huércal Overa

The Ayuntamiento, through the Alcalde, Domingo Fernández, and the Gerente del Área Sanitaria Norte, Eva Jiménez has given over a local municipally owned property for use as a Mental Health Facility.

A visit by them to the former offices of the Servicio Andaluz de Empleo, which have fallen into disuse, have led to the development of this previously neglected service.

Adaptation of the offices started in December, and the Mayor and the manager have been overseeing the works to ensure that the new facilities meet all requirements.

The new offices will have two consulting rooms and two offices in addition to common areas.

Salud Mental serves patients throughout the northern part of the province where, in addition to medical monitoring, recovery and rehabilitation workshops are held.

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SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

Telefónica Faces Action For ‘Unfair’ Locking-in Contract Terms

Telefónica has come under fire from the National Competition Commission (CNC) for ‘abusive’ terms locking mobile phone customers into contracts.

They have accused Telefónica Móviles España – previously Movístar – of applying conditions that make it ‘impossible’ to move to another provider, or at least, very difficult and expensive. This is particularly the case

Sport

with small and medium-sized businesses and with the self-employed, says the CNC. “We have reasonable grounds to believe Telefónica is in breach of Article 1 of Law 15/2007 of July 3, for anti-competition practices,” says a spokesperson for the Commission.

Telefónica has 18 months to resolve the situation.

Private firm offers to buy Castellón airport

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A multi-million offer to buy Castellón’s brand-new, unused airport is under scrutiny by the Valencian regional government.

Since the new terminal was officially opened in March 2011, not a single plane has taken off from or landed there.

Now, a capital risk company – the name of which is being kept under wraps by ministers in Valencia – has put in a bid of 200 million euros to buy the doomed airport.

If the sale goes ahead, the new owners anticipate being able to create between 1,200 and 1,400 jobs directly and indirectly related to the terminal.

The airport is owned by Aerocas, the chief executive officer of which is Carlos Fabra, a family member of regional president Alberto Fabra, and the Generalitat Valenciana is the majority shareholder.

This means the airport will never get off the ground for as long as the regional government has no money in the bank.

But with a private company offering to invest in the inside of the terminal and in services elsewhere on the complex, flights from Castellón could take off as early as June this year.

Population falls as 118,000 Spaniards leave the country

Around 55,000 Spanish people had left the country for good by the end of the third quarter of 2012, meaning the exodus has increased by over a fifth in the past year.

With job vacancies being practically non-existent and career progress unlikely in the current economic climate, more and more qualified young Spaniards are seeking their fortunes abroad.

Nine in 10 student nurses interviewed expressed a wish to go overseas to work when they qualified, with the UK, Norway, Germany, Canada, the USA and Latin America being the favoured destinations.

And Germany’s government has been offering jobs they cannot fill in the past year to unemployed Spaniards, with vacancies in engineering and the hotel and catering sector being the most-advertised.

Between 5,500 and 7,000

people left Spain for good, or for the long-term, every month last year, according to the Institute of National Statistics (INE).

Nearly a million people emigrated in 2012, although all bar around 118,000 were expatriates returning to their home countries.

Of these, over half a million were men.

Spain’s population has fallen since last year, partly due to returning foreigners and Spaniards moving abroad, and partly due to the ever-falling birth rate.

A recent survey showed that eight in 10 couples or single women who want to have children have chosen not to because they could not afford to bring up a baby.

Many of those interviewed fear that by the time the country is back on its feet financially and they have a stable job enabling them to afford to raise children, they will be past fertile age.

School canteen strike causes chaos Dinner-lady strikes in Cádiz, Teruel and Zaragoza means school canteens are shut across both regions and parents are having to take time off work to pick their kids up at lunchtime.

Many dinner ladies have not been paid in months and their working conditions are increasingly poorer because of funding cuts in education.

Although in most cases, parents have been given plenty of notice, in some schools, mums and dads have received a call at lunchtime to collect their children as they have nowhere they can sit and eat, and no school dinners being served.

Some parents are taking in four or five other children for lunch because their parents’ shifts do not allow them to pick them up or, in certain cases where pupils travel to school on the bus and their mums and dads do not have cars, they are unable to get there at all.

Parents, teachers, headmasters and headmistresses have

been taking it in turns to oversee the children at midday, often meaning they have to keep an eye on between 200 and 300 kids at once single-handedly.

In the province of Cádiz, the company which has the franchise for providing lunch and supervisory staff to 55 schools is being sued by the regional education authorities.

The firm also supplies school transport, but bus drivers have been on strike as well as kitchen and canteen staff because they have not been paid in three months.

But the regional education authorities say they are fully up to date with their invoices and that it is the franchise company itself which has not been paying its staff.

Andalucía has around 1,500 school canteens which are managed by 40 franchise companies, and all bar the ones in Cádiz under Brassica Group are running as normal, says the regional government.

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Police are investigating the kidnap of two brothers from the province of Cuenca (Spain) who were last seen in a shopping centre in Morelia, capital of the province of Michoacán and about halfway between Puerto Vallarta and Mexico City. The elder of the two, who is 45, runs a clothing and textile firm in the area and has lived there since last year. His family had been to stay with him over Christmas.

The expatriate’s brother, 44, has also been kidnapped.

As yet, no rescue money has been asked for. The two Spaniards were last seen in a shopping centre in Morelia.

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SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

‘Record’ number of public demonstrations:

over 36,000 since start of Rajoy’s reign

Over 36,000 public protest marches have taken place in the first year of president Mariano Rajoy’s reign, according to figures compiled by MP for left-wing party Izquierda Plural, Ricardo Sixto.

According to a report by ThinkSpain.com, between January and October 2012, twice as many demonstrations took place as in the whole of 2011, despite this being the year when the national 15-M movement first came about.

Sixto had instructed government MPs to present the figures to him, and reveals that in the first 10 months of last year, 36,232 demonstrations went ahead – compared to 18,422 in 2011 and just under 20,000 in the whole of 2010.

The year 2004 saw 10,568 protest marches, and 2008 witnessed 16,118.

Dubbed ‘the most conflictive year on record’, minister for the interior Jorge Fernández Díaz admitted his party ‘saw it coming’ almost as soon as they took possession of the government in November 2011.

“We knew there were turbulent times ahead and that we would need to employ both right hand and left hand to preserve social peace,” says Fernández Díaz.

“We instructed police forces to ensure the law was complied with but that at the same time the public could exercise its fundamental rights, such as that of demonstrating, whilst ensuring these were compatible with the rights of other members of the public to uninhibited transit through the streets.”

Sixto, who says the demonstrations are the ‘direct result’ of cutbacks in social funding, tax hikes and the ‘repeated

Capital Needs Of Spanish Banks ‘Among The Lowest In Europe’

Spain’s banks’ need for a capital injection is lower than that of the average EU country’s financial institutions, says the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).

Those banks which need the most capital – around 400,000 million euros in total – are in Greece, France and Germany.

Banks in Spain, Italy, Ireland, Portugal and Austria have capital needs below the EU average.

Greek banks need the most money, followed by the French, Belgian, German, Dutch and Polish entities, whilst Spain is near the bottom of the list.

Banks in the Eurozone continue to be at the crux of the

failure of the government to keep its electoral promises’, has slammed the fact that organisers of protest marches which are not communicated in writing to the government beforehand are being fined.

He calls it a ‘deliberate strategy’ to ‘instil fear in the general public’ and thus ‘reduce their freedom of speech’.

Despite this, of the 623 demonstrations in Madrid that were not communicated to the government – 1,600 others having been previously advised – only seven were

financial crisis, says the OECD. International confidence levels in banks in the Eurozone continue to be very low and will probably continue as such until underlying concerns about low capital levels of certain major banks are addressed, the organisation claims.

Current demands are not enough to build confidence in European financial institutions since they underestimate possible risks based upon the banks’ own in-house risk assessment and they are not generating enough of a buffer zone in the event of problems, the OECD explains.

It says the average ratio of own capital to total share capital continues to be less than the five per cent stipulated by the OECD itself.

Banks in the Eurozone need to be more capable of absorbing major losses and increasing their own capital in relation to shares, and these are issues that must be dealt with in the next few years, the organisation stresses.

Teacher and nine pupils injured when classroom floor collapses Nine children and a teacher were injured last the situation could have led to a tragedy. The

Friday when the floor of a primary school in Santa Pola (Alicante) caved in. It happened just after 09.00hrs, when the teacher was taking the register for her class of eight-year-olds at the Hispanidad school, which is a State-run centre. She fell into a hole in between tables, and nine children went with her.

Four children and the teacher were taken to Elche General Hospital with multiple bruising, but no broken bones, and another five were treated at the local health centre. Several pupils needed to be treated for panic attacks and shock. Parents were immediately called to pick their children up, and the headmaster says the building was correctly evacuated according to the established drill. Emergency services say the teacher and pupils had a lucky escape, as

banned.

By regions, the total number of demonstrations in the first 10 months of 2012 for Andalucía was 7,141, followed by Castilla y León with 4,435 – none of which were prohibited – and the Comunidad Valenciana in third place with 3,147, ahead of Catalunya’s 3,116.

Sixto concludes that 2013 is likely to see even greater unrest as cutbacks in funding, the cost of living and taxes, and the restriction of social rights increase.

entire school has been shut down until repairs are carried out.

Education authorities are inspecting the building to ascertain the cause of the collapsing floor, which is as yet unknown, and whether there is a risk it will happen again.

This is the fourth incident of its kind in schools in the Comunidad Valenciana, which are severely underfunded due to the regional government being strapped for cash. All other school buildings in the region, starting with the oldest ones, will be inspected in turn for structural defects and renovations needed will be pushed through as quickly as possible, says regional vice-president José Císcar, former mayor of Teulada-Moraira (Alicante).

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First Winter Snows Bring Weather Warnings Across Spain

The first major snows of the winter have hit the north and centre of Spain and various inland provinces further south.

This means ski resorts are likely to be full to the brim soon, but driving conditions can bee dangerous and weather warnings have been issued.

Granada and Jaén in Andalucía, most of Catalunya - Barcelona, Girona and Lleida - Asturias, the whole of the Basque Country, Cantabria, La Rioja, most of Galicia, Aragón and Castilla y León and Cáceres in Extremadura are on ‘yellow warnings’ over heavy snowfall expected in areas of more than 600 metres above sea-level.

The northern border region of Navarra is on ‘orange alert’, meaning high risk.

Drivers should not go out unless absolutely necessary, and in most cases snow chains on wheels will be necessary.

Temperatures are expected to drop throughout the country in the next few days.

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SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

Sport

s sin C o a rr

sa

Pe

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We are a new foundation based in the Almanzora Valley. Perros Sin Casa literally means dogs with no home, and this is what we are hoping, with your help, we can change.

The team at Perros Sin Casa started a new foundation here in the Almanzora Valley to take care and protect dogs and puppies who are abandoned or neglected. We are a team of very committed and caring people who all love animals. We think we can make a difference to the dogs here in Southern Spain. We know we cannot solve the problems immediately, but we can try to make the lives of the dogs better.

Our contacts in Belgium and Holland are ready to take the dogs, with approx 12-16 dogs going at the end of February.

The team at Perros Sin Casa work everyday with pleasure and a smile!!! We go and stand on markets to sell second hand goods and we also organise benefits events to raise money for the dogs (we will advertise these events so you are all aware and able to attend!!)

It is also important for us to set up spaying and neutering projects as well as a project to teach the youngsters that a dog is an animal with feelings and as such need to be treated with love and respect.

So what can you do to help?

Do you have any second hand or unwanted items that you will not use and will be happy to let us have? Clothes and toys are welcome also. We are also in need of blankets to keep the dogs warm and cosy. We would also ask if you have any left over worming tablets or medication you are not going to use then we will be happy to take it off your hands. Very important is that we are desperate for cages to transport the dogs to Belgium and Holland, if you do not have one to give us we would appreciate a loan of it, which we will of course return.

If you have any questions, would like to offer us your help or for more information we would love to hear from you. Please contact us on:

Carla: 0034 674 552 286 Huguette and Jenny: 0034 950 930 637 E-mail: perros.sin.casa.almanzora@gmail.com

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SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

Jimmy Savile scandal:

Report reveals extent of abuse Paedophile DJ raped 34 and attacked 450 in ‘unprecedented’ 60 years of sex abuse, official report reveals

Jimmy Savile could have been prosecuted for sex offences while he was still alive if police and prosecutors had taken victims more seriously, an official report said today.

The paedophile DJ raped 34 and abused 450 in sex attacks spanning 60 years - the majority of which were on children.

Victims as young as eight were sexually assaulted at BBC Television Centre, as well as in hospitals, prisons and at least one hospice between 1955 and 2009.

The Met officer in charge of the investigation, Peter Spindler, said today Savile had ‘groomed the nation’.

The shocking scale of the

paedophile DJ’s crimes was revealed by Scotland Yard and the NSPCC in a joint report after a three-month investigation.

Police believe that Jimmy Savile used his celebrity status to offend although he had committed sex crimes before he became famous.

One victim said today: ‘It feels so good to be free of secrets’.

The Met has branded him one of Britain’s worst ‘predatory sex offenders’, but the document raises huge questions about why he was never caught by police in his lifetime.

He used his celebrity status to ‘hide in plain sight’, the report says, with 214 criminal offences now recorded against

him across 28 police forces.

Since October 589 people have come forward with information relating to the scandal, with a total of 450 complaints made against Savile himself.

The earliest reported offence committed by Savile was in Manchester in 1955, and the final reported allegation was in 2009.

The peak of attacks was between 1966 and 1976, when he was aged between 40 and 50.

There are 34 rapes and 126 indecent acts, the police and NSPCC report said, and of his victims, 73 per cent were children, with the total victim

Eurozone Interest Rates Unchanged At 0.75% The European Central Bank (ECB) has left eurozone interest rates unchanged at 0.75%, as had been widely expected.

Rates have now been at this level for six months after July’s cut from 1%.

Figures released on Tuesday showed that the unemployment rate across the eurozone worsened in November, hitting a record high of 11.8%.

The UK’s Bank of England also announced on Thursday that it would be keeping its main interest rate on hold.

“The economic weakness in the euro area is expected to extend into 2013,” said ECB president Mario Draghi.

“In particular, necessary balance sheet adjustments in financial and non-financial sectors and persistent uncertainty will continue to weigh on economic activity.

Later in 2013, economic activity should

gradually recover.”

The economy of the 17-member eurozone bloc is currently in recession, having contracted by 0.1% between July and September, after shrinking 0.2% in the previous three months.

Yet no further cut in interest rates had been expected, with analysts saying it would have little effect, as banks across the eurozone are not offering interest rates anywhere as low as the ECB’s main rate.

Banks are also reluctant to lend in the first place, as the wider eurozone economy remains mired in recession at a time when countries such as Spain, Portugal, Italy and Greece are having to continue to carry out extensive austerity measures to reduce their sovereign debt.

Toy wooden railway challenges Virgin

Toy train makers lodged a bid to run services on the West Coast Main Line, promising no delays, frequent services and free trains for all.

Bigjigs Toys submitted its bid after a decision to award the deal to FirstGroup was overturned following a legal challenge from Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Trains.

“This company has been delivering exceptional service on time and to low cost for its customers for years, and should be considered a serious candidate amongst the other four bidders.

“You might ask who can run such a service. Simple. Bigjigs Rail.”

The Department for Transport promptly replied, thanking the firm for its helpful proposals that “would certainly brighten up the railway”.

Department for Transport private secretary Mark Reach replied thanking Bigjigs for its letter and with advice on how to proceed with its application.

In its letter to transport secretary Patrick McLoughlin, Bigjigs Toys bosses wrote: “There is only one company that stands head and shoulders above the rest.

However he warns the bid is unlikely to succeed with Bigjigs’ wooden train carriages unlikely “to meet modern crashworthiness standards”.

age range between eight and 47 years old at the time.

‘It paints a stark picture emphasising the tragic consequences of when vulnerability and power collide,’ said Commander Peter Spindler, head of the Met’s Specialist Crime Investigations unit.

‘Savile’s offending footprint was vast, predatory and opportunistic. He cannot face justice today but we hope this report gives some comfort to his hundreds of victims, they have been listened to and taken seriously.

‘We must use the learning from these shocking events to prevent other children and vulnerable adults being abused in the future. They will get a voice.’

The report, called Giving

Victims a Voice, states that a large amount of the abuse happened at BBC buildings, including Television Centre in London, where Jim’ll Fix it was filmed - between 1965 and 2006 - including an attack during the last Top Of The Pops.

Savile also started offended in schools after pupils wrote to him Jim’ll Fix It letters.

Peter Watt, NSPCC Director of Child Protection Advice and Awareness, who co-authored the report with the Detective Superintendent David Gray, Operation Yewtree’s Senior Investigating Officer, said that the scale of Savile’s abuse ‘simply beggared belief.’

Savile was ‘without doubt one of the most prolific sex offenders we have ever come across,’ he said.

‘We know from the huge increase in calls to the NSPCC helpline about sexual abuse that the problem did not die with Savile,’ said Mr Watt.

‘Since the Savile scandal broke we have seen a surge in contacts about child abuse, both past and present, with many victims speaking out for the first time.

‘Almost 800 additional

7

children have been protected from abuse because of the publicity around this case prompted people to contact our helpline. We are optimistic that this signals a watershed moment for child protection in this country. We must seize the opportunity if we are to make a lasting change.’

The offences cover the period when Savile worked at the BBC between 1965 and 2006 and include allegations linked to the final recording of Top of the Pops.

They also involve the period when he worked at Leeds General Infirmary between 1965 and 1995.

Abuse at Stoke Mandeville Hospital took place between 1965 and 1988, while at Duncroft School, a children’s home, the allegations cover a period between 1970 and 1978.

‘There is no clear evidence of Savile operating within a paedophile ring although whether he was part of an informal network is part of the continuing investigation,’ the report says.

Article: www.dailymail.co.uk

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SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

Madrid vice-mayor loses post over Hallowe’en tragedy

Madrid’s vice-mayor has been removed from his post just two months after the Hallowe’en tragedy which cost the lives of five girls aged between 17 and 20.

Miguel Ángel Villanueva is a personal friend of Miguel Ángel Flores, owner of the event organiser Divertt, which

was behind the party in Madrid Arena where the youngsters were killed in a stampede.

Villanueva is said to have performed a wedding ceremony for Flores’ brother.

He also said in the beginning that he did not believe the capacity of the venue had been exceeded – something that has since been disproven as it appears over twice as many people as the building was designed to hold were let in.

But Villanueva insists he had no part in the decision to appoint Diviertt to organise the party, and that this was made by Madrid Espacios y Congresos, the public sector firm which manages Madrid Arena and which depends upon the city council’s economy department.

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“I have never used my position for my own or anyone else’s benefit,” stressed Villanueva after finding out he had lost his position.

Although he conceded that his standing down might ‘calm things down’ – given that he is a friend of Flores – the former vice-mayor has not been in any way involved in the case, has not been questioned and has nothing to do with it.

“I can’t be held responsible for what an acquaintance of mine does,” he continued.

Denying any claims of a witch-hunt against him, Villanueva said: “The only victims in this are the five girls who lost their lives in the tragedy.”

Antonio de Guindos – brother of Luis, Spain’s minister for the economy – who is in charge of the municipal police has kept his job, even though the police were not called out to be on duty to control the massive bring-your-own-bottle party in the car park, which Diviertt not only knew was happening but had planned for it.

Pedro Calvo, councillor for economic affairs, has lost his role after being called in to help with inquiries following the

tragedy, although not his council seat.

Fátima Núñez, head of emergencies and therefore the ambulance service, which was not present at the party – although provided justification for this which was accepted by the court – has been moved from her post to be district councillor for the Carabanchel neighbourhood.

Mayoress of Madrid, Ana Botella – who is also the wife of one-time president of Spain, José María Aznar – has decided that the jobs of councillor for the economy and vice-mayor will disappear and will not be filled.

She has justified Villanueva’s dismissal and the redistribution of the other councillors as being a move to save public money.

Greek goddess Europa adorns new five-euro note

The ancient Greek goddess Europa features on a new fiveeuro note unveiled by the European Central Bank. It appears as both a watermark and hologram on the note, which otherwise largely resembles its predecessor.

Other notes will likewise be reissued in what is only the second series of euro banknotes since the single currency’s launch on 1 January 1999.

The new series will be phased in over several years with the five-euro note entering circulation in May. The new notes are appearing at a time of continued uncertainty about the 17-nation eurozone’s stability. Last year there was intense speculation that struggling Greece might have to exit the eurozone, so some may see it as ironic that a Greek goddess is now the face of the euro.

In order to use up remaining stocks in many eurozone countries, the original five-euro notes will be issued for several months

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alongside the new ones. The two series will circulate in parallel as legal tender.

The ECB has not yet set a termination date for the first series as legal tender, and says the deadline will be announced well in advance.

In Greek mythology, Europa was a noble Phoenician woman whose beauty inspired the god Zeus to seduce her.

He appeared to her as a white bull and carried her away to Crete. Later she bore Zeus three sons, one of whom, Minos, became ruler of Crete.

The image used on the fiveeuro note comes from a vase in the Louvre Museum in Paris.

The vase is more than 2,000 years old and was found in southern Italy.

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SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

9

Greece unemployment hits highest rate in European Union

The latest unemployment rate for Greece has risen to 26.8%, the highest figure recorded in the European Union (EU).

The official Greek data for October sees Greece overtake Spain as the country with the highest unemployment rate in Europe.

The Greek economy remains mired in recession and the government is in the process of imposing significant austerity measures.

Athens is cutting spending to meet the terms of its financial bailouts.

So far, the European Central Bank, International Monetary Fund, and the European Commission have pledged a total of 240bn euros ($315bn; £196bn) in rescue loans, of which Greece has received more than two thirds.

The Greek government required the bailouts because it was struggling to meet the interest payments on its existing debts.

Under the terms of the rescue funds, Greece is having to agree to substantial spending cuts, such as redundancies and pay freezes in the public sector, and reduced pensions. This is having a major knock-on impact on the wider Greek economy.

