TIM May 2016

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TM



Costa Blanca

Welcome to the May edition of T.I.M. Covering the Costa Blanca, inland and coastal

138th Edition

... for you this month! 2

Get The Best Out of Your WIFI

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Bish Bash

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How to be a Pilgrim

Front Cover: - Guadalest, Alicante

10 TIM Bikers 22 In The Doghouse

Advertise with us Nickie Pickering: 606 891 644 editor@timspain.com Alicante Area, Aspe, La Romana, Onil, Sax , Salinas, Monova, Pinoso, Elda, Petrer, Elche and all other areas John McGregor: 600 088 341 La Marina area and surrounding districts. Graham: 609 187 808 graham@timspain.com Guardamar El Raso, Quesada and Torrevieja Martin: 622 950 919 martin@timspain.com Hondon de los Frailes, Hondon de las Nieves Albatera, Catral, La Murada, Fortuna, Benferri and Orihuela Costa.

SPOT THE BULL COMPETITION! Last Months Bully was on page 11 on the Ser 2 Main advert. Congratulations to Mrs J Reece of Quesada who spotted bully and won the 50 euros for doing so. For a chance to win €50 this month, the entry form can be found on page 45 Please make sure that your entry is readable. Entries that are illegible will be discarded. Good Luck!

Deposito legal A 1065 2004 TIM is a registered trade mark. No .2.665.866. No part of this publication wholly or in part can be reproduced or copied for or by any other publication with out prior consent of the editor, this includes adverts and all written material. Bank Transfer Number 0081 1041 02 0001025004 Or write to: T.I.M., Apartado de Correos 285, 03630 SAX (Alicante)

DISCLAIMER TIM is an independently published magazine and cannot accept any responsibility for claims or advice given in articles or advertisements and reserves the right to withdraw or alter material without notice. It is advisable for the reader to check information prior to acting on it. RENUNCIA La revista T.I.M no se hace responsable de los errores cometidos o de las ideas u opiniones expresadas por los colaboradores o anunciantes. Mientras tengamos un cuidado razonable, los publicistas no tendremos culpa ninguna por insatisfactoria que resulte cualquier transacción realizada atravez de la revista.

The views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily the views of the editor or staff. And the TIM magazine and or its staff will not be held liable for views in articles that the reader may not agree with.

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TIM Magazine™

A smart TV isn’t smart if it’s constantly buffering, gaming online is no fun if you keep losing the signal and a tablet without Wi-Fi is little more than a paperweight. To get the best out of your devices you need a solid network foundation. So if you want to sit back and enjoy smooth HD streaming, glitch free gaming and instant online chat here is the ultimate Wi-Fi boosting solutions for you. Whether you need to increase the speed of your home network, wipe-out wireless dead zones, improve network security or simply connect wireless speakers, we have the right solution for you. For networking beginners, start with simple to set-up and easy to manage solutions like wireless USB adapters, wireless range extenders and powerline adapters. These devices will rapidly improve connection speeds between your wireless router, PC, laptop, smart TV, Xbox, PlayStation, Apple TV or blu-ray player. Ideal for networking novices, these devices are simple plug and play solutions. No configuration is required.

your wireless router, amplifies the strength and range of your wireless network. This simple device can be used to provide wireless coverage to that hard to reach bedroom, office or even the garden for uninterrupted browsing and smooth streaming. Before running through the simple set-up, it’s important to find the best location for your extender. You need to put it halfway between the router and your wireless dead-zone. Because a range extender rebroadcasts the router’s original wireless signal, it needs to be positioned within the wireless range. Some of range extenders have lights that help you find the ideal location for the maximum wireless boost possible. A range extender works with any router and ISP connection to improve your wireless coverage. It will extend the wireless signal to the furthest reaches of your home, home office or garden providing a reliable, high speed wireless signal so you can stay connected everywhere. Wireless USB Adapter

Powerline We love Wi-Fi and always want to be online. However, most homes have Wi-Fi dead spots which means there are areas where wireless just won’t reach or there is a poor signal resulting in slow downloads and buffering. One option is to run Ethernet cables through the house connecting the router and your wired only devices. A powerline network overcomes these problems. By connecting a powerline adapter to your router, and plugging the second powerline adapter close to your device, you can connect via Ethernet or, depending on your powerline’s features, via wireless. Powerlines, also known as ‘homeplug’, ‘powerline adapter’ or ‘powerline extender’, are more versatile than Ethernet cables, easy to install and simple to use. Powerline is the secure, fast way to extend your home network. Using your home’s existing electrical circuit, powerlines connect your devices directly to your router via electrical sockets. Whilst standard powerlines provide a wired only connection, wireless powerlines allowing multiple wireless devices to benefit from a stronger wireless signal provided by the original router. You can also benefit from seamlessly roaming because some of the wireless powerlines automatically copy the wireless network name (SSID) and router password.

Turn ‘wired’ into ‘wireless’ with wireless USB adapters. Use a wireless USB adapter to improve and upgrade the wireless connection to your Windows PC, laptop or netbook. Simple to use, secure, flexible and portable, a network adapter slots into any USB port to provide a stable wireless Internet connection. When you need extra speed, management or security options, consider upgrading your router. A concurrent dual band* router will speed up your overall network to improve the wireless signal strength and stability for your bandwidth hungry applications like FaceTime, Skype, Netflix, Amazon Prime Video as well as your favourite online video games like League of Legends, Call of Duty or team games like Minecraft. New Router The main source of your wifi signal, if your router is over 2/3 years old, then it’s in need of a replacement. If it isn’t “Wireless N”, then you need to ditch it now! Of course, new routers also come with a different range (the standard is 2.4Ghz, but this is now very congested). Most of us have to speak with our providers though, as they supply the routers.

Range Extender Boost the range and strength of your Wi-Fi network to banish wireless black spots. A range extender or wireless booster, when placed within range of

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TIM Magazine™

https://johnbishopauthor.wordpress.com

Words by John Bishop.

THE BISH BASH This month it’s Artificial Intelligence. Just as soon as I can turn it on but there doesn’t seem to be a switch. Typical of modern IT developments. Like the car radio I once had that lacked an ‘on’ button. Turned out to be ‘Tuner’. Obvious or what?

