Week 179

Edition 179

www.thecourier.es

Friday, July 25, 2014

HORROR SMASH “Hellish” scenes as eight people are burnt to death

By ALEX TRELINSKI Eight people, includ­ ing two young chil­ dren, died on Tuesday after a head­on colli­ sion with a lorry on the AP7 close to Cox in Alicante Province.

The tragedy, which hap­ pened at 4.40pm, produced a horrific scene for witness­ es and emergency workers, one of whom described it as looking like something out of the classic poem, Dante’s Inferno. It’s the most seri­ ous accident in the region since 1998 when a Benidorm­bound coach, full of pensioners, crashed at Villafranqueza, resulting in 12 deaths and 38 injuries.

The main theory being worked on by crash investi­ gators is that one of the lorry tyres suffered a blowout.

The people who died in Tuesday’s crash were all Romanian and had been on holiday in Vera in Andalucía, with the two youngsters aged five and seven. The accident hap­ pened when the lorry travel­ ling towards Murcia veered over the central barrier, and smashed head­on into the mini­van that was heading northbound en route to

Valencia Airport, where the group were going to be catching a flight to Timisoura in Romania.

Experts believe that the lorry may well have gone out of control after a tyre burst, and the Guardia Civil has been taking statements from witnesses, in addition to talking to the 46 year old driver, who is in a serious condition in hospital in Alzira. The impact was such that the lorry careered down a ditch with the driver being found some 20 metres from his vehicle in a dazed state.

The van immediately caught

fire with the people trapped inside, and a huge plume of black smoke was visible a number of kilometres away.

Once the firefighters put the blaze under control, they discovered the grue­ some sight of two charred bodies in the van, and it was only until a crane was brought in to lift the remain­ der of the vehicle, that the rest of the victims were dis­ covered. The Guardia said that the combination of the fire and the twisted metal of the van meant it wasn’t until later in the evening that they were able to work out how many people had died. The removal of the bodies took

several hours with the authorities saying that two Romanian families had per­ ished, and that besides the two children, three men and three women were killed.

Formal DNA identification will be done within the next week, with the process being sped up so that the bodies can be taken to Romania in the next fort­ night. Romania’s Labour Minister, Rovana Plumb, has flown to Spain to pro­ vide support to relatives, in addition to the ambassador and consular staff, who have all praised the efforts of the Spanish emergency teams.

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Friday, July 25, 2014

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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

96 692 1003 679 096 309

Volcano Teide. Photo by STANLEY JANYK

EX-MAYOR IN CHAINS

The convicted ex­Mayor of Torrevieja, Pedro Hernández Mateo, will start a three year jail sentence before the end of this month. The former civic leader who was Torrevieja’s Mayor for 23 years until 2011, was convicted of illegal activity over the awarding of a waste collection contract in

2004. The Madrid Council of Ministers rejected a clemency petition a fortnight ago, and Hernández Mateo (pictured at the courthouse) was ordered to appear before the Valencian High Court last Wednesday to formalise the details of his jail stretch.

A nest of 129 loggerhead turtle eggs has been discov­ ered on Alicante's San Juan beach, along with their moth­ er. It's said to be first time in 200 years that the rare species has come ashore to give birth in the Costa Blanca area. Loggerheads and are protected by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature, with fishing gear responsible for many logger­ head deaths. Turtle excluder devices have been implemented in efforts to reduce mor­ tality by providing an escape route for the

turtles, whilst a loss of suitable nesting beaches has also taken a toll on the logger­ head population.

TALKING TURTLE

A LOAD OF RUBBISH

Monforte del Cid hopes to halve its annual half a million euro waste collection budget by using horse and carts rather than garbage trucks.

In a system that was last used 50 years ago in the town, the rubbish­collecting horses will drag along carts equipped with everything from USB portals to solar panels for the vehicle lights.

The carriages even come with small metal trays that catch the horses’ deposits.

Hipomóvil, as the scheme has been named, will mean authorities in the town, north of Elche, will no longer have to pay 125 thousand euros for an individual truck or the

annual seven thousand euros diesel bill.

Monforte del Cid’s “unat­ tractive rubbish containers” will also be removed from the streets as residents will be able to hand over their trash to the ‘new’ dustbin men when they knock on their doors. The Town Hall is looking to use the money saved with the scheme to launch a waste treatment plant that will create new jobs and promote recycling among locals.

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.

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Friday, July 25, 2014

MOUSE TRAPPED

The National Police have arrested a Colombian drug boss dubbed "The Mouse", the alleged leader of a major cocaine smuggling gang accused of 400 killings. Officers arrested the 40­year­old, whose real name is Hernan Alonso Villa, as he was travelling on the AP7 close to Alicante­Elche airport. He is considered "the top leader of the military wing of the Oficina de Envigado, a Colombian criminal organisation accused of 400 killings as well as drug­trafficking, extortion and forced displacements of Colombian citizens", according to a National Police statement.

"He is one of the criminals most wanted by the Colombian authorities. He had more than 200 people under his com­ mand and was responsible for exporting cocaine to Spain, the United States and Holland," the statement added.

He was arrested under a Colombian extradition warrant for charges including alleged homicide and arms offences.

During his time in Spain, he would frequently cchange where he stayed, as well as using different mobile phones, in addi­ tion to travelling around under several false names.

BRITS LEAD THE WAY

A record 28 million for­ eign tourists have flocked to Spain in the first six months of 2014, accord­ ing to new government figures, with British and German visitors leading the influx. The number of foreign visitors was up 7.3 percent over the fig­ ure for the same time in 2013, when the country set a new record for tourist arrivals, the tourism ministry said.

Unrest in other coun­ tries popular with European tourists such as Egypt and Turkey has helped boost visitor numbers to Spain, the world's third most visited nation. British holidaymakers topped the list, with 6.5 million visiting Spain during the first six months of the year, up 5.8 percent from a year earlier.

German tourist numbers rose 8.8 percent to 4.7 million while the number of French holidaying in Spain climbed 10.3 per­ cent to 4.2 million.

UNREALISTIC PLAN

A group of San Miguel de Salinas residents have written a letter to the Madrid’s Supreme Court saying that they are against the local council appealing against the rejection of the area's General Plan. The San Miguel Arcángel residents association say that the plan, which was created at the height of the housing boom, was totally unrealistic in projecting a 100 thousand population as well having severe conse­ quences in the supply of clean drinking water. The group also claim that the Mayor, Angel Saez, has tried to quash any opposing submissions over the matter.

ZENIA FURY TILL FAKE US DO PART

Shoppers heading to Zenia Boulevard last Saturday were greeted by a demonstration that blocked off the road to Villamartin next to the AP7 for half an hour. It was the first protest by a few dozen members of a new La Zenia­Orihuela Costa action group, whose initial demonstration plans a fort­ night earlier had to be scrapped because they didn't have permission to go ahead.

The group's President, Félix Arenas, claims that more than 30 thousand residents in the area are forgotten by the Orihuela council politicians, and he called for the scrapping of the toll at La Zenia as a better way of regulating traffic, rather than proposals to make two roads one way off La Zenia roundabout. The group are also calling for the reintro­ duction of 150 car parking spaces on the Villamartin road, as well better street cleaning services for the area, and the reversal of plans to reduce home postal deliveries in the Orihuela Costa.

The council have already made it clear that the plans for road changes have been delayed and that they have also called for the scrapping of the AP7 toll, in addition to launch­ ing legal action against Correos over mail deliveries. Acting Mayor, Antonio Zapata, had fresh news on Tuesday when he announced that the Ministry of Transport had suspended for six months the conversion of the two roads(Maestro Torralba and Alhambra) into one­way streets, and that the council will seek to improve safety in the area, which will then be moni­ tored by the Ministry.

The National Police have arrested 66 people belonging to an organized crime group that arranged fake marriages and printed bogus residency documents for Indian and Pakistani citizens trying to get into Europe and the USA. The arrests were carried out in Barcelona, Valencia, Alicante and Murcia with the help of Europol, Interpol and other countries looking to crack down on clandestine immigration.

According to the National Police, the human trafficking ring made at least 300,000 euros in profits by arranging the mar­ riages between European women and Indian or Pakistani cit­ izens. They would charge 12,000 euros for the fake couple to get married in a country that wasn’t theirs to stop it from being annulled and 25,000 euros for fake documentation to Central American countries and Mexico, where they could then enter illegally into the US. The gang had a printing house in the Catalan city of Santa Coloma de Gramanet from which they falsified all the documents.

CRY WOLF

DOG WONDER

A British teenager has been accused of lying in what National Police say was a false rape allegation against an Alicante City taxi driver. The 15 year old made the complaint a fortnight ago about an incident that apparently happened at 3.00am in the city's Plaza del Mar, which she says was wit­ nessed by her sister. The police suspected her of making the story up and handed over the case to the Alicante Juvenile prosecutor, who discovered that she was not sexually assaulted. She has been charged with reporting a false crime, but has been bailed so that she could return to the UK at the end of her holiday.

San Pedro del Pinatar’s beaches have a new member of their lifeguard and sea rescue teams:­ a Newfoundland res­ cue dog! The dog can swim an average of five miles non­ stop, and can also tow a substantial boat and craft in the water, making it an essential member of the team, with this summer’s work being treated as an experiment, ahead of a possible further roll­out next year.

PAIN RELIEF

Elche's Vinalopó Hospital is joining forces with Torrevieja Hospital to form a new Pain Unit. Medics are hoping to offer a better service for chronic pain sufferers, including advice and all kinds of approaches like different medications as well as rehabilitation and psychological help, in addition to track­ ing down what are some of the causes for people's pain problems.

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Friday, July 25, 2014

LYNX ATTACK DEM BONES CHINESE FAKES

Two thousand items of counterfeit clothing has been seized by the Guardia Civil during raids on factory premises in the Elche and Crevillente areas. Seven Chinese nationals have been arrested with many of the fakes being copies of well­known designer brands.

UP IN SMOKE

Seventeen illegal hunters have been arrested in Sevilla for hunting the world’s most endangered feline species. It comes after the bodies of three Iberian lynxes were found in the wildlife reserve town of Aznalcazar, two riddled with bullets and one with its paw severed by a lynx trap.

The police operation began with the arrest of 13 in 2011 and 2012, but the recent resurgence has spurred renewed law­enforcement action. Today there are fewer than 200 Iberian lynxes left, and they are found in only two locations in Andalucia.

A dig run by Alicante's Archaeological Museum at Callosa's Laderas del Castillo site has uncovered human remains that are said to be over four thousand years old. Three graves of an adult and two young children have been found in what would have been the inside of a home. The Bronze Age com­ munity is said to have had around one thousand inhabitants.

LITTLE THIEVES

RIGHT TO SILENCE

A 34 year old Spaniard is facing over 20 years in jail after he allegedly set fire to two homes in the Torrevieja area last October. The prosecutor has called for the long sentence with one of the blazes being at the man’s ex­girlfriend’s home, who was there at the time at La Ceñuela with his son as well as two other children and their 17 year old babysitter.

They all managed to escape unhurt, helped by a neighbour.

The man then allegedly moved on to their former shared home in San Luis, and then set fire to it, destroying most of it.

The public prosecutor has charged him with arson, endan­ gering life, and criminal damage, with the defendant getting rid of his solicitor and exercising his right to silence. His ex­ girlfriend, testified at Alicante Provincial Court that her former partner had suffered with paranoid schizophrenia, triggered by smoking cannabis, and his problems led to their break up.

A gang of four young Moroccan thieves operating in San Pedro del Pinatar has been collared by the Guardia Civil. The four robbers, who lived in San Pedro and San Javier, have been on the radar for over a year under the Guardia's Operation Corvus, which is dedicated to improving public safety in the area. The thieves would target elderly people in the street, and threaten them with violence if they did not handover any jewellery, watches, and money. The gang tar­ geted Lo Pagan, Villananitos and San Pedro del Pinatar, with at least a dozen crimes being committed. Most of the items have been recovered and returned to their rightful owners.

SANTA POLA CRASH Emergency services had to free a child that was trapped after two vehicles collided on the N332 in Santa Pola last Sunday night. The accident happened at around 7.00pm, with a head on smash between two cars close to the Rocas Blancas Hotel. Seven people belonging to two families suf­ fered a variety of minor injuries.

OLD TO NEW

LUCKY ESCAPE

The Valencian government's finance minister, Juan Carlos Moragues, has dropped in to see Guardamar's Archaeological Park, ahead of a million euro package to improve the area. A mixture of European money along with finance from the regional government is going into the site, which will see the building of a visitor centre, as well as key repairs to the most damaged parts of the Phoenician ruins, namely La Rabita Caliphate.

NEW WALK

RED RIVER

A mystery spillage turned the River Segura red last week as it flowed by Orihuela. The spill is said to have come from the Merancho Azarbe channel that feeds into the Segura, where three years ago a number of fish died as a result of pollution.

Murcia's tobacconists are up in arms over the release on bail of three men accused of stealing from 50 outlets in Murcia and the Vega Baja. The National Police last week arrested the gang in Albatera who were found with over seven thousand cartons of cigarettes (pictured) along with other materials and money, but they have been bailed after hearings in Orihuela and Murcia.

Jorge López Fuentes, president of Murcia's Tobacconist's Union has fumed at the judicial decision, saying that he fears for his members after two and a half months of being ter­ rorised, adding that he thought that the problem had been solved, and that the court rulings has left them defenceless again.

A mother and her son cheated death on the AP7 near San Javier last week, when their Citroen car went out of control, and perched itself onto the edge of the embankment next to the railway line. Passing motorists witnessed their plight with the vehicle precariously balanced, and they helped the 40 year old woman and seven year old child out of the back, as they feared the car would come down onto the rail track. The couple only suffered mild injuries and were treated for those and for shock at Los Arcos hospital, whilst a crane was brought in to remove the car.

Torrevieja Council says that work will start soon on a major project to improve the look of the Poniente area of the city.

The building of a new dyke will lead to the creation of a 650 metre walkway, which will feature benches and shaded areas. Improved street lighting, new paving and the planting of palm trees are all part of the 770 thousand euros budget.

WELCOME HOME WHALE OF A FIRE

Orihuela's Mayor, Monserrate Guillén, is back home after suffering a heart attack last weekend. He was operated on at Alicante General Hospital and is making a good recovery, but will not resume his political duties until late September at the earliest.

Antonio Zaplana is deputising for Guillén until he returns.

A deserted Torrevieja eyesore, in the La Punta district of the city, caught fire on Sunday afternoon, after a blaze was allegedly start­ ed by a homeless man, who spent time there. La Ballena, translated as The Whale, is on Calle Pedro Lorca, and has been the subject of strong criticism about its condition, from local residents after it became unoc­ cupied in 2006.

Friday, July 25, 2014

COLUMBIAN COWARD A drunken Columbian motorcyclist has fled Spain, to avoid two and half years behind bars after crashing into a baby buggy in Almoradi nearly seven years ago. A major road safety group is now calling for Vincente CCR, to be appre­ hended on an international arrest warrant.

The child, Julia Pertusa, died from her injuries two years later after the colli­ sion, never having woken up from a coma. The girl’s aunt, who was pushing the 15 month old baby in the pram, was given a two year sen­ tence for manslaughter, for not looking properly when she crossed the CV914 in August 2007.

Last year, an Orihuela court ordered both guilty parties to pay over 100 thousand Euros in compensation to the dead girl’s family.

Vincente CCR, who had no insurance or a

valid ITV for his Suzuki machine, ran away after a high speed collision with the buggy. That knocked little Julia some 30 feet into the air, as she was flung into some bushes. After emer­ gency treatment at the Vega Baja Hospital, she was transferred to the Alicante General, where she died in December 2009. The aunt, Amparo NR, was with the baby’s mother on that fateful August day, and according to her mother’s testimony, she started to cross the road without looking around, as the speeding motorcycle approached.

Ana Novella (pictured), from the national road safety Stop Accidentes group said the Columbian motorcyclist had run away to his home country a fortnight ago, and that they have pressed Spanish government departments to issue an international arrest warrant.

Creditors of a bankrupt motorway toll road have given the Spanish government more time to find a way to prevent it paying out millions of euros. After more than a year of negotiations between ministries, banks and construction companies, the government has yet to find a way of saving nine bankrupt motorways, which over four billion euros in debt.

If the creditors of the AP­36 route between

Madrid and Levante had decided to put the business into liquidation, the government would have had to pay its debts of around 500 million euros under Spanish law. The other eight could then follow suit, as under Spanish law drawn up more than 40 years ago, when a private motorway goes bust, the state has to repay owners for the cost of the land and the construction. A hearing before a judge is now scheduled for September 19th.

Up to five new national Spanish TV chan­ nels could be available on the free to air TDT terrestrial system, only months after nine were ordered to close by the government because of the impending auction in fre­ quencies involving mobile phone compa­ nies. Frequency changes are expected to be made in January 2015, with sources at the Ministry of Industry telling media sources

that they expect an additional multiplex to be available for broadcasters which will have the capacity for four High Definition services, in addition to a standard definition channel.

Wholesale channel changes will almost cer­ tainly require visits by aerial technicians to people who share community and urbanisa­ tion aerial systems, which will need equip­ ment to be readjusted.

FOR WHOM THE ROAD TOLLS

TV FARCE

FULL POWER

Los Montesinos Post Office was sched­ uled to return to a full service yesterday (Thursday July 24th) after a dispute with Iberdrola over its electricity supply. Many Correos services were not available since July 7th, with criticism that the town's Mayor, Jose Manuel Butron (pictured), had not kicked up enough fuss about the problem, which forced people to go out of Montesinos to send and receive registered mail and parcels. The Informacion newspaper quoted somebody from the council as saying that the Mayor "has no responsibility for what was an internal Correos matter."

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Friday, July 25, 2014

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

Beware Liverpool Airport’s Highway Robbers!

I AM writing to warn readers who might fly in or out of Liverpool Airport to beware of the Highway Robbers who are catching unsus­ pecting drivers who stop on approach roads in and around the terminal and extorting up to £100 out of them.

Liverpool Airport is employing devious tac­ tics to trap drivers who may be dropping off or collecting passengers from the Airport.

The Airport has progressively altered and eroded the facilities for free drop­off and pick­ up and is in my opinion deliberately conspiring to encourage drivers to stop on the approach and service roads and at the same time receive payments from a predatory company called VCS that deploys camera units to pho­ tograph the vehicle and then send a Parking

Charge Notice for £100 to the registered owner.

Last year, my daughter was picking up myself and my wife from the Airport. It was 11.30 pm and we decided to walk from the ter­ minal building along Speke Hall Avenue. We were about 150 metres from the roundabout at the terminal end of the road when my daughter pulled up alongside us.

I loaded two carry­on bags into the car, we got in and she drove off. The whole event took all of six seconds. Shortly after, my daughter received a VCS Parking Charge Notice for £100 (£60 if paid in 14 days).

The Parking Charge Notice document is designed to give the impression that it is a fixed penalty fine. IT IS NOT! We successful­

ly appealed the parking charge.

Be aware, though, in their correspondence they try every trick to intimidate you with all manner of threats.

According to the Sunday Mail (29/9/13): ‘A parking company is paying (Liverpool Airport) £25,000 a year to patrol the airport approach road and issue £100 penalty notices to drivers who stop for just a few seconds to drop off passengers. The firm monitors the road in a van fitted with a camera, catching vehicles that break the no­stopping rule.’

Recently, Liverpool Airport has relocated the ‘no charge/free’ drop­off facilities to a point about 400 metres away from the Terminal Building. The old drop­off which was previ­ ously free for the first ten minutes now costs

SPAIN WILL PAY FOR SOUND OF SILENCE I TOTALLY agree with your article about the local authorities and police being shortsighted about entertainment in the Costa Blanca areas.

Those residents that bought houses near bars and shops should have expected some degree of noise, but from the day they moved in started complaining.

La Marina is predominantly a tourist area and I think the Town Halls and Police are being very unreasonable in most cases regarding entertainment.

I have seen and heard them being totally over the top, not only about music, but nit­picking about the premises in gen­ eral.

Any fines imposed are outrageously over the top in relation to what they object to and can only come to the conclu­ sion that they are determined to put people out of business.

Even the most responsible owners who try to comply with their demands cannot win as they always find YOUR banner headline something! prior to the World Cup Already tourists are saying final was ‘Krauts v Argies’. they won't come back here Not very friendly; in fact as it is so boring without very aggressive, since we entertainment. live in a mixed community On Thursday, Friday, away from the good old, Saturday and Sunday nights and can't play football, we can hear the Spanish England, Scotland etc. music and fireworks going off Then the next line says until 1a.m. We do not com­ that the match will be plain because we live in a played at the 'Macarena' tourist area and expect peo­ ground. Well we dance ple to be entertained. and sing the Macarena, The Spanish government but the ground in Brazil is are advertising for tourists to called the Maracana. I come all the time, but the support all the home local authorities do not seem countries but England is to agree. first choice. What do you Wake up, Costa Blanca or have to say to this? this place will become a An answer included in a ghost town and the people future issue would be employed will no longer be nice. From a happy, nearly needed. all the time, reader.

PAMELA DELANY, MARIO BOSANO La Marina

Doing the Macarena for kicks...

MEMBERs of Torrevieja's Maritime Association were invited aboard the Royal Caribbean cruise ship 'Adventure of the Seas' when she sailed into Cartagena recently.

Prior to a sumptuous lunch in one of the ship's many restaurants, members received an extensive guided tour of the ship, the highlight of which was a visit to the bridge.