While Greece’s unemployment rate in October was 26.8%, the most recent official figure for Spain - for the month of November - was 26.6%.

Spain is also in recession,

McDonald’s replaces Happy Meal toys with books

shows.

McDonald’s will also give away additional vouchers for the books which can be redeemed at WH Smith.

And the DK books will be available to buy in McDonald’s as standalone purchases too.

The giveaway was apparently inspired by research from the National Literary Trust which revealed that just 50 per cent of children say they enjoy reading a lot.

‘Our research tells us that there is a very clear link between book ownership and children’s future success in life, so it is very concerning that one in three children in the UK doesn’t own a book, and half of kids don’t really enjoy reading,’ an NLT spokesman told the Daily Telegraph.

‘Initiatives like McDonald’s Happy Readers campaign play an important role in getting more books into the hands of children, and inspiring families to read together as a fun and interactive pastime.’

The firm launched a pilot scheme last year, and claims that 90 per cent of parents said they wanted to see more such giveaways.

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McDonald’s is set to replace the toys which come with its famous Happy Meals with educational books as part of an effort to boost child literacy.

The fast food giant will become the UK’s largest children’s book distributor after announcing plans to give away more than 15million books over the next two years.

The company is teaming up with Dorling Kindersley and WH Smith for the promotion, which started this week in the UK. McDonald’s, which is frequently accused of helping to perpetuate childhood obesity, will be hoping to banish its image with the ‘Happy Readers’ initiative.

The campaign launched this week with a five-week nationwide giveaway, and will continue until the end of next year, by which time a total of 15million fiction and non-fiction books will have been given out.

The first set of books offered are short non-fiction works by DK, which is known for its lavishly illustrated picture books.

One book will be included with each children’s Happy Meal, which traditionally include plastic toys promoting films and TV

with its government having to cut spending to reduce its debts.

The BBC’s Athens correspondent, Mark Lowen, said: “Greeks blame austerity for the rise, with the number of jobless more than doubling since the country was first bailed out in 2010.

“And with more spending cuts this year, many predict the rate will soon hit 30%.”

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SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

Seven prison closures in England announced

Seven prisons are to close and two more will be partially shut in England.

The Ministry of Justice said it would result in the loss of 2,600 places from “old and uneconomic” prisons and is expected to save £63m per year in running costs.

It says it also plans to build a new super prison with 2,000 places.

Shadow justice secretary Sadiq Khan said people would want reassurance that there would be enough prison places in coming years.

The proposed super prison would be around 25% bigger than Britain’s existing largest facility and a feasibility study into its construction is to begin.

The super prison would be in London, north-west England or north Wales.

In 2009, the previous Labour government scrapped its plans for three 2,500-place Titan prisons.

Six entire prisons are closing plus one of the three amalgamated jails on the Isle of Wight.

The prisons that are to close are Bullwood Hall in Essex, Canterbury, Gloucester, Kingston in Portsmouth, Shrewsbury, and Camp Hill on the Isle of Wight.

The UK’s oldest working prison, Shepton Mallet, in Somerset, is also among those to be shut.

Justice Minister Chris Grayling said the prisons would be closed in the next few months.

Prisons in Chelmsford and Hull are also to be partially closed.

The MoJ said six prisons were to close as it listed the Isle of Wight changes as a partial closure.

It said: “Our strategy for the custodial estate is to

ensure that we have sufficient places to meet the demand of the courts whilst securing best value for money for the taxpayer.”

Custodial arrangements for women are to be reviewed and the results are expected by the summer.

The MoJ said women offenders had “particular needs” and facilities for females should be “organised as effectively as possible to meet gender specific requirements whilst also delivering best value for the public”.

Mr Grayling said much of the prison system was “old and expensive”.

“But I never want the courts to be in a position where they cannot send a criminal to prison because there is no place available.

“So we have to move as fast as we can to replace the older parts of our prison system.”

The justice secretary added that building a super prison was “not simply about incarcerating lots of people in one place”.

“If you’ve got a big centre like that you’ve got the ability to put good training facilities at the heart of it because it’s in all of our interests to make sure that people come out of prison with more education, more skills and they have a better chance of getting a job rather than going back to prison,” Mr Grayling told the BBC. Following the MoJ announcement, Mr Khan said: “The public will want reassurance that there’s enough prison places over the coming years to keep safely behind bars those found guilty of serious crimes, and that enough is being done to rehabilitate and reform prisoners to stop them reoffending.”

EU ‘Makes UK More Valuable To US’

The UK is “valuable” to the US partly because it is a member of the EU, the deputy prime minister has said.

It comes after the Obama administration expressed concern about the impact of a UK referendum on its future in the EU. Mr Clegg said if the UK wanted to lead in the world you had to be “strong in your neck of the woods”.

No 10 said David Cameron wanted changes to EU relations, adding it was “hardly news” the two men took a different approach to the future of Europe.

Mr Clegg, who was speaking on the first of his weekly radio phone-ins on LBC, said it was up to the UK to decide how it handles its relationship with Europe, but the Americans were entitled to express their views.

He said: “Americans have been saying since the 1950s that Britain and the special relationship between Britain and America is one that is partly based on the fact that we’re valuable to our American friends, and important to people in Beijing and Tokyo, because we stand tall in our own neighbourhood.

“If you want to lead around the world - and this a globalised environment we’re working in - the first thing you’ve got to do is be strong in your neck of the woods and I think that’s the point they’re making.”

The EU and the single market were crucial for British jobs and helped the UK tackle cross border crime, he added.

David Cameron is facing pressure to hold a referendum on Europe at some stage during the next Parliament and has been criticised by some in his own party for not doing more to distance the UK from the EU. Mr Cameron wants the UK to remain within the EU but believes there is a need to redefine the relationship in light of moves towards further integration by countries using the single currency.

He has suggested that “fresh consent” from the UK people could be sought for any new deal that emerges as a result of negotiations with other EU countries.

However, many Conservative MPs want him to go further and to commit to a referendum on the question of whether

the UK remains in the EU or not - a so-called “in-out vote”.

Philip Gordon, the US assistant secretary for European affairs in the US State Department, told journalists on Wednesday that the UK would always be a key ally of the US and that “what is in the UK’s interests is up to the UK”.

But he added: “We have a growing relationship with the EU as an institution, which has an increasing voice in the world, and we want to see a strong British voice in that EU. That is in America’s interests. We welcome an outward-looking EU with Britain in it.”

Discussing the often “inward-looking” history of EU negotiations, Mr Gordon said that “referendums have often turned countries inward”.

“The more the EU reflects on its internal debate, the less it is able to be unified,” he said.

• Kurdish activists killed in Paris: Three Kurdish activists - among them a co-founder of the militant PKK group - are shot dead in Paris, but no motive has yet been established..

• Delhi rape suspects ‘tortured’: A lawyer for one of the five men charged with the abduction, rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman in Delhi says the suspects have been tortured and coerced into admitting the crime.

• Australia battles scores of fires: Fire crews are tackling more than 100 bushfires in south-eastern Australia, as forecasters warn of another hot spell at the weekend.

• Obama ‘wants action’ on gun crime: US President Barack Obama is “determined” to curb gun violence, Vice-President Joe Biden says, as high-profile White House talks begin.

• Deadly storms sweep Middle East: The worst storms to hit the Middle East in a decade claim several lives and leave parts of Israel and Jordan blanketed in snow.

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SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

11

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SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

ALMERIMAR & surrounding area Berja

Six men between 19 and 28 years of age have been arrested for brawling.

The Guardia Civil of Berja were alerted by a member of the public that a group of men were brawling in the street at 4.30 in the morning.

A patrol was dispatched immediately, and found two men being attacked by a group of four men armed with billiard cues.

The officers broke up the fight, and arranged transport for the injured to the Centro Hospitalario del Poniente, in El Ejido.

No serious injuries were sustained,but all 6 combatants were arrested.

El Ejido

Residents of El Ejido with 3 children or more could benefit this year from a 50% reduction in IBI (property tax).

This was announced by the Concejal de Hacienda y Contratación del Ayuntamiento, José Francisco Rivera, who said that ‘it is a social measure which will mean significant savings for many families in the municipality in a very difficult time.’

He went on to explain that ‘last year, more than 500 families benefited from this help, representing an average saving of 178 euros in households with three

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or more children.’

The deadline for applying for aid is now open and will remain in force until 28 February at the Unidad de Servicios Fiscales del Ayuntamiento or in any of the Municipal offices.

To access to this assistance, applicants must provide documentation proving the family status as at January 1, which is the first day of the accrual of property tax.

They must make the request for the usual residence of the family unit and the constituting members must be registered in it before January 1 of the year in which the credit is sought.

Those interested in applying for aid on property tax for 2013 may also download the application forms on the municipal website www.elejido.es

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...and email all your news and views to:

editor@soltimes.com

what’s on Wednesday

Sol Times Distributed

Thursday

8:30pm - OPEN MIC NIGHT & JAM SESSION - MACGOWANS 24 JANUARY: GERRY’S CURRY NIGHT AT ANKARA

Friday

Friday Golf

Saturday

stumble inn - 3pm-5pm free 100€ cash draw followed by live entertainment free buffet at 4pm

Sunday

10am – 1pm: Almerimar Walking Club - Meet at Mercadona

Monday

11am – 1pm: Ladies Coffee Morning - Yachting Golf Restaurant 5pm – 7pm: Jeu de Boules - East Beach

Tuesday

Tuesday Golf -----------------------------------------------------------IF YOU WOULD LIKE YOUR WEEKLY EVENTS TO BE PUBLISHED HERE - FREE OF CHARGE SEND THE DETAILS TO EDITOR@SOLTIMES.COM

There is a new page on Facebook called Memorias de Almerimar www.facebook.com/ MemoriasDeAlmerimar

where people can share their photos and other memories of Almerimar from years gone by. If you have some old photos of Almerimar please can you share them with us.

El Ejido Bowls Club

Monday and Thursday - 5pm to 7pm Ring Alison on 677 317 920 to book or for further information

Friday Golf Society 11 january:

It was yet another fabulous day of golf at Almerimar. There was sun, not much wind and tricky greens.

We had 39 members and no guests taking part in a Yellow Ball competition with 2 hidden holes.

Top scorers this week were Albert Taylor, Vicky Thomas, Ray Burrough (2nd week in a row) and Chris Perkins with 121 points. There were lots of whinges from at least one member of the second place team as they had more points prior to the hidden holes being added. You know who you are, Mr Swedish member of the committee.

Last place and chocolates went to David Holden, Rosemary Moody, John McEwan and a new member, Joseph Williamson with 79 points.

Nearest the pin was won by David Holden with a distance of 4.22m. Sadly for David this means he was a double chocolate winner this week. It was a mixed week for him as he won the Sunday competition on 6 January 2013.

We offer our thanks to Lennart Olsson for sorting out the bottles and performing the prize giving this week. Sorry, it was a shame about the hidden holes.

You can see the full results at: www.fridaygolfsociety.es.

If you would like to take part in the friendly Friday competitions at Almerimar you can put your name up on the entry list by the pro-shop or contact info@ fridaygolfsociety.es

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SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

Roquetas Population Continues To Grow Report by Martin Shortland

13

Lock-ins, protest marches and councillor resignations over mass A&E shutdown

AN ENTIRE political party in a Castilla-La Mancha village has resigned after the regional government decided to close overnight A&E services in 21 towns.

Mayor of Honrubia (Cuenca province), Julián Pardo – on the socialist party – says not only the PP councillors have resigned, but every single member of their party.

The PP had already threatened to walk out en masse if the accident and emergency department in the town was closed outside of office hours, as was under discussion back in the summer.

Six health centres in the province of Cuenca, including Honrubia, and five in the province of Ciudad Real, staged protest marches at 20.00hrs last night – the time they will have to close from now on – outside their A&E

units.

Lock-ins in hospitals from midnight last night in protest took place in the provinces of Guadalajara, Toledo and Cuenca, both in the provincial capitals and in the towns of Almansa (Albacete), Villarrobledo and Manzanares.

Mayors and councillors on both the local government and the opposition of all 21 towns affected call the move ‘unfair, undignified and discriminatory’.

Regional president María Dolores del Cospedal ordered the closure of 21 A&E departments between 20.00hrs and 08.00hrs this week to save money

EU auditors criticise energy efficiency projects

An audit has found that EU-funded energy efficiency projects are not cost-effective in EU member states.

The population of Roquetas de Mar continues to grow, that’s according to figures released last week by the National Statistics Institute. The information is based on the population census carried out in January last year and shows the number of inhabitants at just over 90,000, a small increase of 500 people since 2011. It now means the town is the second largest in the region.

Roquetas is now considered to be the second most important town in the province, with a steady and continual population growth, which has seen the number of inhabitants rise from 70,000 in 2007 to the present figure. Towns which have not fared so well in the current economic climate include El Ejido, losing 2,000 inhabitants in the last two years, now with 8,000 less inhabitants than Roquetas.

Population growth is maintained by the number of births. Roquetas is one of the youngest municipalities and for some years now has recorded around 1,200 births annually, which in these last few crisis years has helped compensate for the number of people - both Spanish and foreigners - moving from the area. The only other town in the in the region to boast such figures is the capitol Almeria.

Roquetas is also one of the most cosmopolitan in the region, with foreigners representing almost a third of the population. Romanians are still the most numerous with around 12,000 residents which is 36% of the foreigner populace. Next as the second largest nationality are the Moroccans with over 4,000 and 13% of the total. In third place are the Senegalese with an increased number of 2,000 and 6%. Russia with 1,200 and 4% and Mali with 900 and 3%, complete the top five places.

In terms of EU Community citizens, Germans are still the largest group with 900 residents, while the UK and Portugal follow closely behind with around 800 each. The foreign inhabitants of Roquetas have grown considerably in the last 15 years, from the 1997 figure of 5,000 to the latest number at just over 33,000. So whilst other regions are struggling to cope in the present crisis, the latest statistics would suggest that Roquetas is certainly holding its own. When an upturn in the economic climate does come, Roquetas would appear to have a firm basis of a strong and growing community, ready to deal with the better times ahead

According to a report by the BBC, the projects examined by the Court of Auditors were in the Czech Republic, Italy and Lithuania. Those countries received the most EU funding for such projects in 2007-2013.

National authorities used the funds to refurbish buildings, but the spending would not be recouped for 50 years on average, the report said. That time scale was “far too long”.

In some cases the savings would not appear for up to 150 years. Such a delay would go beyond the expected lifetime of the buildings concerned.

In a wide-ranging package of green energy measures the EU has set itself the target of increasing energy efficiency by 20% by 2020.

The European Parliament’s chief negotiator on the issue, Green MEP Claude Turmes, said the auditors were right to call for better selection of projects and better evaluation.

“Transparency can be improved. We need a higher political priority for energy efficiency, and qualified staff to develop national policies and do better project planning,” he told BBC News.

The auditors looked at a sample of 24 energy efficiency projects co-financed by the Cohesion Fund and European Regional Development Fund. Under co-financing, the national governments contribute a

percentage of the investment themselves.

The auditors say the European Commission, which allocates EU budget funds, should ensure that such projects undergo a thorough needs assessment first, and that proper monitoring for cost-effectiveness is done.

The report complained of a lack of necessary data, because energy audits are not mandatory in Italy and Lithuania. In the Czech Republic, where they are required, the recommended investment options were far too costly.

Last September the EU adopted a new Energy Efficiency Directive, in a drive to reach the 20% savings goal.

It calls on energy companies to cut by 1.5% annually the amount of energy they sell to customers and requires national authorities to refurbish at least 3% of public buildings.

Mr Turmes says energy efficiency will be more important in the next round of EU Cohesion funding, for 2013-2020.

It is a priority because the EU has a huge bill for oil and gas imports from outside Europe - bigger even than the EU’s manufacturing trade gap with China, he says.

“We can meet the 20% target,” he stressed.

He said the directive’s reporting process for each member state would mean tighter EU Commission monitoring of energy efficiency performance. Each country will have to present its energy efficiency plan to the Commission this April, he said.

Extraditing ETA member arrested in UK would be ‘a breach of human rights’, says defence A member of the Basque terrorist cell ETA who is facing trial in London should not be extradited to Spain as it would ‘violate his human rights’, says the accused’s solicitor.

Matthew Ryder, defending Antonio Troitiño, claims that to send his client back to his home country to serve the rest of a sentence he escaped when he fled to the UK would be in breach

of Articles 5 and 7 of the European Convention of Human Rights.

The 55-year-old ETA member was jailed for 24 years for various bombings between 1982 and 1984 and blowing up a bus in Madrid in 1986, killing 12 Guardia Civil officers and leaving over 50 people injured.

He was released after serving his sentence on April 13, 2011, but the

National Court revoked its decision after applying a law known as the ‘Parot doctrine’, which allows for jail terms to be extended in some cases.

extradition to Spain, where he would

Troitiño’s new release date was set for 2017.

accused’s defence lawyer says such

The terrorist escaped to the UK, and was arrested in June 2012 at his flat in west London.

English and Welsh law.

Prosecutor Jonathan Hall says Troitiño’s

serve the rest of the sentence, was in keeping with Spanish law, but the a situation was not recognised under

The extradition hearing was due to take place on Tuesday.

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SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

REVIEW it...

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Shan is a successful writer of children’s horror stories.

His first attempt at writing for adults didn’t do particularly well although he did acquire an adult following with the publishing of The City Trilogy and then Lady as he affectionately calls it. The idea for Lady was conceived in 1999 and the book was finally published in 2012, 13 years in the making!

The book was based around the old film noir movies such as Double Indemnity and Hell’s Horizon. Including a number of ghosts who haunt the protagonist because of his murky past was Shan’s additional contribution to this popular genre.

In exploring the boundaries of a dark supernatural thriller Shan admits to his purpose which was “to really mess with the minds of readers.” What he does in fact, is to “mess” initially with the mind of Ed, the main character who is forced into questioning what is real and what is unreal. We discover the truth when Ed discovers it but what is fascinating is that we rarely understand the truth. It’s a bit like saying that the goalposts are constantly changing.

The story has a dramatic opening with an assassination in Chile with a graphic description, typical of Shan’s style: “His head exploded in a cone of bone, brain and blood.”

Then we discover that the assassin has been approached by the “tight-fisted gangster” Mikis Menderes to perform another “operation.” The thriller angle is developed from the start, Ian Fleming style, engaging and gory.

Ed is an American writer, interested in the paranormal and SHC-Spontaneous Human Combustion. His main belief is that ghosts might be the result of a “violent, unnatural death.” He meets Joe in London who shares his interests but all is not what it seems!

The pair are conducting some ghostly research for the new novel:”immersing himself in the murky world of the dead” is how Ed describes it. He admits to “hovering on the abyss of an insane pit” but he is determined to prove that ghosts are real and that his mind is not “deluded.”

We are given insight into his deep insecurities and disturbed mind constantly questioning his own sanity throughout the novel. He thrives on danger and finds “normality” tedious. “The quest for answers has kept me sane.”

The shades represent the apparitions that haunt hum and the lady is Deleena Emerson who Ed falls passionately in love with. And yet is she another of Ed’s spectres? Ed knows that the apparitions want him destroyed and the story reveals horrendous details of Ed’s past showing cruelty and ruthlessness. Hard to believe for a writer of fiction.

He becomes infatuated and obsessed with Deleena the “ghost of the girl” he thinks about constantly and this distracts him from writing his novel although she does have a calming effect on Ed and makes him feel “different, less complicated and reserved.” It is a “chaste affair” with feelings of lust and longing without the sex! Ed becomes hopeful that she will cure him of his ills and “banish the spectre of the ghosts.”

The two major themes are betrayal and deception and as the novel progresses the revelation becomes apparent that Ed’s “creature of the shadows” the love of his life doesn’t exist. Murders ensue followed by a dabbling in the paranormal and a visit to a mystic to make contact with Deleena’s spirit and discover the truth. Shan plays mind games with Ed and of course the reader until the bitter and twisted truth rears its ugly head. Ed’s soul is destroyed and he plunges into hell a broken man bearing maudling thoughts of death.

“I’ve been a figure in a tragic play. Now I must accept my fated end with the same dignity and resignation as Othello or Macbeth.” The fatal flaw? Greek tragedy? Shakespearian tragedy? Call it what you like. Dark and chilling but thrilling.

Publisher: Orion Books. ISBN: 978-409-4360-4

Carol Naylor - writing exclusively for the Sol Times Naylorcl@hotmail.es & www.carolnaylor.blogspot.com

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15

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SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

The L ady Said...

It was Saturday evening as I charged through the doors of the Albox Urgencia and came to an abrupt halt. Sitting around the waiting area were: The usual tiny elderly person; the inevitable Moroccan woman with babe in arms and another apparently Velcro’d to her leg, and a middle-aged man who was presumably a gardener, as he seemed to be wearing a good portion of his work in the form of mud and weeds. The reception desk, however, was as deserted as the Marie Celeste.

The explosive nature of my entry did not go unnoticed, and a small round man wearing small round glasses on his small round face sauntered into view. He gave me the sort of look that people generally reserve for unmentionables stuck to the bottom of their shoes.

‘Keh?’ he enquired.

In Spanish I rattled out ‘I need help. My husband has collapsed and is unconscious in my house. I need a doctor to come.’

An obstinate look spread slowly across his round face. It was a look which said ‘I’m going to make you sweat for josbiggs@hotmail.co.uk this.’ A donkey,

By Jos Biggs

viewpoint seeing this look, would have acknowledged him as a master of non-cooperation.

He shrugged his shoulders and repeated the Keh. I had given him all the necessary words, in more or less the right order, plus I was generating enough nervous energy to light two roundabouts and a Big Dipper. I felt that he should be able to work out that medical help was called for, even if only to administer veterinary strength tranquiliser to the tower of stress hovering before him.

I opened my mouth to start all over again when Gardener Man sprang to his feet and planted himself foursquare in front of my adversary. ‘The lady said she needs help. Her husband has collapsed and is unconscious in her house. She needs a doctor to see him.’ He concluded with a heartfelt ‘Hombre’, the Spanish equivalent of ‘Doh’ as he re-took his seat.