First, however, an update on the continuing telephone cold-callers war. It’s not good news. Total defeat, in fact. Nothing works, apart from becoming homeless and living in the woods or topping yourself, though each of these has its drawbacks. Going out to work could do it but a bit too drastic. When I tried silence some caller told me to **** off. Giving your own abuse does mean they cut the call but somebody still comes back for more: I think they pass the number on to colleagues they hate. Recently, probably suffering from PTSD after frequent calls, I failed to put down the phone and found myself answering ‘Richard’s’ (aka Iqbal’s) Lifestyle questions. At the end he assured me I wouldn’t be called again. Two hours’ later… So, I give up. Mind you, if anyone supplies drones armed with nuclear warheads and capable of reaching the Indian sub-continent, give me a ring. I have an idea that might just work. Is there a more pernicious aspect of modern life? Ah, yes, welcome Artificial Intelligence (AI). This appears to be the nirvana beyond computers doing your bidding and instead deciding for themselves what you need. Sounds to me a bit like next-generation predictive text from mobile phones from a few years back gone mad. Remember? You were in the process of texting somebody about a long period of investment needed for success in the bond sector. You’d typed in ‘long pe…’ and before you knew it predictive text had guessed (wrongly) what you intended, completed the word and sent a message about something rather different about bondage sex. To the boss. Funny that predictive text fell by the wayside. Like your career.

word associated with him. (Predictive text would find a shorter one beginning with ‘I’. Whether it would precede it with the expletive you generally use is another matter)

Games are one thing but the principal goal is application in the real world (er, some contradiction in there, perhaps?) Medical diagnosis and the care system are two areas being explored. However, if the experience of satnavs is anything to go by, considerable trialling will be needed. You won’t want to come out from a scan to hear ‘You have reached your destination’ and find you’re in the mortuary. In the US and UK robotic care workers are the Holy Grail ie cheap to run although you’d think the development costs would negate that advantage, especially since human care workers are paid a pittance. And would you want to hear ‘Turn around when possible’ every time you passed the bathroom? I believe such robots are already available in Japan and no one can tell them from humans. Enough said. Driverless cars are also on the way. (I thought we had them: aren’t they called train carriages? Not private enough, apparently.) Will they come with a built-in back seat driver? Their own road-rage setting? And what will they do when the satnav says ‘Turn around when poss…’ Aghh! There is some good news. AI is making great strides in journalism. Machines already churn out quarterly earnings reports for many companies (so that’s why your studiously-researched investments bombed) and can do sports reports (Saints still lost). So. intelligent articles here in future? Ha, ha, ha. No chance.

Nevertheless, AI’s the shape of things to come. With one main feature: you lose control. This lack of control already features widely in cars. In automatic headlights, for example, ie AI (or, God help us, its infant predecessor) decides when it’s dark enough and on they come. Usually at 4pm when the sun’s out. Or if you drive under the canopy of a petrol station. Never, however, when the sky darkens and there’s a sudden downpour. (Clearly AI’s not British.) Despite this, AI is believed to have huge potential in the automotive world. Recent reports about AI have featured its achievements in chess and the game ‘Go’, where it has trounced human opponents. This is because it’s played with itself billions of times, knows all the possible moves and so has the answer to everything. A bit like the bloke next door, though only his hair is artificial and ‘intelligence’ isn’t a

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The legal Page Wealth Tax

Does Wealth Tax apply to you?

Written by Rob Innis with Ignacio Pellicer Mollá (Abogado - Solicitor - Barrister) of Pellicer & Heredia Abogados

In Spain there is a tax known as ‘Wealth Tax’, which is different to the annual tax return, known as Declaracion de Renta, the deadline for Wealth Tax is June 30th.

» Are required to submit the wealth tax declaration if 1) it results in a fee and 2) holders of goods in Spain valued in excess of 2 million Euros.

Am I required to pay wealth tax?

How is wealth tax calculated?

Yes, both residents and non-residents who own property in Spain are eligible to pay Wealth Tax. The higher the value of your estate the more you are taxed.

To calculate this tax all of the taxpayers assets are valued according to the valuation rules depending on the type of asset. For example, homes are valued at the highest value be it the purchase price or value given by the administration, if it has been declared proven. Bank accounts will be valued by the highest of the balance between December 31 and the average balance of the last quarter.

The rules vary depending on if you are resident or non-resident and on where you live. Many Spanish autonomous regions including the Comunidad Valenciana have their own tax laws. RESIDENTS » Pay tax on worldwide assets » Have a substantial tax allowances » Are entitled to a 600,000 Euros deduction per person in the C. Valenciana (700.000 Euros in Murcia) » Are entitled to a permanent home deduction of 300,000 Euros. » Are required to submit the wealth tax declaration if 1) it results in a fee and 2) holders of goods valued in excess of 2 million Euros. NON-RESIDENTS » Pay tax only on Spanish assets » Are subject to national law, not the law of the region their assets are located. » Are entitled to a 700,000 Euros deduction per person

Once valued the assets of the taxpayer, an allowance of 600,000 Euros in C. Valenciana or 700,000 Euros in the Region of Murcia will apply. In addition, certain things will be exempt from taxation, among others, the primary residence up to a limit of 300,000 Euros in value or shares in entities that hold more than 5% to those entities not engaged in the management of property assets or furniture. The tax rate is between 0.2% and 2.5% according to the following table for C. Valenciana, which can vary considerably according to the rules of each Autonomous Community Which of my assets are taxable? Taxable assets include: » Property (houses, buildings, plots…) » Bank accounts • Insurance and short-term income » Luxury items (luxury cars, jewelry, planes..)

Do you think you have to pay Tax on your investments? Learn the facts – listen to the experts

TUESDAY 24TH MAY Wealth Tax, Taxation in investments in the Private Banking sector

Limited spaces, please contact us to reserve your place.

» Art and antiques » Royalties » Contractual options What are the assets exempt from Wealth Tax? » » » »

Household contents (excluding luxury items) Small businesses or family run businesses Pension Business assets

When do I have to submit my tax declaration? Those required to submit a wealth tax declaration form will have from April 6 to June 30 of each year, coinciding with the income tax period using the 714 form the Tax Agency. Pellicer & Heredia can arrange to make your Wealth tax return and also advice on all taxation and legal issues. Pellicer & Heredia are relocating to larger modern offices in the centre of Alicante – further detail will appear in next month’s TIM. TIM readers can arrange an initial free consultation with Pellicer & Heredia. Please do not hesitate to contact us at 965 480 737 – 606 056 282 or email us at info@ pellicerheredia.com for your free consultation. For more information visit www.pellicerheredia. com

We also have offices in: Hondon de las Nieves, Ciudad Quesada, Petrer, Moraira, Alicante & Benidorm

“Peace of mind independent international lawyers”

965 480 737 | 606 056 282 | info@pellicerheredia.com | www.pellicerheredia.com E-mail: editor@timspain.com • Web site: www.timspain.com

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The Inland Magazine™

How to be a Words and photos by Rob Innis

It is not every day that you have the opportunity to be a pilgrim for the morning and join a 500 year old pilgrimage. The pilgrimage of Santa Faz, also known as La Peregrina, is a Catholic pilgrimage that is held in Alicante on the second Thursday after Maundy Thursday and has grown into a huge event involving over a quarter of a million people. I joined my group on a crowded early morning tram down into the centre of Alicante on a day which we hoped would be spared rain who wants to be a wet pilgrim (answer: not me). We joined the other pilgrims at the starting point of the Cathedral of St. Nicholas of Bari, in the old town, as the atmosphere began to build. I purchased a neck scarf in Alicante’s colours (blue and white) part of the traditional pilgrim’s garb. I decided against the black smock, well who wants to be an overdressed pilgrim. (Guess the answer). Bamboo canes decorated with a sprig of rosemary are also de rigueur. It was explained to me by an experienced pilgrim that the cane would have been a useful aid when the paths were less smooth and the rosemary would have supplied a fragrance to overcome the natural aromas people had in yesteryear. Yes, I am being subtle. The religious and historic point of the pilgrimage is to walk the eight kilometres to arrive at Santa Faz monastery (adjacent to San

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Juan, north of Alicante) where, allegedly, the relic of the Holy Face of Alicante is located. The canvas on which is captured the image of the ‘face’ of Christ. It is a third of the entire piece with the other parts in Jaen and Rome. From further research: ‘Nothing is said in the Gospels about the pious woman who felt pity for the suffering of Jesus, (on the cross) offered her veil to clean his bloodied face, but an unbroken tradition has come down to our time, venerating the images of that face that was recorded in the three folds of the veil.’ Apart from the huge number of people who annually walk the route the other amazing fact is that the main N332 dual carriageway through Alicante is closed off whilst this procession takes place. We all agreed it is wonderful that for one day a year people take priority and this 500 year old ritual is allowed to continue at the expense of the motorist. Following the appropriate religious blessings etc. We were under way and our group slowly started the walk in the narrow streets until we arrived on Avenida Denia (N332) where the southbound lane was allocated to pilgrims whilst the northbound was for shuttle buses and taxis to return tired pilgrims to the city centre. The sun broke through as pilgrims of all ages joyfully headed towards Santa Faz. Some had opted for the penitence option which involves walking barefoot. We pontificated on what crimes these penitents might have committed, all agreeing that despite our sins we preferred our walking shoes.