£2.00 for entry. This I believe is a shameless attempt on the part of the airport to extort money out of unsus­ pecting drivers.

My warning to ALL passen­ gers going through Liverpool Airport is; do not allow friends, family or any other driver who may be collecting you or dropping you off at Liverpool Airport to stop on ANY of the approach or serv­ ice roads in and around the airport. Go to the free drop­ off area. It is a 400 metre walk but it is free for 20 min­ utes.

If you are, or have been caught, don’t pay. Go to www.parkingprankster.com for information, advice and links on how to successfully fight these devious and unfair charges. I did and it worked.

As a result of what has been happening there lately, one person wrote on a web­ site that Liverpool Airport should change its name from ‘Liverpool John Lennon Airport’ to ‘Liverpool Dick Turpin’. Can’t help but think I agree.

Be warned and beware!

DAVID DAWSON, El Raso

If you would like to become a member of the Maritime Association please contact Mike by telephone on 693769110 or email bristolch­ esterred@live.co.uk

Friday, July 25, 2014

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THE EVIL FACE OF MANKIND How can a human being stoop to this level?

IT’S just a few hours to dead­ line, my planned topic for this column has just fallen flat, and I need to write 1,000 words of magical prose to fill the space.

My initial instinct is to panic, leap from my computer chair, rip my hair out in huge tufts and then tear around the house screaming ‘’Nelson never had this problem with his column. What did I do to deserve this?’’

However, the reality of the world that now surrounds us is that life is becoming seriously serious. In the words of Dads Army’s Private Frazer, “We’re doomed Mr Mainwaring, we’re doomed.’’

Man’s inhumanity to man plunged to new depths with last week’s downing over Ukraine of Malaysia Airways flight MH17.

The final moments of those poor innocent passen­ gers will haunt me forever. I will also be that bit more nervous of flying in future, particularly when a close rel­ ative is travelling.

As I write, my 23­year­old granddaughter Rosie is winging her way across the world from her new home in Brisbane.

Like any other parent or grandparent, I won’t relax until her flight from Australia lands in Manchester.

Vladimir Putin may or may not have blood on his hands over Flight MH17. I do not the heart of the MH17 know enough about Russian tragedy.

Regardless of the national­ and Ukrainian politics to ity or ethnicity of the perpe­ know who is really to blame What I do know is that the trators, the fact that human world would be a far better beings are capable of such place without the hatred, cor­ evil is a condemnation of all ruption and greed of evil peo­ mankind.

It is also an insult to the ple. And there is no doubt whatsoever that EVIL was at animal world because no

Making a Monkey out of me

other creature understands the words ‘premeditation’ and ‘evil’.

As the only species with the power of reason, we are all aware of the differ­ ence between right and wrong.

We make our own choice and I believe we will ultimate­

ly be judged on those choic­ es. Including the inhuman coward who sanctioned the murder of 298 people over eastern Ukraine.

If the world outside Russia and Ukraine has universally condemned the MH17 hor­ ror, there’s no such unity over the increasingly precarious

Just one of those stings, Carlos I HATE killing anything ­ but when it’s a straight choice between wasp and waspital, there can be only one win­ ner. With three of my grandchildren heading for Casa Donna this month, the winged stingers who had already attacked two visitors, faced imminent expulsion from the tubular framework of my garden hammock.

The alternative was unthinkable ­ a personal colony outnumbering the population of the Costa Blanca.

Enter Carlos the Fix All, as I have dubbed him ­ whose all­embracing Raso Services includes every home serv­

ice from installing water filters to air conditioning, plas­ tering, electrical work, joinery and metalwork. Not to mention removing wasps nests pronto and cheapo.

Carlos had his wasp wizard on the job quicker than you can say ‘Buzz off’. Outcome: Stingers wiped out quicker than you can say ‘no fly zone’; grandchildren and visitors safe; service prompt, friendly and efficient.

All you need to know now is how to contact Carlos.

Watch this space...I have a feeling he’ll be advertising next week.

TOP LINES AT SECOND BEST The Second Best Boutique Ladies and Gents clothing agency will be celebrating their third year in business this October, with their impressive collection of new and nearly new designer labels and high street brands.

Based inside Easyads at La Zenia, the Second Best Boutique has proved a huge hit with the discerning shopper, who also loves a bargain.

Its new range of contemporary hand crafted jewellery created from Sterling silver and Tibetan and Indian Stone which is the perfect accom­ paniment to the stylish outfits on sale. More than 90% of the items are brand new and all are in immaculate condition and dry cleaned. The Boutique stocks a wide range of sizes from 8 to 28 and has a range of Menswear as well as Ladies clothing, with a large range of summer wear in stock right now.

And you can turn your unwanted items into cash with brand names or designer clothing that you no longer wear, which will be sold on a 50/50 basis All clothing must be in excellent condition clean or dry­ cleaned new or nearly new For more info contact Amanda on 662 167 783. Open Mon ­ Fri 10am to 7pm and Sat 10am to 4pm.

AFTER my revelation that I’d been called by an award­winning American film producer, I’ve now been given the go­ahead to do some name dropping.

The call came from writer/director/producer Yaron Zilberman, whose last movie, A Late Quartet, starred Christopher Walken and the late Phillip Seymour Hoffman.

New York­based Zilber­ man is making a film about legendary American boxer and war hero Barney Ross, who held three world titles situation in Gaza.

Life for the besieged simultaneously in the Palestinians must be horren­ 1930s.

I interviewed Ross as a dous, which makes me won­ der why on earth Hamas mil­ young reporter in London itants keep firing rockets into nearly 50 years ago, a few Israel. Particularly when the months before he died.

Zilberman contacted me Israelis are prone to use sledgehammers to crack after reading an article I wrote about Ross for a US peanuts.

My sister Lydia has website a few years back.

My memories of the worked as a peace activist interview are and lecturer for the Israeli­ actual Palestinian Givat Haviva sketchy, but I distinctly Institute for many years ­ and remember Barney’s trem­ despairs of there ever being bling hands, legacy of his time as a heroin addict a settlement.

“Every time we take one after being wounded at step forward towards peace, Guadalcanal and becom­ the politicians take two steps ing hooked on morphine.

Ross was unhappy with backwards,’’ she says. ‘’My job has never been the 1957 movie Monkey On easy, but it’s becoming My Back, and Zilberman is more and more difficult by remaking it as Barney the day.’’ would have wished.

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Friday, July 25, 2014

Friday, July 25, 2014

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Friday, July 25, 2014

BILL’S NO BATMAN

THE topic under discus­ sion in the pub the other evening was the weather.

But after agreeing that it didn't really matter whether or not it was nice out because we were all indoors anyway, the sub­ ject petered out and we switched to silent mode.

The peace and quiet were soon shattered when Fag Ash Bill raced into the pub, scattering raindrops and wet bits of tobacco everywhere.

'I can't stand out there puff­ ing away any longer,' he gasped. 'It's absolutely buck­ eting down and I'm saturat­ ed. The downpour has already extinguished three of my lit ciggies and I'm not pre­ pared to risk the 15 unopened packets I have packed in my pockets.'

Aware of the heavy silence around him, Fag Ash Bill asked: 'What's up? Why are you all so quiet?'

'We cannot in all honesty respond to you,' I said, 'because we are no longer discussing the weather. That

topic is exhausted. But feel free to launch a discussion on some other subject.'

Fag Ash Bill thought for a moment and then announced: 'I am phobic about bats.' Daft Barry imme­ d i a t e l y responded: 'I'm not that keen on crick­ et either.' Then Fag Ash Bill pointed out that he was in fact referring to the mammals with the webbed wings. 'I have a persistent fear of those fly­ ing creatures. Indeed, I only have to hear the word "bat" and I panic.'

The marvellous thing about our pub discussion group was that we were always ready to demonstrate collectively our sympathy for any member with a particular weakness. We turned to Fag Ash Bill and with one voice yelled: 'Look out, Bill! Bats!'

Fag Ash Bill dived head first over the bar and cow­ ered behind Dave the bar­

man who was washing glass­ es for the umpteenth unnec­ essary time because no­one was buying drinks and he had nothing else to do.

What with all the laughter coming from us and all the screaming coming from Fag Ash Bill, it was no wonder that the noise woke up Ol' Red Eyes who as usual was asleep

before responding: 'Anyone who doesn't like cricket is no friend of mine. And who is Fag Ash Bill anyway?'

'He's a pub regular,' answered Indoor Lou. 'It's just that he rarely enters the premises because he likes to smoke all the time. And when he does ven­ ture inside, you are usually

o n the floor.

'Flaming Nora!' the acknowledged mentor and leader of our band of pub brothers called out. 'What the hell is going on? I'm trying to have a doze here.'

'It's Fag Ash Bill,' said Fearful Phil. 'He's phobic about bats.' Ol' Red Eyes rubbed his sleepy peepers

asleep.

Anyhow, Bill has just con­ fessed that he is frightened of flying mammals.'

'Bats, you mean? Well, why didn't you say so?' grumbled Ol' Red Eyes. 'You can inform the poor chap that the chances of him seeing a bat around here are pretty remote. So why worry? It's not as if he's phobic about

tobacco. That would indeed be a problem.'

'Thank you,' responded a quivering voice from behind the bar. Fag Ash Bill emerged on shaky legs and headed slowly for the exit in order to light up a much­needed ciggy.

'Ol' Red Eyes is right, you know,' said Indoor Lou. 'How many bats have any of us ever seen? Mind you, I bet Noah had the opposite problem when he was trying to round up the animals in pairs to climb aboard the Ark. For instance, where would he find a couple of unicorns wandering about?'

'What's a unicorn?' asked Daft Barry. 'It's a legendary horse or goat,' replied Indoor Lou. 'And it has a large, pointed, spiralling horn pro­ jecting from its forehead.'

Daft Barry shivered. 'Ooh, that sounds scary. I think I'VE got a phobia now.'

Stimulated by the

evening's conversation, we pub inmates rummaged through our pockets and managed to produce enough coins between us to pur­ chase a couple of pints and a box of drinking straws.

After Dave the barman transferred the coins to the cash till and announced sar­ castically that he was once again living the dream, I said: 'What shall we talk about now?' Daft Barry scratched his head. 'Let's talk about the weather,' he suggested.

'We've done that already,' I said. 'Why not stick to that other topic we got embroiled in ­­ phobias?'

'My dad was also terrified of certain creatures,' hollered Fag Ash Bill from the pave­ ment. 'He was permanently petrified that they would come into the house and grab his bits and pieces.'

'Are you talking of lions, tigers, crabs, lobsters?' we suggested in chorus.

'Nah,' said Fag Ash Bill, drawing heavily on a wet cig­ arette. 'Bailiffs.'

Friday, July 25, 2014

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Friday, July 25, 2014

HELP ME TO SAVE MORE DOGS LIVES!

Firstly, thank you for taking the time to read this. It is a very urgent request, as we are desperately trying to raise 1500 euros as quickly as possible to build more kennels, to help more dogs, who are in DESPERATE need and very close to being put to sleep.

Without extra kennels we cannot bring more dogs in, as the kennels will also give protection from the 40 degrees it is now in some parts of España. Even if you could donate the price of a pint of lager or glass of wine that you would have normally had this weekend, it will go a huge

way to helping us save more lives. Without the help of the public, it would be impossible to carry on saving the lives we do and thank you so much for your support in the past.

We have a long list of dogs waiting to join us, who are days away from being put to sleep in different perrera’s in España. With the extra kennels, we can then go out and save these lives, but not without your help.The kennels will go on to be used for decades to come and in turn will save many, many lives. I cannot stress the urgency of this plea.

www.thedogyouneed.com is a registered charity, where we rehabilitate the most severely abused animals. Our charity registration number is 1157175. If you would be kind enough to donate anything to this special cause you can do so 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 the smallest amount of money will help, so please, please, try and support us. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

ALL THESE DOGS ARE AT RISK. PLEASE DONATE.

PETS’ CORNER: CAN YOU TAKE IN A HOMELESS DOG OR CAT? Due to an unforeseen chan­ ge in circumstances we can no longer bring Amelie with us overseas so she needs a new home as of mid/late July.

She is a cheeky cat who looks after herself well and is very low maintenance.

She has grown up with 2 babies in the house and is very comfortable around young children! She 6 years old, is up to date with her vaccinations, and has a pet passport. She is fully house trained, and has short fluff, so she doesn't leave it everywhere! If you have a place in your family for Amelie, or know someone who does, please call or text Chris at 608 121 282.

SCOOBY is a 10 month old Black Labrador crossbreed who was seen being thrown out of a car 6 weeks ago. He is a lovely boy, gentle, atten­ tive and with so many of the characteristics of the

Scooby Labrador breed that we hope to find him the perfect home that he so deserves with an owner who truly cares for his wellbeing. He is now blood tested, fully vac­ cinated, micro chipped and castrated. If you think you would like Scooby’s love and devotion please contact the kennels directly on 966 710 047 or email info@sata­ nimalrescue.com Dotty is around 1 year old and was found near Quesada tied up to a lamp­ post in the blazing heat. She has no chip but is in good health and weighs around 6 kilos so is quite small and is good with dogs and cats.

Call: 645 469 253. www.pet­ sinspain.com

Lucky is approx 15 weeks old and was found looking for food in Almoradi market.

The stall holders were kic­ king Lucky away but thank­ fully one of our fosterers was there and picked him up. He is now in a foster home and is good with other dogs and cats. Call: 645 469 253. www.petsinspain.com

Lucky This is Poppy who is 6 months old Breton Spaniel / Podenco mix .She is pass­ ported and has all all her vaccinations up to date, housetrained and does not chew . Loves playing and is good off the lead Her owners are having to work away and that is why she came to us. If you could adopt Poppy please contact

Poppy

Dotty

us, Last Hope Dog Rescue, lasthopedogrescue@outlo­ ok.com.or telephone us 63405540.

Forest was seen hidden in the Hondon Nature Reserve by a cyclist who befriended him so much so that Forest followed him home, 12km.

Once at home Forest was taken to a vet and was trea­ ted for parasites and given the all clear. K9 were asked to help find a home. Forest is under a year old about 11 months , he is very friendly and affectionate to all he meets. Forest would be ideal in a home with children as he has a very soft nature.

If you would like to offer Forest a home then call 673751012 Please contact K9 or PHONE 600 84 54 20 for more info www.k9club.es

Forest Cleo was found abandoned in a small town. She is now happily in foster care in a loving household with various other dogs, pups and cats. Cleo is a happy playful pup that settled in her foster home straighta­

way. She has no malice in her and is intelligent and quick to learn. She’s affec­ tionate towards people and for such a young pup is very obedient.

To find out more about Cleo please ring the PEPA helpli­ ne on 650 304 746 or email p.e.p.a.animalcharity@gmai l.com

Cleo

Spice Born in May 2012, Spice and Drake are two small tabby brothers who were rescued by APAH when they were tiny kittens. They are both lovely, friendly boys who are desperate for their first loving home. To meet them, please contact Yvonne on 630 422 563.

Friday, July 25, 2014

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Friday, July 25, 2014

A WONDERFUL LIFE

It is a balmy Saturday evening, with a slight breeze tickling the leaves on the trees as the sun slowly sets in the west.

The air is filled with the sound of busy chatter and feels fresh and clean. Finally I have gone out to a bar with my little man and as I sit in the warm late after­ noon atmosphere, surrounded by Spanish families and groups, watching my son play with one of his birthday toys. I feel relaxed and ready to face the world. If I had stayed in England, I guess that at about this time, 9pm on a Saturday night, I would have been sitting in my house no doubt watching televi­ sion and trying not to think about the dreaded return to work on Monday.

Instead, I'm sat outside at a bar, in a Spanish town relaxing with a cool drink, enjoying the buzz that automatically goes with the culture of this beautiful country. Despite the fact that I am sat here alone, I don't feel at all self­con­ scious, and there is no feeling that any­ one is watching me or wondering why I'm here alone with a child. There really is an acceptance as young and old alike enjoy the climate, the culture and the life. There is ´un poco de todo´ as the Spanish are so fond of saying, a little of everything.

Wherever you live it can be all too easy to get stuck in a rut, staying home all the time doing the same thing day in day out, so it's important to break out of the routine from time to

time. I'm the type of person who is comfortable at home, relaxing, and so it's an effort sometimes to go out, but this day had been different! I had spent all day cleaning in prepa­ ration for some very special guests who will be arriving soon and I was ready to go out and enjoy the fresh air and get my son out of the house. I was in desperate need of some air

and relaxation away from my sofa, as comfortable as it is, and I just craved a change, and so I found myself in the cen­ tre of town. I would advise everyone to get out to a Spanish town whenever pos­ sible, although of course I support Brits here trying to earn a living, I also think you can't beat the Spanish ambience in the evening. You only have to go to one of the many processions here to see how the locals enjoy their lives and when the sun is so hot during the day there is only the option of leaving the house in the evenings, which are still cool enough to enjoy.

Soon it will be the Moors and Christians parade in my town, which I´m looking forward to going once again with friends and my little man will no doubt enjoy the rides that are placed in the centre of town each year. I have seen it a few times now and maybe this time, I'll also try a different area. It all depends on my special visitors and what they decide they would like to do, however, getting out for the evening has reminded me that I really should do it more often! The town is alive as the sun goes down, but as it gets dark it becomes time to head back home. My young man had been in the pool in the afternoon and then to the park in the centre in the evening. He got up very early for a change and returns home exhausted but happy! This is la vida española and I, for one wouldn't change it for the world.

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Friday, July 25, 2014

OH FOR RONNIE AND MAGGIE!

What does the world do about the Russian leader Vladimir Putin?

It’s horrifying enough to hear about the aftermath of Putin’s rebel puppets shoot­ ing down the Malaysian air­ liner in the Ukraine, and the dreadful way they treated the bodies and the thuggish way they behaved to the interna­ tional observers and investi­ gators, but as for Putin, words fail me. The man

seems to be bereft of any sort of humanity and humili­ ty, and unless I missed it, I don’t remember him having any words of sympathy for the families of the victims that were murdered by his

cronies.

Instead, the Russian media has been full of conspiracy theories akin to an edition of The X Files, that the Ukrainian govern­ ment deliberately shot down the plane, in order that they

could blame it all on Russia!

Of course, one reason that Putin is staying quiet, besides his lack of decency, is plain straight forward guilt, and this might just be a game­changer. It could have been worse. Imagine his thugs shooting down a Chinese airliner? I suspect that Beijing would have launched a very swift response, and we are not just talking diplomacy here.

It’s just possible that this terrible incident, has allowed people to focus their eyes on a man who will spend thousands of rou­ bles travelling to the Costa Blanca on a personal body pampering trip, yet who regards basic freedoms and human life as things that can be swatted away like

killing a fly.

Yet again, the United Nations has done absolute­ ly nothing of any substance, whilst there is talk of more sanctions from the European Union, which frankly have had little effect since the illegal occupation of parts of the Ukraine. I watched President Obama speak about the matter in a news conference, and all I got was a load of waffle. I ended up wondering what President Ronald Reagan would have said thirty years ago, as he was a master in standing up to the then­ Soviet Union. And for that matter, a certain Margaret Hilda Thatcher would have had something to say as well. They’d have gobbled up Putin and spat him out!

The Western leaders these days are largely pathetic and bereft of princi­ ple, but then how many of their countries have billions of Russian roubles pumped into them in large invest­ ments that they are terrified of losing if things get really tough and nasty? It’s time for the world’s leaders to stop pussy­footing about, because this tragedy has really put the focus on Putin and his policies. It is a win­ dow of opportunity to put the squeeze on him, and for the overwhelming decent hearted majority of Russian people to do whatever they can (within Putin’s restric­ tions) and to tell him that it is time for their country to stop trying to be some kind of pariah.

SEPA. MEANS SAFE AND EFFICIENT PAYMENTS IN SPAIN. What is SEPA? The Single Euro Payments Area (SEPA) is making euro payments faster, safer and more efficient within the 34 EU countries. It enables customers to make cashless euro pay­ ments to anyone within the EU. What are the ways to pay using SEPA? 1. SEPA credit transfer A single way to transfer funds nationally or anywhere within the EU. 2. SEPA direct debit Now charges can be made directly to an account in one EU country for services provided by a company based in another country.

3. SEPA for cards Customers can conveniently use the same cards they use for national purchases, any­ where in Europe. Merchants will accept all cards, making payment processes easier and more attractive.

SEPA standards required for full introduction 1. IBAN IBAN is the International Bank Account Number that identifies your account anywhere in the world. With a maximum of 34 digits it includes the following in order: 2 digits country code 2 digits check digit 30 digits (max) account identification specific to each country UK IBAN example: GB19 LOYD 3096 1700 7099 43 2. BIC BIC (Bank Identifier Code) numbers will be phased out for cross­border payments by February 2016.

3. PAYMENT CARDS All payment cards will be migrated from magnetic strip to EMV chip. There is currently no date for completion.

Timeline for the SEPA process The process began in 1999 and is now in the final migration phase.

February 2014: Credit transfers and direct debits in the EU should be carried out in accor­ dance with the standards mentioned above. A six month transition period is being intro­ duced.

February 2016: For niche products with specific characteristics a longer transition phase is made for in some countries.

31 October 2016: EU member states with non­euro currencies must adhere to standards set for credit transfers and direct debits in euros, by this end date.

SEPA indicators. Key facts at a glance.

