Week 128

Edition 128

www.thecourier.es

Friday, August 2, 2013

DOUBLE WHAMMY

Gran Alacant admin row could cost 700k

By Alex Trelinski A British man has been left reeling with a demand for a 5 and a half thousand Euros service charge from a community adminis­ tration firm, in spite of paying another com­ pany.

Fred Seymour, who lives on the Costa Hispania urbanisation on Gran Alacant, has told The Courier that the second phase of the development has been at the centre of a dispute over the last 5 years involving 2 companies called Benfincas and Campo Villadores.

Mr.Seymour estimates that Benfincas is chasing around 700 thousand Euros from his urbanisation, after com­ ing into an area that he claims is administered by Campo Villadores.

“I’ve been paying money dutifully to Campo Villadores

for the last 5 years,” said Mr Seymour “…yet I have been getting demands from this company, Benfincas, for back payments over that period, which include inter­ est charges! I got a demand in January for 5600 Euros,

and I’m sure the next one will be higher”.

Mr. Seymour bought a bungalow 15 years ago on phase 2 of the Costa Hispania development, and said that the different phas­ es of the area, which now amount to 4, all have differ­ ent companies administrat­ ing them, with changes over the years in who does what.

“I refuse to pay what Benfincas want and this would be regarded as crimi­ nal extortion in the UK, but

here in Spain nothing can be done about it. The police don’t seem to be interested at all in dealing with these letters and private legal action costs would be pro­ hibitive”. He added that so far he had not received any legal summons from Benefincas to pay what they say he owes them, but had heard “stories” that two peo­ ple had been threatened with court action.

Mr.Seymour claims that the vast majority of home­

owners in his area are Spanish and that the com­ munity organisation appears to be ambivalent to taking any sort of action.

“To make matters worse, we get serious problems here like raw sewage last week pouring out of the

drains and it is taking days for it to be sorted out.

Irrespective of which admin­ istrators have been in charge in my 15 years here, they all just seem to be in it for the money, and they don’t provide the vital servic­ es we need”

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Friday, August 2, 2013

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96 692 1003 679 096 309 965 99 66 66 E­MAIL office@thecourier.es WEB www.thecourier.es HEAD OFFICE Calle Luis Canovas Martinez 1. Urb Aguas Nuevas, Torrevieja 03183, ALICANTE PHONE: 96 692 1003 Email: office@thecourier.es OPENING HOURS Mon ­ Fri 1030 to 1730 EDITOR Alex Trelinski CONSULTANT EDITOR Donna Gee ADVERTISING SALES 966 921 003 office@thecourier.es TELESALES 966 921 003 679 096 309 Sally Los Alcazares, San Javier 618 391 491 Myra Quesada, Rojales, Torrevieja, San Miguel Tel. 618 583 765 Jean La Zenia, Playa Flamenca, Cabo Roig Tel. 618 898 034 Patrick International Rep 5 Languages Tel 685 901 265 Writers Donna Gee Sally Bengtsson Jeanette Erath Alex Trelinski Dave Silver Tony Mayes John McGregor

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Picture of the Week

JUNGLE DRUMS

PHOTO BY JOHN CARTWRIGHT, Rojales Moors & Christians

PSST…WANT A CHEAP FERRARI?

POLICE have broken up a gang who converted ordinary cars to resemble deluxe models such as Ferraris and sold them on the Internet. Officers raided two garages where the conversions were car­ ried outside Valencia City. They arrested eight people suspected of converting and selling the cars and seized 10 cars, in addition to 17 fake Ferraris and two imitation Aston Martins.

“The fake luxury cars were advertised on two websites for about 40,000 Euros

compared to the more than 200,000 Euros that a genuine model would fetch legally”, according to the police state­ ment. The suspects “themselves made the fibre­glass pieces to transform the cars" and copied the badges of the deluxe models to complete the job.

"The final appearance of the supposed luxury vehicles ­­ in their external and internal design and even in the details of the engine – were perfect copies of the originals," the statement said.

Death at Los Locos

Snail sellers stopped

Three people have been arrested over the illegal sale of snails. Elche police raided premises where 330 kilos of snails were stored in what they described as “deplorable conditions”.

The Helix Aspersa breed was being bought cheaply by the family­run opera­ tion, who then sold them on to whole­ sale companies in Murcia and Albacete.

A man in his early 60’s died from a heart attack on Torrevieja’s Los Locos beach on Monday lunchtime.

Emergency services could not revive him after half an hour of treatment.

Meanwhile, also on Monday, a 76 year old man was saved by lifeguards at Los Alcazares. He was spotted in difficulty at the Espejo­

Manzanares beach and was pulled out, with his lungs filled with water. He was taken to Los Arcos Hospital, where he recovered fully. A few miles up the coast on Tuesday, an 88 year old woman was rescued from the water at Colon beach, Santiago de Ribera, after getting into breathing difficul­ ties.

Officers found unrefrigerated snails in the building as well as dirty conditions, and some of the snails being just kept in a hot car boot. The three people, from the same family, have been charged with a range of offences including not being licensed to keep snails for sale as well as breaking public health and safe­ ty rules.

SEXUAL SLASHER Alicante police have arrested a man who tried to rape and kill a woman in a garage. The 26 year old coshed his 44 year old victim with a hammer and then tried to slash her with a box­cutter, as well as trying to sexually assault her.

She was taken to Alicante General Hospital with a serious stab wound,

whilst the man was stopped by officers who spotted him wandering around naked and covered in blood behind Alicante’s City Hall on the Plaza de Santa Fez last Friday night. He has since been charged with attempted rape and murder. Bail was declined by the judge.

WANTED – MORE HEADLINE NEWS!

DO YOU have a story that might grab the headlines?

What’s all the gossip about round your way? A spate of robberies, perhaps – or maybe you’ve spotted a celebrity in the neighbourhood. Whether your news involves fire, police, ambulance, accidents – or hap­

pier events like family weddings (particularly Golden and Diamond ones!), Just phone the Courier office on 966 921 003 or email office@thecourier.es We’re waiting for your call…and next week’s Front Page story.

Friday Sunny High 30° Low 22° Chance of rain 0% Monday Sunny High 31 Low 22° Chance of rain 0%

Tuesday Sunny High 27° Low 22° Chance of rain 0%

Saturday Sunny High 31° Low 23° Chance of rain 0% Wednesday Sunny High 27° Low 22° Chance of rain 0%

Sunday Sunny High 31° Low 23° Chance of rain 0% Thursday Sunny High 31° Low 21° Chance of rain 0%

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Friday, August 2, 2013

DRIVER COULD HAVE BEEN DISTRACTED THE train driver in last week's crash in Spain was talking on the phone when it derailed, investigators say. The train was travelling at 153km/h (95mph) at the time, investigators at the Court of Justice of Galicia said. Francisco Jose Garzon Amo was speaking to members of staff at the state­owned railway company, Renfe, they added.

Crash investigators had opened the train's "black­box" data recorder to find the cause of the crash, which left 79 people dead. Moments before the accident, the train was travelling at a speed of 192km/h (119mph), the court said in a statement.

Investigators say the brakes were activated short­ ly before the crash. The speed limit on the sharp bend where the train derailed was set at 80km/h (49mph).

"Minutes before the train came off the tracks he received a call on his work phone to get indica­ tions on the route he had to take to get to Ferrol.

From the content of the conversation and background noise it seems that the driver consulted a map or paper docu­ ment," a court statement said.

Mr Garzon is suspected of reckless homicide, but he has not yet been formally charged. He was released from cus­ tody in Santiago de Compostela, where the crash occurred, on Sunday but remains under court supervision. The tran­ script of his questioning appeared on the website of the El

Sick con man

A HEARTLESS fraudster has been arrested after attempt­ ing to pass as the partner of one of the victims of the Galicia rail crash in which 79 people have lost their lives, in order to claim the compensation due to the injured and family mem­ bers of those who died.

The accused, identified only by his initials of R.R.R., tried to claim the deceased victim was pregnant by him, and that she had not been formally identified. He was detained when parts of his statement about the woman in question did not add up. The suspect is said to have four other arrests to his name in relation to fraud and theft.

Pay and destroy

GUARDAMAR’S con­ troversial new pay and display parking machines were hit by vandals last week­ end, who doused some of them in petrol, putting them out of action. The Moncayo beach area seemed to be the worst affected.

Pais newspaper.

In the questioning ­ which took place before the train's "black boxes" were opened ­ he insists he was "not crazy enough" not to try to stop the train. He goes on to say he activated all types of brakes, but it was too late. "Before I lost control, I had everything activated but I saw we were not going to make it."

Answering a question about whether he had been on the phone to the control tower at the time, he responds, "no, no,

RIGGED PUMPS

SPAIN’S petrol companies could be heavily fined if they are found guilty of fixing pump prices. The equivalent of the UK Monopolies Commission, the CNC, has set up two inquiries into the country’s lead­ ing fuel providers over their practices, including the now infamous automatic reduction of prices every Monday.

I don't remember". "Black box" data have since suggested he was on the phone to staff at train company Renfe.

He must appear before a court once a week and was not allowed to leave Spain without per­ mission. His passport has been surrendered to the judge and his licence to drive a train has been suspended.

Under Spanish law, his legal status is that he is suspected of being involved in 79 counts of reckless homicide but has not been formally charged. But officials said he had admitted neg­ ligence by being careless when rounding a bend too fast.

All eight carriages of the train careered off the tracks into a concrete wall as they sped around the curve on the express route between Madrid and the port city of Ferrol on the Galician coast.

On Monday, a mass was held in the cathedral in Santiago de Compostela. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, along with the heir to the Spanish crown, Prince Felipe, and his wife Princess Letizia, joined the griev­ ing families and local residents in the cathedral as the city's archbishop prayed for the dead.

Amongst those killed were a retired schoolteacher from Rojales, Consuelo Iglesias, as well as a couple from Cartagena, Leonor Buendía and José Luis Valeiras, and Aurelio Rodríguez from Calpe.

WALL OF DEATH

ELECTRIC SHOCK

SPANISH electricity prices are going up tomorrow (Saturday) for the 2nd month in a row. A 3.2% rise in tariffs follows July’s increase of 1.2%.

GUARDAMAR GASSED

NATURAL gas comes on tap to parts of Guardamar for the first time next month. The 1.4 million Euro project from the Cegas Company has involved build­ ing a 7 mile distribution network for the town.

MARCA CLOSEDOWN

SPANISH sports TV channel, Marca (run in conjunc­ tion with the popular sports daily paper) closed down on Wednesday due to what the company described as “uncertainty” over terrestrial broadcasting licens­ es on Spain’s TDT system. A shopping channel, La Tienda en Casa, has taken over the frequency.

A 22 year old Columbian­ born man died in the early hours of Monday morning when his car crashed into a wall in the Los Altos area of Torrevieja. He had just left from seeing his girlfriend at 2am when his Seat Ibiza left

the road and hit the wall. The man died instantly and was not wearing a seat­belt. The noise of the collision was so loud that his girlfriend came out to see what had hap­ pened and witnessed the rescue operation.

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Friday, August 2, 2013

EX-PATS IN SPAIN HAVE Gored alive PASSPORT AMNESIA

British people have more problems with their passports in Spain than in any other country. The UK Foreign Office says that the number of emergency passports issued in Spain is more than 6 thousand, which is over a fifth of their world total.

Just in May, 493 emergency pass­ ports were issued to British nationals in Spain, including 280 as a result of theft (mainly bag theft), car break­ins, burgla­ ry and pick­pocketing. Of the 213 emer­ gency passports issued for other rea­ sons, 14% were because full passports had expired. The high figures have prompted the British Embassy to warn British expats to take care of their pass­ ports, check the expiry date and renew them in good time.

“Living overseas, it can be easy to think that you don't need your passport or to forget to renew it”, says Will Middleton, Consular

Regional Director for Spain.

“But if you need to travel at short notice, getting an emergency pass­ port is both costly ­ currently 116 euros ­ and time­consuming, which can add further to what may already be a stressful situation. And you will still need to renew your full passport when you get back.

Many people fear that by renewing a passport before it expires they will ‘lose out’ on validity they have paid for. In fact any remaining validity on an existing passport (up to nine months) will be added to a new one.”

One person, who had already suf­ fered five lost or stolen passports over the years and received a warning from the Passport Service, decided to keep the latest one safe by storing it in the freezer. Unfortunately it got wet, so he had to get yet another emergency one.

A teenage boy was gored to death in a bull run last Saturday. The 16 year old was fatally injured in his thigh whilst running with the bulls in the village of Isso in Albacete province.

The fiesta celebrates the Apostle James feast, and the 1,100 pound heavy beast was brought in to give the party goers a “run for their money”. The bull's horn pierced through his lower back, stabbing into his liver — causing “copious amounts of blood” to spurt out, according to reports by local media.

Another man was also gored. The 52­year­old was thrown into the air after being hit in his left thigh, but doctors managed to save his leg.

ROAD WOE

A 66 year old man was taken to hospital on Sunday after a collision between a car and a motorbike on the N332 in Gran Alacant. He suffered serious injuries to his face and neck as well as a fractured tibia.

GANGS HIT THE HEIGHTS CRISTINA’S SWISS ESCAPE

HOT RODS

Princess Cristina, the youngest daughter of King Juan Carlos, is moving to Switzerland with her chil­ dren at the end of the summer in a move that should take some of the pressure off her scandal­ hit family.

Princess Cristina will live in Geneva with her four children but not with her husband, the Duke of Palma, Iñaki Urdangarin, with royal sources claim­ ing that the separation is professional and not per­ sonal. She will coordinate the programs run by Spain's charitable La Caixa Foundation in conjunc­ tion with various United Nations agencies based in Switzerland.

Princess Cristina and the Duke have been under immense pressure because of a long­running cor­ ruption scandal involving a charitable sports foun­ dation. Neither she nor her husband have been charged with any crime.

Alicante Province and Murcia have hit the top of the Spanish charts: ­ but not in a good way. The two areas have some of the largest organised crime gangs in the country, along with Madrid, Barcelona, Malaga, and Cadiz.

Security Minister, Francisco Martinez, said that drug run­ ning was the biggest problem, but that Spain was doing well to change the image of it being the drug “Gateway to Europe”.

MAKE MINE A DOUBLE

Spanish drink­drive penalties are set to double. The new law will see a thousand Euro fine on anyone caught driving while under the influence of alcohol or illegal drugs. The Cabinet will ratify the move in the next few weeks.

Meanwhile a clampdown is set to be enforced on drunken walkers! There are reports in the Spanish press that pedestrians may be asked to blow into a breathalyser if they are spotted walking along in

zigzagging lines or in a wobbly fashion. Even if they are unlikely to cause an accident, any person who appears to be under the influence and behaving in an erratic fashion, might be tested.

Another new traffic law is that everybody aged under 18 must wear a cycle helmet whenever they are on their bikes, no matter how far or near they are traveling.

Also, children must use a car seat or use a special seat belt if they are under 4ft 6in, regardless of their age.

A San Javier burglar who specialised in stripping houses made a real slip up when led the Guardia Civil to him. He dropped a betting slip during one of his robberies, which led to his arrest. The 39 year old Moroccan had allegedly robbed at least 14 homes in the Santiago de la Ribera area before being apprehended by the Guardia. The man, who has a criminal record, is said to have concentrat­ ed on holiday houses during the winter season,

pretending to be doing maintenance or pool work to avoid attracting the suspicion of neighbours.

He would in most cases then strip the buildings bare of appliances, kitchenware, light fittings, and even toilets, and then use his “works” van to transport his booty. The Guardia were alerted to the thief when he left his betting slip behind in one of the houses, which allowed them to start track­ ing him.

Stripper makes a slip

12 cars were damaged or destroyed in a fire at a police­run com­ pound outside Murcia City. The fire at the Mayayo compound in El Palmar on Monday lunchtime appeared to start in a van, before spreading further, with Murcia fire­fighters getting the blaze under control. It’s not unknown what caused the start of the outbreak.

Murcia’s war on drink-drivers

Murcia’s Guardia Civil have stepped up patrols to catch drunken driv­ ers especially around the beach roads of San Javier and Los Alcazares. Using a machine that checks on both alcohol and drug lev­ els in a driver’s blood, 53 motorists have been caught over the limit since the start of the Guardia’s summer campaign last weekend, with 3 drivers being taken into custody because of their very high levels.

Across the whole of the Murcia region, close to 2 thousand drivers were tested, with 88 testing positive.

PRICE DROP

Spain’s inflation rate dropped by 0.3% to 1.8% according to July’s fig­ ures. A fall in electricity prices and the price of medicine was behind the reduction.

Friday, August 2, 2013

Tourists “tortured” says Gib

British Foreign Secretary, William Hague has given Spain a strong dressing­down after claims that it deliberately caused massive delays at the Gibraltarian border last week­ end. Hague phoned his Spanish counterpart, Garcia Margallo, after a tense two days where every car was searched leaving the territory.

Gibraltar's government accused Spain of "torture" after thousands of cars were stopped causing six­hour traf­ fic jams in searing heat.

Hague swung into action with a Sunday night phone blast at Margallo over the border chaos, which saw around 10 thousand EU nationals having their car searched.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: "We are aware and very concerned about events at the Spain/Gibraltar border. Over the weekend, our Ambassador in Madrid, Giles Paxman, has raised our concerns with the Spanish Deputy Foreign Minister and we have registered our protest with the Spanish Ambassador in London. The Foreign Secretary has also called the Spanish Foreign Minister Garcia Margallo to express our serious concerns and to urge a speedy resolution to the problems at the border."

Sunday's stand­off is just the latest inci­ dent to raise tensions between the British and Spanish governments over Gibraltar, which has been under British rule since 1713. In recent weeks Spanish police opened fire on a jet­skier in Gibraltarian

waters and Spanish air force jets roared over the territory. The Gibraltar government said the delays had affected thousands of peo­ ple: ­ "The Spanish Government has inflicted these unnecessary delays on the elderly, children and the infirm in up to 30 degrees of heat. This torture has resulted in an ambu­ lance being used to treat people with med­ ical conditions, with a Spanish man having to be taken to hospital with chest pains."

And in an interesting twist, the Mayor of the border town, La Linea, has also slammed the actions of the Spanish authori­ ties, and the impact it has had on her resi­ dents, many of whom work and travel to and from Gibraltar.

Teen’s weapons seized

A Spanish teenager has been arrested for having an on­line business selling hundreds of illegal weapons, some of which he made himself. He was detained by the National Police in the village of Casarrubios del Monte near Toledo for the possession, production and sale of illegal weapons.

Officers at the suspect’s house found over 200 illegal weapons, including flick knives, dag­ gers, knuckledusters, pepper sprays and tasers camouflaged as mobile phones, with the lat­ ter being the biggest weapons online. The teenager made his own knuckledusters using var­ ious moulds, whilst his knife selection also had SS and Nazi inscriptions on them.

The police believe he sold most of his weapons on a website he had set up, which the investigation team first came across in February. The perverse irony is that the young man has continued in the tradition of Toledo’s weapon craftsmanship, as the medieval city is known as the sword and knife capital of Spain.

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Friday, August 2, 2013

editor@thecourier.es COURIER POSTBAG: YOUR VIEWS ON OUR NEWS

Courier, you are a real Cracker!

I RECENTLY wrote to you asking if you could increase the typeface on the Code Cracker puzzle.

I understand that you only have so much space on the page and that the arrangement of all the other puzzles would have to be moved.

Imagine my surprise

then when I turn to my favourite puzzle page and find I am able to see the numbers so much more clearly! NO, I haven't changed my prescription! I don't know what you did but thank you very much!

It's made so much diffe Happy Reader LYNNE WELLS

The welcome hands of Help

THROUGH your Letters Page, I would like to thank Woody for the excellent entertainment he provided for our final meeting of the Social Group Friends Unlimited at The Club in Quesada, before the long summer break.

Thanks to all those who attended the afternoon in their bright and

colourful outfits and for assisting in raising over 200€, making it a true ‘rainbows end’. And to the staff at The Club, for providing the lovely variety of crudities and dips they kindly arranged for us.

HELP is committed to helping in the Vega Baja area, with food parcels to the less fortunate, school books for underprivileged children and amongst other things assistance to other charities in a practical way.

We also provide a free service ­ the visit of a Welfare Officer to a vulnerable per­ son’s own home, to see what can be done to make their life easier.

We also like to look after our members, by providing various benefits when hospi­ talisation occurs and when times are hard, or when the person concerned needs an Interpreter.

To continue to provide these services and goods, we rely on the generosity, not only of members by way of their subscriptions, but also the general public for supply­ ing goods to be sold at our Fayres and the street market in Campoamor.

To the many bars and restaurants who display our collection tins and the busi­ nesses that support us in a number of ways.

Our volunteers in so many you to all the staff – especially diverse ways, who support Ward 15 – for their caring, us in hospital visiting, with compassionate customer manning various events and service, which, like the food, running raffles on our behalf, was first rate. Nothing was too sorting and repairing donated much trouble and I was most items, manning the offices in impressed by the San Miguel and Torrevieja internal communi­ and the Information Desk in cation between La Marina. ward staff and the For over 30 years it has blood transfusion taken a large dedicated team department etc. of volunteers, willing to give I can’t remember the names of all up their time and many cases those who treated expertise to have kept HELP me but they were Vega Baja in the position to fantastic.

From give help to many people Nick the registrar with all sorts of problems and to staff nurse Steffi particularly in times of crisis and all her colleagues, med­ and emergency.

Thanks to you all, the ication dispensers, support unsung heroes workers and catering staff, Ron Perrin, President, please take a bow. You are a HELP Vega Baja credit to your profession...and

OSBORNE - WORST CHANCELLOR EVER For better or nurse, Britain is still tops for hospital care

I’VE been reading Tony Mayes’ articles for a while now but I need to answer as he is completely wrong This government we have now are useless. The economy hasn’t grown, the NHS was better off with Labour ­ they never tried to kill it off and the waiting lists were much smaller in their time.

We need to get rid of the Tories, who are decimating the country and we need Labour back. Let the rich pay their way and leave the poor, who work hard for what they get, and stop immigration.

Let the banks pay for the dam­ age they did and stop the rich get­ ting away with taxes.

In George Osborne, we have the worst ever Chancellor who is com­ pletely useless. He is borrowing more money than ever and hasn’t done a thing for the economy.

Please start telling the truth and we can start to rebuild Britain one day.

M DONOVAN

GEORGE OSBORNE...he’s done nothing for the UK economy

ITV inspections: A subtle difference

I HAVE just read the letter written

by Derek Monks, councillor for Rojales, re ITV in the Valencian Community.

Whilst the facts are mostly correct, he has made a critical error that potentially affects anyone reading the article and is worrying.

It is true that in theory (may I point out that ONE fine has been imple­ mented in the very north of Valencia, adjoining La Mancha), an ITV carried out in another region is technically not compliant with Valencian Government regulations ­ something that has attracted the attention of

thousands of Spaniards about har­ monisation of national laws.

However, the simple difference is the additional Sound (db) test that is compulsory (only) in this region.

Anyone with an ITV from ANY other community can present their vehicle at ANY ITV in this area and for a charge of around 11€ they can receive the necessary document without going through a full NEW ITV inspection, contrary to what Mr Monks implies.

I hope you can see the subtle dif­ ference.

PHIL HUGHES, El Raso

EVERYONE seems to be hav­ ing a snipe at the NHS in England these days but the failing is the system, not the staff – as I became acutely aware recently.

I travelled to the UK for my grandson’s first birthday party, only to suffer dizzy spells and shortage of breath. I visited a GP who sent a blood sample for testing – and within 24 hours I was in Airedale General Hospital near Keighley, West Yorkshire.

My red blood­cell count, which should have been about 15, had plummeted to 5.9.

Three.bags of blood eventual­ ly stabilised my condition and I was then admitted to Ward 15.

After six days of care during which I had more blood trans­ fusions, plus various medical tests and treatment, I was dis­ charged last Thursday…as fit as a butcher’s dog.

I just want to say a big thank

prove that NHS staff can still teach their S panish counterparts a thing or two.

BARRY NEWLOVE, Torrevieja

DON’T FORGET, WE NEED YOUR DETAILS Letters and emails will only be considered for publication if an address and contact number are provided to confirm authenticity

Friday, August 2, 2013

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YER ‘AVIN’ A LAUGH!

SMILE please, Britain – you are hereby voted the world’s most mis­ erable nation.

And 60 million passports will tell you why.

What possible reason could there be for slapping a blanket ban on smiling for photo­ graphs?

It distorts your face, did someone say?

Rubbish, mine is distorted when I’m NOT allowed to smile (see hideous new passport photo below).

Certainly we plebs spend a lot more time smiling than the sourpusses who make the rules.

The ban on smiling has to be the most ridiculous piece of bureaucracy on the plan­ et.The UK Passport Office is ‘avin’ a laugh at the expense of us physical wrecks who spend much of our dotage desecrating offi­ cial forms with handwriting that even a dyslexic GP would be ashamed of.

I’ve spent the last fortnight trying to apply for a new passport. My Parkinson shakes prevent me filling in the boxes accurately, so I had the forms completed for me by friends.