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Some younger pilgrims appeared to heading down a sinful route with ‘borrowed’ supermarket trollies stacked with a variety of interesting refreshments, mostly with a high alcoholic content. This despite press reports of local supermarkets employing additional security to protect their trollies.

Pilgrim duty done we headed to the nearest tram stop for a lift back to El Campello where many convened later for a beach picnic. The San Juan playa becomes a bit of a no go zone for the day unless you are under 20 and part of a group pushing a booze laden trolley. Pilgrims come in all varieties these days.

Around the halfway point we stopped and bottles of Mistella (low alcoholic content) were opened and consumed along with traditional sweet biscuits. As we were enjoyed our refreshments a TV crew appeared and interviewed key members of the group. Providing the opportunity to gain some free publicity for our local U3A and Bilingue El Campello groups.

For readers wishing to understand the further religious significance and history etc. more can be found on google search ‘Santa Faz Alicante’. This was just one of the many events organised by U3A El Campello/ San Juan - new members are welcome.

We set off again as the sun warmed our pilgrim bodies and then the magical view appeared - that of the blue dome of the monastery our objective was in sight. As we allowed some stragglers to catch up many other people passed heading for the San Juan fair which runs until the weekend and naturally turns the event into a long weekend for some. Options to visit to the monastery and rather limited on the day due to the huge numbers of people so I opted to visit later. We gathered just outside Santa Faz as hordes of people swarmed past amid scenes of loud music, burgher stalls, souvenirs (religious of course) whilst and other services personnel looked on.

For more: http://u3acampellosanjuan.weebly.com/

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TIM Magazine™

The BBC, The NHS And Other Animals By Marty Funkhauser At the time of writing the Queen is about to celebrate her 90th birthday. I am a Royalist, not a staunch one, more of a respectful one, one that would wish her Happy Birthday without telling her to remain in the EU. I think it is disgraceful that President Obama is using her birthday to hold hands with Cameron and the Fear Mongers. I would love to think that the Queen is going to suggest to Obama that his country should join up with Mexico. Panama, Venezuela and El Salvador. Culture Secretary John Whittingdale is being hounded by the BBC. How I wish it was in the name of good journalism instead of protecting its own interests. In general I love the BBC it has been a beacon for the UK shining across the world to the envy of many but its agenda has changed somewhat in the last twenty years. It has become too powerful, too heavily funded and has misappropriated those funds paying more than 300 of its employees a salary higher than that of the Prime Minister. John Whittingdale´s “crime” and I assure you he has committed no crime; however he has dated a woman before finding out that she works in the sex industry and is therefore a prostitute of sorts. On finding out this information Mr Whittingdale ended their relationship which I think is quite sad. The bitter irony being that the BBC made a decision some time ago that the word “prostitute” is not politically correct and they have substituted it with the expression “sex worker”. A sex worker is not a prostitute by definition in which case Mr Whittingdale has committed no crime even in the eyes of the BBC who are hounding him. When will this holier than attitude of the BBC come to an end, perhaps when it loses its funding? We need strong Culture Ministers to protect the taxpayer and to keep the BBC in its place as an unbiased institution that can be depended upon when reporting news and making excellent programmes covering a broad range of interests. I am sick to the back teeth of hearing about how wonderful junior doctors are and how amazing our NHS is and how all our nurses are angels every time the government attempts to make vital changes to the outdated behemoth that is the NHS. I had to be taken to Elda hospital by ambulance last week following a severe injury to my pride in the main and my left leg more specifically. This was my third experience of being rushed to hospital in ten years and each time I have received the most excellent service. On this occasion my leg was bleeding internally after a nasty fall (are there any other kinds?). I was given x-rays and scans within two hours of arriving; my wife was given a visitors pass and access to most areas and when being seen by the traumatologist an English speaking nurse was assigned to come with her as I am not yet fluent. Admittedly as an “autonomo” I pay €300 per month Social Security but this covers my wife and my son who is in Madrid at university and I have a 24hr walk-in “Urgencia” five minutes away from my house. Most blinkered supporters of the UK NHS have never experienced another country´s health service and so have nothing to compare to but bang on and on about how wonderful it is and then complain equally strongly about waiting times, prescription charges, postcode lotteries etc. Finally, those junior doctors who are allowing the BMA to make political gain at the cost of the patients should consider the junior vets who are not paid any over-time and cover 24/7 yet they never strike or march around self-importantly shouting “Save Our Vet Service”. Another example of how the British are more concerned for suffering animals than human beings? 8

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TIM Magazine™

Well a very happy May to you motoristas out there. I hope you’ve managed to enjoy the spring weather and got out there to enjoy life on two wheels. What, you’ve been too busy? This is not a dress rehearsal mis amigos, this is it! Get your arses out there. Well speaking of those who have been getting their arses out Jorge Lorenzo fell in the GP of Argentina after winning the first race allowing his (probably) closest rivals to do a 1-2-3 with Marc Marquez leading home Dr. Rossi and Dani Pedrosa. Marquez won again in Austin, Texas the following week, Lorenzo staying on for a second place followed by Andrea Iannone. Rossi being the one to unseat himself on this occasion. These two falls have given Marquez a 21 point lead already from Lorenzo in 2nd and Rossi trailing another 12 points in 3rd. 15 races to go but it certainly looks like Honda have sorted last years’ problems out. In World Superbikes I’m not one to blow my own trumpet (Oh well just a bit) but my predictions of watch out for Chaz Davies came true with a superb double for him in Aragon, Sykes and Rea swapping 2nd and 3rd behind him. The northern European rain made for very tricky conditions in Assen with alternating sun and rain making tyre strategies very difficult. Mr. Consistent Jonny Rea winning from Chaz and a great 3rd for Nicky Hayden, first time on the rostrum in world SBK. A fantastic race with both Tom Sykes and local hero Michael Van der Mark crashing out after leading.