SEPA credit transfers as a % of total EU transactions is 93.9%* SEPA direct debit as a % of total transactions is 80.3%* EMV transactions as a % of total transactions is 79.6%** *February 2014­03­21 **June 2013 We hope this information provided in this article is of interest.

If you would like to contact Linea Directa please call 902 123 104 More information on Linea Directa online at www.lineadirecta.com

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Friday, July 25, 2014

PUTIN THE BOOT IN

MUCH has been written and broadcast over the past week over the horror of the cold­blooded murder of 298 people, many of them children, in the bringing down of Flight MH17 over the war­zone in eastern Ukraine.

Firstly, I hope that a lesson has been learned not to fly civilian aircraft over war zones, especially when the reason is to cut a few minutes of flight time and a few hun­ dred pounds worth of fuel. Sadly, there are currently so many war zones around the world and it is almost impossible for flight paths to avoid them all. What a sad indict­ ment that is to a supposedly civilised world.

No matter how you look at it, this atrocity has Russian blood all over it. Putin has allowed an open border between Russia and eastern Ukraine, over which masses of sophisticated armaments have been allowed to pour in. Sadly, Putin has exer­ cised virtually no control over these pro­ Russian killers hell­bent on controlling vast tracks of territory ­ exactly the opposite, he has been encouraging them. This crazy madman, instead of accepting the murder was the work of Russian­backed sepa­ ratists, tried to pretend the airliner was shot down by Ukrainian government forces. No doubt this was all part of the game to try to convince Russian people that the Russians were the goodies and everyone else was bad. Not only that, he has allowed state­controlled Russian media to broadcast non­stop propaganda about fantasy western­Ukraine atrocities against Russian­speak­ ing people in the east of the country, including the public cru­ cifixion of a three­year­old child. It's a long tried and tested tactic by dictators ­ feed the public enough hate propaganda for long enough and they will begin to believe it. Look how successful Hitler and co were in Germany prior to and during WW2 against the Jews. The experience of WW2 shows there is not one bit of good trying to appease dictators. The only thing they know (and respect) is brute force. And Putin, being an ex­KGB chief and a black belt in judo, knows only too well the best chance of winning is to go in hard and with total determination (I can speak with experience in this, being married to a black belt in judo in the past). He will only listen if he believes that he is outgunned, that his opponents hold more aces than him and it´s better to negotiate than fight. That´s why the US, the EU, NATO and the UN should all speak with one voice in condemning Russia, forcing them to stop free access from Russia to Ukraine and to establish a neutral 50 mile corridor between Russia and EU territory.

There´s a three letter word that´s a problem in all that and it´s gas. Russia knows it can be hit hard by financial and trade sanctions, but it knows Europe is vulnerable because it needs Russian gas. A few weeks ago there was a survey published in the UK asking the population whether Britain should become in any way involved in the Ukraine. The overwhelming majority said it was not our problem. The shooting of the airliner and killing of nine Brits demonstrates

instinct how everything works. But when you have umpteen switches and buttons and programmes for this, that and every­ thing else, it´s far more complicated than it needs to be with a simple on and off but­ ton. Oh for a simple life ­ gadgets which work when you turn them on and stop when you press the off button.

What´s the matter with foreigners?

Foreign embassies in London have failed to pay more than £82m in conges­ tion charges since 2003. Since the daily charge was levied in 2003, the US Embassy has built up a bill in excess of £8.7m, followed by Japan at £6m and Russia with £5.2m. In 2013, diplomats had 5,662 unpaid parking fines worth £541,599, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said. Transport for London says diplomats are not exempt from congestion charges and a "stubborn minority" refuse to pay. The US, which has the largest congestion charge bill, has long maintained that diplomatic immunity exempts it from paying the congestion charge. It also had £1,075 in unpaid park­ ing fines last year. Come on Britain, bring foreign governments to the courts, either in Britain or in their own countries. It will help pay for the vast sums Britain is paying out in overseas aid!

Hats off to Stuart, in Lowestoft, who is carrying out a one man crusade against dozy parkers. He has been taking pictures of cars parked in stupid places and has pub­ lished them on the internet. And his actions have brought praise from his local council. His motive is to shame the cul­ prits who park thoughtlessly and cause problems for others.

He said: "Some of my friends and family think I shouldn't be bothering, but some of the parking is just dangerous and selfish and it's annoying and getting worse." Some photos had been handed to his local police community support offi­ cer (PCSO).

Good for him. Can you imagine the reaction in Spain with all the dozy parkers there are? Stuart would never be short of places to point his camera.

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how conflicts anywhere in the world can hurt totally innocent UK people. I hope that this crazy killing makes head­in­the­ sand environmentalists and the selfish nimby brigade realise how important it is that we become self ­sufficient in power.

Britain must press ahead with fracking, building more nuclear power stations, developing tidal power, wind farms, hydro and solar power, so the country is not beholding to Russia in any way whatsoever, and that goes for the whole of Europe. This vital spending is far, far more important than politicians playing trains, spending billions on high speed rail links here there and everywhere.

ONE of the sickening stories I read over the past week was that more than 600 suspected paedophiles have been arrested in the UK as part of a six­month operation tar­ geting people accessing child abuse images online. And it´s worse because the 660 arrested included doctors, teachers, scout leaders, care workers and former police officers, according to the National Crime Agency. This really is an abomination ­ to think that such people are among those who society values and trusts the most. Only 39 of those arrested were registered sex offenders, which means there are many, many people operating under the radar. They have been caught because when they access such images they leave a digital footprint. Charges already brought range from possessing indecent images of children to serious sex­ ual assault. It seems new technology is a source for a lot of good, and a lot of bad too.

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Regular readers of my column will know we return to the UK in summer to live in a park home to escape the Spanish heat. Park home living gives the sense of being on a constant holiday. But your home is not your castle, you´re just renting the space, and there are serious shortcomings.

One is you haven´t got a proper address, so you don´t get a Royal Mail delivery. And there is no land line, so you´re rely­ ing on mobiles, and more importantly, no broadband coming direct to the van. You´re left to the wonderful world of don­ gles and mobile Wi­Fi devices. There´s an array of compa­ nies providing a service, but it seems they are all much of a muchness, with the emphasis on a go­slow rather like the old dial­up. I can be left hanging for minutes during the day from about 10am to 6pm when everyone and his cat is trying to use Broadband. So you´re left for any meaningful service to work in the evenings and night time. Why on earth doesn´t the UK government step in and provide a universal broad­ band service if private companies can´t or won´t? We have Wi­Fi in Spain and it´s fast and doesn´t go on a daytime meltdown. The technology is obviously there to provide a universal and efficient service, so why isn't it happening?

Can anyone with more technical knowledge than me provide an answer? Another bugbear we are finding (perhaps it´s our age) is that whenever we buy a new appliance its oper­ ation baffles us. Microwaves, TVs, coffee makers, radio alarms, even irons, have to have extra gizmos attached to them to make them more and more complicated. It´s won­ derful for teenagers/20 something’s who seem to know by

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Friday, July 25, 2014

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Friday, July 25, 2014

SAY IT IN SPANISH Learn the lingo - with a little help from JEANETTE ERATH Spanish 132 ¡Hola! Buenos días, espero que hayas pasado una buena semana y estés preparado por la próxima lección. Como te he dicho la semana pasada, esta semana vamos a apren­ der el tiempo condicional.

This week we are learning the conditional tense, that is the tense when we say in English the modal verb ´would´, for example ´I would go to the party but I have to work´ there is a condi­ tion which means something cannot be done, although we don´t always have to state the con­ dition it is more normal to do so.

I hope you have spent the last week practising your infinitives because now I´m going to show you how to conjugate (change) the verb to talk in the conditional tense.

Firstly we take the infinitive of the verb, such as comer = to eat, and then we add the following: yo = ía; tú = ías; él, ella, usted = ía; nosotros = íamos, vosotros = íais; ellos, ellas, ustedes = ían; therefore comer becomes comería = I would eat, comerías = you would eat, comería = he/she would eat, comeríamos = we would eat, comeríais = you would eat, comerían = they would eat.

Now to be able to add the ending such as ´if I were hungry” we need the subjunctive which I have covered in previous lessons but I will be covering again next week as it´s a diffi­ cult tense to master in Spanish but a very common one, much more so than in English. So, for now, just concentrate on changing the verb into the conditional and if you aren´t sure about the subjunctive leave the second verb in the pres­ ent tense and hopefully you will be understood even though it´s not correct.

There are of course certain verbs which are irregular in this tense and they are the same verbs that are irregular in the future tense, if you can remember that you are one step ahead, if not here they are (they all change the same way as

the words ´would and if´ and the subjunctive is needed, there are also other times when we can use it, those are: To express speculation about the past: Aquél día correrían más de veinticinco kilómetros ­ That day they must have run more than 25 kilometres; To express the future from the perspective of the past: Yo sabía que abrirían la tienda a las siete ­ I knew that they would open the store at seven o'clock, To express hypothetical actions or events which may or may not occur: Sería interesante estudiar chino ­ It would be interesting to study Chinese, To indicate what would happen were it not for some certain specific circumstance: Yo viajaría pero no tengo dinero ­ I would travel but I don't have money, For polite use to soften requests: Por favor, ¿podría decirme a qué hora abre la gasolinera? ­ Could you please tell me what time the petrol station Sería interesante estudiar chino opens?, To ask for advice: ¿Cuál compraría Ud.? regular verbs which is why I´m only giving the yo form, take ­ Which one would you buy? For reported speech: Juan dijo the underlined part of the word and add the conditional end­ que terminaría el trabajo ­ Juan said that he would finish ings depending on who you are talking about) : caber ­ yo the work, To express what would be done in a particular sit­ cabría, poner ­ yo pondría, decir ­ yo diría, haber ­ yo uation: ¿Hablarías inglés en España? – Would you speak habría, salir ­ yo saldría, hacer ­ yo haría, poder ­ yo English in Spain? No. Hablaría español – No. I would podría, tener ­ yo tendría, querer ­ yo querría, valer ­ yo speak Spanish. valdría, saber ­ yo sabría, venir ­ yo vendría.

One more point about the Spanish conditional with regard One important verb in the above is worth spending a bit to reported speech, note that if the main clause is in the past, more time talking about, that is the verb haber which I hope the conditional is used: Jose dijo que terminaría el trabajo you remember is only used as an auxiliary verb, that is it´s – Jose said that he would finish the work: BUT if the main used to help another verb make the correct tense. As you can clause is in the present, then the future tense is used: Jose see the conjugation of haber in the conditional is habría, dice que terminará el trabajo – Jose says that he will finish habrías, habría, etc. and it means I would have and with this the work. This is easy to remember as it´s the same as in verb we need to use the past participle of the verb, that is, in English but worth pointing out as we know that English and Spanish the verb with the ­ido or ­ado ending. For example: Spanish don´t always follow the same rules.

I would have eaten – habría comido, you would have gone I hope you are clear now on the conditional tense and how – habrías ido, we would have spoken – habríamos habla­ to make and use it. Keep learning and practising your do.

Spanish and you will soon be conversing with confidence.

Although we usually use this tense when in English we use ¡Que tengas una Buena semana!

Friday, July 25, 2014

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Friday, July 25, 2014

SUNSCREEN: ARE YOU REALLY COVERED? You know you should wear sunscreen every day.

But what kind? How long can you keep it?

Get the answers to these questions and other truths about sunscreen.

Sunscreen: True or False

1. The higher the SPF, the better the protection.

FALSE. It sounds right ­­ a sun protection factor of 100 should be twice as protective as SPF 50. But it's only a few percentage points more effective. An SPF of 15 screens 93% of the sun's rays and an SPF of 30 screens 97%. "But the number becomes irrelevant if you aren't applying enough in the first place," says Mona Gohara, MD, a dermatologist in Danbury, Conn., and an assistant clinical professor at Yale University dermatology department. Most people don't use enough, studies show.

"For better protection apply 1 to 2 ounces (the size of a Ping­Pong ball) of sunscreen on your body 30 minutes before going outdoors [so your skin can absorb it complete­ ly] and every two hours to any exposed skin after that," Gohara says.

For your face, apply a dollop the size of a silver dollar every day, no matter what the weather. Note, too, that SPF refers to protection from UVB (the burning rays) only, not UVA (the aging rays). You need to guard against both since both can lead to skin cancer.

2. It's OK to use last year's bottle of SPF. TRUE. Most sunscreens have a shelf life of about two years, says Jordana Gilman, MD, a New York City dermatol­ ogist. If you are using sunscreen properly, however, you shouldn't have any left, since it takes about 1 to 2 ounces of sunscreen to cover the entire body. A 4­ounce bottle should last for, at most, four applications.

3. Sunscreen only needs to be applied to exposed skin.

FALSE. The average T­shirt offers an SPF of about 7, notes Gilman. Darker fabrics and tighter weaves provide more protection, but it is much safer to apply sunscreen to your entire body before you get dressed. Or better yet, wear clothing made of UV protective fabrics. These have been specially treated with colourless UV­absorbing dyes, and most offer an ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) of 50, which blocks both UVA and UVB.

Don't want to invest in a whole new summer wardrobe?

Spike your detergent with a wash­in SPF product you can toss in with your laundry.

4. Using makeup with SPF is just like wearing regular facial sunscreen.

FALSE. Certainly, applying makeup that contains SPF is better than skipping it altogether, but it's not as effective as wearing a facial lotion with sunscreen underneath.

Generally, most makeup cracks on skin, allowing UV rays through.

"For makeup to provide adequate ultraviolet protection, it would need to be applied in a really thick layer, which most women do not do," Gilman says.

So unless you plan to spackle on your foundation, smooth on a layer of lotion with sunscreen first and then apply your makeup.

5. Sunscreen can cause cancer.

FALSE. The only way sunscreen could be hazardous to your health is if it is absorbed into the body, which does not happen, says Amy Wechsler, MD, dermatologist and author of The Mind­Beauty Connection: 9 Days to Reverse Stress Aging and Reveal More Youthful, Beautiful Skin. "UV rays break down the chemical molecules in some sunscreens rel­ atively quickly, long before they can seep into skin."

Still concerned? Use a sunscreen containing physical blocking ingredients such as zinc oxide and titanium oxide, which stay on the surface of the skin as a protective barrier.

FIBRE UP YOUR COLON Fibre is often the forgotten nutri­ ent and with so many processed foods being stripped of their nutrient content to keep them lasting longer, people are unaware of how lit­ tle fibre they are actually getting in.

A lack of fibre compromises digestion and the health of your colon, which intoxicates the body and leads to pol­ lution within the body.

These signs often show up on the skin, and therefore improving the health of your colon could improve the con­ dition of your skin.

Holistic living expert and founder of Nikkel Holistic Skincare, Dana McCants offers these tips to boost your fibre intake: 1. Ground up flaxseeds and sprinkle them onto your food. They taste great on salads, oatmeal or just about every meal.

2. Add avocados to your eating regime, they taste great and a medium­sized avocado contains 15 grams of fibre.

3. Eat whole grains.

Instead of white rice use brown, and instead of instant oats rather eat whole grain versions.

4. Keep high fibre snacks on hand. Eat an apple with the skin on, munch on raw nuts or dried figs and dried prunes.

Don't be tempted to use babies' or children's sun­ screens, which don't necessarily contain physical blocks.

Also, you should check the "active ingredients" sec­ tion on the label to see what the bottle contains. Even the same product can vary from year to year.

6. "Water­resistant" sunscreen doesn't need to be reapplied after swimming.

FALSE. "No sunscreen is truly waterproof," Wechsler says. The FDA agrees. Sunscreens are allowed to call themselves "water­resistant" but not "waterproof," and their labels have to say how long the water resistance lasts.

You should reapply sunscreen every two hours, and every time you get in and out of the water or work up a sweat.

7. Wearing sunscreen can lead to vitamin D deficiency.

FALSE. No doubt about it: You need vitamin D (which your body can make when exposed to the sun). But that doesn't give you a no­SPF pass.

"You still get enough sun to make plenty of vitamin D through the sunscreen," says Brett Coldiron, MD, a derma­ tologist at the University of Cincinnati.

It can be harder to make vitamin D during the winter or when you're older. But you can still get vitamin D from forti­ fied foods or supplements. The Institute of Medicine recom­ mends that most adults get 600 IUs of vitamin D a day.

Some people may need more, so check with your health care provider.

8. Sunscreen with antioxidants provides better UVA/UVB protection.

TRUE. While they aren't active sunscreen ingredients, antioxidants are great SPF supplements. Sunscreen alone does not block all of the damaging rays from the sun ­­ even an SPF of 50 blocks out only 98% of UV rays. "Antioxidants are a good way to catch the UV radiation that 'sneaks' past the sunscreen," Gohara says. Sunscreens infused with antioxidants, such as skin­loving green tea extract or polyphenols from tomatoes and berries, are proven to reduce the formation of free radicals (small chemical parti­ cles that wreak havoc on skin and can cause skin cancer) in the presence of UV light.

THE POWER OF YOUR LIVER DR MACHI MANNU’S ADVICE CLINIC Email your questions and comments to contact@medb.es

Your liver is certainly a vital organ in your body, so vital that it is said to have originated from an Anglo­ Saxon word that meant ´to live´. The liver has the task of filtering about 100 gallons of blood every day and through this action, removes harmful toxins that enter the blood stream through the digestive system. Without the liver we would suffocate in our own toxic waste in a matter of days. The liver is also responsible for produc­ ing over 13,000 vital chemi­ cals including vitamins, enzymes, proteins, hor­ mones, and many other complex compounds. The liver also secretes bile – a greenish liquid that is essen­ tial for digesting fat. The pri­ mary role of the liver howev­

er, is as the chief detox organ of the body, in charge of removing deadly toxins – a necessary task, especially in the polluted world that we live in today. Every day, through the foods we eat, fluids we drink and drugs we take, we expose our bodies to a multitude of toxic chem­ icals. The job of the liver is to break down these toxins into harmless substances that can be excreted from the body. This detoxification process is complex and requires many key nutrients which are sadly lacking in most diets. To compound the matter, more than ever before the environment has been severely contaminated with many toxic chemicals – pesticides, herbicides, sol­ vents, and many others, and

these may overwhelm the functioning of the liver. As a result, the excess toxins are stored in other tissues of the body especially tissues that contain a lot of fat such as the nerves and brain. The liver is incredibly resilient, and will continue to serve the body even when up to 70% of its mass is affected by disease. This benefit has a down side as it makes the diagnosis of liver diseases problematic. At MedB our diagnostic technology is capable of revealing the ear­ liest changes with the liver, allowing you time to improve your health before it is too late.

FOR A FULL BODY DIAG­ NOSTIC SCAN CALL DR MACHI MANNU: 965071745

Friday, July 25, 2014

Hairless Man Now Hairy, Thanks to Arthritis Drug A man with a rare condition that left him with no hair on his body grew a full head of hair after taking an arthritis drug, a new study reveals.

The 25­year­old patient also grew eye­ brows and eyelashes, along with facial, armpit and other hair after treatment with tofacitinib citrate.

The man's lack of body hair was caused by a dis­ ease called alopecia uni­ versalis. The researchers said this is the first reported case of a suc­ cessful targeted treat­ ment for the disorder, which has no cure or long­term treatment.

"The results are exactly what we hoped for," study senior author Dr. Brett King, an assistant professor of dermatology at Yale University School of Medicine, said in a uni­ versity news release.

"This is a huge step forward in the treat­ ment of patients with this condition," King said. "While it's one case, we anticipated the successful treat­ ment of this man based on our current under­ standing of the disease and the drug. We believe the same results will be duplicat­ ed in other patients,

and we plan to try."

The patient took 10 milligrams a day of the arthritis drug, according to the study, pub­ lished online June 18 in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology.

After two months, he began to grow scalp and facial hair, the first hair he'd grown in these areas in seven years.

After three more months taking 15 milligrams a day of the drug, he had a full head of hair and clearly visible eyebrows and eyelashes, as well as facial, armpit and other hair.

After eight months, the man had full re­ growth of his body hair.

He reported feeling no side effects and lab tests detected no prob­ lems.

It's likely that the drug triggered hair re­ growth by switching off the immune system attack on hair follicles that occurs in people with alopecia univer­ salis, said King.

Tofacitinib citrate (marketed as Xeljanz) is used to treat rheumatoid arthritis.

King next hopes to conduct a clinical trial to test a cream form of tofacitinib citrate in treating people with alopecia universalis.

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Friday, July 25, 2014

THE SUPPLEMENT WITH THE MOST!

I do not take any supplements, but would like to start taking something.

The problem I find is that there are so many different types available, and they are all supposed to be beneficial. In your opinion if I had to take just one, which should it be?

You are absolutely right when you say there are so many different kinds of sup­ plement available, all claiming to be beneficial to health. In a way this is true. Our body needs a variety of nutrients to function optimally, and in days gone by, we would have been able to source most of these nutrients from our diet.