Smile at your peril: My new passport pic ­ if the background is accepted

Ban on passport smiles sums up UK

Both turned out to be the wrong ones.

Last Friday afternoon the application finally winged its way into the courier’s (no, not The Courier) sack at the Post Box in Dona Pepa, heading for a destination I’ve never visited – Belfast.

With the help of the Post Box’s Sonia Knightsbridge, I finally managed to get the correct form off at the third attempt ­ along with two photos of me in mega­misery mode as ordered by the government job­ sworths.

But why? What is the problem with smil­ ing? What difficulty can it possibly cause?

Do the plonkers who think up the rules fear our photos will be nicked by an IRA terrorist group and that one of their mem­ bers will metamorph into a Donna clone, complete with geriatric passport?

For the elderly and the thick (I probably qualify on both counts), there’s nothing more stressful than filling in forms.

Particularly for things like passports.

I’m still me, same as I was 10 years ago but with a few more wrinkles. So why can’t they just send me a replacement one that will last until the day I fail to dodge that damn coffin?

It would take just a couple of minutes at both ends. I’d send my old passport to them with a new photo (smiling – I don’t do misery) and they’d clone it and amend the start and expiry date.

Result ­ one damsel in de­stress, one highly efficient Passport Office showing its seamless style.

Instead, we have government goons laying down a law that passport pictures must have a “plain cream or light grey background’’.

My miserable mug had a backdrop of pale blue but Sonia reckoned we should take the risk, rather than have a new photo taken and get it endorsed again. What

price me now having to start again…yet again?

For all the stupid rules laid down by the world’s best bureaubrats (pun intended), Spain’s red tape is miles longer than the UK’s. But at least senile Spanish stressheads can relieve the tension by stamping their passport photo with a big grin.

The UK Passport Office has more serious business for us Brits ­ particularly the jolly Joes whose lips are infected by excess pho­ togenic happiness. The Third Reich Photographic Department could not have worded it better. Just read this…

“You must send 2 identical photos when applying for a passport.

Rules for photos

Before cash was King...

ISN’T it infuriating to see crazy money being chucked around the world of profes­ sional football ­ and ticket prices for the new season presumably zooming even higher into the stratosphere?

One day it will all come crashing around their feet (where else?) and footballers will again become human beings like the rest of us.

At present, both England and Spain are producing a colony of spoilt multi­million­ aire ball kickers, most of whose brains are planted firmly in their boots.

A couple of weeks ago I interviewed an expat former footballer who, had he been playing today, would probably have enough in the bank to keep his family in luxury for life, along with half the popu­

lation of the Welsh capital.

Peter King made 400 appearances for Cardiff City in the top two divisions of the English League during the 60s and 70s. He even starred in a Cup Winners’ Cup victory over mighty Real Madrid...on little more pay than the aver­ age working man.

Invalided out of the game at 32, he spent the rest of his working life in the prison service before retiring to the Costa Blanca a few years ago.

Can you imagine Wayne Rooney or Rio Ferdinand ever working for a living? The nearest those two are likely to get to the rat­race is model­ ling for World’s Ugliest Men magazine.

But let’s not speak evil of the dead­from­the­neck­up.

It’s not their fault that

Rooney, Rio and Co earn more money than they can ever count (which in Rooney’s case I suspect is not a great deal).

All the megabucks trans­ fers and wheeler­dealing have seen greedy agents take the game to the edge of disaster.

The great hope for the fans is that Sky TV’s latest astro­ nomical investment in the game will effectively cap tick­ et prices.

It wasn’t like that in Peter

King’s day. He joined Cardiff ­ who won promotion to the Premier League in May ­ around the time they last reached the top flight in 1960.

The manager who got them there, unsung Welshman Bill Jones, would bid everyone good evening after work each day ­ and head off to catch a bus to his Barry home.

What a difference half a century makes...

THE nightmare is over. I am beginning to come to terms with the fact that I put on over a stone during my post­diet celebrations.

I was so excited to have reached my goal weight that I went berserk with the choco­ late and gooey stuff. But I’ve slapped a life ban on the goo ­ and already shed three kilos of the excess.

q

Photos must be professionally printed and 45 millimetres high by 35 millimetres wide.

You can’t use photos cut down from larger pictures.

The photos must be: • in colour on plain white photographic paper • taken against a plain cream or light grey background • identical • taken within the last month • clear and in focus • without any tears or creases • unmarked on both sides (unless a photo needs to be countersigned) • unaltered by computer software The image of you Photos should show a close­up of your full head and shoulders. It must be only of you with no other objects or people.

The image of your head ­ from the crown of your head to your chin ­ must be sized between 29 millimetres and 34 millimetres deep.

Your photo may be rejected unless it shows you: • facing forward and looking straight at the camera • with a neutral expression and your mouth closed • without anything covering the face • in clear contrast to the background • without a head covering (unless it’s worn for religious or medical reasons) • with eyes open, visible and free from reflection or glare from glasses • with your eyes not covered by sunglass­ es, tinted glasses, glasses frames or hair • without any shadows in the picture Sonia, who’s a dab hand at helping codgers like me with their passport forms, reckons I’ll have my new passport in two or three weeks. I wish I had her faith.

More likely, I’ll get a phone call ordering me back into the plain grey zone – and demand­ ing I remove the pale blue backdrop.

What price the misery mob won’t be based in Belfast, but on the Isle of Moan or perhaps the Scilly Isles.

And I bet they’ll be smiling.

8

Friday, August 2, 2013

“LIAR” RAJOY STAYS PUT Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy derided as a liar by the opposition leader, rebuffed calls that he resign as he confronted corruption allegations in Parliament yesterday Rajoy denied any wrongdoing and said opposition leader Alfredo Perez Rubalcaba was jeopardizing Spain’s financial stability by slamming the gov­ ernment over reports the gov­ erning Partido Popular operated a slush fund for senior officials.

“I made a mistake in continuing to trust someone who we now know didn’t merit that,” Rajoy told the Spanish parliament in an extraordinary debate in Madrid. “I trusted him and I sup­ ported him. That has been the sum total of my role.”

Former party treasurer Luis Barcenas told the National Court last month that he helped manage a secret fund for 20

years. He named Rajoy among the officials who received pay­ ments and gave the court hand­ written ledgers.

“I won’t resign from the respon­ sibility that a large majority of the Spanish people handed to me at the last election,” Rajoy told Rubalcaba. “The poverty of your arguments and the strength of my case is such that I haven’t even considered the possibility.”

“You lied,” Rubalcaba told the Spanish premier. “Even if Mr Rajoy did not respect parlia­ ment”, he said, "he should respect the intelligence of Spaniards".

“You are politically corrupt,” said Catalan lawmaker Joan Coscubiela.

And Rosa Diez, leader of the Union for Progress & Democracy, told Rajoy that his speech “was shameful.”

9

Friday, August 2, 2013

YOU’VE READ THE ARTICLES, WONDERFUL WONDERFUL COPENHAGEN NOW SEE THE MOVIE! Spain’s over­40’s cricket team had a trip to remember to Copenhagen as they bowled over their opponents in a 20/20 competition as well as a 40 over per side tournament.

The Spanish team, made up of British play­ ers, enjoyed the cricket and the excellent weather at the Svanholm Park stadium in Denmark’s capital, as they battled against teams from the home country, Sweden, Holland, and England.

They came 2nd in the 20/20 event, though

It may not quite be the big screen, but the story of the Rojales­based Easy Horse Rescue Centre is now told on a brand new DVD! Produced by Viva TV, the documentary tells the story of how the centre was started

by Sue and Rod Weeding when they came across a horse that was kept in a dreadful state.

The DVD features all the work that goes on at the Centre including all the profes­ sionals that look after and treat the horses like the vet, dentist, and farrier, as well as the day to day running of the operation.

they claimed the moral high ground, as the victorious Swedish team fielded a number of players aged under 40! And the Spanish players shone through the 40 over per side contests, winning both their matches.

The trip would not have been possible but for the support given by Cricket Espana, in addition to sponsorship from 2 companies based in Torrevieja’s Park of Nations:­ namely Ricos Bar Restaurant and SJ & A Printing Services.

The disc also features some emotional footage of the horse rescues that have taken place over the last 5 years, in addi­ tion to interviews with the volunteers and what goes on at the many Open Days, as well as contributions from Sue and Rod Weeding about the work of the EHRC Foundation.

The 35 minute DVD is on sale for just for 7 Euros at all of the EHCRC charity shops in Quesada, Guardamar, Los Montesinos, La Zenia and the San Luis Urbanisation in Torrevieja, as well as at the Centre every Sunday afternoon during the Open Days.

Chip in for Crohn’s with a crisp September walk

WALKERS don’t only make crisps…they also raise money for worthy causes. That’s why a new call has gone out to the 23 happy El Raso wanderers who raised $1,400 for research into Crohn’s Disease in May. Susan Reader, the indefatigable fundraiser who organised the May Fun Day, is now working on a 5k Walk on September 15 – and this time she wants FIFTY people on the march.

You don’t have to be from El Raso, either.

Sponsorship forms are available from Bar Sofia in El Raso or email sueinthesun@hotmail.co.uk or donna@thecourier.es and you will be sent a sponsorship form by email.

Says Susan: “We would like to encourage every walker to get some sponsors but for those of you who can't then just come along on the day and pay a €5 registration fee .

“All sponsorship and registration money will go straight to CICRA (the Crohn’s In Children Research Association). If you plan to take part, please email sueinthesun@hotmail.co.uk ­ we just want to make sure we have enough beer, bucks fizz and water for you at the stopping point!’’

Seconds out

BULL’S BIG BOOST Going for a song

Torrevieja Hospital’s Oncology department got a 4 and a half thousand Euro boost after a golf day at the Bonalba Golf Club, Mutxamel.

The Anne McGrath Memorial Golf Day was organised by Michael McGrath and Bill Fantom of the Bull Flanagan Golf Society in Quesada. The event was also helped greatly by the staff of Bull Flanagan’s and Charity 4 Charities, with the day being rounded off with a BBQ hosted by the Golf Society.

WOODY LIFTS HIS PECKER FOR BENIJOFAR

The gavel is coming out for the Pilar­based animal charity APAH, as they are looking for items for a special auction this autumn. It’s going to be on Saturday September 21st in the Iceland store car park in San Javier, with Iceland having adopted APAH as their nominated charity for the year.

The APAH team are after any unused items that they could auction­off,

with a 15 per cent cut going to the donator on each item. They hope that will encourage people to drop off things that have been gathering dust in the corner of their homes.

Anyone wanting to bring along items, have until Friday September 20th to make their donation, and you can take the items to the Iceland Store or to APAH's Charity Shops in Pilar de la Horadada and San Miguel de Salinas.

The Benijofar Crisis Appeal got a welcome lift of over 800 Euros after the recent Woody and The Peckers concert at the Restaurante El Alto La Doloros in Guardamar. A packed house enjoyed the

music of the 50’s as well raising money for needy familIes. El Alto’s owner, Andres, made a personal donation of 100 Euros to the Appeal, as well as donating bottles of wine to the raffle.

Life on the ocean waveski

Big Sumo wrestlers caught the eye recently at Los Urrutias beach in a fun day organised by Help Murcia Mar Menor and Caritas. The Sumo fighting proved to be popular for the youngsters, despite the suits being somewhat warm on a hot day! There was lots of enter­ tainment for the whole family with money being raised for local charities.

Russian yachtsmen are going to be wooed to come to the Costa Blanca in an autumn charm offen­ sive. Richard and Anna Plaster from Torrevieja­based Serenity Sailing are flying to St.Petersburg this October, with the message that Torrevieja’s International Marina is the perfect place to take up sailing as a sport.

Their eleven Royal Yachting Association (RYA) accredited cours­ es begin at novice level through to Yachtmaster, and are based at the

Torrevieja Marina.

Anna says, “We are well equipped for Russian speaking students including teenagers. It is important that their certification is international­ ly recognised.

We are actively engaging with Russian sailing schools and lifestyle media. Torrevieja is perfectly placed to become a recognised base for the Russian Federation’s sailing enthu­ siasts, as we have a dedicated Russian desk with Russian­speaking liaison staff.”

10

Friday, August 2, 2013

HALF-BLIND ON A DATE As my pals at the pub would no doubt testify, I have never been comfort­ able at social gatherings.

My problem is making inconsequential conversa­ tion. I find it so difficult. Small talk is too big a hassle for me.

That is why I feel close to Daft Barry. He doesn't con­ tribute much in the chat department either. We both tend to occupy a back seat while the other guys take up the reins of conversation.

As the senior member of our little pub discussion group, Ol' Red Eyes is apt to berate us for our alleged shortcomings. But we don't take him too seriously because, while in mid­flow, he tends to plunge from his stool onto the floor where he dozes for much of the day.

Talk about gravity ruining one's gravitas.

The latest member of our group, Indoor Lou, continual­ ly questions what he's doing in the pub in the first place, mixing with such seriously disturbed people (yours truly excepted, of course).

And all the time, Dave the barman is badgering us to buy drinks. You'd think he'd be content with our stimulat­ ing company but mein host doesn't get off on verbal invigoration. He is stirred only by sterling. Mind you, he does own the pub and has to make a living.

So where was I? Oh, yes. I can't cope much with the small talk. I have one particu­ larly painful memory of once (and only once) chatting up a delightful young lady over a blind­date dinner.

Chatting up? Who am I

kidding? Getting words out of me was like drawing teeth.

My pleasant partner was chattering away merrily about her job, her hobbies, her likes and dislikes.

Then suddenly she stopped talking and stared expectantly at me. Horrified, I realised that it must have been my turn to say some­ thing.

But I had no clue as to what verbals I might con­ tribute to the proceedings.

I started to panic and felt my face beginning to burn.

My heart was banging away like a hyperactive woodpeck­ er with a bouncy rubber beak.

'What do I say?' my inner voice screamed.

And then I uttered the most senseless and indeed insult­ ing line that ever could be spoken on a first date.

'I have a protruding belly button,' I heard myself say.

'So what's your navel like?'

The young lady's smile froze and then melted into a look of pure disgust. She rose to her dainty little feet

and without a word stormed off.

'Let's face it, you're just rubbish on blind dates,' my best friend Eric the dentist observed when we met up later.

'It turned out to be more like a semi­blind date,' I groaned as I felt my right eye swelling shut. 'The bread roll she chucked at me on her way out of the restaurant must have been stale. It felt more like a cricket ball. I just hope she doesn't report me to the dating agency.'

'Or the police,' Eric warned.

There wasn't much left to say following my friend's words of reassurance (!) so Eric the dentist and I sipped our drinks in silence and surveyed our surroundings.

Well, Eric did the surveying. I merely half­surveyed with my good eye.

'It's quiet in here for a Saturday night,' I commented

eventually.

'Just wait for the pubs to shut. Then this casualty department will be heaving,' said Eric. 'And, by the way, the hospital coffee is absolutely awful.'

'I suspected it would be,' I said. 'That's why I opted for the tomato soup from the drinks machine. Mind you, it does taste more like coffee.'

'And my coffee tastes more like tomato soup,' said Eric.

We swapped cardboard cups and continued to wait for the triage nurse to call out my name and deal with my injured peeper.

Having been denied my evening meal, I reached into my jacket pocket for some­ thing to snack on. I fished out some food and bit hard into it. Unfortunately, it was the stale bread roll from my aborted dinner date.

I turned to Eric the dentist.

'Apart from my eye, there'th thomething elth I'm thuffering from. What time are you opening the thurgery tomor­ row?'

11

Friday, August 2, 2013

SAY IT IN SPANISH Learn the lingo - with a little help from JEANETTE ERATH Spanish 82

escribe un libro en español....A...., Paraguay fue ocupa­ do entre 1870 y 1876....P...., Cristóbal Colón descubrió Welcome back, I hope you are enjoying summer América en 1492...A....., Él es respetado.....P..., La comida and getting plenty of practise with your es cocinada a las ocho...P....., Todo el mundo tiene res­ peto por él...A....

Spanish.

I am taking things slowly at the moment for several reasons, the first being that we all need to be sure we understand each lesson before moving on to the next, and also because being summer I am aware that some of you may miss the odd lesson and I don´t want anyone to miss a difficult lesson that will take time to catch up with, such as a verb lesson.

Therefore I will be giving you plenty of revision along with useful lessons that can improve your Spanish, such as todays which has plenty of phrases to get to grips with and which you are very likely to hear once you are speaking Spanish fairly fluently.

But before we get to that here are the answers to last weeks questions, which statements are in the passive (P) and which in the active (A): Hago un pastel con miel.....A......Todos ellos fueron inte­ rrogados....P...., El libro es leído.....P..., La ciudad de Lima fue fundada en 1535....P...., Hiram Bingham redescubrió Machu Picchu en 1911....A...., Varias personas visitan a Juana....A..., Las colonias fueron establecidas hace 200 años...P....., El pastel fue hecho con miel....P...., Nuestra casa fue construida....P...., Mi madre cocina la pizza en el horno....A...., La pizza fue cocida en el horno.....P..., Francisco Pizarro fundó la ciudad de Lima en 1535...A....., Se venden varios coches....P...., Ella lee el libro....A...., Anita cocina la comida a las ocho....A...., Los ingleses establecieron las colonias hace 200 años...A....., América fue descubierta en 1492....P...., Reparo los coches...A...., Los dramas fueron escritos...P...., Ellos venden varios coches....A...., Emilio

Remember the passive means the noun is having an action performed on it my an unmentioned subject, in those senten­ ces such as Varias personas visitan a Juana – varios per­ sonas is the subject and is performing an action on an object Juana, therefore it is active.

This week we are going to learn some idiomatic construc­ tions in Spanish. These are phrases or words that are used in a way not necessarily true to their meaning. Some of these you might have heard of but they are all useful to know: ¡Se acabó! Means that something is considered to be finis­ hed or that the person saying it is fed up with the situation or subject: ¡Se acabó! Ya no hago más deberes hasta maña­ na. It´s English equivalent would be along the lines of ´enough is enough´

Tomar el aire: mean ´to get some fresh air´ but it can be used to signify ´to go for a walk´ : ¡estoy harto de estas cuatro paredes! ¡voy a tomar el aire!

Darse de alta: means to join, become a member or register and it refers to academies, school, electrical companies, etc: lo primero que tienes que hacer es darte de alta de la compañía eléctrica.

Darse de baja: This then means that the subject stops being a member of an organisation, it is also used to signify some­ one who stops work for medical reasons: Aún tienes que darte de baja en la compañía telefónica Buscarse la vida: eans to make a living, it is usually follo­ wed by gerund (_ing) forms: Me busco la vida dando cla­ ses de inglés.

Perder la cabeza: means to lose ones mind or control, it can be used to refer to unusual behaviour: Antonio va a perder la cabeza si no se arregla la situatión Dar en el clavo: means to guess right, hit the nail on the head: has dado en el clavo, yo soy el autor de eso Con ganas: means extremely, ese hombre es rico con ganas Dar igual: means to be the same to, it shows a lack of inte­ rest or preference: ¿Quieres ir a la playa o la piscina? me da igual.

Hacerse un lío: means to get all mixed up, confused: me estoy hacienda un lío con tantos nombres.

Dar a luz: means to give birth: voy a dar a luz en el hospi­ tal There are many idiomatic expressions in Spanish as in English and it would be impossible to know them all, howe­ ver I have tried to include the most used and the most useful, next week we will be talking about idiomatic expressions, and some fun ways to speak Spanish. ¡hasta la próxima!

12

Friday, August 2, 2013

DOGS ARE LIKE HUMANS MOVING HOUSE

We will thankfully be moving soon into our new house in Pinoso, with the renovation work near to finishing.

This is a very important time for dogs, moving into a new home. Many people when moving house are so busy that they forget this. If not done correctly, dogs can find this event stressful too.

Before the big day arrives, it is vital that you introduce your dog to the area and the different smells etc.

Walking your dog in the area of your new home is invaluable to the transition going smoothly for your furry best friend. On the day of the move, walk your dog around the vicinity and then into your home. Dogs view this as migration and it makes sense to them totally.

Rather than just be driven to their new house and ush­ ered into it, the first walk in the area, and then entering your new house will be great for them. We have been lucky in the sense that as

well as walking our dogs in their new area, we have been able to bring them into the house while the work is being carried out. So they are all used to the new house, which will mean that things will go like clockwork for them when we finally live there on a permanent basis.

Billy, my German Shepherd, goes to our new home and just lays down to sleep as usual! Pickle, my Border Collie, is the equivalent of a nosy neighbour, so he just stands out on the balcony looking over the street, to see who is coming and going every minute!

My wife and I are amazed at how friendly Spanish peo­ ple are. The people of Pinoso are extreme­ ly hospitable, like a few days ago when Jean went down to the local DIY shop to buy some

more white paint. She bought the biggest tub they had, which is about twenty litres.

While paying for the paint, the tub slipped from where she had left it and twenty litres of paint started to dec­ orate the poor man’s shop in a matter of seconds! Jean could not apologise enough and the Spanish owner was not in the slightest bit angry.

He just kept telling Jean not to worry and that he

would have it cleaned up in no time. We have never wit­ nessed a more friendlier nation of people in our lives than the Spanish.

Going back to introducing your dog to their new house,

it is also a great idea to fol­ low this technique, when rescuing a dog. Rather than just drive them back to your house and then go straight inside, it is very helpful to your new rescue dog, if you walk them around the area of the new house and then take them inside. This will make your new dog settle a lot quicker. And don't forget the impor­ tance of giving your dogs enough exer­ cise. The amount of questions I get from people stating that their dogs do not stop barking in the house.

Barking, as well as other reasons, is a way for a dog to release pent up ener­ gy from not having enough exercise. Make sure that depending on the type of dog you have, that they are getting enough

exercise. A Husky or a Border Collie, will need a lot more exercise than say a Golden Retriever.

Remember, all breeds of dogs are different, as well as their exercise requirements.

I am available for consul­ tations throughout the Costa Blanca region, if you are having problems with your furry best friend. To book a consultation you can email me at peter@thedogy­ ouneed.com and I will con­ tact you straight away.

We have also set up an animal charity, where we help the most severely abused and injured animals in Spain. If you would be kind enough to donate any­ thing to this special cause you can do by PayPal, where the account details are peter@thedogyouneed.com or to our Nat West charity account, where the sort code is 60­16­03 and the account number is 73754900. Even one euro will help, so please, please, try and support us.

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

PETS’ CORNER: CAN YOU TAKE IN A HOMELESS DOG OR CAT? Alisa an 8 week old mixed breed puppy that will be medium to large when fully grown. She is a very loving, laid back gorgeous puppy that was rescued along with her mum and seven siblings.

For more info: telephone P.E.P.A. on 650 304 746.

Email p.e.p.a.animalcha­ rity@gmail.com

Alisa Brodie an 8 week old mixed breed puppy that will be medium to large when fully grown. She is a very loving, laid back gorgeous puppy that was rescued along with her mum and seven siblings.

For more info: telephone P.E.P.A. on 650 304 746.

Email p.e.p.a.animalcha­ rity@gmail.com

Brodie

CHICO Is a Black and White Belgium Shepherd, almost 2 years old. Chipped with a Passport He is a friendly dog. Please contact K9 or PHONE 600 84 54 20 for more info www.k9club.es

Gertie is a loving young lady born late March 2012 and hand reared. Although she has always been an indoor cat she would adapt to being allowed outside when she wanted to. To meet Gertie please call Joe (The Cat Man) on 966719272.

TAZ, TAZER & TROJAN were featured back in February as part of a litter of 9 week old puppies who had been found abandoned in an old ruin out in the campo. Three of the lit­ ter were lucky enough to find new families quite quickly but this trio of boys have not been so fortunate and are still here waiting to find someone to love. They are now 7 months old and are fully vaccinated and micro chipped.

Please contact the SAT Kennels on 966 710 047 or send us an email to info@satanimalrescue.com for more info about any of these pups. www.satanimalrescue.com

Chico

Gertie

Taz

Tazer

Tojan

Calife is a beautiful 4 yr old pitbull, he has so much love to give but has sadly been over­ looked for so long now and been in the ken­ nels for 18 months.

Calife He is excellent with people and kids, but not great other dogs. Calife has been neu­ tered, chipped and vaccina­ ted. Call: 673 238 974 www.petsinspain.com

Friday, August 2, 2013

13

LÍNEA DIRECTA ADVISES YOU HOW TO ACT IN CASE OF AN ACCIDENT Línea Directa Insurance advises you of the steps to follow in case of a road accident in Spain.

1.

Call the emergency number: 112. They will co­ordinate the procedure and will ask you in detail about the circumstances of the accident.

2.

Remain calm at all times. Switch on the emergency lights and if the state of the vehicle permits, remove the vehicle from the road, in order to avoid delays and further accidents, to the extent possible.

3.

Signal the accident location. Before stepping out of the car, put on your high­visibility jacket, which is compulsory, and place the emergency triangles correctly. The first must be placed about 50 metres behind the car in the direction of the traffic, and the second about 100m.

4.

If someone is seriously injured, never try to move them, except if in danger of fire or imminent explosion. Cover the injured per­ son, keep them calm and wait for the emergency services to arrive.

5.