Also on the 1st in Elda

On the 7th in Las Torres de Cotillas, Murcia. Note Saturday

Race 2 went from a wet start with the lead swapping every few seconds to a decision making competition when it dried. Rea and Sykes correctly choosing to pit early and change tyres coming home 1 and 2 with Van der Mark 3rd. Those two wins have given the standings a familiar look with Rea leading Davies by 45 points and Sykes a further 14 back. Still another 10 rounds to go though, 20 races catch up time. Well the highlight of local events in May has to be the return of Murcia Hot Rally to the coast, Santiago del Ribero to be precise 27th-29th. All the details at: https://www.facebook.com/SalaMurciaHotRally/?hc_location=ufi In true Spanish style it’s late, late, late but really worth it. Well have a great May guys and remember if you have any comments or want to advertise your club, group or an event I can be contacted via email at timbikers@gmail.com or on Facebook at Tim Bikers where you will also find details of events where I have got less notice. I also have an events calendar so if you have anything for inclusion let me know. Spanish word of the month – Tonto, stupid or foolish. As in the biker correspondent that tried to do alterations the day before a long ride and snapped a nut on his clutch. Yes very funny, don’t try it. Stay safe moteros and all the Biking Best, Jack

Jack

On 15th in Pozo Estrecho, Murcia

On 22nd in Benejuzar (worst poster ever)

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TIM Magazine™

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Amazing Health Hacks That Actually Work By Lucy Douglas

Everyone has a few home remedies they swear by, the hot toddy when you’ve got a cold, or an ice-cold, flat coke for a hangover, for instance. And occasionally, nature’s medicines are just what you need. I´ve had a look at the home remedies backed by actual science to help you back to health with stuff that is available around the home. Turmeric for your PMS Well actually it’s a compound of turmeric called curcumin that’s been found to help ease behavioural and mood symptoms of PMS. A placebo-controlled study done last year asked 70 women to record their mood, physical symptoms and behavioural characteristics before and during their monthly period, and score them based on severity over three months. Half the women took a 100mg curcumin supplement every 12 hours for a week before their period and for three days into it; the other half took a placebo. The behavioural, physical and mood scores of the women taking the curcumin all decreased by more than half.

There was a slight decrease in the physical scores of the control group, but no change in their mood or behavioural scores, so the research suggests that curcumin can help reduce the unwanted symptoms of PMS. Curcumin supplements can be bought online, or try making a tea with fresh turmeric root. Use milk to get rid of blackheads You know the story of Cleopatra bathing in ass’s milk to keep her complexion glowing? That’s basically the earliest example of an alpha-hydroxy acid skin treatment. AHAs are used in skincare all the time now, as chemical exfoliates that help to dissolve dead skin cells and debris, stimulate cell turnover and leave you looking brighter. Lactic acid, which you’ll find in every day milk, is one of the more gentle skincare acids – it’s great for acne-prone skins to help get rid of the debris and bacteria that can cause breakouts without being too aggressive. Try applying milk to your nose, or other areas where you get stubborn blackheads, every day or two to see how the lactic acid can help get rid of the dirt and leave you looking fresh.

Ginger for travel sickness Ginger is pretty great for an upset stomach in general. Like chamomile, it’s also a natural anti-inflammatory and is thought to work in a similar way to ibuprofen or aspirin. Extracts of ginger called gingerols and shogoals are the power players when it comes to treating an upset stomach; they help to relax the intestinal tract, which relieves the symptoms of stomach problems. A 1982 study published in medical journal The Lancet found that ginger was “very effective” at treating motion sickness, more effective in fact than dimenhydrinate (also know as Dramamine), and it was also recommended for pregnant women suffering with morning sickness.

Pick up some fresh ginger root at any supermarket, and drop a few slices in hot water for a simple, stomach-settling tea. Or You Can give a little chamomile tea to your baby with colic A double blind, placebo controlled study showed that chamomile tea improved the symptoms of babies aged 2-8 weeks with colic. The babies were given 150ml of chamomile tea mixed with other anti-inflammatory herbs like liquorice and fennel, up to three times a day for a week. The colic symptoms were reduced in 57% of the babies who’d had the tea, but in only 26% of the babies who’d had the placebo (a sugar water). Another similar study showed chamomile tea and apple pectin improved the symptoms of diarrhoea in babies. Feeling anxious? Try St John’s Wort St John’s Wort has been used as a traditional medicine for generations, and there has been a lot of research into its effectiveness as an anti-depressant. A 2008 review of the studies into St John’s Wort said that it was “similarly effective as standard antidepressants”. Mental health charity Mind recommends taking it for mild anxiety and depression, saying, “In addition to hypericin and hyperforin, the plant contains many other substances that may contribute to its antidepressant activity in ways that are not yet understood.” There are reports that it could interfere with the contraceptive pill and some other medications, so do consult your doctor if you plan to start taking-using any of the above regularly.

Press a used chamomile teabag on a sore Chamomile is a natural anti-inflammatory, and there has been a good deal of research done into its health benefits. A 2009 study by scientists in Ohio found that chamomile had the same anti-inflammatory effects on the body as non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs. Angry-looking red spot? Try applying a chamomile teabag and leaving it for a few minutes. The anti-inflammatory properties of the chamomile should help reduce swelling and redness. 12

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TIM Magazine™

MONEY SAVER SPAIN QUIZ In this month’s regular MoneySaverSpain.com article, we’d thought it would be fun to bring you a quiz. A mix of useful info and trivia – see how well you know your money matters. 1. Who’s the richest Spaniard in 2016? a) Julio Iglesias (singer) b) Rafael Nadal (tennis player) c) Amanco Ortega (businessman) d) Florentino Perez (Real Madrid chairman) 2. You cancelled a regular monthly subscription two months ago and when you check your Spanish bank account the direct debit has been taken out once again. How long do you have by law to return the direct debit? a) Two weeks b) Four weeks c) Six weeks d) Eight weeks 3. Inditex brands include Zara, Oysho and Massimo Dutti, but what’s the name of their low cost brand with branches across Spain?

6. What’s the name of the European Union’s free service you can use to try and solve any problem you have with the Spanish public administration? a) USolve b) WeSolve c) Solvit d) Solved 7. Which of the following services is not provided by Correos (Spanish post office)? a) Mobile phones b) Personalised stamps c) Prepaid credit cards d) Netflix subscriptions 8. When you buy goods or services online you have a 14-day cooling off period. However, which one of the following items can you not return or cancel just because you’ve changed your mind? a) A personalised mug b) Car insurance policy c) Mobile phone contract d) Film on DVD 9. Black Friday has been adopted by Spanish chain stores and offers lots of big discounts, but when is it held?

a) Lefties b) Righties c) Upsies d) Downsies 4. The Bank of Spain estimated that approximately how much money in pesetas had still not been exchanged to euros by the end of 2015? a) 3200 million pesetas b) 1600 million pesetas c) 800 million pesetas d) 400 million pesetas 5. You’ve decided to change your car insurance to another company, but by law how long beforehand do you have to cancel your current contract?

a) One week after Thanksgiving b) The day after Thanksgiving c) The first Friday after New Year’s Day d) The Friday before Christmas 10. What’s the name of the government programme in Spain that offers buyers of new cars a 1500€ grant: a) Plan PIVI b) Plan PIVO c) Plan PIVE d) Plan PIVA

a) Two months b) One month c) Two weeks d) One week

ANSWERS 1.c Amancio Ortega is the owner of Inditex (Zara and many more brands) and is currently the second richest man in the world behind Bill Gates. 2.d You have up to 8 weeks to inform your bank to return a direct debit. 3.a Lefties. 4.b Remember: You still have up to 31 December 2020 to exchange any pesetas you can find hidden under the floorboards to euros. 5.b One month - however your insurance company must inform you of any changes at least two months in advance. 6.c Take a look at ec.europa.eu/solvit – easy to use phone and online free service. 7.d Netflix subscriptions aren’t available (yet!). The other services are available either online or at your local post office. 8.a Personalised goods cannot be returned unless they are faulty 9.b Black Friday is always held on the day after Thanksgiving; in 2016 it will be held on November 25. 10.c Plan PIVE grants are still available until 31 July 2016 – you just need to trade in a car that’s over 10 years old.