The human Weeble wobbled peevishly. He had been thwarted in his ambition to put the English lady in her place, which in his view was England. ‘Wait there.’ He pointed to a specific floor tile, and with the urgency of a continental drift, departed to seek the doctor.

I waited on the exact tile, fearing that to move off it might render me invisible, or at least invalidate my plea for medical assistance.

The doctor appeared, had no trouble understanding me, scooped up his bag and within a minute we were en route for my house.

There is Nothing Carved in Stone, but

Completely out of the blue the other night, a thought came into my head whilst enjoying some out of season mince pies in front of the telly and I asked my wife, what she wanted putting on her head stone?”

Well she nearly choked on the pie and I also noticed, resisted the urgent need to take a slurp of tea to help it down, because she was now eying the brew suspiciously and probably wondered if it had perhaps acquired a new and exotic additive.

“No seriously”, I assured her,“It’s just that I was wondering what to put on mine and wondered if you had given your own any serious thought.”

Once she had calmed down

having reached the conclusion that her husband was not after all a latter day Dr Crippen, she considered the matter for a few moments.

“Just the usual I suppose”, she eventually told me. “Loving wife of etc. etc. You know – that kind of thing”. Obviously comforted, she now took a tentative sip of her Sainsbury’s Red Label. “You still want your ashes buried in the village cemetery back home then?” she asked.

Hell no I didn’t. I had changed my mind about that a long time ago and suddenly realised that I had failed to inform the good lady. Good job I didn’t snuff it in my sleep last night I thought, otherwise I might have woken up under a load of dirt and a lot of Suffolk sods . . . no offence intended to any of our past East Anglian neighbours if they are reading this.

Because what I wanted, I now belatedly informed Janet, was to have the head stone as discussed, but purely as a memorial to the 30 years of our lives we had spent in the village together. The village

By Colin Bird : badbirdnow@gmail.com

where over the years, we had embraced the community spirit and become involved in just about every facet of our bucolic idyll.

As a Parish Councillor at one time, I had personally taken on the duty of keeping the various greens, church yard and cemetery in good nick and I was a familiar sight in the summer, whizzing round the village on the PC’s bright red Kubota ride-on mower - grinning like some demented Monty Don on speed.

I often pondered where exactly in that pleasant three acres of ground - only half of which was at that time occupied – I would eventually find myself resting.

Hopefully it would be the very last plot by the boundary hedge, although I noticed during a recent visit, that the dead centre of the village is filling up worryingly fast.

So no, my ashes should be distributed elsewhere in an appropriate place I told my wife – a place where I was most happy, but one that I would be content to leave to her discretion.

She thought for a bit and then said, “Aren’t they going to be a bit surprised when I chuck you

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into the lounge bar of the Robin Hood?”

“Very droll - just leave the funny lines to me if you don’t mind”, I mumbled.

“Somewhere outside obviously, and what I meant to say,” I hastily continued, “Was somewhere where we were most happy together.”

“Oh right; I’ll give it some thought then.”

“No hurry”, I assured the light of my life, as I took another bite of mince pie.

The whole thing though if you think about it, is ludicrous and purely symbolic. I mean, the dearly departed are hardly going to know anything about it and apart from an unsightly slick on the surface of the sea or some lake somewhere, or a pile of dust in the loo of a 747, seven miles up - neither is anyone else.

Nevertheless, it’s still something that many of us attach great importance to and we receive comfort from the knowledge that our sooty debris has been scattered in some meaningful location or other.

The question to my wife was prompted by my thoughts about what to have inscribed on my own head stone. I have been racking my brains for a long time now, and I still cannot come up with anything suitable.

What I am certain about is that there must be something away from the norm . . . something witty and original that would be a talking point for generations to come. Trouble is, all the good stuff seems to have been composed and used by others.

I toyed with the idea of “In Memory Of Colin Bird Who Fell Off His Perch . . .” and then the date.

But it lacks a certain something.

As do “See You Then!” and “There Goes The Neighbourhood”.

But I shall persevere to find a suitable epitaph – or die in the attempt!

ALQUERIA - THE RE-CONQUEST John MacDonald (El Sordo) - www.caratacus.eu

16

The struggle to re-establish democracy in Alqueria began gathering pace. Led by the indefatigable Manuela, the forces of good waged a ceaseless campaign to ruin Rodriquez’s standing in the village. His picture was pinned to the information board in the village square under the title ‘ENEMY OF DEMOCRACY’.

Unfortunately next to a police notice asking for information concerning an overturned garbage truck. Most of the villagers thought it was a ‘Spot the difference’ competition.

On Christmas Eve Manuela broke into Rodriquez’s house dressed in nothing more than a thin sheet and chains. She was hoping to play the old Marley’s Ghost ploy. However the sight of Manuela wandering abroad at night partially dressed and fettered was not really that unusual. It did frighten Rodriquez but not for the reason she intended.

Rodriquez was soon to become completely demoralised. He was a broken man. A five-year-old with a balloon on a stick would have him running scared. He looked terrible, unshaven and dulleyed, his countenance resembled the rear-end of a badger. He turned to drink or at least he fell over more than usual. Seen laying in the gutter one evening, passers-by considered the kiss-of-life but settled for sending a get well card instead.

Paradoxically Manuela and the Hill People needed Rodriquez, without him there would be no opposition. No opposition would mean a one party state, exactly what the ‘Alqueria Three’ have been struggling to overturn.

They had to open discussions with the man. At midday after an unseasonably warm morning, Manuela, Poyato and Gruntmore walked purposefully down the Avenida del Rico towards Rodriquez’s house. They spanned the road. The girl Manuela in the centre. A heavy silence hung in the air. Their footsteps resonated through the hushed streets of Alqueria.

Rodriquez was terrified, he hung white sheets from the windows surrendering unconditionally. Shaking and sweating Rodriquez promised to return the village to democracy and support whatever proposals the Hill People put forward. He promised complete unity in the Alquerian parliament, which of course is very undemocratic.

After a flagon of the best Remitroot Liquor and the most soothing of tones from Manuela, agreement was reached.

Rodriquez must remain in opposition and could return to his old rotten ways as long as he did it democratically. He would of course have to relinquish the Remitroot crop.

Rodroot100 was again called Remitroot and sales soon recovered bringing Alqueria back to prosperity.

Matas only lived in Alqueria for a week. Seven days of its dysfunctional population was enough for him and he returned to his dark dank cave.

By mutual agreement the incident was never spoken of again.

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SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

photos: casaturismorural.com lifestylehomesinspain.com olivehouse-es.com

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SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

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Herbal and complementary medicines are a viable alternative to hormone replacement therapy for postmenopausal women who fear the possible side effects, according to new research.

Soy for instance, the most common plant containing oestrogen, can reduce hot flushes by more than half, says a scientist who carried out a review into previous studies.

Red clover, a legume also containing the female hormone, and black cohosh, a plant originating in the US and Canada, also ease symptoms.

Women’s primary care specialist Dr Iris Tong, of Brown University, Rhode Island, who led the review, said: ‘Up to 75 per cent of women use herbal and complimentary medicines to treat their postmenopausal symptoms.

‘Therefore, it is vitally important for healthcare providers to be aware of and informed about the nonpharmacological therapies available for women who are experiencing postmenopausal symptoms and who are looking for an alternative to HRT.’

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with a lower risk of depression.

The work, which will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology’s annual meeting, did not look at the cause for this link.

People who drank four cups a day were 10% less likely to be diagnosed with depression during the 10-year study period than those who drank no coffee.

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Soy, found naturally in food and supplements, has shown a reduction in hot flush symptoms ranging between 20 to 55 per cent.

Dr Tong recommends it, as well as red clover and black cohosh, as there are no significant adverse side effects associated with them, as long as they are used in women with no history of breast cancer, are not at high risk for breast cancer and are not taking tamoxifen.

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The menopause is associated with an oestrogen deficiency and can cause an increase in hot flushes, vaginal dryness, sexual dysfunction, frequent urinary tract infections, urinary incontinence and joint pain as well as sleep and mood disturbance.

About two in three postmenopausal women experience hot flushes and a fifth for up to 15 years, writes Dr Tong in the journal The Obstetrician and Gynaecologist (TOG).

Oestrogen deficiency can also lead to cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis and while many drugs are available, a number of nonpharmacological alternatives are sometimes preferred.

Dr Tong found HRT is the most effective treatment of hot flushes, improving symptoms in 80 to 90 per cent of women.

But she says there are possible health risks associated with HRT such as links to breast cancer, blood clots, stroke and cardiovascular problems.

Dr Tong said due to these possible risks, other treatment options may be equally effective such as behaviour modification and herbal and complimentary medicines.

The review states that as many as 50 to 75 per cent of postmenopausal women use herbal options to treat hot flushes, and of the complimentary therapies, soy, red clover and black cohosh have

Experts are questioning whether diet drinks could raise depression risk, after a large study has found a link.

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But those who drank four cans or glasses of diet fizzy drinks or artificially sweetened juice a day increased their risk of depression by about a third.

Lead researcher Dr Honglei Chen, of the National Institutes of Health in North Carolina, said: “Our research suggests that cutting out or down on sweetened diet drinks or replacing them with unsweetened coffee may naturally help lower your depression risk.”

But he said more studies were needed to explore this.

There are many other factors that may be involved.

And the findings - in people in their 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s and living in the US - might not apply to other populations.

The safety of sweeteners, like aspartame, has been extensively tested by scientists and is assured by regulators.

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19

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10 great ways to recycle and de-clutter

It’s time to revisit, revamp and re-house those long-forgotten clothes that have been lurking behind closed doors. But once you’ve decided what’s got to go, what’s the best way to pass it on? And could it make you some money? Here are 10 ways to spring-clean your wardrobe Wardrobe overhaul A successful wardrobe overhaul ideally requires some forward planning - but all you need to get started is a spare hour and plenty of hangers!

Get everything out on the bed. Re-hang anything you’ve worn within the past three months, with the hook of the hanger facing outwards. Put everything else you’re undecided about on hangers facing inwards. Each time you wear an item, put it back in the wardrobe with the hanger facing outwards. After a certain period of time - say, another couple of months - take another look at the items that still remain unworn. Unless they’re specific seasonal or special occasion clothes, it’s time to face facts. You’re just not that into them - or possibly can’t fit into them - any more!

Take clothes to the charity shop

Your unwanted clothes could make a big difference worth to someone’s life. For example, just five bags’ ’s nurse ation inform can fund a Cancer Research UK to es cloth your want vital work for one day! If you about go to a good cause and aren’t concerned n reaso no ’s there , making any money from them the help will it , mber not to donate to charity. Reme do charity further if you wash your donations - and any minor repairs - first.

Get swishing ‘Swishing’ is basically just a fancy name for holding a clothes-swapping party with friends or colleagues. You take free stuff they don’t want from their wardrobes. They take free stuff you don’t want from yours - keep things simple and just ‘swish’ among friends or arrange an event in your local area! Assuming some of your fellow ‘swishers’ share similar fashion tastes and body shapes to you, there’s little reason not to try it. Perhaps the only caveat is that rather than clearing space in your wardrobe, you could simply be replacing some of last season’s styles with more of last season’s styles. Our top tip? Look for lasting classics, not trends!

Try a dress agency

As the recession bites, there are more and more dress agencies for ‘pre-loved’ clothes popping up.

These are normally run by clued-up fashion-lovers, who will take in your unwanted quality clothing on a sale-or-return basis for a set period.

You pay a fee usually a percentage of the sale price - for their services.

Most discerning dress agencies have a strict acceptance policy and will only take in pristine items they think will look good in the shop and sell well. So you’re unlike ly to be able to offload all your unwanted clothes in this way.

Also, there’s no guarantee that every thing will sell - so you could end up taking at least some of your items home again in a few months’ time.

Look again!

for ages, it Just because you haven’t worn something times, items Some it. doesn’t always mean it’s time to chuck you haven’t use beca get pushed to the back of the wardrobe seen their potential. season after Anything that’s black or white can be worn to stay for here season. Beading and embellishment are 2013, as are stripes, leather and metallics. necessarily Even if an item’s right for this season, it doesn’t you bought if elf: mean it’s right for you. Be honest with yours time to cut bly proba it on a whim without even trying it on, it’s your losses and pass it on.

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There are now several established websites dedicated to buying and selling ‘pre-loved’ luxury clothes and accessories.

Women everywhere are get ting behind the green philosophy that clot hes can be investment pieces that you buy , wear then sell again.

Websites such as these are for luxury and designer items only - so this cer tainly isn’t the place to offload your tatty old jumpers.

There’s a strict selection pro cess - for potential sellers, as well as item s for sale - and each website takes a com mission fee.

items to Upcycling is a way of tweaking your unwanted regain use of them! ers could For example, your favourite pleat-front trous with a pant easily become this season’s hottest cigarette a ping revam bit of hemming web and imagination. Or try some t reflec to cashmere cardigan by changing the buttons to dominate set are s collar led Jewel s. trend n’s of this seaso a trip to take - so if you have a jumper that’s looking a bit dull, ents.’ llishm your local haberdashery for some on-trend embe in win-w a it’s If you can find a new use for something, go! a it situation - so there’s no real reason not to give

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IN and around spain...

SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

in and around espana...

Arcos de la Frontera

One of Andalucia’s most dramatically positioned pueblos blancos (white villages), Arcos balances atop a rocky limestone ridge, its whitewashed houses and stone castle walls stopping abruptly as a sheer cliff face plunges down to the fertile valley of the river Guadalete below Declared a national historic-artistic monument in 1962 in recognition of its exceptional architecture and impressive location, the old town is a tangled labyrinth of cobbled streets that lead up to a sandstone castle, the Castillo de los Arcos. As you’d expect from such a spectacular vantage point, there are exhilarating views over the town and the rolling plain below.

Although its time under the Moors was one of its most successful, Arcos has had a long history of occupation, as shown by the discovery of numerous archaeological remains from the Neolithic, Bronze Age, Tartessian, Phoenician and Roman periods. Plentiful water and its superb defensive hilltop location were the main attractions for settlers.

Arcos’s population of 28,000 is divided between the newer town on the lower slopes of the ridge and the old town, which you reach by following Cuesta Belén up the hill. In the heart of the old town is the cobbled Plaza de Cabildo, its picturesque situation somewhat marred by its dual function as a car park. On the southern side of the square there are some stomach-churning views, where the mirador (viewpoint) ends in a steep 150m-high cliff Among the most memorable of Arcos’s pretty and often strikingly narrow streets are the alley-like Calle Cuna and Calle Maldonaldo, lined with elegant palacios built by the town’s 18th-century nobility and overhung by wroughtiron rejas of windows.

Tapas bars in the old town are concentrated on or near the central Callejón de las Monjas. Try the Mesón El Patio, an atmospheric cave-like bar near the Santa María church that serves good-value tapas. If you want something more

21

formal, one of the most upmarket restaurants in town is El Convento on Marques d e To r r e s o t o, which is in a 17thcentur y palace and has plenty of game dishes on the menu.

The terrace at the luxurious Parador on Plaza del Cabildo is the place to go for a leisurely drink in style and enjoy the best views in Arcos.

Down below the town is the Guadalete river lined with olive and orange groves.

The tourist office is on the Plaza del Cabildo (Mon-Sat 10.00-14.00 and 15.30-19.30, Sun 10.00-14.00).

LA COLA DEL EMBALSE DE ARCOS NATURAL AREA This embalse (reservoir), close to Arcos de la Frontera, is worth a visit for its waterfowl, particularly in winter when there are many more birds here and it is also a stopping place for migratory birds. The area covers 120ha and includes the reservoir and small surrounding area. Regular sights include little and great crested grebes, grey herons, coots and ducks like mallards, red-crested pochards and shovelers. There are also ospreys in winter Easily easily accessible, take the A382 from Arcos de la Frontera towards Villamartín. A few kilometres out of Arcos turn right towards El Bosque and then follow the road around the southern edge of the embalse to a village called El Santiscal, from where there are good views to the reservoir.

A couple of days ago, I was asked to run a clean-up on a client’s computer.

This I did, and after making a considerable reduction on “start-up” time and vast improvement on running speed, I left the client, who was extremely happy with 20€ in my pocket. Cleaning, as talked about in an earlier article, is a relatively straightforward list of operations that improves the “start up” time and running speed. Anyone can do it with a little caution but allowing a trained, qualified and experienced professional (me) will guarantee the success that you desire and demand.

While at the client’s, they asked whether they should upgrade the computer by adding memory and a bigger hard drive. This is a common and very valid question as processing power is usually doubled every 18 months, and after looking at the specification of their computer I had an alternate suggestion.

When you buy a new system you will automatically get the entire kit and caboodle. Mouse, monitor, keyboard and box, usually at a price beyond what we all would like to pay. Usually, the current mouse, keyboard and monitor will still be completely functional and it is pointless to replace the complete system.

The suggestion that I made was, quite simply, to replace the box! The ‘box’ that is being referred to is the main computer which contains the disk drives, processor(s) and connectors for the peripherals. Peripherals are the ‘bits’ that are attached to the box to allow you to ‘do things’, e.g. Keyboard, Mouse, USB devices and the like.

So, why replace the entire box? Why not just replace the motherboard, memory, processor and fan as separate components? How about a third option to have a pre-built motherboard that has the memory chips, processor and cooling fan all installed and tested? The answer in most cases is down to the almighty dinero, moola, dosh or bank balance.

I compared the prices of a list of component to a pre-built ‘bare-bones’ system with these components installed and tested on two of my favourite websites ‘Dynos’ (www.dynos.es) website and my favourite english website ‘Ccl Computers’ (www.cclonline.co.uk). The conclusion from this research shows that there is very little difference in prices (actually the prices were to within 10 cents!) and had the added benefit of the motherboard being tested as working! So why suggest a complete base unit which did cost 75€ more? It too has been pre-built and tested and has the addition of an acceptably large 500Gb Hard disk and case with power supply all ready to go! What I will ask you to do is look on the internet at base units and compare the prices to the equivalent list of components.

Assuming that you have enough knowledge (and it really isn’t rocket science), a suitable case with power supply and the Hard drive that holds all you data from your previous machine what is stopping you being Dr Frankenstein and creating your own ‘tailor made’ monster? Nothing! Not a single thing! There will be minor niggles such as removing the old drivers that were part of the old system and replacing them with the correct ones for this new system configuration, ensuring that you kept any static build up in your body to a minimum (static kill electronics stone dead!) and you understand what jumpers, if any, need to be set, there are more but these things are only niggles! But you have your data exactly where you left it, in a box you are familiar with, in the environment that you know!

I have built, literally, 1000’s of computers from basic components, over the years and seen the development of the internal workings of the PC change dramatically yet stay exactly the same. So my final thoughts are: 1. Do you NEED to ‘keep up with the Jones’s’ and have the latest and greatest? 2. Are you being fooled by the adverts for the next ‘latest and greatest operating system’? 3. Are you just ignorant (having insufficient knowledge!) about what your needs really are? As always, I can help you by answering just about any computer related question that you might have because eventually you will use people you can trust to look after your complete computer needs and who else offers so mush free information?

For further information or advice on computing, contact Trevor on 689 892 745 or canducomputing@hotmail.co.uk

22

...remember to say you saw it in the SOL TIMES

SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

The beginning of a new year can get you inspired to make changes or to do things differently. Read our ideas for resolutions to make this New Year a happier, more organized, and more beautiful year for ourselves and our homes.

To find “Your Style” gather ideas by studying decorating photos, magazines, TV shows, books and websites. If you don’t know where to start, then take a style quiz, to refine your ideas. Tear out pictures, play with colour and make mental notes of things that really appeal to you, from china patterns and wallpaper to flower arrangements and rug designs. Keep your ideas and dreams in a design notebook. Then, when you’re ready to decorate you’ll have plenty of clues as to what you really love and want.

creativity rather than an unlimited budget to furnish or fix up your home; be a savvy shopper and find bargains that turn to treasures with your own creativity. Don’t turn up your nose at used furniture; after all, used pieces become treasured antiques with a few more years. Scratches and dents provide a story and an opportunity to fix and recycle. Fresh paint or refinishing helps you reuse a cast off. And with the work you put into these projects, you’ll discover a hidden piece to cherish.

Why not resolve to make this year more beautiful

Live With What You Love: When for you and your home, more organized and efficient

you’re making decisions on purchases for your home, whether it’s a major piece or an accent, only bring into your home things you truly love. We’re not just talking about furniture or decorative pieces in a certain style, we’re talking about

for your lifestyle, and more in tune with your own personal style?

s n o i t u l o s e R g n i t a r o Dec

Get Organized: This first resolution is a great one, because even if you don’t get any further on the list, you’ll really feel that you’ve accomplished something, and you’ll appreciate it throughout the year. Clean out a wardrobe, rearrange your kitchen cupboards, discover the floor of your garage!

Just organising a space to make room for what you need to do every day or every week, such as reading, will make you feel like you’ve achieved. Next, make space for the things that you want to do—like cooking, crafts, or painting. Don’t be too grandiose in your plan or you’ll get discouraged before you reach your goal. Let your organisation solutions fit your budget - large or small - and you will feel revitalised and refreshed. Your space will work for you.

Choose Your Style: If someone gave you 10,000 Euros or 50,000 Euros to redecorate your home, what would you do? Would you be stumped to decide even where to start? Or would you know exactly what you wanted and how to achieve that goal?

decorative elements that you want to live with. This resolution extends to colour, texture, focal pieces and collectibles. You’ll decide whether you want heavy drapes or light curtains, colourful walls or a subtle background, heavy mirrors or Chinese porcelain. How much better to have even one piece of something wonderful that you love than to have a whole house filled with humdrum pickups!

Don’t Be Impatient!: An empty space might be better than a wall filled with an impulsively-chosen piece of furniture or piece of artwork. Don’t buy something unless you really love it, or you might have “buyer’s remorse” when you later find what you really wanted. Save your money for the “perfect armoire” or a “just right” dining room set, an oil painting instead of a poster, or a beautiful lamp rather than basic lighting. Don’t settle for something okay. You’ll find the pieces you love will be with you through your lifetime, and things you purchased on impulse will go out with the next trash. Buy with a sharp eye for quality, style, and function.