If the circumstances of the location allow, always fill in the European accident report, which is an essential document for speed­ ing up the procedures and handling between the insurance companies.

If you have any doubt about how to do this, don’t hesitate to call your insurance company.

For more information, Call 902 123 104

14

Friday, August 2, 2013

THOSE LAZY HAZY PRECIOUS DAYS OF SUMMER I have just had a very busy but incredibly fun week. Last Sunday I flew to the UK to collect two VIP guests that are staying with me, and as always it was a long day. Two flights in the space of a few hours but at least there wasn´t too much waiting around in Manchester, where I had time for a quick coffee and then my guests appeared at Terminal 3 where I´d arrived around an hour before. Once the bags were checked in, we headed for some lunch and then it was time to board the plane. The flight back to Spain was uneventful and we arrived back in the balmy evening air where my son was eagerly waiting with my friend who had been looking after him, and after lots of hugs, we wearily headed home.

So the holiday began, and it has been a fantastic week, with days out interspersed with relaxing by the pool. We made it to Rio Safari in Elche and Terra Mitica in Benidorm, along with the obligatory beach day. Tonight is the Moors parade in my town and we will all be going along to experi­ ence Spanish life, and we might even make it to the Christians parade tomorrow too!

These two VIPs are my daughters who live in the UK with their father. This seems strange to many and I have had to field quite a few questions about why they live there and not with me. The truth is that they did come to Spain but they just couldn´t settle, leading me to make a huge sacrifice in letting them go back to their friends and to familiar sur­

roundings. Whether it was the right decision I still don´t know, and I would do anything to have them here with me full time, but the important thing is that they are happy and know that I love them and am here if they need me. They are settled in the UK and they tell me they are happy, which as a mother, is all I wish for. Their happiness has to come before mine, although staying over here has meant I have thought of myself too. But now I have my son, there is no way I would want to take him to live in Britain! The Spanish lifestyle is much healthier for all but especially for young people. It´s safer and I hope as my girls grow, they will con­ sider coming here in the future for longer than a holiday.

Now, as my girls are in the UK, I visit them as much as I can and I make sure they know they are welcome in Spain whenever they want to visit. On Monday, I will take my eld­ est back to the UK but I have my little one with me a bit longer. I say little: ­ she is almost grown up now and my eld­ est is a young lady. Of course I have mixed feelings about them going back to Britain, but I feel the decision I made was the best one at the time and after everything that hap­ pened with my son’s father, it seems it was the right choice.

There is no way I would have wanted them to have been a part of that; it´s bad enough my little man was in the middle of it.

So now I enjoy every day that I spend with them, and they are the reason I go back to Britain. I haven´t visited any

other family members or friends for many years because they are all over the country, and it is too much to travel around. So, I spend my UK time in Manchester with my beautiful girls, and when they have their holidays, I will bring them here as long as they want to come. I love my girls as much as my son, but we just happen to live in different countries, although as I tell them if I still lived in the South East, it would take longer to visit them than it does with me in Spain! Plus they get the advantage of a holiday home.

Life is about making the most of every opportunity that comes your way. It´s about living in the present, since I have lived too much in the past and now it is time to enjoy the day to day as well as planning for the future. First though, I have a few more weeks to enjoy over here with the most precious people in my life and my reason for being on this earth.

15

Friday, August 2, 2013

TELL US SOMETHING NEW!

I DON’T think there were too many yelps of shock when a group of UK MPs declared this week that the official British migration figures were a load of old cob­ blers.

The members of the Public Administration Committee admit­ tedly did use language that was less fruity than mine, by saying that the statistics produced by a bunch of pen­pushing civil servants were “not fit for purpose” and were “little better than a best guess”. So the top line, according to the MPs is that nobody knows how many non­UK residents are entering and leaving the country!

Why are we not surprised with this non­revelation, with it merely confirming the shambles that has been around for at least 20 years, if not longer?

Labour’s immi­ gration spokesman, Chris Bryant, described the gov­ ernment’s figures as dodgy, but I dis­ tinctly remember the Tories tearing Labour to shreds over this when they were in

charge. Just for once, why can’t the political parties get together on this and come up with a system that is accurate and reliable, rather than the usual session of government versus opposition politics which achieves absolutely noth­ ing?

There was a rare bit of political unity over the weekend when it was revealed that the Home Secretary, Theresa May suffers from Type 1 diabetes, which means she’ll have to inject herself with insulin a couple of times each day for the rest of her life. Quite rightly she said it would not impact on her political career, and why should it?

Fellow sufferer, Labour MP Keith Vaz, praised her for coming out with the news, and pointed out that some half a million Brits have it without them knowing it.

The UK used to shake with great worry when Tony Blair took his summer holi­ days, and John Prescott would take charge. This August it appears that William Hague has his hands on the tiller, with David Cameron vaca­ tioning in Portugal, whilst his deputy Nick Clegg is in Spain, and then having another break tak­ ing in France and Spain, whilst the PM will be making a return to his UK favourite, Cornwall.

As we well know,

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Spain is a big country but you might just bump into Danny Alexander, Ed Balls, Yvette Cooper, and Harriet Harman, as they are all slated in for visits here. Labour leader, Ed Miliband, meanwhile has been enjoying a fortnight in France, which is also the country of choice for Vince Cable, who has opted for a cycling holiday there. It certainly appears that the luxury Blair days of opulent vacations with expensive security arrangements seem to be long gone, and all the party leaders have flown Easyjet!

UK growth figures are improving, as are the employ­ ment statistics along with business confidence. With two years to go before the 2015 election, can you just detect an air of confidence in the Tory camp that they might just pull off a victory that has seemed unlikely for the last three years?

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Friday, August 2, 2013

CHEAP & EASY: PASTA SPICY SAUSAGE AND CHEESE BAKE Ingredients 400g dried pasta shapes 25g butter 25g flour 600ml milk 150g mature Cheddar cheese, grated Salt and freshly ground black pepper 2tsp vegetable oil 4 thick spicy pork sausages Few fresh thyme sprigs 100g mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

Method

1. Cook the pasta in a large pan of lightly salted boiling water for 10­12mins or according to the packet instructions until just tender.

2. Meanwhile, place the butter, flour and milk in a pan and bring to the boil, whisking all the time. Reduce the heat and simmer gently for a further 5­6mins, still whisking continuous­ ly, until the sauce is smooth and thickened. Stir in 100g of the cheese and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

3. Drain the pasta and stir into the cheese sauce. Spoon the mixture into a shallow gratin dish. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/Fan 180°C/Gas Mark 6.

4. Heat the oil in a frying pan and fry the sausages for 4­ 5mins until just browned. Thickly slice the sausages and scatter over the pasta and sauce then top with the rest of the

Cheddar and the mozzarella. Scatter over the thyme sprigs.

Bake for 25­30mins until golden and bubbling.

FRUITY PASTA SALAD Ingredients 6 level tbsp extra light mayonnaise Juice of 1 lemon 1tsp runny honey 1 level tbsp whole­ grain mustard 3tbsp each of finely chopped fresh chives and dill Salt and freshly ground black pep­ per For the salad: 300g dried short­shaped pasta 2 oranges, peeled and segmented 2 red apples, cored and roughly chopped 50g each of green and red seedless grapes 2 celery sticks, thickly sliced 6 spring onions, sliced

Method

1. Make the dressing by mixing together all the ingredients in a large salad bowl. Season to taste and set aside.

2. Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions. Drain well.

3. Add the pasta to the salad bowl with the remaining salad ingredients.

4. Pour over the dressing and toss gently to mix well.

CHICKEN AND PEPPER PASTA SALAD Ingredients 200g spaghetti or pasta shapes 1tbsp olive oil 2 chicken breast fil­ lets, sliced 1 red pepper, deseed­ ed and sliced 1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped 4 spring onions, sliced 1 small ripe mango, peeled, stoned and cut into chunks 75g watercress Small handful fresh flat­leaf parsley leaves 1tbsp suflower seeds 1tbsp pumkin seeds 25g hazelnuts, chopped Dressing: 2tbsp sherry vinegar 6tbsp olive oil 2tsp Dijon mustard

Method

1. Cook the spaghetti or pasta shapes in a large pan of boil­ ing salted water for 10 mins, until just tender.

2. While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the chicken, pepper and chilli and stir­fry over a high heat for 5 mins until the chicken is cooked and the pepper has softened. Set aside to cool.

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Friday, August 2, 2013

3. Drain the spaghetti or pasta, rinse under cold water and drain again. Place in a salad bowl with the chicken, pepper and chilli. Add the spring onions, mango, watercress and parsley and toss to mix.

4. Place dressing ingredients in a screw top jar with a pinch of salt and freshly ground pepper. Shake well to mix and pour over the salad. Sprinkle over the pumpkin and sunflower seeds and hazelnuts.

SALMON AND PEA PASTA Ingredients 2 vegetable stock cubes 400g farfalle pasta 100g asparagus tips, cut into 2cm pieces 100g frozen peas 3 tbsp salad cream with cucumber and dill 100g low­fat natural yogurt 150g hot smoked salmon, flaked Rocket salad, to serve

Method

1. Bring 2 litres of water to the boil, add the stock cubes and the pasta and bring back to the boil. Cook the pasta according to the pack instructions, adding the asparagus and peas 3 minutes before the end, and drain.

2. Meanwhile in a large bowl mix salad cream with cucumber and dill with the natural yogurt.

3. Stir the drained pasta, asparagus and peas into the salad cream mixture with the hot smoked salmon, season and serve with a rocket salad.

CRAB AND ASPARAGUS LINGUINE Ingredients 300g (10.5oz) dried linguine pasta 1tbsp olive oil Crab meat from two crabs 1 bundle of asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2.5cm (1in) lengths 100g (3.5oz) but­ ter 3tbsp parsley, finely chopped 2tbsp chives, finely chopped 1 onion peeled and finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped 1 mild red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped 50ml (0.1pt) vegetable stock Juice from 1 lemon

Method 1. Cook the linguine pasta in plenty of boiling salted water, according to the packet's instructions. Drain the majority of the water and add the olive oil, stir through the pasta and keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large frying pan, add the onion and asparagus and season well with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

3. Cook over a medium heat for 2­3 mins then add the chilli and garlic and cook for 1 min.

4. Add the crab along with the vegetable stock and cook for

a further 2 mins.

5. Stir in the chopped parsley, chives and lemon juice then add the pasta and make sure all the ingredients are mixed together thoroughly.

6. Season if necessary to taste and serve immediately.

SPAGHETTI CARBONARA Ingredients

600g (1lb 6oz) spaghetti 3tbsp olive oil 2 small onions, finely chopped 3 garlic cloves, crushed 200g (6oz) streaky bacon, chopped 3 eggs 200ml double cream 75g (3oz) grated Parmesan cheese

Method

1. Cook the spaghetti according to the instructions on the packet. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion and garlic until they start to soften, usually about 5 mins.

2. Add the bacon and fry until the bacon starts to brown.

3. Place the eggs in a bowl and beat. Add the cream and Parmesan, beat and season with black pepper.

4. When the pasta is cooked, drain and and add the onions, garlic and bacon. Pour over the car­ bonara sauce and return to the heat for 1­2 mins, stirring all the time.

5. Serve your spaghetti carbonara immediately with a green salad and some garlic bread if you fancy it.

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Friday, August 2, 2013

RICHARD CAVENDER

Bluemoon Solutions www.bluemoonsolutions.es

BlueMoon Solutions is the computer and IT services com­ pany on the Costa Blanca, they provide quality computer services at realistic prices and specialise in working with home users and small businesses.

Richard moved to Spain seven years ago hav­ ing left his management background behind in the UK and decided to use his IT skills to help home users and small businesses with their PC problems. Now a relaxed 'computer man' he is out and about in the Spanish sun every day, making house and shop calls and using his vast experience and qualifications to (usually) sort out the problem there and then. Computers are his hobby as well as his work so don’t be surprised to get an answer to your email in the early hours!

ADVICE: James was receiving annoying messages from ADVICE: Mary was having some issues with Skype AVG on his new computer.

I have recently installed Skype to be able to communicate with our grandchildren in I have recently purchased a new HP computer tower which has 500 GB capacity the UK. After a few minutes use the picture and speech starts to stutter and then and 2 GB RAM and has AVG 2013 installed. If I have a number of website pages the picture freezes. At this point a warning comes up that “the connection speed is open or use Facebook a warning comes up from AVG advising that I have “High to slow – shut down video”. Our children in the UK have ADSL speeds of 6 GB and Memory Usage” and suggests I close down the pages I have open to improve per­ 10 GB respectively whilst I have an ADSL speed of 2 GB which has been verified with a formance. The figure quoted for the memory being used is usually around 250/260 MB. Is speed test. My current ADSL supplier has an alternative speed at extra cost of 4 GB. How there anything I can do to improve matters? can I improve matters?

Q

Hi James, your system is not poorly spec’ed so you shouldn’t be receiving these messages from AVG, however even they confirm that this is an issue with their software reporting useless information from time to time. If you don’t want to see these messages you can disable the performance notifications from within AVG by doing the following…

A

Open the AVG User Interface Click Tools Click Advance Settings Click Appearance and uncheck “Display AVG advisor performance notifications”

Q

Hi Mary, the figures that you have provided separately should be fine for using Skype with, your slowest speed is an upload speed of 400kbps which should be more than ok, I would check that both you and your daughter’s computers are using the same, latest version of Skype as this can sometimes have a positive effect on Skype’s performance, failing that we would need to look at the performance of your Internet connection whilst you are in a Skype call.

A

ADVICE: Bill was having problems with the font size withADVICE: Lynn wanted to know how to turn off the Junk in his Gmail account.

Mail processing in Thunderbird Hello, my name is Bill and I called this afternoon with reference the font size on my

Q A

Gmail account. One day it was fine and the next it became very small. I have no Hi Richard, I have just set up a new email account in Thunderbird and very frustrat­ idea how to put it right. Any advice you can give me would be greatly appreciated. ingly all of my emails are going into the Junk Email folder is there any way that I As I am 74 my eyesight is not as it was so I have difficulty in seeing what I am doing can turn off this not very helpful function? ! Many Regards, Bill Hi Bill, I suspect that the problem is not actually with the font size set on your Gmail Hi Lynn, yes there is, you should do the following… account, but more the zoom control for your web browser.

If I am correct then when you go onto the Internet, all text will be small, not just that 1. Launch Thunderbird within your Gmail account, in which case you should look at what is set in both the 2. Click Tools then Account Settings “Zoom” and “Text Size” settings within your browser, to do this in Internet Explorer for exam­ 3. Click the email account in question ple press CTRL + 0 to set the zoom back to 100%. If this doesn’t fix the problem then click 4. Click Junk Settings and Uncheck the box view, text size and set it to the default which is medium.

One of those two solutions should fix the problem, if not then please come back to me and office@bluemoonsolutions.es www.bluemoonsolutions.es we can work through what is the issue.

Update. Hi Richard thanks for the E­mail. Unfortunately I use Mozilla Firefox so the instructions don’t apply do they ? I did try as you said but no luck I am afraid. Are Office: 902 906 200 Mobile: 655 044 970 there things that can be done for Firefox? Regards, Bill Don’t forget you can follow me on twitter A. Hi Bill, yes in Firefox you can use the keyboard shortcuts of…

CTRL + to zoom in and increase the size @bluemoonspain CTRL – to zoom out and decrease the size Alternatively why don’t you sign up for my Or CTRL 0 to set the size back to the default newsletter. You can do this by going to:­ In order to do this properly you press and hold the CTRL key and then press the other key, www.bluemoonsolutions.es and fill in plus (+) or minus (–) or the number zero (0) once. Hope this helps.

Update. Hi Richard, thank you sooo much! At last I can read my E mails again. the form that is on any page except the Regards Bill front page.

Q A

Friday, August 2, 2013

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Friday, August 2, 2013

HOW TO GAIN WEIGHT Try asking people how to gain weight and you'll likely see some bewildered faces staring back at you. For the majority of people, hearing that question is akin to hearing the ques­ tions, “How do I stub my toe?” or “How do I run out of gas?”

Those confused faces notwithstanding, the question is a legitimate one and one that frustrates those who find them­ selves on the light end of the scale. While those on the heavy end can't get through a commercial break or flip through more than five pages of a magazine without some­ one offering a solution to their weight problems, it can be a lonely struggle for those who want to put on weight.

If you are lucky enough to get a reasoned response to your question, it will probably involve the words “eat more.”

That, despite being obvious, is great advice. Quite simply, to gain weight you will need to up your calorie consumption to the point where you consume more calories than you expend. Couple an increased caloric intake with a little weight training and you have the recipe for healthy weight gain.

You may think you eat a lot, even enough to keep pace with your more weight­furnished friends, but you are proba­ bly over­estimating your intake. After a trip to the doctor's office to rule out medical causes for your inability to bulk up (thyroid disease and other medical problems can hamper weight gain), a first step to designing an effective weight gain program is to journal your eating habits. Counting calo­ ries for a week will give you an accurate view of your diet.

From there, increase your daily caloric intake by about 300­500 calories until you start putting on the pounds. Keep in mind though, while your caloric intake will directly influ­ ence your bodyweight, it will be other factors like the types of food you eat and your weight training regimen that decide the type of weight you are putting on. So if you are after an aesthetically pleasing weight gain, that of lean muscle weight as opposed to just some extra body fat to lug around, it will be important to pay attention to these factors.

To get the most muscle out of your weight gain, avoid the

junk food and focus on eating whole foods. A good weight gain diet should be composed of 30­50% protein, 20­50% carbohydrates and 20­40% fat (the majority of which should be essential fatty acids). Different ratios within these ranges will work differently for different people. Keep up your food journal and experiment to find the ratios that work best for you.

Providing your body with the materials it needs to build muscle is only one piece of the puzzle. A weight­training pro­ gram designed to give the body a reason to add some mus­ cle will be very important to achieving your goals. Your work­ out routines should concentrate on compound weight lifting exercises (those that involve multiple muscle groups like the squat or bench press) with weights that allow you to do 6 to 12 reps per set. Higher rep ranges will tone your muscles but may not sufficiently signal the body into muscle growth. Try

PUT AN END TO YOUR JOINT PAIN WITH MSM DR MACHI MANNU’S ADVICE CLINIC Email your questions and comments to contact@medb.es

If you suffer from joint pain due to arthritis, you probably believe like your doctor probably does, that the only chance you have of a pain free existence is to take steroid and pain killer tablets for the rest of your life. And that is if they still work for you. I too believed that steroid tablets or injections were the only way to provide some form of pain relief for arthritis sufferers, but that was before I discovered MSM (Methyl Sulfonyl Methane). The commonest type of arthritis and the one that I detect the most after a full body scan is osteoarthri­ tis. This is the kind associat­ ed with ageing. Another common type of arthritis is Rheumatoid arthritis. Both forms of arthritis present in the same way: joint and muscle aches and pain, inability to use the hand or walk properly, weight loss, poor sleep and muscle weakness. What occurs in osteoarthritis is that the car­

tilage, which is like a mem­ brane that lines the ends of the bones that form joints start to wear away with increasing age. And over time the cartilage wears down to nothing, exposing the raw end of bones. When this occurs, you feel severe pain and discomfort when you try to move your joints.

Doctors prescribe steroids to reduce inflammation in the joints, and pain killers to help stop pain. But this is just treating the symptoms and not the root cause. To understand how MSM will help you eliminate your joint pain, you need to under­ stand the structure of the cartilage. The cartilage, which protects the end of bones that forms joints, is composed of a protein called collagen. And colla­ gen is made from MSM. MSM is a natural substance found in the body. In fact MSM is the way the mineral ‘Sulphur’ occurs in the body.

You may not know it, but sul­

phur is the most abundant mineral in the body after cal­ cium and magnesium. It is extremely important for maintaining life. Half of all sulphur in the body is found in the bones, joints, skin and hair. MSM is also known as the ‘beauty mineral’. MSM is required to build and main­ tain the intricate structure of cartilages and bones. And because most people are deficient in MSM especially with increasing age, they suffer from joint and bone problems. MSM is found in most foods, especially raw foods: green vegetables, nuts, onions, garlic, fruits etc. however it is easily destroyed when food is cooked or processed. Our foods are also low in MSM because soils have become deficient of sulphur due to over farming. The bottom line is that most people are deficient in sulphur one way or another, and this may be causing their health prob­ lems. I found out about

MSM while researching alternative therapies for my patients with joint pains.

Nothing else I had tried prior to MSM had proved effec­ tive. I was blown away by the results, and now I just about only use MSM to treat arthritis. But before you go out there and buy anything called MSM, please beware that the quality of the MSM you purchase is extremely important. For MSM to be effective, it has to be of high purity and quality. That’s why MedB is now working in partnership with Douglas Laboratories to provide you with high quality supple­ ments, including MSM. You can now order by telephone a 300 gram container of pure MSM powder for 60.65 Euros and have it delivered free to your doorstep. Call 965071745 for more infor­ mation.

TO BOOK AN APPOINT­ MENT FOR A FULL BODY SCAN, CALL 965071745

to either increase the amount of weight lifted or the reps completed with each workout.

Don't go overboard with your workouts. Two or three one­ hour workouts per week done with intensity should do the trick. Too often those that have trouble gaining weight (hardgainers) spend too much time in the gym. This can be counterproductive in two ways. First, it means you are burn­ ing off a lot of the calories that could otherwise be used to build muscle and, second, you can over­train your muscles by working them too hard, basically making them unrespon­ sive.

If you are looking for some company in your quest to gain weight, venture into the bodybuilding community. There you will find many people also seeking ways to put on lean mus­ cle mass. You will also find many products marketed to help you gain weight. Be very cautious when looking at these products. Gaining weight may not be as in demand as losing weight but it is still big business and there are a lot of com­ panies out there looking to take your money. While some of these products can help, others aren't necessary.

With a little motivation, a weight gain diet and a solid weight­training program in place you will have all you need to achieve your gain weight goals. Better yet, you will never again have to ask that question that gets all those funny looks aimed back at you.

HELP FOR DRY, CHAPPED, OR ROUGH ELBOWS

If you look at some women’s elbows you get the feeling that they’ve forgotten all about them. Maybe it’s because they can’t see their own elbows — but other people can.

Have you looked at your elbows recently? Are they rough and chapped? Or per­ haps the skin is dry and powdery? Imagine what effect this has on your total look — nobody is going to

notice your pretty summer dress because their eyes will be drawn to your scruffy elbows.

You can avoid such an embarrassment by caring for your elbows, applying hand cream each time you mois­ turize your hands. Make a habit of doing so: put a blob of hand cream in the palm of each hand and rub it into your elbows for a smooth, silky result.

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Friday, August 2, 2013

All change at The Ready Most expensive house in Made Curtain Outlet Spain is in Mallorca

The Ready Made Curtain Outlet is defi­ nitely the place to visit for all home furnish­ ings. With new stock arriving weekly the shop is bursting with choice whether your style is traditional or modern there is some­ thing to suit everyone’s taste.

This family run store has been open in the Orihuela Costa since 2006 and was taken over

by Sarah and Tony Turley in January this year and they have since over­ hauled its image moving to a new shop in CC Los Dolses at Villamartin.

They have intro­ duced new lines and products, giving the cus­ tomers what they want. “From day one we wanted to increase the product range and offer a one stop shop for all home textiles.”

We are pleased to have added to our exten­ sive curtain range with coordinating bedding sets (duvet sets with matching curtains) in a choice of designs and colours to enhance any bedroom.

This busy shop also boasts a sewing serv­ ice, with experienced seamstress Angela Crookes at the helm. She has almost 42 years of experience having previously worked in clothing factories in Lithuania, China and Thailand as a garment technolo­ gist passing off first sealed garments, before production of the clothes began. With expe­

rience like that, customers know their items are in good hands with any alterations or repairs being done to clothing or curtains.

Angela also creates a lot of items herself and many accessories in the store such as cush­ ion covers and bed and table runners, have been made by Angela mean­ ing the Curtain Outlet can offer you that unique and person­ alised gift or home ware item.

An extensive range of cur­ tains are in stock with qual­ ity lined cur­ tains costing from €20­€150 a pair to suit all b u d g e t s .

Different sizes are available but any not in stock can be ordered and will arrive within days. Many new suppliers have been contacted with some fantastic products due to arrive in the shop by September.

The Curtain Outlet can also offer an interi­ or design and home fitting and measuring service from their own selection of curtains rails.

The store is currently on its summer open­ ing hours of Monday­Saturday 10am­4pm, from September it will be open until 5pm. For more information call 966 848 980 or 642 308 654. You can find The Ready Made Curtain Outlet at CC Los Dolses, next to Cardmania just look out for the orange and white signs!

House prices in Spain have been falling since the housing bubble exploded a few years ago. However, the luxury property market does not seem to have been affected by this fall. “El Cielo” (“Heaven” in Spanish) is the most expensive proper­ ty currently for sale in Spain, with a price tag of 57.5 million euros, and it has not only not lowered its price, despite having now been on the market for seven years, but it has actually recently risen it by 15%.

This villa is located in Mallorca, on a hill­top location in the bay of Alcudia, with views that dominate the whole bay and the surrounding countryside and moun­ tains. It has 3,500 square meters, eight bedrooms, and its own helipad and yacht docking.