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By Maxine Raynor

YOUR RESULTS: 9-10 Olé, olé y olé – you definitely know your money matters 7-8 Olé (just the one!) – not bad 5-6 Could do better Under 5 – time to brush-up on your money knowledge in Spain!

Don’t forget: for lots of really useful money info sign-up for the weekly MoneySaverSpain.com newsletter


Costa Blanca

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15


TIM Magazine™

Sterling v Euro update ‘brexit is boring!’… And that’s official! It would appear that the devaluation of Sterling due to the Brexit hysteria is on pause as sentiment now takes on a ‘what will be will be’ stance. The rate has stabilised to between 1.25 and 1.27 and now seems to be driven by ‘normal’ market forces for the time being. Panic and mayhem will no doubt resume nearer the time! What can we expect for Sterling on B-day in June? Most sane people agree that this should not be a public vote as 99.9% of the public simply don’t know enough about the big picture to make an informed judgement, and this includes currency brokers! However…most analysts believe that an ‘exit’ vote will further devalue Sterling. Britain doesn’t manufacture or grow that much, we rely heavily on imports. If Britain leaves Europe, all pricing structures decided within the EU no longer apply, meaning the EU can charge us what it likes for anything from a banana to a BMW. Prices will almost certainly increase, which leads to inflation, which by default devalues any currency. Simples! A vote to remain is likely to strengthen the pound, although don’t expect an instant hike back to 1.40, this may be many months ahead, but the return of a ‘known quantity’ will certainly bolster confidence, and we would expect a rapid move back to say 1.30 followed by steady growth governed by the usual economics. This very simplistic picture probably has many flaws, but GBP/EUR trades at 1.26 as I speak, less volatility than previous months for now, so enjoy the break….More fear and uncertainty ahead for sure!

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Whatever you are considering moving money for, large or small, call us or come and have a chat for advice. There’s no charges or fees at all and we will always get you the best rates. We can save you around 5% compared to transferring through the banks. Safety of your funds is paramount, we only use protected escrow accounts authorised and regulated by the FCA. We can also help you set up a Spanish bank account so you can benefit from the banking agreements offered to all Currencies4You clients, saving you 100s of Euros if you are buying or selling property,

If you are interested in any of the other services in we offer in ‘The Foreign Exchange office’ in Pinoso call us or pop in for more details:- Vehicle Change of ownership & Vehicle re-registration, NIEs, Residencias, SIP Cards, UK Passport renewals, Car, House, Pet & Health Insurance and mailbox rental.

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Janet Lees Operations Director - Spain 965070584 / 635015818 www.currencies4you.eu


Costa Blanca

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TIM Magazine™

CYCLOGICAL. “Monforte Del Cid” 2016 Cycle Sportif.

On Sunday 3rd April 2016, thirteen members of Team “Cyclogical” based in Quesada travelled to Monforte del cid to participate in the 3rd Valle de las Uves (valley of the grapes) Marcha. The team left from “Cyclogicals” shop in Quesada at 6.00am and travelled in convoy along the AP7 turning onto the Madrid road at Elche following it to Monforte approx 20kms before arriving at the Sports centre at 7.00am. Registration started at 7 am so the guys were first in the queue then straight to the nearest restaurant for breakfast .The race was well organised and started 15 mins late at 9.45am with a mass start following a pace car which was different from the previous year, the group soon thinned out as many of us left the town at 40km per hour only to be stopped by the Police after 5kms, they wanted us all to regroup for some reason before they would let us continue . There were over 670 riders participating and 3 of the guys representing team cyclogical were taking part in their first event including our bike technician Josh Watson, Steve Buckley and Simon Whitworth from Pinoso. Mickey who participated in his first ever Sportif here last year took part again trying to beat his previous time and was not disappointed , he also got a really nice cycle gillet as he was also the oldest competitor again at 77 years young. The Route was well sign posted with plenty of helpers, dispatch riders and police motorcycles assisting to marshal the route. The course covered a total distance of 99kms with just under 1000 metres of climbing involved which was an easy route and ideal for beginers. There were over 600 riders participating on this route and it was not long before there were many splinter group’s but everyone just found their own pace and got on with it. The first groups of 18

riders were very quick and it was not long before they made their mark and arrived back around 2 hrs 55mins. The first riders of team “Cyclogical” Big Al and Gary were back at 3hr 11mins with the rest of their guys back between 3hr 15 mins and the 3hr 40 mark . Many riders took over 4 hours to complete the circuit. Three of the team have only been cycling road bikes for 8 months and were taking part in their very first Sportif cycling event, they all performed really well with most of the team finishing in the top 50% of riders , which was excellent . Mickey was not only the oldest competitor but finished in a great time of 3hrs 40mins knocking 15 mins off of last year’s time and was chuffed to bits The Team are pictured on their trusted steads just before the start and are from left to right : Mickey Whybrow, Phil Nobbs, Alan Quearns, Malcky Murray, Richard Binns, Graham Kinghorn, Dave (sniffer) Robertson, Gary Routledge, Simon Whitworth , Martyn Stone, Steve Buckley, Dave (blister) Blinston and Josh Watson. All of the Team had an excellent day’s cycling and returned to Quesada with the Ham (Jamon ) presented to the largest teams . On the Sunday evening after the race we all had a great meal at Route 66 in Benimar which everyone attended with their partners which was a great finish to another great day. The guys are looking forward to returning to Monforte next year. The team would also like to thank all their sponsors for their continued support, Sol-4 investment consulting, Expat pensions and investments, Arrow rent a car, Shenanigans bar, Spanish insurance, Securidan, Pulse core fitness and Ambience fires and solar.

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Costa Blanca

Team “Cyclogical” meet every Tuesday night at 5.30pm and Thursday night at 5.30pm and Sunday mornings at 8am and cover between 90 and 120kms at a moderate to fast pace so if you fancy a challenge come along and join us. Looking to improve your fitness, riding ability and speed and also have a new group of friends to train with then why not come along and give it a try or call Gary on 637487377.