Reuse, Recycle & Appreciate The start of a new year is a good time to plan to economise. Use

LEGAL CORNER WITH MICHAEL DAVIES, ABOGADO/SOLICITOR

If you wish us to print an article about a particular topic, please e-mail info@daviessolicitors.com

Q. P lease explain the situations in which a resident qualifies for non-payment of capital gains tax A: The first thing is to be able to prove to the notary the day of the sale that you are in fact a Spanish tax resident. It is very important to realize that having what everyone calls the “residencia” issued by the police does not in fact prove you are a tax resident of Spain, and that if this is the only document you take to the notary to prove tax residency, the notary will consider you a nonresident and you will be subject to a 3% retention.

To prove you are a tax resident your solicitor needs to request a certificate from the tax authorities, which can then be taken to the notary. If you suffer the nasty surprise of them saying that in fact you are a non resident, you will need to get this amended by proving to them that you are in fact a resident before they will issue you with the correct certificate for the notary. The best way to secure tax residency status is making a resident income tax declaration in Spain in June of every year. If you are going to sell shortly, request this certificate in advance to avoid last minute surprises.

1. The possible total or partial exemption from capital gains tax due to reinvestment (roll-over): If you are a resident and sell one property to purchase another of the same or higher price you can claim 100% exemption from capital gains tax. To benefit you have to have been a resident for at least 3 year before the sale takes place, and you must purchase the next property within 2 years of the sale. If you are moving to a smaller property, you can claim exemption of a percentage of the capital gains tax.

2. C laim of total exemption if you are over 65 years old: If you are over 65 and sell your main home (where you must have lived for at least 3 years as a resident), you can claim 100% exemption from capital gains tax even if you do not reinvest. If the property is owned by a couple and one member is over 65 and the other is not, you are allowed to claim the exemption in respect to half the price.

If you do not qualify for any of the above exemptions the rate of tax applied to your profit is 21% for profit up to 6000 euros, 24% for profit between 6001 euros and 24000 euros and 27% of profit above 24,001 euros.

Michael Davies is a Spanish Abogado and has been practicing law in Almería since 1993. He is member of the Law societies of Almería and Madrid and has offices in Mojacar and Almeria High Street.

www.soltimes.com

SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

23

Houses Worth 66% More Than in 2001

The sharp decline experienced in housing prices since early 2008, estimated by experts to be more than 30% on average, has not prevented the value of homes being much higher today than in 2001. According to an analysis by the independent value experts, Euroval, from the official Ministry of Development data, the cost per square metre of private housing in 2012 is 66.2% higher (1,607 euros) than that recorded 11 years ago (771 euros), a figure which virtually doubles the increase registered by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in the same period, of 35.8%.

This increase in housing prices differs greatly depending on the autonomous region. Prices in Murcia and Andalusia shot up by 75% and 74.8%, respectively, while housing today in Navarra has only increased by 22.2% since more than a decade ago, and in the Canary Islands by 27.9%. It seems that the boom (2004 to 2007) had lesser impact in these latter two regions.

In Madrid, prices are 47.5% higher and in Catalonia they have increased by 55.1%.

In addition, the average figure of 66.2% almost doubles the increase in the overall CPI from November 2001 to November 2012. According to this index, the cost of living rose by 35.8% in 11 years, which is well below the increase in house prices, despite their tough adjustment in recent years. Specifically, if house prices had increased at the same rate as other goods, then the price per square metre of private housing today would cost an average of 1,048 euros.

Euroval notes that “although these increases are higher than the growth of the gross domestic product of the economy at that time, it is little consolation for the brutal market decline in general over all regions.”

In this sense, the appraiser states that the measures, mainly financial, taken by the

Government “have created uncertainty in the real estate market” bringing with it “a gradual reduction in prices.”

Regarding the implementation of the ‘bad bank’, Euroval believes that the creation of Sareb in the autumn “further reinforced the idea that they were moving towards a liquidation of real estate, causing a fall in demand, barely offset by the irrational incentive that in January 2013 they were to raise VAT and eliminate the tax deduction for home purchases”.

El Mundo reported that, with regard to the sale of homes, the appraiser recalled how between 2004 and 2007 the market for new houses registered a “very strong increase” even equaling the second hand market. 2006 was notable among these years, when Spain signed nearly one million housing transactions. Now, looking at the present and the future, Euroval points out that the number of purchases of new homes are again well below that of transactions on second hand homes (220,000 for 100,000 approximately), saying “It remains stagnant and, although there was a surge in the last quarter of 2012 for tax reasons, even falls below the volume of purchases made in this market in 2011.”

Also in their analysis Euroval says that “new building permits are at levels never seen before, with falls of 80% compared to 2001″. Specifically, according to one of the appraiser’s tables, residential construction has fallen by 93.6% in Valencia, followed by 93.5% in Murcia and 92% in the Canary Islands. “Spain at present has only about 15% of the projects they had 11 years ago (500,000 in 2011 and 50,000 in 2012).

These plummeting figures are extremely serious considering the importance of the sector,” Euroval concluded.

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24

...remember to say you saw it in the SOL TIMES

SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

! e m o H r u o Y e s i r e t n i W m r a W p Slee

It’s likely that our houses will soon feel the full force of the Spanish winter with bitter cold wind, heavy rain and possibly even snow. Here are a few jobs that you’ll want to get out of the way as soon as possible!

Service your boiler…

Now is the time to check your boiler is working fine and doesn’t let you down when you most need it. Gas Safe Register

recommends you get your boiler checked annually by a registered engineer. This is mainly to protect you and your family from Carbon Monoxide poisoning, which

Monday to Friday

teeing off

between 10am & 12noon

green fee meal & 35€ per p erso drink n to book a tee time call

950 55 96 46

or email:reservas@laenviagolf.com www.laenviagolf.com

every year claims lives and in less extreme cases ill health too.

This may be a good time to replace an old boiler for a newer model. If your boiler is over 10 years old you could be wasting up to half the gas you buy!

Seal draughts to windows and doors…

It’s no good having a boiler in tip top order if the heat it’s pumping out is leaking through cracks and gaps in your windows and doors. Around a fifth of heat lost from the home is due to draughts; this can be fixed simply by locating draughts and sealing them and is often a much cheaper solution than replacing old windows or doors.

There’s a wide range of draught proofing available from local hardware stores (Ferreteria) in the form of brushes, foams and sealants in strips or shaped rubber or plastic.

Inspect your roof and chimney…

Your roof is the first point of contact between your house and rainfall or snow, so now is the time to check that your roof is weatherproof.

Steep roofs or roofs covered with slate or tiles shouldn’t be walked on – that’s most roofs here in Spain!

In this case it’s advisable to check from a ladder around the perimeter from the eaves. Always make sure you are using an appropriate roof ladder that is securely fastened at the top and bottom and have someone with you for safety. Here are some checks you should make and replacements where necessary: Look for missing, cracked, curled, broken or rotted slates or tiles. These will need to be replaced and old nails removed.

Check for any broken or missing points where the roof meets chimneys, walls, vents, dormers, or skylights – roofing cement can fix problem areas.

Check your chimney is free of any unwanted guests!

First, use flannel sheets on your bed. They make a bed instantly warmer than cotton or satin which will freeze you! But flannel will be warmer to the touch instantly and hold your body heat all night.

Next, use a down comforter! They are so, so warm that you will think you have an electric blanket. Down feathers insulate and therefore you stay extra cozy under a down comforter on your bed.

Reconcile temperature preferences by giving the colder partner a fleece blanket. Use a twin size fleece blanket on one side of the bed so that the colder partner does not suffer from a lack of covers or make you sweat with comforter overkill. This way, you two can sleep happily side by side even if your temperature preferences are very different.

Replace your mattress if it is more than 10 years old. The average mattress lasts for around 10 years. After that it starts to break down and no amount of attention can make it comfortable again.

Pick the right size mattress to make you cozy.

A mattress that is too small leads to feeling crowded; if it is too large you can feel lost inside the bed with too much space. Lay down on the bed and extend both arms out to your side. Where your fingertips extend to is the ideal size for you. If you have a partner in bed, you should both be able to extend your arms.

Additionally, put a comfortable mattress pad on top of the mattress. For extra comfort, consider putting a foam pad on the mattress underneath the fitted mattress pad. Be sure to put a mattress pad with deep enough sides to hook firmly over the mattress so it doesn’t pop off and create uncomfortable bunches under your sheets.

Replace hot water bottles with herbal neck and foot wraps. You can put them in the microwave and warm them right at bed time. Then take them to bed with you and put them at your feet and neck. Now when you talk about comfort, this is it. And since they are herbal wraps, they will have a wonderful smell when you heat them. Aroma therapy and warmth lead to restful sleep. How much better does it get?

www.soltimes.com

SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

25

n o i t a x a l e R e d i s e r i F t c e f r e P & Cozy Sleeping warm and cozy is sometimes hard to do in the cold of winter! When you go to bed, the sheets are so cold you just about jump back out, but there are ways to remedy this and stay warm all night!

The weather outside may be frightful, but your fire can be oh-so delightful with a few key tips…

Keep Fireplaces and Wood Stoves Clean You should get your fireplace cleaned and inspected by a certified chimney specialist every year.

Be Cautious and Conservative with Burning Fuels Don’t use lighter fluid to start a fire, keep a wire grate in front of the fireplace, and remove any decorative and flammable materials far away from the hearth. Never leave a fire unattended, and extinguish the fire before you go to bed or leave the home.

Protect the Outside of Your House Keep your firewood at least 30 feet away from the outside of

your home, and cover the top of the chimney with a mesh spark protector Protect the Inside of your Home Install smoke alarms and check them monthly. Make sure there is proper ventilation around the fireplace and throughout the home.

EDUCATE YOUR FAMILY: Make sure everyone in the home knows where the fire extinguisher is and knows an evacuation plan in case things go wrong.

As long as you practice fire safety, there is no reason to fear this beautiful home heat source!

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26

...remember to say you saw it in the SOL TIMES

SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

House Prices Fell by 11.3% in 2012

The average price of housing in Spain reduced by 11.3% in 2012 over the previous year, a more moderate adjustment than that experienced in previous months, due to a spike in the number of transactions generated to

beat the 31st December deadline for the end of tax deductions and the rise in VAT for new housing.

According to the Spanish Real Estate Market Index (Imie) for the last month of 2012, released on Tuesday

by the appraiser Tinsa, Spanish properties have become cheaper by 33.3% since reaching their highest prices in December 2007.

By area, houses in the capitals and large cities were those which recorded

for rent in Los Carasoles...

Beautiful villa on a 400m2 plot

3 bedrooms, two baths, patio and spacious garden.

Exterior shed for storage. Quiet area with nice views and 20 minutes from the beach -

Rental: 300€ pcm

For more information or to arrange to view a property call or email New Horizon Villas, Los Carasoles. Open 9am - 2pm

Tel Office: 950 449 600 Out of hours: 636 20 50 70

info@newhorizonvillas.com www.newhorizonvillas.com

property guide....

Many can do it well...

Some can do it very well... but only a few do it like us... always with the customer in mind Camposol Business centre sector a, camposol mazarron

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TEL: 968 592 679

the largest reductions in their prices in December (-14%), followed by those located in metropolitan areas (-13.7%) and on the Mediterranean coast (12.5%). Below the average were homes in the Balearic and Canary Islands (-6.6%) and those in other smaller municipalities (-7.7%).

Regarding the decreases accumulated, by area, Diario Sur reported that since their highest values reached, the prices of the houses on the Mediterranean coast have become cheaper by 40.1% and in the capitals and major cities by 36.7%. Also, prices have accumulated declines, since their highs, in the metropolitan areas of 35.4%, in the Balearic and Canary Islands (27.3%), and the remaining municipalities (-27.6%).

FOR UP-TO-DATE PROPERTY NEWS GO TO: WWW.KYERO.COM

VERA APARTMENT FOR RENT

SHORT-TERM/HOLIDAY RENTAL

2 BEDROOM, 2 BATHROOM, pENTHOUSE APARTMENT IN VERA PLAYA ALL MOD CONS, BALCONY & ROOF TERRACE OFFERING FANTASTIC VIEWS

cALL 663 977 230 EMAIL: gedfab@yahoo.com

Vera Playa Apartment

Household Debt Fell by 3.6% in November

Household debt fell again year-on-year in November, by 3.6%, to 840,792 million euros, which put it at levels recorded in 2007, before the crisis, according to the Bank of Spain.

In relation to the previous month, family debt rose by 0.31%, marking the second monthly increase of the year after that recorded in June.

The household debt was particularly affected year-on-year by the decline in consumer credit, which fell by 4.1% to stand at 194,428 million euros.

Similarly, mortgage debt fell by 3.5% in November year-onyear, and stood at 643,426 million euros, representing 76.5% of total household debt.

This ratio has remained the same for several years, since the fall in housing investment has paralleled that of the total debt, so that the amount that families spend on their home occupies the majority of their savings.

Meanwhile, corporate debt fell by 4.6% in November yearon-year, and totalled 1,198 billion euros, its lowest level since November 2007, while in relation to October it registered a decrease of 0.4%.

The inter-annual drop in this balance is explained by the decrease in loans granted by resident credit institutions and off-balance securitised loans, which fell by 7.2% to 779,014 million euros.

In contrast, according to Europa Press, securities other than shares grew by 13.3% in November, year- on-year, to 73,017 million euros, while foreign lending fell by 1.6% over the same month of 2011, to 346,372 million euros.

Apartment For Sale on golf course

1 bedroom, 1 bathroom, kitchen with white goods, Nice views of golf course parking, Mojacar approx 7 mins

now only

T: 664 291 793 jescott29@hotmail.co.uk

O Olive

• Farmhouse • Detached.

• Renovated • Land area - 1.7 hec • Floor area - 180 m² • 4 beds • 2 baths

MORE PROPERTIES LIKE THIS NEEDED! Paul: 693 969 800 www.almeriapropertyfinder.com info@almeriapropertyfinder.com

Contact: 607 705 085 or 687 938 466

C/Llanos, Bedar (Next to the Miramar Restaurant)

Open: Monday-Friday 10.00am-3.30pm

www.olivehouse-es.com

Uleila del Campo

A country house in the Cantoria area

Price: €102,000 - £82,824

€39,950

A rare opportunity to purchase one of the oldest houses in the beautiful village of Turrillas situated about 50 minutes to the coast & just 45 minutes from Almeria airport

OLV513

Restored, large Cortijo in Almanzora Valley with lovely mountain and valley views

• 3 Double Bedrooms • Spacious Kitchen/Dining Room • Roof Terrace 45m2 • Large Covered Front Porch • Garage • 1500 metres garden • Walled and gated • Fully legal • Mains water & electricity

Urgently required

farmhouses & equestrian properties For Sale

€125,000

English Tel: 0044 1952 246 476 Email: berniefinlay@hotmail.co.uk

clients waiting to view info@icasaspain.com

...CALL 902 750 190 OR 950 121 936 ~ EMAIL: SALES@SOLTIMES.COM

www.soltimes.com

Est 25yrs

SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

PRICE BROWN PARTNERSHIP ESTATE AGENTS/INMOBILARIA - MOJACAR

SALES, RENTALS & PROPERTY MANAGEMENT VENTAS, ALQUILERES Y MANTENAMIENTO

290,000 € Los Lobos DV1258 Outstanding detached villa of 172m2 on 10,00m2 +10,050 m2. 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 2 sitting rooms, central heating & much more.

Secure parking, large pool & ample terraces.

MUST BE VIEWED.

155,000 € Mojácar Playa A1112 Very spacious upper apartment + outstanding sea views just 1 min. walk from the beach & chiringuitos. 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms & A/C. Underground parking. Community gardens & pool.

159,950 € Huerta Nueva DV1260 Charming detached bungalow of 86m2 on 578m2 in immaculate order. 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. Private parking, carport & garden with space for pool. Gas central heating. Pretty views.

109,950 € Cortijo Grande LV626 Very attractive terraced house of 85 m2 with a private terrace of 22m2 with fabulous views of the valley. 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms & furnished. Just a 15 minute drive to the local beaches.

170,000 € Mojácar Playa A1109 Immaculate ground floor apartment of 86m2 + 33m2 on a sought after front line complex.

2 bed, 2 bath, furnished. Well maintained community gardens & pools. Underground parking.

85,000 € Mojacar Playa LV652 Lovely modernised townhouse of 60m2 + 20 m2 private terrace with sea views. 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom. Off street parking.

Furnished. Less than 5 mins walk to the beach.

139,950 € Mojácar Playa LV602 Superb linked villa of 81m2 with a private terrace of 22m2 just 400m2 from the beach. 2 bedrooms, 1.5 bathrooms & furnished. Well maintained community gardens & pool.

85,000 € Valle del Este A1148 A quality 2nd floor apartment of 70m2 in a well kept community next to the golf course.

2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms. Garage parking & storeroom. 2community pools. Country views.

97,500 € Cortijo Grande LV640 Lovely furnished front-line golf townhouse of 89m2 with breathtaking views over the golf course. 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, private terrace. Short drive to towns & beaches.

www.pricebrown.com Tel: +34 950 478 915 Fax: +34 950 478 963 sales@pricebrown.com

rentals@pricebrown.com

Mondays 10.00 - 13.30 & 15.00 - 18.00 Tuesdays - Fridays 9.30 - 13.30 & 15.00 - 18.00 Members of the National Association of Estate Agents Overseas

All properties listed with Price Brown comply with the consumer protection act - decreto 218/2005 11 Octobre (Andalucia).

Prices are correct for 7 days from going to print for all properties on these pages

Members of the Agrupacion Tecnica Profesional

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soltimes

www.soltimes.com daily

28

Local News

What’s happening in your area?

What’s on?

Where to go? What to do?

Local Business Directory

All your local businesses at your fingertips

Sky News

Live local & international News feeds

Our new website has been running for a while now, and this column is to introduce the new additions, explain what’s already there and to answer any questions you have...

Based on the rising number of website hits, many of you are just discovering the new site...I’m not surprised as I included FREE to air TV! Basically, if you have an internet connection you can watch UK TV absolutely FREE. The channels available are BBC 1 and 2, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5, ITV 2/3/4, E4, More 4, Dave, Really and for the children CBeebies.

Below the channel links you will also find a TV guide.

Soltimes FREE to air TV was designed as a secondary TV service which can be viewed anywhere around the home and even on the go (with a smart phone).

If you have any questions or ideas please email me at

webmaster @soltimes.com

Pensions ‘Plunge Over £3,000 In Five Years’

People planning to retire this year expect to be living off the lowest average incomes recorded in six years, it is claimed.

This year’s retirees expect to have a typical annual income of £15,300, making them around £3,400 a year worse off than workers who retired in 2008, according to the Prudential.

The gap becomes much worse when taking into account the effects of inflation’s erosion of people’s household budgets.

Someone who retired last year would have needed an annual income of £21,400 to have the same spending power as an average person who entered retirement in 2008 on a typical income of £18,700, the Prudential said.

However, the average amount private employees retired on last year was £15,500, leaving them £5,900 worse off in real terms than workers who retired in 2008.

Across Britain there is also a £5,700-a-year difference between the regions with the highest and the lowest anticipated incomes for people retiring this year.

Londoners expect to retire on an annual income of around £18,200 this year, while retirees in the West Midlands have the lowest anticipated incomes, at £12,500.

Post-financial crash, annuity rates have dropped 33% and wiped thousands of pounds off retirees’ incomes in recent years, while pensioners have faced a perfect storm of high living costs and low returns on their savings.

Experts also warned that possible changes to the way that Retail Price Index (RPI) is worked out could lead to more people being forced to put their retirement on hold due to the squeeze on their incomes.

Tom McPhail, head of pensions research at financial services company Hargreaves Lansdown, said: “For people approaching retirement, that is a huge blow to their expectations at a time when it is probably too late for them to do anything about it.”

Hargreaves Lansdown said that a 65-yearold man with a £100,000 pension pot could have secured an annual income of £7,855 by buying an annuity in the summer of 2008 but if he was doing so in December 2012, that figure would have fallen to £5,338.

Quantitative easing (QE) has been blamed for pushing down annuity rates which set the size of someone’s retirement income for life.

QE makes it cheaper for companies to borrow by pushing down the yield on government bonds, but annuity incomes are also based on these yields, meaning that new pensioners see their incomes reduced.

The Office for National Statistics has also been consulting on changes to the RPI and the recommendations from this will be announced on Thursday.

This trend downward is set to continue as baby boomers pass the age of 65, with 55% of 55 to 64-year-olds drawing a salary, compared with 41% in February 2010, Aviva has said. www.web.orange.co.uk

Sol Insure A New Ray Of Light For Insurance

Looking Around for Insurance or Renewal Due?

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Let find the best policy for you!

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SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

29

We wish everyone a Happy New Year

FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITY REDUCED BY €45,000!

4 beds Townhouse for now €94,950

Immaculately kept large Townhouse set on a quiet, asphalted road in the Hamlet of El Largo, Cuevas del Almanzora overlooking the Mountains and the countryside.

The property is massive with a total built area just for the townhouse of 146.79 mts² distributed between a large dining / living room with an open fire place, large fully fitted and well equipped kitchen with a

toilet and shower and a double bedroom on the ground floor; then internal staircase leading to a massive landing on the upper level of the property, master bedroom with en suite bathroom, two further double bedrooms and a family bathroom.

The property also benefits from a garage with 18.04 mts² and the exclusive rights to use a court yard with an area of 15.87 mts². The property benefits from a roof solarium and has

pre-installation for air conditioning and is being sold furnished as per the inventory.

There is a small shop in the hamlet and all other amenities are within the range of between 2 to 10 minutes drive. The beach is within 10 minutes drive. Also Desert Spring Golf Resort, Valle del Este Golf Resort, Marina de la Torre Golf Resort, Macenas Beach & Golf Resort and Cortijo Grande Golf Resort are all within a short drive away from the property.

The Airport of Almeria is within no more than 50 minutes drive, Murcia Airport is approx.1 hour drive and the motorway A7 E15 is less than 10 minutes drive.

All in all an excellent opportunity that is reasonably priced and close to everything.

For more information or to book a viewing appointment please visit our office or contact us via phone or e-mail.