So if you have that kind of money lying around and fancy owning a Bond­villain type of Mediterranean villa… this house may be perfect for you!

Friday, August 2, 2013

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Airlines and the internet shape Get The Best Out Of Your where we buy property Investment With OP Group Improved air access and cheaper fares combined with the convenience of the inter­ net have changed how and where people buy overseas property today, according to a recent survey by the Overseas Guides Company.

Recent survey evidence shows that 50.6 per cent of people buying abroad want their new property to be within an hour of an air­ port, with 27.2 per cent happy to be within two hours of a flight home.

“There’s little doubt that the increased choice and frequency of flights between regional airports both in the UK and popular European destinations means that overseas homeowners now expect short transfer times and this will influence where they look for property,” said Richard Way, Editor at the Overseas Guides Company.

“The choice of flights in and out of regional airports is staggering these days, it’s just a case of keeping up to speed with frequency and seasonality of services.

“Take Alicante on Spain’s Costa Blanca, for example. These days you can fly there from Belfast, Birmingham, Blackpool, Bournemouth, Bristol, Cardiff, Doncaster­ Sheffield, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Exeter, Gatwick, Glasgow, Glasgow­Prestwick, Heathrow, Leeds, Liverpool, Luton, Manchester, Newcastle, Southampton, Southend and Stansted.”

Is it any coincidence that the Costa Blanca is the top spot for our property hunters right now?

The same survey, conducted by The Overseas Guides Company and which included responses from 1,255 overseas property­buyers, showed that for 17.9 per cent of people, transfer time isn’t important – these are likely to be people looking to emi­ grate.

While the internet has made booking flights easier, as well as cheaper – especially for overseas homeowners who are organ­ ised enough to book a series of discounted flights in advance – it has also changed the way people find their overseas home.

OGC’s survey showed that these days all­ inclusive inspection trips are out of favour, with only seven per cent of respondents say­ ing they would sign up for a viewing trip when their time is organised entirely by a single agent or developer.

Conversely, nearly half (49 per cent) of respondents said their preferred way to search for property was to arrange to view a selection of properties with a number of agents in their chosen destination, and then be free to arrange their own travel and hotel.

“It’s typical for buyers to find a selection of properties on the internet, often with two or three different agents operating in one area, organise viewings for each and then make their own way out to Spain, France or wher­ ever they are buying,” added Richard Way. “And most will continue their on­line search via their iPhone or a laptop while they’re abroad, giving them flexibility to alter their itinerary that difficult to achieve on an organised viewing trip. Many don’t find what they are looking for in their first visit but warm to one particular agent, who later sources the right property for them.”

Meanwhile, a staggering 36.7 per cent of respondents to the survey said they wouldn’t think about currency exchange until they came to pay for their overseas property.

Speaking to a currency exchange specialist, such as Smart Currency Exchange, in advance of sending funds abroad to pay for a property, and planning a currency transfer carefully could save you a fair few pounds.

OP Group Spain who have been operating in Spain since 2006 and have 3 local offices in Gran Alacant Commercial Centre, La Finca Golf in Algorfa and La Marina urbani­ sation. Are looking for more sales properties to add to their growing portfolio to replace the ones being sold and give their customers more choice.

Company directors Stuart Markham and Steven Austen explained the changes in the market over the last 6 months and how the company have made choices to keep ahead of the competition. The demographics of certain areas in the Costa Blanca south where we do the majority of our business are changing and more staff were needed to exploit these new markets. The Brits are still buying and in much larger numbers than 2012 however they are being joined by the Russians, Scandinavians and Belgium cus­ tomers all looking for a place in the sun and taking advantage of the low prices. We now have a sales team speaking English,

Spanish, French, German, Italian and Russian and have successfully grown a net­ work of collaborating agents from estate agents, travel agents solicitors and even golf schools throughout Europe and of course local agents that team up to promote our properties at exhibitions.

OP Group are actively looking for proper­ ties of any description between Alicante and Pilar de la Horadada that are competitively priced to meet the demand of a moving mar­ ket.

Are you looking for something different? A luxury holiday complex in San Vincenti Alicante at 895,000 euros that will be a fan­ tastic business opportunity as a bed and breakfast sleeping 20 in 6 separate houses on a 3500 m2 plot with 2 swimming pools, fit­ ness area and bar.

For more info on any of our services please contact op group on 966729653 www.opgroupspain.com or info@opgroup­ spain.com

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Friday, August 2, 2013

SPAIN TAXES THE SUN Buyers still favour popular coastal regions in Spain

The solar energy industry in Spain faces a spate of bankruptcies and job losses follow­ ing the latest cut to support by the govern­ ment, a coalition of trade associations in Spain has claimed.

The government has retroactively capped profits for the sector at 7.5% before tax, around 5­5.5% after tax. This rate is less than the rate that the sector is able to borrow at, leaving many facing bankruptcy. The retroactive plans “will lead many to bankrupt­ cy because they won't be able to repay the credit that financed them”, according to a statement released by a group representing the Spanish renewable energy sector.

Details of the 2.7 billion Euros cost cutting for the energy sector announced last week, have left project developers, manufacturers and consumers reeling. Owners of solar power plants in Spain, which has more than 4GW of installed capacity, will be hit hard with months of uncertainty concluding with the government’s definitive changes.

Consumers will also be hit hard with increased levies on self­consumed solar energy now so high, that many will pay more for the electricity they generate themselves than they would for the regular grid power.

Francesc Mateu, who runs a renewable energy company, told the El Pais newspaper that he is getting plenty of calls about solar

panels or small wind turbine units, but he’s telling potential new customers just to wait for a few months before it becomes clearer what the Madrid government might be up to, and how much panels will go up in price.

Mario Sorinas, who runs another small com­ pany specialising in solar energy, is con­ vinced that the measures are, in effect, a tax the sun.

The government is dramatically reducing the large subsidies that it has given the country’s electricity industry, but is still keen to raise income from other sources that it can bolster its coffers with, as well as push­ ing some of it towards the traditional energy companies.

“It appears that if you want provide some surplus power from a large solar system into the Spanish grid, then the Government might tax you for it!” added Mr.Sorinas. “This seems to go against what other countries are doing as they see renewable energy as good for the environment and for the pock­ et”.

Companies especially that rely on cold storage which means heavy electricity con­ sumption have gone down the solar and wind­power route, and have made some appreciable savings via a concept known as “instant consumption” with average bills being cup by around 30%.

Many are looking for an apartment and almost half are looking in the €50,000 to €150,000 price range, according to Spanish property portal Kyero.

The firm’s analysis of search figures for the first half of 2012 also shows that some that 40% of inquiries for property in Alicante were for apartments compared with 40% for the whole of Spain. Some 33% of inquiries were for three bedroom properties and 55% of would be buyers wanted a property with a swimming pool.

The figures are published at a time when property agents are reporting an increase in inquires and sales.

For example, Taylor Wimpey España said that it has experienced an increase of sales from 97 units in 2012 to 174 units in 2013 so far with £37 million worth of sales secured.

‘The latest Kyero report provides an interesting insight into what buyers want from Spanish property today. We have seen first hand how buyer's desires have changed pre and post­recession and how important it is to adapt our offering to meet market demands,’ said Marc Pritchard, sales and marketing manager at Taylor Wimpey España.

‘The findings show that by province, Alicante remains the preferred location for foreign property hunters and we too have

seen this geographical demand,’ he added.

While many would be buyers are looking for bargain prices, the luxury property mar­ ket in parts of Spain is also doing well. Last year the Balearic Islands topped the charts for property sales over one million euros to foreign purchasers and that trend remains for the first quarter of 2013.

In 2012, 729 sales were made to foreign­ ers, with an average price of €1,080,361, compared with just 41 in Madrid averaging €584,433.

According to statistics from Spain’s General Council of Public Notaries, buyers from Britain, R u s s i a , Switzerland a n d Scandinavia were the most active in the Spanish prop­ erty market in 2012 and con­ tinue to be for the first half of 2013.

T h e Germans have slipped down the rankings but still feature strongly amongst the top buyer nationalities in the Balearics.

‘The Balearics simply tick all the boxes luxury house hunters require such as securi­ ty, privacy, good airline connectivity, excel­ lent leisure facilities and infrastructure, alongside a restful ambience for a wind down getaway,’ said Daniel Chavarria Waschke, managing director of Balearics Sotheby’s International Realty which has offices in Mallorca and Ibiza

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Friday, August 2, 2013

10 DIY Home Automation Gadgets for 2013 Home automation is an incredible way to simplify the life of a homeowner. By automating all of your technologies, you can not only make your life easier, but you can save yourself a lot of money and hassle. And it is surprisingly easy to do yourself. DIY home automation is not only easy, but it is cheap. Here are nine cool gadgets that you can use to auto­ mate your house for 2013.

Smart Thermostat

Sure you already have a thermostat, but does your thermostat measure your energy usage and tell you where you can cut back? Does your thermo­ stat remember when you turn the heat or air condi­ tioning on and off, and adjust automatically? If you answered no to any of these questions, you are missing out on one of the coolest gadgets of 2013.

Smart Power Strip One of the best things about home automation is that it not only makes life easier for you, but it can save you money and the environment at the same time. A smart power strip is a great way to do this, as it will detect when your appli­ ances are doing nothing but wasting energy, and turn them off.

Floor Cleaner If you don’t want to, you won’t even have to vacu­ um your floor yourself in 2013. And not only are there smart vacuums that will do the work for you, but there are smart floor cleaners that will tackle surfaces that need more than just a vacuum.

Grocery List Manager

Smartphone Control You may not realize it, but you probably already own a useful home automation tool: your smartphone. All you have to do is download one of the many home automation apps, and use it to link together your various technologies.

Automatic Door Opener Don’t you hate it when someone knocks on the door, and you know that it is just one of your room­ mates or family members who has forgotten their key? This problem is easily solved through the use of an automatic door opener.

It is also handy if you hap­ pen to be carrying a lot of heavy things, and need to get through a closed door.

A grocery list manager will hook up to your computer or phone and let you create a list, ready for you to print out when you are going shopping. This is the precursor to a cool smart fridge that is being released this year. The fridge will connect to the internet, allowing you to access your grocery list from anywhere you have access to the internet.

Video Doorbell

This goes one step further than the door opener, and allows you to see who is at your door through a video cam­ era that is attached to the door bell. This is a great way to add security to your home, as you only have to let in people that you trust. But there is also the added bonus of a remote control that you can use to unlock the door without ever hav­ ing to leave your seat.

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Friday, August 2, 2013

Professional Business Support WE OFFER ADVICE ON UNDERSTANDING THE LEGAL PROCESS OF BUYING A PROPERTY IN SPAIN In Spain, the purchase of a property is a regulated process. To ensure that the property you wish to buy is free of debts and restrictive clauses, it is essential to employ an English­speaking asesor (solicitor) to protect your interests. For anyone buying a property in Spain, the single most important piece of advice is to find a good asesoria who will thoroughly research the property you intend to buy, and who can provide you with all necessary documentation and land reg­ istry checks (Nota Simple). Do not simply rely on the real estate agency or the word of a friend. These documents will show the full history of a property, the owners of the property, and especially mortgages/loans, debts and/or embargos.

THE LEGAL PROCESS FOR BUYING A SPANISH PROPERTY The legal side for buying a Spanish property falls into two parts, the preliminary contract or private con­ tract (Contrato privado de compraventa) and the completion contract (Escritura de compraventa).

Stage 1: Preliminary Contract (Contrato privado de com­ praventa) Once a price has been agreed between the buyer and the seller, both parties are advised to sign a preliminary private sales contract, a contrato privado de compraventa.

However, before signing this document, proof that the ven­ dor owns the property and that it is free of charges should be provided. In Spain, debts are charged against property and will be passed on to the purchaser; as well as mortgages that are not correctly cancelled. A Nota Simple will confirm if a property has any outstanding debts on it.

Then, unless you are paying in full and in cash immediate­ ly, a private preliminary sales contract (contrato privado de compraventa) is drawn up containing all the details and clauses, such as a description of the property, purchase price, and date of completion. At this stage you will be expected to pay a deposit of between 5% and 15% of the purchase price. Once signed, both parties are liable if they default on any of the clauses agreed within it.

Stage 2: Completion Contract / Title Deeds (Escritura de compraventa) On or before the completion date in the purchase contract, the balance of the purchase price and all fees must be paid by the purchaser. The vendor and purchaser then sign the Escritura de compraventa, which is equivalent to the title deeds of the property. The purchaser is then issued with the public deed of conveyance (escritura) in front of a Notary Public, and a copy will then be passed to the tax office and the land registry. The Notary in Spain is a public official who is required to witness the signing of the deeds of sale; how­ ever, independent legal advice should always be taken to protect your interests and avoid misinterpretation, whether you are the vendor or the purchaser.

COSTS RELATED TO BUYING A SPANISH PROPERTY Property Sales Tax The amount the purchaser pays will vary depending on the type of property. If the property is a new build property being purchased from the developer, the tax due is IVA (equivalent to VAT) which is currently 10% of the purchase price. If the property is a resale (has had previous owners),

the tax due is Impuestos de Transmisiones Patrimoniales (transmission of property tax) which is currently 8% of the purchase price.

Plus Valía Plus Valía is a tax levied by the local Town Hall, based on the particular area where the property is located, on the surface area of the land, on the Catastral value and on the date of the previous title deed. This tax is essen­ tially a tax on the increase in value of the land, and may range greatly depending on the above factors. By law the vendor is obliged to pay this tax, but it is common practise for the amount to be retained from the final pay­ ment to the vendor, and paid the by purchaser on their behalf. The land registry office now insists on having proof that this has been paid before they will register the title deeds of the new owner. When you are selling your property, make sure you ask your asesoria to establish exactly how much it will be, as it can vary substantially.

The Notary and land registry fees In addition to the property sales tax, the purchaser also has to pay the Notary and the land registry inscrip­ tion fees. If you take out a Spanish mortgage a further nom­ inal cost will be incurred for the inclusion of this in the deeds, and for registering the charge with the land registry.

The Asesoria Fees Asesoria fees are separate from the Notary fees. All good asesorias will give you a total price for their work during the buying process.

CEE : Certificación de eficacia energética As of the 1 of June 2013, new legislation came into effect which requires every owner of a property being marketed for sale (and for rent for over 4 consecutive months) to have an Energy Efficiency Certificate. These are issued and regis­ tered by a technical engineer or an Architect, and once issued, are valid for 10 years. This is now a document required by the Notary and is incorporated into the title deeds.

Here at Professional Business Support, we can help you with all the above, whether you are purchasing or selling a property, throughout the complete process.

See our web page www.pro­business­support.com or call us on 966 923 963.

Friday, August 2, 2013

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Friday, August 2, 2013

HOW TO KEEP YOUR SKIN SUPPLE Q

I read your article on the beauty cream MitoQ, and would like to know if it can also remove wrinkles on other parts of my body. I’ll also like to know what I can do to improve the bagginess under my arms.

A

I am sure MitoQ can help with wrinkles anywhere on the body. However MitoQ has been designed for the face. The researchers behind MitoQ will soon launch a pill version of MitoQ that will be able to tackle wrinkles all over the body. The main reason our skin wrinkles or forms bagginess as in your case is that as we age, it produces less collagen and elastin – proteins that maintain the structure and elasticity of the skin. Scientists have always understood that any agent that can increase the amount of collagen and elastin produced by skin cells will effectively delay skin ageing. MitoQ achieves this by increas­ ing the levels of Co­Q10 produced by skin cells 1000 times, and this drives collagen and elastin production. Organic sul­ phur – MSM is also highly effective for delaying skin ageing.

MSM is known as a ‘beauty mineral’ because it maintains the structure of the skin, hair, nails and of course bones and carti­ lage. MSM is required by the body to produce collagen and elastin, and both proteins are necessary for maintaining the health and structure of the skin, and also for delaying skin age­ ing. MSM is available as a supplement, and the good thing is that it is nearly impossible to overdose on it because the body uses what it needs and in 12 hours, flushes the rest out. But it can cause gastritis in some people when taken on an empty stomach. MSM will help you improve the bagginess under your arms, especially if you can combine it with some form of exercise to improve the tone of muscles under your arms. So a combination of MitoQ and MSM is guaranteed to improve your skin health and structure. You can call: 965071745 for more information

Q A

The different forms of Vitamin E

You may not know it, but there are different forms of vita­ min E. This is important because some forms of Vitamin E are more powerful than others, and some can actually be lethal to your health. This information is not taken into account by most supplement manufacturers. There used to be 8 differ­ ent substances called Vitamin E, but in 2009 a 9th one was discovered. The 2 main groups of vitamin E are – tocopherols and tocotrienols. And each group is split into subgroups – alpha, beta, gamma and delta. Alpha­tocopherol for example, is the main source of vitamin E in European diet, while gamma­tocopherol is common in North American diet. The synthetic variation of alpha­tocopherol has a less biological strength than the natural forms. The main food sources of vita­ min E are avocado, butter, nuts and seeds. Vitamin E is unsta­ ble when frozen – up to 80% of Vitamin E content is destroyed.

Cooking or heating food also destroys around 30% of vitamin E. Fresh raw foods and supplements are our best sources.

Vitamin E is an antioxidant and protects our cells and nerves and many other structures and molecules from the harmful effects of oxidation. It also has a mild anti­inflammatory prop­

erty, and is helpful for relieving muscle cramps. It boosts the immune system, by increasing the produc­ tion of antibodies that fight infections. Vitamin E improves the health of the heart and arteries in many ways. It protects the circulating fat in the body from the harmful effects of oxidation which can lead to the for­ mation of plaques that block arteries, causing athero­ sclerosis (hardening and furring of arteries). Vitamin E slows down the progress of atherosclerosis. Vitamin E was widely accepted in hospitals following the results of a large study in 1996 known as the Cambridge Heart Antioxidant Study (CHAOS). The study split over 2000 participants into 2 groups with half taking Vitamin E supplements and the other half taking placebos for 18 months. Those taking Vitamin E supplements (400 IU daily) were found to have a 77% reduced risk of having a heart attack. Vitamin E is also helpful in preventing cataracts from forming. People who consume a lot of vitamin E in their diet have the lowest risk of contracting cataracts. Lack of vitamin E has harmful effects on the nervous system and can produce symptoms such as low energy levels, poor coordination, irri­ tability, muscle weakness, and poor co­ordination. In severe deficiencies, serious effects such as blindness, dementia, and abnormal heart beats can occur. Statin drugs ­ prescribed to lower cholesterol – lower blood levels of vitamin E. The upper safe level for anyone using Vitamin E for a long term is 800 IU or 540 mg. And Vitamin E is best when combined with other antioxidant nutrients such as vitamin C, and selenium. Vitamin C is very important because it regenerates vitamin E after it has acted as an anti­oxidant. High doses of Vitamin E (above 3000 mg), can cause headache, fatigue, double vision, muscle weakness and abdominal upsets.

PLEASE EMAIL contact@medb.es

YOUR

QUESTIONS

TO:

How Can You Boost Your Immune System?

You may not be aware of it, but every day there’s a battle raging inside your body as it is under constant attack from dangerous free radicals and foreign invaders like bacteria and viruses. What keeps ill health at bay is a strong immune system.

Your immune system consists of various antibodies, each with a special protective role.

These are dependent on good nutrition and a supportive lifestyle. However, if your immune system becomes overworked or is not nour­ ished properly, it gives up the fight and surren­ ders to the bad guys. Once this happens, not only will you be ill frequently, but you will also take a long time to recover from whatever has made you ill.

What can you do to give your immune sys­ tem that extra boost? Here are a few sugges­ tions: Step up your intake of ‘ACE’. Vitamins A, C and E have the power to boost the immune system and limit the damage done by free rad­ icals — unstable molecules produced by the body. They can trigger degenerative condi­ tions, like heart disease and cancers.

Free radicals, also known simply as radicals, are organic molecules responsible for aging, tissue damage, and possibly some diseases. These molecules are very unstable, therefore they look to bond with other molecules, destroying their vigour and perpetuating the detrimental process. Antioxidants, present in vitamins A, C and E, are molecules that prevent free radicals from harming healthy tissue.

Befriend friendly bacteria. Probiotics, ‘friendly bacteria’ added to yogurt drinks and also available in supplement form, could boost your immune system. It appears that pro­ biotics help to activate certain cells in the immune system, and studies have found that the beneficial bugs can cut the duration of the common cold by nearly a quarter.

immunity.

Just don’t overdo the exercise. ‘Overtraining’, actually suppresses the immune system. If your workouts are too long, too intense or you don’t allow yourself enough rest in between, you’ll leave yourself more vulnerable to illness.

Get a full night's sleep. Everybody's different: your body may need anywhere from 6 to 10 hours of sleep each night. Whatever your per­ sonal sleep requirement is, get it! Sleep has been linked to balanced hormone levels (includ­ ing human growth hormone and the stress hor­ mone, cortisol), keeping weight down, clear thinking and reasoning, improved mood, and vibrant, healthy skin.

Avoid these enemies. Your immune system has many enemies — try to avoid: • Stress • Pollution • Cigarette smoke • Food contaminants such as pesticides • Too little, or too much, exercise • Obesity • Crash dieting • Poor nutrition Sink your teeth into zinc. This valuable mineral increases the production of white blood cells that fight infection and helps them fight more aggressively. It also increases killer cells that fight against cancer and helps white cells release more antibodies. Zinc supplements have been shown to slow the growth of cancer.

A word of caution: too much zinc in the form of supple­ ments (more than 75 milligrams a day) can inhibit immune function. It's safest to stick to getting zinc from your diet and aim for 15 to 25 milligrams a day.

Exercise regularly. A healthy amount of energy is a great boost to your immune system — half an hour of brisk walk­ ing, five days a week, is all it takes. Exercise is also a great stress buster, and stress puts a real dampener on your

Calories in Rice Pay special attention whether the rice calories mentioned on the label are for raw dry rice or for cooked rice. Raw dry rice is thinner and lighter, so if you are measuring 1 cup (100 gr), you get a lot of rice, which means a lot of calories.

One cup cooked white rice (long grain, regular) has approximately 205 calories. One cup cooked brown rice (long grain) has approximately 216 calories.

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Friday, August 2, 2013

Tony

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Friday, August 2, 2013

Mayes

HE ALWAYS HAS SOMETHING TO SHOUT ABOUT

NIMBY HYPOCRITES DRIVE ME CRAZY QUESTION. When do rich house owners and quiet, respectable villagers rub shoulders with the great British unwashed and crackpot environmental­ ists? ANSWER. When they think the value of their homes might be at risk.

The latest battleground is at Balcombe, a village in the commuter belt in West Sussex where geologists believe there might be oil or gas under the ground ­ either as easily reached oil deposits or through fracking.

It's enough to send the nimby (not in my backyard) rich brigade into a frenzy: ­ the same frenzy as if a wind turbine or mobile phone mast was suggested near their homes. Protesters have blocked the entrance to the drilling site and have clashed with police. There have been 16 arrests and more are likely, 12 having been charged with public order offences. The rich nimby brigade really gets my goat. They’re more than happy to use their Mercs, BMWs, Audis and 4x4s gas guzzling their way around the world, using all the world's resources ­ provid­ ing of course the resources are not from their backyard spoiling their cosy exis­ tences. A suitable punish­ ment for nimbys and envi­ ronmentalists arrested on demos like these would be to take away their vehicles ­ after all it's about time they practice what they preach!

q

There's a growing army of selfish, thoughtless people inflicting Britain. I met a gut­full of them this week ­ all within a few hours.

On our park home estate there are communal wash­ ing lines, so what do people do? They do their washing, hang it out, using all the lines, go out all day and deny the lines to anyone else, all day until the sun goes down. Thoughtless lot!

I went into town to do some shopping and saw a parking space. So I indicated, stopped just beyond the space intending to reverse back and what did a follow­ ing driver do? Yes, stop right behind so I couldn't reverse back. Then a car stopped behind the second.

Thoughtless drivers! Only minutes later there was another instance. I had

only to the High Court for his or her judicial and adminis­ trative decisions.

q

some items to donate to a charity shop, went to the counter and handed them over, turned to leave and blocking my exit was an enormous mountain of a woman. She was standing with both arms on her hips watching her friend examine clothes on a rail. It took ages before this thoughtless woman realised what she was doing and finally sum­ moned the strength to move.

q

Rightly, the ex­ BBC broadcaster Stuart Hall was hauled back to court last week and had his jail sentence doubled to 30 months for indecently assaulting girls aged between 9 and 17.

He undoubtedly was a serial abuser and would have served only about 8 months in jail for his crimes, which was ridiculous. The Court of Appeal decided the original sentence was undu­ ly lenient. And it's this which I find disgusting ­ that there are too many “out of touch with reality” judges in the UK who prefer to tap an offend­ er on the head and tell him to be good in future, rather than give him a punishment which fits the crime. Britain is too soft by half and really needs to shape up. Soft judges need to be sacked and people with backbone appointed. Incidentally, fur­ ther allegations have been made against Hall and he may have to return to court.