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TIM Magazine™

Sudoku Sudoku 6

Sudoku 7

Sudoku 8

SOLUTIONS

Sudoku 5

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Costa Blanca

IBERIAN FUNERAL PLANS PROUD TO SPONSOR THE T.I.M PUZZLE PAGES PROUD TO PROMOTE COMPASSION, HONESTY AND TRANSPARENCY

SOLUTIONS

T.I.M. CrossWords

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TIM Magazine™

in the By Mary Dinnis

“I think I missed something when I arrived in Spain. Somewhere in the Arrivals Hall there must be a notice in big red letters saying” “DOGS OBLIGATORY.” “Every immigrant must acquire at least two canines within one month of arrival. In the event you do not bring required number from your country of origin please go to nearest Animal Rescue Centre where you will find Spanish and English mutts of all shapes, sizes and colours.” Of course, here in the campo it’s easy enough to acquire a hound without going to a Centre. Just wander up the mountain and adopt an abandoned one or drive along the twisting mountain road and pick up the one you´ve just avoided hitting. Either way, you´ve got a dog and it´s not just for Christmas! We seem to be the only foreigners for miles around who ignored the directive. All our married life we had animals. But we felt now was the time to give away the dog leads, dump the flea powder and heave a sigh of relief that we wouldn´t have to drag ourselves out twice a day, rain or shine for “walkies”. What we didn´t take into account was that we live on the edge of a mountain track, the favourite route for all the local dog walkers. We often find tired dogs and owners slumped on our patio waiting for drinks, dog biscuits and a lie in the sun. Big dogs are mostly kept as guards but determined burglars have a way of dealing with them so they’re not much of a deterrent. Bastian is the exception. He lives three almond fields away and is about the size of a small donkey. This Bernese mountain dog is enough to scare the boldest housebreaker. But probably the worst Bastian would do is knock them over and lick them into submission. His owner is a big chap. So it was a fine sight one Monday morning to see him holding onto the lead, breathless and skidding down the mountain track on his bottom, heels dug into the shale, yelling “Halt” as Bastian raced downhill.

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Our nearest neighbours knew about the “dog rule” and arrived with three bearded collies – long-haired beauties with gentle eyes. They love everybody but their special person is my husband Mr. D., their “Grandad”. A few years ago years ago, they were joined by a young, energetic rescue dog. He also loved everybody, unless they were riding a bicycle. Next door to the “Beardies” live two tiny black German bitzers of indeterminate breed. These multilingual mongrels find it just as easy to disobey a command in German, Spanish or English. Called “Thomy” and “Hexie” by their owners, they answer to “Scruffbag” and “Tranqui” when there´s a biscuit on offer. “Tranqui” is the quiet one. But when he gets over-excited he´s inclined to pee up the nearest object, which has twice been my fridge. “Scruffbag” is the untidy one. She’s always chasing leaves or rooting under the hedge after hidden treasures. Her coat is soft and wavy but never looks neat. She´s an affectionate creature and because I don´t always get up early I´ve been startled out of sleep a few times. She crawls under my garden gate, slips into the house and the next thing I know there’s a wriggling body and a wet tongue reminding me it´s time for a biscuit. All this canine activity gave Mr D. such a rush of nostalgia. He decided he too needed a dog. So one morning he set off up the hill and came back swinging an empty lead and looking much happier. A friend assured me that everybody had invisible friends at some stage in their life. She said there was no need to worry until the dog was given a name or until the “owner” began to show signs of strange behaviour. I wasn’t too concerned until, a couple of days later, he began taking photographs of “Spot” to send to the grandchildren and asking for a “doggy bag” when we went to restaurants! Still, there are worse things than an invisible dog. He’s now talking about keeping llamas at the bottom of the garden!

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Costa Blanca

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TIM Magazine™

NOW i KNOW PART ONE

By John McGregor

‘Ow do you feel?’ ‘Erm well, yes. Everything is erm... the same as before...’ The young Spanish doctor nodded thoughtfully. ‘OK. You see there are some spots revealed by the biopsy from the tissue we took from your prostate that are not good. It is best that we take it out... ’. As he spoke a thought flashed through my mind. In my life I had always wondered what it would be like to get this sort of news – that you have a serious illness, and something needs to be done – soon, before it’s too late. In this case I was being told I had prostate cancer, a month after the slightly unpleasant biopsy experience when a number of separate tiny pieces of flesh extracted via the back passage (sorry, probably too much information, but that’s life). Everyone I knew said ‘Oh, don’t worry, they would have called you back sooner if anything had been wrong’. Except – they didn’t – and there was... I resisted the urge to turn to my wife sitting beside me, and listened intently as the doctor went on, speaking in reasonably good English: ‘Of the ten samples we took, four were affected. So it is better to take out the prostate. We use keyhole surgery, not with cut (he demonstrated a cutting motion). There is an alternative which is radiotherapy, but we don’t recommend that.’ I nodded as though I understood everything, but really my head was spinning with the news. He went on: ‘We recommend surgery in your case. First of all though, we must do a scan to check it has not spread to other areas –OK?’. I nodded dumbly and turned to my wife, Anne, who looked as baffled as I felt. We both had fondly imagined that I merely had an enlarged prostate, very common in men my age (67), which can be treated relatively easily and painlessly with tablets to reduce the size. Sure I had been experiencing a few minor urinary problems over the last few years, but of course put that down to old age. It had actually been my birthday only five days before the appointment, so some week this was turning into. I was presented with a sheaf of papers and signed a consent form, for what I have no idea. We stumbled out into the reception area, and Annie reminded me I was to go and check with the Radiology Department who were to arrange the scan. ’We will send you a text’, the receptionist instructed. Strange, aren’t they, modern communication methods? Who would have imagined years ago, a terse message on your phone telling you to come to the hospital for something important like that? Still, I told myself, this is the modern world John, so get with it - and be grateful... Still in a daze we took ourselves off to La Zenia Shopping Centre and for some reason each spent over €100 on clothes we probably don’t need, and then afterwards had a nice meal at our favourite restaurant there. I think really that Annie took the news worse than me, and I remember my younger sister saying the same when her partner Mike was diagnosed with prostate cancer in the UK last year - that she had not handled it as well as he had. ‘Well’, I reasoned somewhat unconvincingly to Anne: ‘Mike had his operation in mid-August and we went on holiday with them to Yorkshire in October. He seemed fine then, almost joking about it all, didn’t he – I hope I’ll feel like that...’. But Anne didn’t seem convinced, coming up with some ‘what ifs’, most of which I couldn’t answer. It really is amazing to think this is happening to me: ‘little Johnny’ who has always been smugly proud of the fact that in his life he has had very few illnesses, and had never actually been in hospital for anything. ‘Well you will, now, smart-arse,’ I told myself. ‘Now you’ll know what it’s like with bloody visitors and grapes and flowers (hope I get a nice room with a view over the saltlakes like everyone else I go to visit)’. Secretly I’m wincing about thoughts of catheters, and pain in areas I didn’t know I had areas. I’m not quite sure about the... erm.. erogenous zones of my body in that area, and their future if indeed they have one, so it’s perhaps best not to go there at the moment. We had planned a three-week holiday across April and May to take in my brother’s 60th birthday and my annual RAF reunion which I help to organise. But when I had mentioned the ‘h’ word to the doctor he briskly shook his head: ‘No, that is not an option. We need to do this operation before you can go on any holidays’. So that’s that for now. Later on in the year we

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have plans for a big holiday to celebrate Annie’s 65th birthday in America, New Zealand and Australia. Now that seems a reasonable target still to aim for, provided of course they don’t find anything else on the scan, and the operation goes through successfully. So, yes, now I know what the feeling is like when you are given bad news like that. I cannot fault the doctor, he was straight, certainly no soft bedside manner, and in truth, that’s the best way I think. To say I wasn’t expecting it was a massive understatement, but I’m coping with it on a day to day basis. As I’ve written often in TIM over the last six years about my life I feel I can share this delicate matter amongst friends – so, thanks for listening so far, fingers crossed for the scan...

