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SolTimes issue 373

6 - 12 FEBruary

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albox mayor resigns

The Alcalde of Albox, José García Navarro, announced his resignation with immediate effect as from 1st February. For some time there have been rifts within the PSOE, with the party being divided into ‘los dinosaurios y la renovación’, with both factions being anxious to discredit the other.

The resignation apparently came as a complete surprise.

José García communicated his resignation personally to the Council Leader, Sonia Cerdán, with the rest of the Government team only hearing the news via WhatsApp. He seems to have been marginalised by his colleagues, none of whom have contacted him in relation to his resignation, even though he has received many calls of

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support from his neighbours.

It seems that he has been unhappy with the progress being made in Council matters, saying that he is ‘tired of supporting those who have no ambition, and have no intention of moving forward’ adding that he was tired of the ‘conspiracies of his peers.’

The PSOE administration has fallen far short of the initial promises to legalise the huge number of illegal homes falling under the Albox jurisdiction. The financial state of the Ayuntamiento is also a grave cause for concern, with wages and Social Security bills being paid months late, or in some cases not at all, while the debt owed to the banks continues to escalate, and rumours circulating regarding the credit card expenses of the ex-Mayor.

In his letter of resignation, made available on the Web, he attributed his action to ‘strictly personal reasons’ and a ‘lack of enthusiasm’ as the cause for him to leave the PSOE albojense.

He plans to return to his job as a teacher at the Colegio Público Velázquez de Albox.

Co-incidentally the Concejala de Bienestar Social, Gertrudis Guillén, has also resigned.

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...local news update

‘4x4 spain’ charity draw winners enjoy the ride!

4x4 Spain were pleased to support the Breast Cancer Awareness fundraising event in October last year by donating a half day 4x4 trip to winners of the prize draw.

The total sum raised for the charity by organisers Clare Gittens and her colleague Jan Mackey was in excess of 2000 Euros. This was a great outcome as the event was forced to change dates at short notice due to last year’s floods, resulting in a lower attendance than in previous years.

Winners, Andy & Gloria Cunningham, joined 4x4 Spain last week for their trip, selecting the mountain top sanctuary above the

Tabernas valley high in the Los Filabres mountain range.

They started their trip from Arboleas, up and over the foothills into the Arroyo Aceituno rambla. Climbing at a steady, meandering pace along the donkey routes and ancient rights of way, the fantastic ever-changing views of the surrounding landscape and hidden Spain became evident. With short stops to enjoy coffee & cake, stretch legs, swap seats and photo opportunities, they reached their destination at the summit. From the Sanctuary de Monteagud there are breathtaking 360 degree views. Local hamlets in the area still use the Sanctuary for fiestas and religious celebrations using

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CONT’D FROM PAGE 1

The format of the new PSOE of Albox will be decided at an extraordinary plenary session.

In the running are Consejala Ana Belén Trinidad, who might replace Gertrudis Guillén.

García Navarro’s resignation leaves Francisco Alfonso as next on the list, though the Government team will decide who will hold the office of Mayor. For now Rogelio Mena will be the Acting Mayor until voting has taken place.

the pilgrim paths from the valley below.

With a gentle return trip along a different route back to Arboleas, Andy and Gloria expressed their experience as “Fantastic, great to see things from a different angle, namely all off road, we really enjoyed it”.

If you would like to see more of what 4x4 Spain have to offer visit their website at www.4x4spain.com and browse their photographs, routes and videos.

Others in the frame are Francisco Carrillo or Conchillo Paco Pérez, who was Mayor of Albox and more than twenty years, or Rogelio Mena, who is currently Deputy Mayor.

The Mayor’s letter to the public: Dear friends and neighbours, I want to tell you that today I submitted my resignation as Mayor.

The reasons for that are simple and strictly personal. In politics, as in life itself, when hopes of pushing forward projects for prosperity and development for the town fail, it is better to be honest and take a step back, permitting my companions take the responsibility and the immense honour that

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I have had, and continue working with the necessary hope and motivation that I have felt.

To be your Mayor has been one of the best and most important things that has happened to me in my life. I have been proud, and it has been a personal privilege, to have your backing and support. I can not express in these simple lines or words the immense pleasure that all of you have given me through the valuable and marvellous experience of being the Mayor of my town.

I will return to my school and begin a new stage in my life, which I hope will be as gratifying and enriching as it has been to be your Mayor for nearly six years. Six years where I have worked and searched for the best for my

town. The results are there for you to see, appreciate and enjoy. I am deeply proud of the achievements reached in the procurement of equipment and infrastructure and the improvement works which have been made in these years and which continue to be made in Albox.

My dear friends and neighbours, I only want to say to you that I will always be at your disposal to try and lend a hand to help you in everything that is in my power. I reiterate my most sincere thanks from the heart for the support and affection that you have always shown me.

With thanks and affection, your neighbour and friend Pepe García

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Ryanair ‘will increase flight prices’

as ECJ forces it to compensate for cancellations

Low-cost airline Ryanair says it is going to increase its ticket prices to make up for the European ruling that it will have to compensate passengers for delays and cancellations following the Icelandic volcano eruption.

According to the report, by ThinkSpain, a Bank staff protest against thousands of redundancies irports throughout Europe, including Spain, were like ghost towns in early spring 2010 after an ash cloud from the Eyjäfjällajøkull led authorities to shut the airspace across the north of the continent.

Thousands of passengers were left stranded and unable to return home, having to fork out extra for accommodation, transport and food that they had not banked on, whilst others had their holidays cancelled as they could not fly.

Most other airlines refunded tickets and, where customers were stuck abroad, provided hotels and food until they were able to be repatriated.

But Ryanair has always refused to do so on the grounds that the flight cancellations were caused by an incident outside the company’s control.

Today, however, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruled that airlines were responsible for assistance costs for passengers affected by flights being grounded due to extraordinary circumstances, such as the volcano eruption.

“Ryanair is very sorry to hear about the ECJ’s decision to allow passengers to claim for compensation for flight delays which are clearly outside the control of the

airlines,” said the Irish-based firm in a press conference.

Its management claims that flight firms across Europe will have to increase their end prices to the consumer.

“Now that we have to pay out these costs, we shall have to recoup them from our customers, since a defective European regulation means we cannot recover them from governments or syndicates, who were responsible for 95 per cent of the flight delays,” says Ryanair’s chief executive officer, Michael O’Leary.

“When the governments across Europe unnecessarily closed huge chunks of air-space due to the non-existent ‘ash cloud’ hanging over Ireland, the UK and the continent in 2010, travel insurance companies wriggled out of their liability to customers by claiming the cause was an ‘Act of God’.

“This makes the airlines a ‘last-resort insurance company’, even where, in the majority of cases, delays and cancellations are caused by air-traffic controllers or national strikes.”

The latter statement is a clear reference to Spain, which has seen a number of countrywide strikes in the past two years, as well as a widespread air-traffic controller strike in December 2010 which led the then president to declare a ‘state of emergency’ to prevent them.

However, the air-traffic controllers went ahead with their strike, putting them on the wrong side of the law.

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Bank staff protest against thousands of redundancies

Staffworking for Bankia and Banco de Valencia staged a strike and protest march last week over the mass redundancies about to take place.

The demonstration, which was held across the country, was a prelude to a nationwide bank workers’ strike on Wednesday, February 6 – the first-ever in the sector since the 1990s.

In response to EU demands, banks which have been bailed out have been ordered to carry out radical restructures, including eliminating thousands of staff members in a country which already has one of the worst unemployment rates in Europe, with 26.6 per cent of the population, or six million people, out of a job.

Bankia alone is shedding 4,900 employees, and workers across the industry estimate that a further 20,000 in total could go in Spanish banks this year.

They are protesting because they say it was politicians and greedy bank bosses whose poor financial management caused the crisis in the sector, and yet it is the ‘shop floor’ people – the workers – who have to pay the price.

Their aim is to get the banks to cut the number of redundancies as much as possible, and offer the best possible conditions to those who, in the end, do have to be let go of.

Around 20 provincial capital cities in Spain are expected to join the strike.

Jail for food thief - in spite of homeowner’s pardon

A MAN who stole food from a fridge has been jailed for three and a half years – despite the owner of the house saying she does not wish to press charges.

The accused got in by taking a window out of its frame, which is considered forcible and violent entry, and which was the main aspect that landed him in jail.

He stole sausages and lobsters, among other things, from the refrigerator of a home in Vigo, in the north-western region of Galicia.

The owner of the house would have been entitled to compensation from the burglar, but

she declined to accept any money.

“I don’t want anything. He stole food, he must have been hungry – I hope he enjoyed eating it,” she said in court.

But it was the fact that this was the second time he had burgled a house that he was sentenced to prison.

On the previous occasion, he was given a suspended three-and-a-half-year sentence, which he would not have to serve unless he committed further crimes. And his crime of stealing food from the woman’s fridge means his sentence will now have to be served.

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SOLTIMES FEBRUARY 2013

Protesters call for PP members paid cash-inhand to resign

Over 500 people protested in front of the PP headquarters in Madrid last week, and at least 200,000 people have signed a petition on www.change.org calling for president Mariano Rajoy and his cabinet to resign over claims that he and other party members received wage top-ups ‘off the books’ for 11 years.

Police had to cordon off the C/ Génova in the capital and remove 150 people from the entrance to the PP’s offices during the massive demonstration which started at 20.00hrs last night.

The State prosecutor has declared publicly that there are ‘strong grounds’ for ‘investigating’ the PP’s financial affairs after handwritten records by former treasurer and senator Luis Bárcenas were found detailing cash-in-hand payments out of public funds to Rajoy and other top-flight party members.

These include regional president of Castilla-La Mancha, María Dolores del Cospedal, and several of her predecessors.

Rajoy, according to these records uncovered by Spanish national newspaper El País, was getting 25,200 euros a year ‘on the black’ in addition to his salary between 1997 and 2008.

And the public are calling for all those PP members who received extra money tax-free to stand down.

Bárcenas held accounts with two Swiss banks, the managers of which began to hold ‘off the record’ conversations with each other after financial transactions carried out caused concern and suspicion, and had him rated as a ‘high risk client’.

The ex-senator and treasurer is believed to have ‘laundered’ 10.9 million euros through Rajoy’s tax amnesty, whereby those who had illegally kept money off the books were invited to declare this without fear of reprisal.

But the tax office, the ministry of Hacienda, denies Bárcenas ever took advantage of the taxation amnesty.

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Duke of Palma faces 20 years in jail and 8.2-million bail release

Son-in-law of the King, Iñaki Urdangarín (pictured) is facing an 8.2-million-euro bail release for his alleged involvement in a corruption case involving misappropriation of public funds and money-laundering.

Husband of the Infanta Cristina, one of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía’s two daughters – known as ‘Infantas’ rather than ‘Princesses’ because they are not direct heirs to the throne – and Duke of Palma Urdangarín is said to have set up the Nóos Institute as a ‘non-profitmaking’ organisation in order to benefit from the maximum possible amount of central and regional government grants.

He and his business partner, Diego Torres, who faces a similar bail bond, are believed to have ‘plotted’ to use Urdangarín’s position as member of the Royal family by marriage to heighten the

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Institute’s public profile, and are said to have hidden behind apparent charitable donations and actions on the part of Urdangarín to mask the fact that they were appropriating government money by registering the Nóos Institute as a charity rather than a business.

Urdangarín could face up to 20 years in jail for an accumulation of offences including fraud, forgery and money-laundering.

The total amount of bail to be paid within five days

by Torres and Urdangarín is 8,189,448 euros, to cover their possible financial liabilities plus an extra third,

in accordance with Spanish law.

Their lawyers consider this amount – one of the highest bail releases in Spain’s legal history – to be excessive, but have lost their fight for it to be reduced.

Both the accused men will be obliged to pay back all the public funding they obtained illegally, plus interest amounting to one third, taking the total up to the 8,189,448 euros they will each have to pay out to avoid going to jail while the trial is in motion.

The Nóos Institute was formed ostensibly to promote tourism, sporting and leisure

pursuits, including funding a cycling team, and led to cash being handed out from the regional governments of Valencia and the Balearic Islands.

As a result of the case, Urdangarín has been wiped from the Royal family’s website and will no longer be associated with them in public, nor represent them in society functions.

And the city council of Palma de Mallorca has changed the name of the road once known as C/ Duques de Palma (‘Duke and Duchess of Palma Street’) after the Infanta Cristina and her husband.

Pensioners to pay more for prescriptions

Prescription contributions by the general public could go up again on Friday in line with inflation, meaning everyone – even pensioners – may face an increase of 1.7 per cent in charges.

Health minister Ana Mato (pictured) says retirees with an income of less than 18,000 euros a year will only face an average of 14 cents extra on top of the current limit of eight euros they have to pay.

Those whose income exceeds 18,000

euros a year but does not reach 100,000 euros will see their existing 18-euro limit go up to 18.32 euros.

Anyone whose annual income is over 100,000 euros will have to pay 61.08 euros instead of the existing 60 euros.

Those who will be mostly affected by the rise in prescription contributions will be those with chronic – ongoing – conditions, and the elderly, since it is these people who consume the most medication

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SOLTIMES FEBRUARY 2013

EU Parliamentary President: “It Is Not Fair That The Ordinary Citizen Should Have To Pay For Banks’ And Governments’ Mistakes”

European President Martin Schulz says Spain’s unemployment rate is ‘shameful’ and should be the Union’s top priority above any other issues.

Speaking at the 40th anniversary summit of the European Confederation of Trade Unions (CES), the Parliament leader said the jobless figures in Spain and certain other EU nations are ‘totally unacceptable’, especially where the affect the young.

Over half of Spain’s under35s are out of work and most have been for more than a year.

Unemployment rates stand at 26.6 per cent, with six

million currently out of a job.

“Cutting jobless rates must be the primary aim of the EU, since policies of funding cuts and tax hikes are merely a way of taking money off the taxpayer and giving it to the banks,” Schulz stated.

He also had a pop at ‘those who want to leave the European Union’, a clear reference to UK prime minister David Cameron, and added that the problem with the EU was not its basic principles but its ‘one-sizefits-all’ policies.

Schulz says Spain should exert ‘more pressure’ on German Chancellor Angela Merkel to put in place growth

inequality is rife within member States, not just between countries, Schulz added.

“At the end of the day, the common market of the EU depends upon whether its citizens can participate in it – all of them, not just those of certain member States,” Schulz continued.

“And it is totally wrong that the ordinary person on the street has to bear the burden of a nation’s failure to keep its deficit within manageable levels, or that the general public should have to foot the bill for the huge costs generated by major banking firms.”

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policies, but he does not believe president Mariano Rajoy has the strength of character to do so.

In fact, Rajoy attempted to do just that this weekend, leading to his and Merkel’s first public disagreement.

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The European Commission has proposed that member states restrict the use of certain classes of pesticide that are believed to be harmful to bees.

Sprays that use neonicotinoid chemicals should only be used on crops that are not attractive to the insects they said.

The sale of seeds treated with these chemicals should also be prohibited.

Bayer, one of the companies who make the pesticides, says they are convinced they can be used without harm to bees.

Earlier this month, the European Food Safety Authority (Efsa) issued guidance on the use of neonicotinoids, in which they recognised “high acute risks” to bees who encountered residue from these sprays in pollen and nectar in crops like oilseed rape and sunflowers.

They also said there were risks to bees from dust in crops like maize that had been sprayed with these pesticides.

However they stopped short of recommending a complete ban.

Now the European Commissioner for health and consumer policy Tonio Borg has adopted the same line saying it was time for “swift and decisive action.”

He has tabled a discussion paper that asks EU member states to restrict the use of neonicotinoids to crops not attractive to bees and to prohibit the sale and use of seeds treated with products that contain the active substances.

Three pesticides would be affected -clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiametoxam. Farmers would be banned from using them with sunflowers, oilseed rape, cotton and maize.

Commission spokesman Frederic Vincent told BBC News the measure was

based on the latest scientific advice.

“We have requested a proper scientific assessment of neonicotinoids from Efsa.

They came up with some concerns, some kind of worrying assessment. So now we are saying to members we have some scientific evidence that there are some concerns from those pesticides and the effects they might have on bees,” he said.

The Commission wants restrictions in place by July and the measures will be reviewed after two years.

There are already bans in place in France, Germany and Slovenia.

Campaigners were delighted with the EU stance - Friends of the Earth’s Andrew Pendleton said it was a timely move.

“This hugely significant EU proposal promises a first, important step on the road to turning around the decline on our bees. The UK Government must throw its weight behind it,” he said.

“The evidence linking neonicotinoid chemicals to declining bee populations is growing. We can’t afford to ignore the threat they pose to these crucial pollinators.

But Bayer CropSciences which manufactures some of the chemicals that face restrictions says it remains convinced that neonicotinoids can be used safely and effectively in sustainable agriculture.

Speaking to the House of Commons environmental audit committee yesterday,

the company’s Dr Julian Little said that Europe was in danger of “enshrining some sort of museum agriculture”.

“I personally absolutely support very strict regulation, but not to the point where we believe you are taking out major advances in chemistry and major advances in agriculture with no discernible improvement in bee health. And other countries will continue to use these products,” he said.

In the UK the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) rejected a ban late last year saying the scientific evidence wasn’t clear. They have commissioned new studies that will look at the impacts of neonicotinoids on bumble bees in field conditions and to understand what levels of pesticide residues and disease in honey bees are normal. These are due to completed shortly.

But if the EU agrees on to limit the use of these pesticides, it will apply to the UK as well, according to spokesman Frederic Vincent.

“If what we have tabled today is approved by members states in the short run, it will mean there will be a new regulation and the measures would apply from the first of July to everybody,” he said.