Hopefully the sentence will be doubled again. There are

too many people who achieve celebrity status and believe they can act as they please. It needs to stop and the way to stop it is to set a stern example.

q

Isn’t it incredible that people who should have their finger on the pulse and are paid well for it, get their knickers in a twist.

Take Matthew Hancock, who is responsible for skills policy at the Department for Business, who said that companies have a "social duty" to hire local workers before recruiting from abroad. He added that they should not adopt the "easy option" of taking foreign workers. Hear hear, Mr Hancock ­ I totally agree with you. We should never have encouraged the army of people from around the world to do jobs which could have been taken by Brits.

Instead too many have lived on benefits while foreigners do the work.

Crazy!

However, Britain has shot itself in the foot with legisla­ tion making it illegal for com­ panies to discriminate in favour of UK workers. Boss after boss has come out to criticise the minister for his words. We need to repeal this legislation and also encourage firms to redouble their apprenticeships so home­grown people are properly trained and equipped with the skills needed to hold down jobs ­ making it unnecessary to recruit from abroad. At the other end of the scale,

Britain should never have opened the doors to cheap labour. Down the decades it has done so at a grave cost ­ drawing in immigrants and creating ghettos. Back to the drawing board Mr Hancock ­ perhaps you might get it right next time? Last word on this subject comes from UKIP leader Nigel Farage: "Mr Hancock's comments are totally, utterly meaning­ less rubbish, while we remain part of the EU's sin­ gle market." He added: "They (the Conservatives) know they have lost the argument on jobs and immi­ gration and UKIP have stolen a march on them and are attempting, through rhet­ oric, to take that territory back."

q

Another UK story which caught my eye was that there is to be a big shake up on coroners' courts. There will be a time limit between a death and the holding of an inquest, so that relatives are not waiting years for a hearing. In addi­ tion there will be proper mandatory training require­ ments for coroners. I have known many coroners dur­ ing my working life. Many were the most caring, thoughtful people you would ever want to meet, but a few were absolute bastards.

One, in particular, was an absolute disgrace. He was a doctor who had the bedside manner of a pig. He was a coroner in the 1960s. If a witness was a minute late he would castigate them,

even if he or she was griev­ ing. If he appeared before him not "properly" dressed he would act the same way.

Unfortunately in those days I was a junior journalist and did not have the authority to take him on. A few years later I would have taken great delight in reporting the coroner's words uttered to grieving witnesses; showing up this appalling despot, who thought he was God, taking him down a peg of two. It's the job of a good journalist to expose abuse of power ­ unfortunately older, senior colleagues did­ n't have the balls to do it with this man who continued his uncaring ways for years.

For the record, the new rules mean coroners will have to release the body to the bereaved family as soon as they can, or inform them if it is going to take longer than 28 days.

Coroners will also have to notify the bereaved within a week of setting the date for the inquest and provide greater access to docu­ ments and evidence, such as post­mortem reports, before the inquest takes place. The laws will also allow coroners to permit less invasive post­mortem exam­ inations ­ a concern raised by faith groups. The office of coroner dates back to 1184 and coroners are independ­ ent judicial office­holders, appointed and funded by the relevant local authority.

However, once appointed, the coroner is answerable

I was delighted last week to hear an announcement from the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Most Rev. Justin Welby, that the Church of England was to take on the likes of Wonga, on­line credit com­ panies, and "compete" them out of business ­ by expand­ ing the principles of credit unions. How sad it was that the church shot itself in the foot because another arm of the church, the one financ­ ing pensions for clergy, had invested its pension fund partly with Wonga. Ironic, isn't it, that on one hand a religious body has utter con­ tempt for a company which it views as inflicting injury on the poor, and, when it wants to gain money for its own purposes, will support it financially. The revelation was an acute embarrass­ ment to Mr Welby. But his views on credit companies, some of which unbelievably impose interest rates of 1% per day compound on the poor, I totally agree with.

These companies are noth­ ing more than an abomina­ tion and should be swept from the face of the earth.

Shame on the government for not imposing maximum interest rate charges on any money lender, and imposing swinging prison sentences on any lender which tries to break the law. These com­ panies are, in my view, the lowest of the low, charging massive interest rates on people who can least afford it. Leaches sucking the live blood out of the poorest. So, the church's plan to encour­ age people to use credit unions which charge a max­ imum of around 60%pa is to be applauded. Government should give the impetus to enable the expansion of such financial institutions ­ by encouraging people with money to invest, guarantee­ ing a fair and reasonable rate of return, and encour­ aging people who need to borrow to use them instead.

Shame on online credit firms with sky high rates of inter­ est ­ and the same to TV companies endlessly screening adverts from such companies urging the poor to use them.

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Friday, August 2, 2013

Horrorscopes Aries March 21 ­ April 19 Remember, it's unfair to expect your friends and family to provide you with alibis.

Opening up to a close friend will probably be the worst thing you could do, in your situa­ tion. Employee of the month awards carry a penalty ­ the penalty of ridicule. Life and Death ­ bedfellows, perhaps, they are cer­ tainly close. You'd better hope that they don't get start to get you involved in a menage a trois.

Taurus April 20 ­ May 20 Your neighbour's taste for loud music may cause them to incur an unfortunate acci­ dent. Today you will find that your favourite attribute in a person is their abil­ ity to tell you how fantastic you are.

Massaging figures is something that both Accountants and Masseurs do. But they are NOT the same thing. Honestly.

Gemini May 21 ­ June 20 The day's events will make you want to move abroad. Today will be a day like any other. Plants may be out to get you today, so look to buying some kind of weed­killer.

Avoid spraying week­killer into loved ones' eyes. If you think it's my job to tell you good news, you're wrong pal. You're going down!

Cancer June 21 ­ July 22 Sleep deprevation can affect you nega­ tively today, so ensure you murder all the dogs in your area for a guaranteed good night's kip. There's no harm in taking the day off. Sandwich is your lucky word for today and is likely to be involved in some sort of belly­filling incident. The future holds great peril for a masked magician in your area.

By Pandora Leo July 23 ­ August 22 The legend of the baked bean may trou­ ble you today as last night's meal tries to catch up with last week's. My gift to you is this wisdom: he who makes love at awk­ ward angle, gets back problems for next day. When asked to perform in a suc­ cessful jazz band, consider all your options before accepting.

Virgo August 23 ­ September 22 Your lucky goat name for today is: Penelope. Your appetites may diminish today as you fall into a vat of gravy with no inside ladder. Your mind is filled with thoughts of sexual inadequacy and hey, maybe you're right. Your favourite place may change today as you have new rea­ son for utter joy.

Libra September 23 ­ October 22 Being righteous will only make you ene­ mies. The future holds great things for you. It's just that whenever you get close, the future snatches them behind its back and shouts "Na­na­na­nana." The med­ ical degrees you claim you possess were not worth the 70 euros you paid for them through PayPal.

Scorpio October 23 ­ November 21 Sandwiches often seem harmless until they force their way into your stomach and start screaming and banging. Please remember today that most of your god­like powers have been taken from you in order to make you a better demi­god.

Remember to chew before you swallow.

Sagittarius November 22 ­ December 21 Everything you think about yourself will not be called into question this week. Feeding stray cats may seem important to you today in order to get a feeling of over­ whelming satisfaction. Your friends will suddenly start really loving you this week as they find out about your recent lottery luck. Your spoiled and selfish ways must change if you are to become a better per­ son.

Capricorn December 22 ­ January 19 Regret can hurt you over a long period.

Lament today, but tomorrow must be a day for anger and retribution. Cartoon fun can be yours if you pick up the right set of pencils and think really hard about draw­ ing. You are at a point in your life where you feel you are only there to serve. So get moving! Serve away!

Aquarius January 20 ­ February 18 "Saucy!" should not be used as a syn­ onym for sweaty. Today's mishaps will come in the shape of a toad, whilst salva­ tion will come in the shape of a large truck. There's a future in toad­jam, by the way, if you're at all interested. It tastes lousy but makes a really good insect repellent.

Pisces February 19 ­ March 20 Death can stalk you in all forms, even cute little pussy cats and slugs. Beware of all cats who have slugs attached to their backs. Nobody can stop you as you make that important break through this week.

Dave is not a name you want to associate with today. Dave may be the devil's spawn. It's hard to tell.

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Friday, August 2, 2013

Call 966 921 003 NOW!

‘’After three days I started to feel a flow of energy reappear which as the week pro­ gressed went from strength to strength, I was absolutely amazed’’ Mel Taylor VillaMartin, Orihuela

DISCOVER HOW YOU CAN FLUSH METALS AND CHEMICAL TOXINS FROM YOUR BODY AND RESTORE YOUR HEALTH How Contaminated Is Your Body?

Recently WWF researchers studying European family groups for chemical contamination, found over 70 hazardous chemicals in the blood of participants; the highest concentration of toxic chemicals was detected in the oldest generation, those between 58 and 92 years old.

Unfortunately, the full body scans I perform on my patients, especially on those suffering from chronic health problems, show a similar trend of high levels of chemical toxins and heavy metals such as lead, cadmium, and mercury.

If you are tired all the time, suffer from brain fog, or battling joint pains, this could be the rea­ son why…

THE HIDDEN CAUSE OF YOUR CHRONIC HEALTH PROBLEMS You see, your detox organs – liver and kidneys­ were NEVER designed to deal with man­made toxic chemicals. And when your body is unable to eliminate them, they are stored in your fat cells, and eventually find their way to your blood stream. These toxins and heavy metals build­up in your brain, lungs, heart, stomach,

liver and sexual organs, causing all kinds of chronic health issues: memory loss, high blood pressure, arthritis, diabetes, sexual dysfunction and premature ageing.

YOU CAN GET RID OF DECADES OF TOXIC BUILD-UP AND RESTORE YOUR HEALTH.

THE ONLY ORAL DETOX SOLUTION PROVEN TO WORK IN HUMAN CLINICAL STUDIES

Here are some of the benefits our patients tell us about

But this shouldn’t be your story, because there is a way to flush these toxins out from your body. And it doesn’t involve intravenous treat­ ments, colonic irrigation or any other extreme or unproven methods. All you need is this natural remedy that soaks up toxins like a sponge: A patent­ ed natural formula called Pectasol.

Pectasol is made from modified inner peel of citrus fruits and is proven to work in human clin­ ical studies. In one recent study, USDA scien­ tists gave people Pectasol for 6 days, and measured their urine of toxic heavy metals before and after taking Pectasol every day.

The results were astonishing…..

The amount of deadly Arsenic flushed out in participants urine increased by 130%; Mercury by 150%; Cadmium by 230%; and Lead by a whopping 560%!

The scientists also found that Pectasol soaked up toxic chemicals without depleting the body of essential nutrients such as calcium and mag­ nesium.

And it gets even better….

Pectasol blocks a cancer causing chemical produced in the body called Galectin­3

Increased Energy Reduced Joint Pain Sharper Memory Better Mental Alertness and Focus More restful sleep Controlled Blood Pressure Improved Digestion More Energy and Stamina in the bedroom

IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH WITH PECTASOL MedB has teamed up with Douglas laboratories Europe and now presents to you Pectasol at a fantastic price, delivered FREE to your door step.

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Sincerely Yours Dr Machi Mannu MedB Diagnostics Punta Marina, Punta Prima Recommended Dose – 1­2 teaspoons daily

26

Friday, August 2, 2013

NEXT-GEN MINI CONCEPT SHOWCASED drag at the rear end.

While the exterior is a very close indication of the next­gen Mini’s styling, the Vision’s interi­ or is almost entirely con­ ceptual. A deeply­dished steering wheel would be very impractical for hous­ ing an airbag, for exam­

MINI HAS showcased what the next generation of the popular hatchback might look like.

The Mini Vision concept just about maintains the familiar brand look but departs even further from the cute and minimalist approach of the original car, in favour of a sleeker, more swept­back look and a noticeably more bulbous rear end.

Interesting details like daytime running lights in

the elliptical headlight sur­ rounds, auxiliary lights inte­ grated into the bumper and mock Union Jack designs on the interior door panels are clear attempts by Mini to hang on to its heritage.

Aerodynamics are set to play a bigger part than ever

in the car’s development, with the Vision displaying ideas new to the Mini like air­flow improving vents in front of the front wheels, aerodynamic wheels, newly­shaped door mirror housings and a roof spoil­ er, which helps to reduce

ple, while the circular cen­ tral digital display looks more like a radar screen than an infotainment inter­ face.

The Union Jack design slats are actually stretch­ able and designed to securely hold magazines, drinks bottles and other

oddments of daily life.

More news comes with an unfamiliar paint job called Glamorous Gold, described as a “shimmer­ ing gold­tinged orange tone,” and a tough new type of upholstery, said to recall “the properties of a high­quality suit.”

Friday, August 2, 2013

27

28

Friday, August 2, 2013

CODE CRACKER Code Cracker is a crossword puzzle with no clues; instead, every letter of the alphabet has been replaced by a number, the same number representing the same letter throughout the puzzle. All you have to do is decide which letter is represented by which number. In this week’s puzzle, 3 represents T and 6 represents H, when these letters have been entered throughout the puzzle, you should have enough information to start guessing words and discovering other letters.

QUICKIE

Across

Down

1 Catch sight of (3) 3 Looked for (6) 8 Farm vehicle (7) 9 Compel (5) 10 Acclaim (5) 11 Conveys (7) 12 Indication (6) 14 Unexpected (6) 17 Odd (7) 18 Annoyance (5) 20 Likeness (5) 21 Get ready (7) 22 Not tired (6) 23 Up until now (3)

1 Frighten (5) 2 Amusement (13) 3 Hit (6) 4 Regrettably (13) 5 Rushed (7) 6 Glues (6) 7 Obtains (4) 13 Waste (7) 15 Tends (6) 16 Aided (6) 17 Expressed (4) 19 Donate (5)

Last weeks Solution

Across: 1 Possess, 5 Attic, 8 Run, 9 Companion, 10 Egypt, 11 Intense, 12 Decide, 14 Scares, 17 Crashes, 19 Admit, 21 Locations, 22 Ago, 23 Roses, 24 Excuses.

Down: 1 Perpendicular, 2 Sunny, 3 Excited, 4 Summit, 5 Adapt, 6 Thinner, 7 Conversations, 13 Chances, 15 Classic, 16 Ashore, 18 Hates, 20 Meals.

Scribble Pad

DOUBLE CROSS-WORD Solve the Double Cross­Word puzzle using either the standard or cryptic clues, the answers are exactly the same.

CRYTPIC CLUES Across 1 Cat gets 101 Dalmatians’ doctor (5) 4 Parasite in the diamond jubilee church celebra­ tions (5) 8 Not all right in a dose of medicine (7) 9 Blow love with zest (5) 10 Find yourself up this and you are in real trou­ ble! (5) 11 Repeat some of the composite rates (7) 12 Account inspection a dodgy studio finding nothing missing (6) 14 Former Spanish set­ tler (6) 17 Hero­worshipper dancing reel and jig (7) 19 That’s the last place to be serious in (5) 21 The answer was to add 50 to the pyre, strangely (5) 22 Excitedly saw open arms (7) 24 Point to animals, one gets them in the neck! (5) 25 Only one leader for Edward and he is

bestowed with affection (5) Down 1 Top Hat (3) 2 Sever and relocate a stanza (5) 3 Knitter damaged the ornament (7) 4 A little illness preceded by fast pulse (6) 5 Bird beheads the hound (5) 6 Captive eats hog cooked (7) 7 Fair procedure by judge (8) 10 Are such babies syco­ phants? (8) 13 Betraying no emotion when Greek god has first expired (4,3) 15 Part of UK lend nag anyway (7) 16 Large groups of birds around Land’s End (6) 18 Use tea towel to stop talking (3,2) 20 Float around in the air (5) 23 Unhappy in South Africa at the beginning of December (3)

STANDARD CLUES Down Across 1 Head cover (3) 1 Catlike creature (5) 2 Piece of poetry (5) 4 Bloodsucker (5) 3 Bauble (7) 8 Share (7) 4 High­protein pulse (6) 9 Zest (5) 5 Large bird of prey (5) 10 Brook (5) 11 Repeat (7) 6 Kidnap victim (7) 12 Financial reviews (6) 7 Not extreme (8) 14 Old Spanish coin (6) 17 Greek youth who 10 Lackey (8) drowned in the Hellespont 13 Expressionless (4,3) (7) 15 Division of UK (7) 19 Serious (5) 16 Throngs (6) 21 Answer (5) 18 Desiccate (3,2) 22 Artillery (7) 20 In the air (5) 24 Backs of necks (5) 23 Unhappy (3) 25 Fawned (5) Last weeks Solution Across: 1 Stop, 3 Impolite, 9 Afflict, 10 Inset, 11 Peril, 12 Nimble, 14 Domino, 16 Emerge, 19 Unused, 21 Divan, 24 Burma, 25 Balloon, 26 Espalier, 27 Lags.

Down: 1 Stampede, 2 Offer, 4 Mutiny, 5 Odium, 6 Insular, 7 Eats, 8 Violin, 13 Pennines, 15 Man trap, 17 Meddle, 18 Edible, 20 Snail, 22 Viola, 23 Able.

FILL IT IN

Complete the crossword grid by using the given words:

3 letter words Ant Emu End Era Hip Hoe Ill Mao Nab Nor Oat Ode Ops She Sir Ten

4 letter words Alto Amps Anon Bias Clod Dare Dead Elan Fess Fogy Grab Hand Idea Neon Nils Node Oath

Odds Otto Para Peso Pest Pier Prow Rise Sane Sips Slog Spat Sped Temp Toga Tort Tray Went Yeti

5 letter words Adios Arena Cease Class Crass Croon Droop Eared Error Needs Nones Orate Peels Piano Sedge State Tamil

Vinos 6 letter words Onions Peered 9 letter words Ascension Deaconess 10 letter words Businesses Springtime 11 letter words Antecedents Hypotensive

SPANISH-ENGLISH CROSSWORD

Improve your Spanish ­ clues in Spanish, answers in English or vice versa.

Across 1 Fright (sudden fear) (5) 4 Break (school) (6) 9 To chat (7) 10 To touch (5) 11 Fácil (sencillo) (4) 12 Capítulo (de libro) (7) 13 Dedo del pie (3) 14 Salvia (4) 16 Thing (object) (4) 18 Mentira (embuste) (3) 20 Tile (floor) (7) 21 Little (4) 24 Ebony (5) 25 En contra de (7) 26 Sombra (proyectada por un objeto) (6) 27 To open (5)

Down 1 Sagrado (6) 2 Estrellas (5) 3 Pan (cacharro) (4) 5 Entrada (lugar de acceso) (8) 6 Recipes (7) 7 Worker (6) 8 Thirteen (5) 13 Telephone (8) 15 Smoked (f) (7) 17 Panaderos (6) 18 Leal (persona) (5) 19 Cartel (6) 22 Dueño (de casa, coche, perro) (5) 23 Race (racial origin) (4)

29

Friday, August 2, 2013 Across 1 What name for a deliber­ ate act of destruction or dis­ ruption in which equipment is damaged is derived from the French name for a wooden shoe or clog? (8) 5 According to Norse mythology, what is the name of the heavenly dwelling of the Norse gods and slain war heroes? (6) 10 What name is given to the metal striker that hangs inside a bell and makes a sound by hitting the side?

(7) 11 Which type of lettuce shares its name with a large piece broken off of a polar glacier? (7) 12 Which informal term for money shares its name with an ice cream or water ice on a small wooden stick? (5) 13 Buenos Aires is the cap­ ital of which large republic in southern South America?

(9) 14 Written by Rouget de Lisle in 1792, what is the title of the national anthem of France? (12) 18 Tinea pedis is the med­ ical name of which fungal infection that mainly the

skin between the toes?

(8,4) 21 Which prefabricated tun­ nel­shaped shelter made of corrugated iron with a cement floor shelter was named after the British engineer who invented it?

(6,3) 23 What name is usually applied to a daughter of one's brother or sister, or brother­in­law, or sister­in­ law? (5) 24 Which staff surmounted by a crook or cross is car­ ried by bishops as a symbol of pastoral office? (7) 25 Which African country to the north of Ethiopia on the Red Sea achieved inde­ pendence from Ethiopia in 1993? (7) 26 Which city in south­west England, the county town of Devon, was founded by the Romans, who called it Isca?

(6) 27 Which highly heat­resis­ tant fibrous silicate mineral that can be woven into fab­ rics, has been used in brake linings and in fire­resistant and insulating materials?

(8)

SUDOKU (Easy)

Quiz Word

Down 1 Which short­handled farming tool with a semicir­ cular blade, was used for cutting corn, lopping or trim­

ming? (6) 2 In Charles Dickens’ 1838 novel Oliver Twist, what was the occupation of Mr Bumble? (6)

3 What name is given to a trifle soaked in wine or spir­ its, decorated with almonds and candied fruit and typi­ cally served with custard?

(5,4) 4 By what other name is the Alsatian, or Alsatian Wolf Dog, also known?

(6,8) 6 What was the surname of the American writer whose best known work was The Autobiography of Alice B Toklas, first published in 1933? (5) 7 The name of which alco­ holic drink taken before a meal to stimulate the appetite comes from the French for ‘opening’? (8) 8 Which adjective is often used to mean ‘worn or shabby from overuse or (of pages) from having corners turned down’? (3­5) 9 What collective name was given to the colonists from England who sailed to America on the Mayflower and founded the colony of Plymouth in New England in 1620? (7,7) 15 In cookery, which adjec­ tive is used to describe food, especially sliced pota­

toes, cooked with onions or with a white wine and onion sauce? (9) 16 Which marine crus­ tacean with an external shell attaches itself perma­ nently to a surface and feeds by filtering particles from the water using its modified feathery legs? (8) 17 Which Native American tribe in the United States with three large divisions, the Northern, the Western and the Eastern, were sometimes called the Snake Indians by early eth­ nic European trappers, trav­ ellers and settlers? (8) 19 Which domesticated polecat used chiefly for catching rabbits, typically has brown, black, white or mixed fur? (6) 20 What name is applied to strict vegetarians who eat no animal or dairy products and may also avoid using animal products? (6) 22 Which word completes the title of a 1972 double­ album by the Rolling Stones: [What] on Main Street? (5)

SALLY’S SIMPLE SPANISH T I P O S D E L I B RO S TYPES OF BOOKS

Match these words with their Spanish translations then find them in the wordsearch.

(Answers below)

movies/tv QUIZ

ANSEWRS: 1. Margaret Rutherford 2. Yul Brynner 3. Bob Geldorf 4.

Betty Jean McBricker 5. Bart Simpson 6. France 7.

Marlene Dietrich 8. Peter Strauss 9. Rod Stiger 10. The Ant Hill Mob 11. Fritz the cat 12. Lee Majors 13. 'Things to Come' by H.G. Wells

Last Week’s Solutions Code Cracker Last weeks Quiz Word Solution Across: 1 Monday, 4 Gloaming, 10 Casuals, 11 Urchins, 12 Envy, 13 Silhouette, 15 Eclair, 16 Gestapo, 20 Pelican, 21 Sneeze, 24 Rose Garden, 26 Nine, 28 Harness, 29 Aconite, 30 Dumpling, 31 Ascent.

Down: 1 Mackerel, 2 Nashville, 3 Ahab, 5 Laughter, 6 Accountant, 7 Idiot, 8 Gasket, 9 Aspic, 14 Diving bell, 17 Precipice, 18 Harrison, 19 Tenement, 22 Orchid, 23 Sedan, 25 Scrum, 27 Joss.

de texto

autobiografia

de viaje

biografia

electronico

ciencia ficcion

historico

corto

infantil

de gran formato

instructivo

de poesia

largo

de referencia

novela

de superacion

recreativo

Empareja estas palabras ­ Match the Spanish and English words You will find the answers at the bottom of the quiz.

1.antiguo, 2.autobiografía,

15.instructivo, 16.largo,

k.travel book, l.short, m.long,

3.biografía, 4.ciencia ficción,

17.novela, 18.recreativo.

n.text book, o.reference book,

5.corto, 6.de gran formato,

a.children’s, b.biography,

p.instructions manual, q.a novel,

7.de poesía, 8.de referencia,

c.electronic, d.coffee table book,

r.puzzle/activity book.

9.de superación, 10.de texto,

e.poetry, f.autobiography,

11.de viaje, 12.electrónico,

g.self­help, h.antique,

13.histórico, 14.infantil,

i.science­fiction, j.historic,

Soduko

Span ­ Eng

Quizword

Answers: 1h, 2f, 3b, 4i, 5l, 6d, 7e, 8o, 9g, 10n, 11k, 12c, 13j, 14a, 15p, 16m, 17q, 18r.

1. Who played Miss Marple in 6 films?

2. Taidje Khan became using which name?

3. Who played 'Pink' in the movie 'The Wall'?

4. In the Flintstones, what was Betty Rubbles maiden name?

5. What cartoon character was born on April 1st, 1980?

6. In what country does Disney's Beauty and the Beast take place?

7. Maria Magdelana Von Losch Beyyer is better known as who?

8. Nick Nolte played the 'Poor Man' who played the 'Rich Man'?

9. Who played the role of the pawnbroker in the film 'Pawnbroker'?

10. In the 'wacky races' what were the gang of criminals called?

11. What was the world's first X rated cartoon?

12. Who starred as the Six Million Dollar Man? 13. Which 1936 film started with a world war and ended with a space flight?

antiguo

Fill It In

30

Friday, August 2, 2013

TRELI ON THE TELLY with ALEX TRELINSKI TV has moved on a lot from the sixties and sev­ enties when the summer UK schedules were crammed full of repeats, and often programmes that didn’t deserve a sec­ ond airing, but were just cheap to pump out.