Sadly the soils in which crops are grown have been depleted of nutrients, making the fruits and vegetables that come from such soils also low in nutrients. For this reason, supplements have become very essential. I have been asked this question a number of times, and have had difficulties giving an answer in the past, but that was before I came across the supplement known as laminine. For a while now, I have been using and prescribing lami­ nine for a number of health problems, and I am very impressed with the amazing results I have noticed in my health, as well as the health of my patients. What makes Laminine different from other supplements? Well Laminine con­ tains proteins that encourage stem cells found in the body to turn into new tissue in order to replace injured ones. Stem cells are undifferen­ tiated cells that are yet to transform into tissues such as heart, bones and liver. In other words stem cells have the capacity to become new organs. This is why stem cell therapy is seen as the future of medical therapies. Laminine is the closest thing to stem cell therapy. What gives Laminine its unique properties is an ingredient known as Fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF). Laminine is produced from 9 day old

fertilized chicken eggs and then freeze­dried to preserve its delicate contents. Since the 1930s, it has been known that chicken egg contains many vital compounds that promote healing, and that these compounds are of the highest concentration on the 9th day in a fertil­ ized egg. These healing compounds include essential amino acids, polypeptides, neuropep­ tides, vitamins, minerals and fibroblast Growth Factor (FGF). Fibroblasts are a type of stem cells found mainly in the bones, joints, nerves, heart and other organs. These fibroblasts are stimulated by Laminine to transform into brand new tissue. Amino acids are regarded as the building blocks of life, and are required to form DNA, as well as muscle and nerve tissue.

Current Research is now pointing to neuropep­ tides as being responsible for the transmission of signals from one nerve to another. The ben­ efits of Laminine are numerous, however what stands out is its ability to help repair and regen­ erate damaged tissue. Our bodies are in a continuous state of breakdown and repair, with more breakdowns than repairs occurring as we age. Laminine promotes repair, and helps the body heal a lot faster. Due to the neuropep­ tides it contains, laminine also has a positive effect on the nervous system, and speeds up the healing of nerve and brain injuries.

Laminine promotes deep and restful sleep.

And by promoting healthy sleep, laminine fur­ ther encourages the body to heal because healing takes place during sleep. Laminine also promotes relaxation. This is because lami­ nine contains all 22 essential amino acids, the building blocks of thousands of chemicals needed for the body to perform optimally. One of such chemicals is serotonin – the feel good hormone needed for relaxation. People taking laminine report that the feel better in them­

If you fancy a great day out with a differ­ ence, why not pop along to Santiago de la Ribera and catch the ferry to La Manga. The trip takes a relaxing 40 minutes, passing breath taking scenery, and landing at one of most unique parts of Spain.

La Manga is a strip of land 21 km long and 300 metres wide, on average. La Manga means 'sleeve' and the long stretch sepa­ rates the Mediterranean Sea from the Mar Menor (Small Sea). There are many hotels, shops, bars, clubs and restaurants and the great nightlife is well known. It became world famous due to the fact that you could

choose to either bathe in the shallow, tran­ quil waters of the Mar Menor, or surf on the wilder waves of the Mediterranean beaches.

Driving to and along the Strip takes a long time. The Mar Menor is 73 kilometres in cir­ cumference, and when you get to La Manga there is just one lane of traffic, with lots of traffic lights. In the months of July and August the road is renowned for being choc­ a­block, with lots of jams. So the ferry is the ideal way to see this part of Murcia and enjoy the friendly service the ferry crew offer you.

The ferry will take you to the Thomas

Q A

selves, their mood improves and they also feel much relaxed. Laminine also helps women suffering from hot flushes by supporting the hormonal system. Since it contains all essential amino acids, the body is able to produce the exact amount of hormones it requires. Another impressive effect of laminine is how it relieves bone and joint disorders such as osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, muscle pain etc. With such benefits, laminine is certainly the supple­ ment you need if you had to take just one kind.

Laminine is not available in the pharmacy, but you can order it from MedB Health Shop. It is sold for 36 Euros for a container of 30 cap­ sules, or 100 Euros for 3 containers. The rec­ ommended dose is 3 capsules daily for the first month, and 1 capsule daily subsequently.

However those with more chronic disorders should take 3 caps daily for a longer time peri­ od – 3 to 4 months. To order Call 965071745

I went for a routine ultrasound screen of my prostate, and an enlargement was detected, however I did not have any symptoms. I was sent to my doctor who did a PSA check, and found the number to be 4.67. I repeated the test and it was 5.7. My doctor is talking about getting a biopsy done because he suspects something worse; however I have done my own research and understand the dangers and would rather not go down that route yet. I would rather wait and monitor the PSA lev­ els. What is your opinion, and are there other ways to manage my problem?

AYes you are absolutely right in saying that prostate biopsies are associated with a number of risks such as infections, bleeding and prob­ lems urinating, and I agree with you for opting to wait and watch first before taking any other decision. Above all the PSA (Prostate Specific

Antigen) test is not a reliable test for telling the state of health of the prostate. In fact it was originally invented to monitor how prostate can­ cer patients responded to chemotherapy. A number of prostate disorders can cause a high PSA level, such as inflammation of the prostate (prostatitis), an enlarged prostate (Benign Prostate Hypertrophy), as well as tumour or cancer of the prostate. It is also known that PSA levels can be falsely high if you engage in sexual intercourse or even ride a bicycle before the test. A PSA level of 4.67 is just slightly above normal and still within range for some urologists. PSA levels between 4 and 10 are usually considered to be suspicious. I will not be alarmed by your PSA levels, but I´ll keep an eye on it, and you should consider having another test in 6 weeks. In my experience with diagnostic scans, the commonest cause of prostate disorders is inflammation of the prostate or prostatitis. Prostatitis can cause symptoms very similar to an enlarged prostate or even cancer of the prostate. These symp­ toms include: pain and difficulty on passing water, passing water more frequently, deep pain in the groin area, as well as discharge of blood from the penis. A common cause of prostate problems is zinc deficiency. The prostate gland contains more zinc than any other organ in the body and zinc supplements have been shown to protect the prostate. Many studies have also shown that the herb Saw pal­ metto is very effective in shrinking the size of the prostate. Other essential nutrients for the prostate include Vitamin A and E, pumpkin seeds and the amino acid L­alanine. These nutrients are usually available as a single for­ mulation for the prostate.

FOR A FULL BODY DIAGNOSTIC SCAN CALL DR MACHI MANNU ­ 965071745

Maestre Port, which is the largest marina on La Manga Strip and has some amazingly expensive yachts moored in it. It faces the Mar Menor side, but has a canal, with a lift­ ing bridge, leading to the Mediterranean.

There are lots of restaurants and cafes near­ by and you can choose to stroll across to either beach, or have a relaxing drink or snack overlooking beautiful views.

Back at Santiago de la Ribera, which is a small seaside town on the western shore of the Mar Menor, just to the north of the airport at San Javier, there is also plenty to do. In the summer the beaches are lively, and there is a wide selection of bars, cafes and restaurants along the promenade and in the pedestrianized back streets.

The Dog and Duck is a firm favourite for visitors coming off the ferry, and is just a

couple of roads back from the beach, along the pedestrian road through town. Their snacks and lunches are extremely popular.

And if you want to try something a little dif­ ferent, the canoe club, situated further along the road, towards Lo Pagan, rents out canoes for just ten euros per person for two hours. They’ll give you a crash course should you need one, and the friendly staff will even escort you out over the calm waters. It is an activity which once you have tried you will want to do again and again.

For the ferry times see their ad below.

The trip costs just 4 euros each way, and if you would like to take your bicycle this will cost just an extra euro. The ferry terminal is just behind Miramar Restaurant, right on the sea front of Santiago de la Ribera, opposite the Marino Hotel, along a little wooden jetty.

Q

FERRY ACROSS THE MAR MENOR – A DAY OUT WITH A DIFFERENCE

Friday, July 25, 2014

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Friday, July 25, 2014

Friday, July 25, 2014

MAGNETIC ATTRACTION It’s the eleventh season coming up for Magnets:­ a summer children’s holiday club set up in La Siesta, Torrevieja back in 2004, and the doors are opening up again this Thursday July 31st.

Magnets was the brainchild of Steve and Irene­Maria Campbell (pictured), and their first summer saw eleven youngsters coming through their doors. The project soon outgrew their apartment, and now they use the La Siesta Evangelical church as their base.

There’s a different theme each year and this year’s subject is ‘Amazing Treasures’ with the youngsters learning about people who have discovered the most amazing treasures there are to be found on this earth. The two hour weekly meetings run until the end of August, and children from 4 years upwards are wel­ come to come and join the fun, and one of the best parts is that it is free of charge.

If you want to find out more or need directions to La Siesta Church please contact Steve or Irene­Maria by phoning 680 257 344.

YES, WE HAVE BANANAS!

The Torrevieja homeless charity, Reach Out, have plenty of bananas on their hands after the group were given 750kilos of the fruit.

Volunteers went to Alicante to pick up loads of banana­filled boxes with a happy Reach Out President, Karolina Leonard saying: “We are very grateful for this donation. So many of our homeless people and families don’t get enough fresh fruit to eat and to have such an abun­ dance of nutritious bananas is a blessing. We will put them to good use!”

Reach Out has also been boosted with the news that they’ve been able to buy a second hand Volkswagen van to collect and deliver furniture for their second hand shop, which is

a vital source of income for the charity. Six thousand euros was raised with the help of the community to buy the second vehicle to increase the fund­raising work.

HOSPITAL BOOST

The local fund­raisers, Charity 4 Charities have donated over three thousand euros to Torrevieja Hospital. The group, who have raised over 100 thousand Euros in seven years helping over two dozen local organisations, gave a cheque worth 3,110 euros to the Home Care Unit of the hospital’s Oncology department. Medical staff thanked the fund­raisers for their valiant efforts as well as showing them around their facilities.

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MAYOR SEES MARE

Two horses that were abandoned in the space of a week, are the latest residents at the Rojales­based Easy Horse Care Rescue, who also welcomed a recent visit from the local Mayor, Antonio Pérez García.

A skeletal horse was found dumped in a paddock near San Javier, where some other horses were being kept, with the Centre founders, Sue and Rod Weeding naming the severely malnourished and old mare Lola and bringing her over to Rojales..

Just six days later, Sue and Rod received another call from a woman worried about an old horse left tied to palm trees without food or water for three days.

“This old horse was just worked into the ground until he couldn’t walk and then they

dumped him,” Sue said. “He has badly dam­ aged tendons on his right front leg and must have been in incredible pain. He’s probably only got a year left because eventually the leg will collapse but we will do whatever is possible for him.”

The Mayor, Antonio Pérez García,,con­ gratulated Sue and Rod on their work in the animal welfare sector, saying without the Centre, many rescued horses and ponies would have to be put down because there was nowhere else to send them.

Pictured visiting the Centre were (from the left) councillor Derek Monks, Rojales Mayor Antonio Pérez García, centre co­founder Sue Weeding, councillor Tatiana Cañizares and councillor Marie Pierre Dubois.

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Friday, July 25, 2014

COOL ICEY TREATS BANANA AND YOGURT ICEPOPS (kids can make too!)

Ingredients 160g Greek yogurt 1 ripe banana 1tsp runny honey You will also need: 4 small empty and clean kid­ sized yogurt pots (the pots I used held 55g of yogurt) 4 lollipop sticks Small amount of kitchen foil

Method

1. First of all, double check that the empty yogurt pots have been thoroughly cleaned and dried.

2. Take the Greek yogurt from the fridge and ask your little one to help weigh it into a small mixing bowl.

Your assistant can carefully measure 1 level tsp of runny honey into the mixing bowl, then stir the two ingredients together.

3. Mashing the banana is good fun for children so let them take the lead. They can peel off the skin and then place the banana into a little bowl. Using a fork, they can set to work, mashing the banana until it's as smooth as they can make it.

You may need to help with the last little bit!

4. Now your child can use a spoon to scoop up the mashed banana and mix it into the Greek yogurt and honey mixture.

5. As the yogurt pots are quite small, it's best to use a tea­ spoon when spooning the yogurt mixture into the pots. You may end up with a messy worktop otherwise, but I suppose that's what kitchen towels and wipes are for!

6. Once your pots are all equally filled with the yogurt mix­ ture, turn your attention to the foil.

Use scissors to cut out square pieces of foil, just a little larger than the top of the yogurt pots. Place the foil pieces over the top of each pot to cover the yogurt, then press the edges of the foil under the 'lip' of the pot to seal.

With a sharp knife, cut a little slit into the middle of each foil lid.

7. Your little helper can now place the lollipop sticks into each hole in the foil and down into the yogurt mixture.

That's it, you've finished! All that's left to do is to place the yogurt ice pops into the freezer for an hour or two, or you could freeze overnight if need be. It depends how long your child will wait.

8. When you are ready to eat your banana and yogurt ice pops, take the from the freezer and leave to stand for 10 – 20 minutes to soften. Then ease them out from the plastic yogurt pots and enjoy!

STRAWBERRY ICE LOLLIES Ingredients 150g strawberries 90g caster sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract 500g tub of low­fat natural yogurt 100g melted white chocolate 60g sugar balls or strands You will also need: 6 or 8 ice lolly moulds

Method

1. Put strawberries, caster sugar vanilla extract in a bowl.

Crush fruit until roughly broken up and the sugar has dis­ solved.

2. Mix in low­fat natural yogurt. Pour into 6 or 8 ice­lolly moulds and freeze. Once frozen, take them out of the moulds and dip tips of the lollies in melted white chocolate, then quickly dip them in sugar balls or strands. Serve as soon as they set!

TROPICAL FRUIT ROCKETS Ingredients ½ watermelon ½ cantaloupe melon ½ honeydew melon

Method

1. Cut the melons into slices around 1­2cm wide, or wider if desired.

Cut the slices into bite­ sized triangular pieces Put the fruit pieces on the lolly stick or skewer alternating each melon until you reach the top (don’t forget to leave a lit­ tle handle at the base!)

2. Line a tray with parchment paper. Lay all the lollies down flat on the tray and freeze for a minimum of 3 hours or overnight

FRUITY CUBES Ingredients 1 ripe mango, peeled and stoned 3 kiwi fruits, quartered, white core removed, and flesh scraped from skin 200g (7oz) fresh or frozen raspberries A little icing sugar Lemon or lime juice

Method

1. Purée the fruits separately in a food processor, until smooth. Add icing sugar and a dash of lemon or lime juice, to taste.

2. Sieve the raspberry purée but leave seeds in the kiwi purée.

3. Spoon purées into ice­cube moulds. Put in halved wooden lolly sticks to make mini lollies, if desired. Freeze and use within two months.

WATERMELON AND LIME LOLLIES Ingredients 100g (3½oz) caster sugar1 level tbsp glucose syrup Zested rind and juice of 1 lime 1kg (2¼lb) prepared watermelon flesh, skin and seeds

removed Lolly moulds (and sticks, depending on type of mould used)

Method

1. Pour 100ml (3½fl oz) cold water into a saucepan and add the caster sugar. Place the pan over a low heat and stir until the sugar dissolves. Bring the mixture to the boil and simmer it for 2 mins, then remove the pan from the heat and stir in the glucose syrup and the lime zest and juice. Leave the syrup to cool.

2. Place the watermelon flesh in a food proces­ sor, purée it until smooth then stir in the syrup. Strain the mix­ ture through a fine sieve, discarding the pulp. Pour the mixture into the lolly moulds and freeze until solid.

3. Remove the lollies from the freezer and dip the moulds briefly in hot water to release the lollies. The lollies will keep in freezer for up to 3 months.

FIZZY CHOCOLATE CUBES Ingredients For the ice cream: 500ml carton chilled, ready­ made vanilla custard 200g bar dark chocolate, melt­ ed 1 ripe banana, mashed For the coating: 2 x 5g packets popping candy (we used strawberry flavoured Space Dust) 300g (10oz) dark chocolate, melted You'll also need: 1­2 ice­cube trays 20­24 lolly sticks

Method

1. To make the ice cream: Warm the custard slightly, then stir in the melted chocolate and banana.

Spoon the mixture into ice­cube trays. When the mixture is cold, place the trays in the freezer and leave to freeze until the mixture is almost solid, then insert a lolly stick into each cube and leave to set fully.

2. When ice cream has set, and just before serving, stir the popping candy into the melted chocolate for coating.

3. Remove ice­cube trays from the freezer and take out frozen cubes. If necessary, dip base of the ice­cube tray into hot water to help release cubes. Dip each cube into the melt­ ed chocolate and let excess drain off. Place them on a sheet of baking parchment until set (this will happen very quickly). Serve immediately.

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Friday, July 25, 2014

SUMMER COCKTAILS MANHATTAN COCKTAIL Ingredients 11/2 oz blended whiskey 1/4 to 1/2 oz sweet vermouth Dash of angostura bitters Maraschino cherry (optional)

Method

1. Pour the whiskey, vermouth and angos­ tura bitters into a cocktail shaker with some ice.

2. Shake for a few seconds to allow the cocktail to mix and chill down.

3. Strain your Manhattan into a chilled martini glass, or serve in a short glass on the rocks.

Decorate with the cherry if desired.

THE TWINKLE COCKTAIL Ingredients 30ml vodka 15ml elderflower cordial Champagne To garnish: Lemon twist (made from lemon peel)

Method

1. Pour the vodka and elderflower cor­ dial into a cocktail shaker and add some ice cubes.

2. Shake the ingredients and then strain the mixture into a glass filled with ice.

3. Top the drink with champagne and then add a twist of lemon to garnish.

BERRY CAIPIROSKA COCKTAIL Ingredients 50ml classic vodka 20ml fresh lime juice 25ml sugar syrup (at most supermarkets) Berries (5­7 raspberries) Berries, for garnish

Method

1. Put the berries, sugar syrup and lime juice into a glass and muddle the ingredients by crushing them in the glass with a muddler or pestle (or similar).

2. Pour the mixture into a cocktail shaker with some cubed ice and shake. Strain over crushed ice in a large rocks glass.

Top with a little more crushed ice and add your choice of berry garnish.

CRANBERRY CUTIE COCKTAIL Ingredients 3oz red cranberry juice 3oz apple juice

1oz honey Maraschino cherry for garnish

Method

1. Fill a glass with ice cubes.

2. Mix the juices and honey in another glass. Stir it all with a long spoon.

3. Pour the contents of the mixing glass into the ice glass and decorate with a maraschino cherry.

SEX ON THE BEACH COCKTAIL Ingredients Ice cubes 50ml vodka 50ml peach schnapps Dash of freshly squeezed lemon juice 100­150ml cranberry juice 100­150ml orange juice Lemon slices, fresh or maraschi­ no cherries and mint sprigs, to serve

Method

1. Fill two chilled highball glass­ es with ice cubes. Place the vodka, peach schnapps and lemon juice in cocktail shaker and shake well or pour into a jug and stir well. Divide between the two glasses.

2. Top up each glass with equal measures of cranberry and orange juice. Add a slice of lemon and a cherry to each glass and serve decorated with fresh mint sprigs.

PINK 'N' PEACHY SANGRIA Ingredients

MOJITO COCKTAIL Ingredients 1 1/2oz light rum 1tsp sugar 1/2 lime Mint sprigs

Method

1. Squeeze the lime juice into a large chilled glass, add mint and sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved.

Fill glass with cruched ice and pour in the rum 2. Swizzle until the glass goes frosty.

3. Garnish with mint and serve with straws.

MORNING STAR COCKTAIL Ingredients 1tsp sugar 1tsp honey 10fl oz pineapple juice 3 pineapple chunks Mineral water to top up I small piece of vanilla stick

Method

1. Blend all the ingredients except the vanilla stick.

2. Pour into a chilled glass and add the vanilla.

KIWI AND GINGER COCKTAIL Ingredients

2 ripe nectarines or peaches 1 lemon and an orange A bottle of chilled rosé such as Le Froglet Rosé 500ml white grape, pear and apple juice (we like Welch’s) 150ml vodka and a splash of peach schnapps

4tbsp icing sugar Juice of 2 limes 1tbsp freshly grated ginger 2­3 kiwi fruit, peeled and chopped Ice cubes Ginger ale, to taste Lime wedges and kiwi slices, to serve

1. Thinly slice 2 ripe nectarines or peaches, 1 lemon and an orange.

2. Mix in a large jug with a bottle of chilled rosé, white grape, pear and apple juice, vodka and a splash of peach schnapps.

3. Chill for a few hours and serve with extra ice.

1. Dissolve the icing sugar in 4 tbsps water in a jug. Add the lime juice and ginger and divide between the glasses.

2. Add the chopped kiwi and ice cubes, then top up with gin­ ger ale, to taste. Decorate the rim of each glass with wedges of lime to squeeze into the drink, and slices of kiwi.

Method

MINT AND APPLE COOLER Ingredients 300g(10oz) caster sugar 1 small bunch of mint 1 lime, sliced 750ml bottle of fizzy apple juice like Appletiser Sprigs of mint, slices of lime and ice, to serve

Method

KAMIKAZE COCKTAIL Ingredients

Method

Mix all the ingredi­ ents with cracked ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass.

TEQUILA SUNRISE Ingredients 3oz orange juice 1 1/2oz tequila Juice of 1/2 lime 3/4oz grenadine Lime slice

Method

1. Pour 300ml (½ pint) water into a pan and add the sugar.

Place the pan on the hob and bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Add the mint (the stalks as well as the leaves) and lime slices to the pan. Bring to the boil and sim­ mer for about 5 mins. Remove the pan from the heat and leave syrup to cool.

2. Strain the syrup into a bottle and discard the mint and lime.

Chill it in the fridge.

3. To serve: Place sprigs of mint and slices of lime in a jug, or glasses, add ice and half­fill the glasses with mint syrup; add the Appletiser to dilute to taste. The syrup will keep in a bottle in the fridge for up to 1 week. (Not suitable for freez­ ing).