In recent days a number of UK retailers have removed from sale neonicotinoid chemicals linked to bee decline.

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11

More than a week of protests over education reforms and funding cuts

Over 30 protests in cities across Spain are due to take place on Wednesday with pupils from primary, secondary, sixth form and university taking to the streets – and a further demonstration on Thursday led by teachers, parents and other education workers.

In several major cities, gatherings are already taking place with pickets set up and information stands explaining about the funding cuts in education and healthcare.

This forms part of the second ‘week of fighting back’ organised by the National Students’ Union (SE) made up of numerous country-

wide pressure groups and unions.

Classes will be held on the street on Saturday for universities in Madrid in protest over rocketing student fees and a further three to seven days of strikes and demonstrations over the proposed education reform and reduced funding in schooling from primary and infants through to university level.

The protesters are calling for education minister José Ignacio Wert to resign and to ‘refund’ the more than five billion euros in cutbacks made to the schools system in 2012.

Demonstration outside Merkel’s office during Rajoy’s visit to Berlin

Dozens of protesters gathered outside the officers of German Chancellor Angela Merkel today during Spanish president Mariano Rajoy’s visit, calling for the latter to resign over the ‘slush fund’ scandal involving former treasurer Luis Bárcenas.

Rajoy told Merkel that the claims he and other members of the PP were given backhanders in cash were ‘completely false’, and the party maintains that the ledgers found by Spanish national newspaper El País in Bárcenas’ handwriting were photocopies and largely inaccurate.

They appear to show Rajoy received a total of 25,200 euros a year ‘off the books’, and other top-flight PP members also did so.

Bárcenas was classified as a ‘high-risk’ client by two Swiss banks he held multi-million-euro accounts with, and who held ‘off the record’ conversations with each other when certain financial transactions by the former treasurer caused them concern.

They also liaised closely over Bárcenas’ alleged involvement with the Gürtel

corruption trial.

Companies involved in the Gürtel case are believed to have given gifts running into hundreds of euros and paid for parties and holidays for health minister Ana Mato and her ex-husband, former mayor of Pozuelo de Alarcón (Madrid), Jesús Sepúlveda.

Both Mato and Sepúlveda deny receiving any of these so-called backhanders.

Regional president of Castilla-La Mancha, María Dolores del Cospedal, is also believed to have received cash-in-hand top-ups to her wages.

Names of high-level PP members appear in the handwritten ledgers over the 10-year period leading up to 2008.

And protests outside the PP head office in Madrid, involving literally thousands of members of the public, are now into their fifth day.

The PP continues to insist its conscience is clear, but Rajoy has not provided any explanations or answered any questions posed to him beyond denying the allegations.

Five Iberia Strikes In Second Half Of February

Iberia employees have announced their planned strikes will commence on Friday, February 15 and at least five will take place before the end of the month.

Pilots, cabin crew and ground staff intend to down tools for 24 hours at a time after negotiations between unions and airline bosses failed.

They will consult firstly with the inter-confederal mediation and arbitration service (SIMA) which is heading up talks between the company and its workers, to tell them of their ‘last resort – conflict’.

“We will explain to SIMA about the broken promises we have seen and the steps we intend to take to protect our jobs and the future of Iberia,” said a spokesperson.

They put forward proposals

to the airline which included increasing productivity and pilots taking a 26-per-cent pay-cut, with new staff being paid 50 per cent less, among other measures.

But these were rejected out of hand by the company, which plans to make over 4,500 employees redundant and cut down on fleet and flight routes to return the firm to profit after having accumulated losses of 300 million euros in 2012.

Faced with workers’ proposals, Iberia managers threatened to wind up the firm, which pilots and other staff call ‘blackmail’.

“We shall continue to fight for an agreement on Iberia’s future will all the legal, social and political weapons we have within our reach, and

will give everything we’ve got to protect the airline, given how important it is for society and tourism,” said a union representative and employee.

The holding company IAG, the result of the merger between Iberia and British Airways, denies that the management has refused to negotiate with workers.

Manager Willie Walsh said: “Iberia continues to be ready and willing to negotiate with the unions.

“We are determined and united in preparation to implement the changes necessary for the survival and future viability of Iberia.”

At least five strikes – but possibly more – will take place between February 15 and 28 this year.

12

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

SOLTIMES FEBRUARY 2013

ALMERIMAR & surrounding area El Ejido: The Consejo Municipal de la Mujer (Municipal

Council for Women) through the Concejala de Servicios Sociales y Mujer, (Council for Social Services and Women) Julia Ibáñez, has proposed a plan for equal opportunities for women.

The Municipal Council for Women is an advisory body set

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up by the new administration with the aim of giving voice and participation to those who work for equality.

At its last meeting the launch of the ‘Municipal Plan for Equal Opportunities between Women and Men’ whose development was recently approved by the Governing Board was discussed.

It will be implemented by the Council for Social Services and Women in collaboration with other municipal areas.

Julia Ibáñez, explained that ‘the participation of the community is fundamental to the development of the equality plan. This plan, which is being pioneered in the municipality, is to contribute to improving social, political, economic, familial and cultural citizenship, and to promote the principle of gender equality.’

She indicated that this initiative aims to raise awareness and involve the whole community against violence against women, especially those professional groups that are directly related to the care of victims.

40,000 women are listed on the census in El Ejido.

El Ejido Bowls Club

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

what’s on Wednesday

Sol Times Distributed

Thursday

8:30pm - OPEN MIC NIGHT & JAM SESSION - MACGOWANS 7 february from 8pm - singles darts at ankara

Friday

Friday Golf

Saturday

The Charity Shop Calle Galera No6, Almerimar (Behind Bar Ankara)

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Monday-Saturday 10am-2pm In Association with Animales de Berja & Ursamarina

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Sunday

10am – 1pm: Almerimar Walking Club - Meet at Mercadona macgowans - 3:30pm ireland v england triple crown match

Monday

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

Tuesday

Tuesday Golf

------------------------------------------------------------

Thursday 7 th February FROM 8pm Darts Singles Night - Everyone Welcome

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

Tapas served daily 12 noon - 5.30pm (except Sunday)

almerimar local information

Open: Mon - Sat 10.30am - Close

Open: Sunday 2pm - 10pm

Sky Sports / ESPN for all sports Tel 610 900 320 Darsena 3, Almerimar - next to pharmacy

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keep up to date with what’s happening in Almerimar: www.facebook.com/localinformation

El Ejido Rugby Club

Based in Almerimar, we are always looking for new players and have training sessions starting at 21.30h every Tuesdays and Thursdays. Players of all abilities welcome. The team is very sociable and after have players from beginner to experienced. We are currently in Andalucia Regional Division 2 and just about to start the second phase of the league.

Home matches are usually at 12.30 on Sundays at the grass rugby pitch in Almerimar.

For more information call Jonathan on 695 635 078

Friday Golf Society 1 FEBRUARY:

After a week off for the England vs. Rest of World match we returned to regular Friday golf this week.

The course was busy as there are a lot of long stay Swedish people here and there was also a party from Tarleton Travel staying in the hotel.

There was also some well known lady golf professionals such as Micky Walker and Alison Nicholas who were coaching the people who were here with Tarleton.

Our first tee time was around 1pm and our last was around 2:30pm. So our last group only just got around in the light. The rounds took approximately 4 hours 40 minutes. We would have liked to play faster but our speed of play was governed by the groups ahead of us on the course.

We played a Reverse Waltz with two hidden holes and had a large field of 51 players taking part.

The winners were Alan Sly, Vicky Thomas, Karen Parker and a new member Harry Whelan with a great score of 97 points. Last place and chocolates went to Albert Taylor, Jim Struthers, Barbara Castan and Thea Dekker with a score of 70. They almost escaped the chocolates as the team above scored the same number of points but had a lower combined handicap.

Nearest the pin was on hole 17 and was won by Lennart Olsson with a distance of 2.69m.

We had 3 handicap cuts this week. Mr President (Alan Sly) with 43 points and Karen Parker with 40 points, both in the winning team. Plus we had John Fielding scoring 38 points. Well done to all of them.

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 FEBRUARY 2013

news update

Reports & PHOTOS by Martin Shortland

SAD NEWS FOR PROMAR AS ‘Marcos’ The Dolphin’ DIES

The animal that captured the hearts of thousands, both locally and around the world has died. Marcos the dolphin passed away in the early hours of Sunday morning, after suffering respiratory and heart problems. A post mortem will be carried out this week by vets in Almeria to discover the exact cause of his tragic death. He had been under the care of the wildlife protection organisation Promar since his rescue last year. A statement issued from Promar headquarters in Almerimar on Monday said, ‘Losing Marcos has made us all very emotional, he will always be special to us and we ask for respect and consideration for everyone involved.’ The statement went on to add, ‘The team needs time to mourn his loss as we are all in a state of shock following the sudden and unexpected circumstances of his death.’

Endesa Pulls The Plug On Aquarium Deal

With the electricity about to be cut off, animal activists have joined the growing list of people trying to prevent the closure of the Roquetas Aquarium. Too little too late? This report from Martin Shortland A last ditch attempt to prevent the closure of the Roquetas aquarium has been unsuccessful.

Operations director Enrique Fernandez last week failed to reach an agreement with the power company Endesa, to defer payment of 9,500 Euros.

Mr. Fernandez had hoped the electricity provider would agree to wait until the summer for payment, a time when income is greater at the aquarium. Endesa was not prepared to set what they considered to be a precedent, in allowing the company more time to pay. This is not the only outstanding bill the company is struggling to pay, but clearly the most important as without electricity, the attraction along with the animals is doomed.

Endesa has given the aquarium owners one week in which to pay up and in the event of non payment, the power supply will be cut off on 7th February. Mr. Fernandez admitted the future of the aquarium was now “very black.” The eight staff have not been paid

13

for some time and overall, a sum of 150,000 Euros per year is required to keep the company afloat. A meeting of partners, including the bank Cajamar, was held on Tuesday this week, to see if any money could be raised to keep the centre open.

The company continues to search for potential new backers in a bid to stave off the closure and has issued an appeal to anyone who may be able to help financially to contact them immediately.

Mr. Fernandez said, “We will continue trying to find the money to keep the centre open, it is the largest in Andalucia and has been a great credit to this region.”

The facility was opened in July 2006 with 3,500 square metres of tanks holding 2 million litres of water. It has often been criticised for what many people considered to be high entry prices. The City Hall recently refused to play any part in a rescue bid, saying it was not the responsibility of the council to spend tax payer’s money in order to bail out private companies.

Opposition parties have condemned the mayor for not doing more to prevent the closure.

Whilst trying to keep the centre open, Mr. Fernandez is also having to make plans to save the more than 1,000 species; animals which will

It was a typically hot August day on the Playa Romanilla in Roquetas last year, when early morning walkers spotted a small dolphin struggling near the beach.

The police and emergency services were alerted and within an hour, boats containing vets and members of the Promar rescue organisation were working frantically to shepherd the young animal into calm waters near the harbour wall. I, along with a growing crowd of onlookers watched the drama unfold; specialists in wet suits finally managed to capture the exhausted animal and were able to carry out some preliminary tests.

The response to the situation was quite amazing as volunteers arrived at the beachside location to lend assistance and by mid afternoon a full administration area had been set up; Operation Rescue Marcos was underway. The results of the tests were not good; he was dehydrated, under nourished, with a serious kidney infection and bad parasitic infestation.

On that first night I spoke to head of operations Rosa Henche and she was not hopeful the dolphin would survive the night; such was the desperate condition of Marcos.

But he did survive the first night and with the incredible diligence of the team of have to be destroyed if new homes are not found for them.

So far, Madrid, Valencia and Gijon aquariums have shown interest in taking some of the species and a Portuguese company which specialises in transporting large fish has offered its support to help with any transfers. In reality at this late stage, it would seem time is against any possible solution being found to save the animals.

Animal rights campaigners have now become involved in the closure debate, saying every effort should be made to save the lives of the animals, many of which are rare species from around the world. One group, EQUO Almeria is asking the local council to reconsider its decision not to rescue the

volunteers who worked round the clock, he slowly began to recover. A large pen was installed in the sea and helpers were to spend the next two weeks constantly in the water with Marcos as he was too weak to support himself. During the day, sun umbrellas and cream were used to protect him from the fierce heat and every few hours he was hand fed – not only fish – but a cocktail of drugs, to fend off the long list of ailments affecting him.

The story had attracted the attention of the media and for a number of days TV and radio crews were a permanent fixture at the beach camp headquarters.

A perimeter fence had to be set up to hold back the huge crowds who flocked to the town on a daily basis to watch the dolphin and his helpers in the water.

Marcos was a young male, about 10 to 12 months old and had either been abandoned or lost his way from the family pod he lived with. He became a celebrity and such was the attention he was receiving, the rescue team had to make plans to move him to a quieter location and in early September the difficult and dangerous task of transporting him to his new home began.

The move to a quieter and larger site in Almerimar had no ill effects on him. All seemed to be going well and tentative plans were made to construct an even bigger deep water pen, as the next step towards his possible release into the wild. However, two problems continued to provide concerns for the Promar team; Marcos was still unable to feed himself, but also and more worryingly, he deteriorated rapidly whenever his drugs were withdrawn. His kidneys, heart and lungs would often pick up infections and the vets were unable to work out why and unable to do anything to prevent these constant bouts of ill health.

In recent weeks the Promar team became more concerned about the health of Marcos, he often struggled to swim when the sea was rough which made it difficult for him to feed. Carrying out tests on him was always hard because ideally he should have been out of the

aquarium. However, Spain has not signed up to the International Convention for endangered species, something which will make any efforts to save the animals more difficult. Spain has been condemned in the past for not putting its signature to the treaty, something most European countries have done.

The wildlife protection organisation Promar has also become involved, sending a petition to the City Hall expressing its concerns for the welfare of the animals in the aquarium.

The petition is available on their website and they are asking people to send a copy to the council to try to prevent what they refer to “as a needless and pointless loss of life for hundreds of rare and valued species.” They

water, but doing that was very stressful for him so the vets had to make the tests in the water. The results confirmed their worst fears; Marcos was not getting better, if anything he was getting worse.

The last moments of Marcos’s life are described by a volunteer Alexander, who was on duty on Sunday night. He said, ‘The weather was not good and the sea was rough, so rough we would normally consider trying to take Marcos out of his sea pen and put him in the pool but we try to avoid it unless it’s very serious. At 3.00am we had three people in the water with him and he was eating and seemed ok. At 5.30am we checked on him but could not see him and our cameras under the water could not see him. Marcos has escaped from his pen before but has always returned and we thought this would be the case on Sunday. After searching the beach area we found him on the sand and he was clearly not well; we called the vet but he could do nothing, Marcos had died.’

The mood at the camp in Almerimar on Monday was sombre, groups of people standing around, gazing in disbelief at the waters of the pen where once Marcos had been. But now it was over, their reason for being there taken from them in such tragic circumstances. The cleanup operation would have to begin, but for the time being it was clear all of the members of the team were too shocked to do anything.

The memory of Marcos the dolphin will linger long in the hearts of many people and I include myself in that statement.

I was fortunate enough to spend a few moments in the water with him last summer and feel his gentle touch against my hand. The announcement of his death has come as a great blow to everyone, but most of all to the dedicated volunteers who helped to prolong his life. We all wanted to see him, in our minds at least, swimming away across the Sea of Alboran to join a pod of dolphins, living free and wild as nature intended. For Marcos sadly, it was not to be.

also say the council should be more aware of the educational use the animals have for children at local schools and colleges.

At the time of going to press there would seem to be no possible way out for the stricken Roquetas Aquarium. Many are saying the rescue attempts now being launched are a case of ‘too little too late’, but many more are saying the reason for the failure lies squarely at the door of the owners. The attraction has been open for six years and yet amazingly, a lot of people were not aware of its existence until they read the stories in the paper about its impending closure.

Clearly, not enough has been done to promote the aquarium, not just locally, but on a much wider scale throughout Europe.

Martin Shortland is a freelance journalist, living in Spain since retiring from a career as a broadcaster, writer and radio journalist. He has worked for the BBC and in commercial radio, most recently as Programme Director and Head of News for large radio group in the South East of England

14

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

SOLTIMES FEBRUARY 2013

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15

16

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

SOLTIMES FEBRUARY 2013

pause for thought

We’re planning another trip to see our daughter and her family in Tanzania this Easter, so have scheduled a visit to the specialist vaccination centre in Almeria to ascertain what precautions we should be taking. Tablets offering protection from Malaria are of course essential, and certificates of inoculation against Cholera, Typhoid and Yellow Fever are entry requirements for much of Africa, so doubtless we’ll resemble pin-cushions by the time we reach our daughter’s home there!

But aren’t we fortunate having the drugs offering protection against these diseases so readily available here in Spain. For many, particularly among those who actually live in Africa, there is little affordable defence against these diseases, which claim the lives of more than a million people every year. And our grandparents too would have had little medicine available to them at any price to offer full protection. We, it seems, are so privileged to be able to travel in this 21st century, at reasonable cost to such far-off places, so confident in our safety. I may try, because I don’t like mosquitoes and their bites irritate, to cover up and sleep at all times under a net, but if I’m careless and get bitten – even if the offending mosquito were carrying the plasmodium parasite that causes malaria, I’m unlikely to get the disease itself if I’ve correctly taken the prescribed treatment. Amazing isn’t it, but we do tend to take for granted, the power of inoculations and other treatments to save us from the effects of the diseases with which we regularly come in contact.