I’m actually all for repeats of shows that deserve it, and for example I loved watching last Saturday’s countless showing of the very first episode of Dad’s

PARADISE TRUMPED

BY HOME GUARD

Army on BBC 2. But who actually makes the call on what is shown or what isn’t?

Last Monday night, BBC 1 showed the start of the sec­ ond series of Death in Paradise with Ben Miller, which had only been trans­ mitted in the same time slot earlier in the year. I’ve noth­ ing against the programme which is amiable enough, but why not show The Paradise from last autumn

or a quick repeat for the most­talked about BBC drama of the year, The Fall, which was only screened on BBC2?

q

I was bitterly disap­ pointed when the American CBS network dumped CSI: ­Miami last year, whilst still keeping the comparatively low­key New York version. It was all down to costs and not ratings, but the return last Tuesday night on Channel Five saw the start of what has ended up being the final season as well for that show.

I’ve always watched it as a harmless way of passing an hour, but com­ pared to the wonderfully

sharp and revitalised origi­ nal version of CSI, which finished the previous week, the adventures of Mac Taylor and his team seem pretty drab and humourless.

For those of you who just can’t watch European shows on UK TV with subtitles, all I can say is that you’ve missed an absolute gem in The Returned which finished on Channel Four this week. It was a beautifully crafted story about mainly young people who returned from the dead to a French alpine town, and played and writ­ ten so well, that you believed in every second of it. Each episode slipped in a surprise or two, and I’ve been delighted to see that over 2 million UK viewers were gripped by it every week.

I’d have no hesitation in

q

putting this alongside The Fall and Broadchurch as the best new dramas of the year. Channel Four have wasted no time in making sure they have the rights to screen the second series, though you will probably have to wait until autumn next year for it to be shown, as the cameras haven’t started rolling on it yet.

q

There’s great news for Holby City and Casualty fans.

Connie Beauchamp is coming back.

Amanda Mealing quit the role over two years ago, but she’ll be returning in a switch from Holby to Casualty next March. It’ll be a popular return, and I hope there’ll be some crossovers between both shows which will allow the character to lock horns again with Henrik Hanssen.

q

The ITV Sports Channel, Setanta Sports, and ESPN have all failed to take on SKY and win, and from this weekend we now have two channels from the brand­new BT Sports. They have a bag of money behind them and some decent sports rights, as well as good commenta­ tors and presenters, but I just don’t see them causing much grief to SKY Sports.

But that could change if BT win a big money bid to take away the Champions League contract from their rivals. Meanwhile, the BBC have been building up some useful contracts including the return of the FA Cup and securing all the key athletics events at home and abroad until 2020. There's life in old Auntie Beeb yet!

The Courier Friday TV

August 2

01:50 This Is BBC Two 07:00 This Is BBC Two 00:35 The Rookie

07:35 Homes Under the Hammer

02:35 Holiday Weatherview

08:35 Great British Railway

02:40 BBC News

Journeys

07:00 Breakfast

09:05 Bargain Hunt

10:15 Heir Hunters

09:50 Saints and Scroungers

11:00 Homes Under the Hammer

10:35 Great British Menu

12:00 Fake Britain

11:35 Politics Europe

12:30 Helicopter Heroes

12:00 BBC News

13:15 Bargain Hunt

12:30 BBC World News

14:00 BBC News; Weather

13:00 Animal Park

14:30 Regional News and Weather

14:00 Live Golf: The Women's

14:40 Doctors

British Open

15:10 Only Fools and Horses

18:15 Antiques Roadshow

16:00 Perfection

19:00 Eggheads

16:45 Escape to the Country

19:30 Great British Railway

17:30 Flog It!

Journeys

18:15 Pointless

20:00 Swimming

19:00 BBC News

21:00 Celebrity Mastermind

19:30 Weather

21:30 Gardeners' World

19:30 BBC London News

22:00 Horizon

20:00 A Question of Sport

23:00 The Trip

20:30 Celebrity MasterChef

23:30 Newsnight

21:00 EastEnders 21:30 Sherlock 23:00 BBC News 23:25 Regional News and Weather 23:35 Would I Lie to You?

00:20 The Other Pompeii: Life and Death in Herculaneum 01:20 Panorama

00:35 Murder, She Wrote 01:30 Jackpot247 04:00 Tonight 04:25 ITV Nightscreen 06:05 The Jeremy Kyle Show 07:00 Daybreak 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Tipping Point 14:30 ITV News and Weather 14:55 ITV Meridian Weather 15:00 The Hungry Sailors 16:00 Secret Dealers 16:59 ITV Meridian Weather 17:00 Midsomer Murders 18:00 Take on the Twisters 19:00 ITV News Meridian 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Coronation Street 21:00 Harbour Lives 21:30 Coronation Street 22:00 Doc Martin 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 ITV News Meridian 23:35 The River Wild

THAT MUSIC SHOW Radio 1 breakfast show host Nick Grimshaw pres­ ents a quiz in which two teams of musicians and comedians compete to find out who knows the most about the sounds of 1995 and 2005.

Featuring performances by Primal Scream and AlunaGeorge.

00:50 Random Acts 00:55 One Born Every Minute 01:55 The Plane That Saved Britain 02:50 The Amy Winehouse Story 03:40 Dispatches 04:10 Food Unwrapped 04:40 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 05:35 Kirstie's Vintage Gems 05:50 Deal or No Deal 06:45 Baking Mad with Eric Lanlard 07:10 The Hoobs 07:35 The Hoobs 08:00 Hugh's 3 Good Things 08:10 According to Jim 08:35 Will & Grace 09:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:35 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:05 Frasier 10:35 Frasier 11:05 The Big Bang Theory 11:35 The Big Bang Theory 12:00 Undercover Boss USA 13:00 Channel 4 News Summary 13:05 A Place in the Sun 14:05 Kirstie's Vintage Gems 14:30 Channel 4 Racing 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:55 Ramadan Diaries 21:00 Four Rooms 22:00 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown 23:00 That Music Show

00:00 Big Brother's Bit on the Side 01:00 SuperCasino 04:55 Great Artists 05:20 House Doctor 05:45 House Doctor 06:10 Wildlife SOS 06:35 Wildlife SOS 07:00 Thomas & Friends 07:10 Rupert Bear 07:20 Fireman Sam 07:35 Jelly Jamm 07:45 Peppa Pig 07:50 Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures 07:55 Little Princess 08:10 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 08:20 The Mr Men Show 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:45 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:25 Peppa Pig 09:35 Roary the Racing Car 09:50 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 The Gadget Show 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Big Brother 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 The Mentalist 16:15 Unstable 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 NewsTalk Live 20:00 Cricket: The Ashes 21:00 World's Busiest 22:00 Big Brother 23:30 Big Brother's Bit on the Side

31

The Courier Saturday TV

August 3

Wedgwood 03:50 This Is BBC Two 00:05 Pramface

01:40 Jackpot247 04:00 Columbo: the Most Dangerous Match Strogoff 05:15 ITV Nightscreen 09:20 The Private Affairs of Bel Ami 07:00 Jake and the Neverland Pirates 11:10 Reel History of Britain 07:25 Poppy Cat 11:40 The Private Life of Plants 07:50 Canimals 08:10 Bookaboo 12:30 University Challenge 08:20 Kick Buttowski ­ Suburban 13:00 The A to Z of TV Cooking Daredevil 08:35 The Avengers: Earth's 13:45 Talking Pictures Mightiest Heroes!

14:25 Hotel Reserve 09:00 Gravity Falls 09:25 ITV News 15:55 Flog It! 09:30 Dinner Date 16:25 Wild Shepherdess with Kate 10:25 Saturday Cookbook 11:20 Murder, She Wrote Humble 12:20 Saturday Farm 17:25 Live Golf: The Women's British 13:20 ITV News and Weather 13:24 ITV Meridian Weather Open 13:25 All Star Mr & Mrs 19:00 Swimming 14:25 Midsomer Murders 16:25 Harry Potter and the Prisoner 20:30 Proms Extra 2013 of Azkaban 19:00 ITV News Meridian 21:10 David Starkey's Music & 19:15 ITV News and Weather Monarchy 19:30 You've Been Framed!

20:30 Your Face Sounds Familiar 22:10 Top of the Lake 21:45 All Star Family Fortunes 23:10 A Tribute to Mel Smith 22:45 The Americans 23:45 Not Again: Not the Nine O'Clock 23:35 ITV News and Weather 23:49 ITV Meridian Weather News 23:50 Air America 08:00 The Adventures of Michael

00:35 Alpha Dog 02:25 Weatherview 02:30 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 11:00 Saturday Kitchen Live 12:30 Lorraine's Fast, Fresh and Easy Food 13:00 BBC News; Regional News and Weather 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 Swimming 15:30 Live Golf: The Women's British Open 17:25 Final Score 18:15 BBC News; Regional News and Weather 18:35 Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade 20:30 I Love My Country 21:20 The National Lottery: Break the Safe 22:10 Casualty

00:05 01:10 01:15 02:50 03:10 03:30 03:55 04:20 05:10 06:05 07:00 07:10 08:00 08:30 09:00 10:00 11:00 12:00 13:00 13:30 14:30 17:20 19:25 19:55 20:00 21:00 23:00

Sean Lock: Stand Up Random Acts Semi­Pro New Girl The Mindy Project Accidentally on Purpose The Ricky Gervais Show St Elsewhere Phil Spencer: Secret Agent Deal or No Deal The Treacle People The Hoobs British F3 International Series The Grid The Morning Line Everybody Loves Raymond Frasier The Big Bang Theory The Simpsons Undercover Boss Canada Channel 4 Racing Come Dine with Me Channel 4 News Ramadan Diaries Grand Designs X­Men Kick­Ass

X-MEN

23:00 Mrs Brown's Boys 23:30 National Lottery Update 23:50 Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow

00:00 Weather 00:05 The Unbearable Lightness of Being

Fantasy action adventure based on the Marvel Comics series, starring Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Ian McKellen and Famke Janssen. In a world where humans live alongside mutants with extraordinary powers, there are some that see con­ flict between the two groups as inevitable. But Professor Charles Xavier and his team of X­Men are determined to stop those hellbent on confrontation.

02:50 The Genius of Josiah

00:30 Big Brother 01:00 SuperCasino 05:00 Motorsport Mundial 05:20 House Doctor 05:45 House Doctor 06:10 Wildlife SOS 06:35 Wildlife SOS 07:00 Peppa Pig 07:05 Roary the Racing Car 07:15 Fifi and the Flowertots 07:25 Bubble Guppies 07:35 The Mr Men Show 07:50 Chloe's Closet 08:00 Roobarb and Custard Too 08:10 Bananas in Pyjamas 08:25 Noddy in Toyland 08:40 City of Friends 08:55 Little Princess 09:10 The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill and His Best Friend Corky 09:25 Angelina Ballerina 09:45 Rupert Bear 10:00 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 10:15 Toby's Travelling Circus 10:25 Roary the Racing Car 10:45 Jelly Jamm 11:00 The Mr Men Show 11:15 Power Rangers: Megaforce 11:50 Slugterra 12:10 Meerkat Manor 12:45 Big Brother 14:10 A Bridge Too Far 17:30 CSI: NY 18:30 Jesse Stone: No Remorse 20:00 Cricket: The Ashes 21:00 NCIS 21:55 NCIS 22:50 5 News Weekend 23:00 Big Brother

The Courier Sunday TV

August 4

04:00 This Is BBC Two 07:00 Hindle Wakes 00:35 The Football League Show 01:55 Weatherview 02:00 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:00 BBC News 11:00 Sunday Morning Live 12:00 Bargain Hunt 12:30 Live Cycling 15:00 BBC News 15:05 Weather for the Week Ahead 15:10 Escape to the Country 15:55 Earthflight 16:55 Songs of Praise 17:30 Live Cycling 19:30 Deadly 60 on a Mission 20:00 Celebrity Mastermind 20:30 BBC News; Regional News and Weather 21:00 Countryfile 22:00 The White Queen 23:00 BBC News; Regional News and Weather 23:25 Have I Got a Bit More News for You

01:15 The Children 02:35 Devils of Darkness

08:30 Around the World in 80 Gardens 09:30 The Beechgrove Garden 10:00 Gardeners' World 10:30 Saturday Kitchen Best Bites 12:00 Raymond Blanc: How to Cook Well 12:30 EastEnders 14:25 Flog It! 14:55 Live Golf: The Women's British Open 19:00 Swimming 20:30 Porridge 21:00 Top Gear 22:00 Das Auto: The Germans, Their Cars and Us 23:00 The Real White Queen and Her Rivals

01:55 Jackpot247 04:00 The Jeremy Kyle Show USA 04:45 ITV Nightscreen 07:00 Jake and the Neverland Pirates 07:25 Poppy Cat 07:50 Canimals 08:10 Bookaboo 08:20 Kick Buttowski ­ Suburban Daredevil 08:35 The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes!

09:00 Sonny with a Chance 09:25 ITV News 09:30 Country House Sunday 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show USA 11:20 Murder, She Wrote 12:20 ITV News and Weather 12:24 ITV Meridian Weather 12:25 Columbo: a Deadly State of Mind 13:55 Love Your Garden 14:55 Fool Britannia 15:25 You've Been Framed!

15:55 A Touch of Frost 18:00 Liar Liar 19:30 ITV Meridian Weather 19:45 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Tipping Point: Lucky Stars 21:00 All Star Mr & Mrs 22:00 Law & Order: UK 23:00 ITV News and Weather 23:14 ITV Meridian Weather 23:15 Perspectives

SOUTHCLIFFE Drama set in a fictional market town where a shoot­ ing spree devastates the lives of residents. As dawn breaks, the sound of gunshots rings out as a killer goes on the rampage, leaving the locals fac­ ing sudden bereavement and testing their resilience both as individuals and a community. In the aftermath of the tragedy, reporter David Whitehead returns to his home town of Southcliffe in search of answers, while trying to reconcile dark events from his own past.

01:15 Rude Tube 02:15 Aeonflux 03:50 Hollyoaks 06:05 Deal or No Deal 07:00 The Treacle People 07:10 Blancpain Endurance Series 08:05 Ironman 2013 08:35 World Trail Running Championships 09:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:30 Frasier 10:00 Frasier 10:30 Sunday Brunch 13:30 The Big Bang Theory 14:00 The Simpsons 14:30 Deal or No Deal 15:30 The Spy Next Door 17:20 Percy Jackson & the Lightning Thief 19:35 Channel 4 News 19:55 Ramadan Diaries 20:00 Princess Diana's Dresses: The Auction 21:00 The Mill 22:00 Southcliffe 23:00 Forrest Gump

00:00 Big Brother's Bit on the Psych 01:00 SuperCasino 05:00 Nick's Quest 05:25 Make It Big 05:50 Roary the Racing Car 06:00 Angels of Jarm 06:10 Hana's Helpline 06:20 Angels of Jarm 06:25 The Funky Valley Show 06:40 Roary the Racing Car 06:50 Hana's Helpline 07:00 Peppa Pig 07:05 Roary the Racing Car 07:15 Fifi and the Flowertots 07:25 Bubble Guppies 07:40 The Mr Men Show 07:50 Chloe's Closet 08:00 Roobarb and Custard Too 08:10 Bananas in Pyjamas 08:25 Noddy in Toyland 08:35 Milkshake! Monkey 08:40 City of Friends 08:55 Little Princess 09:05 The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill and His Best Friend Corky 09:20 Mio Mao 09:25 Angelina Ballerina 09:40 Rupert Bear 09:55 Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures 10:00 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 10:15 Toby's Travelling Circus 10:30 Roary the Racing Car 10:45 Jelly Jamm 11:00 Power Rangers Samurai 11:35 Slugterra 12:00 Meerkat Manor 12:30 Big Brother 13:30 Big Brother's Bit on the Side 14:30 World's 15:30 Rocketeer 17:40 The Man in the Iron Mask 20:00 Cricket: The Ashes 21:00 Once Upon a Time 21:55 5 News Weekend 22:00 Big Brother 23:00 Blade II

32

The Courier Monday TV

August 5

00:10 00:50 01:10 01:15 07:00 10:15 11:00 12:00 12:45 13:15 14:00 14:30 14:40 15:10 16:00 16:45 17:30 18:15 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 21:30 22:00 23:00 23:25 23:35

00:00 01:40 02:35 03:35 07:00 07:05

Room 101 ­ Extra Storage The Sky at Night Weatherview BBC News Breakfast Heir Hunters Homes Under the Hammer Helicopter Heroes Fake Britain Bargain Hunt BBC News; Weather Regional News and Weather Doctors Only Fools and Horses Perfection Escape to the Country Flog It! Pointless BBC News Weather The One Show Rip Off Britain EastEnders Panorama Long Live Britain BBC News Regional News and Weather Long Live Britain

Irresistible Countryfile Holby City This Is BBC Two This Is BBC Two Homes Under the Hammer

08:05 Great British Railway Journeys 08:35 Bargain Hunt 09:20 Saints and Scroungers 10:05 Restoration Home 11:05 The Chef's Protege 11:35 Click 12:00 BBC News 12:30 BBC World News 13:00 Picnic 14:50 Coast 14:55 Weakest Link 15:40 Mastermind 16:10 The A to Z of TV Gardening 16:55 A Taste of My Life 17:25 Europe: A Natural History 18:15 Antiques Roadshow 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Great British Railway Journeys 20:00 Top Gear 21:00 University Challenge 21:30 Raymond Blanc: How to Cook Well 22:00 Rick Stein's German Bite 23:00 QI 23:30 Weather

00:15 Murder, She Wrote" 01:10 The Store 03:10 Monk 03:55 Motorsport UK 04:45 ITV Nightscreen 06:05 The Jeremy Kyle Show 07:00 Daybreak 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Tipping Point 14:30 ITV News and Weather 14:55 ITV Meridian Weather 15:00 The Hungry Sailors 16:00 Secret Dealers 16:59 ITV Meridian Weather 17:00 Midsomer Murders 18:00 Take on the Twisters 19:00 ITV News Meridian 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Coronation Street 21:00 The Dales 21:30 Coronation Street 22:00 Long Lost Family 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 ITV News Meridian 23:35 Benidorm

01:45 The Good German 03:30 The Island 03:50 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 04:50 Kirstie's Handmade Treasures 05:00 Deal or No Deal 05:55 Secret Eaters 06:50 SuperScrimpers 07:10 The Hoobs 08:00 Hugh's 3 Good Things 08:15 According to Jim 08:40 Will & Grace 09:05 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:05 Frasier 11:05 The Big Bang Theory 12:00 Undercover Boss USA 13:00 Channel 4 News Summary 13:05 A Place in the Sun 14:05 The Thief of Bagdad 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:55 Ramadan Diaries 21:00 Dispatches 22:00 Southcliffe 23:00 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown

DISPATCHES An investigation into the tricks used by advertisers to promote brands on websites, from celebrity endorsements to the purchasing of fake Facebook likes and YouTube views. Film­maker Chris Atkins travels to Bangladesh in search of backstreet `click farms' where workers are paid to manipulate social media statistics for the benefit of Western compa­ nies.

01:15 Love/Hate 02:15 SuperCasino 05:00 Nick's Quest 05:25 Make It Big 05:50 Roary the Racing Car 06:00 Angels of Jarm 06:05 Hana's Helpline 06:20 Angels of Jarm 06:25 The Funky Valley Show 06:40 Roary the Racing Car 06:50 Hana's Helpline 07:00 Thomas & Friends 07:10 Rupert Bear 07:20 Fireman Sam 07:45 Peppa Pig 07:50 Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures 07:55 Little Princess 08:10 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 08:20 The Mr Men Show 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:45 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:35 Roary the Racing Car 09:45 Milkshake! Monkey 09:50 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 World's 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Big Brother 14:15 Animal A&E 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 16:10 Hush 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Animal A&E 19:30 NewsTalk Live 20:00 Cricket: The Ashes 21:00 The Billion Dollar Wreck Hunt 22:00 Botched Up Bodies 23:00 Big Brother

The Courier Tuesday TV

August 6

00:20 01:05 01:10 07:00 10:15 11:00 12:00 12:45 13:15 14:00 14:30 14:40 15:10 16:00 16:45 17:30 18:15 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 22:00 23:00 23:25 23:35

Live at the Apollo Weatherview BBC News Breakfast Heir Hunters Homes Under the Hammer Helicopter Heroes Fake Britain Bargain Hunt BBC News; Weather Regional News and Weather Doctors Only Fools and Horses Perfection Escape to the Country Flog It! Pointless BBC News Weather The One Show EastEnders Holby City New Tricks BBC News National Lottery Update Allotment Wars

00:20 Das Auto: The Germans, Their Cars and Us" 01:20 Natural World 02:20 This Is BBC Two 07:00 This Is BBC Two 07:05 Homes Under the Hammer 08:05 Great British Railway

Journeys 08:35 Bargain Hunt 09:20 Saints and Scroungers 10:05 You've Been Scammed 10:35 The Chef's Protege 11:05 The Chef's Protege 11:35 HARDtalk 12:00 BBC News 12:30 BBC World News 13:00 Jules Verne's Rocket to the Moon 14:55 The Super League Show 15:40 Mastermind 16:10 The A to Z of TV Gardening 16:55 A Taste of My Life 17:25 Europe: A Natural History 18:15 Antiques Roadshow 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Great British Railway Journeys 20:00 A Summer in Wales 21:00 Count Arthur Strong 21:30 The Cruise: A Life at Sea 22:00 Make Me a German 23:00 Family Tree 23:30 Newsnight

00:05 Monk 01:00 Jackpot247 04:00 The Jeremy Kyle Show 04:55 ITV Nightscreen 06:05 The Jeremy Kyle Show 07:00 Daybreak 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Tipping Point 14:30 ITV News and Weather 14:55 ITV Meridian Weather 15:00 The Hungry Sailors 16:00 Secret Dealers 16:59 ITV Meridian Weather 17:00 Midsomer Murders 18:00 Take on the Twisters 19:00 ITV News Meridian 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Nature's Newborns 21:00 Love Your Garden 22:00 Stephen Fry's Key to the City 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 ITV Meridian Weather 23:35 Piers Morgan's Life Stories

MAKE ME A GERMAN In a bid to discover the secret of Germany's eco­ nomic success, BBC journalist Justin Rowlatt and his wife Bee take their two youngest children with them to Nuremberg to live, work and socialise the German way. Justin starts a job in a pencil factory, one of the many small and medium­sized manu­ facturing companies that employ almost two­ thirds of the country's workforce, while Bee, who is half German, learns how a typical hausfrau runs the family home, with the help of an expert from Germany's equivalent of the Women's Institute.