Rosa Klebb ...hey, anyone remember Rosa Klebb? She of the KGB and the vicious toecaps, always wanting to do nasty things to James Bond? Well, the evil one is still alive and well and working in the Urology department of Torrevieja Hospital, almost dressed in the same khaki uniform I remember. I got a shock when I went in for the results of the scan and she was sitting there, grimly unsmiling: I nearly looked under the desk to check her shoes. For what seemed like an age Rosa stared gravely into the PC screen, moving the mouse around and typing in stuff, while I, of course, fast-forwarded in my head to mean the conclusive results were that I was riddled with cancer. At last the extremely plain one raised her head and announced the word ‘surgery’ emphatically – to which I countered with ‘The scan?’ which she dismissed with a flick of her hand. ‘Nothing’ she merely said – phew, cheers Rosa... I had taken a pad in with me with some questions, including one or two about them taking away some bits that had previously been useful and pleasurable. Rosa shook her head, somewhat dismissively when I bravely attempted to ‘raise’ the subject. In her sought-by-me explanatory cartoon-like sketch of my internal organs and what was going to happen to them there were no willies on view at all - it was as if they didn’t exist in Rosa’s world – perhaps they don’t (unsurprisingly?), what do I know? Later that eventful morning over a commiserating cup of coffee my wife and I discussed the excellent revelations that the cancer had not spread outside the affected area, and as such it looked like a straightforward operation to remove the prostate gland by keyhole surgery: hopefully 2 – 3 days in hospital and a couple of weeks resting and recovering at home should sort it out - providing there are no complication like infection arising from catheters etc. But when I touched on those delicate matters over our love life to date with some concern, my long-suffering and fully-supportive wife took my hand in hers and replied with a remark that was full of love, concern and indisputable female logic: ‘They’re not going to cut your dick off, John’, she said softly - to which I had to reluctantly agree (bet the real Rosa would have done that to James Bond if she could’ve)…. Yebbut, nobbut, suddenly – as I used to say ‘the anus is on me’ now. I have recently, reluctantly come to the conclusion that I am mortal – and shock, horror, may not actually live til I’m one hundred or more. ‘Plenty of time

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Costa Blanca left yet, Johnny’ has always been my motto. I might not even have my own private plane, play football for England now - or even, sob, be a guitarist in a rock band… At what I thought was the tender age of 67 I have been forced to realise that my body is slowing down – but if I’m still thirty-something in my head – how can this be? So yes, life is going to change a bit, soon… As I write I’m still hoping to make my RAF reunion in England on May 14th of which I am the main organiser. I’ve got about 70 odd people coming from as far away as Thailand, and I can’t put it off or cancel it. I’m gambling on the time of the op being a couple of months from now, as in similar cases I know which should be OK. Meanwhile of course my wife is telling me I couldn’t and shouldn’t be planning to attend – but what does she know, with all that female logic? Last week at 7.40 am I joined a queue at the Cap La Loma outpatients hospital in deepest darkest Torry for the first round of pre-operation hoop-jumping. Joining over 100 other malingerers, some urine-carrying with their little yellow jars we eventually huddled in a scrum round the reception desk, but with remarkable efficiency we were all soon dealt with and I joined the blood sample queue. Again, very quickly 3 phials were extracted efficiently, me having my usual chuckle muttering ‘Right, that’s it, where’s my tea and biscuits?’, Tony Hancock style. But we did go for breakfast Spanish-style round the corner, and as it was still early I thoughtfully whizzed my poor wife down to Cartagena to see the sights, which she hadn’t previously. I had been several times, indeed recently on my sturdy little Vespa with ten of my fellow Costa Blanca Scooterists, guests of the Cartagena Vespa Club. Annie and I had a lovely morning in the April sunshine strolling round the town mingling with the passengers from the biggest cruise ship I have ever seen. This getting around is one of my devious plans for us to soften the blow of all the checks I have to have in the next few weeks, and just to get ‘out and about’ and enjoy lovely Spain in springtime. Oh yes, sorry, I nearly forgot... meanwhile I had some pains in my chest. My local doctor, the brilliantly helpful one who discovered my prostate problems and dutifully sent me to the Urology department of the hospital is a real star. He did the usual checks and immediately arranged me to have an ECG in the room next door. Fortunately it was negative, and he prescribed paracetamol for the pains. I think my wife was reasonably satisfied with events - strangely such matters bring you closer together in that black-humoured way I have always enjoyed. Yeah, sure, I’ll keep you up to date with developments – thanks for listening…

Great Easter Sunday Racing

CATHY’S CURIOSITY CORNER

After a full and well-travelled life starting in Ireland, and then in England and Wales Cathy Reynolds came to live in Spain in 2002. She owned a bar for six years, then moved on to gardening for two years. Reaching the tender age of fifty this big-hearted lady took a break from working, but suffered a breakdown with depression in 2011, spending her time surfing the internet. Cathy started to buy anything and everything, soon filling her house and garage. She was then introduced to a lady in Benijofar who had a struggling shop with fewer items in it that Cathy now owned herself. An arrangement was made, and the result soon became ‘Cathy’s Curiosity Corner’ and rapidly established itself as ‘must visit’ store for anyone in the area. Not only has the shop become a roaring success, but Cathy is a kindly person who supports many local charities: these include Elche Childrens Home, Reach Out For The Homeless and The Dog You Need. Not only does Cathy buy and sell all sorts, if you have an item she doesn’t want to buy she will sell it for you and give the commission to one or more of the charities. Gift vouchers are also for sale in the shop. Being no stranger herself to setbacks Cathy is available to help others with problems, indeed her office in the shop has been nicknamed ‘Cathys Counselling Centre’ where a cup of tea and a supportive chat are always on offer. Opening the shop has enriched Cathy’s life over the last three years, the very friendly lady is approachable and positive in her outlook on life: she is well-known and deservedly popular in the area. Go and visit Cathy’s Curiosity Corner: the shop is full of interesting articles and furniture. It’s situated just up the side street from the Citroen garage at the top of the hill in Benijofar. Cathy’s phone number is:

622 899 906, website www.cathyscuriositycorner.com

lost time shaking it out. The start gate proved to be a magnet and by the time of the 4th lap the boats had to dodge, canoeists, a dozen Polish windsurfers and four CAR boats loaded to the gills with children. A very close finish, with Shoestring Cuatro winning by a few seconds. By race 2 the wind started to change from the South to the East and slightly faded. This resulted in the first lap taking twice as long as the first lap in the first race. However two cracking starts again. With a shortened course in mind, the wind picked up to 15 knots and lap times were cut to about 18 minutes, finally resulting in another win for Shoestring Cuatro.