And the same is true for the ultimate disease, which the Bible calls ‘sin’. In some amazing way, which we may not fully comprehend, the Bible likens our faith in Jesus to an inoculation against the effects of our wrongdoing. So however much I may fail in my attempts to do good in my life, yet that faith in Him has the power to save me from the effects of my failure; thus restoring a healthy relationship with God..

Further information about the Anglican Church and details of forthcoming events may be seen on the web site www. mojacarchurch.org Duncan Burr is Licensed Lay Reader for the Anglican Chaplaincy of Costa Almeria and Costa Cálida and may be contacted at djburr@avired.com

As promised a more in-depth view into how the components of you computer work. We started last time by touching on the motherboard and more specifically the processor chip.

Today I would like to go a little further into the “Brains” of the computer in an attempt to show just how stupid the chip is and how brilliant the minds of those geniuses / genii (depending on which dictionary you choose to read) who devised it’s creation. There is a great deal of excellent information, although it is a little deep in places, at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cpu. I suppose the very first question that should be asked is. What does your processor actually do? Today’s modern processors are a hybrid between a simple instruction processor and maths processing.

Let’s start with a little background information. You know what a transistor is? Just in case you are not too sure, it is simply a switch. That is it. That is all that it does! It simply redirects the flow of electricity. Think back (if you are old enough) to the good old Morse code. That series of short and long bursts of sound that was used to encode messages for transmission of great distances. Now shorten the bursts of sound down to 1 millionth of a second and take away the speaker. What you now have is called a ‘square wave’ - ON or OFF, or to put it another way ZERO or ONE. For those who already know where this is going, please be patient.

Digital equipment only work in ONE’S and ZERO’S. Your MP3 player and mobile phone are all digital. They only work with one’s and zero’s. This method of maths is called BINARY. When we learned to count it was in DENARY or DECIMAL if you prefer. You have 10 fingers (ok, 8 fingers and 2 thumbs, but it adds up to 10) and it was natural to use 1 digit per number. But as digital equipment doesn’t have fingers, it can only use what it does have and that is Zero’s and One’s. This is the absolute basics when it comes to how computers work. Maybe sometime in the future we can examine BINARY maths, but not today! As we have already touched on the maths side of the processor so today we should look at the other aspect of it, The Instruction Processor!

Every action that your Computer, Tablet, Mobile phone or any digital device takes, is in response to an instruction! These instructions can be ‘Hard Coded’ and by that I mean integrated within a chip so that they are (usually) incorruptible, or ‘Soft Coded’ as is the case with every other program that you run. So what is the difference? Your computer uses ‘Hard Coded’ instructions when it first starts, as part of POST or Power On Self Test. This, then, gives just enough information to let it know where to find the Operating System and how to start that up. This, in old computer (Geek) speak, is called the ‘Boot Strap’ or ‘Booting’ (from the days when you strapped on your boots before starting the day). Because without it your computer would sit there quietly and cause no problems at all because it just wouldn’t work. The processor has the task of interpreting these instructions and sending the correct information, along the correct path (remember TRON?) to the correct component, so that it can do it’s job and then tell the processor that the job is complete before the processor can move on to the next instruction.

I have written a simple exercise for anyone who might be interested in understanding how the computer follows instructions but having run out of space today I will give it to you next week and then finish this section on the instructional side of the processor and focus on the maths. So keep hold of your favourite free newspaper until next week so that you can refresh and then continue.

With a little luck everything will be made clear and might have a little fun doing the exercise. If there is anything that we have covered or you have a subject or question involving computer related technology, that you are having trouble with, drop me a line at the email address below. Good Luck and have a lovely weekend. See you next week.

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

Cops ‘had to laugh’ after bird stole Brit’s cash

A British tourist says a police officer burst out laughing when he reported his money had been stolen - by a parrot.

Peter Leach was visiting a New Zealand beauty spot when a kea parrot snatched the equivalent of £600 from his camper van.

The bird flew into the vehicle and snatched the cash from the dashboard while Mr Leach was taking photographs at Arthur’s Pass.

The 52-year-old, from Glasgow, was unaware of the theft until two fellow tourists pointed it out, reports the Scottish Daily Record.

“A Canadian couple walked by and said, ‘We’ve just seen that bird take something out of your van’,” Mr Leach said.

It turned out the parrot had taken all of the money he had - except for £20 in his pocket. He reported to incident to police, but the chances of retrieving the currency are slim.

“The officer was very serious for the first few questions,” Mr Leach said. “Then he said, ‘Do you mind if I just stop to laugh?’ I suppose I can’t blame him.”

Keas are native to New Zealand and known for their intelligence. They have been blamed for vandalising cars, breaking off wing mirrors and windscreen wipers.

Zoologist Mark Cawardine described them as “a devilish mountain parrot feared by hire car companies”.

Mr Leach remains determined to continue on his travels, with friends apparently loaning him money for the rest of the trip.

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Eurozone manufacturing ‘on course’ for return to growth

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The contraction of manufacturing across the eurozone slowed in January amid signs that the worst may be over, according to a survey.

The Markit Purchasing Managers’ Index rose to 47.9, from 46.1 in December.

The index has been below the 50 mark that separates growth from contraction since August 2011.

But Markit’s chief economist Chris Williamson said the January data pointed to the eurozone returning to growth in mid2013.

In Germany, the PMI figure rose to 49.8 in January from 46.0 the previous month, coming in just below the 50 threshold.

Although it was the 11th straight month of decline, it was easily the slowest rate of contraction in that time.

“The improvement was led by Germany, which saw the strongest gain in output of all eurozone states, but rising exports are also helping to revive the manufacturing sectors of other countries, most notably Spain and Italy,” Mr Williamson said.

“While the industrial sector looks likely to have acted as a drag on the eurozone economy in the final quarter of last year, deepening the double-dip downturn, the PMI provides hope that the first quarter could mark the start of a turnaround.

“Providing there are no further setbacks to the region’s debt crisis, these data add to the expectation that the euro zone is on course to return to growth by mid-2013,” he said.

In Spain, the index rose from 44.6 in December to 46.1 last month. In Italy the index rose for the second month to 47.8 in January from 46.7 last month.

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email editor@soltimes.com with your beauty & health tips adrenal overload

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Symptoms: Fatigue, insomnia, anxiety, restlessness and weight gain.

How to fix it: The adrenal glands release the stress hormone cortisol and the energising hormone adrenaline, but at times of stress, whether physical, hormonal or environmental, they over-produce cortisol. ‘While some cortisol is essential for brain and immune function, muscle function, blood glucose function and circulation, too much can cause problems,’ explains Shabir Daya, pharmacist and co-founder of Victoria Health (www.victoriahealth. com). With chronic stress, the adrenals are so busy producing cortisol, they don’t make enough energising hormones and fatigue occurs. ‘High cortisol levels also promote more insulin, the fat-depositing hormone that leads to weight gain,’ says Daya, who recommends herbal supplements that include magnolia extract and Siberian ginseng, and a visit to your GP.

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Symptoms: Tiredness, weight gain, constipation, aches, feeling cold, dry skin, lifeless hair, fluid retention and impaired cognitive function.

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and fish in Ditching meat etarian eg favour of a v ramatic ad diet can have health of effect on the esearch your heart, r suggests.

A study of 44,500 people in England and Scotland showed vegetarians were 32% less likely to die or need hospital treatment as a result of heart disease.

Differences in cholesterol levels, blood pressure and body weight are thought to be behind the health boost.

The findings were published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Heart disease is a major blight in Western countries. It kills 94,000 people in the UK each year,

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The heart’s own blood supply becomes blocked up by fatty deposits in the arteries that nourish the heart muscle. It can cause angina or even lead to a heart attack if the blood vessels become completely blocked.

Scientists at the University of Oxford analysed data from 15,100 vegetarians and 29,400 people who ate meat and fish.

Over the course of 11 years, 169 people in the study died from heart disease and 1,066 needed hospital treatment - and they were more likely to have been meat and fish eaters than vegetarians.

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Dr Francesca Crowe said: “The main message is that diet is an important determinant of heart health.

“I’m not advocating that everyone eats a vegetarian diet.

The diets are quite different.

Vegetarians probably have a lower intake of saturated fat so it makes senses there is a lower risk of heart disease.”

The results showed the vegetarians had lower blood pressure, lower levels of “bad” cholesterol and were more likely to have a healthy weight.

Tracy Parker, from the British Heart Foundation, said: “This research reminds us that we should try to eat a balanced and varied diet - whether this includes meat or not.

“But remember, choosing the veggie option on the menu is not a shortcut to a healthy heart.

After all, there are still plenty of foods suitable for vegetarians that are high in saturated fat and salt.

“If you’re thinking of switching to a vegetarian diet, make sure you plan your meals carefully so that you replace any lost vitamins and minerals, such as iron, that you would normally get from meat.”

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How Dare They!

viewpoint

but I was eventually compelled to brave the vigorous outdoors by the vegetable rubbish, destined for the Whether the weather be hot compost heap, but which was growing Or whether the weather be not, to mountainous proportions in the We’ll weather the weather kitchen.

Whatever the weather, Clasping a container full of organic detritus I exited the safety of the house Whether we like it or not.

This used to be my attitude towards and headed for the compost bin.

The compost bin is shaped like a the weather in the UK, but since living is Spain I have become a total wimp green plastic Dalek, and sits snugly in the back corner of the garden, next where the weather is concerned.

Especially the wind – I really do not to the back wall. As I approached my like it! It comes as a shock to me. destination I became aware that all was When we came to Spain I expected not as it should be. There in the corner hot, I knew it got cold, but nobody stood a neat pile of compost, perfectly round and about 18 inches high, but mentioned the wind!

At the height of the surrounding bin was nowhere to the recent gales I be seen.

I gaped at it for a moment, then successfully managed to remain indoors for realised – we’d been robbed! several days on end, Somebody had stolen our compost bin! They had left the compost and made off with the bin!

A tsunami of rage flowed over me. josbiggs@hotmail.co.uk I felt as if I was swelling to monster

By Jos Biggs

Shut Your Mouth & Open Wide I have never really had the fear of dentists that many people experience.

Apart from those far off days when, as a little lad, I thought of the dentist as an ogre figure intent on causing me pain with his version of a Black & Decker, and the memory of that dreadful smelling rubber mask over my nose and the equally awful gas – I have always been fairly relaxed about paying him or her a visit. I now regard it more of an inconvenience than anything else.

Once, whilst having some minor road works done, I actually dozed off briefly in the dentist’s chair. I was awoken with a start when he yelped as my mouth clamped shut on his hand and thereafter he always ensured that I was reminded of the incident, along with a request to do my best to stay awake.

Trouble was, he had an extremely comfortable treatment chair facing some French doors that overlooked a small enclosed garden. It was a little oasis, with a fruit tree and an explosion of flowering shrubs that was the very essence of tranquillity. Moreover, soft music was always playing in the background and his attractive assistant had a very soothing touch. All in all, he had probably made it too comfortable for his patients.

My dentist at that time was Malcolm.

He drove a vintage Rolls Royce and his hobby was bird watching and I often wondered if he drove up to his twitching grounds in the Roller. But I never asked.

Anyway, on one occasion as I was admiring the view in the tiny garden, a colourful bird appeared and proceeded to peck away at a fragment of sausage roll on the stone bird table.

Malcolm stopped assaulting my molars and walked over to the window.

“What the heck is that? Not so much directed at me or his silk fingered assistant, but more of a thought voiced out loud.

“It’s a Red Cardinal”, I told him.

He turned on me in astonishment.

“Red Cardinal? I’ve never come

By Colin Bird : badbirdnow@gmail.com

proportions, like the Incredible Hulk, and I am convinced that purple steam was issuing from my ears and that my eyes were flashing lightning. How dare they? How very dare they pinch our compost bin?

I wished a plague upon their houses, and invoked hellfire and brimstone to fall upon their heads. I was incandescent with righteous ire as I viewed the binless compost, standing naked and exposed in the corner.

Halfway through a particularly fulsome curse it occurred to me that I’d better cover the compost’s vulnerability before it got blown all over the garden.

I turned to look for something suitable, and noticed the compost bin, upside down between the corner of the house and the aircon unit, obviously jammed into this undignified position by the capricious wind.

Oh. Sorry about the hellfire and brimstone, and I hope your boils get better soon……..

across one of those – how did you know that?”

“It’s quite common in Bermuda where I was living”. I continued, “But that one’s a female because although she has a red beak and some red tints in her wings and tail feathers, the male is a vivid red all over. That crest on its head is why it’s called a cardinal. It’s supposed to resemble a cardinal’s hat, although personally I don’t think it looks anything like a cardinal’s hat” - I rambled on.

Now it was Malcolm who had his mouth open and I enjoyed the switch.

What he didn’t know was that my knowledge of exotic birds was limited to just this one and another regular in our Bermudian garden - the Kiskadee – a bright yellow bloke with a white speed stripe along the side of his head and a distinctive call that gives it it’s name.

But I didn’t tell him that.

He was even more impressed the following week when I was receiving some follow up treatment, because he had looked the bird up in his Bumper Dental Practitioners Guide to Exotic Birds and confirmed that I was indeed correct in my identification. The only mystery remaining was that, as a native of North America, what it was doing in a dentist’s garden in Bury St Edmunds.

I found myself in the dentist’s chair again last week, ostensibly to check out a broken tooth, but also for a more general opinion on why my once

devastating smile had, over a period of years, disappeared up the swanee, and why I seemed to have acquired a lopsided grin.

This was a new dentist for me and one who had come highly recommended.

“How are you” I asked as I introduced myself.

“Good”.

Then I told him why I was there and awaited any questions he might have.

Instead, all he said was “Okay.”

Obviously a man of few words.

The seat was fully reclined; I put my head back and opened my chops for the inspection to commence.

“So how long have you lived in Spain?” the tooth man asked.

“Ghaa, icks earg”, I informed him.

“Six years eh”. Some tapping and probing ensued.

“Where are you from in England?”

“Uh, ohickinly eadin i erckhire”.

“I know where Reading is”, he said.

“Drove through it once”. “ rilliant” I dribbled.

What the hell was this? The man who spoke just two words to me before I was asked to mimic a feeding basking shark, now wanted to have a nice cosy chat about my home town of eadin!

But I got him back because by the time he had finished his examination, there must have been half a gallon of my drool dripping off his elbow.

21

alqueria - Los Gitanos and the crystal ball John MacD

onald (El Sord o) - www.carata The Gypsies of Andalucía cus.eu belong to the Romani Iberian Kale group and it was a column of their caravans that entered Alqueria on that chilly day in February. Attracted by the near anarchy which reigns daily they hoped to settle in the Village Republic. The true freedom which can only be experienced by total chaos became an irresistible lure for these nomadic people.

The ramshackle procession crossed the old stone bridge and took up residence on the waste ground east of the R í o Verde. Leading the group was the matriarch La Adivina. The most gifted mystic and teller of fortunes alive today on the Iberian Peninsular.

A delegation from the Alquerian Town Hall paid the new arrivals an official visit. Temporary visas had to be arranged and Antonio Poyato wanted the great La Adivina to tell him what was going to win the three-thirty at Zarzuela. Manuela being Minister of Culture and an inquisitive girl insisted that the great prophetess demonstrated her abilities.

That evening in the confines of La Adivina’s foul smelling caravan sat Manuela, Rodriquez and the great woman herself.

They spoke in hushed tones, an act of great self-control for anyone of Spanish descent. Most Gypsy caravans are spotlessly clean this one however was an exception. The smell of stale cooking odours and human sweat was overpowering. Rodriquez, the most hated man in the village was now apparently despised on the ‘other side’ as well. When a ghostly voice drifted down asking “Is there anybody there” and Rodriquez answered in the affirmative. The voice immediately replied “Is there anybody else there” The lights were dimmed and La Adivina began her preparations.

She produced an impressive crystal ball and started to caress her globe, for what purpose it was impossible to say. She started to chant. Manuela was unsure whether she was casting a spell or singing a flamenco cante. The object of the exercise was for the fortune teller to evoke images in her crystal ball which would lay open the very soul of Manuela.

It appeared to have worked, La Adivina took one look into her shiny orb and ran screaming from the caravan, eyes wide and tearing at her hair. Manuela’s soul is not a place for the unwary to play.

The remainder of the gypsies after seeing their leader so affected believed it to be the result of a curse either on them or Alqueria. They piled into any transport available. Arms and legs protruding from windows and doors as they headed for the high sierra. Here they underwent penance to rid themselves of any curse. Refraining from alcohol, tobacco and pleasures of the flesh for thirty days and presumably nights as well. A tough penance indeed.

The people of Alqueria don’t believe their village to be cursed.

If it is however it would certainly explain a great deal.

22

SOLTIMES FEBRUARY 2013

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

THE SPAINIAC | Catedral de Burgos | Candice Parsons Strategically located in the heart of Burgos city, Catedral de Burgos, dedicated to the Virgin Mary, stands as Spain’s third-largest cathedral.

Initiated under the reign of King Ferdinand III of Castile by the English-born Bishop of Burgos - Mauricio, the cathedral’s construction first began in 1221 on the site of a former Romanesque church. From here, the chevet in the east end of the cathedral took nine years to complete.

Construction of the cathedral resumed after a hiatus of around 200 years, and then carried on for more than 100 years until it was finally completed in 1567.

Notable for taking a total of three centuries to complete, along with its impressive mix of Europe’s most creative artists, architects and craftsmen involved, Catedral de Burgos has imprinted a distinguished presence in not only the Castile and León region, but in Spain as a whole.

Reminiscent on Castile’s first kings, the triumphant and soaring steel-grey spires above the sculpted

balustrade of the cathedral can be seen from almost any point within Burgos city.