Ref: 1165

Paseo del Mediterraneo 197 - Mojacar - Almeria property group

Tel: 950 472 430 / 610 053 563

www.veritashomes.co.uk info@veritashomes.co.uk

Introducing T. J Carpentry

& HARLEQUIN KITCHENS

We offer a design, manufacture & installation service with an exceptional level of quality & service at a competitive price. We are able to design, manufacture & install a huge range of kitchen furniture to suit your needs, with over 700 door styles & colour combinations we cater for every taste tradition to modern.

We have something for everyone & remember its manufactured to your requirements.

Our bespoke kitchen cabinets are manufactured and pre-assembled in our workshop using 18mm colour matched board with a solid back panel.

As well as our huge range of kitchen door colours and styles we have a huge range of worktops, solid wooden block, granite and laminate are available.

As with all our products our kitchen units can be manufactured any size.All cabinets, as well as any storage options are purpose made to your requirements.We have no set size doors widths or heights.

950 431 855 / 661 143 871 www.spanishestateagent.com

Arboleas, large 3 bed, 2 bath villa. 600m2. ONLY 110,000€

Taberno, villa on plot of 10,000m2. ONLY 59,950€

Antas Countryside. Villa and 400m2 plot. ONLY 160,000€

Vera. Large town house ONLY 109,000€

San Juan. Villa, 3 bedrooms, Private Pool. Only 216,000 €

Villa in Vera. Detatched, 3 Bedrooms.

325m2 plot. Only 122,000€

For a FREE home measure & quotation please contact Trevor on

619 584 405

Find us on Avenida Puente No.11, Albox

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Easy Entertaining send your recipes to Herbed Goat Cheese and Balsamic editor@soltimes.com Tomato Crostini Great Food at Great Prices Tel: 633 684 855

Hugo Formerly of Cafe Bar International La Alfoquia, Plaza Santa Ana (Opposite the Old Station)

Open Everyday 9.30am - 11pm (except Monday) Kitchen open 9.30am - 4pm, 7 - 11pm

now showing all champions league & la liga games

Sunday Lunch

Served 2 - 6pm

From €4,95

Choose from Beef, Pork or Chicken with all the trimmings!

Kentucky

Pizzas

Fried Chicken eat in or take away

Eat in or Take Away Tuesday - Sunday from 7pm

now serving GuiNness & strongbow

FREE

traditional paella (min2 people)

winter warmer menu

Method

Ingredients:

Preheat the oven Olive oil spray to 400F/200C/Gas 1 long French bread loaf 6.

Using a bread 1½ cups tomatoes, diced knife cut the French 2 tbsp shallots, finely minced bread on a bias 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar about ½ inch thick.

Lay each slice in 2 tbsp fresh basil, minced a single layer on 4 oz herb goat cheese a sheet pan and spray each side with olive oil. Place the sheet pan on the top rack of the oven and toast for 3 minutes on each side for a total of 6 minutes. Allow bread to cool before assembling.

In a separate bowl, lightly toss the tomatoes, shallots and balsamic vinegar until completely coated. Spread a small amount of goat cheese on one side of each toasted bread slice. Then, scoop a small spoonful of the tomato mixture on top of the goat cheese. Garnish with the basil and season to taste.

667 919 025 Café Bar

To include

Homemade Steak Pie, Chips & Gravy Sausage & mash Gammon Steak, Chips, Peas & Pineapple

LA ALFOQUIA, ZURGENA

new Sunday lunch menu

Changes Daily & from only 4€ Music on Friday 18th January

only

from Abbie Lou

Hoisin Pork Stir-fry with Egg Noodles

WEDNESDAY NIGHT CURRY 2 Courses €6 NEW WINTER WARMER MENU from €4

5€

FISH, CHIPS & PEAS for €5

Available every day

Open Monday - Friday 8am til late Saturday & Sunday 9am til late

Café

Humbugs

Cafeteria & Pasteleria Menu Night Whiskey Burns for your th 25 Januar y toasts Cock a Leekie Soup Haggis & Neeps!!

Roast Beef & all the trimmings Raspberry Cranachan Coffee & Petit Fours !!Live Piper David West!!

€19.99

Daily Lunchtime specials including our British Beer Battered Cod & Chips!

Choose from a good selection of home cooked meals - 2 meals for just...

10€

Open: Monday - Thursday: 9.30am-5.30pm / friday 9:30am-9pm Saturday 10am-3pm / Sunday Closed Find us in Arboleas 200m from Coviran

Tel 958 003 391 / 676 604 008

La FREE

VidaBar Cucador

new on tuesdays 6-9pm curry & chips cod & chips

only 5€

all Premier league football all welcome live ladies friendly darts wed 8pm

new tapas menu

only 1€

take away service till 7pm

SAXON REAL ALE ON TAP - ONLY 2.40€ PER PINT blackthorn cider

ESTRELLA ONLY 2€ PER PINT

Open Every Day 12pm - Late Tel: 950 634 562 • lavidacucador@gmail.com book the Venue: For your Private Parties, Weddings and Birthdays etc.

Method

Ingredients:

Cook the egg noodles 1 ½ cups egg noodles, according to the package uncooked directions.

2 tbsp vegetable oil Drain and set aside.

1– 1½ lb. pork, thinly In a small mixing bowl, sliced whisk the soy sauce, rice 1 cup green peppers, wine vinegar, Hoisin sauce, cubed ginger, chilli sauce and 1 cup celery, sliced on garlic until well combined. angle Set aside.

2 tsp soy sauce, Bring the vegetable oil 2 tsp rice wine vinegar to medium high heat in 3 tbsp. Hoisin sauce a wok or high-sided fry 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated pan. Sauté the pork, while stirring constantly, in the ¼ tsp chilli sauce oil for 4–6 minutes or until 2 tsp garlic, minced just undercooked. Add the celery and green peppers to the wok, and cook for an additional 2–4 minutes.

Reduce the temperature to medium heat and add the Hoisin mixture to the wok. Bring to a boil and cook for 1 minute. Serve on top of the egg noodles.

www.soltimes.com

SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

THE YELLOW STONE BAR PIEDRA AMARILLA ~ Opening Night WOW 2013, here we go!!

Firstly a big THANK YOU to all our customers and friends, old and new, who came along and partied with us on our opening night.

d Goo

Our biggest reward

was to see everyone enjoying themselves, it was standing room only and

STONE BAR

we had nothing but positive feedback from all who attended.

We

never

expected

such

a

fantastic

response

and

to

feel

such

a

great

sense of community spirit. It’s been great getting to know you all, learning individual

idiosyncrasies,

eccentricities

and

generally

beginning

to

feel

like

we’re part of the area.

At the Yellow Stone Bar we believe in good honest food, we believe in honest prices and most importantly we believe our customers are our friends.

You may have noticed our new menu, essentially we have kept the €2 and €5

breakfast

the

same,

available

from

9am

to

midday

but

we

have

also

added a lunch menu served from midday with last orders at 2:30pm. Food is available Monday to Saturday. So, why not come along and sample the delights of our resident Chef Richard. We aim to be a destination for those who

appreciate

life’s

pleasures;

beer,

coffee,

food

and

a

smile.

Experience

coffee at its finest, freshly ground, brewed and poured to perfection. With a focus on friendly service and a healthy dose of homemade cooking, we hope The Yellow Stone Bar will be everything your heart desires; drop in and say hello. We even have free Wi-Fi so you can catch up on your emails whilst having a coffee! So off into the New Year we go. All good things to everyone; be well, be happy and celebrate life. From the Yellow Stone Bar Team Tel: 634 332 178 Take away and bookings welcome.

K

ash bar

turre

formally Stop bar

opening times 9am - late • closed Monday

y Breakfasts Speci a d n al Su s m e enus h c n Lu darts

Large selection of drinks

pool table

big opening night saturday tel: 950 479 593 or 634 311 163

Grea tF rie nds YELLOW

s me i T

Breakfast

Lunches

served 9 ~ 12

2€ or 5€ Parties & Special Events catered for Ask at bar

Take-away available

12pm~ 2.30pm

Daily Specials

M ob i le to p u p s @ bar

4€

free Wi-Fi

see bar

~ opening hours ~ Mon ~ Sat 9~9ish ~ S un 12pm~7pm

for bookings call PAUL: 634 332 178 Find us in Piedra Amarilla (Formerly The Grapevine) For more information and phone orders call Paul: 634

ITV CENTRE

← Albox

332 178

Fines →

Yellow Stone 1km Piedra Amarilla →

Bay ay b bistro istro B

The Fresh Food Restaurant

Menu del Dia

Deli Sandwich ONLY 9.95€ Menu Menu de la Noche from 6.95€ ONLY 12.95€ Full a la Carte Menu Available

open e daytim gs n & eveni

Sunday Lunch Special

3 Courses Including Roast of the Week

Only 9.95€

closed tuesdays

628 Tel:Tel: 950 450 199761 • 628391 761 391

To avoid disappointment please call and reserve your table

31

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SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

Ingredients:

ALBOX

Cod ‘n’ Chip fridayS

MENU DEL DIA

2 Courses onl y served 12 - 3 except Fri & Sun €

Beer-battered Atlantic Cod, Homemade Chips, Mushy or Garden Peas…

Fridays & Saturdays 12 - 9pm

5

Bar Menu Home-made puds Burgers, Lasagne, Omelettes, chilli

from

All Day Breakfast from 9am

5.95€

Includes FREE Tea or Coffee

traditional served 12.30 - 5pm SUNDAY LUNCH

Friday & Saturday Evenings Restaurant Open 6pm-9pm

Topside of beef & Yorkshire pudding roast Pork with crackling and apple sauce tender roast CHICKEN with stuffing local grown potatoes , seasonal vegetables glass of house wine, tubo of beer or a coffee

SUNDAY BREAKFAST

Delicious & Home-cooked

starters, puddings 2€

onl y 6.95€

Menu From 5.95€

each

to include a FREE Drink

Friday

15 FEB th

SERVED 10AM-12PM

Activities at

Monday

Rock ‘n’ Roll..........7:30

Traveling Acoustics

Tuesday

Acoustic Musicians & Floor Singers

all levels welcome to come along, bring your instruments and join in

A Night of Music to Enjoy

All Welcome 8pm Start

Quirky Quiz............7:30

Wednesday

Bingo with Ged...2:30 Line Dancing with Carrie..7:30

Thursday

Ceroc Dancing & Fun Social Night..7:30 Plus

Robin & with Friends

ALBOX

Art Classes held most days Pop into the bar for more info Computer Club Keep fit & slimming classes check the board for times •••

← ARBOLEAS BAZA → Av•••AL . L BO ep an X → to jacksalbox@gmail.com

OPEN 9AM-LATE MON-SAT 10-6 SUN

@

BP Garage

950 120 718 / 610 641 567

For the brownie batter ½ cup all-purpose flour ¼ tsp baking powder ¼ tsp salt 5 tbsp unsalted butter, cut into pieces 4 oz coarsely chopped bittersweet chocolate 1/3 cup granulated sugar 2 large eggs ½ tsp vanilla essence For the cheesecake batter 1 ½ tsp instant espresso powder 1 tbsp boiling water 8 oz cream cheese, softened 2/3 cup granulated sugar ½ teaspoon vanilla essence 2 large eggs ¼ cup sour cream 1 tbsp all-purpose flour For the topping 1 ¼ cups sour cream batter, in a small bowl, stir ½ cup icing sugar together espresso powder and boiling water - set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 350.

Meanwhile, in a large To prepare the brownie mixing bowl, beat cream batter, in a small bowl, cheese until completely whisk together flour, smooth. Add sugar and baking powder and salt. beat until well combined, In a microwave safe bowl, about 3 minutes. Beat add butter and chocolate in vanilla and espresso - heat at 50% power mixture. Add eggs, one just until the butter has at a time, beating until melted and the chocolate combined after each. Mix in has softened. Stir the the sour cream. Add flour mixture and if any lumps of and stir until combined. chocolate remain, reheat Stir brownie batter and briefly, stopping every 30 pour three quarters of it seconds or so to stir. into a 9” baking pan coated Whisk sugar into the with non-stick spray. Pour chocolate mixture. Add cheesecake batter on top eggs, one at a time, beating of the brownie batter. Drop until combined after each. dollops of the remaining Whisk in vanilla. Add dry brownie batter on top ingredients and stir just and gently swirl the dark until combined - set aside. batter into the cheesecake To prepare the cheesecake batter, making sure not to

Expresso Cheesecake Brownies

Method

push the knife down into the bottom brownie layer.

Place into the oven and bake until the cheesecake layer is beige in the centre and lightly browned around the edges, about 30 to 35 minutes. Remove and place pan on a wire rack to cool completely. Place cooled pan into the refrigerator and chill at least 2 hours.

To prepare the topping, in a small saucepan, add sour cream and confectioners’ sugar - warm over very low heat, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved.

Remove from the heat and pour evenly over the cold cheesecake layer.

Place the pan back into the refrigerator and chill until the topping is thoroughly cold, at least 1 hour before serving.

Celebrities head to the kitchen to film a special series of Great British Bake Off for Comic Relief

It was the surprise TV hit of 2012, leaving viewers on the edge of their seats as they waited to see what delights would appear from the oven.

And now The Great British Bake Off is set to return to TV screens, but this time there will be some very familiar faces cooking up a storm in the kitchen.

Celebrities including Duncan Bannatyne, Bob Mortimer and Ellie Simmonds will try to perfect their pastry and sort out their sponges for the charity version of the show.

Just like the real contestants, their technique and baked goods will come under the watchful eye of Great British Bake Off stars Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood.

The sixteen amateur cooks will compete against each other over four nights later this month.

The show aims to inspire the nation to get baking and sell their cakes to raise money for good causes.

Some of the sixteen contestants named by show producers are Julia Bradbury, Bob Mortimer, Ellie Simmonds, Kirsty Wark, Mel Giedroyc, Jo Brand, Claudia Winkleman, Ed Byrne, Helen Glover, Warwick Davis, Stephen K Amos, Andy Akinwolere, Dragon’s Den entrepreneur Duncan Bannatyne and Martha Kearney.

Winkleman, who replaced Jonathan Ross as host of the BBC’s film programme, said she was ‘obsessed with baking.’ She said: ‘I often cover the kitchen in flour and I have three whisks. I have only ever made two things - a Victoria sponge and chocolate cookies. It turns out the bake-off is about other things too.

The Great Comic Relief Bake Off starts on BBC2 on Monday January 21 and will run over four consecutive nights.

The regular version of the show, presented

by Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins, has been a surprise hit, with more than seven million people tuning in to watch last year’s final.

www.soltimes.com

SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

33

There’s just never enough time!

Chicken Kiev followed by Arctic roll and a glass of something from the Soda Stream!

How sales of 1970s food have soared thanks to our nostalgia for all things retro!

It was the decade that dedicated foodies would rather forget, when the height of sophistication was a prawn cocktail and a Chicken Kiev.

But it seems our nostalgia for all things retro has sparked a shopping basket revival for the 70s.

Sales of Arctic rolls (that deliciously barmy dessert made of a jam roll filled with ice cream) have risen by over 40 per cent, while chicken Kievs are up by 59 per cent.

Even quiche sales have soared by almost 20 per cent as customers of Ocado, who deliver all Waitrose’s online groceries, have turned back the clock.

The added ingredient of a celebrity chef has certainly helped.

Heston Blumenthal, the face of Waitrose, has concocted his modern take on the 70s classic prawn cocktail for the supermarket.

Sales of the £2.99 classic, one of the chef’s ‘all-time favourite things to eat’ after a hard night at his three-star Michelin restaurant according to the marketing blurb, are up by 95 per cent.

And even Angel Delight - the packet-mix mousse beloved of children everywhere - has

made a comeback.

Many of the original artificial flavourings and sweeteners have been removed, which makes it more attractive to Waitrose mum’s shopping basket.

Sales of Angel Delight have risen by more than five per cent, while another children’s classic Soda Stream has seen its popularity soar by 82 per cent.

Jason Gissing, Ocado Co-Founder said: ‘I was born in 1970 so I’m excited to see my childhood foods making a come-back in our digital age and holding their own alongside more modern staples like ready meals, organic veg boxes and sushi.

‘The internet hadn’t even been invented in the 70s and shopping online for groceries would have been unthinkable 40 years ago.

‘Now customers can order their Chicken Kievs with just a few clicks from Ocado and have them delivered to their kitchen table later that day without even having to leave the house.

‘We’ve changed people’s lives and we’ll continue to do so for the next 40 years and beyond!’

sales but Sainsbury’s disputed the figures.

Tesco, the UK’s biggest retailer, said takings for the six weeks around Christmas were up by 1.8 per cent on the year before.

However, Sainsbury’s claimed the rise, the biggest for three years, was an exaggeration.

The attack – evidence of an increasingly bitter battle between the two – was swiftly dismissed

by Tesco as a ‘smear’.

Sainsbury’s pointed out that Tesco’s figure included sales made through vouchers given to shoppers under its Clubcard loyalty scheme.

An email from Sainsbury’s said the 1.8 per cent figure was ‘disingenuous’.

But even without the voucher sales, at 1.4 per cent Tesco’s rise was ahead of the 0.9 per cent at Sainsbury’s for the same period.

Shoppers buying food and drink online for Christmas gave Tesco a particular boost, with website sales up by 18 per cent.

More than half a million food orders were fulfilled in the week before Christmas.

The sales surge follows a £1billion action plan

ranges.

These included Everyday Value budget products, which along with upmarket Finest outperformed other ranges.

The latest figures are a stark contrast with a year ago, when Tesco revealed a Christmas sales slump of 2.3 per cent and its shares lost almost £5billion in a day.

While Sainsbury’s executives launched a series of briefings to accuse Tesco of massaging the figures, the boost surprised the City, bringing a 3 per cent rise in the share price yesterday.

John Ibbotson, of consultants Retail Vision, said: ‘After a listless 2012, the empire strikes back. With like-for-like sales growth jumping to its highest level for three years, Tesco has come out fighting. The £1billion invested in revamping stores and boosting customer service is finally delivering a handsome return.’

Tesco chief executive Philip Clarke said: ‘I am pleased with our performance over the important Christmas and New Year period in the UK.’

I bet we all feel that the years fly by as we get older. Yet long ago I remember the school summer holidays lasting for an eternity. It’s all about perspective as when I was 6 years old; the 6 week holidays represented 2% of my life to date. Now I can only dream of getting 6 weeks off and only then if the lottery ticket came in. That same holiday would be less than ¼ % of the time I have spent on this mortal coil and would flash by so it’s a good job I can’t afford it anyway – inserts sideways smiley thingy!

A day off always go faster than a day at work and weekends fly by, one minute its Friday evening with all that the weekend can offer before me, then suddenly the alarm is shattering my reverie on Monday morning. A favourite music track always finishes quicker than a track less liked, when I was young the side of a record album was plenty long enough but now having to get up and turn it over after 20 minutes seems like seconds especially when a CD can last an hour or more. Curly Wurlys and Mars bars are smaller than in my day; well no actually my hands and mouth are larger so they just seem smaller. Second halves of football matches take much longer if and when Liverpool are winning and clinging on to a lead, if they need to score to win then the inverse applies and there is much less time to catch up and score that important goal.

Toothpaste certainly plays with the fabric of time and space, when the tube is running low and there is no replacement it becomes never ending

and can last for weeks; yet as soon as its successor is in the house suddenly its gone. Washing up liquid too can stretch for ages when almost empty by adding a little water. Sadly gin and beer run out all too quickly. Maybe putting them in squirty bottles would make them last longer too.

Policemen and teachers get younger every year and I wonder now if they are old enough to qualify, yet when I was a kid they all seemed ancient. A couple of years ago I went to a school reunion and was gob smacked to see most of the teachers looked mostly the same as when I was there 25 years earlier. When I got my first driving licence it said valid until 2036 a date seemingly set in infinity.

In 1975, Space1999 hit the television screens and jolly dark and scary it was too, a sort of 2001- A Space Odyssey for children. Back then as man had just landed on the moon, space stations on the Moon seemed the next logical step especially it was set so far in the future.

So Space 1999 was really believable, yet here we are in 2013 and?

In my 20s I got a job working for an old hairy hippy delivering futons around the UK and Amsterdam! I almost sprinted to the interview and practically begged for the job when I realised I would get paid for going to Amsterdam every few weeks. Keith ‘that’ old hippy was then 47, which is how old I will be next birthday coming! His mates had long grey ponytails which looked mature and very cool. How I longed for the time when my own ponytail would also be grey like theirs which of course is now happening in earnest!

Enjoy Stephens musings? Pop over to http://findmeahomeinspain.wordpress.com as the articles are posted on there too!

Findmeahome are always looking for quality homes for their sales and rental portfolios, please contact Stephen for a valuation: stephen@findmeahome.es Telephone: 636 266 641

Supermarket giants lock horns over figures FANCY BEING A WATER SLIDE TESTER? Two of Britain’s supermarket giants have by Tesco to refurbish stores, employ 8,000 locked horns after Tesco reported a surge in more customer service staff and launch new

APPLY HERE!

A holiday company is advertising what it says is one of the most fun jobs in the world - a water slide tester.

First Choice needs someone to travel the globe trying out the exhilarating chutes at its SplashWorld resorts.

The successful applicant will even be paid for the privilege - £20,000 for the six-month contract.

Fun junkie Tommy Lynch was in the role for four years and called it “the best job in the world”.

Mr Lynch, 33, added: “It can be tough when it’s chilly and you have to strip off, but otherwise it’s great.

“Getting to check out the flumes is by far the best bit. But there is a serious side and it carries a lot of responsibility.”

Mr Lynch, from Liverpool, who hung up his trunks last month to take a new job, hurled himself down slides about 5,000 times during his stint.

And he clocked up 108,000 miles travelling between the 20 resorts in countries such as Turkey and Egypt.