1oz vodka 1oz orange liqueur 1oz lime or lemon juice

Method

1. Mix all the ingredients except the grenadine and lime slice in a blender or shaker, with cracked ice.

2. Pour into a tall glass with more ice.

3. Pour in grenadine, slowly.

4. Decorate with the lime slice

28

Friday, July 25, 2014

Cool bed linen at Sarah's Curtain & Bedding Store

For quality and amazing customer service you cannot beat Sarah's Curtain & Bedding Store..... With extensive ranges of bedding and curtains from the UK and local Spanish manufac­ turers..... You won't be dis­ appointed.

Now entering their second summer season at CC Los Dolses, Sarah's Curtain & Bedding store is now well established in the Villamartin area. As official stockists of some of the UK and Spain’s' finest manufacturers they are fast becoming the first choice for purchasing home textiles in our area. With regular deliveries and an option to order in store... the ranges available are vast.

The in store sewing service also offers a range of servic­ es from clothing repairs and alterations to making

bespoke textiles for your home!

The glorious summer months bring with them hot and sticky nights..... The super ranges of bed linen at the store mean there is something to suit everyone.

A huge delivery of soft combed non­iron percale sheets and pillow cases has just arrived, offering comfort and quality. They come in a wide range of stunning mod­ ern colours to refresh and enhance your bedroom.

These percale sheets are of superior quality and are made with a higher than average thread count for long lasting comfort wash after wash. All sizes are available with linen being sourced directly from well­ known UK and Spanish manufacturers. Having a brilliant in house sewing

service means bed linen can be made to fit any bed!

Sarah’s Curtain & Bedding Store is located in CC Los Dolses, Urb Villamartin, next to the card shop near the Canal. For enquiries please call the shop on 966 848 980. Open Monday to Saturday.

Friday, July 25, 2014

29

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Friday, July 25, 2014

Restaurants & Bars

Services

31

Friday, July 25, 2014

Property

Lifestyle

The Vista Card For great discounts, cut out This Vista Card and present it to participating businesses

32

Friday, July 25, 2014

Horoscopes Aries March 21 ­ April 19 Situations regarding love and romance are likely to get much heavier and more intense now, Aries. Are you ready to make a deeper commitment to the one you love?

It may be quite hard for you to make a solid commitment because you could be wary of the freedom you'll lose. Now is the time to face the music and really dedicate yourself to the people who mean the most to you.

Taurus April 20 ­ May 20 The love and romance department should be going pretty well for you now, Taurus. This is the time to probe more deeply into your current affair with that person who catches your eye. There's a greater sensitivity to your emotions today, and you could find yourself holding back a bit more than usual. An air of mystery and intrigue will surround you, drawing others toward you like a moth to a candle.

Gemini May 21 ­ June 20 Your incredible passion and creativity are taking center stage, Gemini. It's also quite possible that there's a great restlessness within you egging you on to take things to the next level. Combine your powers of dedication with your flair for the dramatic to accomplish whatever it is your heart desires. You have the power within you to shine especially bright on a day like today.

Cancer June 21 ­ July 22 You may be feeling a bit reserved today, Cancer, especially when it comes to issues involving love and romance.

Follow your instincts and know that your hesitation isn't unfounded. Sometimes it's good to slow down and question the road you're on. Just don't doubt yourself to the point that you become too frustrated that you can't take the next big step forward.

By Pandora Leo July 23 ­ August 22 Reclaim control of things that might be hold­ ing you back now, Leo. You may find that there's an element of restriction to the day that's keeping you from getting where you want to be. Try the best you can to relax and stabilize your emotions. Interaction with people who are older and wiser is likely to shed some important perspective on things today. Heed advice from those who have been through similar situations.

Virgo August 23 ­ September 22 Be selective when it comes to expressing your passion today, Virgo. Remember that less is more. You don't have to use a tremendous number of bells and whistles in order to get your point across. Let your actions be minimal but meaningful. You can say a great deal with few words.

There's more to your glance than meets the eye. The unwary prey has no chance against your hypnotic stare.

Libra September 23 ­ October 22 In general, your spirit is upbeat, freedom lov­ ing, and adventurous, Libra. Today, howev­ er, you might find that it's a bit more intense and possibly somber, especially when it comes to romantic issues. This approach to matters of the heart isn't exactly your normal style, but you're apt to find that it's appropri­ ate for your situation now. Make sure you have the right tools for the job at hand.

Scorpio October 23 ­ November 21 It's important for you not to overanalyze every little detail of your situation now, Scorpio, espe­ cially when it comes to love and romance issues. You could be jumping to ridiculous con­ clusions based purely on circumstantial evi­ dence. Don't lose sleep over things that you don't even know to be true. Release your stranglehold on certain issues and concentrate on simply rebuilding your own self­confidence.

Sagittarius November 22 ­ December 21 When it comes to love and romance, you may find yourself in a bit of a pickle, Sagittarius. There's a request for greater commitment now. You may be unsure about how to respond. You may hesitate to give up the sense of freedom that you hold so dear.

Recognize the importance of a close connec­ tion with one other person. Give yourself the opportunity to experience this kind of intense relationship on a more permanent basis.

Capricorn December 22 ­ January 19 Your romantic, sensitive nature comes alive today, Capricorn, and you may find yourself searching for the security of a close lover. You're apt to be pickier than usual ­ not just anyone will do anymore.

There is a longing within you for the com­ pany of someone who shares your deep intuitive understanding of people, emo­ tions, and life in general. Don't settle for anything less.

Aquarius January 20 ­ February 18 Tension in your romantic life is apt to well up today, Aquarius. More than likely, there are certain responsibilities that you feel you have to attend to that take you away from your intimate experience with anoth­ er. Whether or not you're currently involved in a romantic partnership, the day's energy is likely to stir up issues regarding love and romance. Try to find a healthy balance between work and play.

Pisces February 19 ­ March 20 You could be feeling the pressure of time now, Pisces. At this point in your life you may be more aware than ever of your limit­ ed time left on this planet. Perhaps you're thinking more about love and romance and how much they mean to you. Consider the limitations of each, but don't dwell on them.

The important thing is to embrace today and make the most of the time and love you have now.

33

Friday, July 25, 2014

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 eight years ago having 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 prob­ lems. 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 expe­ rience 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: Malcolm was having Bluetooth connectivity ADVICE: Joe was having problems with his Internet issues.

Service Provider

Q

Q

Hi Richard, I read your column every week. The problems are mostly about win­ Richard, quite a few of us in this area have purchased "Airbox" which provides us dows PCs. I have a new iMac running OS 10 maverick. The Bluetooth finds the key­ with pretty comprehensive TV coverage, however, it does require a minimum of board & magic trackpad supplied, but will not link to my Sandstrom Bluetooth head­ 2mbps. As we have all signed up to provider who "guarantees" 5.7 ­ 6.1, this should phones & struggles to have a constant connection to the LG sound bar I use for the not be a problem? But we all find that the level fluctuates wildly and drops regularly TV (about 4 metres away in line of sight). Both my iPod & iPad have no trouble with either below the 2mbps. The Provider has asked all of us in turn (when we complained) to use a of these. Any suggestions please? Regards, Malcolm speed test site and test the Internet level and send them the results. We strongly suspect that the site they wish us to use (which gives levels in excess of 7mbps) is a site favoured by them to give optimum readings. We are paying for the agreed rate above and we are not happy with them. Is there a speed test site that is considered bona fide? The site they are forcing us to use is www.testvelocidad.eu. We would appreciate some independent advice on this.

Secondly, if we decided to ditch our current provider, is there a reputable internet provider who could give us the level of signal we require, that you could recommend?

Cheers Joe

A

Hi Malcolm, I wonder whether you have any cordless phones in the house. DECT (cordless phones), Bluetooth and WiFi products all use the same wireless range and they may be interfering with your Bluetooth signal. Perhaps try turning off everything but your Bluetooth devices and see if the problem persists?

ADVICE: Judith was having problems with her Skype after having her computer repaired.

I have a Dell laptop which is causing me problems. I had to go to UK for 1 year and whilst there had my laptop "sorted" by someone in my home town!!! On returning here I still had problems so I took it to a pc engineer!!!! ARGHHHH I’ve final­ ly got it back but now I can't use Skype as the other person is unable to hear me, I can hear them!!! All was fine before engineer messed with it. My main problem now is that the place where I took it is always shut and their phone is "user busy" all the time. Is this problem an easy one to fix please?? Fingers crossed you can help me??

Q A

Hi Judith, I wonder whether your problem is a simple one of having the wrong recording device set up in Skype, you can check this by clicking on Tools, Options from within Skype, selecting Audio Settings and trying the different options next to the microphone ­ when you get the right one you will see the volume indicator under­ neath the microphone options light up in green in response to the level of background noise.

I hope this helps, if it doesn’t then please get back to me.

Don’t forget you can follow me on twit­ ter @bluemoonspain Alternately why don’t you sign up for my newsletter. You can do this by going to:­ www.bluemoonsolutions.es and fill in the form that is on any page except the front page.

A

Hi Joe, although I wouldn’t say there is anything wrong with www.testvelocidad.eu I prefer www.speedtest.net, I have just checked my Internet speed and found that both of the sites record around the same speed. If you require a minimum of 2mbps speed then I would recommend getting a 6mbps connection, if you are relying on a 3mbps connection for example you may well drop below the minimum requirement. I would be surprised if any ISP would be able to provide such an accurate “guaranteed” speed as they are usually simply not able to control all of the points between the Internet and you ­ of course they can control their own infrastructure to an extent, but they can’t control the parts outside including your TV boxes connection to wherever its getting its media stream.

It's hard to recommend ISP's as I have heard good and bad things about all of them and they really do depend on the area in which you live, all I can suggest is that you ask neighbours who are using a different connection to give you an idea of how good theirs is.

Personally I use Vega Baja Internet in Almoradi and think they are excellent but I would have no idea what they would be like in your area?

Best of luck and let me know if I can be of any help in the future :­)

office@bluemoonsolutions.es www.bluemoonsolutions.es Mobile: 655 044 970

Office: 902 906 200

34

Friday, July 25, 2014

Hollywood gets cars and bikes show Paul Hollywood is reported­ ly set to present a new BBC series about his other great love ­ cars and motorbikes.

The Great British Bake Off judge is said to be delighted to have landed the new project that sees him branch out from cakes and pies, according to the Sunday People.

Baker Paul, 48, owns cars including an Aston Martin DB9 and a new Aston Martin Vantage, so he is said to be excited about the prospect of working on a programme that indulges his interest.

A source said: "This is just his perfect job.

He loves cars and cooking ­ now he will present shows about both. The BBC have clearly shown how much they are committed to him by doing this."

Paul said recently: "I've been into cars all my life. Aston Martin employs people here ­ they're British, they're Bond ­ so when I got my DB9 it was a very special day.

"I'll be paying for it for the rest of my life but it was something I'd wanted since I had a DB5 poster on my wall."

IF IT'S GOT FOUR WHEELS, BRADLEY'S BREAK IT!

Bradley Breakers situated on the Industrial Estate in Los Montesinos.

Established in Spain for 10 years.

Bradley Breakers spe­ cialises in scrapping vehi­ cles from all countries.

Once the vehicle has been scrapped all documents are issued including the Baja and certificate of destruction which normally takes around 30 working days to com­ plete. They also sell second hand parts from complete engines, gearboxes, starter motors, alternators to head­ lights, wing mirrors etc.

Bradley Breakers are a friendly team that have 3

recovery vehicles constantly on the road. The team speak various languages, Spanish, English, French, Portugese & German.

Bradley Breakers will trav­

el from Murcia through to Denia, Javea to collect any vehicle.

Recovery vehicles are also available to offer break­ down services.

Bradley Breakers also buy and sell second hand cars, give them all call to see what they have available.

Rental cars are available for hire from 10euros a day.

Open Monday to Friday 9.00 to 14.00 then 15.30 to 19.30 Saturdays 9.00 to 14.00.

Closed National holidays and Bank holidays.

Telephone 966 720 880 or 607848332 Whatsapp 619986934

Welsh government bans smoking in cars with child passengers A ban on smoking in cars when children are present is to be introduced by the Welsh government, first minister, Carwyn Jones, has announced. The government in Cardiff said a consultation on what it called a "landmark proposal" will be introduced shortly.

Two years ago, the Labour­ run government launched its Fresh Start Wales campaign to try to persuade people from smoking in private vehicles when children were present.

It is claiming some success with research concluding that the number of people who do not allow smoking in their main car has increased, from 71% in September 2011 to 76% in November 2013.

The research found that the number of children who said that smoking was allowed in the family car when they were in it had halved to around 10%.

But Jones said: "We made clear through­ out that campaign we would consider the possibility of legislation when evidence of prevalence of smoking in cars carrying chil­ dren in Wales is available.

"While I welcome the fact the number of children being exposed to smoking in cars has declined, a sizeable minority of young people are still being exposed and adults

continue to smoke in their cars when chil­ dren are present."

He added: "We will press ahead with plans to ban people smoking in cars carrying chil­ dren."

The government says Wales was the first country in the UK to tackle the issue of smoking in vehicles when children are pres­ ent.

Legislation on banning smoking is a devolved matter and new regulations would apply only to Wales. But the Cardiff adminis­ tration said it was liaising with the Department of Health in England to coordi­ nate the two governments' approaches. In England, MPs voted earlier this year to ban the practice.

Friday, July 25, 2014

35

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Friday, July 25, 2014

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 B and 11 represents L, 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 Friendly (8) 5 Prejudice (4) 9 Pantries (7) 10 Humiliation (5) 11 Squad (4) 12 At ease (7) 15 Terpsichorean (6) 16 Period of 10 years (6) 19 Obstacle (7) 21 Gateau (4) 24 Annoyed (5) 25 Dizziness (7) 26 Pitcher (4) 27 Advance (8)

1 Absence of company (8) 2 Sure (7) 3 Locality (4) 4 Take heed (6) 6 Annoyed (5) 7 Look for (4) 8 Absconder (7) 13 Invigorate (7) 14 Ample (8) 17 Greed (7) 18 Large semi­aquatic rodent (6) 20 Dwelling (5) 22 Hurt (4) 23 Boast (4)

Last weeks Solution

Across: 1 Detests, 5 Focus, 8 Miaou, 9 Operate, 10 Ask, 11 Lamb, 12 Taxi, 14 Bonus, 16 April, 18 Taste, 19 Enter, 21 Edge, 22 Away, 25 Run, 27 Outcome, 28 Guide, 29 Stale, 30 Torment.

Down: 1 Damp, 2 Tiara, 3 Squabble, 4 Spoken, 5 Fled, 6 Cravats, 7 Specimen, 13 Ravenous, 15 Stranger, 17 Regatta, 20 Threat, 23 Agile, 24 Joke, 26 Bent.

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 27 Secure part of a villa Across Tchaikovsky rented (5) 1 Old Harry lived in a mess Down (5) 1 Tamper with entrance 4 She'd be well­known if outside court (6) you took her out of the 2 Composer rearranged farmhouse (6) drive (5) 9 Desert ship and take in a 3 Fifty and I'm past flabby gunner, that's sweet (7) 10 Temporary police force (4) 5 Ambitious new pairings poses a problem (5) 11 Give it the Order of (8) Merit, or leave it out (4) 6 On wild horse on land (7) 12 And not people in East 7 Tiny amounts in glasses, Anglia? (7) say (6) 13 Force it, literally (3) 14 I'd eat without a cuppa. 8 Straight to the point, though it's dull (5) There's a thought! (4) 16 Back on the Spanish 13 Buckingham Palace Christmas (4) ratepayer takes in hack (8) 18 Concert in a gigantic 15 Pointed looks that can arena (3) hurt? (7) 20 Cause of annoyance is 17 A graduate copper's biting insect on wild animal calculator (6) (7) 21 Help needed in a punt 18 Question the fence (5) 19 To do some sewing can (4) 24 Nipper changes each be a pain (6) letterhead (5) 22 Kicks off with encour­ 25 Warning cry to main agement (5) watchman (4,3) 26 Somehow resist a sen­ 23 Rock from Dead Sea scrolls (4) ior nurse (6) Down STANDARD CLUES 1 Medical practitioner (6) Across 1 Lucifer (5) 2 Italian opera composer 4 Well­known (6) (5) 9 Caramelised sugar (7) 3 Not firm (4) 10 Sheriff's group (5) 5 Striving for recognition (8) 11 Leave out (4) 12 County in East Anglia (7) 6 Situated on land (7) 7 Dust particles (6) 13 Set on fire (3) 8 Dull­edged (5) 14 Content of cognition (4) 16 Christmas (4) 13 Cut irregularly (8) 18 Small two­wheeled car­ 15 Stabbing weapons (7) riage (3) 17 Ancient calculating 20 Object of dread (7) device (6) 21 Assist (4) 18 Interrogate intensely (5) 24 Crab pincer (5) 19 Sew together (6) 25 Sentry (4,3) 22 Increase (5) 26 Female sibling (6) 27 Door fastener (5) 23 Move by turning over (4) Last weeks Solution Across: 1 Rabid, 4 Moored, 9 Magneto, 10 Tombs, 11 Nuts, 12 Elating, 13 Awn, 14 Avon, 16 Ergo, 18 Mad, 20 Pinocle, 21 Ha­ha, 24 Erato, 25 Stomach, 26 Steven, 27 Oakum.

Down: 1 Rimini, 2 Bight, 3 Duel, 5 Outdated, 6 Ramming, 7 Dosage, 8 Women, 13 Anecdote, 15 Vintage, 17 Upsets, 18 Messy, 19 Fathom, 22 Alack, 23 Polo.

FILL IT IN

Complete the crossword grid by using the given words:

2 letter words Go Of 3 letter words Are Ark Asp Axe Bra Fro Has Inn 4 letter words Agar Ales Area Baba

Beta Bolt Bore Bred Chef Chew Clap Crab Defy Egos Evil Fire Gale Gasp Late Mega Ogee Oral Pled Rags

Raid Rave Reel Ruse Scat Sell Slow Smog 5 letter words Abate Algae Alias Alike Blast Books Boots Chela Class Croft

Cycle Exalt Fable Forte Lease Melee Miles Moist Motif Orals Piano Piles Repay Sears Shell Sprig Talks Valet

6 letter words Asleep Astute Finely Please Pretty Pronto Smalls Spurge 8 letter words Essayist Moreover 9 letter words Breathier Tarpaulin

SPANISH-ENGLISH CROSSWORD

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

Across 1 Hermana (6) 4 Carta (al correo) (6) 9 Wave (in sea, lake) (3) 10 Lectores (7) 11 Ni (7) 12 Fishing (5) 13 Equal (5) 15 Bride (5) 20 Lágrimas (5) 22 File (document) (7) 24 Corredores (atletas) (7) 25 Hielo (3) 26 Calle (6) 27 Corazones (6)

Down 1 Cucharas (para comer) (6) 2 Patinaje (7) 3 Tierra (5) 5 Example (7) 6 Tuberculosis (5) 7 To scratch (with claw, nail) (6) 8 Goat (5) 14 Absent (not present) (7) 16 To start (7) 17 Desvanes (6) 18 Cuevas (5) 19 Votantes (6) 21 To open (5) 23 Swan (5)

37

Friday, July 25, 2014 Across 1 City in New York State, to the south­east of Lake Ontario (8) 5 Painful and involuntary muscular contractions (6) 9 Stole the show, drew attention to oneself away from someone else (8) 10 In place of, or as an alternative to (2,4) 12 Pair of glasses or opera glasses held in front of a person’s eyes by a long handle at one side (9) 13 Hot fluid or semi­fluid material below or within the earth’s crust from which lava and other igneous rock is formed on cooling (5) 14 Male monarch or emperor, especially of Russia prior to 1917 (4) 16 Short introductory essay preceding the text of a book (7) 19 English rock band formed in April 1967 by Steve Winwood, Jim Capaldi, Chris Wood and

Dave Mason (7) 21 Mythological Greek nymph who was spurned by Narcissus and pined away until only her voice remained (4) 24 Nickname of US sprinter Harry Reynolds and footballer Ray Wilkins (5) 25 Shrubby aromatic North American plant of the daisy family (9) 27 Son of Daedalus, who escaped from Crete using wings made by his father but was killed when he flew too near the sun and the wax attaching his wings melted (6) 28 Third studio album by Madonna, released on June 30, 1986 (4,4) 29 Marksman who shoots at people from a concealed place (6) 30 Castrated animals, especially male horses (8) Down 1 Race between boats in

SUDOKU (Easy)

Quiz Word

which each participant uses a pair of oars (6) 2 String of beads used in counting prayers. especially

by Catholics (6) 3 Word that can precede: gang, letter, mail, saw, stitch and store (5)

4 Opening track on the Rolling Stones’ 1969 album Let It Bleed: Gimme ­­­­­­­ (7) 6 Capital and largest city of Kampuchea (5,4) 7 Large venomous fish with large barbed spines near the base of a thin whip­like tail capable of inflicting severe wounds (8) 8 Highly seasoned minced meat stuffed in cas­ ings (8) 11 1965 film directed by Richard Lester starring the Beatles (4) 15 Place, especially one kept by the intelligence services or care agencies, unknown to one’s pursuers, where one can securely hide (4,5) 17 Australian slang for squat bottles of beer nor­ mally holding 375 cl (8) 18 Highly seasoned smoked beef, typically served in thin slices (8) 20 Country singer­song­

writer, actor and author, widely considered one of the most influential American musicians of the 20th century: Johnny ­­­­ (4) 21 In fencing, a warning to assume a defensive posi­ tion in readiness for an attack (2,5) 22 Migratory sandpiper with a down­curved bill that is the commonest small wader of the northern hemi­ sphere (6) 23 American sitcom tele­ vision series that ran from 1982 to 1993 and featured Ted Danson (Sam Malone), Shelley Long (Diane Chambers), Kelsey Grammer (Frasier Crane) and Woody Harrelson (Woody Boyd) (6) 26 US band formed in Los Angeles in 1969 whose UK hit singles include: Make It With You, Baby I’m A Want You, Everything I Own and The Guitar Man (5)

SALLY’S SIMPLE SPANISH

WORD FAMILIES

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

(Answers below)

boca

frutal

bocadillo

frutería

bocado

frutero

calentura

mar

caliente

marea

calor

marina

caluroso

marinero

fruta

marisco

music QUIZ

ANSEWRS 1. Mike Oldfield 2. Francis Scott­key 3. Addicted To Love 4. R Kelly 5. Love Song Or The Song Of Love 6.