The various artistic influences from Germany, France and other eastern Europe countries that form the flamboyant gothic-style of the cathedral is evident through the cathedral’s unusual features, such as its Latin cross shaped floor-plan, its Jesus human-animal composite crucifix, the Golden Staircase, and the statue of Papamoscas that opens its mouth each hour that the bells ring.

The striking architectural intricacy and design of the cathedral summarises the history of Gothic art style through its unique collection of stained-glass windows, reredos, annexes, paintings, tombs and choir stalls.

Also known as Catedral de Santa María, the site was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1984.

Catedral de Burgos has been described by Frommer’s travel guides as one of Spain’s best cathedrals, and with its extravagant depiction of both art and history, the cathedral has increasingly attracted more and more tourists to the city of Burgos, often to see purely the site itself Candice Parsons is a writer and avid Spain and Spanish culture lover from Melbourne, Australia. ‘Like’ my Facebook page: www.facebook. com/pandemicrhapsody and follow me on Twitter @MiLlamoCandi

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: DO I NEED A SPANISH WILL

A:YES...and here’s why...

1. Your estate will be left to the people of your choice and not to those determined by law 2.You can mitigate inheritance tax by planning the distribution of your estate. A will can be the single most cost-effective document you will sign during your lifetime.

3. You will have the peace of mind of knowing that things are in order for your heirs and that your heirs will not end up dealing with a complicated and costly procedure in a foreign country.

I like the challenge of complicated inheritance work but we will never stop insisting that all our clients should make a Spanish will.

Since setting up office in 1993, I have been surprised by the amount of people who have come to ask whether it is convenient to make a will in Spain concerning their Spanish assets. The answer to this is most definitely yes. In England if you do not make a will, then the law has rules, which will determine the distribution of your assets. These rules could mean that your assets are distributed in a way very different from what you would have liked. In Spain the situation is the same, with an additional factor. Your heirs will have to deal with a foreign language and legal system. All the more reasons to leave everything as organised as possible. Some people include their Spanish assets in their English will. This is legally binding, but to obtain probate in Spain, it will be necessary for the will to be translated and legalised. This is a long and costly procedure. My advice on the subject is to have two separate wills, one in England for your English assets and one in Spain for your Spanish assets.

Drawing up a will in Spain does not take long and is not expensive, and will definitely save your heirs a lot of time, problems and money. Your Lawyer will draw up a rough draft, and then he will make an appointment at the notary to sign the final document. One copy is sent by the notary to the central register in Madrid. He will hold on to the original copy. You will be given a copy that I suggest you inform your heirs and lawyer in England about, and then put it in the bottom drawer, with the peace of mind of knowing that everything is taken care of.

At Davies Solicitors we will listen to your wishes and advise you on the most tax efficient way of dealing with your Spanish estate. We will explain in detail the tax implications of your decisions for your heirs and ways to deal with it.We will prepare a will in both English and Spanish for signature and in general we will provide you the peace of mind of knowing that everything has been left organized for your heirs. Please call or email us for an appointment 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 FEBRUARY 2013

property group

Paseo del Mediterraneo 197 - Mojacar - Almeria

Tel: 950 472 430 / 610 053 563

www.veritashomes.co.uk info@veritashomes.co.uk You can find us on turre sold

€47,000

palomares

€55,000

naturist beach reduced

€73,000

Mojacar playa

€75,000

3 bed / 2 bath Apartment on two levels with underground private parking close to the new school. Communal Pool. Ref. 1095

2 bed / 2 bath fully furnished Apartment with underground private parking. Communal Pool.

Close to amenities & beach. Ref. 1496

1 bed / 1 bath fully furnished Apartment with private garden of 49 m² in beautiful complex near beach & amenities. Ref. 1049

2 bed / 2 bath Apartment with terrace & underground parking place. Air con. Fully fitted kitchen. Communal pool. Ref. 1123

el largo reduced

mojacar playa

mojacar playa reduced

villaricos reduced

€94,950

€100,000

€109,950

€109,950

4 bed / 3 bath large Townhouse with garage around 10 min. to coast and Desert Springs Golf. Build 164 m². Ref. 1165

3 bed / 2 bath south Apartment with sea views near beach. Terrace: 19 m². Underground private parking place. Ref. 1291

2 bed / 1 bath fully furnished Apartment within 200 meters to beach with underground private parking. Communal pool. Ref. 1395

2 bed / 2 bath fully furnished pretty linked Bungalow. Private plot 135 m² within 200m to beach. Communal pool. Ref. 1006

jauro

mojacar playa under offer

arboleas reduced

mojacar playa reduced

€109,950

€115,000

€129,000

€135,000

3 bed / 1 bath charming detached House with garage, store room and 2 private plots near Antas. Ref. 1082

2 bed / 2 bath sea facing Apartment within 2 minutes walk to the beach. 2 terraces.

Communal Pool. Ref. 1018

3 bed / 2 bath new detached Villa on a private plot of 700 m² with beautiful views of the valley. Fully fitted kitchen. Ref. 1338

2 bed / 1 bath semi-detached Villa on plot of 246 m². Living dining room with fireplace.

Roof solarium with sea views. Ref. 1052

cariatiz reduced

mojacar playa reduced

mojacar playa reduced

Mojacar Playa reduced

€159,000

3 bed / 2 bath Villa with garage on plot of 1081m². Total Build 206 m². Fully fitted kitchen. Fire place & air con. Ref. 1093

Turre Cabrera reduced

€299,950

Charming 3 bed / 2.5 bath Villa with Pool, garage a Gardens on Plot of 2.5000m2.

Within 10 mins driveto Village. Ref 1164

€190,000

3 bed / 2 bath spacious Townhouse with private garage within 200 m to beach. Small gated community with pool. Ref 1483

mojacar playa €350,000

3 bed / 2 bath Villa on plot of 694 m² close to amenities and beach. Terraces. Roof solarium with sea views. Ref 1215

€295,000

3 bed / 2 bath sea facing Villa with garage on plot of 417 m². Terraces, solarium & jacuzzi.

Amazing views. Ref 1062

vera reduced

€299,950

3 bed / 2 bath front line golf Villa with massive garage & 1 bed / 1 bath annex in Marina de la Torre. Plot 225 m². Ref 1479

€399,950

3 bed / 2 bath Villa with pool on plot of 10.000 m² within 2 mn drive to town. Horse stable.

Central heating. Many features . Ref 1121

Please visit our office or refer to our website for more “bargains”. Vendors: If you are seriously considering selling your property please visit our office to discuss effective ways of achieving your goal.

As per decree 218/2005 the “Documento de Información Abreviada” (D.I.A) for any property sold

by Veritas Homes is available at our office.

23

24

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

SOLTIMES FEBRUARY 2013

Visiting Hours Cut At Historic Almeria Castle & Museum

A political storm is brewing over the proposed partial closure of the famous Alcazaba and Archaeological Museum in Almeria. rEPORT BY mARTIN sHORTLAND An announcement was made last week by the Ministry of Culture, saying from this summer, the ancient monument would only be open in the morning; effectively cutting the number of hours it has been open in the past by half.

The dispute centres around a new set of proposals regarding the number of hours worked by staff at the site. The Unions are pressing for better working conditions for their members and this has brought about the change in the amount of hours many such historical sites will now be open to the public.

The two sides to the argument – unions and employers - are somewhat confusing, with both parties claiming there’s is the preferred option.

A delegation from Almeria attended a conference in Seville recently to discuss working conditions and opening hours of museums and monuments in Andalucia. Lorenzo Cara,

president of the committee for culture, sport and education in Almeria, was not happy with the way the meetings in Seville were conducted. He said there was a lot of tension from the outset, because the governing board did not seem to want to negotiate or even consider a set of revised proposals put forward by his committee.

His plan would be to keep some parts of the castle and museum open during the afternoons on different days, thus spreading the available hours staff can work. Less staff would be needed but visitors could still see certain areas of the monument. Another idea would be to reduce the opening hours in the winter and increase them during the summer, their busiest time.

The central point to the new set of government plans is the number of hours worked by union employees. Mr. Cara is concerned as to why the museum will be open for fewer hours, yet workers hours appear to have been increased.

Mr. Cara maintains up to 70% of workers at the museum are against the afternoon closures

saying, “Many of our employees are worried people will think it is because of them the castle is closing earlier than normal. They would prefer to continue with the times they have always worked.” He said his staff were happy to work there and wanted to continue offering the service they had in the past and that he hoped a compromise of some kind can be worked out before the summer season begins.

The City Hall of Almeria is tight lipped so far on how they are planning to handle what is already turning out to be a hot potato. Maria Ortega, director of the Alcazaba issued a short statement which said, “We are aware what these changes mean and we are working so that it causes the least amount of disruption.” A spokesperson for the Almeria tourist board has suggested the hours worked in previous years should be continued, stating, ‘this is the only major tourist attraction in the city and every

step should be taken to ensure people are not prevented from viewing this important historical monument.’ It would seem this dispute will rumble on for some time to come, with claims and counter claims coming from all those involved. What is clear is the direct effect these proposed cuts to opening hours will have on the already struggling tourism industry in this part of Spain. It is predicted some 30,000 visitors per year will be lost as a direct result of the proposed changes.

Construction of the Alcazaba began in the year 995 when the Caliph of Cordoba granted the title ‘city’ to Almeria and it became the seat of local government, commanding the city and the sea nearby.

The complex continued to be enlarged over the next 200 years, with the most modern additions being made after the Christian conquest of Almeria in the early 1400’s.

New Training Workshop Opened For Tailors

Unemployed people in Roquetas will now have the opportunity to train as tailors, thanks to a new scheme launched by the City Hall last week. At a ceremony to announce their plans, Mayor Gabriel Amat and Health spokesman Alfredo Valdiva were introduced to the 15 students and their teachers.

The council have invested over 220,000 Euros in the workshop, which runs daily for a year.

The students will learn about every aspect of tailoring, both practical and theoretical and by the end of the course will be able to design and make any type of garment. Mr. Amat said this was the first of a number of new schemes to be introduced by the council, to help unemployed people learn new skills and most importantly, “To give them the chance of self-employment at the end of the course and also the capability to pass on their knowledge to other people wanting to learn the trade.”

Named ‘Threads of Colour’, the workshop opened its doors on Monday and the new generation of potential local entrepreneurs picked up their needles and threads for the first time. Let’s hope it’s a pattern for success!

REPORT & PHOTO BY MARTIN SHORTLAND

By Bill Blevins, Financial Correspondent, Blevins Franks

Have You Really Left The UK For Tax Purposes?

The most well-known rule for determining where you are resident for tax purposes is the 183-days-a-year rule, which many countries use. There are however other factors that can make you liable for tax in a country even if you spend less days there.

The UK’s current residency rules are complex and vague.

There has been no statutory definition of residence. This will change from April 2013, but it is too late for some people.

HMRC has won a number of tax residency court cases.

Last October the First-Tier Tribunal ruled in HMRC’s favour against a woman who was found to be resident in the UK for capital gains tax purposes, even though she had been living in Spain for a number of years.

Lynette Dawn Yates lived in Spain from 2000 to 2008 for

health reasons, spending more than 200 days a year there on average. Her husband remained in the UK throughout.

HMRC assessed her for capital gains tax on asset disposals in three UK tax years. Ms Yates appealed on the grounds that she was not a UK resident and was exempt from capital gains tax under the terms of the UK/Spain double tax treaty.

The Judge accepted that Ms Yates was resident in Spain, but said that at the same time she was resident in the UK, and also resident in the UK when considering the tax treaty rules because her personal and economic ties were stronger with the UK than in Spain (there were a number of reasons for this). He ruled that she was resident and ordinarily resident in the UK throughout her time in Spain, and so liable to UK capital gains tax on the disposals made in the

relevant years.

This case demonstrates how connecting ties can be more relevant than day counting, and that you can be resident in two countries at the same time.

The Statutory Residence Test will come into effect on 6th April in the UK. Ms Yates would have been clearly UK resident under its rules. However, while the test provides more certainty, it is very detailed. You should take professional advice from a specialist firm like Blevins Franks on your situation.

Summarised tax information is based upon our understanding of current laws and practices which may change. Individuals should take personalised advice.

To keep in touch with the latest developments in the offshore world, check out the latest news on our website www. blevinsfranks.com

www.soltimes.com

SOLTIMES FEBRUARY 2013

Tourism is to be promoted more heavily with the help of small businesses in the area, according to a recent report from The Roquetas Association of Tourist Promoters. Francisco Garcia, vice president of the association made the announcement, along with other proposals after a meeting held jointly with the local council and representatives of hotels in the town. In the past, small businesses have not been included in the association’s plans because of disagreements over subscriptions.

Mr. Garcia said, “We think it’s a shame that all businesses have not taken part in our promotional activities and after our discussions today, we hope to have changed that.”

Previously, because of disagreements over membership payments, only larger enterprises have been part of the association. But now, for a small annual fee all businesses can become members and then a decision on how much they pay towards the promotional budget will be made, depending on how big the company is. “By doing this,” he said, “We hope to give every entrepreneur in the area the chance to become involved in our promotional activities and have a say in how best we achieve that.”

Another major decision made at the meeting was to create a new position of co-ordinator of the association; someone to prepare and organise promotional activities on behalf of its members. The person elected to the new post is Alfonso Casinello, well known locally and certainly to golfers, after spending ten years as general manager of the Playa Serena Golf Club. He said, “I will be the representative of all our members and will ensure the wishes of the members are carried out.

This is a large and important step for our organisation and I hope all our new members will become fully involved.”

Also approved at the meeting was the budget for the year of 100,000 Euros, which will be used both nationally and for the first time internationally. Their intention is to work more closely with other local and regional tourism organisations, especially in the area of foreign tourist markets. Eastern European countries will be especially targeted as the potential for expansion in these countries is huge. It has already been confirmed some new routes from Russia will be opening this year bringing more tourists to the region and there are opportunities for other routes to be made available.

Mr. Casinello will be representing the association at a major tourism trade fair this week and is hoping to make new contacts with tour operators and secure new agreements with them for the future.

REPORT & PHOTO BY MARTIN SHORTLAND

New Coordinator, New Plans For Tourist Promoters Association

25

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

SOLTIMES FEBRUARY 2013

Economy Minister Learn Spanish To Help Your Property Search Announces New Mortgage Measures

The Minister of Economy and Competitiveness, Luis de Guindos, announced this week in Parliament a series of measures to improve the functioning of the mortgage market in Spain, and protect those particularly vulnerable as a result of the crisis.

The announcement was made during the minister’s speech to defend the amendments to the bill on urgent measures to strengthen the protection of mortgage borrowers.

The reforms will be presented as amendments during parliamentary proceedings of the bill and, in principle, will affect the Mortgage Law, the Law on Mortgage Market Regulation and the Civil Procedure Law, plus additional measures on financial prudence and the improvement of the Code of Good Practice which the Government launched in March 2012.

These changes are intended to mitigate the effects of the crisis for those families who can not afford their mortgage due to economic

circumstances which have arisen. De Guindos stressed that “situations of default or arrears are a distinct minority in our country” and that the vast majority of the Spanish are coping with the monthly payment of their mortgage “despite the difficult economic climate we live in”.

One of the goals De Guindos announced on the Government website, La Moncloa, is to balance the position of the parties involved in foreclosure proceedings. To this end, the default interest that credit institutions may demand is to be limited to three times the legal interest rate (now at 4%), “to avoid exorbitant growth of debt and enable debtors to afford to pay.” This measure will apply to the default interest accrued since the entry into force of the law and, therefore, will affect new mortgages and also those currently entering a default situation.

Report courtesy of

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Learning the language might not be essential to finding a property in Spain but having a grasp of Spanish would certainly help you feel more in control of the whole process.

Equally if you are thinking of moving to Spain, getting a headstart with learning how to deal with practicalities such as getting your utilities connected or setting up a bank account really helps.

In a report by A Place In The Sun (www.aplaceinthesun.com), taking a Spain-based immersion course - that you could treat as a holiday - is a great way of learning Spanish fast and one company based around Barcelona claims to offer a unique approach.

Live, Learn, Breathe Spanish invites people to stay in the homes of their Spanish teachers and take classes every day, followed by fun afternoons

putting their lessons into practice.

“The main selling point of our service is that potential home buyers can come on our courses to find out about the area where they are looking to buy a property, or if they have already bought a property they can get ahead in integrating into the new culture,” says Marta Puig, the company’s owner.

“Or because the one-to-one tuition can be tailored to the pupil’s interest - cookery, culture, finance etc - the morning’s lessons might be tailored towards dealing with estate agents, and the afternoons spent practising such interactions.”

For more fun, the morning might be spent learning cooking terms, and then the afternoons at the local market, or in the kitchen of the teacher’s house cooking supper for the family.

A course with 15 hours tuition a week

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Rubbish Mounts Up In Sevilla As Refuse Collectors Strike Over Pay And Working Hours

Binmen are on strike in Sevilla and already over 4,500 tonnes of litter has built up in the street.

Rubbish collectors downed tools a week ago over plans to cut their wages by five per cent and change their working hours around.

Since then, 25 wheelie-bins in the city have been set fire to by people who disagree with the strikers’ actions.

Leader of the union behind the strike, the labourers’ commission (CCOO) Antonio Bazo says nobody from the city council has made any attempt

to contact or negotiate with the refuse collection company.

Bazo stresses that the bin fires are nothing to do with the workers from the firm Lipasam which holds the franchise for picking up, disposing of and treating household and commercial waste in the city.

He calls Sevilla council and Lipasam’s management ‘irresponsible’ for not attempting to negotiate the situation with workers and put a stop to rubbish mounting up in the streets.