...remember to say you saw it in the SOL TIMES

SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

STANDARD CROSSWORD

11 A Spanish gentleman is Lab. oracle, perhaps (9) 13 Date surrounding England’s massive ruin (9) 15 England left in first election postal disaster - sticky stuff! (9) 16 150 taking back conflict stroke (5) 17 Thermoplastic made from crude oil, with one side replaced with the other (twice) (9) 20 Most recent dead saint? (6) 22 The sea, gleaming, shrouds bird (5) 24 This dam is almost unearthly! (4) 25 Dupe French left, with nothing to love on the inside! (4) 28 Some bleary-eyed grass (3)

Down

26 Overhang of a roof (5) 27 A complicated situation (9) 28 Making turbid (8) 29 Shoulders, chests, _____ _ then hips (6)

Down

1 Evolves (8) 2 Strikingness (8) 3 Memorable saying (5) 5 Frolic (7) 6 Apportions (9) 7 Ploy (6)

8 However (6) 9 Horse barn (6) 15 In a futile manner (9) 17 Freight receipts (8) 18 Lines of hair on one’s face (8) 20 Bus, train, or television (7) 21 Scrivener (6) 22 Sputum (6) 23 Established the validity (6) 25 A North American native tribe (5)

Very Hard!

SUDOKU PUZZLE CRYPTIC crossword

CROSSWORD

SOLUTIONS SUDOKU PUZZLE

Sudoku is a placement puzzle. Enter the numbers 1 to 9 in each row and column of a grid, made up of 3 x 3 subgrids. The catch is that each row, column and grid must contain only one instance of each number or letter.

1 Depressing (6) 4 Snails (8) 10 With valor (9) 11 Oblivion (5) 12 Vassal (5) 13 Forking (9) 14 Photograph (7) 16 Friends (4) 19 Marries (4) 21 South African antelope (7) 24 Taken from the mane or tail of a horse (9) 25 Skewered cubes of meat (5)

HARD SUDOKU

Across

1 Lacks confidence, but somehow goes into parties! (6) 2 Bend stomach-first to work (5) 3 Age of Gerald? (3) 4 Tiny creature’s credit?

(4) 5 So, bringing up commercial drink? (4) 6 Harass odd rebel without illness (9) 9 With Lib Dems, he creatively left a mark (9)

CRYPTIC

1 Takes away the enthusiasm, or the centre? (11) 7 Returning Labour party is even more strange! (5) 8 Run away with a fictional spy, without second bit of consideration (7) 10 Group of countries hiding in pub lockin? (4) 12 Starts to anger Dutch in European Union? That’s goodbye! (5) 14 Gave money to first politician with a ‘yes’ journalist (5) 16 100 go without a good split (8) 18 Healthy table is converted to shed that’s been around for a while (4-11) 19 Flower gets Tory second place, taking Birkenhead East by 50 (8) 21 Squander a second (half) term after Wednesday! (5) 23 Let a Labour leader down? (5) 26 Some surprise, as Tories show direction! (4) 27 Authorise me to return control (7) 29 Language of party that doesn’t get started without Galloway at first (5) 30 Substitute temple built with crane (11)

CROSSWORD

coffee break

Across

STANDARD SUDOKU

34

www.soltimes.com

SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

Mojácar Positiva update

Greetings to all! First of all we wanted to wish you all a very Happy New Year, hoping that 2013 is at least, better than the last. It is a pleasure for us to share some good news to start the year. From our group “Mojácar Positiva se Mueve” we have decided to begin this New Year with a small gesture of solidarity.

As you all know, we have a councilor on the opposition, so there for our party receives a monthly salary, depending on the number of plenary meetings and assistance that is around 120-140 euros per month. This salary goes entirely to help create activities for our association and the expenses that they can generate. Our councilor, Jessica Simpson, does not receive any of this money.

About a year ago we decided to sponsor a child with some of that money, and seeing that we can still carry out our activities without a problem (mundialito , awareness campaigns, children’s carnivals, etc.), we decided to start up our own supportive campaign “12 months 12 causes “.

This campaign will help out by sponsoring a different organization each month, providing a humble economic donation (15-20 euros) this is not a lot but we believe that a little is better than nothing to help those in need.

This campaign is put in to practice as in several meetings we all decided that we should help in any way possible, charities and show solidarity, but there are always a great variety of topics and organizations that appeal to different people. This is why we decided that each month, someone in our group propose

an NGO, association or group to support with that money and also by giving them publicity on our social networks, so if anyone else is interested in helping this cause this will help to encourage them.

To start this campaign, “12 months 12 causes” this January, one of our members, Julen, has proposed the following: “Partnership for Progress and Integration of Cultures - PANDORA” to which we have already donated 15 euros to support the albino refugee community in Kabanga School, Kasulu, Tanzania.

Here is their web link if you want to see for more information or donations: http://aipcpandora.org/donaciones From now on every month we will inform you of our charitable causes (along with all the other occurrences) and at the end of the year, we will do a follow-up of the organizations 12 in which we have participated.

Thank you very much once again for your time and we hope that this year will bring much more positive humanitarian news and less news related to evictions, crisis, violence, war and other violations against human rights.

If you need more information or details do not hesitate to contact us by email, phone or Facebook.

Jessica Simpson Email: mojacarpositivasemueve@gmail.com

THE ROYAL BRITISH LEGION ALBOX BRANCH - UPDATE thank you and reminders...

The Albox Branch of The Royal British Legion would like to thank everyone who supported them in 2012 and wish you all a very Happy & prosperous New Year.

Chairman Peter Phillips said “2012 was an amazing year not just for Albox Branch but The Legion as a whole. The generosity of people to this great cause during a time of such personal hardship for most is heartwarming and greatly appreciated by us all and the people we are able to help as a result. Thank you one and all.”

He went on to remind cash paying members that they now have until the end of January to renew their membership for a mere 21 Euros and they can do so at the monthly meeting on the 17th January at their usual meeting place in La Parrilla hotel & restaurant, by contacting the membership secretary Sandra Tucker on email stucker99@hotmail.co.uk or telephone 608049491 or by speaking to any member of the committee whose details can be found on the Branch web site at www.britishlegion.org.uk/branches/albox The monthly meeting for January is to be held in the usual venue of La Parrilla and starts at 1100 a.m. This month there is a talk from Peter Phillips on the subject of ‘criminal investigation of child abuse in the 1990’s’ as well as the usual quiz compiled by John Evans and the ever popular raffle and Euro raffle.

The next social event for this busy Branch is a Valentine’s Day buffet and dance at Jack’s Bar in Avenida Le Panto. No prizes for guessing the date….14th February starting at 7.30 p.m.

Tickets cost just 10 Euros for members and 11 Euros for non-members. There is to be a salad plate and bread on each table with a buffet-style main course of chicken curry or chilli con carne, both with rice, and a choice of either chocolate torte or lemon meringue pie, both with cream. Diners can then dance the night away to Atlantis. To book your tickets (with menu choice) either attend the monthly meeting on the 17th January or the coffee morning on the 7th February or contact the social secretary Bob Cowan on 608 049 490 or email him at rcowan25@gmail.com If you want more details on this or any other social functions or want to become a member and help with The Legion’s good work for British serving and ex-service personnel and their families both in the UK and here in Spain (you don’t need to be ex-forces to join) go along to one of the meetings on the 1st & 3rd Thursday of each month at La Parrilla Hotel & Restaurant in the Main Square in Albox or contact the Chairman Peter Phillips on 693483392 email: peatpee@sky.com or visit the web site at www.britishlegion.org.uk/branches/albox.

ALBOX BRANCH IS PART OF SPAIN DISTRICT (NORTH) SPANISH ASSOCIATION NO: A4784 FISCAL REGISTRATION CIF 53055539 www.britishlegion.org.uk/branches/albox

La

Cucador

VidaRestaurant&Venue

Friday Burns Friday 25th Party January January Party Night

+J with J+

our main menu includes 16oz steaks mixed grill fresh fish

WED-SAT 6:30-9:30pm

Our Homecooked

7.45€ Menu at Starters & Puds 2.50€

from

Music Music

GREAT value MENU CHANGES WEEKLY

Wonde erful Night ight Wond rful N for all all for Address Address a Toast d to the the a n to to the Haggis Haggis Lassies

Kilts Optional 6.00pm - 9.30pm 3 Course € 5€ 95 4..9 14 Themed 1

booking advisable

fridays

Beer-battered cod, homemade chips & peas

Menu + 1/2 Bottle of wine

7 -- 7:30 7:30 pm pm 7 Bookings Advisable Advisable Bookings

New

Bar

from

5.95€

New

in the Bar

Tapas Menu

booking advisable

All Selections 1€ Each

traditional

sunday lunch

Tuesday Bar

Specials ly on

5€

12.30PM - 5PM

6pm - 9pm

Chicken Curry

fISH OF THE DAY OPTION ALSO AVAILABLE

& Long Grain Rice or

Cod, Chips ‘n’ Peas Open Every Day 12pm - Late

Tel: 950 634 562 lavidacucador@gmail.com

We are here

Albox Arboleas Zurgena La Alfoquia

Mojacar

E15

booking advisable

1km

La Vida

Cucador Junc 547 Huercal Overa

book the Venue

For your Private Parties, Weddings and Birthdays etc.

35

36

...remember to say you saw it in the SOL TIMES

SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

RIBBON FOR LIFE DAY on mojacar playa paseo

the spanish association in the fight against cancer

sunday 3rd february from 11:30am until 6pm

WANTED Stall Holders interested in selling their wares!

Cost per stand ONLY 10€ for the day!

Stalls can be almost anything and although bric-a-brac is welcome, second-hand ‘boot-sale’ type stalls are not

WANTED

FIRE BELL ALARM CLOCK ~ 16.84€ Yes it’s loud and yes it sounds like an old fashioned Fire Bell! If this does not wake you then check your pulse!

Designed not only to look like a real fire bell, it’s got very similar decibels with a digital time display and three alarm settings. If you need just a couple more minutes, simply hit the big white snooze button and you’ve got 8 minutes before the next noise-fest kicks in!

Gadgets …TO GET YOU UP & ABOUT!

Entertainers of Various Types willing to do 30 minute spot for charity - and to showcase themselves!

A stage with music and microphones will - hopefully - be supplied. Although Mobile Entertainers - such as Jugglers, Buskers etc...are required to walk the Paseo

For more information, call Briony on 616 424 555 or 950 472 200

Burty’s BAR

FLYING ALARM CLOCK ~ 16.84€ The Flying alarm clock is pretty much as it sounds - an alarm clock which makes alarm noises and a flying bit which comes to life when the alarm goes off. All you have to do is set the alarm as you normally would.

When it’s time to get up the helicopter bit of the clock will fly off, and the only way to switch the alarm off is by sticking this back in the base. We do set the alarm to get our lazy bums out of bed and this will do exactly that!

Playa Serena, roquetas de mar

sun - fri from 11am - 6pm Closed saturday

ace r r e t y nn u s e hug bar s u o i c a p s d n a Come and Catch the Winter Sun Table Top Sale 27th January Time to de-clutter or dispose of unwanted Christmas Presents!

Call to book a table Starting Thursday 17th January. Every Thursday

Special Steak Night 5pm – 8.30pm

6oz Sirloin Steak, Real Chips, Fried Onion, Mushrooms & Mixed Salad Only 8.95€ Larger Steaks & Baby Fillet Available with a Supplement.

Alternative Menu – Chicken Breast or Hake in a Creamy Prawn & White Wine Sauce with Potatoes & Vegetables.

Booking Essential By 6pm Wednesday

every thursday quiz 2.15pm prompt

Tapas

served from 1 pm

tuesday

bingo 2.30pm

anglican church service 3rd thursday of the month 11:30am

next service 17th january

spanish lessons - all levels - now tuesday at 12noon 5€ sunday lunch special €5.95 booking essential Opposite Playa Luna Hotel between Oasis & New York New York. Tel: 679 156 715”

MP3 ALARM CLOCK ~ 21.34€ Yet another clock where old is combined with new, the Wiki MP3 Alarm Clock might look old fashioned but contains the latest technology to allow you to wake up dancing to the tune of choice. Browse, select and use sounds from a Sound Bank or download your favourite songs through a PC You can also arrange the sequence, set for repeat or insert silence, then record into the alarm clock.

ANIMAL SOUNDS ALARM CLOCK ~ 16.28€ Choose from one of six clocks. Available there is a Cat, Cow, Frog, Pig, Duck and Rooster. We could also explain what each clock sounds like, but with any luck you might just have heard what each animal sounds like. The sounds are very realistic and the clock and alarms are set in the normal way, but instead of a loud ring you’ll be awoken by your favourite animal! Just like being on a farm eh?

please note, prices do not include p&p all of these products are available to purchase online - for more information PLEASE EMAIL: EDITOR@SOLTIMES.COM

www.soltimes.com

SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

37

ROQUETAS DE MAR INDALO PLAYERS EL TEATRO “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens New Kimrick Bar & Restaurant, Mojacar, 18 to 21 January

Charles Dickens’ enduring tale, “A Christmas Carol”, will be performed by the Indalo Players el Teatro in a new production at the New Kimrick Bar & Restaurant during January. Adapted and directed by Otfried Laux, this modern stage version of the classic story recounts the transformation of stingy, penny-pinching miser Ebenezer Scrooge, as a series of ghostly visitations help him see the error of his ways. Following the sellout success of last year’s Otfried Laux and Indalo Players production “Oliver”, this seasonal treat should not be missed.

The production opens on Friday 18th January, running for four evenings concluding on Monday 21st. Evening performances begin at 8.00pm. On Saturday 19th and Sunday 20th there are additional matinee performances beginning at 3.30pm.

Tickets, priced at €10.00, are available from the box office on 637 817 982 and from the New Kimrick Bar & Restaurant between 11.00am and 1.00pm on Saturday 12th January.

Bar Southern....................................

Every Thursday Bingo 3pm Last Saturday of the month - Jackpot Money Quiz 8pm 1st Friday of Month: Ladies Do Lunch! from 2pm (Menu del Dia 7€) Burtys Bar........................................

Tuesday - 12 noon Spanish Lessons & 2:30pm Bingo Thursdays - Quiz 2:15pm Bar Spinnaker...................................

Tuesday - Bingo 3pm Wednesday - Steak 7.50€, Quiz 9.30pm Friday - Fish and Chips all day 5€

SEND your birthday & ANNIVERSARY GREETINGS TO EDITOR@SOLTIMES.COM & WE’LL PRINT THEM FREE OF CHARGE!

Saturday - Curry Meal with small wine 7.50€ Sunday - Sunday Roast 1pm - 6pm Chaplins pub.....................................

Opening Hours: Open 1pm til’ close Tuesday to Sunday Wednesday: 2:30pm Big Quiz (min 50€ Jackpot); Rib Night Friday: Chip Shop Day - Fish’n’Chips etc served from 1pm, Quiz Night Sunday - Sunday Lunch served until 8pm TEL: 950 335 022 lady lay..............................................

Tuesday Night - Curry Night Revita Natural Health and Relaxation centre..........................

Calle Tortola 4, Roquetas De Mar Tel 950 333 048 Tai Chi - Tuesday & Thursday 10am Yoga - Sunday 9pm Belly Dancing - Wednesday Y Da wakes.........................................

CLOSED 24th DECEMBER to 2nd MARCH FOR ANNUAL

YOUR NEWS & YOUR VIEWS... SEND TO EDITOR@SOLTIMES.COM

HOLIDAY

UK Reg Qualified Nurses and Experienced Carers Required Due to expansion into the Roquetas & Almerimar Areas Flexible working hours, good daily rate of pay

Please Contact Nicki at nicki@almeriaangels.com or Call: 902 026 468

estampa Tapas

Ta

Bar

Tapas/Snacks r 25th Jan o o d t h t u o 4 1 y n s y Breakfast pacious sun for Holida English h Jan CSlosraecedseating -2o4pen s 26tFish & Chips ter Re Coffees & Cakes SKY TV

sky sports now being shown

Cocktails/Sangria

Open 10am - late (Closed Tuesday) FREE WI-FI Next door to Zurimar 678 202 160

La Grappa

Authentic Italian Restaurant

• Pizzas • Fresh Pastas • Fresh Fish • Argentinian BBQ’d Food On The Terrace

BBQ

EVERY DAY

Open 12 - 4pm 7 - 12.30am Av. Playa Serena, 37 Roquetas de Mar

950 334 188 609 337 316

to reserve your table

Property management Sales & Rentals Roquetas de Mar, Aguadulce Almerimar, Vicar, La Envia Golf

Services include Key Holding, Maintenance, Furniture Packs, Cleaning & Laundry, Apartment & Post-box Checks

Mobile: (0034) 663 426 921

info@enviapropertyservices.com

www.enviapropertyservices.com

38

...remember to say you saw it in the SOL TIMES

SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

SOLTIMES www.soltimes.com see us online everyday

SOL CLASSIFIEDS Airport services

construction cont...

electrical cont...

www.AAparking.es tr a n s f er s Tel: 639 081 067 pick up all areas,

construction

ELECTRICIAN

A i rport

Cheap

Airport Parking

Alicante Almeria Murcia New Servicing / Repairs

BY TELEPHONE Monday to Friday

950 121 936 902 121 936

competitive rates.

For a quote please visit www. spanish estateagent.com or call 661 143 871

Send your advert or Classified lineage to

sales@soltimes.com IN PERSON

los carasoles, 27 Zurgena, 04650, Almeria Mon to Fri 10am - 5pm

above New Horizon Villas

PAYMENT

VISA ,Paypal, bank transfer & Cheques made payable to MATHEWS mEDIA s.l

MD Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration S.L.

MD S.L

City & Guilds Fully Qualified F-Gas Certified

25 years sole experience in Air Conditioning & Refrigeration

not a jack of all trades

For all your installation or service MD Air-Conditioning & Refrigeration S.L offers requirements including our latest info@md-aircon.com telephone

607 364 917 or 950 432 110 email: info@md-aircon.com

md_aircon@mobileemail.vodafone.es

alternative energy

All adverts Friday at 5pm prior to publication

Mat Murray 647 841 750 matmurrayes@gmail.com fully legal

Constructions

Martinez moreno cb (Rambla de Oria) All types of building work undertaken inc plumbing & electrics

tel: 609 421 734 (Spanish) tel: 696 052 044 (English) drainage

Solar Wind Power Solutions.

Always offers on Solar panels, Over 15 years installation ex p e r i e n c e Call Phil for competitive prices 636 261 240 email:info@ s un e r g ya l m e r i a . com www.sunergy almeria.com

c a rlo s s a l i e n te & plumbing heating for solar pool heating, solar hot water installations and repairs. call 950 930 900 or 968 969 962, email carlos.saliente@ gmail.com

baby hire

beauty

950 091 109 or 648 768 587

avon

Cleaning of Septic Tanks

Everything for the visiting baby Car seats,high chairs, stair gates, cots etc Tel: 950 436 581 or 666 375 688 expectingababy@ hotmail.co.uk

cosmetics

claire

Tel: 691 987 454 avonfromclaire@ yahoo.es

computers Steve Hayes Informatica

Pc’s, Laptops, Printers etc.

Sales & Repairs on-site callout / tuition.

Consumables Albox, Almeria

Tel: 950 120 900

construction

DEADLINES

Fully

insured & legal

established in spain for 14 years

950 432 110 / 607 364 917

BY E-MAIL

Full City & Guilds

Air-con

Between 10am & 5pm

Reliable English Builder

For all your building needs • Block work • Balustrades • Plumbing • Paving Driveways & Paths

Call Graham & Barry now for free estimate 620 112 193 or 667 853 062

Neil Godwin

25 years experience

LICENSED POZO/CESSPIT EMPTYING • Installation of fibreglass

septic tanks

• Blocked Toilets, Sinks, Baths & Drains • CCTV Surveys • Drain Tracing • Turbine Root Cutting • Blocked Cesspits

• Emptying of Septic Tanks & Cesspits, with high pressure cleaning Only • Small unblockages of 100€ pipes & drainage Pool Cleaning & Water Tanks

Contact: 675 838 808

Drainage Solutions

• Emergency Drain Cleaning • High Pressure Water Jetting • CCTV Surveys • Drainage Repairs • Location of Cesspits • Qualified Engineer • Expert Reports

Boletins supplied

Tel : 687 245 569 FOR SALE

Fun Fur coat, coffee/cream colour Swing back Large 30€ Roquetas de Mar Tel: 619 253 983 Black fake fur coat. Size medium.

Large collar 20€ Roquetas de Mar Tel: 619 253 983 E lectr i c co n v ector heater Grey Duracraft 10€ Roquetas de Mar Tel: 619 253 983 2 semi industrial Fagor tumble dryers, only used for 3 months. Paid 2,500€ each. Will accept 250€ each or nearest offer. Tel 666 717 742

Wooden dog kennel suitable for medium size dog.

81 cm. to apex of roof. Used for short time only, costing £85 in UK. 25€ Tel: 634 363 903 To collect - between Albox and Taberno.

6 Patio Chairs White High Back 30€ Tel: 666 201 910 Delo n gh i Portable Gas Fire 4.2kw, 3 heat settings 60€ Tel: 666 201 910 G e n er a tor (Briggs & Stratton) 5.5 Petro. 3.5kva, Superb Condition, in frame with wheels.150€ Tel: 634 337 185 / 950 064 778

gardening

potty finca services professional tree felling & pruning, including all types of palm trees

strimming of overgrown gardens & hedge cutting spanish registered. logs available ring john on 616 855 294 or 950 163 930

heating neater heater See our main ad on the news pages Carlos (Saliente) plumbing & heating services. If it involves water, we can help! www.carlossaliente.com Tel: 968 969 962

house clearances

cash payment waiting for all your unwanted goods, also business stock Established 7 years in spain liquidations carried out

Tel: 616 531 283 or 670 088 966 electrical

Knowles & Abbott no.1 for electrics and plumbing. Re-wires, free to air UK satellite systems 950 137 208 or 638 010 691

Call Cash & Carry Clearances Tel: 618 725 567 or 619 773 582

cashandcarry54@yahoo.co.uk

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SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

39

www.soltimes.com house clearance cont...