Babylon Zoo / Spaceman 7. Girlschool 8. Joe Walsh 9. Glass Tiger 10. Aaron 11. Paul McCartney, Elton John, Mick Jagger, Phil Collins, David Bowie

Last Week’s Solutions Code Cracker Last weeks Quiz Word Solution Across: 1 Thesis, 5 Zeppelin, 9 Kilogram, 10 Osprey, 11 Fax machine, 12 Efts, 13 Red Cross, 16 Sticky, 17 Spirit, 19 Calamity, 21 Sale, 22 Stalactite, 25 Castro, 26 Satsumas, 27 Bearskin, 28 Supine.

Down: 2 Haifa, 3 Storm, 4 Sirocco, 5 Zombies, 6 Prowess, 7 Euphemism, 8 Identikit, 14 Esplanade, 15 Carpenter, 18 Tussock, 19 Chanson, 20 Lean­tos, 23 Trump, 24 Twain.

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

1.boca, 2.bocadillo, 3.bocado,

15.marinero, 16.marisco.

n.mouth, o.a bite,

4.calentura, 5.caliente, 6.calor, 7.caluroso, 8.fruta, 9.frutal,

a.fruit, b.fruit tree, c.fruit bowl,

10.frutería, 11.frutero, 12.mar,

d.fruit shop, e.heat, f.hot,

13.marea, 14.marina,

g.warm, h.a temperature, i.sea,

Soduko

j.sea food, k.sailor, l.tide, m.port,

Span ­ Eng

Quizword

p.a roll/sándwich.

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

1. Who Has Released An Album In 2008 Called 'The Music Of Spheres'?

2. Who wrote the 'Star Spangled Banner'?

3. Which Robert Palmer Song Featured In The Movie Cocktail?

4. Who Saw Nothing Wrong In A Little 'Bump And Grind' In The 90's?

5. In 1977 Manhattan Tranfer Had A Uk Hit With The Song 'Chanson D'Amour'' But What Does It Mean When Translated Into Engli 6. Which 1996 Single Sold A Then Record 420,000 Copies In Its First Week Of Release?

7. Name the group that linked with Motorhead on the St Valentine's Day Massacre EP? 8. Who replaced 'Bernie Leadon' of 'The Eagles' in 1975?

9. Don't Forget Me When I'm Gone' Was A Hit For Which Canadian Rockers?

10. What Was Elvis Presleys Middle Name?

11. In 1998 'Q' Magazine Compiled A List Of The 100 Richest Rock Stars In Britain Name 3 Of The Top Five?

Fill It In

38

Friday, July 25, 2014

TRELI ON THE TELLY UTOPIA FLOUNDERS

with ALEX TRELINSKI I’m sure you remember your childhood days eagerly awaiting a birthday or Christmas present that you’ve been promised, but when it finally arrived, it sadly didn’t live up to the expectation.

I feel that way over Channel Four’s quirky drama series Utopia, especially after last year’s first run was

so good. When it finished, I couldn’t wait for news of a re­ commission, which promptly came, but what a big let­ down this second run has been, which is probably why Channel Four have hidden it away in their summer evening schedules.

The plot is all about con­ spiracy and a woman who is carrying a virus injected into her by her father nearly 40 years ago, which sterilises people in an attempt to stop a world population explosion.

What made Utopia so good was that it just constantly

surprised you with some like­ able characters, mixed in with baddies and graphic scenes and language, but crucially laced with some really good laughs. An unusual combination but it worked for me. Sadly, series two has just got far too seri­ ous, and Utopia has gone right up it’s own proverbial, with the unique fun element squeezed out. What a shame, but I won’t throw in the towel, in the hope that the old magic will return.

Has somebody at the BBC lost the plot? I’m a

q

massive sports fan, but to completely wipe out BBC1 for the duration of the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow is totally over the top. It’s probably as much about saving money as any­ thing else, but these games are not in the same class as clearing the decks for the Olympics. London 2012, this most certainly isn’t!

q

ITV’s awful summer of non­drama has shown them already running trails for Downton Abbey which returns in September, which is a great way of saying they

have nothing else before then. But for sheer record­ breaking forward plugging, the award must go to Sky, who since early Spring has been trailing a new hospital drama, Critical, which starts in 2015! It sees the writing talent of Jed Mercurio (Line of Duty) hooking up with Lennie James (the bad cop in the first series of Line of Duty), who plays a trauma surgeon. Each episode is a separate story and is done in real­time (where have we seen that before?), and Sky are said to be very excited about it, hence the very early trails!

q

The value of having high­definition TV was fully brought home to me in one of the most extraordi­ nary tearful performances I’ve ever seen, as Craig Charles let rip in last Friday’s Coronation Street.

I’m sure I spotted tears in every wrinkle on his face, and I’ll leave his snotty nose out of it, as his charac­ ter Lloyd found out the truth about his girlfriend Andrea.

I’ve never seen a man cry more since Bambi’s mother got the bullet all those years ago, and I will have to find out more about Craig’s onion supplier, because I do like them nice and strong!

Friday July 25 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Animal SOS 00:40 Commonwealth Games Sportsday 00:55 Holiday Weatherview 01:00 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:00 Commonwealth Games 14:00 BBC News; Weather 14:30 BBC Regional News and Weather 14:45 Commonwealth Games 19:00 BBC News 19:30 BBC London News 20:00 Commonwealth Games 23:00 BBC News 23:25 BBC Regional News and Weather 23:40 Tonight at the Games

12:30 Street Patrol UK 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 Commonwealth Games 14:45 Perfection 15:30 Escape to the Country 16:30 Wanted Down Under 17:15 Flog It! 18:15 Pointless 19:00 Commonwealth Games 20:00 Flog It! Trade Secrets 20:30 RHS Flower Show Tatton Park 2014 21:00 EastEnders 21:30 Gardeners' World 22:00 The Secret History of Our Streets 23:00 Commonwealth Games 23:30 Newsnight

00:20 The Fifteen Billion Pound Railway 01:20 Panorama 01:50 This Is BBC Two 07:00 Homes Under the Hammer 08:00 Call the Council 08:45 The Big Allotment Challenge 09:45 First Time on the Front Line 10:15 Heir Hunters

00:40 01:35 04:00 04:25 05:15 06:05 07:00 09:30 10:25 11:30 13:30 Mel 14:30 14:55 15:00 16:00 16:59 17:00 18:00 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 21:30 22:00 23:00 23:30 23:40

The Chase Jackpot247 Tonight ITV Nightscreen Britain's Best Bakery The Jeremy Kyle Show Good Morning Britain Lorraine The Jeremy Kyle Show This Morning Let's Do Lunch with Gino & ITV News and Weather ITV News Meridian The Speakmans Dickinson's Real Deal ITV Meridian Weather Tipping Point The Chase ITV News Meridian ITV News and Weather Emmerdale Coronation Street The Cruise Ship Coronation Street Doc Martin ITV News at Ten and Weather ITV News Meridian Air America

THE SECRET HISTORY OF OUR STREETS After telling the story of six London locations from Victorian times to the present day, the documen­ tary returns to look at the history of three arche­ typal streets in Scottish cities, at a time when the country stands on the brink of leaving the United Kingdom.

00:05 Child Genius 01:10 One Born Every Minute 02:05 The Auction House 03:00 This Old Thing: The Vintage Clothes Show 03:55 Born in the Wild 04:50 Dispatches 05:20 Food Unwrapped 05:50 River Cottage Bites 06:05 Kirstie's Vintage Gems 06:10 Deal or No Deal 07:00 Countdown 07:45 3rd Rock from the Sun 08:35 The King of Queens 09:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 11:00 Undercover Boss USA 12:00 Come Dine with Me 13:00 Channel 4 News Summary 13:05 Come Dine with Me 14:40 Four in a Bed 15:40 Countdown 16:30 Deal or No Deal 17:30 Ultimate Dealer 18:00 Couples Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 21:00 The Million Pound Drop 22:00 Alan Carr: Chatty Man 23:00 Friday Night Dinner 23:35 Alan Carr: Chatty Man

00:00 Big Brother's Bit on the Side 01:00 SuperCasino 04:10 Holiday Love Rats Exposed 05:00 Wildlife SOS 05:20 HouseBusters 05:45 House Doctor 06:35 Michaela's Wild Challenge 07:00 Bananas in Pyjamas 07:10 Igam Ogam 07:20 Fireman Sam 07:35 The WotWots 07:45 Peppa Pig 07:55 Milkshake! Monkey 08:00 Pip Ahoy!

08:10 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 08:20 The Mr Men Show 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:50 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Little Princess 09:10 Milkshake! Bop Box 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:35 Toby's Travelling Circus 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 Police Interceptors 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Big Brother 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 NCIS 16:15 Deadly Hope 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 5 News Tonight 20:00 The Lost Ship 21:00 On the Yorkshire Buses 22:00 Big Brother 23:35 Big Brother's Bit on the Side

39

Saturday July 26 09:05 The Living Planet 00:40 Commonwealth Games Sportsday 00:55 EastEnders 02:50 Weather for the Week Ahead 02:55 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:00 Commonwealth Games 13:00 BBC News; Weather 13:15 Commonwealth Games 16:00 Commonwealth Games 18:25 BBC News; Regional News and Weather 18:45 Commonwealth Games 20:00 Commonwealth Games 23:10 BBC News; Weather 23:30 The National Lottery Live 23:40 Tonight at the Games

10:00 Fred Dibnah's Industrial Age 10:30 Great British Railway Journeys 11:00 Saturday Kitchen Best Bites 12:30 Food & Drink 13:00 Rick Stein's India 14:00 Talking Pictures 14:45 Now, Voyager 16:40 Flog It! 17:40 Hive Alive 18:40 Formula 1 19:55 Antiques Road Trip 20:55 Dad's Army 21:25 Proms Extra 22:10 The Men Who Made Us Spend 23:10 Commonwealth Games 23:30 Up in the Air

00:05 In the Electric Mist 01:55 Shopgirls: The True Story of Life Behind the Counter

00:00 00:55 02:35 03:00 03:25 04:05 04:50 05:05 06:00 06:15 07:10 08:00 09:00 10:00 10:55 11:50 13:05 13:35 14:40 17:15 19:50 20:05 Year 21:00 22:00

Virtually Famous Good Luck Chuck Derek The Inbetweeners USA Desperate Housewives Revenge Perfect Phil Spencer: Secret Agent Kirstie's Vintage Gems Deal or No Deal The Hoobs Trans World Sport The Morning Line Everybody Loves Raymond Frasier The Big Bang Theory The Simpsons Speed with Guy Martin Channel 4 Racing Come Dine with Me Channel 4 News Amazing Spaces Shed of the Grand Designs Paul

PAUL

26/07 00:00 BBC2 00:00 Weather

01:40 Jackpot247 04:00 The Jeremy Kyle Show USA 04:40 ITV Nightscreen 07:00 Fort Boyard Ultimate Challenge 07:25 Dino Dan 07:50 Canimals 08:05 Sooty 08:20 Digimon Fusion 08:45 Mr Bean: The Animated Series 09:00 Adventure Time 09:25 ITV News 09:30 Weekend 10:25 The Hungry Sailors 11:25 Murder, She Wrote 12:20 ITV News and Weather 12:29 ITV Meridian Weather 12:30 Storage Hoarders 13:30 All Star Mr & Mrs 14:30 Dinner Date 15:30 The Mirror Crack'd 17:30 Twister 19:35 ITV News Meridian 19:45 ITV News and Weather 20:00 You've Been Framed!

20:30 Tipping Point: Lucky Stars 21:30 Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones

Sci­fi comedy starring Simon Pegg and Nick Frost.

On their much anticipated road trip to America's notorious Area 51, two sci­fi geeks find themselves in the company of a real­life extraterrestrial who needs their help.

02:55 This Is BBC Two 07:00 The Saint's Vacation 08:00 The Saint Meets the Tiger

00:30 Stand by Your Man 01:15 SuperCasino 04:10 Ultimate Police Interceptors 05:00 Wildlife SOS 05:20 HouseBusters 05:45 House Doctor 06:35 Michaela's Wild Challenge 07:00 Peppa Pig 07:05 Roary the Racing Car 07:15 Abby's Flying Fairy School 07:25 Bubble Guppies 07:40 The Mr Men Show 07:50 Chloe's Closet 08:05 Roobarb and Custard Too 08:10 Bananas in Pyjamas 08:25 Make Way for Noddy 08:35 Milkshake! Monkey 08:40 City of Friends 08:50 Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures 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 Jelly Jamm 10:30 LazyTown 11:00 Power Rangers Megaforce 12:10 Access 12:15 Big Brother 13:45 NCIS 15:40 Cahill, United States Marshal 17:50 Rio Lobo 20:00 5 News Weekend 20:05 World's 21:00 Baby Face Brides 22:00 Big Brother 23:00 Autopsy: The Last Hours Of

Sunday July 27 Gardens 00:40 National Lottery Update

09:20 Countryfile

00:40 Commonwealth Games

10:05 Gardeners' World

Sportsday

10:35 The Beechgrove Garden

00:55 Weather for the Week Ahead

11:05 Saturday Kitchen Best Bites

01:00 BBC News

12:35 Paul Hollywood's Pies &

07:00 Breakfast

Puds

09:00 The Andrew Marr Show

13:05 Rick Stein's India

09:55 Commonwealth Games

14:05 Cimarron

13:00 Commonwealth Games

16:30 Escape to the Country

14:00 BBC News

17:15 Songs of Praise

14:10 Weather for the Week Ahead

17:50 Commonwealth Games

14:15 Commonwealth Games

19:30 Flog It! Trade Secrets

17:50 BBC News; Regional News

20:00 Antiques Road Trip

and Weather

21:00 Dragons' Den

18:10 Formula 1

22:00 Red Arrows: Inside the

19:30 Commonwealth Games

Bubble

20:10 Commonwealth Games

23:05 Commonwealth Games

23:05 BBC News; Regional News

23:30 QI XL

and Weather 23:30 Tonight at the Games

00:10 ITV News and Weather 00:29 ITV Meridian Weather 00:30 Goodwood Festival of Speed 01:30 Jackpot247 04:00 The Jeremy Kyle Show USA 04:40 ITV Nightscreen 07:00 Fort Boyard Ultimate Challenge 07:25 Dino Dan 07:50 Canimals 08:05 Sooty 08:20 Digimon Fusion 08:45 Mr Bean: The Animated Series 09:00 Deadtime Stories 09:25 ITV News 09:30 Weekend 10:25 May the Best House Win 11:25 Murder, She Wrote 12:20 ITV News and Weather 12:34 ITV Meridian Weather 12:35 River Monsters 13:05 Love Your Garden 14:05 Long Lost Family 15:05 Columbo: Lady in Waiting 16:50 Midsomer Murders 18:50 Tipping Point 19:45 ITV News Meridian 20:00 ITV News and Weather 20:15 Catchphrase 21:00 Foyle's War 23:00 ITV News and Weather 23:14 ITV Meridian Weather 23:15 Ocean's Twelve

RED ARROWS: INSIDE THE BUBBLE

27/07 01:15 BBC2 01:15 Klute 03:05 This Is BBC Two 07:15 The Gay Falcon 08:20 Monty Don's French

This documentary offers an insight into the day­to­ day work and lives of the 120­strong team of pilots and ground crew as they prepare to mark the unit's 50th display season, with celebrations reflecting how the Red Arrows remain the public face of the RAF, helping with recruitment and acting as ambas­ sadors for the United Kingdom.

00:00 Big Brother's Bit on the Psych 01:00 SuperCasino 04:10 The Dog Rescuers 05:00 Great Scientists 05:25 Make It Big 05:50 The Funky Valley Show 06:00 Angels of Jarm 06:10 Roary the Racing Car 06:20 Angels of Jarm 06:25 The Funky Valley Show 06:40 Roary the Racing Car 07:00 Peppa Pig 09:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 07:05 Roary the Racing Car 10:00 Frasier 07:15 Abby's Flying Fairy School 07:25 Bubble Guppies 10:30 Sunday Brunch 07:40 The Mr Men Show 13:30 George Clarke's Amazing 07:50 Chloe's Closet Spaces 08:05 Roobarb and Custard Too 08:10 Bananas in Pyjamas 14:30 The Big Bang Theory 08:25 Make Way for Noddy 15:25 The Simpsons 08:35 Milkshake! Monkey 08:40 City of Friends 16:30 Step Up 08:50 Bert and Ernie's Great 18:35 Deal or No Deal Adventures 19:30 Channel 4 News 08:55 Little Princess 20:00 Tom's Fantastic Floating Home 09:10 The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill and His Best Friend Corky 21:00 The Mill 09:25 Angelina Ballerina 09:35 Mio Mao 22:00 Child Genius 09:45 Rupert Bear 23:00 The Negotiator 10:00 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 10:15 Jelly Jamm 10:30 LazyTown 11:00 Access 11:05 My Child Is a Monkey 12:05 Big Brother 13:05 Police Interceptors 14:05 Big Momma's House 15:55 The Kid 17:55 Happy Feet 19:55 5 News Weekend 20:00 Cricket 2014 21:00 Extraordinary People 22:00 Big Brother 23:00 Rambo

00:05 01:05 03:20 04:15 06:20 06:50 07:15 08:05 08:35

Alan Carr: Chatty Man Dreamgirls Utopia Hollyoaks How to Cook Like Heston River Cottage The Hoobs VW Racing Cup How I Met Your Mother

40

Monday July 28 Poorer?

00:40 Commonwealth Games Sportsday 00:55 Weather for the Week Ahead 01:00 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:00 Commonwealth Games 13:00 Commonwealth Games 14:00 BBC News; Weather 14:30 BBC Regional News and Weather 14:45 Commonwealth Games 16:00 Commonwealth Games 19:00 BBC News 19:30 BBC London News 20:00 Commonwealth Games 23:00 BBC News 23:25 BBC Regional News and Weather 23:40 Tonight at the Games

09:30 Watchdog Test House

10:45 11:45 12:30 13:00 14:00 14:45 15:30 16:30 17:15 18:15 19:00 20:00 20:30 21:00 21:30 22:00 23:00 23:30

28/07 00:15 BBC2 00:15 Casanova 02:00 Countryfile 02:55 Holby City 03:55 This Is BBC Two 06:45 Homes Under the Hammer 07:45 Call the Council

01:30 The Store 03:35 Motorsport UK 04:25 British Superbike Homes Under the Hammer Championship Highlights Don't Get Done, Get Dom 05:15 Britain's Best Bakery 06:05 The Jeremy Kyle Show Saints and Scroungers 07:00 Good Morning Britain Bargain Hunt 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show Commonwealth Games 11:30 This Morning Perfection 13:30 Let's Do Lunch with Gino & Escape to the Country Mel 14:30 ITV News and Weather Wanted Down Under 14:55 ITV News Meridian Flog It! 15:00 The Speakmans 16:00 Secret Dealers Pointless 16:59 ITV Meridian Weather Commonwealth Games 17:00 Tipping Point Pembrokeshire: Coastal Lives 18:00 The Chase 19:30 ITV News and Weather University Challenge 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Coronation Street EastEnders 21:00 Countrywise Food & Drink 21:30 Coronation Street 22:00 Long Lost Family Children of Syria 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather Commonwealth Games 23:30 ITV News Meridian 23:40 You Saw Them Here First Newsnight

10:00 Heir Hunters

01:40 The Insider 04:15 The Million Pound Drop 05:10 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 06:05 Deal or No Deal 07:00 Countdown 07:45 3rd Rock from the Sun 08:35 The King of Queens 09:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 11:00 The Big Bang Theory 12:00 Come Dine with Me 13:00 Channel 4 News Summary 13:05 Come Dine with Me 14:40 Jamie's Money Saving Meals 15:10 French Collection 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Couples Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 21:00 Dispatches 21:30 Food Unwrapped 22:00 Royal Marines Commando School 23:00 Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA

CHILDREN OF SYRIA In this documentary, the BBC's chief international correspondent Lyse Doucet follows the lives of six young Syrians over the course of six months, with the three boys and three girls aged between 8 and 14 sharing their stories, giving an insight into the impact of the war on them and helping explain how the conflict will affect their country's future.