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nr CUCADOR ......€495/month

nr ARBOLEAS......€495/month

arboleas...........€525/month

• Fully furnished, 4 bed, 3 bath Villa • Fully fitted kitchen with appliances • Good size lounge/diner with fire-place • Air-con in lounge; satellite TV • Large plot REF: R304 • peaceful location

• Fully furnished, 3 bed, 3 bath Villa • Fully fitted kitchen with appliances • Good size lounge/diner with log-burner • 8x4m swimming pool • Air-con, ceiling fans, satellite TV REF:R307 • Roof-top solarium; peaceful location

• Unfurnished, 3 bed, 2 Villa • Fully fitted kitchen with appliances • Lounge/diner with log burner • 8x4m swimming pool and covered terrace • Air con, ceiling fans, satellite TV REF: R287 • 7/8 minute drive from Arboleas

• Furnished 3 bed, 2 bath Villa

REF:A1694

• 3 bed Villa with stunning views • Within walking distance of amenities • Fantastic conservatory/sunroom • Good size lounge/diner •Family bathroom and ensuite to bed 1 • Fully fitted kitchen and utility room • 8x4m swimming pool

REF: A1686

• Walking distance to amenities • Fully equipped kitchen • Lounge/diner with fire-place • Swimming pool and off-road parking

REF: R282

28

SOLTIMES FEBRUARY 2013

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

Sol Insure A New Ray Of Light For Insurance

Looking Around for Insurance or Renewal Due?

Sol Insure

Let find the best policy for you!

Providing the best cover at competitive rates

info@bwispain.com

950 472 098

www.soltimes.com

SOLTIMES FEBRUARY 2013

Sundance Spas

Pool Maintenance S.L. Open: Monday - Thursday 9am - 2.30pm & 4pm - 7pm, friday 9am - 2.30pm & 4pm - 6pm Closed Saturday & Sunday

New Year New Sundance Spas

to our showrooms Come along ecial Offers on Genuine Sundance Spas Lots of Sp Also Good Selection of Second Hand Spas

We Purchase Your Old Spa Cash Paid

Up To 50% Off Selected Spas

Mojacar Showroom, Paseo de Mediterraneo, 171

Tel: 950 472 845

www.sundancespas.com • sundancespas@telefonica.net

29

30

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SOLTIMES FEBRUARY 2013

FOOD & ENTERTAINING...

Broccoli smoo thie ma de by So vie t mo ther to ge t he r childre n to eat ve ge ta bl es be come s middle cl ass hit in Ha rv ey Nichols and Ha rrods

The new delhi Indian Restaurant

fine indian cuisine

Thursday 14th & Friday 15th February

Valentine’s Night 6 Courses only €12.95

Avda America, opposite Pricebusters, Albox

Every: Mon, Tue, Wed 5 Courses €10

Tel: 950 431 705 Mob: 639 231 507

Open 7 Days a week

Khan doner kebab

eat in or takeaway

meal deals inc fries & drink

menu doner kebab chicken/beef/mixed €5 menu pizza turca chicken/beef/mixed €5.50 menu chicken burger €4.80 menu chicken wings (6 pieces) €4.80 Single DONER KEBAB chicken or beef only €3

open every day 12noon -midnight

avenida Puente (just before the bridge across the rambla) Albox

Tel: 950 104 160

OPEN 7

Drink your greens!

A broccoli smoothie from created by a mother in the former Soviet Union in order to make her son eat his greens has become a surprise best-seller in upmarket UK stores.

The Savse Smoovie, which reputedly slows down ageing, is selling so fast at retailers including Harrods and Harvey Nichols that suppliers have had to increase stock twenty-fold to keep up with demand.

And its unique selling point is that it tastes nothing like broccoli and is in fact sweet, a trick Georgian mother Nina Koutibashvili came up with when she invented the drink in the 1980s in order to encourage her children to eat their green vegetables.

The project began when Nina was diagnosed with an iron deficiency during pregnancy 27 years ago in Georgia. Her doctor advised her to drink a blend of spinach and apple juice, so Nina set about juicing a mixture of vegetables and fruits.

She loved the taste so much she has been developing and juicing her recipes ever since, convincing her children to love vegetables via her delicious drinks.

In 2011, Nina and her son Guka Tavberidze - who was curious as to why he could never find smoothies as good as his mother’s - decided to bring the secret recipe into the mainstream Guka took the old family recipe and

developed a cold-pressure machine to crush the vegetables using 90,000lbs per square inch, the equivalent of being crushed by a herd of elephants.

The resulting Savse Smoovies available in broccoli, beetroot and strawberry flavours - are now sold in 250ml bottles for £2.49 in health food sections of high-end British stores including Planet Organic, Selfridges and Fortnum & Mason.

In blind taste-test carried out before the product’s launch, 98 per cent of those asked to guess what they were tasting could not detect broccoli.

That has helped make it popular with parents trying to find new ways to encourage their children to eat more leafy green vegetables when they often cannot stand the taste.

Unlike many other smoothies, the Savse ingredients do not need to be heated and pasteurised in production - a common process which prevents decay but sees fruit and veg lose much of their nutritional

value.

The properties of broccoli are said to help boost the nervous and immune systems and help to prevent the formation of cancers.

Guka said: ‘We’re absolutely thrilled by and proud of the reaction to our invention. Most people who blind taste test Savse simply don’t even believe that it contains vegetables.

‘It tastes like an ultra-fresh version of a standard smoothie with a slightly zingier flavour.’

DOES IT TASTE GREEN?

K

ash bar

eek

w days a

valentines night Dine by candlelight

cava & canapes on arrival

4 course menu with este wine & coffee included

30€ per couple

MENU DEL NOCHE

20oz T-BONE STEAK, 16oz BEEF ENTRECOTE 12oz PORK TENDERLOIN, ROASTED LAMB SHANK & SHOULDER, ROASTED PORK KNUCKLE AND MORE DINNER 7PM-10PM sunday roast menu del dia 4 courses with bottle of ESTE wine per couple & coffee included: Roast Lamb Shoulder & Pork Knuckle, 12oz Entrecote, 20oz T-Bone, 10oz Pork Tenderloin, Roast Potatoes & Fresh Vegetables Freshly Baked Bread SERVED 1pm - 4pm vegetarian menu available

Childrens menu available

FREE WIFI

Booking Recommended Spanish Speaking 950 430 145 ~ English Speaking 647 730 103 PolIGONO Industrial Albox, Near the ITV Garage

www.mesondeirene.com

turre

formerly Bar Stop

opening times 9am - late • closed Monday

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

Large selection of drinks

n ow op en

pool table

tel: 950 479 593 or 634 311 163

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SOLTIMES FEBRUARY 2013

email your favourite recipes to editor@soltimes.com

The chocolate you CAN include in your diet! the chocolates are also for adults who want to ‘indulge without the guilt’.

She explained: ‘The chocolates were created just as much for adults as children and are about indulgence without the guilt.

It’s not about dieting, calorie counting or self-denial. I wanted to create a heavenly food that is primarily tasty, mouth-watering and totally delicious, while at the same time providing maximum nourishment.

‘Sugars are minimised and replaced, and dairy, artificial flavours and preservatives are nowhere to be found.’

Carey said she has always had a love of experimenting with different ingredients and recipes but when she started out as a teacher of PE and dance, she didn’t envision it would ever become a career path.

However, after having children, she took a home study nutrition course from the Institute of Nutrition and began to run a business on holistic health for children.

Then one Easter, her idea for a healthier alternative to chocolate was born and she began experimenting with different ingredients

winter warmer menu To include

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

Changes Daily & from only 4€ Music on Friday 8 February disco & music from 60’s, 70’s, 80’s, 90’s & 00 th

including carob, lucuma, maca, sunflower seeds, ginseng and almonds.

She eventually found a winning recipe, that has subsequently undergone a nutritional analysis to prove her health claims, and began sharing the truffles with friends and family to see what they thought.

They were an instant hit and as word of mouth spread, Carey began to get so many orders she broke two blenders trying to fulfill them.

It was then that she approached a manufacturer, Montezuma, about getting the truffles to a wider market and after working hard to develop the look and feel of the truffles, they are now on sale at wholesalers including Garsons and Infinity Foods.

The truffles come in four flavours - orange, lime, almond and vanilla - and as Carey hopes to extend their reach into further stores, she also hopes to branch into creating further products like chocolate bars.

For more information visit w w w.nutritiousdelicious. co.uk

Mesón de

Irene

book our valentine’s night menu

plus a take away bottle of crianza red wine per couple Valid only with this voucher Mon - Sat: 19.00 - 22.00

667 919 025 Café Bar

LA ALFOQUIA, ZURGENA

new Sunday lunch menu only

5€

T

Grea tF rie nds YELLOW

s e m i

STONE BAR

Valentine’s Dinner Fully Booked Breakfast

served 9 ~ 12

Take-away available

Lunches 12pm~ 2.30pm

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

M obile top ups @ bar

Daily Specials

free Wi-Fi

4€

see bar

~ opening hours ~ Mon ~ Sat 9~9ish ~ Sun 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 →

showbar & restaurant

The Irish Rover Your No1 Entertainment Venue in Mojacar for All the Family

WEDNESDAY NIGHT CURRY 2 Courses €6 NEW WINTER WARMER MENU from €4 FISH, CHIPS & PEAS for €5

Available every day

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

Forthcoming events...... #

Like most mothers, Carey Davis-Munro wants her three children to eat healthy snacks but doesn’t want to completely deny them treats like chocolate.

So when she couldn’t find an indulgence on the market that would also be good for them - she decided to make her own.

In a report by dailymail. co.uk, Carey, after years of experimenting with different recipes in her kitchen, finally hit on a product that she’s not only happy to feed to her children - but that will delight chocoholics everywhere!

Her Nutritious Delicious truffles have all the taste of a sweet treat but can also claim to be good for you. They are made using dark chocolate which is rich in polyphenols, proven to combat heart disease and lower blood pressure.

Thanks to Carey’s ingredients, they are also high in omegas three, six and nine (so high in fact that the omegas outweigh the total fat content) and per 100g contain more than 15 per cent of your RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) of zinc and magnesium.

The truffles also contain a low GI sweetener, essential fats, Vitamin C and boost a high anti-oxidant value.

Carey, 45, from Sussex, told the MailOnline, how the super nutritious truffles came about.

‘The truffles were a home kitchen invention developed from scratch by myself as a mother trying to find a healthier alternative to sweets and the chocolate on the market for my children,’ she said.

But while Carey was initially inspired by her children aged 10, eight and six, she said

d o o G

31

14th February DISCO PARTY

FREE ENTRY - FREE BUFFET

Closed for for Closed Vacation Vacation 6th –– 13th 13th 6th February February

March 1st

Status Quo Tribute Basket Meals Available

17th March

Back by Popular Demand

Morgan - Irish Folk Singer Mark Nugent and Tommy McCarthy telephone: 950 473 135

mojacar playa between Lua & Moma Beach Open 10am till late (Closed Mon & Tues)

32

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SOLTIMES FEBRUARY 2013

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 & Snacks Home-made puds Burgers, Lasagne, pies, 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

onl y 6.95€ to include a FREE Drink

starters, puddings

Friday

2€ each

15 FEB th

He was recently unveiled as an ambassador for the government’s healthy eating campaign - during which he warned about the dangers of high salt content in food. But it seems that Ready Steady Cook star Ainsley Harriott is not exactly practising what he preaches.

It has emerged that the chef’s wild mushroom risotto contains the same amount of salt as six packets of crisps.

Incredibly, the meal which is sold in all major supermarkets - contains 2.5g of salt - more salt that a Big Mac burger from McDonalds, which contains 2.1g.

As reported by The Sun, the 55-year-old was

unveiled as the ambassador of the Department of Health’s healthy eating Change4Life campaign.

Katharine Jenner, of Consensus Action on Salt & Health, said: ‘Chefs have a huge role to play in influencing our diets - it is imperative they lead by example.’

And its not just the chef’s risotto which is packed full of salt. His Szechuan hot and sour soup and golden vegetable rice - also have high levels of salt.

A spokesman for Mr Harriott said: ‘He is proud of his food range, which fits within a healthy balanced diet and is clearly labelled to help consumers make informed choices.’

Humble layered sponge cake crowned nation’s favourite tea time treat

SERVED 10AM-12PM

Activities at

Monday

Tuesday

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

A Night of Music to Enjoy

All Welcome 8pm Start

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

Wednesday

Line Dancing with Carrie..7:30pm

Thursday

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

Robin & Friends

Acoustic Musicians & Floor Singers

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

ALBOX

BP Garage

•••

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

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

@

Ainsley Harriott’s risotto found to contain same amount of salt as SIX bags of crisps

Rock ‘n’ Roll........7:30pm

Traveling Acoustics with

Menu From 5.95€

Ready, Steady, salt!

950 120 718 / 610 641 567

The humble Victoria sponge has been crowned the nation’s favourite tea time treat by the National Trust.

The organisation, famous for its tea shops, announced that it sold more than 171,000 slices of the classic sponge cake in 2012.

It sold more than 50 per cent more than its closest rival - the chocolate sponge - which sold a total of 108,000 slices, according to the survey published in the National Trust magazine.

Crunchy coffee and walnut

cake came in third favourite, with hungry visitors eating 102,000 slices each year - closely followed by spicy carrot cake, which was eaten by 96,000 people.

In fifth place, tangy lemon drizzle cake is a relatively new entry to the trust’s cake charts - but it still sold an impressive 52,000 slices across their 100 tea rooms.

Clive Goudercourt, National Trust Development Chef, who is responsible for developing recipes and menus, said: ‘Cakes are the Trust’s biggest sellers.

STOP ‘N’ SHOP IN YOUR...

Super Corner

ENGLISH SUPERMARKET ALL YOUR FAVOURITE BRANDS AND MORE IN ONE SUPERSTORE!!

TURRE, NEXT TO MESON DEL POBRE OPEN MON-SAT 9:30-6PM & SUN 9:30-1:30PM

‘I imagine our top five will be the same for decades to come. Baking trends, like cupcakes and muffins come and go, but these five are here to stay.

‘I agree with our visitors, as my favourite cake is the Victoria sponge too. It’s light, fruity, and quintessentially British.

‘Chocolate sponge is an obvious choice for second place, as for so many people, it’s the ultimate sweet treat.

‘We are in a unique position with our carrot cake, in that we can grow or source produce from our own land to use in our tea rooms. It’s great to be able to pull the carrots for the cake from our kitchen gardens.

‘Lemon drizzle is probably our newest entry to the cake charts, but it’s light and refreshing.

‘There’s no better sustenance than a slice of cake.’

www.soltimes.com

SOLTIMES FEBRUARY 2013

email your favourite recipes to editor@soltimes.com

...FOOD & ENTERTAINING

Method

Cucumber, Yogurt & Smoked Salmon Verrine

33

Grate the cucumber and place it in a bowl. Sprinkle with salt and let rest on the side for 30 minutes.

Cut the apple in small sticks and drizzle with lime juice to prevent oxidation. Transfer to a bowl. Press on the cucumber with the tip of your fingers to squeeze out the excess water.

Combine with the apple and radish sticks.

Add the fresh herbs, 1 tablespoon yogurt and the olive oil. No need to add more salt as the cucumber is already seasoned.

Divide between four glasses.

Top with 2 tablespoons of yogurt in each glass and finish with the diced smoked salmon.

Drizzle with olive oil and top with cracked red peppercorns.

Serve with more lime juice to taste. Accompany with bread sticks.

Ingredients:

1 cucumber, peeled and seeded Salt Lime juice 1 tablespoon olive oil + more to drizzle 1/2 apple (green or pink lady) 4 pink radishes, cut in small sticks 1 tbsp + 6 tbsp plain creamlike yogurt 1 tbsp chopped fresh mint 1 tbsp chopped dill 4 slices of smoked salmon, diced (try to choose a mild one, not too salty) Cracked red peppercorns

Ricotta & Ham Stuffed Aubergine

Method Set the oven at 400F/200C/Gas 6. Have on hand a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.

Halve the aubergine lengthwise. Place them in the baking dish, cut sides up. Sprinkle generously with oil and salt. Bake for 20 minutes. Leave to cool.

With a teaspoon, scoop out the aubergine flesh. Chop it coarsely; transfer to a bowl.

Ingredients: 2 medium aubergines Olive oil (for sprinkling) Salt & pepper, to taste 2tbsp olive oil 1 shallot, finely sliced 1tsp ground coriander 3 sprigs of fresh thyme 1 clove garlic, finely chopped 2 medium ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped 1 bay leaf

In a skillet, heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. When it is hot, add the shallot, coriander, and thyme. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, for 3 minutes. Add the garlic and continue to cook for 1 minute. Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring often, for 4 minutes.

Stir in the aubergine flesh. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for 7 minutes or until the mixture is pulpy and well flavoured. Discard the bay leaf and thyme.

1 cup whole milk ricotta 1/3 cup finely grated pecorino cheese 1 tbsp chopped fresh coriander 2 slices/1/4 lb ham, finely diced 1 egg Âź cup water Extra coriander, chopped for sprinkling

Leave to cool slightly.

Lower the oven temperature to 375 degrees.

Stir the ricotta, pecorino, coriander, ham, egg, salt, and pepper into the aubergine mixture. Fill the aubergine shells with the stuffing.

Return the shells to the baking dish. Sprinkle with olive oil and add the water to the dish. Bake the aubergine for 45 minutes or until the shells are tender when pierced with a skewer.

Gingered-flavoured Tartlets

Method

In a bowl, combine the flours, and sugar and salt. Add the butter and make crumbles with the tips of your fingers. Add the egg and work the dough until it just forms a ball. Add more white rice flour if necessary.

Divide in 4 smaller balls and place in the fridge for 1 hour, covered.