THE HOUSE CLEARING SPECIALIST

Immediate Cash. Quick decision. * We cover all areas * We turn up, give cash & carry * We buy almost anything – The Highest Cash Prices Paid **ONLY serious & immediate sellers should call please**

Tel: 679 207 545 or 636 411 540

hobby/craft Elaine’s Wools quality UK wool & accessories. Come & view my display Also available at Camposol, Mazarron Call 667 273 889 elaines wools@gmail. com

insurance

“we have grea offers on lifet insurance”

glenn & jayne Formerly of Knights Insurance, C / Malaga, Albox ... are now exclusive agents for Liberty Seguros

same people - same great service - differeent name

Tel: 950 121 943

infoalbox.libertyseguros@gmail.com

iron/metal works

logs load of small or big Olive logs, no roots €160 load of mixed Olive some roots €140 load of eucalyptus, no roots €150 all loads 2 tonnes Arboleas & surrounding areas Call Lee on 636 092 632 eliteplanthire@hotmail.co.uk

Phil Delivers

Logs

gravel & all building materials

Albox & Surrounding areas

tel: 634 328 779

NUMBER PLATES

“RE-PLATE” MATE GB

metal works

The Metal works Gates, rejas, Grills, railings, gates of fabriction all types, security/sliding/ welding roller, rejas, concertina reliable service doors etc.

950 069 208 or Tel: Keith Wood on 638 449 944 adwelds@yahoo.com

638 900 949

iron/metal works

locksmith

T & T Metals For all quality metal works, including gates, railings, rejas, staircases, gazebos & chainlink fencing - Tel: 950 431 738

Phil the Pick Locksmith 24 hours.

Locked Out? Locks fitted/ upgraded house safes. Arboleas & surrounding area.

Special weekend rates. Tel: 697 243 181

legal

E

Don’t take a chance!

Don’t break the Law! Let us take the hassle away from you and re-register your vehicle on to Spanish plates WE PROMISE TO BEAT ANY GENUINE QUOTATION For a

PAINTER / DECORATOR cont...

PAINTING SOLTIMES INSIDE & OUT

All quality products

Make over your home this year

Tel Graham & Barry on 620 112 193 or 667 853 062

painting & decorating

• 35 years experience • Guaranteed to beat any quote • Quality work guaranteed

Tel Alan: 950 450 174 or 600 268 176

expert quality workmanship

visit our website for more info tntpainters@live.co.uk www.tntpaintersltd.co.uk

pet taxi TRAVELLING IN AIR CONDITIONED VEHICLE DELIVERED TO DOOR PETS STAY IN PET FRIENDLY HOTELS. ACCOMPANIED TRAVEL AVAILABLE

(0034) 667 235 205 (sp) (0044) 7850 575862

LOVING OWNER REQUIRED Young female pointer.

Beautiful nature, great with dogs &people.

Quiet, loving and devoted. Lost or abandoned but we can´t keep her (2 dogs already).

Free if you will love her.

Free delivery.

Tlf: Glenn on 657 484074 or glennryan@hotmail. co.uk

OPTICIANS

PAINTER / DECORATOR

Tel: 649 186 107 or

email thunderpaul2003@hotmail.com

3 bed villa for sale phone now for details

mar menor costa blanca costa calida Almeria Roquetas De mar

Reduced €39,950, Apartment For Sale cortijo grande golf course 1 bed, 1 bath apartment fully fitted kitchen, white goods, parking, lovely views. Ideal golfing holiday apartment.

Close to Mojacar / Turre. T: 664 291 793 jescott29@hotmail.co.uk Arboleas. First floor flat overlooking the rambla. 4 beds, lift access nice views, central location, part furnished.

300€ pcm long term preferred. Available immediately 609 199 394

...Let the Soltimes team help you...

Also available

Telephone

950 121 936 902 121 936 EXT 332

VERA APARTMENT FOR RENT SHORT-TERM/HOLIDAY RENTAL

woodhouse boarding kennels & cattery

arboleas Small friendly kennels, 24hr vets service, pet transporting arranged, welcome to view ministry approved Tracy Mobile 650 211 952

No need for kennels or cattery, Pet sitting in your own home, Arboleas & surrounding areas.

Call Vanessa on 637 061 482 Not just cats & dogs, All other types of pets considered

2 BEDROOM, 2 BATHROOM, pENTHOUSE APARTMENT IN VERA PLAYA ALL MOD CONS, BALCONY & ROOF TERRACE OFFERING FANTASTIC VIEWS cALL 663 977 230 EMAIL: gedfab@yahoo.com Vera Playa Apartment

ARBOLEAS

PETS SECTION

www.replatematecostablanca.com

give your property or business a fresh look this NEW YEAR

5 LOCAL EDITIONS

www.soltimes.com commercial & for more major retail information painter’s

Need help with NIE / Residencias, Optica Albox All your optical needs, Cadastre, Property Conveyancing, New Building Declarations, Notary, eye tests, hearing tests, contact lenses Wills etc Telephone: 646 844 708 Tel: 950 121 991 www.4way connections.webs.com

If you wish us to print an article about a particular topic in our regular space on pg 16, please email info@daviessolicitors.com

Advertise in this space for just 10€ per week!

now covering mainland spain

Alan 662 249 159

over 25 years experience

Now offer our Classified advertisers

online at

full service contact:

painter & decorator

PROPERTY FOR SALE/rent

p a lom i n o ke n n el s exclusive boarding kennels/cattery tel: 950 067 051 good home needed for big mixed breed dog. very good with children. excellent guard dog. 10 years old. please ring 666 717 742 for more details

friendly

mare

9 years old 14.3hh/ 1.50m 500€ telephone 678 838 547

self contained 1 bedroom apartment with B & B facilities offered starting from 25€ per night, walking distance of Arboleas & Zurgena

Tel: 950 449 074 or 634 368 071

Long term rentals also considered 175€ + bills chalmersj8@hotmail.co.uk

for sale

plot of land of 800m2 & villa 125m2 brick built up to & inc roof Wonderful location & exceptional views yet 5 mins to town with all amenities.

Fully legal with escritora must be viewed

Bargain price 65,000€

To view or for more details 609 199 394

for SALE detatched cortijo 20mins from mojacar

This is a unique spanish cortijo with 4 beds, 2 baths, Open plan living areas, kitchen & dining room as well as a workshop, courtyard front & back & room for a pool.

Mountain views.

Build 256 m², Terrace 100m², Plot 1200 m²

Telephone 649 186 107

email for more info at thunderpaul2003@hotmail.com only €150,000 offers welcome

40

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SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

are you a trade Business? advertise in the classified section & reach over 30,000 potential customers Classified box from 9€. lineage only 45 cents per word - Deadline 5pm Friday Contact Paulette on 950 121 936 or 902 750 190 ext 332

PLASTERER

PLUMBING

satellite/television

B r i t i s h All plasterer work guaranteed Tel Paul 634 327 201

gas fast

Sky Digibox

PLUMBING C A R LO S S A L I E N T E Plumbing and Heating offer machined boiler decals for gas water heaters for just €65 – aguafuerte is not the answer! Call 950 930 900 or 968 969 962, email c ar los.saliente@ gmail.com

Gas boiler & plumbing repairs.

Tel: 618 062 080 or 637 829 787

Pace with sky card BBC 1, 2, 3, 4 ITV1, 2, 3, ch4 & 5

60€

Knowles & can deliver.Tel: 667 235 205 Abbott no.1 for plumbing & electric. A1 Sky Television Systems CH, solar hot water Satellite TV installations, alignment of and water deposits. dishes etc.

Telephone 950 Also Spanish “freeview” systems 137 197 or 606 supplied & installed 807 797

REMOVALS

DAVE’S TRANSPORT 7.5 Ton, Lorry Part loads, Self load/Unload Minimal rates, Owner Driver Spain/uk/Local Storage available, based “Los Gallardos” &”hertfordshire”

Call now 0034 620 049 524 (Es) 00 44 794 3135 214 (UK) woodnco@hotmail.com

SPAIN UK SPAIN Removals Friendly Reliable Service Fully Legal Special deals from UK - Spain Office: 968 564 298 Mobile: 696 621 884 marmenorremovals@hotmail.com

UK - SPAIN - UK From a parcel to a small house move

Professional,Friendly & Caring Fully insured, scheduled monthly door to door service

uk@fmtransport.co.uk www.fmtransport.co.uk +44 (0) 1582 499 836 +44 (0) 7977 754 389 situations vacant

motoring section car parts

Car parts

www.ecocorp.eu at ecocorp we do not just sell you a system we deliver, intall & guarantee everything for up to 10 years

Swimming Pool Heating

titanuim swimming pool heat pump For pools approx 8m by 4m 2495€ INC Installation This unit uses only 1.7kw input power!

Solar Power Systems

off grid systems for homes with no electricity 3kw systems from 6495€ 5kw systems from 7495€ 7kw systems from 8995€

Tel: 671 716 597 stables

Rancho Luz Del Sol, Retamar, Partaloa. One to one or group lessons, latest EN standard hats provided.

Escorted hacking and treks. Qualified BHS Instructor. Call Erika Drew on 678 838 547

swimming pool safety

for sensible prices on all parts Clutches, Brakes, alternators, service kits Starter Motors, headlights

Free quote go online or phone www.carpartsinspain.com

or telephone 692 930 326 car & van hire

Airport transfers Almeria 60€ one way, 110€ return Alicante 80€ one way, 150€ return

For info call on 950 472 590 or e-mail: victoriaspanishteacher @gmail.com or visit:www. victoriaspanishteacher. villadeturre.com

...Let the Soltimes team help you...

Also available online at

www.soltimes.com



UK to Spain or Spain to UK

* COLLECTION & DELIVERY *STORAGE

TEL: 667 235 205

Mikes

Mobile Mechanics

…among friends, in a fun and All types of service, repair & ITV testing Fully qualified & legal easy manner with Paco with over 35 years experience at Camping Los Gallardos, Ring Mike or Chris: MiraFlores Restaurant.

SPANISH LESSONS WITH VICTORIA

costa blanca costa calida Almeria Roquetas De mar

7950€

ONE WAY

*LOCAL *NATIONAL *EUROPEAN

4 LOCAL EDITIONS

2010 Toyota Auris Hybrid 1.8 Advance. As New, still under manufacturers warranty. Only3600 kms. FSH. Spanish Spec.

Cost over 21,000€ new.

Van hire

mobile mechanics

CALL PACO 661 142 606

Accept 14950€

Tel: 634 345 257

tuition

Private lessons and different levels also available.

ONE MUST GO

for hire

house & garden clearances, collections & deliveries, weekly collections from IKEA,

Pick up/drop off locations Throughout UK, France and Spain

New, beginners class starts tuesday 15th Jan 2013 5.30pm

sold thanks to the soltimes

Van, car & driver

NEATER HEATER See our main advert on the news pages

LEARN SPANISH…

Now offer our Classified advertisers

Need quality new parts for any car

Tel Dave: 628 607 778

solar power system

SOLTIMES

for sale

628 350 178 or 636 824 974 wanted

URGENTLY REQUIRED

ENGLISH & SPANISH CARAVANS, CARS, MOTORHOMES & VANS ANY CONDITION WE COLLECT! THROUGHOUT SPAIN

2004 Nissan XTRAIL T Spec. Auto with O/D. FSH. LHD. 1 owner Exceptional Condition.

for more information Telephone

Tel: 653 245 971

950 121 936 902 121 936 EXT 332

wanted cont...

JT METAL RECYCLING NOW FULLY OPERATIONAL IN THE REGIONS OF Almeria & MURCIA Turn your old or unwanted CAR into CASH. We will dispose of in our Authorised Depollution End of Life Treatment facility.

We also take fridges, washing machines, microwaves, all elec trical appliances

Certificates Issued

WANTED CARS, VANS, LORRIES, TRACTORS, TRAILERS, PLANT MACHINERY

Hou s e & g a rden cle a r anc es, skips supplied

Spanish or English

Also buyers of COPPER, BRASS, ALUMINIUM, LEAD, STAINLESS STEEL

TEL: 636 411 540 OR 664 619 819

TEL: 645 094 339 / 950 064 763

www.soltimes.com

SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

41

42

...remember to say you saw it in the SOL TIMES

SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

Upholstery

• We Upholster Chairs, Sofas and Wing Chairs • 30 years of experience • Large fabric selection • Free pick up & delivery • In home free estimates

Tel: 692 17 60 69 tel: 950 930 900 968 969 962 Solar Oil Gas Solid Fuel pellet

Solar Hot Water & Pool Heating Full Heating Installations Water Treatment Systems Water Deposits & Pumps

fully legal company with public liability insurance carlos.saliente@gmail.com • www.carlossaliente.com Cortijo Pipa, Avda de Limaria 1, Limaria, arboleas

Coastal Mosquitos

Mosquito Screens for Windows & Doors For a free estimate call us on 610 000 700

TNT

Enclosures / Conservatories Convert your patio area into a sunroom or a mosquito free area with glass or mesh

Plisse retracting screens ideal for all types of door openings

for business

Heathrow has said that it handled 70 million passengers in 2012, the highest number on record, as the crowded airport saw bigger and fuller planes.

Numbers rose 0.9% from 2011, with 3.2% growth in its staple North Atlantic business, and traffic to the Far East and Brazil boosted by new routes.

December was also a record month at the airport, with China traffic up 23%.

But the growth in passenger numbers during 2012 was balanced by a 1.3% drop in cargo passing through the airport.

Heathrow has been operating close to official full capacity for several years.

Besides the spare capacity freed up by cargo, the airport said that the higher passenger numbers had been due to an increase in the aircraft load factor - a measure of how full planes are - from 75.2% to 75.6%, as well as in average aircraft size from 194.8 seats to 197.4.

It meant that the average plane flying through Heathrow was carrying almost 2% more passengers in 2012 than the year before.

The distribution of traffic across different destinations last year reflected the changing fortunes of various countries’ economies: Passenger numbers to Brazil rose 21.6%, due to an increase in the number of flights East Asia rose 6.2% in the year, in part due to recovery from Japan’s 2011 tsunami, and climbed by 14.8% in December

from a year earlier as new routes opened

The recession-struck eurozone economies of Portugal, Italy, Greece and Spain saw a collective 4.5% drop in traffic in 2012 Middle Eastern passenger numbers rebounded 3.4% as the political situation in most of the region stabilised Passenger numbers to India and Africa fell, as routes shifted away from these regions in favour of higher-growth developing economies “The figures for 2012 show Heathrow is delivering higher passenger numbers despite a tough economic climate,” said Heathrow chief executive Colin Matthews.

“At the same time, passenger satisfaction levels reached record levels.”

The airport is due to complete the reconstruction of Terminal 2 in 2014, which will increase the number of passengers it can handle, but not the number of flights.

Meanwhile, Stansted airport is close to being sold by parent company Heathrow Airports Holdings Ltd - which used to be known as BAA. Three groups are expected to submit final bids this week for the single-runway airport in Essex.

The favourite is a joint venture between Manchester Airport and the Australian infrastructure investment fund Industry Fund Management.

BAA was told to sell Stansted - as well as Gatwick and either of Glasgow or Edinburgh - in 2009 following an investigation by the Competition Commission.

Cars available from Mojacar & Velez Rubio supplying Mojacar, Albox, Los Velez, Baza,

Mojacar Office

Vera, Puerto

Tel: 950 473 157 Mob: 637 545 817 Or Los Velez Area 630

Lumbreras and surrounding areas...

149 622

Need a Translator?... or help with NIE, Cadastre etc?

Working in conjunction with Lawyers & Spanish officials Translation Services

• Technical Manuals • Legal Contracts • Reports & Certificates • Notary / Court appearances (Vera only) • and many more

other Services

• NIE & Residencias • Cadastre • Conveyancing of properties • New Building Declarations • and many more!

Tlf. 646 844 708 Mojacar and surrounding areas

www.4wayconnections.webs.com

POOL SHOP

Mix & Match

any 2 Tubs Of either Multi, Shock or Chlorine tablets for just 36€ winteriseRS available still only 15€

FIND US In Longo’s Courtyard

Shop: 950 104 345 or Maintenance: 637 582 696

HIRE A HUSBAND

Professional, reliable, handy man available...

Lulu’s

Peluqueria Canina

...for all the jobs he doesn’t get round to, including Van Removals, Painting Exterior/Interior, Small Plumbing Jobs, Shelves, Garden Clearance, All Outside Work - Walls, Stone Cladding, Rendering etc... Property Maintenance Good hourly/daily rate - 7 yrs in the area.

professional dog grooming parlour

Call Jim 677 557 190 Evenings 950 930 596

Open 10.30am - 6pm Tuesday - Friday Avda LePanto, 20, 04800, Albox, next door to Eurowise

References available & Pics of work completed

Lisa is City & Guilds qualified she sets the standard Others Try to follow

Nail Clipping and Anal Glands - Only 5€ each!

No need for appointment closed mondays - you can still call 697 569 750 for appointments Tel: 950 952 940 . 697 569 750

elite plant hire construction & drainage

• general builders • walls • jcb 3cx hire • paving • patios • extensions • roofing • cladding references available call lee on 636 092 632 eliteplanthire@hotmail.co.uk

article: www.bbc.co.uk

Awnings shower screens replacement window and doors

OPEN

Heathrow: 2012 ‘busiest year on record’

www.soltimes.com

43

SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

Oil and gas ‘jobs boom’ forecast for North Sea

A new forecast for the UK’s oil and gas industry has suggested a “boom” this year in offshore jobs as North Sea oil continues to experience growth.

Oilandgaspeople. com, a recruitment firm specialising in the energy sector, has said that between 40,000 and 50,000 new jobs could be created.

It also predicted the onset of shale gas exploration would boost prospects.

However, the firm warned of continuing skill shortages with a rise in the need for qualified

and experienced staff.

The recruitment company’s annual review of the oil and gas sector analysed the impact of the record breaking 27th licensing round which saw the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) award 167 new licences on more than 300 North Sea blocks in October 2012.

Kevin Forbes, from Oilandgaspeople.com, said: “Our forecast shows that with increased investment in North Sea Oil, demand for qualified staff is set to reach an all time high, which will exacerbate

FOR GREAT winter ADVERTISING RATES CALL 950 121 936 Log-on-Tommy

Stacking service available Free Kindling with every full load

now incorporating “Sammy Sweep”

an already serious skills shortage, a problem that is being further exacerbated as UK candidates head abroad to earn even higher wages with a huge demand for qualified expats globally.

“In the last few months alone in the UK Stat Oil announced a £4.3bn investment into North Sea Oil creating over 700 jobs, a £1bn project to develop the Harris and Barra oilfields was announced, as well as another £1bn investment by joint

venture Canadianbased Talisman Energy and Chinese Company Sinopec.

“Large projects backed by BP West of Shetland are already under way and Total’s new Terminal project in Shetland is in full swing.

He added: “There are too many new projects to mention and from our own industry knowledge we expect more big announcements in 2013.”

619 070 839

Internet Via Satellite Console Repairs General Electrical Email: enquiries@mbitalmanzora.es Electronic Repairs

Telephone: 646 341 575

City & Guilds & ACS qualifications, CORGI registered with 10 years experience

Chris: 637 82 97 87 / 618 06 20 80 Gas & Oil Fired Central Heating - Gas Appliances Plumbing - Servicing - Repairs - Installations FREE QUOTATIONS & ADVICE

LOGS FOR SALE

FREE KINDLING WITH EVERY LOAD - Grade a Olive - No Roots - Best Prices Available

Tel: 687 314 775 Same Day Delivery & Stacking Service Available

OFFICIAL HITS AGENTS IN ALBOX

WE HAVE THE FULL RANGE OF HITS PHONES & SIM CARDS IN STOCK Contact us now on: Tel: 950 064 584 | Mob: 654 590 258 Email: info@solymarspain.com | Web: www.solymarspain.com We also offer all major mobile top ups from our office

James & Son Removals / Storage

UK, France & Spain personal shopping from the UK

Small Cut Olive Logs No Roots For The Smaller Fire

Satellite TV Systems 1.2m Dish Cable, Bracket, LNB installed €150 Satellite Re-alignment Inc, SD Freesat Box €220

(Argos, Screwfix, Wickes etc)

Pet Transportation & Competitive Rates 950 529 731 / 627 968 434

David

665 517 643

Steve

610 905 173 valleyconstruction2008@gmail.com

Fully Legal & Experienced Builders All Building Work Undertaken No Job Too Big or Small!!

Phone or email for a no obligation quote

Clean Team British Plasterer Brighten up your Walls!

Domestic & Commercial Cleaning Services Quality Cleaning at an Affordable Price 100% Customer Satisfaction Guaranteed Regular or One-Off Service No Job Too Big or Too Small All Areas Covered

now p r o v id in g g g a r d e n in se r v ic e s

www.cleanteamspain.com

Tel: 950 930 652 Mob: 634 332 502 E-mail: cleanteam.es@gmail.com

• 8 years in Spain with 25 years experience • Quality work guaranteed • References available

Tel: 634 327 201 / 661 129 028 Email: atpspain@gmail.com www.paulmorrison.es S.M.S.BUILDING MAINTENANCE

All Building Work Undertaken Garages, Patios, Boundary Walls,Renovations, Cladding, Enclosures, Painting & Decorating (from 50€ per room including paint) Also All Exterior Painting and Damp Proofing

( No job Too Small)

GUARANTEED TO BEAT ANY QUOTE For free estimate or advice please call

Steve on 950930536 or 634306690

Email : Steven561@btinternet.com

Stunning Prints & GIANT posters A3 x 9 100’s to choose from or email your own photos...

Tel: 634 388 243

newallprints@hotmail.com

44

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SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

TEST DRIVE: MAZDA 2

Opel reveals 10-year plan

Following continuous losses in Europe, Opel has revealed details of its exciting 10-year plan for growth The Vice Chairman of GM and interim president of GM Europe, Steve Girsky, has revealed details of a radical 10-year plan for reviving Vauxhall and Opel’s fortunes in Europe - and he calls it “the biggest comeback in European automotive history”.

Despite selling more than a million cars a year, GM Europe has lost $15billion over the last 10 years. This new plan - dubbed ‘Drive 2022’ - is designed to lay the foundations to break even by the middle of this decade,

the 2 is to make every component as light as possible.”

Who Stole My House? is a great children’s book that my little daughter and I enjoy reading together.