08:30 Scotland: For Richer or

00:40 Universal Soldier ­ the Return 02:15 SuperCasino 04:10 Emergency Bikers 05:00 Great Scientists 05:25 Make It Big 05:50 The Funky Valley Show 06:00 Angels of Jarm 06:05 Roary the Racing Car 06:20 Angels of Jarm 06:25 The Funky Valley Show 06:40 Roary the Racing Car 07:00 Bananas in Pyjamas 07:10 Igam Ogam 07:20 Fireman Sam 07:35 The WotWots 07:45 Peppa Pig 07:55 Milkshake! Bop Box 08:00 Pip Ahoy!

08:10 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 08:20 The Mr Men Show 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:50 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Little Princess 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:30 Milkshake! Show Songs 09:35 Toby's Travelling Circus 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 Can't Pay? We'll Take It Away!

13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Big Brother 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 NCIS 16:15 On Hostile Ground 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 5 News Tonight 20:00 Cricket 2014 21:00 Police Interceptors 22:00 Blinging Up Baby 23:00 Big Brother

Tuesday July 29 08:30 The Food Inspectors 09:30 Animal SOS 00:40 Commonwealth Games Sportsday 00:55 Weather for the Week Ahead 01:00 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:00 Commonwealth Games 13:00 Commonwealth Games 14:00 BBC News; Weather 14:30 BBC Regional News and Weather 14:45 Commonwealth Games 16:00 Commonwealth Games 19:00 BBC News 19:30 Weather 19:30 BBC London News 20:00 Commonwealth Games 23:00 BBC News 23:25 BBC Regional News and Weather 23:40 Tonight at the Games

29/07 00:20 BBC2 00:20 Dragons' Den 01:20 The Men Who Made Us Spend 02:20 Wildfires 2014: Inside the Inferno 03:20 This Is BBC Two 06:45 Homes Under the Hammer 07:45 Call the Council

10:00 Heir Hunters 10:45 Homes Under the Hammer 11:45 Don't Get Done, Get Dom 12:30 Saints and Scroungers 13:00 Bargain Hunt 14:00 Commonwealth Games 14:45 Perfection 15:30 Escape to the Country 16:30 Wanted Down Under 17:15 Flog It! 18:15 Pointless 19:00 Commonwealth Games 20:00 Coast 21:00 EastEnders 21:30 Holby City 22:30 The Sarah Millican Television Programme 23:00 Commonwealth Games 23:30 Newsnight

00:40 You Cannot Be Serious!

01:05 Jackpot247 04:00 The Jeremy Kyle Show USA 04:40 ITV Nightscreen 05:15 Britain's Best Bakery 06:05 The Jeremy Kyle Show 07:00 Good Morning Britain 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Let's Do Lunch with Gino & Mel 14:30 ITV News and Weather 14:55 ITV News Meridian 15:00 The Speakmans 16:00 Secret Dealers 16:59 ITV Meridian Weather 17:00 Tipping Point 18:00 The Chase 19:00 ITV News Meridian 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 21:00 Love Your Garden 22:00 56 Up 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 ITV News Meridian 23:40 Diamond Geezers and Gold Dealers

THE DOG RESCUERS Chief Inspector Cathy Hyde works with the police to break up a suspected puppy­trafficking ring in Lancashire and is dismayed to discover that some of the dogs are suffering from a deadly virus. In Birmingham, Herchy Boal tries to persuade Jason to give up his beloved huskies after complaints from his neighbours, while Clare Dew heads for north London after receiving a call about a Maltese­terrier cross on the roof of a takeaway shop on a busy main road.

00:05 Embarrassing Bodies 01:05 The Shooting Gallery 01:30 The Secret Life of Students 02:25 Scandal 03:10 Revenge 03:55 Secret Eaters 04:50 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 05:45 Kirstie's Handmade Treasures 06:05 Deal or No Deal 07:00 Countdown 07:45 3rd Rock from the Sun 08:35 The King of Queens 09:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 11:00 The Big Bang Theory 11:55 Come Dine with Me 12:55 Channel 4 News Summary 13:00 Come Dine with Me 14:30 Channel 4 Racing 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Couples Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 21:00 Kirstie's Fill Your House for Free 22:00 Undercover Boss 23:00 Utopia

00:05 Big Brother's Bit on the Side 01:05 World's 02:00 SuperCasino 04:10 Under the Dome 05:00 Wildlife SOS 05:20 HouseBusters 05:45 House Doctor 06:35 Michaela's Wild Challenge 07:00 Bananas in Pyjamas 07:10 Igam Ogam 07:20 Fireman Sam 07:35 The WotWots 07:45 Peppa Pig 07:55 Milkshake! Monkey 08:00 Pip Ahoy!

08:10 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 08:20 The Mr Men Show 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:50 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Little Princess 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:30 Milkshake! Bop Box 09:35 Toby's Travelling Circus 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 Emergency Bikers 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Big Brother 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 NCIS 16:15 Look Again 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 5 News Tonight 20:00 Cricket 2014 21:00 The Dog Rescuers 22:00 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 23:00 Big Brother

41

Wednesday July 30 07:45 Call the Council 08:30 Antiques Roadshow 00:40 Commonwealth Games Sportsday 00:55 Weather for the Week Ahead 01:00 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:00 Commonwealth Games 13:00 Commonwealth Games 14:00 BBC News; Weather 14:30 BBC Regional News and Weather 14:45 Commonwealth Games 16:00 Commonwealth Games 19:00 BBC News 19:30 Weather 19:30 BBC London News 20:00 Commonwealth Games 23:00 BBC News 23:25 National Lottery Update 23:25 BBC Regional News and

09:30 Animal SOS 10:00 Heir Hunters 10:45 Homes Under the Hammer 11:45 Don't Get Done, Get Dom 12:30 Saints and Scroungers 13:00 Bargain Hunt 14:00 Commonwealth Games 14:45 Perfection 15:30 Escape to the Country 16:30 Wanted Down Under 17:15 Flog It! 18:15 Pointless 19:00 Commonwealth Games 20:00 Britain's Flying Past 21:00 The Stuarts 22:00 The Fifteen Billion Pound Railway 23:00 Commonwealth Games 23:30 Newsnight

Weather

00:20 Children of Syria 01:20 The Super League Show 02:05 A Cabbie Abroad 03:05 This Is BBC Two 06:45 Homes Under the Hammer

00:05 Royal Marines Commando School 01:10 Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares USA 02:05 KOTV Boxing Weekly 02:35 Trans World Sport 03:30 VW Racing Cup 03:55 The £60,000 Puppy: Cloning Man's Best Friend 04:50 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 05:45 Kirstie's Handmade Treasures 05:55 Deal or No Deal 07:45 3rd Rock from the Sun 08:35 The King of Queens 09:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 11:00 The Big Bang Theory 11:55 Come Dine with Me 12:55 Channel 4 News Summary 13:00 Come Dine with Me 14:30 Channel 4 Racing 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Couples Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 21:00 This Old Thing: The Vintage Clothes Show 22:00 One Born Every Minute 23:00 The Mimic 23:30 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown

EMERGENCY BIKERS

23:40 Tonight at the Games

30/07 00:20 BBC2

00:40 Tales from Northumberland with Robson Green 01:05 Jackpot247 04:00 The Jeremy Kyle Show USA 04:40 ITV Nightscreen 05:15 Britain's Best Bakery 06:05 The Jeremy Kyle Show 07:00 Good Morning Britain 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Let's Do Lunch with Gino & Mel 14:30 ITV News and Weather 14:55 ITV News Meridian 15:00 The Speakmans 16:00 Secret Dealers 16:59 ITV Meridian Weather 17:00 Tipping Point 18:00 The Chase 19:00 ITV News Meridian 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Coronation Street 21:00 All Star Mr & Mrs 22:00 Inside Death Row with Trevor McDonald 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 ITV News Meridian 23:40 On Assignment

In Bristol, biker paramedic Rich Coad is called out to a man who has had a life­threatening aller­ gic reaction to eating spinach, while Rob Griffiths races to the scene when two bank­holiday bikers in Cornwall are involved in a horrific crash. In Essex, police officer Ray Jeffery suspects that a van he has stopped could well have been involved in something serious, and his colleague Tracey is taking no nonsense on one of the coun­ ty's most dangerous roads.

00:05 Big Brother's Bit on the Side 01:05 Baby Face Brides 02:00 SuperCasino 04:10 Wentworth Prison 05:00 Wildlife SOS 05:20 HouseBusters 05:45 House Doctor 06:35 Michaela's Wild Challenge 07:00 Bananas in Pyjamas 07:10 Igam Ogam 07:20 Fireman Sam 07:35 The WotWots 07:45 Peppa Pig 07:55 Milkshake! Monkey 08:00 Pip Ahoy!

08:10 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 08:20 The Mr Men Show 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:50 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Little Princess 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:35 Toby's Travelling Circus 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 Black Market Britain: Undercover Sting 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Big Brother 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 NCIS 16:15 Polar Storm 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 5 News Tonight 20:00 Cricket 2014 21:00 Emergency Bikers 22:00 Criminals: Caught on Camera 23:00 Big Brother

Thursday July 31 08:30 Escape to the Continent 09:30 Gardeners' World 00:40 Commonwealth Games Sportsday 00:55 Weather for the Week Ahead 01:00 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:00 Commonwealth Games 13:00 Commonwealth Games 14:00 BBC News; Weather 14:30 BBC Regional News and Weather 14:45 Commonwealth Games 16:00 Commonwealth Games 19:00 BBC News 19:30 Weather 19:30 BBC London News 20:00 Commonwealth Games 23:00 BBC News 23:25 BBC Regional News and Weather 23:40 Tonight at the Games

10:00 Heir Hunters 10:45 Homes Under the Hammer 11:45 Don't Get Done, Get Dom 12:30 Saints and Scroungers 13:00 Bargain Hunt 14:00 Commonwealth Games 14:45 Perfection 15:30 Escape to the Country 16:30 Wanted Down Under 17:15 Flog It! 18:15 Pointless 19:00 Commonwealth Games 20:00 Pembrokeshire: Coastal Lives 20:30 EastEnders 21:00 Natural World 22:00 The Honourable Woman 23:00 Commonwealth Games 23:30 Newsnight

00:10 Weight Loss Ward 01:10 Jackpot247 04:00 The Jeremy Kyle Show USA 04:40 ITV Nightscreen 05:15 Britain's Best Bakery 06:05 The Jeremy Kyle Show 07:00 Good Morning Britain 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Let's Do Lunch with Gino & Mel 14:30 ITV News and Weather 14:55 ITV News Meridian 15:00 The Speakmans 16:00 Secret Dealers 16:59 ITV Meridian Weather 17:00 Tipping Point 18:00 The Chase 19:00 ITV News Meridian 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Tonight 21:00 Emmerdale 21:30 Harbour Lives 22:00 It'll Be Alright on the Night 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 ITV News Meridian 23:40 Benidorm

KIDS AND GUNS 31/07 00:20 BBC2 00:20 The Secret History of Our Streets 01:20 Burning Desire: The Seduction of Smoking 02:20 This Is BBC Two 06:45 Homes Under the Hammer 07:45 Call the Council

The right to bear arms is one of the most controversial issues at the heart of US culture. Some parents are against the sale of toy guns, while others buy children the real thing ­ despite more than 3,000 youngsters being killed or injured every year in accidental shoot­ ings. This documentary follows three families tackling the difficult issues behind the American relationship with firearms, and reveals some of the stories behind the horrifying statistics.

00:35 01:05 Mac 02:05 03:00 04:40 05:25 06:20 06:50 07:45 08:35 09:00 10:00 11:00 11:55 12:55 13:00 14:30 17:00 18:00 19:00 19:30 20:00 21:00 Year 22:00 23:00

The IT Crowd Superstar DJs: With Annie Heston's Great British Food Victim Revenge Phil Spencer: Secret Agent How to Cook Like Heston Deal or No Deal 3rd Rock from the Sun The King of Queens Everybody Loves Raymond Frasier The Big Bang Theory Come Dine with Me Channel 4 News Summary Come Dine with Me Channel 4 Racing Deal or No Deal Couples Come Dine with Me The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News Amazing Spaces Shed of the Embarrassing Bodies Kids and Guns

00:00 Big Brother's Bit on the Side 01:00 SuperCasino 04:10 Autopsy: The Last Hours Of 05:00 Wildlife SOS 05:20 HouseBusters 05:45 House Doctor 06:35 Michaela's Wild Challenge 07:00 Bananas in Pyjamas 07:10 Igam Ogam 07:20 Fireman Sam 07:35 The WotWots 07:45 Peppa Pig 07:55 Milkshake! Monkey 08:00 Pip Ahoy!

08:10 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 08:20 The Mr Men Show 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:50 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Little Princess 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:35 Toby's Travelling Circus 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 On the Yorkshire Buses 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Big Brother 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 NCIS 16:15 Black Widow 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 5 News Tonight 20:00 Cricket 2014 21:00 Born to Kill?

22:00 Autopsy: The Last Hours Of 23:00 Big Brother

42

Friday, July 25, 2014

AUCTIONS

ACCOUNTANTS Pro Business Support – for all your accountancy needs in English; bookkeep­ ing, taxes, wage slips and more. We cater for compa­ nies and self­employed peo­ ple; we can deal with every­ thing for you. Call us on 966 923 963 for first consultation free of charge.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

fully fitted modern kitchen, disabled facilities and a fresh recently painted interi­ or. directbusinessbrokers .com Tel 966 44 33 81 Ref. DB6435L 97,000€ Large successfully run leasehold Beauty Salon near Quesada. Spacious salon with 7 rooms and rental income from separate hair salon. All fitness machines, treatment beds and tables included in the sale. directbusinessbro­ kers.com Tel 966 44 33 81 Ref. DB6457L 42,000€ Excellent opportunity to pur­ chase a well established and thriving leasehold Bar/Cafeteria in a central location in Torrevieja.

Beautiful established garden and south west facing ter­ race with BBQ and all year

round trade. directbusiness­ brokers.com Tel 966 44 33 81 Ref. DB6456L 20,000€ Lively, popular leasehold Bar & Restaurant in a lovely position on La Manga over­ looking the port. Fully fitted kitchen and extensive sunny terraces. Freehold also available for purchase and flat above the premises. directbusinessbrokers.com Tel 966 44 33 81 Ref. DB6455L 150,000€ Profitable leasehold Café Bar, competitively priced for quick sale. Air conditioned interior with stylish decor and large terraces. Multiple income streams: food, drink, internet facilities, games and ice cream. Offering great potential for further growth. directbusinessbrokers.com Tel 966 44 33 81 Ref. DB6446L 74,950€ Beautifully presented lease­ hold Garden Furniture Business, recently reduced in price. A successful and easy to run business with established website, signifi­ cant internet sales, cus­

tomer database and excel­ lent reputation locally. direct­ businessbrokers.com Tel 966 44 33 81 BUSINESS OPPORTUNI­ TY, two clothing shops for sale either as a pair or sep­ arate, both trading, sold fully equipped and stocked, a great opportunity for some­ one wanting their own busi­ ness, for more comprehen­ sive information contact Glen on 606926437 (164)

CHURCH SERVICES Torrevieja Christian Fellowship at Avenida de las Cortes Valencianas 68, Torrevieja 03183, welcome

AUTO ENGINEERING

BLINDS BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES Ref. DB6460L 85,000€ Restaurant in enviable loca­ tion with no local competi­ tion and regular clientele.

This profitable, established leasehold restaurant has a

CATERING

BARBER

ALARMS

residents and visitors alike, to their friendly and lively 10.30 am. Service each Sunday morning.

During the month of August they will not be holding the Wednesday night meeting at 6.00 pm. For further infor­ mation and/or directions please telephone 966700391 or visit our web­ site on www.tcf­spain.org."

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

Evangelical non­denomina­

CARPENTER

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 Prayer and Praise and Worship. Home groups meet during the week. All welcome from any church background or none. For further information contact PilarChristian.CommunityC hurch@gmail.com 968575417 or 966848806.

Reg No:2009­SG/A The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) meet at 10.00 each Sunday at their Torrevieja meetinghouse in

CLEANERS

43

Friday, July 25, 2014 the Torreaguas building on the corner of Rambla Juan Mateo Garcia 104, close to the windmill in Torrevieja, 667 533 597.

The rainbow centre for spiri­ tual awareness We meet in the function room at sacos bar el leiminar just of the CV 905 Rojales to torrievieja road We have a divine serv­ ice on Sundays at 11am and on Wednesdays we hold an evening of clairvoyance at 7.30 pm Also on Wednesdays there is an open circle at 5.30 for those who are interested in clair­ voyance Healing is always

GARDENER

available by certified healers after each meeting A warm welcome to friends old and new The mediums for the month of July 2014 are Wednesdays 2nd Debbie Blevins 9th Belinda & Jill 16th Trish and Shirley 23rd Sammy Fitzsimons 30th Paul & jennet. Closed until august 31st then Belinda & Sandra. Sundays 6th Paul & jennet 13th Belinda Bradley 20th ray bailey 27th Trish.

For further information call Trish on 966 844 795 or Email the rainbowcentre­ costablana@gmail.com

CARAVANS FOR SALE 2006 Fendt, twin bed, 4 birth caravan 560, good condi­ tion, 5000€ / 2006 6 birth, Pennine sterling folding camper, good condition 4000€ Call 642 301 448 (177)

CARS FOR SALE Car insurance quotes – new extra discount on fully

CAR BREAKERS

comprehensive policies at the price of third party!

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

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.

GUITAR LESSONS Guitar lessons for beginners

and improvers. Provide an insight into most styles.

From 10€ per hour. Call Peter on 966789612 or 629975378. Torrvieja

LONG TERM RENTALS 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 Santiago de la Ribera 2 bed­ room townhouse close to beach and shops with com­ munal pool €350 monthly short or long term lease Call 0044 7890996330 ­ 968570645 (162)

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: 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

PROPERTY FOR RENT WANTED! Properties, all types, in the Torrevieja area wanted for long term rentals.

Call us on 96 692 3963

PROPERTY FOR SALE 2 or 3 bed / 2 bath apart­ ments in San Miguel. Lift, communal rooftop pool & solarium, video entry sys­ tem. Available for short or long term rent from 350 pcm. Tel 966723437 or 616 493 487. (184)

UPHOLSTERY CLEANING

DRAINAGE PETS

44

Friday, July 25, 2014

BPP­1808 230,000€ ­ 3 BEDROOM DETACHED HOUSE FOR SALE in LOS MONTISINOS, ALICANTE, SPAIN TEL: 966443381 BPP1804 3 bedroom detached villa a spacious family Villa Torrevieja For Sale fully furnished 240,000€ Tel: 966 44 33 81 BPP2896 Old style spanish 4 bedroom detached Monte Zenia property reasonably priced 175,000€ Tel: 966 44 33 81 BPP2897 3 BEDROOM SEMI­DETACHED HOUSE FOR SALE Aguas Nuevas 193,000€ Tel: 966 44 33 81 BPP2898 2 BEDROOM BUNGALOW FOR SALE Aguas Nuevas 125,000€ Tel: 966 44 33 81 BPP2901 2 Bedroom apart­ ment Aguas Nuevas 73,000€ Tel: 966 44 33 81 BPP2906 Large 3 BED­ ROOM BUNGALOW FOR SALE Aguas Nuevas 135,000€ Tel: 966 44 33 81 BPP 2907 Exceptional value 2 BEDROOM APARTMENT FOR SALE €49,950 Tel: 966 44 33 81 BPP2908 Excellent location 3 BEDROOM DETACHED HOUSE FOR SALE Villamartin €269,000 Tel: 966 44 33 81 BPP2903 Huge Executive 3 BEDROOM APARTMENT FOR SALE Los Montesinos €165,000 Tel: 966 44 33 81 BPP2899 2 BEDROOM BUNGALOW FOR SALE Torrevieja 59,000€ Tel: 966 44 33 81

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 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 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 Recently reduced 4 Bed, 3 Bath Villa, in Gran Alacant.

Quiet Location, Exceptional Views. Converted Under build, 2 Lounges, 2 Kitchens, Private Garage and being sold Fully Furnished, now only 239.950 Ref: L81 Tel. 680333242 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),

PLUMBERS

POOL TABLES

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 Furnished, All mod cons.

Greenland Views and all local amenities close by.

Ref. No L79. 179.000 euros 680 333 242 2 Bedroom, 2 Bathroom, Unfurnished Mid Terraced Townhouse in GA. Recently decorated throughout means this property is a very clean black canvass.

Has Air­Con & Security Grills and the use of a Communal Pool. Price recently reduced to 110.000e Ref.K12 Tel. 627711155 Reduced for a quick sale to 95.000 e 2 Bedroom, 1 bath­ room, Top Floor Duplex in Gran Alacant. Very Modern Property with Many extras.

Glazed in Porch, Roof Top Solarium, Wooden Flooring.

Immaculate condition and

REMOVALS

ready to move in. Ref. K15 Tel. 627711155.

Gran Alacant, Situated in 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 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 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 Lovely clean detached Villa just as you enter Gran Alacant. Very central loca­ tion, 3 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms, Glazed in Porch, Garden Shed, Private Parking, Attractive Gardens, Private pool Ref: K59 240.000e Tel. 627711155 Offers Invited on a mid Terraced Town house in Gran Alacant. Comprising of 3 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, Lounge Diner, Galleria, Solarium, Under build.

Communal Pool and Gardens, and with Exceptional Views of Alicante. Being Sold Fully Furnished including White Goods. Ref. K42 Tel. 627711155 (reasonable offers only) 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 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

WANTED

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

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

Tel:­ 664 838 581

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 Situations Vacant. Top Chef Required for The Med Bistro Bar, Guardamar. Excellent package and incentives. Tel. 0044 7917 1658 65 or email: andysteve@aol.com (168)

SITUATIONS WANTED Gardening, property mainte­ nance, translations, cheap rates call David 722521654.