Roll the dough and garnish buttered moulds. Make small holes in the dough with a fork and place the tartlets in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven at 400F/.

In a smaller bowl, combine the almond meal, sugar, vanilla seeds and ginger. Divide ž of the sugar mixture between the tartlets.

Arrange the figs on top and top with the rest of the sugar. Add a few pieces of butter on the fruit and bake the tartlets for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool before unmoulding and enjoying!

send us you recipes to editor@soltimes.com

Ingredients: For the crust: 80g Quinoa flour 70 g white rice flour 40g cornstarch 2 tablespoons blond cane sugar Pinch of salt 90g butter, room temperature (not soft) and diced 1 small egg For the garnish: 12 fresh figs, washed and cut in quarters 4 tbsp blond cane sugar 4 tbsp almond meal 1 vanilla bean, split open and seeds grated 1 inch ginger, peeled and finely grated Butter

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

SOLTIMES FEBRUARY 2013

STANDARD CROSSWORD

25 Plodded (7) 26 Angry (5) 27 Come out in the end (9) 28 Lubricates (7) 29 Makes unhappy (7)

HARD SUDOKU

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.

Down 1 Embrace (archaic) (7) 2 At first (9) 3 Raising up (7) 4 Similar to a cobra (9) 5 Scallions (5) 6 Spoke in ignorance (7)

7 Mistake (5) 8 With a sneer (7) 14 Majesty (9) 16 Belittle (9) 17 Flitting (7) 18 Critical evaluations (7) 20 Uttered a low animal-like noise (7) 21 Without ceasing (7) 23 Rub (5) 24 Tall woody perennial grasses (5)

CRYPTIC

Across 1 Comestibles (7) 5 Anarchic (7) 9 Attache (9) 10 Persian (5) 11 Killing oneself (7) 12 Indulge oneself (7) 13 Badmouthing (9) 15 Father (5) 17 Washer and _____ (5) 19 Coming forth (9) 22 Get over an illness (7)

without Conservative leader’s inclination (8) 14 Engine part that is, without 5, complete (10) 16 Flung out remains inside light provider (8) 17 Time to afflict second queue (8) 18 Large number returning, we reportedly put in the ground a bramble (8) 22 Chessman Kasparov at first takes dark (6) 23 Some animal debauchery coming back to chaos! (6) 24 Cared for run-up before first serve was winning, but not initially (6) 27 Painful part of eyes or ears? (4)

CROSSWORD

coffee break

Across 9 Stupid (not at first) madness offence (7) 10 Memory of past, or a genealogy (7) 11 More obscene guys rant over sacking, so election’s rolling heads! (7) 12 Clumsy bird losing head at battle on first day (7) 13 Withheld happiness from daughter strangely blueness comes first (9) 15 A mid-Devon man of birds (5) 16 Brought church into defeat without a movement (7) 19 Eric - headless king, yet surprisingly unstable (7) 20 Bye - final extra - due with first innings collapse (5) 21 Creating brown Ikea plant (4-5) 25 A little hue outside is regular (7) 26 Fashionable team initially resenting one within organisation (7) 28 Expose a French fielder? (7) 29 Vegetation at this place surrounds pouch (7) Down 1 Gun goes off in midwicket’s first fight - turn to unarmed combat (4,2) 2 Take in sailor’s gold key (6) 3 Girl, as in Elsa’s heart (4) 4 Sat with her torn suit (6) 5 Is queen without country? A Briton, perhaps (8) 6 People and funny church initially rile one carrying out traditional moves? (4-6) 7 A vile tax could be loosening the bowels!

(8) 8 Catch up with refuse

STANDARD SUDOKU

34

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PINK

RIBBON DAY MOJACAR

SOLTIMES JANUARY 2013

35

Cucador

VidaRestaurant&Venue Enjoy Wonderful Views from ST VALENTINE’S DAY our Candelit DINNER DANCE Restaurant

Thursday 14th February Opens 6.30 - 9.30pm WED-SAT Evenings from 7pm

Kris Kelly

Multi Choice Menu

Music & dancing from 9pm

special valentine menu 14.95€

includes half bottle of House Wine pp call or email to book your table only a few tables left

booking advisable

ABBA NIGHT A HUGE SUCCESS!

PAWS & MACS “Working together to make a difference”

Saturday 26th January 2013 was a night that many people will talk about and remember for a long time; a night when MACS and PAWS joined together to put on a Charity Event which can only be described as a massive success. The fundraising teams of both PAWS and MACS worked tirelessly to ensure that a good night was had by all – and it showed, with the marvellous sum of 5,447.03 EUROS raised, which will be shared equally between the two charities; the organisation from start to finish was, so to speak, ‘Simply the Best’ Tio Tomas’s Hostal Rural in Turre rocked to the music of Lady Ellen, Tony Justice and Abba Elite. An auction half way through the night helped to swell the fundraising coffers and many people supported the raffle, held throughout the evening, buying lots of tickets and winning lots of fabulous prizes. Food was provided in the form of a selection of tapas and bread and most people availed themselves of this, a bargain at 6 euros for 5 very well portioned rations of delicious tapas.

The night culminated with people releasing a balloon into the star-filled sky to mark the loss of a loved one or remember those currently struggling with illness.

Once the event was advertised tickets were sold quickly and there is no doubt that should ever a function as this be held again, the reputation of MACS and PAWS will precede them and the tickets will fly off the shelves.

PAWS and MACS are grateful for the support of local companies in funding the event, namely,Julie Jones Peel for photography. Costa Coches of Antas, Coles of Andalucia, Lifestyle Enclosures Europe S.L., Greg & Co Bar Diner of Turre, Pot Black Snooker, Arteglobos Fantasia, Spectrum Radio and Tio Tomas of Hostal Rural, also thank you to the many people and businesses that donated prizes for the Raffle - a massive thanks to you all, it couldn’t have happened without your help.

tapas 1€

from

7.45€

Thursday night special delicious homemade pies homemade chips & peas

fridays

Beer-battered cod, homemade chips & peas from

5.95€

in the bar

in the Bar

booking advisable

traditional

All Selections 1€ Each

sunday lunch

Tuesday Bar

Specials

12.30PM - 5PM

6pm - 9pm

Chicken Curry & Long Grain Rice

Cod, Chips ‘n’ Peas

5€

Open Every Day 12pm - Late

Tel: 950 634 562 lavidacucador@gmail.com

fISH OF THE DAY OPTION

booking advisable We are here

Albox Arboleas Zurgena La Alfoquia

Mojacar

E15

1km

La Vida

Cucador Junc 547 Huercal Overa

book the Venue

For your Private Parties, Weddings and Birthdays etc.

36

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

SOLTIMES FEBRUARY 2013

Notice

The Friday Tapas Group meet up at 1pm each week and the venues for the next three weeks are as follows:

8th February - New York New York, in the Urb 15th February - Marley’s, in the Urb 22nd February - Burty’s Bar, in the Urb

ENGLISH SPEAKING SOCIETY

The Bar Dori is going to be closed for 2 weeks so the E.S.C. will be meeting at “The Lodge” Thursday 7th & 14th Feb. 8pm as well as Monday Lunch time at “Burty’s Bar”

The Friday Tapas Group

Anyone is welcome to join in and have a laugh, exchange views and ideas.

The more, the merrier!

The bar owners enjoy it too!

English Speaking Club

Thursday evening 30 members of the English Speaking Club met at the Bar Dori and entertained Maria, Joy, Dunia and John; 4 volunteers working in the Roquetas branch of the Red Cross. It was informative and moving to learn how they helped the many unfortunate people in Roquetas and outlying areas who have no income, some with no homes, and worst of all no hope. Every Day at there HQ.they provide breakfast (Tea/Coffee and Biscuit) on average to 100.

There are also facilities for Showering and Laundery and obtaining donated fresh clothes; for those who can’t travel the Red Cross takes out food and clothes on a Daily basis.

The Representatives were thanked and applauded for the interesting information, a collection of €84 was raised to further help their work.

A List has been provided by the Red Cross of the most useful requirements to help with Breakfast and Personal Hygene. e.g. Milk, biscuits, tea, coffee and cola cao.

Washing machine powder, Shower-Gel, Shampoo, and Deoderant.

A member suggested that if items were brought to our next meeting another member will kindly deliver to the Red Cross.

ROYAL BRITISH LEGION IN SPAIN ROQUETAS DE MAR BRANCH 3569

POPPY APPEAL 2013

The Roquetas de Mar Branch of the Royal British Legion in Spain are pleased to announce that they have appointed Barry Thomas as the new POPPY APPEAL ORGANISER for the area.

Grateful thanks go to Stuart Howard for his devoted service over the past six years and we all wish him well.

It is hoped that the businesses and friends of the Legion will support Barry and the Poppy Appeal during 2013, in the hope that it will be another successful year, as it has been over the past few years.

Barry can be contacted on mobile 605 313 590 for further information, help and ideas!

The Friday Tapas Group (FTG) visited Bar Chaplin’s on Friday 1st Feb., to sample the new mini fish and chips from their ‘Daytime Mini Meals Menu’ costing €1, plus other choices from the normal menu.

The group, numbering thirteen at last Friday’s meeting had a really good nosh-up and a few scoops of their finest ales.

The FTG meet up every Friday lunchtime, as the name suggests, at 1pm and move around the Urb each week tasting the delightful tapas food available from both English and Spanish hostelries, mainly in the Urbanisation.

Each member takes it in turn to nominate where they would like to go. In total, there are probably around thirty members; some who live in Roquetas De Mar and, others who live back in the UK, but join the group when they return for a holiday.

Many thanks to Debbie and Jon Clarke for their hospitality.

See group photo.

Next week’s meeting is at New York New York (8-2-13).

Barry Thomas presenting a Poppy Appeal Box to Jon Clarke, Chaplins Pub

Burty’s BAR rrace e t y n n u s e g u h ious bar acand and spCome Catch the Winter Sun

Starting Tuesday 19th February – Pie Night 5.30pm – 8.30pm Steak & Ale or Chicken, Bacon & Mushroom or Mince, Onion & Potato with chips & mushy peas or potatoes & vegetables.

Booking essential by 6pm Monday

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. or chicken breast and pepper sauce or roasted gammon and pineapple with potatoes and veg Booking Essential By 6pm Wednesday anglican church service 3rd thursday of the month 11:30am

next service 21st february

every thursday quiz 2.15pm prompt

Tapas

served from 1 pm

tuesday

bingo 2.30pm

Wed 13th February

closed for private party

Table Top Sale 24th February - Call to book a table sunday lunch special €5.95 booking essential

Opposite Playa Luna Hotel between Oasis & New York New York. Tel: 679 156 715

be a  part  of it 

winter hours winter hours Monday - saturday 12 noon - 4pm & 7pm - close Sunday : carvery 2pm - 7pm Thursdays - closed Main Meals 6.95€ 3 course meal 10.95€

Tapas served day and night

 



sun - fri from 11am - 6pm Closed saturday





Playa Serena, roquetas de mar

wacky wednesdays 12pm - 4pm, 7pm -10pm Tubo, Wine, Soft Drink 1€ Mini meals 1€ including starters mini pie & chips, fish cakes & chips, desserts

Tel: 659 683 447

Special Valentine’s Night

Menu for 2

Including a bottle of wine

3300..0000€€

www.newyorknewyork.es

OPPOSITE THE PLAYA LUNA BETWEEN BURTYS BAR & BAR OLE

www.soltimes.com

SOLTIMES FEBRUARY 2013

37

ROQUETAS DE MAR Daniel

Phillipa Big 40th !!!

Love from all your friends in Spain xx

happy anniversary Wendy & tom

love from mummy, daddy and Josh xxx

wishing you another 20 years of happiness together Best wishes for your 20th Anniversary loadsa love Harry & Laura x

Mr & Mrs Welch grew this amazingly oversized grapefruit in their garen..

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€ 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: 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

The Cabo de Gata covers 61km and is protected

by Unesco as a Biosphere Reserve, due to its high ecological value. There are many hiking trails, as well as several villages of interest around the coastline.

There are also many beaches with cliffs, capes, and volcanic hills as a backdrop. Wildlife in the Park include eagles, pink flamingo, wall lizards, grass snakes, to name a few.

There are many beaches in the Park. Most are situated at the east and south end, and although popular during the summer, the Cabo de Gata beaches are have a rural feel to them, and do not get full to the brim with holiday makers.

Mini Hollywood

Tabernas, Carretera National 340km, Desierto de Tabernas, Almeria Open 12:00 - 18:00 TEL: 950 365 236 / 950 362 884

A simulated Wild West town

There are daily shows of Wild West scenes, some outside depicting shoot-outs and a hanging (not a real one!) some inside with dancing and bar scenes.

There is a museum, a photo gallery with costumes available for customers to wear for their souvenir photos shoot, restaurants, a train for transport around the quite extensive zoo, there is a big swimming pool and a playground for the children.

Y Da wakes.........................................

CLOSED UNTIL 2nd MARCH FOR ANNUAL HOLIDAY

Ta

Bar

y outdoor n n u s s u io c Spa ating 24 e s e c a r r te SKY TV

Tapas/Snacks English Breakfast Fish & Chips Coffees & Cakes 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

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

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

Cabo del Gato

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

estampa apas T

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

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

38

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

SOLTIMES FEBRUARY 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 Solar Wind Power Solutions.

Over 15 years installation experience. established 12 years in Spain. 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

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

avon

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 All adverts Friday at 5pm prior to publication

Fully

insured & legal Mat Murray 647 841 750 matmurrayes@gmail.com 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

fully legal

Constructions

Boletins supplied

Tel : 687 245 569 equipment hire

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

LICENSED POZO/CESSPIT EMPTYING • Installation of fibreglass

septic tanks

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



950 091 109 or 648 768 587

Cleaning of Septic Tanks

FOR SALE Small metal lidded British trailer, lockable lid, good condition, ideal for travelling back to UK, 95€. Tel. 950 930 542

Legend Mobility Scooter large size new batteries delivery can be arranged

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

bargain €195

Contact: 675 838 808

potty finca services

Drainage Solutions

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

Established 7 years in spain

Tel: 616 531 283 or 670 088 966

tel: 697 590 151 or 950 329 416 gardening

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 electrical Knowles & Abbott no.1 for Carlos (Saliente) plumbing & electrics and plumbing. Re-wires, free heating services. If it involves water, to air UK satellite systems 950 137 208 we can help! www.carlossaliente.com or 638 010 691 Tel: 968 969 962

www.soltimes.com

SOLTIMES FEBRUARY 2013

39

www.soltimes.com house clearance cont...

locksmith

THE HOUSE CLEARING SPECIALIST

Phil the Pick Locksmith 24 hours.

Locked Out? Locks fitted/upgraded house safes. Arboleas logs & surrounding area. Special weekend rates. Tel: 697 243 181

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

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

same people - same great service - differeent name

NUMBER PLATES

infoalbox.libertyseguros@gmail.com

“RE-PLATE” MATE

Tel: 950 121 943

iron/metal works

metal works Gates, rejas, fabriction welding reliable service

950 168 916 638 449 944

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

The Metal works Grills, railings, gates of all types, security/sliding/ roller, rejas, concertina doors etc.

Tel: Keith Wood on

638 900 949

legal

GB

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 full service contact:

Alan 662 249 159

www.replatematecostablanca.com

OPTICIANS Optica Albox All your optical needs, eye tests, hearing tests, contact lenses Tel: 950 121 991

PAINTER / DECORATOR

If you wish us to print an article about a particular topic in our regular space on pg 16, please email info@daviessolicitors.com

PAINTING INSIDE & OUT

All quality products Make over your home this year

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

PAINTER / DECORATOR cont...

PROPERTY FOR SALE/rent

painter & decorator

Reduced €39,950 over 25 years experience Apartment

give your property or business a fresh look this NEW YEAR

Tel: 649 186 107 or

email thunderpaul2003@hotmail.com now covering mainland spain

commercial & major retail painter’s expert quality workmanship

visit our website for more info tntpainters@live.co.uk www.tntpaintersltd.co.uk PETS SECTION

VERA APARTMENT FOR RENT SHORT-TERM/HOLIDAY RENTAL

For Sale

cortij0 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 Arbole a s .

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

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

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 reduced €145,000 0no

recruitment

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

woodhouse boarding kennels & cattery

arboleas Small friendly kennels, 24hr vets service, pet transporting arranged, welcome to view

ministry approved Tracy Mobile 650 211 952

p a lom i n o ke n n el s exclusive boarding kennels/cattery tel: 950 067 051 Padenco Male dog rescued at 8 weeks now 10 months, all paperwork. Good nature Free to a good home. Tel: 687 189 244 Amer i c a n Staff Puppies for sale. One month old, for more information.

Call James: 651 325 677

SOLareTIMES looking for

Bright, enthusiastic person with an No need for kennels outgoing personality to join our sales friendly or cattery, team and leap into spring with us.

Pet sitting in your own mare Office & field positions available. home, Arboleas & 9 years old surrounding areas. 14.3hh 1.50m Experience not essential as full training Call Vanessa on will be given as long as you’re organised 500€ 637 061 482 and can work to deadlines.

Not just cats & dogs, telephone Send your CV to cmm@soltimes.com All other types of pets 678 838 547 or telephone Chrissie on 647 379 878 considered

40

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

SOLTIMES FEBRUARY 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 L O S SA 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€

can deliver.Tel: 667 235 205

Knowles & Abbott no.1 for A1 Sky Television Systems plumbing & electric.