00:05 00:10 00:45 01:40 02:35 03:30 04:15 05:05 06:05 06:55 07:10 08:00 08:15 08:40 09:05 10:05 11:05 12:00 13:00 13:05 14:05 16:10 17:00 18:00 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:55 21:00 Free 22:00 23:00

Random Acts Coming Up How to Get a Council House Dates Misfits Nashville St Elsewhere Phil Spencer: Secret Agent Deal or No Deal SuperScrimpers The Hoobs Hugh's 3 Good Things According to Jim Will & Grace Everybody Loves Raymond Frasier The Big Bang Theory Undercover Boss USA Channel 4 News Summary A Place in the Sun Cocoon Countdown Deal or No Deal Come Dine with Me The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Ramadan Diaries Kirstie's Fill Your House for Undercover Boss Rude Tube

00:00 Big Brother's Bit on the Side 01:00 The Walking Dead 01:55 SuperCasino 04:55 Great Artists 05:20 House Doctor 05:45 House Doctor 06:10 Wildlife SOS 06:35 Wildlife SOS 07:00 Thomas & Friends 07:10 Rupert Bear 07:20 Fireman Sam 07:30 Jelly Jamm 07:45 Peppa Pig 07:50 Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures 07:55 Little Princess 08:10 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 08:20 The Mr Men Show 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:45 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:35 Roary the Racing Car 09:45 Milkshake! Monkey 09:50 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 The Hotel Inspector Returns 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Big Brother 14:15 Animal A&E 14:45 Neighbours 15:20 NCIS 16:15 Amber's Story 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Animal A&E 19:30 NewsTalk Live 20:00 Monkey Life 20:30 5 News Update 21:00 The Kids with No Memory 22:00 CSI: NY 23:00 Big Brother

33

The Courier Wednesday TV

August 7

08:30 Bargain Hunt 09:15 Saints and Scroungers 00:25 Life Savers 01:25 Weatherview 01:30 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Heir Hunters 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Helicopter Heroes 12:45 Fake Britain 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News; Weather 14:30 Regional News and Weather 14:40 Doctors 15:10 Only Fools and Horses 16:00 Perfection 16:45 Escape to the Country 17:30 Flog It! 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News 19:30 BBC London News 20:00 The One Show 21:00 Celebrity MasterChef 22:00 Who Do You Think You Are? 23:00 BBC News 23:25 Regional News and Weather 23:35 The Call Centre

00:20 Rick Stein's German Bite 01:20 The Iraq War 02:20 This Is BBC Two 07:00 Homes Under the Hammer 08:00 Great British Railway Journeys

00:35 01:25 04:00 Under 04:40 11:30 The Chef's Protege 06:05 12:00 BBC News 07:00 12:30 BBC World News 09:30 10:25 13:00 Land of the Pharaohs 11:30 14:40 Coast 13:30 14:45 Weakest Link 14:30 15:30 Mastermind 14:55 16:00 The A to Z of TV Gardening 15:00 16:45 A Taste of My Life 16:00 17:15 Journeys into the Ring of Fire 16:59 17:00 18:15 Antiques Roadshow 18:00 19:00 Eggheads 19:00 19:30 Great British Railway 19:30 Journeys 20:00 20:00 A Summer in Wales 20:30 21:00 Restoration Home 21:00 22:00 22:00 Queen Victoria's Children 23:00 23:00 The Culture Show 23:30 23:30 Weather 23:35 10:00 Rick Stein's India

11:00 Helicopter Heroes Down

In Plain Sight Jackpot247 The Jeremy Kyle Show USA ITV Nightscreen The Jeremy Kyle Show Daybreak Lorraine The Jeremy Kyle Show This Morning Tipping Point ITV News and Weather ITV News Meridian The Hungry Sailors Secret Dealers ITV Meridian Weather Midsomer Murders Take on the Twisters ITV News Meridian ITV News and Weather Emmerdale Coronation Street You Saw Them Here First Neighbourhood Force ITV News at Ten and Weather ITV Meridian Weather Inside Man

00:05 Random Acts 00:10 The Dealership 01:10 Poker 02:35 Beach Volleyball 03:25 The Grid 03:50 British F3 International Series 04:20 Ironman 2013 04:50 World Trail Running Championships 05:15 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 06:10 Deal or No Deal 07:10 The Hoobs 08:00 Hugh's 3 Good Things 08:15 According to Jim 08:40 Will & Grace 09:05 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:05 Frasier 11:05 The Big Bang Theory 12:00 Undercover Boss USA 13:00 Channel 4 News Summary 13:05 A Place in the Sun 14:05 SuperScrimpers 14:10 Rat Race 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:55 Ramadan Diaries 21:00 How Not to Get Old 22:00 24 Hours in A&E 23:00 The Last Leg 23:50 Cutting Edge

HOW NOT TO GET OLD Anna Richardson and Louise Redknapp present a guide to the anti­ageing industry, looking at the treatments on offer to help turn back the clock, from natural and inexpensive quick fixes, to prici­ er high­street options and surgery. Beginning with a focus on tummies and eyes, two partici­ pants with specific worries go under the knife in a bid to take years off their appearance, while Anna tests one of the latest non­surgical fat­ reducing treatments on her thighs.

00:00 Big Brother's Bit on the Side 01:00 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 01:55 SuperCasino 04:55 Great Artists 05:20 House Doctor 06:10 Wildlife SOS 07:00 Thomas & Friends 07:10 Rupert Bear 07:20 Fireman Sam 07:30 Jelly Jamm 07:45 Peppa Pig 07:50 Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures 07:55 Little Princess 08:10 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 08:20 The Mr Men Show 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:45 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:35 Roary the Racing Car 09:45 Milkshake! Monkey 09:50 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 Cowboy Traders 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Big Brother 14:15 Animal A&E 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 NCIS 16:10 Killer Flood 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Animal A&E 19:30 NewsTalk Live 20:00 Emergency Bikers 21:00 Nurses 22:00 Big Brother 23:00 Love/Hate

The Courier Thursday TV

August 8

00:35 01:35 01:40 07:00 10:15 11:00 12:00 12:45 13:15 14:00 14:30 14:40 15:10 16:00 16:45 17:30 18:15 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 22:00 23:00 23:25 23:35

00:20 01:20 02:20 07:00 07:05 08:05

The League Cup Show Weatherview BBC News Breakfast Heir Hunters Homes Under the Hammer Helicopter Heroes Fake Britain Bargain Hunt BBC News; Weather Regional News and Weather Doctors Only Fools and Horses Perfection Escape to the Country Flog It! Pointless BBC News Weather The One Show EastEnders Celebrity MasterChef The Field of Blood BBC News Regional News and Weather Who Do You Think You Are?

Dara O Briain's Science Club The Secret Life of the Sun This Is BBC Two This Is BBC Two Homes Under the Hammer Great British Railway

Journeys 08:35 Bargain Hunt 09:20 Saints and Scroungers 10:05 The Sheriffs Are Coming 11:05 The Chef's Protege 11:35 HARDtalk 12:00 BBC News 12:30 BBC World News 13:00 The French Line 14:35 Coast 14:45 Weakest Link 15:30 Mastermind 16:00 The A to Z of TV Gardening 16:45 A Taste of My Life 17:15 Journeys into the Ring of Fire 18:15 Antiques Roadshow 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Great British Railway Journeys 20:00 A Summer in Wales 21:00 Dara O Briain's Science Club 22:00 The Men Who Made Us Thin 23:00 Rhod Gilbert's Work Experience 23:30 Weather

01:55 Jackpot247 04:00 British Touring Car Championship 05:15 ITV Nightscreen 06:05 The Jeremy Kyle Show 07:00 Daybreak 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Tipping Point 14:30 ITV News and Weather 14:55 ITV Meridian Weather 15:00 The Hungry Sailors 16:00 Secret Dealers 16:59 ITV Meridian Weather 17:00 Midsomer Murders 18:00 Take on the Twisters 19:00 ITV News Meridian 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Tonight 21:00 Emmerdale 21:30 Married to the Job 22:00 Fraud Squad 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 ITV Meridian Weather 23:35 You Saw Them Here First

THE MEN WHO MADE US THIN New series. Jacques Peretti investigates the con­ nections between obesity and weight loss, and talks to some of the businessmen making a for­ tune from the desire to be thin. He examines the scientific reasons why so many diets fail in the long term and why people go back to them again and again, and also speaks to a former director of Weight Watchers and industry leaders including Slim­Fast billionaire S Daniel Abraham and diet­ plan author Pierre Dukan.

00:40 00:45 01:45 02:35 04:35 05:30 05:50 06:45 07:10 08:00 08:15 08:40 09:05 10:05 11:05 11:35 12:00 13:00 13:05 14:05 16:10 17:00 18:00 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:55 21:00 22:00

Random Acts Undercover Boss Shameless USA The Electric Horseman Phil Spencer: Secret Agent SuperScrimpers Deal or No Deal Baking Mad with Eric Lanlard The Hoobs Hugh's 3 Good Things According to Jim Will & Grace Everybody Loves Raymond Frasier The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Undercover Boss USA Channel 4 News Summary A Place in the Sun Hope Floats Countdown Deal or No Deal Come Dine with Me The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Ramadan Diaries The Dealership How to Get a Council House

00:10 Big Brother's Bit on the Side 01:10 National Heads Up Poker Championships 02:10 SuperCasino 04:55 Great Artists 05:20 Divine Designs 05:45 House Doctor 06:10 Wildlife SOS 06:35 Wildlife SOS 07:00 Thomas & Friends 07:10 Rupert Bear 07:20 Fireman Sam 07:30 Jelly Jamm 07:45 Peppa Pig 07:50 Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures 07:55 Little Princess 08:10 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 08:20 The Mr Men Show 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:45 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:25 Peppa Pig 09:35 Roary the Racing Car 09:50 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 World's Busiest 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Big Brother 14:15 Animal A&E 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 CSI: Miami 16:10 Mary Higgins Clark's We'll Meet Again 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Animal A&E 19:30 NewsTalk Live 20:00 Police Interceptors 21:00 Cowboy Traders 22:00 The Hotel Inspector Returns 23:00 Big Brother

34

Friday, August 2, 2013

ACCOUNTANTS Pro Business Support – for all your accountancy needs in English; bookkeeping, taxes, wage slips and more.

We cater for companies and self­employed people; we can deal with everything for you. Call us on 966 923 963 for first consultation free of charge.

ANIMALS Pet Travel UK family pet transporters Spain/UK. Travel with your pet for free.

All air conditioned vehicles (no vans) www.pettraveluk.co.uk UK 0800 612 4922 or Spain 678 756 644 (131)

BATTERY SPECIALIST Battery Specialist. Will diag­ nose and recondition any type of rechargeable bat­ tery­ FLA (car, forklift, house), SLA (scooter, marine), LithiumIon (bicy­ cles, laptops). Genuine experience and expertise.

Own workshop relocated from UK. Call or SMS to Michael 679 117788.(129)

BOATS GC15: 16m Guy Couach motor cruiser, 3 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, kitchen, lounge/dining area, and fly­

AIR CONDITIONING

bridge. 2 x Mercedes 350kw diesel motors. 56000 €. Call 966 923 963 or 651 885 200 A57: Rare Vintage 1957 Astondoa Classic Wooden motor launch, 10 m with Perkins diesel engine. All in working order. Needs TLC and re­varnish, great proj­ ect, 6000 €. Call 966 923 963 or 651 885 200 .

CHURCH SERVICES International Christian Assembly, Calle Pilar de Horadada 5, Torrevieja.

Evangelical non­denomina­ tional church. Sunday serv­ ices 11am.

Children's church 11am. House groups in Torrevieja, Los Balcones, San Javier. Ladies meeting Thursdays 11am. Craft club, Tuesdays, 2pm.

Pastor, Rafael Restrepo. All nation­ alities welcome. Call 966 799 273 or 660 127 276.

Pilar Christian Community Church Calle Canalejas 3.

Pilar de la Horadada.

Sunday Service at 11am, and Thursday at 5pm for Bible study and Prayer.

Home groups meet during the week. All welcome from any church background or none. For further information contact PilarChristian.

CommunityChurch@gmail.c om or contact Reverend Eddie on 966769300 or 650509606.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) meet at 10.00 each Sunday at their Torrevieja meetinghouse in the Torreaguas building on the corner of Rambla Juan Mateo Garcia 104, close to the windmill in Torrevieja, 667 533 597.

CARS FOR SALE Car insurance quotes – new extra discount on fully com­ prehensive policies at the price of third party!

AUCTIONS

Excellent prices for expats, all policies and call centre staff in English. We will call you back with a quote. 966 923 963

FRIENDSHIP Handsome Norwegian Writer 46.Educated.

Resident in apartment near Torrevieja marina. I’m look­ ing for a humoristic English / German / Scandinavian speaking woman 28­45 for friendship or marriage. Call Frankie 634 337 301 manuslaben@gmail.com (125)

INSURANCE CASER SEGUROS ­ for all your insurance needs, home, car, health, funeral.

Policies available in English and German.

Call Professional Business Support on 966 923 963 for a quick quote from our friendly staff.

MOORINGS Mooring for sale in Guardamar Marina, de las Dunas. 10m x 3.5m.

Pontoon B. No G5 tax.

19,995€ 965 419 085 / 636 800 371 (130)

PROPERTY FOR RENT

CARPENTER

Viva Villa and Vacation Services, For Short or Long Term Rentals visit: www.vil­ laandvacation.com or Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 2 or 3 bed / 2 bath apart­ ments in San Miguel. Lift, communal rooftop pool & solarium, video entry sys­

ALARMS

CATERING

tem. Available for short or long term rent from 350 pcm. Tel 966723437 or 616 493 487. (128) Ref: 61, A lovely two bed­ roomed ground floor apart­ ment, located in the centre of the small Spanish town of Los Montesinos, With a pleasant communal swim­ ming pool adjacent & all amenities in walking dis­ tance. Long and short term rental available. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref 33, Ground floor spa­ cious 2 bedroom apartment, located in Torre la Mata.

Close to all amenities and beach.

3 month rental €300pcm Call: 965 707 188 Ref: 104, 2 Bedroom apart­ ment in Torrevieja, (near gypsy lane), small balcony, near all amenities and Friday market. €350pcm Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref: 112, Spacious 3 bed­ room detached villa with its private pool is located on the El Raso urbanisation near Guardamar. Convenient for all amenities, shops, super­ market, restaurants and bars. Short term rental avail­ able. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref 702: Beautiful 2 bed­ room apartment, located near los Locos beach, beau­ tifully furnished. Short term rentals from 175€ per week.

Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref: 63, Two bedroom 1st floor apartment situated in Monino Blanco. The proper­

ty overlooks a superb com­ munal pool area, in within walking distance of bars, restaurants and shops.

Short or long term rental available. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Brand new 2 bed, unfur­ nished/ apartment. Algorfa town centre, swimming pool, rent € 250 per month or yearly advanced €2700 plus bills . 0044­7949­589­539 (134)

LONG TERM RENTALS WANTED! Properties, all types, in the Torrevieja area wanted for long term rentals.

Call us on 96 692 3963 CBR32 : 3 bed, 2 bath apart­ ment in Los Montesinos, very spacious 120 m2, fully furnished, with pool on solarium, only 300 € p/m, available from beginning September, call now on 966 923 963 CBR31 : Town centre apart­ ment in Los Montesinos, with lift, lock up storeroom on solarium, all amenities nearby, spacious 2 bed 1 bath, 250 € p/m El Chaparel/La Siesta Two bedroom apartment in a quiet gated urbanisation for rent €350 per month plus bills. Reference No 17 Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref: 709, A lovely 1 bed­ room apartment in Aguas Nuevas, within a 5 minute walk of the beach. There is a terrace outside with views to the sea. Short or long term rental available. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 CBR34 : Top floor bungalow in desirable location of Aguas Nuevas, 2 bed 1 bath furnished, large solarium, central to schools, hospital, sports centre etc. 350 € pcm, call 966 923 963.

CBR27 – Ground floor apartment in closed luxury residential with beautiful

communal gardens, pool, 2 beds 1 walk­in shower, redecorated this year. Only 250m walk to beach, inc.parking. 425€ pcm, call 966 923 963

PROPERTY FOR SALE Home and Contents cover ­ Comprehensive policies for house and contents with CASER Seguros ­ excellent prices for expats; policies available in. Call 966 923 963 for a quote.

Butia Espana Are you trapped. Need to sell quick.

We are the only answer for a speedy sale.UK buyers wait­ ing. www.butiaespana.com Telephone 0800 612 7514 or Spain 678 756 644 (131) Rare opportunity to pur­ chase on Mediterrania III, Gran Alacant. 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, Private Parking, F/Furnished, Large communal pools & Tennis courts S/W facing, Dramatically reduced for quick sale to 126.000 euros.

Ref No. K58 Call 627 711 155 for immediate viewing Ref: 104 Lovely 2 Bedroom Apartment, close to Shops, walking distance to Friday Market and Town Centre and the beach. The property is close to the Habaneres Shopping Centre and Aquapark. Recently refur­ bished apartment in a good central location.

Conveniently situated for all the facilities of this modern vibrant town, and only a few blocks away from Torreviejas excellent sea front with its abundant cafes, restaurants and shops. Price €43950 Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref. BRJ1 – 1 bedroom top floor renovated apartment in San Luis. Great sea and lake views. 55.000 €. Tel. 966 923 963

BARBER CAR HIRE

CLEANERS

35

Friday, August 2, 2013

Immaculate ground floor Duplex, 2 beds, 2 bath, Private Parking, Situated in Novamar, Gran Alacant.

Price includes very tasteful furniture and white goods.

Walking distance to all local amenities and beach. Now only 129,750 euros. Ref No K24. 627 711 155 Ref: 510, €70,000.

Bungalow located in San Luis. It is close to the super­ markets, bars and restau­ rants and is on the local bus route. An Opel Corsa car is included in this sale. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Lovely Corner property in Novamar V, Gran Alacant. 2

bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms Being sold fully furnished including appliances, Has secure underground parking and faces large oasis com­ munal pool. Walking dis­ tance to beach. 139.000 Euros, Call 627 711 155 and quote Ref No. K10 Ref: 521, €105,000. This comfortable bungalow is located in San Luis with a new roof and solarium tiles.

It is close to supermarkets, bars, restaurants and is on the local bus route. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Don Pueblo, Gran Alacant. 3 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms, Large Kitchen with Galleria,

CAR BREAKERS

Secure underground park­ ing, Gas Central Heating, Glazed in Porch, Solarium with stunning views.

Viewings absolutely essen­ tial. Very large property at reduced price of 190.000 euros. Ref No. K38 Call 627 711 155 Opportunity to purchase at the off plan price of 195.000 euros. Large 4 Bed, 3 Bath Brand new property. Secure underground parking for 2 cars and communal pool.

Situated opposite Gran Alacant and over looks pro­ jected golf course. Ref No. K52. 627 711 155 Viva Villa and Vacation Services are pleased to offer property sales for the Torrevieja and Oriheula areas of the Costa Blanca, Spain. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 or Visit : www.villaandvacation.com 2 Bed, 1 Bath Ground floor duplex. Central heating, Grills, Fully furnished, Glazed in Galleria, 2 com­ munal pools, private parking and walking distance to the Gran Alacant commercial

centre. Situated in the popu­ lar urbanisation of Puerto Marino. Now only 96,500 euros for quick sale Ref No. K46. 627 711 155 RS80 : Spanish style town­ house in Algorfa, totally reformed and redecorated, 110m2, 3 lrg.bedrooms, 1 bathroom, many extras, absolute bargain at 99,500 €, call now on 966 923 963 for no obligation viewing.

Gran Alacant Detached villa, located in a very sought after location.Situated on a 560m2 S/W facing plot and constructed in 2005.

Comprising of 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms (2 full baths), Lounge­Diner, fully equipped Kitchen, Porch and Solarium with Alicante & Sea Views. ref.L81. €258,000 neg.

Tel. 680333242 Gran Alacant Town House with a difference.

2 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, Glazed in Porch, Quiet Location, Extra storage areas, and South Facing Private Pool as well as 2 communal pools. Fully

HOUSE / BAR CLEARANCE

Furnished, All mod cons.

Greenland Views and all local amenities close by.

Ref. No L79. 179.000 euros 680 333 242 Ref: 520, €80,000. Two bed­ room apartment in Dream Hills, with a fully equipped kitchen, large lounge, glazed­in terrace and a large solarium. This property comes with a large commu­ nal swimming pool. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Top floor Duplex. Very good price of 108.000 euros for a quick sale. Furnished to a very high standard, 2 bed­ rooms, 1 bathroom, Lounge Diner, Glazed in Porch, Large Roof Top Solarium.

Choice of Communal Pools, Private Parking. Walking distance to all amenities and on the First urbanisation as you enter Gran Alacant.

Viewing essential. Ref No. K44. Tel. 627 711 155 Gran Alacant immaculate villa, 3 bedroomed, 3 bath­ roomed property maintained to a very high standard inside and out and the interi­ or furnishings are top quali­ ty, offering a feeling of luxury

and good taste. The plot size is 400m2 and has been beautifully tiles, and grav­ eled and has established palms and plants. Oil fired central heating throughout, log effect fire place, ceiling fans in all rooms, towel heater rails, glazed in show­ er units, instant hot water, water purifier, free English TV, phone & internet lines, fitted double hanging wardrobes, safe, glazed in front porch, vanity units and much more. The pool is an 8 X 4 m2 salt water pool, meaning maintenance is much easier plus outside toilet and shower. Sea views to front with Greenland views to the rear. ref K51. €245,000 Tel 680333242

JEWELLERY

36

Friday, August 2, 2013

Ref 533: Lovely 2 bedroom duplex located in the popu­ lar area of Punta Prima, the property has a large lounge and fully equipped kitchen, 2 double bedrooms, one with balcony, bathroom with dou­ ble shower. €126,000 Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref: 516, €39,999. Studio apartment in San Luis, close to amenities. Open plan fully equipped kitchen. Good sized lounge, bedroom and out onto balcony which has been glazed to create another room. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref: 513, €115,000. Two bedroom ground floor apart­ ment, in Aguas Nuevas, close to all amenities includ­ ing the beach. It has a good size lounge, kitchen and has off road parking facilities.

Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Balsares is opposite Gran Alacant where the proposed golf course is now being started so this property will virtually be on the golf course, it is an investment not to be missed. The prop­ erty is on a small gated urbanisation of 18 houses with private underground parking for 2 cars and direct access to the house, com­ munal pool and toilets/changing rooms etc.

The house is brand new and consists of 4 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, lounge with working fire place, large kitchen 12 m2, large galle­ ria/ utility room, bedroom balcony and front tiled ter­ race. This property also has a converted under build for an extra lounge or bedroom. ref K52 €198,000 Tel 680333242

Ref: 78, €120,000. Three bedroom Quad in Jardin Del Mar VII. There is off­road parking and small storage shed in the enclosed garden area, communal pool near­ by. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref: 709, €60,000 A lovely 1 bedroom apartment in Aguas Nuevas, within a 5 minute walk of the beach.

There is a terrace outside with views to the sea. Short or long term rental available.

Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Gran Alacant Opportunity to purchase a beautiful 3 bed­ roomed, 3 bathroomed,large kitchen, detached property with roof­ top solarium. Well established gardens and drive way for 2 cars, whilst also overlooking the project­ ed 18 hole golf course.

Comprising of fitted wardrobes, utility room, air con H/C, alarm system, electric wall heaters, inter­ com system, fireplace, ceil­ ings fans, 8x7 gazebo, use of 2 large communal pools, immaculate condition with many extras. ref K12. €180,000 Tel 680333242 Gran Alacant bargain, detached villa with pool on 400m2 plot. Briefly compris­ ing of 3 bedrooms, 3 bath­ rooms, Lounge Diner, inde­ pendent kitchen, solarium with views, well maintained gardens. Quiet location yet within walking distance of all amenities. Top quality furni­ ture and appliances includ­ ed in the price. Extras include, mosquito nets, grills, toldos blinds, built in wardrobes, gas fire, electric heating, ceiling fans, English & Spanish TV, tastefully tiled

MAN AND A VAN

& graveled garden with irri­ gation system. ref K43. €229,000 Tel 680333242 Ref: KP3100, €183,000.

Three bedroom, two bath­ room detached villa, located in San Luis, on a 450sqm plot, with communal pool.

Garage to side of house.

Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Gran Alacant South facing attractive corner house Situated in the sought after urbanization of Monte Faro, this secure gated urbaniza­ tion offers a stunning oasis pool, with mountain views, tennis courts and football courts. Consisting of 3 dou­ ble beds with balconies, 2 bathrooms, kitchen leading onto court yard which can easily be converted into an extra room, lounge diner with working fireplace, front garden with private parking for 2 cars. Being sold fully furnishes with white goods, built in 2006 so immaculate condition hardly lived in. Ref K48 €168,000 priced for quick sale Tel 680333242 Gran Alacant Limited edition bungalow. Only six of this type available in Gran Alacant. Constructed in 2003 and immaculately maintained on a large plot size of 500m2 with a 10 x 5 pool.Comprising of 3 bed­ rooms, 2 bathrooms, lounge­diner leading out onto front porch, independ­ ent kitchen including white goods, outside galleria, court yard, large garage with electric door, roof top solari­ um and private parking. Also built in wardrobes, Toldos blinds, air con H/C, security grills, alarm, security doors, bathrooms heaters, outside toilet, outdoor lighting, irriga­ tion system, attractive and well kept gardens, beautiful­ ly tiled inside and out, fire

place, English TV, phone line. Being sold with top quality furniture. ref L95. €275,000 Tel 680333242 Gran Alacant South facing attractive corner house Situated in the sought after urbanization of Monte Faro, this secure gated urbaniza­ tion offers a stunning oasis pool, with mountain views, tennis courts and football courts. Consisting of 3 dou­ ble beds with balconies, 2 bathrooms, kitchen leading onto court yard which can easily be converted into an extra room, lounge diner with working fireplace, front garden with private parking for 2 cars. Being sold fully furnishes with white goods, built in 2006 so immaculate condition hardly lived in. Ref K48 €168,000 priced for quick sale Tel 680333242 Gran Alacant, Ground floor south west facing apartment in Puerto Marino close to G.A commercial centre, comprising of 2 Bedrooms, 1 Bathroom, Lounge­Diner, Independent Kitchen with Galleria, Porch area and large tiled front garden, The property is being sold fully furnished and includes all kitchen appliances, H & C Air con is fitted as well as sky TV. The apartment enjoys the use of 2 large communal pools and has private parking in an enclosed electronically gated car park.

Competitively priced for a quick sale. Ref. K40 €91,000 Tel 680333242 Gran Alacant beautiful detached villa with very large pool and within walk­ ing distance to the Gran Alacant Commercial Centre.

This villa comprised of 3 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms, lounge­diner, Independent kitchen, roof top storage,

solarium, porch & terrace.

Large private pool, BBQ area, established gardens and private terraces, Private Parking, Solarium with Views to Alicante. 450m2 plot, fully furnished including white goods. Located in very quiet desirable road. ref.L96. €255,000 Tel 680333242 Gran Alacant Gem! Fabulous detached Villa, with Alicante sea views to the front and wood land views to the rear, means this immaculate villa is very pri­ vate and un­overlooked.