It tells the story of a snail who takes off their shell to have a bath and then forgets where they’ve left it. A common problem, you can imagine.

Nature knows that the weight of a snail’s shell cannot be too heavy otherwise it would have disastrous consequences.

The same is true in car production and the engineers at Mazda have given it considerable thought with the Mazda 2, which weighs a tad over 1,000kg, almost 100kg lighter than Vauxhall’s Corsa.

That sack of spuds difference leads the manufacturer to claim that its 1.3-litre petrol five-

screen.

Inside, the interior is comfortable if a little drab and black but there is reasonable leg room for both front and rear passengers. Rear passengers get privacy glass and for the driver there’s a useful left foot rest. The seats are comfy and the dashboard is well designed and easy to navigate. The stereo speakers seem to be of high quality picking up instruments that I was unaware of in my favourite

door hatchback will return 56mpg as its lighter shell makes for a more efficient vehicle. All sounds good on paper and should mean that the 42 litre tank will see the car travel 500 miles.

A lighter body does mean that it feels a bit leaf-like in high winds or when a lorry overtakes. But overall it provides an enjoyable drive and its five-speed gearbox is smooth and decisive - among the best on the market.

Distinctive and attractive styling boosts the Mazda 2 package as you can in the video at testdrives.biz. It’s a good quality and well put together vehicle. But to me the rear wiper looks out of place and the rear washer could be better positioned as water seems to miss the wiper when cleaning the

Auto Shine

Advanced motorist Tim Saunders is the former Business and Motoring Editor of the Bournemouth Daily Echo.

His regular test reports appear in numerous newspapers, magazines and websites throughout the UK, Ireland & Gibraltar - and now here in Spain! For more information contact Tim on: timasaunders@tiscali.co.uk

Body Repairs approved repairers

○Panel Beating ○Paint Spraying ○Bumper Repair ○Windscreens ○Plastic & Fibreglass Repairs CARS ~ MOTORBIKES ~ MOTORHOMES

Call Mark on: 607 324 623 or 607 324 624 ►►

old AA Auctions

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timber yard

WE ARE HERE

CASA CONCHILLA

►

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ALBOX BAZA ROAD

►

tunes. I like the design of the glove box, too. The electrically folding wing mirrors prove particularly useful during a long traffic jam where I can only fit into my chosen lane by folding the mirrors to get past a van. It works a treat.

Parkers, the car experts, say: “The Mazda 2 introduced the world to the Japanese firm’s belief that light weight was every bit as important in the fight against emissions and fuel consumption. The philosophy of Mazda with

Despite my best efforts I have only experienced 49mpg when travelling at a constant 50mph. Travel at 70mph and this drops nearer to 40mpg. Although Mazda has shied away from incorporating engine start stop technology perhaps this would help improve efficiency as might fitting a six-speed gearbox and cruise control.

specification Mazda 2 1.3-litre Tamura (2012) fivedoor hatchback New price range: £10,495 - £14,795 Economy: 46mpg 0-60mph: 13.2secs Top speed: 106mph Power: 82bhp Fuel tank: 42 litres Watch the video at: www.testdrives.biz

and turn to increasing profits thereafter.

“I’m not expecting a huge recovery any time soon in Western Europe,” Girsky told us. “We can’t rely on volume to bail us out.”

The basic plan is simple - to increase profits while driving costs down - but Girsky breaks that down into three distinct phases. The first is to optimise manufacturing costs, sharpen the brand image (especially in Germany where it’s seen as boring and sales have slumped) and reduce the cost of materials.

The second phase is to match supply more closely to demand, produce cars that are currently made outside Europe locally) and launch additional variants with the help of partners such as PSA. “If we’ve got something that’s working, we should put our foot down and keep going with it,” said Girsky.

Vauxhall launched six new cars in the UK last year including the new Adam, Mokka and Astra VXR - and was the fastest growing retail brand. Judging by a slide flashed up during Girsky’s presentation, there’s no sign of slowing down. In total, 23 new Opel/Vauxhall models and 13 new engines will be launched between 2012 and 2016, with many more to come in the six years after that.

Key to this rapid model expansion is GM’s joint venture with PSA, which includes the co-development of engines and several new platforms for small medium and large cars.

These will allow GM to reduce costs dramatically and launch more variants of each model than ever before.

“Where products are European-specific, we should use PSA,” Girsky explained.

“We know how to use scale, and they’re smaller and can do things quicker, it’s a good combination.”

tombuysanycar.com Do you need cash now?

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We buy your car today You get to drive away!

We’ll buy it off you and lease it back until you are ready to pay the loan off & you get to continue driving it!

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Money in 24hrs!!!

Find us inside, Mercamundo’s Arboleas or call 673 504 996 or 950 930 245

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SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

Keith’ on a chilly but bright morning for a day out fishing. The chilly wind was off of the land which made drifting pretty simple on the flat sea conditions. They headed down to the Indalo river outlet where they fished in 50ft to 120ft of crystal clear water drifting steadily in the direction of Mojacar and where they caught seven different varieties of fish, red snappers, bogues, weavers, lizard fish, WITH BEACHCOMBER JOHN Spanish mackerel Boat Fishing: Myself, ‘Chef and combers. They Jeremy’, ‘Blisters Steve’ and trolled back to the Garrucha girlfriend Trish went out with harbour wall using Steve’s ‘Orca Steve’ in almost perfect now infamous Devon minnow conditions and by about 10am chasing blue feathers towed by we were in tee-shirts. Trolling a trolling board and it didn’t let for the first hour produced him down by catching a nice nothing so we tried fishing in Atlantic mackerel for Mike who 400 foot on the side of a 700ft was in charge of the rod. They hole. Anchored we caught drifted around the harbour pandoras, small red snappers, entrance for a while where pickerels and blue mouths. they caught more combers.

After a couple of hours we up One unforgettable experience anchored and tried drifting during the morning was depths from 50ft to 120ft in watching an enormous shoal front of the Repsol garage and of fish breaking the surface river. Only bit of excitement for 100’s of metres around the was when I hooked a big boat and some passed directly sunfish, estimated to weigh underneath where they could 50lbs, on the surface. For the see the fish which were about next minute or so my reel clutch 6” to 8” long, probably millions screamed and I was looking for of them! They tried dropping smoke! The fish headed under baited lines into the shoal the boat and down to the sea but they weren’t taking, just bed and there it stayed and passing through. Steve’s not refuse my gentle persuasions sure what species of fish they so as we were drifting in the were but suspect sardines or light wind I was having to give small mackerel.

See photo of Mike with his line all the time. Decision time so I put on some pressure, lizard fish.

This year in particular I’ve one hook parted from the line (Chinese knot tiers!) and never seen so many small another that had obviously foul red snappers caught that hooked the fish straightened. sometimes have outnumbered (Chinese hooks!) To be fair I was pandoras, so good news for expecting a lot from a cheap 6 the future snapper stocks.

Shore Fishing: Kayak fishing is hook mackerel trace.

Steve took, ‘Emerald Isle becoming more popular locally Mike’, ‘Blue Sea Matt’ & ‘Saliente and it’s a good way to troll for

ANGLING NEWS

tuna and mackerel or drop off baits further out than it is possible to cast. Also to target the likes of dentex bream that live close to the rocky sure, jigging is the preferred method.

Coarse Fishing: ‘Puentes Ray’ fished his favourite lake (Puentes near Lorca) and it was his first visit of the new year and he got there at 7.45am when it was just breaking light and lots of carp were topping.

Ray set up a swim feeder rod using corn on a hair rig with his own special ground bait mix he started to fish. His first carp was landed before 8am; a nice fish of 4-5lb and it pulled the rod off the rest and was a real bender.

As the morning progressed the bites were harder to find and so Ray went from a 2oz quiver tip to a 3/4oz tip that made all the difference. The bites were really delicate just like fishing for bream and he even had a couple of drop bites. By the end of what was a glorious day he ended up with 12 carp all between 2 and 5 lb.

Two Murcia coarse competition matches weighed in top weights of 16.3/4lbs and 10lbs.

The Albox fishing club meets every two weeks or so at Bar Wassy. For details of the next meeting tel Sid 634 313 650.

New license information: There is now a loophole for those wanting coarse fishing licenses for Andalucia who don’t have NIE documents, see me for more details. The similar loophole we had for beach and boat fishing seems to have closed at the moment, am now looking for another.

For up to date information on any of the above see me at the Beachcomber Bar Restaurant on Mojacar Playa or tel 950 473 099.

Tight lines, Beachcomber John.

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sport Pit Stop

Forum Golf Society

Forum Golf Society´s first event of 2013, an individual stableford at Valle del Este on 11th January was a very good day for the Miles family, with Phil Miles picking up two prizes but having to give centre stage to his wife Ann who strolled to victory with a very impressive 44 points.

Pat Garrigan cemented his place at the top of Division Two of the Ford League standings by scoring 38 points to finish second, one better than the afore-mentioned Phil Miles, third with 37 points.

Alan Crofts was fourth with 34 points, edging Reno Palagano into fifth on countback, with John Mills taking sixth ahead of several others who all scored 32 points using the same method.

Five Nearest the Pin in Two prizes were on offer for a bit of a change, with these going to Derek Manning, Pat Garrigan, Adrian Foster, Phil Miles & Mike Duckham.

Forum´s upcoming fixtures are January 24th Double Par Medal at Aguilon February 8th Team Lone Ranger at Lorca February 22nd Stableford at Alboran For further information, contact Phil Elam on 666 847 840 / philjelam@yahoo.co.uk, or see www.forumgolfsociety.webs. com

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Tel: 950 124 828 pitstop-oria@live.co.uk

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FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL 950 124 828

46

...remember to say you saw it in the SOL TIMES

SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

sport

Compiled by AFM

sport shorts

• Nine FA Cup 3rd round replays took place last night, with two more tonight.

• This coming weekend in the PL, it’s Arsenal v Chelsea and West Ham v QPR in London derbies, while WBA play Aston Villa in the West Midlands showdown.

• Elsewhere Spurs meet leaders Manchester United and Manchester City, seven points behind their near-neighbours, play Fulham.

• In rugby, Leicester, Leinster, Munster, Northampton, Saracens and Ulster will complete their Heineken Cup group fixtures… all hoping to qualify for the quarter-finals.

• The African Cup of Nations gets underway in South Africa.

• The Australian Open started on Monday with Olympic champion and number three seed Andy Murray meeting Dutchman Thomas Haas in the first round. Maria Sharapova and Venus Williams began with victories.

• The Masters Snooker championship is underway at London’s Alexander Palace.

• And tonight, disgraced cyclist and drug-cheat Lance Armstrong will ‘reveal all’ on the USA’s Oprah Winfrey show tonight.

Round-up * Southampton won last weekend’s Premiership ‘relegation’ sixpointer 1-0 to send Aston Villa into the bottom three; Reading came back from 2-0 down to beat WBA and QPR drew with Spurs. * At the top-end, it ended 10-a-side as Arsenal lost 2-0 at home to Manchester City while rivals Manchester United beat Liverpool 2-1 at Old Trafford. * Jonathan Waters, making his 100th appearance for Stoke, ‘scored’ two own-goals and missed a penalty in Chelsea’s win 4-0 in the Potteries. * Leicester won 4-0 at Bristol City to go third in the Championship behind Cardiff and Hull City. * League Two leaders Gillingham lost 2-1 at home to secondplaced Port Vale. * Michael Appleton is Blackburn’s fourth manager this season, following Steve Kean, Henning Berg and Gary Bowyer (caretaker). * England’s rugby coach Stuart Lancaster has named two uncapped players - Kevin Clark and Billy Twelvetrees - in his squad for the first Six Nations match of 2013 against Scotland at Twickenham. * Malaga, suspended from European football for a year, must pay off huge debts before 31 March or face another 12-month ban. Malaga beat Real Madrid in December but lost to La Liga’s bottom club Deportivo ten days ago. * After 13 successive away defeats, England beat India by nine runs (325-4/316-9) in the first of five ODIs. The second took place yesterday. * Scott Waites beat Tony O’Shea 7-1 to win the World Darts title for the first time. * Spanish newspaper Marca thinks Luca Modric (Spurs to Real Madrid) and Alex Song (Arsenal to Barcelona) were the two ‘worst’ signings made by La Liga clubs in 2012. * Frank Lampard is now Chelsea’s second highest scorer ever with 194 goals. Bobby Tambling leads with 202.

19th Hole Golf Society Cucador.

Before I start this week’s report I must apologize to Al Hewitt who was omitted from last week’s results due to a technical error (I read the results wrong) I really am sorry to the Division one players who were credited with incorrect positions in the results Tuesday 8th January and twenty one members visited the Aguilon course at Pulpi.

The weather was perfect as was the course for this singles stableford and team Waltz.

Nigel Greenwood, playing very steadily off his recently acquired handicap of 21, had a really good day winning the singles competition with 37 points (also getting the only Two of the day on the very tricky 12th hole), three points ahead of second place( on countback) Mark Danson playing off 2. The handicap secretary is really pushing the computer system to cut Nigel to a handicap that reflects Nigel’s ability!!

Really good to see Nick Pogson back on form securing second place also with 34 points. Big

Al (The Artist) Greenfield along with Harry Eels also had very acceptable rounds finishing 4th & 5th respectively. Top lady player of the day was Ann Clough with 22 points.

Winners of the Team Waltz were Brian (Dee) Lowden, Mark Danson, Terry Caddick and Alan Chippendale with a total score of 77 points Results.

1st Nigel Greenwood 37 points (21) 2nd Mark Danson 34 points (02) 3rd Nick Pogson 34 points (18) Twos Nigel Greenwood hole 12 Nearest the Pin. 4th Hole Mark Danson 10th Hole Ron Curtis The 19th hole G/S is now arranging weekly games at various courses in the area, our home course, which we play fortnightly, is Aguilon.

If you are interested in joining the 19th hole give the secretary a ring on 610340653. Or email gs19thhole@hotmail.co.uk

AGUILON GOLF

The start of another golfing year which will see lots of changes to the course with less Bunkers and more user friendly Tee positions whilst still providing us with a good test of our golfing prowess and judging by the amount of new members signed up the cost of golf is coming down in real terms.

RESULTS Friday January 4-Monthly Medal Our first medal of the year took place on a sunny but windy day and again a medal seems do do something to a golfers brain with the scoring not very good 1st Chris Baker 81-9=72 2nd Dave Sharp 80-7=73 3rd Bill Gibb 86-11=75 Twos: Ian Jenner 8th and Brian Everitt 10th Wednesday January 9-Individual Stableford With members returning from

cabrera bowls COSTA ALMERIA LAWN BOWLS 11 ASIDE LEAGUE FINAL ALMERIA RED V CABRERA GREEN 13.1.2013 HOSTED BY INDALO BOWLING CLUB The latter months of last year saw over 100 players (including reserves) from three Bowling Clubs take part in this league run

by CALB (Costa Almeria Lawn Bowls), this league ended in the Finals Day played on Sunday 13th January 2013 between Cabrera B C Green and Almeria B C Red. The blustery conditions made the final very exacting for the bowlers of both sides. The finals consist of 1rink of 4’s, 1 rink of trips, 1 rink of ladies pairs and 1 rink of men’s pairs. The spectators from both clubs were given some very exciting bowling.

Cabrera won the 4’s rink :- 26 16, and the Ladies pairs:- 22 - 16, with Almeria taking the Triples:-18 - 10, and the Men’s Pairs:- 15 - 10.

Cabrera won by 3shots.

Cabrera would like to thank Indalo Bowling Club for providing the venue for the final. The League Cup was presented to Cabrera Green Team Captain -Denis Stoyles, by the CALB Representative David Ebdon.

Cortijo grande Golf at Cortijo Grande is getting better as the course is back to its best with wonderfull greens and such a great layout for a golf course. We are having our annual meeting on the 25th Jan 2013.

The results for Wednesday 9th Jan 013 were. Winner with 37 points Grace Ward second with 33 husband Greg and 3rd with another 33 Frank McGovern Ball sweep winners Greg Ward John Park Martin Oliver.

Sunday 13th unlucky for some but not for the following. Our

winner with 40 points Doug Dearden second with 37 John Wardley and second with 34 wife Barbara Wardley and no they did not play together. Ball sweep winners John Park Doug Dearden Peter Jackson Watch this space for our next away day and if you wish to join us for this or any Wednesday or Sunday telephone 950 475509 and speak to Patricia.

Enjoy your golf with Cortijo Grande visitors and guests welcome MP

VALLE DEL ESTE GOLF SOCIETY

their festive break we had a good turnout on a sunny but early on (yet again) windy day 1st John Bridgen 38pts 2nd Derrick Stephenson 35pts 3rd Bill Gibb 34pts Twos: Brian Everitt and Glyn Ombler both on 4th Guests and visitors are welcome to join us on a Mon,Wed and Friday For information contact: 634 641 199

The end of 2012 saw Bob Mearing clean up on The Costa Coches Order of Merit and the Knock Out Competition ~ well played Bob! Tuesday 8 January ~ we played a Waltz, with Chris (five for three!)

Banks on form ~ the team of Chris Banks, Dave Falkus, Robin Hawkins and John Haydon were clear winners with 88 points. Chris has now had her handicap cut by three shots since her return in December, but there’s still room for you to get down to 24/5 Chris ~ well played.

On Friday 11, a more serious

first Medal of the year. In third place, with 76 net (92 gross) one of our new members, Lloyd Dean.

In 2nd place Dicky Hull with 74 net (89 gross) and in first place, playing off 5, with 72 net Patrick Vickery. Nearest the pin on the 12th Bryan Brown and in two on the 8th John Haydon.

All Society members and friends send their best wishes for a speedy return to Johnny Burger Clements, who is recovering from a knee replacement operation a couple of days before Christmas.

www.soltimes.com

SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

Need some Exercise or a New Sport?

Can you no longer do the 100 metres in under 10 seconds? Want to make new friends and have an enjoyable pastime?

Then why not try Lawn Bowls!

This is a sport for both Men and Women...

Come along and try it for yourself...

BEGINNERS ARE WELCOME - you can have

Three Free Lessons with one of our qualified coaches...

Contact: Club Captain Brian Saunders 634 322 210 or Clubhouse 950 930 471

Cabrera

Lawn Bowling Club We are the only grass bowling green in the Costa Almeria area of Spain. The Club boasts two bowling greens, and is the oldest Bowls Club in the Almeria area. Located in Turre just off the Cabrera road, with a wonderful back drop of the Sierra Cabrera, you will find the bowling greens and a very attractive club house, where after a game of bowls you can relax and have a drink in a friendly atmosphere.

competitively but socially as well. Some of our bowlers like to come to club mornings to meet friends get gentle exercise and play a sport that they enjoy. Whereas other members like to be a bit more competitive and use the club mornings as practice sessions and enter Local and National competitions, whether as part of a team or individually.

We also have matches with visiting teams from UK and We pride ourselves as in the near future hope to be one of the best clubs in the playing a team from a grass area as we not only bowl green bowls club in France,

as well as visiting teams from other areas of Spain, Cabrera has a multi-national membership.

Whether you would like to just try bowls, (bowls and shoes are available at the club), or have bowled before, you will be warmly welcomed.

Just contact the Club Captain 634 322 210 or via our website, where you will see the social events and bowling competitions photographs:www.cabreralbc.com and learn a little more about the Club.

47

48 SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

...remember to say you saw it in the SOL TIMES

Restaurant Bar

Warm and Friendly Atmosphere

The original Sunday roast Tapas and still the best roast in town from 3.50€

Homemade yorkies, roast potatoes, fresh vegetables. All meats carved to order.

Sunday roast now served with

lunchtime & early evening menu €3.95 (from 12.30pm - 3pm & 7pm - 8.30pm)

Starting Friday 25th January

“ FISH NIGHT ”

including salmon, Cod, Bream & market availability.

Prices from €4.50 Bookings Only

(Still serving our normal fish and chips lunchtime & evening at €3.95)

Bookings now being taken

for our candlelit Valentine’s Night

C/Sierra Nevada, 23, Roquetas de Mar tel: 950 333 771 or 634 526 508 reservations RecommendeD

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Bar Spinnaker

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Rental Properties required for long or short lets in Roquetas de Mar Call or e-mail us for further information.

Mobile: (0034) 663 426 921

info@enviapropertyservices.com

welcomed by Bernard & Ralf

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La bodeguina open from 11am Thursday to Tuesday

(closed Wednesday)

Full English Breakfast

served 11am - 1pm €2.95 10 different tapas available every day served from 12noon to 6pm Calle Sierra Nevada, Roquetas De Mar

Near to Zoraida Garden Hotel 950 325 867

Tubo and Tapa €2 Sunday Lunch

www.barspinnaker.co.uk

1pm - 6pm from €4.50

Wednesday Special

Tuesday

Bingo 3pm Fillet Steak, chips or jacket pot & salad 7.50€ (with starter or dessert 10€) Quiz 9pm

Friday

Saturday Curry

Fish, chips & peas with bread & butter 5€

Onion Bhajee, Chicken Curry, Naan bread €7.50

Open Monday: 10:30 - 5.00 , Tuesday: 10.30 - Late , Wednesday: 10.30 - Late , Thursday: Closed , Friday: 10.30 - 5.00 , Saturday: 10.30 - Late , Sunday: 10.30 - 7.00

ALL SPORTS AND SOAPS SHOWN

CHAPLINS pub

27 CALLE SIERRA NEVADA, 200M FROM HOTEL PLAYA ZUL ROQUETAS

live football / outside tv / air con / free WI-FI

day time menu 1€

wednesday afternoons 2.30pm

“BIG QUIZ”

Jackpot Minimum 50€ Friday - Chip Shop Day from 1pm with General Knowledge Quiz at 9.30ish

Tel: 950 335 022

HOMEMADE FOOD DAILY

WEDNESDAY RIBS 5.95€ FRIDAY FISH’N’CHIPS 3.95€ BEST IN TOWN SUNDAY sunday roasts 5.95€ regular, 2.95€ medium, served 5pm- 8pm

Booking Advisable Wed, Fri & sun

Mob: 618 824 368

Open:1pm until close tuesday till sunday “open as advertised”

902 750 190

6 vegetables

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Lady Lay