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

M&D transport

Large Van Removals / Deliveries Spain - UK Full or Half Loads Collections e.g from IKEA Tel Mick: 950 122 447 Mob: 620 475 218

motoring section car parts

for sale

Car parts

ONE MUST GO

Need quality new parts for any car

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

Tel Dave: 628 607 778

situations vacant

experienced cook wanted, please call 678 989 979 solar power system

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

NEATER HEATER See our main advert on the news pages

translation

wanted

3.5 meter zodiac, honda inflatable boat, must be in good condition

tel: 697 275 751

7950€

Van, car & driver

for hire

house & garden clearances, collections & deliveries, weekly collections from IKEA, Airport transfers Almeria 60€ one way, 110€ return Alicante 80€ one way, 150€ return

Tel: 634 345 257

Van hire

Tel: 653 245 971 wanted

JCB’s, Mini-Diggers (All Makes), Tractors, Trailers & all other types of plant machinery.

Any age, any condition.



UK to Spain or Spain to UK

*LOCAL *NATIONAL *EUROPEAN

2004 Nissan XTRAIL T Spec. Auto with O/D. FSH. LHD. 1 owner Exceptional Condition.

WANTED

ONE WAY

* COLLECTION & DELIVERY *STORAGE

TEL: 667 235 205

Pick up/drop off locations Throughout UK, France and Spain

mobile mechanics

Cash buyer All 4x4 vehicles

Urgently Required

ALL Mitsubishi Shogun, Monteo, Pajero, Landrover & all other makes

collect from anywhere

Tel: 645 094 339 or 950 064 763

SOLTIMES

Now offer our Classified advertisers

5 LOCAL EDITIONS ...Let the Soltimes team help your business grow... costa Almeria costa blanca costa calida Roquetas De mar online at

www.soltimes.com

for more information Telephone 950 121 936 902 121 936 EXT 332

Mikes

JT METAL

Ring Mike or Chris: 628 350 178 or 636 824 974

RECYCLING

motorbike mechanic

For all your motorbike repairs tel:634 Translation Services in Huercal 326 905 Overa Tel: 677 102 006

wanted

2010 Toyota Auris Hybrid 1.8 Advance. As New, still under manufacturers warranty. Only36,000 kms. FSH. Spanish Spec.

Cost over 21,000€ new.

car & van hire

Rancho Luz Del Sol, Retamar, Partaloa. One to one or group lessons, latest EN standard hats provided.

Mobile Mechanics Escorted hacking and treks. Qualified BHS Instructor. Call Erika Drew on 678 All types of service, repair & ITV 838 547 testing Fully qualified & legal with over 35 years experience

swimming pool safety

Accept 14950€

wanted

URGENTLY REQUIRED

ENGLISH & SPANISH CARAVANS, CARS, MOTORHOMES & VANS ANY CONDITION WE COLLECT! THROUGHOUT SPAIN

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 a nc es, sk ips 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 FEBRUARY 2013

K.F.S Kennedy Financial Services

Hard Times

41

Kennedy Financial Services (KFS) has over 25 years’ experience in the Financial Services Industry and are dedicated to providing professional guidance to all its clients.

For too many years now people have neglected their retirement planning, possibly in the main, because we as ex-pats cannot contribute to our retirement plans when we live abroad.

Times are changing there are now pension transfers (QROPS) that allow us to contribute to our funds and help to secure a better retirement.

Are your current pension benefits in one of the following areas?

• • • •

Frozen benefits in the UK that are under performing?

In a QROPS that is not giving you what you wanted?

Trapped in New Zealand for many years to come?

In a S.I.P.P. (are you aware that if you return to the UK your S.I.P.P. may be liable to a tax charge of up to 55%)?

If your answer is YES to the above it may be possible to transfer your benefits to a new receiving pension scheme and release some tax free cash. This may help your current financial position whilst still securing your retirement income.

Did you work in Public Services, NHS, Councils, Armed Forces, MOD, Civil Servants, Teachers, Aviation Authority, Nurses, Police, and Fire Brigade? The pension pots of loyal public servants are shrinking. You should submit your application to transfer your benefits now or you could lose out on thousands. The same applies to personal pensions, SIPPS etc.

There is a huge crisis in the UK as far as pensions are concerned. At the start of the Nineties, a £100,000 pension fund would have guaranteed an income of £15,640 a year for life, twenty three years on, a 65-year-old man will secure just £5,140 a year. This is mainly due to poor performance and market conditions over the same period of time. In May 2012 the pension deficit reached an all-time high of £312bn.

There were also an estimated 5,418 schemes in deficit, with only 1,014 in surplus. Which side of the fence is your pension sitting?

KFS is here to help all expats, regardless of Nationality, through this pension crisis which will affect all those with Pension benefits still in the UK, or possibly those with underperforming QROPS or S.I.P.P’s.

For too many years now people have neglected their retirement planning, possibly in the main, because we as ex-pats cannot contribute to our retirement plans when we live abroad. Times are changing, there are now pension transfers (QROPS) that allow us to contribute to our funds and help to secure a better retirement.

Should you wish to find out how this may affect your benefits please contact at admin@kennedyfinancialservices.com or fill in the assessment form at

www.kennedyfinancialservices.com

42

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

SOLTIMES FEBRUARY 2013

OPEN for business

tel: 950 930 900 968 969 962 Solar Hot Water & Pool Heating Full Heating Installations Water Treatment Systems Water Deposits & Pumps

Solar Oil Gas Solid Fuel pellet

fully legal company with public liability insurance carlos.saliente@gmail.com • www.carlossaliente.com Cortijo Pipa, Avda de Limaria 1, Limaria, arboleas

Spanish workers are the most stressed-out in Europe, according to research carried out by marketing consulting firm Towers Watson.

Three-quarters of them fear for their financial future and expect to get made redundant in the short- to medium-term and be unable to find another job when they do.

And seven in 10 say they are over-qualified for the jobs they are in, and have no prospects for promotion or pay rises in their current firms.

Nearly a half believe that over the next few years, their companies will reduce staff numbers and squeeze even more hours and work out of those who are left, for the same or less money.

With 74 per cent of workers saying they are feeling the strain in their jobs, this is more than double the average for Europe – 30 per cent – and considerably higher than in 2010, when 43 per cent admitted to suffering work-related stress.

Only a third expect to retire before the age of 65, with the rest believing they will not down tools until as late as age 69.

Spain’s workforce ‘suffers more stress than the rest of Europe’

Over half feel under pressure, overworked, pessimistic, tired, and ‘stuck in a rut’, says the survey.

And six in 10 say they are working considerably more hours now than three years ago, but for the same money or even less.

Around half of those interviewed are already worrying whether they will have any kind of pension, let alone enough, when they retire, given that long periods of unemployment mean they are not paying into the Social Security system during these times and not therefore contributing towards their State pensions.

Nearly all Spanish workers quizzed said they did not expect the job situation and the economy to improve in the next few years, and around half said they thought it would get worse.

On average, in Europe, 52 per cent are worried about their financial future – but half as many again are concerned about what the next few years will hold for them in terms of money coming in.

Towers Watson found that in Europe as a whole, where workrelated stress affects three in 10, even though this is less than half the number in Spain, this ‘epidemic of the 21st century’ still costs the EU economy 20 billion euros a year.

PUCKER PLASTERING & Tiling

Damproofing and SIKA TANKING Specialist Guaranteed British quality internal plaster finish

MOBILE VEHICLE VALETING

covering all aspects of: Rendering, Plastering, Floor Screeding, Morticem, Partition Walls, Tape & Joint, Dry-Lining, MF Ceilings, Re-Skims, Coving, Cornice & Mouldings 28 years Experience in the trade 9 years in Spain English & Spanish Fluent

PART & FULL VALETS - T CUTS & POLISHING - INTERIORS UPHOLSTERY CLEANING - SOFAS AND RUGS

697524238

puckerplastering@hotmail.com covering Baza to Mojacar

TNT

Upholstery

New Walls New Roofs Structual Alterations professional bricklayer Building for you Phone Gerard - 626 730

POOL SHOP

Mix & Match

any 2 Tubs Of either Multi, Shock or Chlorine tablets for just 36€ tighten up on security with an alarmed paddlock at ony 15€

FIND US In Longo’s Courtyard

Shop: 950 104 345 or Maintenance: 637 582 696

Euro Painters Spain

Established 7 years in Mojacar/ ALbox area

House in need of a paint?

Call for a free quotation with Price Guaranteed.

Special offer on 2/3 bed villa, inc up to 10 rejas and all repairs.

All work undertaken References available

Call Jim on 677 557 190 or email: europaintersspain@gmail.com

764

swift transport • Deliveries to / from UK • Monthly runs • Local deliveries also available

Wayne English

spain-uk-spain 07857 484886 Uk +34 618 511 234 Spain

full / part loads uk shopping swift.transport@rocketmail.com

• 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 S.M.S. BUILDING MAINTENANCE

All Building Work Undertaken Garages, Patios, Boundary Walls, Cladding Driveways, Tiling plus more...

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SOLTIMES FEBRUARY 2013

Barclays bank chief to waive bonus

The chief executive of Barclays bank, Antony Jenkins, is to waive his bonus for last year. He said it would be wrong for him to receive a bonus, given what had been a “difficult” year for Barclays.

It is thought Mr Jenkins was in line to receive about £1m of a potential maximum entitlement of £2.75m.

Mr Jenkins took over as chief executive last August, just as Barclays was being rocked over mis-selling scandals and other issues. He said in a statement: “To avoid further unnecessary public debate on this matter, I wish to make clear that I concluded early this week that I do not wish to be considered for a bonus award for 2012 and I have communicated that decision to the board. The year just past was clearly a very difficult one for Barclays and its stakeholders, with multiple issues of our own making besetting the bank. I think it only right that I bear an appropriate degree of accountability for those matters and I have concluded that it would be wrong for me to receive a bonus for 2012 given those circumstances.”

Mr Jenkins’ total potential pay package, including pension, basic salary, and incentives, was £8.6m.

Banks are currently reviewing the size of bonuses for senior staff, and there were reports this week that Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS), which is 82% owned by the government, will set aside £250m for payments. Last year, RBS’s chief executive, Stephen Hester, waived his bonus for 2011 and in June said he

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Chancellor George Osborne told the BBC chief economics correspondent, Hugh Pym, that he welcomed Mr Jenkins’ announcement. Mr Osborne said: “All the banks need to understand it is a very difficult economic environment out there, that they have to be very sensible about their pay this year given that.”

Commenting on the bonus situation for senior employees at RBS, the chancellor added: “Stephen Hester, the chief executive of RBS, has already decided not to take his bonus. I think RBS need to pay attention to the times we live in, and I’m confident they will.”

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It IS Richard III

Scientists reveal DNA results confirm 15th century king’s body has been found under a car park in Leicester

A skeleton found beneath a Leicester car park has been confirmed as that of English king Richard III. Experts from the University of Leicester said DNA from the bones matched that of descendants of the monarch’s family.

Lead archaeologist Richard Buckley, from the University of Leicester, told a press conference to applause: “Beyond reasonable doubt it’s Richard.”

Richard, killed in battle in 1485, will be reinterred in Leicester Cathedral.

Mr Buckley said the bones had been subjected to “rigorous academic study” and had been carbon dated to a period from 1455-1540.

Dr Jo Appleby, an osteo-archaeologist from the university’s School of Archaeology and Ancient History, revealed the bones were of a man in his late 20s or early 30s.

Richard was 32 when he died.

His skeleton had suffered 10 injuries, including eight to the skull, at around the time of death. Two of the skull wounds were potentially fatal. One was a “slice” removing a flap of bone, the other caused by bladed weapon which went through and hit the opposite side of the skull, a depth of more than 10cms (4ins).

Dr Appleby said: “Both of these injuries would have caused an almost instant loss of consciousness and death would have followed quickly afterwards.

“In the case of the larger wound, if the blade had penetrated 7cm into the brain, which we cannot determine from the bones, death would have been instantaneous.”

Other wounds included slashes or stabs to the face and the side of the head.

Richard III was portrayed as deformed by some Tudor historians and indeed the skeleton’s spine is badly curved, a condition known as scoliosis. However, there was no trace of a withered arm or other abnormalities seen in the more extreme characterisations of the king.

Without the scoliosis, which experts believe developed as a teenager, he would have been about 5ft 8ins (1.7m) tall, but the curvature would have made him appear “considerably” shorter.

Dr Appleby said: “The analysis of the skeleton proved that it was an adult male but was an unusually slender, almost feminine, build for a man.

“Taken as a whole the skeletal evidence provides a highly convincing case for identification as Richard III.” Richard was a royal prince until the death of his brother Edward IV in 1483. Appointed as protector of his nephew, Edward V, Richard instead assumed the reins of power.

Edward and his brother Richard, known as the Princes in the Tower, disappeared soon after. Rumours circulated they had been murdered on the orders of their uncle.

Challenged by Henry Tudor, Richard was killed at Bosworth in 1485 after only two

years on the throne. He was given a hurried burial beneath the church of Greyfriars in the centre of Leicester.

Mr Buckley said the grave was clumsily cut, with sloping sides and too short for the body, forcing the head forward: “There was no evidence of a coffin or shroud which would have left the bones in a more compact position. Unusually, the arms are crossed and this could be an indication the body was buried with the wrists still tied.”

The church was demolished during the Reformation in the 16th Century and over the following centuries its exact location was forgotten.

Despite this, a team of enthusiasts and historians traced the likely area - and, crucially, also found a 17th-generation descendant of Richard’s sister with whose DNA they could compare any remains recovered.

Genealogical research eventually led to a Canadian woman called Joy Ibsen. She died several years ago but her son, Michael, who now works in London, provided a sample.

The researchers were fortunate as, while the DNA they were looking for was in all Joy Ibsen’s offspring, it is only handed down through the female line and her only daughter has no children. The line was about to stop.

But the University of Leicester’s experts had other problems. Dr Turi King, project geneticist, said there had been concern DNA in the bones would be too degraded: “The question was could we get a sample of DNA to work with, and I am extremely pleased to tell you that we could.”

She added: “There is a DNA match between the maternal DNA of the descendants of the family of Richard III and the skeletal remains we found at the Greyfriars dig.

“In short, the DNA evidence points to these being the remains of Richard III.” In August 2012, an excavation began in a city council car park - the only open space remaining in the likely area - which quickly identified buildings connected to the church.

The bones were found in the first days of the dig and were eventually excavated under forensic conditions.

Details of the reburial ceremony have yet to be released, but Philippa Langley from the Richard III Society said plans for a tomb were well advanced.

She said of the confirmation: “I’m totally thrilled, I’m overwhelmed to be honest, it’s been a long hard journey. I mean today as we stand it’s been nearly four years.

“It’s the culmination of a lot of hard work.

I think as someone said to me earlier it’s just the end of the beginning.

“We’re going to completely reassess Richard III, we’re going to completely look at all the sources again and hopefully there’s going to be a new beginning for Richard as well.”

www.soltimes.com

TEST DRIVE citroen ds3

Style, practicality and speed.

Those are the three key qualities of the Citroen DS3 Ultra Prestige that I am testing this week. The moment I clap eyes on the sleek white hatch with blacked out rear windows and detailed alloys, I know that we’re going to get on well.

I can relate to the DS3 because Citroen has taken the hatchback and added its own unique angle, much in the same way that I try to with my writing. No matter what you do in life, if you can stand out from the crowd for all the right reasons you’ll do well and that’s what Citroen specialises in.

The French manufacturer, so my wife, an experienced graphic designer and artist tells me, has taken the DS letters and created a unique logo, splashing it liberally throughout the vehicle. This distinctive emblem can be found in black across the

45

SOLTIMES FEBRUARY 2013

roof while a chrome version can be found on the boot and bonnet. It is also used on the dashboard.

Externally the DS3 is a very appealing package and this is maintained inside.

It’s only available as a threedoor, which is just as well as it would lose its charm if two extra ones were added.

This range topping model has a choice of two engines: a 1.6-litre petrol or a diesel.

There’s a stark difference in performance and economy figures for the pair. The petrol will hit 60mph from standstill in about seven seconds and has a top speed of 130mph. It will return 47mpg; so does the 1.4-litre VW Polo but that takes over four seconds longer to travel from 0-60mph. Diesel drivers are always most interested in economy so the 74mpg is sure to please them while the 9.4secs 0 to 60mph and 118mph top speed is more

than adequate.

As I slide into the superb leather seat that cossets in all the right places, the first thing that catches the eye is the two-tone black and cream leather dashboard. This is mirrored on the seats. The designers have really gone to town on the DS3 and the driver certainly feels they are driving a prestigious vehicle as the name suggests.

There’s a traditional handbrake rather than any of this modern electric nonsense and a very good six-speed manual gearbox. This is a proper driver’s car with some room in the rear, large enough at any rate to fit daughter Harriett in her cumbersome baby seat; although it is a bit of a struggle to get it into the rear due to the front seat not going far enough forward.

For a car of this size more should be made of the room inside. When there are rear passengers those in the front have to have their

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seats so far forward that it is uncomfortable. The boot is only as large as my Fiesta’s while there is less room in the back for rear passengers.

An annoying rattle develops during the course of the test, which my wife reckons comes from the stereo.

But it’s loaded with goodies including cruise control. This is operated by a fixed stalk on the left of the steering wheel, which is a good idea so that it can be easily operated no matter how much the wheel is turned. This function is useful on a long motorway jaunt and it is reasonably reliable when travelling uphill maintaining speed within a few mph. But when travelling downhill it does not hold the set speed; a hindrance in a residential area with speed cameras. Other luxuries include air conditioning, electric windows and a good quality stereo. The black wing mirrors, which contrast beautifully against the white bodywork, automatically fold when the car’s locked as you can see in the video at testdrives.biz. Its boot is large enough to fit the shopping or a briefcase and laptop bag.