Comprising of 2 large bed­ rooms with fitted wardrobes, 2 bath, large fully equipped kitchen,glazed porch sitting area, solarium, Attractive Pool with cover, well main­ tained Gardens. Central Heating, Air Con, Ceiling fans, Private Parking, Alarm system, Decorative working Fire Place complete with electric Fire. Outdoor work­ shop/storage area, Quality Pergola & BBQ. Constructed in 2006, on plot size of 380m2 and being sold fully furnished including white goods. ref L80. €234,995 Tel 680333242 Gran Alacant, Rare invest­ ment!! corner south facing opportunity on Novamar urbanisation.This immacu­ late ground floor duplex has been kept and maintained to a very high standard inside and out the position is fan­ tastic, enjoys views over the lovely oasis communal pool, surrounded by lawned gar­ dens. Comprising of plot size 100m2 Build Size 90m2, 2 bedrooms, 2 bath­ rooms, fully furnished, Anti­ Glare Windows, Security Door, Security Grills, Built­in Wardrobes, Extra Storage, Galleria, Electric Panel Heaters, Heated Towel

PETS

PERSONAL

Rails, Air Con (h&c), Ceiling.

Fans. Thermo Shower, Vanity Units and decorative­ ly tiled throughout, exquisite garden, Underground pri­ vate parking.

Ref.K10 €139,000 Tel 680333242 Gran Alacant, Situated in the central area of Gran Alacant and within walking distance to all local ameni­ ties such as a selection of different cuisine restaurants, bars, pharmacies, banks, popular GA market and Carabassi Beach.

Comprises of 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms with a private garage and roof­top solari­ um. This property is part of a small urbanization which has the use of a large deco­ rative communal pool. Ref. K36 €149,000 Tel 680333242 Ground floor duplex, with splendid views. Quiet loca­ tion in Gran Alacant.

Immaculate condition. Price has just been reduced to 105.000 and includes every­ thing. For viewing call 627 711 155 Ref. No K27 Gran Alacant detached villa with converted under build and pool. Comprising of 3 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms, Lounge­ Diner, Front Porch, Large Solarium, decorative­ ly tiled, Irrigated Garden.

BBQ and Log Storage Cupboard. Raised walls for Privacy. Also many extras, toldos blinds, freshly deco­ rated interior, Grills, Mosquito Nets, Air Con H/C, Ceiling Fans, Log Burner Fire, Electric Radiators, Heated Towel Rails, Alarmed, Phone Line, Satellite UK TV, private parking. Plot size 310m2 under build 100m2. price includes all furniture.The under build consists of 2 beds, lounge, kit/utility room. ref L79. €250,000 Tel. 680333242

POOL TABLES

DAMP PROOFING

PLUMBERS

DRAINAGE

POOLS

37

Friday, August 2, 2013 Ref: 520, €85,000. Two bed­ room apartment in Dream Hills, with a fully equipped kitchen, large lounge, glazed­in terrace and a large solarium. This property comes with a large commu­ nal swimming pool. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Gran Alacant immaculate outstanding south facing villa in sought after road. Set on a 350m2 plot with 4 bed­ rooms, 3 baths,large porch, solarium and terraces. The large under build includes a lounge, kitchen, bedrooms, bathroom and patio doors leading to pool area. Internal & external access for under build. Extras include electric radiators, air con H/C, ceil­ ing fans, gas fire, heated towel rails, extended walk­in shower, fitted wardrobes.

Decorative tiling inside and out.

Panoramic views towards Alicante Bay, Sky TV, phone line and Internet & Private parking, estab­ lished gardens, water fea­ tures and fruit trees. Being sold with exquisite furniture and all white goods.

Immaculate finishes and decor. ref L84. €278,000 Tel 680333242 Gran Alacant, Large detached villa with beautiful gardens set on 550m2 plot, built in BBQ area and large 10x6 pool.Comprising of 3 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms, Lounge Diner with fire place, Independent Kitchen, air con H/C, Solarium, front porch, converted under build with 3 extra rooms, private covered parking, irrigated gardens, close distance to beach and amenities. Ref. K18 €250,000 Tel 680333242 Gran Alacant, Situated on the very first urbanisation as you enter Gran Alacant, this 2nd floor duplex offers taste and quality. Comprising of 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, lounge­diner, independent kitchen, full roof­top solari­ um with superb views and recently glazed in porch offering extra living area as well as extra privacy as the glass is mirrored. Ref.K44 €108,000 Tel 680333242 Gran Alacant, Situated in

SURVEYOR

STORAGE

the "Alto" part of Gran Alacant, this 3 bedroomed, 4th floor apartment, offers luxury accommodation, with absolutely stunning sea views, as well as views of Alicante bay and the famous Santa Barbara Castle.The apartment is 89 square meters with open plan kitchen / living room and includes all electrical appli­ ances & furniture also there is a utility room, open ter­ race, and private parking.

The urbanisation also offers many communal pools, ten­ nis courts, restaurants and bars. Ref. K20 €109,000 Tel 680333242 Gran Alacant villa located in a very quiet area , situated at the end of a cul­de­sac means there is no through traffic.3 bed, 3 bath, 330m2 plot, established large gar­ dens, working fireplace, solar panel for hot water,pri­ vate parking, south facing great views, fully furnished, fantastic opportunity. ref.

L85. €215,000 Tel 680333242 Beach front Line property, over looks Carabassi Beach, Gran Alacant. 2 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, Secure Underground Parking, Fully furnished, Roof Top Solarium. 3 Large Communal Pools, Fantastic communal Gardens, Tennis Courts and much more.

125.000 Euros Ref No. K23.

Tel. 627 711 155 Gran Alacant, Situated front line to the famous blue flag beaches of Carabassi, the real beauty of this property is its proximity to the beach, but also on offer is a fantas­ tic communal pool situated in beautifully kept gardens with little Spanish walk ways.Comprising of 2 bed­ rooms, 2 bathrooms, lounge diner, American style kitchen including all appliances, roof top solarium with stunning views, front porch area with front garden and a secure underground garage. fully furnished Ref. K23 €125,000 rare opportunity Tel 680333242 Gran Alacant limited edition villa, not very often available on the market. Only a few of this type were ever con­ structed­ Very large 5 bed­ rooms, 4 bathroom(2 en­ suit) property, situated on a large corner plot with a 10 x 5 private pool and private parking. Lounge­diner with working fireplace, fully equipped kitchen with utility room. Large landing area, leading onto solarium, with extra storage external room.

Front porch area leading into large well established gardens with irrigation sys­ tem and fruit trees. Being sold fully furnished. Within walking distance to Gran Alacant commercial centre and 5 minute drive to

RAG AND BONE REMOVALS

VAN HIRE

Carabassi beaches. ref.

K11. €270,000 Tel 680333242 Gran Alacant large detached villa with 3 double bed­ rooms, 2 bathrooms, lounge­diner, fully equipped kitchen, large porch, roof top solarium, 400 m2 Plot, with established low mainte­ nance very private gardens with irrigation system, elec­ tronic gates, private parking, outside wc, sink & shower, terraces, air con ( h & c ), mosquito nets, grills, alarmed, large spa pool with separate Jacuzzi section.

Within easy walking dis­ tance to Gran Alacant com­ mercial centre and close to local bus and tram route.

Ref K33. €260,000 neg Tel 680333242 Gran Alacant, detached villa in desirable road close to all amenities, comprising of 3 double bedrooms, 3 baths, lounge diner with working fire place, brand new kitchen with all appliances and black granite work tops, private pool, plot of 550m2, established irrigated gar­ dens and fruit trees, private parking, solarium, also there is a converted under build giving more bedrooms ,bathroom & kitchen, this house has many extras and is being sold fully furnished.

Ref.k47. €280,000 neg Tel 680333242 Gran Alacant south­facing, very private villa, with wood­ land and Alicante views.

Situated at the end of a small cul­de­sac which means this villa enjoys a very peaceful location.3 Bedrooms with fitted wardrobes, 3 Bathrooms, lounge­diner with working fireplace, fully fitted kitchen with including white goods, large front porch, solarium,workshop and stor­ age in under build, central heating, air con H/C, ceiling fans, grills, UK T.V, off road parking and plenty of out­ side parking also. Due to its orientation of this property enjoys full sun, all day, something very important in the winter months. Ref.K24. €237,000 Tel 680333242

SCOOTER FOR SALE Motor scooter for sale.

Malaguti Firefox 50cc. Year 2000, runs well, low mileage, needs TLC, english plates. 180€ ONO. Buyer collects. Phone 634 331 907 any time.

WARDROBES

QUIZZES Experienced quiz­ master/question setter with personality available to host quiz nights in local bars.

Tel:­ 664 838 581

REMOVALS Move It Now Small removals and deliveries.

Spain/UK Budget prices.

Last minute jobs undertak­ en. www.moveitnow.co.uk Telephone UK 0800 612 4922 or Spain 678 756 644 (131)

SITUATIONS VACANT RADIO COSTA INTERNA­ TIONAL needs motivated sellers. Spanish, English and German language is a bonus but not essential.

Training and good earnings guaranteed. For more info call 644 126 600 or email info@radicocostainterna­ tional.com Installation company "Joval Accesibilidad" is looking for independent representa­ tives to sell their products in the province of Alicante and Murcia. Spanish and English language skills are essen­ tial. For an interview call 966 090 762. (125)

SOLICITORS Need English speaking solicitors in Torrevieja? Let us help to solve your prob­ lems with debt recovery, divorce, property, fraud, criminal defence. Call us on 966 923 963, give us brief details and get in touch with your specialist solicitor today

WIG SPECIALIST SALON MARGARETHAS, 23 years in Torrevieja Hair/Wig specialist for Medical illness and Hair Loss problems. We offer dif­ ferent Hair Replacements, top fillers, Hair prostheses, Toupees and Wigs, Natural and Artificial hair and much more. Also fashion/festival accessories TV/TS are wel­ come to our service. Please call our salon reception for an appointment with Margaretha on Tel no 966 921 846 Torrevieja (90)

WANTED

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Friday, August 2, 2013

Greenside Gossip IVIE DAVIES takes a weekly look at the golf scene - golfdavies@gmail.com

LOYAL EUROPEANS GET SHORT CHANGE IN RYDER PICK IS PICKING the European Ryder Cup team getting a bit like selecting the England soccer team, with so few English grown play­ ers in the Premiership?

The recent changes to the European Ryder Cup qualifi­ cation process are a smack in the face to those players put­ ting in the mileage on the European Tour. The European captain, Paul McGinley seems to be walking a very fine line and must be wobbling after announcing he is going back to three captain’s picks.

On one side of this fine line lies the heroic victory, whilst on the other side abrupt criti­ cism beckons.

To enable the three picks, he has reduced the number of players qualifying from the European Tour’s Race to Dubai money list 20% from five to four, and in so doing it has diminished the chances of those who play exclusively on the Tour. It’s a shame. I guess it’s understandable to have five automatic picks from the top five in the world rankings to play at Gleneagles. It’s just a pity that those guys who walk the fairways of the European Tour face an ever increasing struggle to make it.

The opposite to that England soccer dilemma is that Europe’s finest ply most of their trade on the US PGA Tour and we all know why: ­ bigger purses/appearance fees, big­ ger cars, bigger crowds, less travel, same luggage, private jets from city to city, posh cars to five star hotels, eat the same sort of Bagels for breakfast, the same big courtesy vehicles to the course and preferred parking and a lot of people saying “Have a nice day”. Malaysia, India or Bulgaria it isn’t! It’s easy to see that this is logistically preferable to tedious journeys across numerous continents and losing days out of your life stuck in a jet propelled metal tube. But, and it’s a BIG but, there are plenty of guys who make these tedious journeys, who lose those days and in my opinion, those efforts should be recognised.

Obviously it’s not Paul McGinley’s fault. His job is simple: Win the Ryder Cup again and keep the momentum going. In doing so, it will keep the sponsors happy and the coffers full.

Win and everyone is happy. Lose and the marketing depart­ ment will issue a thunderous groan. It would have been bet­ ter, in my opinion, to have the reverse of what Paul McGinley came up, which would have been better: ­ Five off the European Tour list and Four off the world rankings. This would not only recognise all of the above, but also reassure the home tour players that they are not, in this situation at least, second class citizens. It might also have encouraged some of the star names that choose to eat Bagels for break­ fast, to come and have a few decent European breakfasts over this side of the pond.

The biggest change that was reported was in Chicago last year, when the European Team arrived at O’Hare airport, with lots of TV crews, dignitaries, media, and even loud trumpet calls to welcome them. All of this faded away, when the European “team” emerged: ­ well just three players: ­ Paul Lawrie, Francesco Molinari and Nicolas Colsaerts. All the others had driven up from Florida already! I am sure

TITTER ON THE TEE It is surprising what you learn about people when you see them undressed! A golfing friend of mine, Ken, had just finished playing around of golf and was in the locker room getting dressed after taking a shower, when I hap­ pened to notice him slipping into a silky pair of women’s panties.

“Hey, Ken” I called across the locker room. “How long have you been wearing women’s underwear?”

“How long?” came the reply from Ken “Ever since my wife found a pair on the back seat of my car after I came home from playing a round of golf!”

Seve would have hated that. Apart from all that, he hated bagels!

European Ryder Cup qualification starts at the Wales Open at Celtic Manor at the end of this month. I wonder how many players will be playing there who will end up in the 2014 Ryder Cup team in Newport? Let’s take a wild calcu­ lated guess. One? None? If this is correct, it is quite outra­ geous. Surely it’s time the European Tour – in the shape of its own Players’ Committee – got together with its expatriate stars and started to insist that they play more in Europe than they presently do (I seem to remember they criticise courses they do not play here like Muirfield). It tries to encourage them already, but it should be part of the Ryder Cup process.

If you want to pay for Europe, then you want to see more of you in Europe. Makes sense! Like it should be in Soccer, you should limit the number of foreign players.

RULES IS RULES

Talking of changes how many of us consider the Rules of Golf a tad complicated? I have reflected very briefly in the past, so as my little mind has its way I also thought about some of the sad things that happened, not morbidly sad, but the sad ridiculous things, concerning the Rules of Golf.

The rules should be quite simple: “Play the ball as it lies, the course as you find it and if you can’t do that, check the rule book” Peter Alliss told me that when I asked “what rules would you change”.

But the R&A do not seem to look at them like that and perhaps it’s time for them to do some proof

KNOW YOUR RULES QUESTION What’s the penalty when a golfer putts out from the wrong place? The player moved his marker away from an oppo­ nent’s line, and did not replace it and holed out from there.

ANSWER In stroke play the penalty is two strokes. In matchplay, it’s loss of hole.

reading and put an end to the vague decisions which lead to ludicrous situations in some of the biggest tournaments in the world.

This year, and in previous seasons, top Pros have been punished for infringements of the rules that do not make sense. Mark Roe’s and Jesper Parnevik’s disqualification a few years ago in the 2003 Open Championship with a mix up with their scorecards is the most obvious one, but there have been loads which make a mockery of this beautiful game. There was the two shot penalty that Paul Azinger incurred at a Canadian Open because his caddie removed the flagstick before Fred Funk’s ball had stopped moving.

No advantage had been gained and the only people pleased at the result were the “train spotters” who think the rules of the game golf represent light bed time reading. On these occasions it would appear that the tournament officials were left with no alternative but to apply the rules as they stood, but that does not mean they cannot be changed. The laws of the game should be made simpler and more under­ standable for everyone who plays the game, and in the Pro game, referees and tour­ nament officials should have discretionary pow­ ers to make common sense decisions.

Of course, none of this will happen as long as the faceless ones in blazers and ties regard what they see as the integrity of the game being sacred. In the meantime, the real integrity and image of the game is suffering all the time in both amateur and professional

golf. How often do we see players in the top ranking tournaments all around the world, hanging around waiting for rulings, because they are so frightened of breaking some obscure rule? Look at what hap­ pened at the Seve Trophy between Padraig Harrington and Jose Maria Olazabal, in not waiting for a referee for permission about repairing too many pitch marks (excessive garden­ ing as it is known). They refused to speak to each other and agreed to disagree. Now, Jose Maria is one of golf’s most likeable and honest men on the tour. This is not the image of the game that should be portrayed.

How often do we amateurs unwittingly break the rules because we do not have referees or carry around massive tomes, which record not just the rules but the decisions on the rules?

Friday, August 2, 2013

39

FRIENDLY FIRE FANS THE FLAMES! ELCHE 1 BENFICA 3 Pre­season friendlies: if you win, they ‘bode well for the future’, and if you lose – well, they’re meaningless, aren’t they? On Wednesday evening this week, for the irrelevant ‘Festa d’Elche’ trophy at the mighty Martinez Valero stadium in front of a goodly crowd of 17,300, the Illicitanos got a sharp lesson of what it’s like to mix it with the big boys, albeit one from a dif­ ferent country. The friendly visit­ ing Benfica team looked lean, leggy and lightning­fast, look­ ing the part with two incisive goals inside two minutes on the quarter­hour ­ and then again ten minutes later to lead 3 – 0, all from the electric Brazilian Rodrigo Ooh­er!

Elche surprisingly started with three newbies in their back four: centre backs Lomban and Botia, plus new Romanian full back Sapunaru, supplemented by oldies Edu Albacar at left back and Manu Herrera in goal. The midfield quartet of Generelo, Rivera, Carles Gil and Fidel was from last season, as was Coro up front with new boy Miro Stevanovic to partner him. With the exception of a couple of Coro runs, who looks like he’s raring to go again,

Elche weren’t offering too much, and the shock of going two down so early had a worrying effect. Where the first goals were made by incisive, quick, one­touch passing wrecking a newly­formed defence with Rodrigo easily scor­ ing both from close in, the third was a beauty which even the home crowd applauded. For his hat­trick the electric striker got free down the right, cut in, left Albacar for dead (hmm...) and let go a blis­ tering left­ foot shot into the top cor­ ner to give Herrera no chance.

3 – 0 down a t home by half­time brought some worried crowd mutterings, ‘fanning’ themselves in the sweating crowd.

Happily the second half was much better for the Franjiverdes, but it needed to be.

Suarez and Cisma replaced Albacar and Sapunaru as full backs, and soon matters began to improve. Just before the hour which brought on four Elche subs, no less, Coro

FC Torrevieja manager Anselmo has swooped on his former club Almoradi, to sign the 20 year old Cameroon strik­ er Eric Franc Same Mfoumou, known as "Eric". He netted 15 times in 34 appearances for the side.

28 year old midfielder, Luis Sanz Cortés, known as "Luichi" has joined FC Torrevieja from Crevillente Deportivo. The club have also signed 32 year old midfielder Angel Valdeolivas Escavy, known as "Valdeolivas" from FC Pinatar Arena, whilst the 22 year old central defender Rafael Candela Campello, known as "Rafa", has a signed a one­year extension with FC Torrevieja. He had been expected to join Getafe B.

A last minute goal from Rubén gave Elche Ilicitano a one­nil win in FC Torrevieja’s first warm up match of the season at the Nelson Mandela stadium last Saturday. A decent crowd enjoyed an entertaining game, with multiple substitutions from both sides.

Next up is the visit of Murcian 3rd division regulars, UCAM Murcia. 19 year old defend­ er Corey Watts, who has played for the Brighton and Charlton youth teams, has now joined the squad after a delay. The match kicks off tomorrow night (Saturday) at 7pm at the Nelson Mandela stadium, with entry once again 5 Euros for adults with free admission for under 16s.

and Carles Gil combined smartly down the left for Fidel to find Stevanovic’s head, and on his debut the Bosnian pow­ ered home a perfectly­placed header to put Elche back in business. On came Ruben Perez, a class midfielder that the Illicitanos need so badly, and suddenly Benfica didn’t look so good. Despite one or two near misses no more goals came, but Elche won the second half convincingly with the only goal, and by the end it seemed all the Franjiverde players had a run out, even transfer­listed Powel came on to a big cheer.

So where does that leave us with just over two weeks left before the season starts? Well, the big central defenders must get tighter and understand each other better, and just who are Elche’s two best full backs? The old midfield guard of Generelo and Rivera look dated and slow, here Elche must play their new blood: we only saw Perez for 30 min­ utes, but enough to see he has what Elche have been lack­ ing : speed, class and tactical awareness. On the wide left Fidel still looks capable of great things, but inevitably stum­ bles and fumbles his crosses. Happily Coro looks even faster than last year, he gives 100 % every match, and with the right striker alongside him, he could have another great season. Similarly Carles Gil, still on loan from Valencia looks sharp again after tailing off at the end of last year.

Summary: there is much to be excited about in the City of Palms, but some of last year’s trees need pruning and the dead wood discarded to ensure the new shoots can burst through!

Mucho Elche!

Eric at the ready LAST GASP DEFEAT FOR TORRY

Big win for Nicola

Torrevieja tennis player, Nicola Kuhn, notched up another success by winning the Valencia Open 500 Promising player tournament in Alicante. The Austrian born youngster justified his number 1 seeding as he easily beat Pankin Semen 6­0, 6­1. Both teenagers train at the Juan Carlos Ferrero acade­ my at Villena, with 13 year old Nicola now set for this October’s Masters tournament which will run in parallel with the ATP event in Valencia.

BARGAIN FOOTIE DAY A packed day of soccer will be on offer at FC Torrevieja’s Vincente Garcia Stadium on Sunday September 8th, and it will cost just 15 Euros, with children under 16 admitted free of charge.

The Veterans tournament with teams from Spurs, Chelsea, and Barcelona, followed the league match against Torre Levante will all be includ­ ed in the deal, with sea­ son ticket holders only having to pay 5 Euros.

Friday, August 2, 2013

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2013 – THE YEAR OF THE SCOT? But Moyes massive missive means roomours rumble on

As Andy Murray was powering down his serves to win Wimbledon at last, he was roared on by another Great Scot: Sir Alex Ferguson. Did you know they’ve even named a new country dance after Andy, called ‘The Pride of Dunblane’? Reminds me of that old joke: ‘There’s a new dance from Scotland, it’s called ‘The Quaker’? Once round the floor, and outside for your oats!’

Hoots mon, we’ve Gordon Strachan’s new/auld tartan army coming to Wembley in two weeks time, so canny the ‘new’ Scotsman at ‘Old’ Trafford, trophyless­to­date wee Davie Moyes keep up Fergie’s fabulous feats, and stave off those nasty­neighbours across town at the Etihad, and stay ahead of the London mafia (all led by continentals, he muttered darkly)­ and thus keep Man U fans in the swashbucklingly­successful style to which they have been accustomed ­ i.e. Premiership champions – again? This year, even mighty Man U’s new away strip (well, one of them) is a tartan affair.

It’s a tough call for the Glaring Glaswegian, especially with his previously silverware­challenged history at

John McGregor reports

Everton and Preston. Don’t forget Sir Alex had already led unfashionable Aberdeen to European Cup­Winners success pre­United and as I always say it’s doubly hard to take over from someone doing well. Fergie made it look easy – which it most certain­ ly isn’t. His list of United stars that brought the Reds success over the years rolls off worldwide admiring tongues: Giggs, Schmeichel, Beckham, Scholes, Robson, Yorke, Giggs, Cantona, Bruce, Cole, Pallister, Vidic, Neville(s), Giggs, Rooney, Van der Saar – I’ve probably missed your personal favourite – did I mention Ryan Giggs?

The perennial star brings me nicely to… Europe. I think Moyes went to Belgium once, but he did bring back that fine Fellaini feller. Hey, our Dave’ll need help from someone who’s been there, done it, and got the medals, in places like Barcelona, Rotterdam, and Moscow. Giggs’ gongs gain of 34 medals doesn’t compare with Moyes’ modest three at Celtic, Bristol and Preston where he also later won the division three title with Preston as manager.

Quick story: in the seventies I was on holiday in Yugoslavia, my wife was unwell and we summoned a doctor to the hotel. I went down to meet him in recep­ tion, he smiled and said in that universal language ‘Bobee Charlton – Manchester Yoonited’, and that

seemed all the English he knew, but we all got by.

Note he didn’t say ‘Gra­ham Sharp – Everton’, mean­ ing that the name of Manchester United and their most famous son of the day was well­known world­ wide. Pretender Prince David is not just taking over from a good manager, he has been rocket­launched up into a star­studded football galaxy where he will squat nervously near the ghostly right hand of the Almighty, plus another Scottish god called Matt Busby: both yesterday’s deities, but their images will forever hover above the Theatre of Dreams, looking down intently.

‘Second coming’ assistant/coach/trainer/oily rag Philip Neville, a prodigal product back at Old Trafford after six years at Goodison has no doubts about his gaffer, declaring the Moyes magic materialises man­ fully on the training ground. OK, Phil, but initially it’s in his office he must meritoriously manage as the Rooney ruminations rumble on. This is Moyes’ first, huge, highly­visible test of his management abilities to try to keep one of the club’s best players, while still trying – and vainly, apparently ­ to attract the likes of Cesc Fabregas to Manchester. There’s nobody else big seems to be coming, in contrast to t’others. Mind you, do the Red Devils need NY? Nah, not if Red Rooney remains…