SOLICITORS Need English speaking solicitors in Torrevieja?

Let us help to solve your problems with debt recov­ ery, 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

POOLS

SURVEYOR

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)

VAN HIRE

Friday, July 25, 2014

Greenside Gossip

45

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

A DOUBLE DOSE OF TROUBLE Many things seem to come in threes but during the second quarter of 2014 many of the more unusual and interesting rulings on the main professional Tours seem to have involved things that have come in twos! Most pro­ fessionals put their own personal identification mark on their golf ball so the Wrong Ball Rule (Rule 15­3) is one which is seldom needed on Tour. It was extremely unusual therefore when Hunter Mahan and Jamie Donaldson both played wrong balls by hitting each other’s ball during the second round of the recent US Open at Pinehurst.

Hunter Mahan’s caddie, believed his player’s ball had kicked right and Donaldson’s had bounced fur­ ther left so he walked straight to the ball in the centre of the fairway, calculated the yardage for that ball and both players played a second shot to the green. It was only when they got to the green that the mistake came to light and they realised that it had in fact been Donaldson’s ball that was in the centre of the fairway.

Both players were playing Titleist balls with a similar personal marking which probably explains why neither player noticed they were hitting the wrong ball. Irrespective of who was at fault or what the reason was, the responsibility for playing the correct ball rests with the player and so both players were penalised two strokes and were required to correct their mistake before tee­ ing off at the next hole. Both players returned to where their own ball had come to rest on the fairway and as the exact spot where the balls initially lay were impossible to determine, they each dropped their ball as near as possible to the place where it previ­ ously lay. It is worth noting that Rule 15­3 also stipulates that the strokes played with the ‘wrong balls’ are not counted in the score for the hole, however, if either player had failed to correct the mistake before teeing off at the next hole then he would have been disqualified.

KUCHAR’S DOUBLE HOLE

Matt Kuchar was involved in another unusu­ al ruling during the US Open, as his first putt on the sixth hole stopped two feet short of the hole, however as he approached his ball to tap it in to the hole, the ball moved for­ ward slightly. Kuchar had not addressed the ball, i.e. he had not grounded his putter immediately behind or in front of the ball, so there was no penalty under Rule 18­2b However the question remained, had he caused his ball to move? Under the Rules of Golf, if a player causes his ball to move, then

he is penalised one stroke and he must replace the ball. If, however, he had not caused the ball to move then there would be no penalty and he must play the ball from where it now lies (Rule 18­2a).

Although Kuchar did not believe that he had caused the ball to move, both he and the ref­ eree wanted the opportunity to ensure that this was the case by discussing the situation further and reviewing any television evi­ dence at the end of the round. The walking referee therefore permitted Kuchar to play out the hole with two balls; one from where it had come to rest after it had moved, and one from where the ball would have to be replaced, should it be judged that Kuchar had caused it to move. Rule 3­3 clarifies that, in stroke play, where there is doubt as to the correct procedure during the play of a hole, the player may, without any additional penalty, complete the hole with two balls.

This Rule also requires the player to clarify which ball he wishes to count should the Rules permit and so Kuchar also clarified to the referee that he wished his score with the original ball to count. Kuchar discussed the situation with the USGA officials prior to returning his card at the end of his round and it was determined that he had not caused the ball to move, meaning that there was no penalty and the score with his origi­ nal ball counted.

LARRAZABAL HAS A PAIR OF CLOSE CALLS!

Pablo Larrazabal has been keeping the Rules Officials on the European Tour busy in the last few months with a couple of unusual incidents. The first of these found Larrazabal jumping almost fully clothed in to a lake in the middle of his second round at the Malaysian Open in April after he was stung by around 30 hornets. As was permit­ ted by the Rules, the Committee gave Larrazabal some time to be treated by a doctor for his stings and remarkably he went on to birdie the hole.

Decision 6­8a/3 states that

where a player has a phys­ ical problem the Committee may permit the player to discontinue play for a short time to recuper­ ate from such a problem, however allowing the play­ er more than 10 to 15 min­ utes to recover is inadvis­ able.

The second incident occurred during the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth in May when Larrazabal’s third shot to the 18th green made for uncomfortable viewing for one spectator when some­ how his ball came to rest between the legs of a gen­ tleman who was standing at the side of the green. Talk about being in the right place at the wrong time! According to Rule 19­1a, if a ball comes to rest in or on a moving or ani­ mate outside agency in an area of the course that is ‘through the green’, the player must drop his ball as near as possible to the spot directly under the place where the ball came to rest in or on the outside the outside

agency, but not nearer the hole.

The spectator stood firm, calm and unhurt until the player reached him, making it easy for Larrazabal and the referee to determine exactly where the ball came to rest. Amid much hilarity, he then dropped his ball direct­ ly under the point where it had come to rest without penalty and continued with his round.

HONEST MATT CALLS IT

Every so often, only the player himself will know he has breached a Rule and so the game of golf relies on the integrity of the player to abide by the Rules. Matt Fitzpatrick recently showed his honesty and integrity by calling penalties on himself. During the US Open, Fitzpatrick called a penalty on himself after he caused his ball to move after he had addressed the ball before chipping on to the eighth green. He had grounded his club immediately behind the ball and made con­ tact with it, causing it to move a fraction off its spot. Fitzpatrick called in a referee for a ruling and was advised that he had incurred a penalty of one stroke (for a breach of Rule 18­2a) and was required to replace the ball.

Fitzpatrick went on to make the cut and fin­ ish as top Amateur for the Championship before promptly turning professional.

RORY’S PRIORITIES SORTED

Rory McIlroy held his nerve to win the Open at Hoylake last Sunday despite an excellent set of scores from the chas­ ing pack. In the end, his late eagles in his third round made the crucial difference, and allowed the Ulsterman to lift his first Claret jug. He became the third player after Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods to win

three majors by the age of 25 and the first European to win three major titles. It was quite a turn round after his form went down the bunker last year as he

lost all focus during his much­publicised romance with tennis star Caroline Wozniacki, who ironically won the Istanbul Cup on the same day.

KNOW YOUR RULES

QUESTION Geoff and Malcolm are partners in a four­ball Stableford competition. During the play of the 13th hole, Geoff and Malcolm realise that they must have exchanged balls at the 12th hole. They both score no points for the 13th hole.

TRUE OR FALSE FALSE: The players are disqualified only at the hole where A well­known British scientist has suggested that men they exchanged balls; effectively they score no points at the should take a look at their consumption of beer, consid­ 12th hole. ering the results of a recent analysis revealing the pres­ ence of female hormones in beer. The theory is that drinking beer gradually turns men into women! To test this statement, 100 men were fed six pints of beer each over seven days.

It was reported that all the men gained weight, required frequent visits to the bathroom, talked excessively with­ out making sense, became over­emotional, couldn't drive, argued over nothing and refused to apologise when wrong.

No further tests are planned!

TITTER ON THE TEE

46

Friday, July 25, 2014

HELLO JAMES One of the stars of the World Cup, Columbia’s James Rodríguez, joined Real Madrid on Tuesday for 80 million euros.

The 23­year­old follows the sign­ ing of another key midfielder from the World Cup, Germany’s Toni Kroos, and will be given the No10 shirt which was last worn by Mesut Özil.

He was presented to Real Madrid’s fans in the Bernabéu stadium on

CARLITOS WAY

A versatile forward and midfield player is CD Torrevieja’s latest signing in the shape of 23 year old Carlos Alvarez de Lara Navarrete "Carlitos". He scored 12 goals last season for Deportivo Xerez FC, and his arrival compensates for the departures of Micro and Dani Meseguer, who contrary to earlier indications, have decided not to re­sign for Torrevieja.

The club take on Alcoron, who finished two points behind La Liga promoted Cordoba in June, in the first pre­season friendly this evening (Friday July 25th), kicking off at 7.00pm at the Campoamor resort. CD Torrevieja are then at home for the first time, when they entertain 2nd division B side, Elche Ilicitano with an 8.00pm kick off. Under­16’s get free entry, whilst it is five euros for adults.

Season tickets at 90 euros are available from the Torry Army office as well as from the ground on Wednesdays between 6.30pm and 8.30pm as well as on friendly match nights. Keep an eye out in The Courier for regular competi­ tions to win a pair of tickets to every Torry home game.

NOT ANTONIO

CD Torrevieja have signed 25­year­old defender Adrian Banderas Alvarez known as "Adrian Banderas" from Orihuela CF. Banderas can play either on the left wing or

right back, and was a youth player with Atletico Madrid and Hercules, before taking in Thader Rojales, Novelda, La Hoya Lorca, and Orihuela.

SANDY SCRUMS

The beach rugby 7’s in the Alicante and Murcia areas are on next month with the 18th annual San Juan beach rugby tournament organised

by Alicante University on Saturday August 2nd with teams from all over the region taking part. That will be quickly followed up by the first ever beach rugby tour­ nament to be run by the Murcia XV on the following Saturday at the Playa de las Delicias in the south western resort of Aguilas, close to the border with Almeria.

Tuesday night, emerging to a rap­ turous reception from a 45,000­ strong crowd, around a third of whom were wearing Colombia shirts. Then while he kicked balls into the crowd – as is traditional for new high­profile arrivals to do – he was rushed by several enthu­ siastic supporters and made a point of embracing them before they were ushered away by securi­ ty.

He said: “I’ve always followed Real Madrid and always dreamed of playing here. I’ve suffered a lot to get here and when you do that then it tastes so much better.

SUPER MARIO

Croatian midfielder, Mario Pasalic, has joined Elche on a season’s loan from Chelsea. The 19 year signed for the London club earlier this month from Hajduk Split, with Elche’s sporting director, Victor Orta, managing to persuade Chelsea that a full year of first­team La Liga experience would be beneficial to them.

The under­21 Croatian international arrived in Elche on Monday, and was officially welcome by Club

President, José Sepulcre on Tuesday.

The Croatian admitted that he always wanted to play in La Liga:­ “When I trained with Chelsea and José Mourinho, after some ten days, José told me it would be bet­ ter for me to go to Spain, because I’ll play in many big games against teams like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atlético Madrid. So, I wanted that experience and I’m happy that I’m here.”

DON’S THE MAN

The sailors of SAMM Mar Menor can take a rest after their 16 races of their spring season, ahead of their autumn series which starts in September.

The spring series were handicap races under the RYA Portsmouth Yardstick system and the Race Committee have decided to keep to the usual practice of dropping each boats worst four results so this season 12 races have counted to calculate the final results.

The series winner was Don Clarke, with a little help from Tug Wilson who sailed his Hartley 12.2(pictured) when Don was not around, with seven wins out of the 12 races that counted. The trophies will be presented at the SAMM September meeting.

The trophies will be presented at the SAMM September meeting. The Autumn Series begins on Sunday 7th September.

47

Friday, July 25, 2014

WHY I’M NOT GOING TO

WATCH ELCHE THIS SEASON On the face of it, this looks a strange decision. After supporting Elche loyally for about 12 years through thick and thin ­ and there’s been plenty of both ­ and finally seeing the Illicitanos promoted, and then staying up in La Liga for at least another sea­ son this decision could seem a little churlish.

Well, the truth is – I’ve had enough…

Enough of what? Well, the main reason I’m not renew­ ing my season ticket is the bungling administration, not just at Elche but also at Spanish national football level. The fixture system is awful in the appalling way fans are treated in Spain that never gets any better, whether you’re in the Second Division or the rar­ efied atmosphere of the top tier of Spanish football. At first I just put up with it, and laughed at the incompe­ tence and frustration, with a shrug and ‘Well, this is Spain’ attitude: so different to the UK, which always seems so ordered by envi­ able comparison. Since gratefully living here for some years now I’ve always tried hard not to get involved if possible with Spanish bureaucracy in any field if I can, but to be able to watch a decent class of football on a par with the English top two tiers this maladministra­ tion just had to put up with.

Initially, about 12 years ago my mate and I queued

up at the mighty Martinez Valero stadium, built for the 1982 World Cup to buy our tickets on the day. In those years soon after the Millennium, the Elche teams were poor: the Franjiverdes didn’t score many but didn’t concede many either. Then after a while, a pattern evolved of pre­season glori­ ously hammering the local opposition, like Santa Pola 8 – 1, with everyone getting duly excited. This quickly wore off as the Illicitanos then lost their first six league matches and were bottom of the league, Segunda A. With the locals howling, the coach would then be fired, and then a new one then appointed whose first job was to get the team winning again, and he would slowly return the team to respectability.

Then about five years ago Elche got themselves a real goal scorer called Jorge Molina with his midfield mate Juli from Alcoy. From rock bottom at the start as usual, Elche finished sixth with Molina winning the ‘Pichichi’, the Spanish award for each league’s leading goal scorer with 27 golden goals. The day after the season finished, Elche sold Molina to fourth­placed Real Betis (three automati­ cally went up then, no play­ offs), and the last I heard Elche still hadn’t been paid ­ and we’d lost the only natu­ ral goal scorer we’d ever had.

This did kick­start the real quest for promotion though, and then followed several frustrating ‘nearly’ years, once even losing in the play­ off finals on a single away goal to bitter rivals Granada (see pre­match picture of optimistic father­and­son supporters). But finally two seasons ago, the Franjiverdes actually made it back up there to La Liga after an exile of 26 years – but at last they did it, for all their ecstatic, loyal, patient fans. Last season, once more slipping back to scor­ ing less goals than anyone else, even those relegated below them Elche somehow stayed up, by just one price­ less point in the end. I have no problems at all with the team’s players, and their efforts: they are simply foot­ ballers, the same the world over. N.B in the away game at mighty champions­this­ year Atletico Madrid, Elche fielded an all­Spanish team, very rare today in cosmopol­

ALL AT SEA

Over 500 swimmers of all ages braved the waters of Torre de la Horadada last Sunday for the 10th annual sea swim, with four differ­ ent distances catering for all the age groups.

Club Natacion Torrevieja was strongly rep­ resented wit 25 swimmers across the eight age categories.

The club’s youngest swimmer Daniel Lymar swam the 200m course in the Pre Benjamin category finishing in 11th place, whilst in the 500m section, Elian Del Rio Castillo (pictured with Vicki Connolly) came in third place in the Alevin category with a good time of 7:10mins.

The final event of the day saw the major 1500m course, with 324 swimmers battling it out for the top three positions in each of the five categories:­ Infantil, Junior, Absoluto, Masters I and Masters II. Torrevieja had 14 swimmers involved, but Yuriy Lymar missed out on a position in the masculino Absoluto section coming fourth and Edurne Gomez fifth in the femenino Absoluto category. In the Infantil femenino group, Zoe Connolly also came fifth, but she also managed to

beat her mum by two minutes! However mum Vicki had the final word, by coming in first in the femenino Masters I category. This was equalled by Beth Altabas coming first in the femenino Masters II category and Paul Matthews sixth in the masculino Master III category.

itan Spain with all its foreign mercenaries. So what’s my problem?

Well: if someone – any­ one – can explain to me why, with less than two weeks to go before any league match, you don’t know when the match will be played? Sure, you know who you’re playing and where, but just exactly when over the weekend is never confirmed until about 10 days before the event: ludi­ crous. It could be Friday night, and any time up to 10 pm, or any time over the weekend or often Monday or Tuesday these days. Why? In a place the size of Spain, Europe’s second largest country in landmass, with large off­shore island foot­ ball clubs like Mallorca, Las Palmas and Tenerife, to visit this plays hell with personal fans’ domestic arrange­ ments. Just how anyone manages to get any travel­ ling aspects organised, for clubs and their fans with such short notice I have no idea. A good number of Elche’s faithful fans follow them everywhere, and have the strange reputation of being La Liga’s noisiest

fans. But this mind­numbing, last­minute fixture confusion is totally unnecessary today; the only lame explanation I’ve ever heard was it’s down to the power of that great god TV, and the clout of the likes of Real Madrid and Barcelona: until they agree themselves exactly when they play, no­one else can make their plans to fit in around them. That does not happen in the UK, everyone knows exactly ‘when’ months in advance.

Then there’s the sudden local hiking of the entrance prices if the club feels like it.

As a season­ticket holder for eight years I’ve lost count of the number of times I can’t get into my specific gated turnstile on the far side of the ground. I then have to grudgingly trudge back round to elbow my place into the scrum round the tiny holes­in­the­wall to pay con­ siderably more to some spotty teenager on the day who couldn’t give a mon­ keys. What an insult, it couldn’t happen in the UK – but what can you do?

Answer – nothing. The Spanish just get on with it: it’s always been like that.

This last tumultuous sea­ son, for the first time we had the visits of the mighty after many years: what a test for the bumbling, bungling Elche administration. For the Real Madrid match early in the new season, ticket holders like me had to pay a whopping extra €50 – yes, €50 on top – or, unbeliev­ ably ‘trade’ your normal tick­ et in for a ‘free’ one up in the Gods, the upper tier so that the club could then re­sell your ticket at €120 – charm­

ing…. and guess what?

They over­cooked it and 4,000 tickets went unsold: criminal behaviour, there should be a law against it.

The catering facilities are awful, a throwback from yesteryear. No alcohol is served inside the ground, fair enough, so everyone drinks it thirstily pre­match in the numerous bars that are situated around within the ground between the turn­ stiles. If you dare take a soft drink in with you, like a bottle of water the lid is confiscat­ ed, as presumably full it could be thrown and hurt someone: sheer lunacy.

Food sold inside is either basic bocadillos or those ghastly packets of bird­seed that all Spaniards spit all over the floor. It must take a Herculean effort (all jokes intended) to clean up the place the next day. Oh, and there’s two queues: one to tell ‘em what you want and get a raffle ticket, then another one to tell ‘em again and give them your ticket: sigh…

There are other frustra­ tions, but it’s getting petty, so I’ll stop there. I just can­ not go through another sea­ son of it. I’ll stick to watching La Liga and the UK scene on my telly and PC (btw you can see almost any game these days that way). Of course I want Elche to stay up, their loyal fans deserve it ­ but it’s very hard to survive there and some big names go down every year. So this season the Illicitanos will have to soldier on without my cursing and cajoling. No problems there, I won’t be missed. There: I feel better now…

HIGH VELOCITY

Velocity Racing are staging their mid­summer racing event tomor­ row (Saturday July 26th) from 6.00pm with an entry fee of just two euros, whilst children get in for free! This season has so far seen some exciting meetings and with some champion drivers coming over from the UK for this week­ end’s event, the organisers are expecting some exciting thrills and spills on the track.

There’s a special all day event taking place on Saturday August 9th, which will see the long track being pressed into action. Velocity always need race marshals and there are cars available if you fancy a go behind the wheel, as well car clubs being more than welcome to come along.

For more details, visit the website www.velocityracing.eu or on Facebook via Velocity Racing Cartagena Oval or phone 674 256 147.

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Friday, July 25, 2014

BRIDGE OF SIGNINGS! Jose steals away half a new team while everyone watches the World Cup…

While this country – and others ­ were glued to their TV sets relishing the WC, it would seem busy Jose Mourinho wasn’t. They say don’t go back, he has already to Chelsea but this time Jose nipped back to Spain for a smash­and­grab raid in expen­ sive Madrid shop windows. Leaving last year’s La Liga champions Atletico in disarray, he adroitly acquired striker Diego Costa and left back Filipe Luis, whilst Jose also reclaimed lanky loanee goal­ keeper Courtois for nothing ­ and then nipped over the road to snap up Cesc Fabregas from Real (who clearly didn’t want to back to Arsenal).

Oh, and on his return Mourinho moved for midfielder

John McGregor reports

Mario Pasalic from Hajduk Split(and loaned him out to Elche for this season:­ more in the inside pages!). Out with the Blues have gone Frankie Lampard, David Luiz, Ashley Cole, Demba Ba, Samuel Eto and Hilario. By the time Chelsea kick off at newcomers Burnley on Monday 18th August, half the team that finished third last year will be new – Jose means business!

Liverpool are using the Baled­out formula to supple­ ment sinner Suarez. Trouble is, it was tried and tested at Tottenham, and Tim tripped up; newbie ex­ Southampton boss Mauricio Pochettino has a lot to sort out and prove at Spurs. At Anfield, Brendan Rodgers also now has a treasure chest to play with, landed with loopy Luis’s largesse: Ricky Lambert & Adam Lallana from Southampton, Emre Can from Bayer Leverkusen, Loic Remy from Newcastle, Lazar Markovic from Benfica and it’s said the Reds are closing in on

Southampton defender Dejan Lovren and Lille striker Divock Origi. That’s over half a new team as well…

Please tell me barmy Balotelli’s not Arsenal­bound?

Arsene’s astute acquisition of Alexis Sanchez from Barcelona looks a great move, and the Gunners have also signed French right­back Mathieu Debuchy from Newcastle United. Was Real Madrid’s Sami Khedira seen at the Emirates this week, and are the rumours true about that Colombian goalie Ospina coming? Arsenal could do with a sound, steady stopper.

We shouldn’t have to wait ‘til November for fireworks at Old Trafford, if lively Louis van Gaal’s past record is anything to go by: shades of fiery Fergie’s fiefdom, per­ haps? So far the Red Devils have only bought Luke Shaw from shorn Saints and Ander Herrera from Athletico Bilbao: but watch this space…