Twice I hit my head twice on the black parcel shelf, which

motoring

merges into the black of the cold winter’s night. It seems to be just at the right spot to catch me as I bend down to grab my bags from the boot.

Parkers, the car experts, write: “The Citroen DS3 is the first in a range of very different Citroen models that put the emphasis on style and personality, along with strong performance and driver appeal. Indeed, it has a lot going for it in the looks department: the sharkfin-shaped mid-pillar isn’t traditional – you might even call it quirky – and the overall shape is much slicker than the more sedate C3 on which it is based. The ‘DS’ badge reflects Citroen’s glory days when it built armadilloshaped super saloons with hydro-pneumatic suspension that wafted and wallowed with a sense of occasion that no other manufacturer could match. With its stylish looks

and compact size, it’s easy to see why so many comparisons have been drawn with the popular Mini and Fiat 500.”

Verdict: An excellent driver’s car and those with short friends will have no complaints, especially if they have no need to get anything from the boot!

specification New price range: £14,850 - £20,950 Citroën DS3 (10 on) 0-60mph: 7.1secs Top speed: 130mph Power: 155bhp Economy: 47mpg Fuel tank: 48 litres Watch the video at: www.testdrives.biz

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

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SOLTIMES FEBRUARY 2013

sport

Urcal Golf Society This weeks game was played at a very windy Aguilon with a good turnout from the members.A team game of yellow ball was played with only one of the eight ball returned, but some good scores were posted despite the windy conditions.

The winning team of Stan Whitty,Bob Wormsley,Kieth Thompson and Barry Kilby

came in with a score of 117 points ,three points ahead of the team in second.Nearest the pin was taken by Kieth Thompson on hole 4 must be the new clubs.

after and a good natter to

Nearest the pin in 2 went to Stan Whitty and a super hit on hole14 for the longest drive was won by Dave Edmonds.A couple of shandies in the club house

female interested in joining

Perfect Day for Golf On Wednesday 30th , Badgers were at Macenas Golf for their weekly competition. With absolute perfect weather for golf, high scores were expected.

Topping the winners list for the day was Dave Crothers with 40pts, with in 2nd place was Sheila Watts with 39pts

and in 3rd position was Richard Jones with 37 pts Saturday’s competiton at Macenas was won by Marg Weston with 35pts from Dave Crothers on count back also with 35pts Forthcoming fixtures are Wed 6th Feb Valle de Est, Wed 13th Feb Desert

valle del este golf society Maybe it’s the good weather and the great condition the course in that brings out the competitive edge of the golfers, certainly we have seen some great scores over the past few weeks.

Friday and our monthly medal comp. the winner Kevin Burden gross 76 (hcp5) nett 71 2nd Angela Cherry gross100 (hcp24)

nett 76 3rd Patrick Vickery gross 81 (hcp4) nett 77. Two other players were beaten on count back for 3rd place. nearest the pins Kevin Burden & John Patterson.

On Tuesday we played two comps with some players playing off the white tees and the winner with an excellent score Bob Mearing 33pts (hcp10). In a Texas

end a good day.

Our next game will be played at Desret Springs on the 16th of feb.Any golfers male or our friendly society please contact me by phone Tony Hinds on 647 639 426 or by e-mail torab55@yahoo.com

Springs, Wed 20th Feb Macenas.

Badgers Golf Society also play every Saturday at Macenas.

Guests are welcome to join the society on both Wed and Sat comps and can book in either at Badgers Restaurant on Mojacar Playa or by phone on 950 478 525

scramble the winners were Bob Connell, Brian Calvert & Sue Hull.

Valle del Este is ranked 49th in the top 100 golf courses in Spain way ahead of any other course in the area and indeed ahead of some of La Manga courses.

Enjoy your golf at Valle del Este.

ANGLING NEWS WITH BEACHCOMBER JOHN Boat Fishing.

‘Capitano Brian Cuba’ hadn’t been out on his Garrucha moored boat for over 3 weeks, partner ‘Admiral Phil’ never did manage to get out when he was over this time due to the poor weather we’ve been having.

Brian did get out in the end with mates, ‘Mike the watch’, ‘Geoff the Hat’ and his Rumanian friend Gabriel (he has a bar in Mojacar Pueblo) and with ‘Farmer Rory’ as first mate.

The sea was moderate, a slight wind and current and they eventually had to anchor off the Repsol garage in 80ft as they were drifting SW at a fast rate of knots for the first hour.

It was a good and bad decision. Good because they caught fish by the bag full but bad because, as they were in 80ft, about half were weavers and some big ones to boot. They got the usual suspects, pandoras, loads of small red snappers and one quite decent one, too many pickerel and just one mackerel. At one point they had four dangerous weavers on various rods at the same time. It got quite hectic and not a little stressful as Brian was up and down the boat trying to release them one

at a time.

They had a really good morning all things considered and finished where they started at 9am, in the ‘Pensionisters’ Bar with their strong coffee. The perfect end.

Shore Fishing.

As I’ve been away I’ve not heard from any of the beach fishing boys so nothing to report.

Coarse Fishing.

‘Baza Barry’ fished one of his favourite trout rivers north of Negratin and caught a few small ones plus a 5lb barbel. He said it’s not like the old days when he would regularly see or even hook 8lbers. Didn’t often land the biggies though as the rivers are full of snags. ‘ Puentes Ray’ fished his namesake lake (Not time to try somewhere else Ray?) Weather forecast was good so he set off early to make most of day. Set up with a Preston Carbon active C series feeder rod and using hair rigged sweetcorn on size 12 Kamasan B911 hook with the newly acquired Dynamite Baits ground bait and Scopex additive prepared for a good days fishing .

Water levels dropped about 18 inches since his last visit but the weather was

fine and wind about 8km/ hr. He waited 2hrs for the first fish but was rewarded with 7.1/2lb mirror then the weather changed, wind got up to a real gale about 40km/hr and Ray just had to batten things down and sit it out. By about 2pm the wind dropped and he continued to fish. He caught another six fish during rest of the afternoon, all slightly better quality than usual with the smallest about 3.1/2lb. By 5pm the wind had started to blow again so Ray decided to call it a day. Ray says he’s looking forward to fishing in the spring as he has a lot of things he wants to try.

There are some big fish in that lake Ray so have a go around spawning time when their guard might be down, especially the males.

See photo of Ray and a Puentes mirror carp.

Two matches in Murcia produced winning weights of 14lbs and 26lbs. As usual tough winter conditions.

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 or/and don’t want to do the 24 hour course in Spanish, see me for more details. The similar loophole we had for beach and boat fishing has closed for 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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SOLTIMES FEBRUARY 2013

ALBOX DARTS LEAGUE Here are the results of the semi finals of the Ron Cook k/out: El Frax 4 v 3 El Cordobes La Cinta 1 5 v 2 Pabolos Congratulations to El Frax & La Cinta 1 for getting through to the Final which will be played at a venue & date to be decided.

Commiserations to the

loosing semi finalist’s.

Captains and Deputies Regards Andy Martin Secretary to Albox & District Darts League Mobile 652 580 695 For On-line results go to http://www.alboxinfo.com/ albox-darts.php

Marina Phoenix GS Marina Phoenix Golf Society win the ladies division with is the new name for the club run by Marina Members.

The club will continue to run competitions on Mondays and Thursdays but will also incorporate away days to other courses. A major change will allow non Marina Members to play in the weekly competitions as a visitor or join as a member.

The greenfee cost will be €25, only with the society, as opposed to €38 normally.

Since the serious storm damage to the course several members have taken a year out from their course membership to allow the fairways to recover.

OLYMPIC TOTANA 2 HUERCAL OVERA CF 1

The weekends early kick off saw Huercal Overa CF travel to Olimpic Totana and come away with nothing but the realisation that a Striker is needed after the departures of Campanas and Amarilla in January.

The game began with Totana having control which was to be expected as they are the home side in a battle at the wrong end of the table, but in the 10th minute Huercal Overa had the first chance at goal with Sele flying down the left wing and firing high and over the Totana goal.

Shortly after Totana had 2 fantastic chances to open their account when a mistake in the Huercal Overa area fell to Antonio Martinez but he fired against the bar on the first occasion then a good save by Michel saw the 2nd chance go begging. Then in the 25th minute Antonio Martinez again took control of the ball in the area after a neat take down on his right foot then found net driving low past a helpless Michel.

The second half was initially controlled by the visiting side who came out fighting looking for a leveller, with some good work at the back and in the centre of the park the truth was that with a solid base Huercal Overa didn’t have the cutting edge in attack. Then in the 50th minute Totana doubled their lead when smooth work

on the right by the Totana winger spray the ball to the opposite side of the pitch where it was met by Jose Agustin who coolly slotted past Michel to make it 2-0…..

Huercal Overa did respond in the 75th minute through Sele with a wonderful strike but with nothing more in attack the result stayed at 2-1 to the home side.

This result saw Totana (22pts) come to within a point of Huercal Overa (23pts) in 13th and 14th position in the league respectively but with the teams below failing to take chances to bridge the gap Huercal Overa find themselves 9 points above the relegation zone with some tough fixtures coming up. The next match is at El Hornillo in Huercal Overa on Sunday the 10th of Feb at 16:30 against a strong Mar Menor side. For full details on Huercal Overa CF goto www.huercaloveracf.com or contact leerickardgraham@ outlook.com for full details on local football.

Currently the club are working hard on the course, the greens have been treated and seeded and the whole area has had an application of fertiliser.

We continue to play competitions on the full 18 holes and on Monday 28th January the stableford competition saw Liz Balmforth hit top form to

39 points, from Maxine Mayhew 32 and Margaret Budd 30. The mens division was won by Jim Budd (36) on countback from Ali Mahmud (36) with Brian Mayhew (34) third.

Thursday’s team competition, played in threeballs, was best two to count; 1st Frank Varey, Elmar Trappen and Hylton Smith 81 pts 2nd Jim Budd, Maxine Mayhew and Alan Boxer 80 pts 3rd Brian Mayhew, Margaret Budd and Val Cooke 71 pts 4th Steve Entwhistle, Steve Lyons and Rosalie Fardon 70 pts To play with Marina Phoenix ring Jim on 950 162 727 / 600 353 670 or Rosalie 950 397 117/ 697 512 882.

Competitions are Monday (individual) and Thursdays (team comp). The green fee cost is €25.

Forum Golf Society Forum Golf Society´s latest outing, a Double Par Medal at Aguilon on January 29th could not have been played in more ideal conditions, with beautiful clear blue skies, temperature in the low 20s and hardly a breath of wind, yet every player struggled to score well, with not one single person playing anywhere near their handicap, obviously we are all getting far too used to the howling gales that have been present over the past few weeks and consequently cannot cope with decent golfing weather !

There were a few exceptions however to the general malaise, most notably our day´s winner Keith Ryder who won with a creditable net 74. Adrian Lawrence took second ahead of Adrian

SOL TIMES COSTA ALMERIA

SALES HQ: 902 750 190/950 121 936 OPEN: Mon-Thurs 10am-5pm Fri 10am-4pm ALBOX, ARBOLEAS, ALFOQUIA ROQUETAS, ALMERIMAR coastal & mojacar areaS EDITOR: editor@soltimes.com ~ DESIGN:production@soltimes.com

Ball in third after both scored 75s, with Lee Coxon (76) fourth & Brian Gyer (77) fifth. Nearest the pins were won by Terry Moore, Phil Elam, Derek Manning & Ann Lawrence, with a special mention also for Peter Tinsley who won the day´s Blue tee competition with a net 75.

Forum´s upcoming fixtures are February 8th Team Lone Ranger at Lorca February 22nd Stableford at Alboran March 8th Aguilon

Stableford

at

For further information, contact Phil Elam on 666 847840 / philjelam@ yahoo.co.uk, or see www. forumgolfsociety.webs.com

Sol Times Almeria is independent of political parties, private investment and government. Our policy is to provide readers with a news and information service that is fair, accurate and balanced. Sol Times Almeria is an independent publication. Published weekly and produced exclusively in Almeria. Sol Times News Group cannot be held responsible for claims made by advertisers, nor can it be held responsible for errors in advertisements caused by poor quality text, photographs or layout instructions. Furthermore, no responsibility can be accepted for any loss or damage resulting caused by any error, inaccuracy or non-appearance of an advertisement.

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•A fter their latest win (1-0 at Fulham) Manchester United now hold a massive nine-point lead at the top of the PL and are on course to win their 13th title in 20 years.

• Neighbours and second-placed City lost further ground after a 2-2 draw with Liverpool.

• Elsewhere, Frank Lampard’s 197th goal for Chelsea was insignificant as they lost at Newcastle, … Tottenham beat ten-man WBA… Arsenal, Reading and West Ham also won… the games between Everton and Aston Villa, Wigan and Southampton & QPR and Norwich ended in draws.

• Cardiff are ten points clear of Leicester in the Championship…Tranmere and Port Vale top Leagues One & Two… Celtic are still the Scottish Cup but Rangers are out.

• Mali have knocked South Africa out of the African Cup of Nations for the third time running… £19m signing Mario Balotelli scored twice on his debut for AC Milan who beat Udinese 2-1… Jose Mourinho wants to ‘come back home’ (to Chelsea)… and tonight England play Brazil at Wembley to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the FA. • In Rugby’s Six Nations tournament, England beat Scotland for the fourth year running; Italy stunned France in Rome and Ireland, with Brian O’Driscoll’s record-breaking 46th try, defeated the reigning champions Wales in Cardiff.

• Holders England lost their first match to Sri Lanka but won their second v. India in the women’s cricket World Cup. • On Friday, South African Graeme Smith will become the first player to captain his country in 100 Tests (v Pakistan).

• Vijay Singh is under investigation by the PGA for using Deer Antler spray which contains a muscle enhancing substance.

• In the Phoenix Open, Phil Mickelson missed his putt on the 18th green and so failed to join the exclusive band of stars who have carded a round of 59. He had seven birdies in his first nine holes.

• Stephen Gallacher (Scotland) won the Dubai Classic only his second title in 18 years.

• Over 40 million TV viewers saw two superb touchdowns (one of them after a 108-yard run) as the Baltimore Ravens beat the San Francisco 49ers 34-31 to win the American Super Bowl in New Orleans.

• Ferrari boss Luca Di Montezemolo said Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel will NEVER be partners in his team.

• Thomas Berdych and Lukas Rosol (Czech Republic) beat Stanislav Wawrinka and Marco Chiudinelli (Switzerland) in the longest-ever game in Davis Cup tennis history. Their doubles encounter lasted seven hours, two minutes.

• GB’s Elsie Christie won her sixth medal of the season with bronze in the 1,500m short-track speed skating World Cup in Sochi.

Transfer Deadline Day Over 100 players found new clubs last Thursday with Balotelli to AC Milan (above) and David Beckham to Paris St-Germain hitting the headlines. ‘Becks’ signed a five-month deal and will donate his wages, £3.4m, to a children’s charity in Paris.

Arsenal signed Malaga’s full-back Nacho Monreal for £10m…Birmingham & England goalkeeper Jack Butland moved to Stoke for £3.5m… Chris Samba and Jermain Jenus joined to QPR …Danny Graham switched from Swansea to Sunderland…. And Newcastle signed five French players (one of them, Moussa Sissoko, hit a lastgasp winner against Chelsea last Saturday).

Meanwhile, the WBA striker Peter Odemwingie drove to London in the hope of joining QPR. But there was no deal and his manager, Chairman. Team-mates and fans weren’t at all happy.

ACTION THIS WEEKEND….Manchester play Everton at Old Trafford, rivals City visit Southampton, Chelsea meet Wigan, Arsenal go to Sunderland, Liverpool face WBA (Monday) and Spurs entertain Newcastle. And on Friday there’s a top-of-the-table Championship clash between Watford and Crystal Palace.

Also on Saturday/Sunday, in the Six Nations, it’s Ireland v England, France v Wales and Scotland v Italy.

48 SOLTIMES FEBRUARY 2013

Rafael Nadal

Former world number one set for comeback The last time we saw Rafael Nadal competing hydrotherapy and laser treatment.

“The tendon is like a big thick rope made up of lots and lots of strands,” said Lee Herrington, physiotherapist with the English Institute of Sport and senior lecturer in sports rehabilitation at the University of Salford.

Surgery was quickly ruled out and the plan was to give the tendon time to repair, while gradually building up strength through physiotherapy,

Nadal returns in the low-key surroundings of Vina del Mar, the first clay-court tournament of 2013, and will move on to Sao Paolo in Brazil and Acapulco in Mexico. He will be up against the likes of Juan Monaco, Nicolas Almagro and David Ferrer during his ‘Latin American Swing’.

Nadal insists it is all about testing the knee at first, rather than results.

“I’m very excited to get back to feeling what it’s like to play in a tournament, [but] I do it with the uncertainty of seeing how my knee responds,” he said. “I need time for rehabilitation and to see if it holds up to maximum competition.”

If he comes through the clay, Nadal will then travel to the United States for a real test of his knee on the hard courts of Miami and Indian Wells, before the European clay-court season that culminates with the French Open in May. Whether he can lift the trophy at Roland Garros for an eighth time will say a great deal about his future prospects.

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on a tennis court, he was the victim of one of the biggest shocks in the sport’s history. A knee injury has led to an enforced absence that will finally end, after 222 days, when Nadal steps onto the clay courts of Vina del Mar in Chile to play doubles on Tuesday. The 11-time Grand Slam champion, who missed 10 weeks in 2009 with a similar injury, will then resume his singles career 24 hours later. Three weeks after his Wimbledon defeat, Nadal pulled out of the Olympic Games with tendinitis in his left knee, and in September he announced that he had a partially torn patella tendon.

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