Easter Sunday, the second Race Day of the SAMM Spring Series, turned out to be a great and exciting day, despite the tardy start no doubt due to the clocks going forward the night before. There were two races of 4 laps each with the cruisers starting 10 minutes before the dinghies. The Race Officer set what he thought was an interesting course. With a southerly wind at about 10 to 12 Knots he set the first mark due SE of the gate near the moored ferries, the second due north, the third west and finally beat back. Number one proved to be very tricky and forced all crews to think and work out their strategies. In race 1, Sirocco and Mistral went over the line together bang on the start signal and after the first lap were only 20 seconds apart. Poor old Connie just about completed one lap when all the other boats had finished. Shoestring Cuatro and the Hartley crossed the line together right on the dinghy signal and exchanged the lead over the four laps. Shoestring Uno had reefed and then

The Winning Crew (L to R) Vernon O’Byrne, Ingo Wilson, John Down

For more information about SAMM have a look at their web site www.sailingmarmenor.com

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menu of one of the

temporary chiri ngui

Eating Thrushes

tos in Pinoso

TIM Magazine™

By Chris Thompson During the August fiesta in Pinoso I noticed pajaritos, birds, on the menu of one of the temporary chiringuitos. I asked someone what they were, presuming it was just a name in the same vein as toad in the hole. But no, it’s literal. My informant went on to tell me that her father still, occasionally, trapped birds. It seems that the birds are eaten fried with tomato or cooked in stews. A usual serving is about a dozen birds.

joke as tordo is the Spanish word for thrush. The birds are lured to the trees by recorded bird song. When the birds land on the spikes they stick to them and, unable to fly, fall to the floor. On the ground they twist and turn trying to escape. Many die or do themselves considerable harm in the process. When the “hunters” come to collect their trophies they break the necks of the live birds using a practised thumb and finger manoeuvre.

I thought I had the bones of an article so I did a bit of research. Without giving it too much thought what I pictured was a couple of brothers, of a certain age, setting up nets on a bit of their land and capturing a few birds for the pot. But that isn’t the case. It turns out to be big business in parts of Spain and leads to the slaughter of millions of birds, particularly during the autumn migration. Nobody quite knows how many birds die but estimates are between 1.5 and 4 million.

Paranys are illegal. They are not illegal because they catch birds. It’s perfectly legal to hunt all sorts of small birds. Thrushes are the main target for these traps and most thrushes are not a protected species but several other birds are. The paranys are illegal because they indiscriminately catch any sort of bird that lands on them, be it protected or not. Again it’s an estimate but the bird charities reckon that there are about 2,500 active paranys, mostly in Castellón province.

There are several methods to catch birds but there are two main ones. The most obvious is with nets. They’re variously called mist nets or Japanese nets which are hung between trees so the birds get caught in them. It’s the method scientists sometimes use to capture birds alive for ringing. It’s also where many of the caged birds on Spanish balconies come from.

The Valencian Government legalised this method of “hunting” claiming it as Valencian cultural heritage. Fortunately the Constitutional Court overturned the law citing EU directives. Fines for operating paranys are high but it seems that the authorities often turn a blind eye to the practice.

The other, considered to be a Valencian tradition, is called parany. This method involves growing a stand of tall trees inside a fenced area. The trees are covered with small spikes or sticks which are painted with a sticky substance called liga. The chief brand of liga is Tordo which may be a grim

Back in Pinoso I asked another local whether the practice still goes on here to be told it had more or less died out. And the method? Well they used nets, either mist nets or ones that were thrown over the birds, and they also used embisque, a sort of glue, that was pasted onto the esparto grass where they had laid bait. Not a parany exactly but the same idea.

Parany

Dead Robin

Alcippe chrysotis mist net

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Costa Blanca

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Costa Blanca

Going Out

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TIM Magazine™

GORGEOUS DELICIOUS NUTELLA BROWNIE YOU’LL NEED... • 1 ½ cups Nutella • 7 Tbsp butter • 2 eggs • 1/2 cup sugar • 3/4 cup flour • Vanilla ice cream for garnish LET’S GET COOKING...

Slowly add flour and incorporate until the dough is homogeneous. Preheat oven to 356 degrees. Place the dough in the pan and use two spoons Grease and flour a pan. to form small spheres with the remaining Nutella. Place 14 Tbsp of Nutella in bain marie and add Bake for 40 minutes or until the top of the brownthe butter, melted. ies crack yet the centre is still humid. In a bowl, beat the eggs with sugar until the mix- Serve with a scoop of ice cream on top. ture is foamy and clear. Transfer the Nutella to the bowl and mix well. Enjoy !!!!

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TIM Magazine™

Hummingbird

Hawk-Moth

Macroglossum stellatarum (Linnaeus)

The Humming-bird Hawk-moth (wingspan 20-24mm) is a widespread species throughout southern Europe. This moth is so named due to its resemblance to a hummingbird, with its rapid hovering motion as it feeds on the nectar of flowers. The larvae/caterpillars grow to about 60mm in length. They are very colourful with a green or reddish-brown body with white dots and dark, white and yellow stripes, black spiracles and a blue, yellow-tipped horn. The sexes are similar in appearance. The moth itself is often mistaken for a hummingbird as it hovers above the flowers. The moths have a brown, white-spotted abdomen, brown forewings and orange hindwings. They have a wingspan of 40-50 mm. The wings beat so fast that they produce an audible hum. Hummingbird hawk-moths are abundant in Mediterranean countries, Central Asia, Japan and in the British Isles during the summer from June to September they have also been recorded as far north as the Orkney and Shetland Islands. They manly inhabit lower inland areas. These moths are day fliers, preferring bright sunlight, and can be seen feeding on the nectar of flowers such as orchids and petunias. They feed by hovering in front of a flower, probing it repeatedly using their long proboscis. This moth may also be seen at dawn or dusk but rarely at night. They are strongly attracted to flowers with a plentiful supply of nectar such as petunias, honeysuckle and buddleia. Studies have noted that have a remarkable memory, and return to the same flowerbeds at the same time everyday. Moths locate their mates by scent, with sight playing a small part. Hummingbird hawk-moths have been seen to demonstrate aerial courtship chases, with the male and female engaging in rapid pursuits low over the ground, or spiraling upwards together. 32

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TIM Magazine™

Horoscopes

February 20th - March 20th

Aries Under the influence of the Sun, Mercury and Venus, May 2016 is going to encourage you to be more tenacious and patient than is your usual wont during the the first three weeks. External circumstances will force you to follow up on the commitments you forged last month, among which will be the things you considered to be heavy-going obligations, but which, once resolved, could make your life much easier and free you up to push even further ahead. The influence of Venus in semi-square to your sign will create a few obligations in your love-life, but these will be combined with great satisfaction of a sensual nature, which won’t leave you indifferent and will reconcile you with the pleasures of Eros.

Leo May 2016 is going to cause you to face situations which will make you more tenacious. In fact, you will be launched headlong into the centre of the action, especially in your relationships and social life. You will automatically double your efforts to achieve your goals and won’t really have the patience to be at harmony with those around you, who will certainly move more slowly than you. This discrepancy will arouse your impatience in your exchanges with others. The square aspect from Venus to your sign will make your desires even more absolute, leading you to be tactless with those you have to deal with. The second half of the month will enable you to rectify this tendency thanks to the Sun, who will be in sextile aspect to your sign, and experience situations on this basis.

Sagittarius May 2016 will herald the traditional path towards your ambitions. The influence of the Sun and Venus will encourage you to show patience and tenacity, with application and concentration in your business affairs. Everything that affects your daily life will be examined with a fine toothcomb on your own initiative, to make your life easier. You are going to feel a great need to reform the machinery of your daily routine, so that you can devote more time to your passions and ambitions as a priority. It could be that you will resent this obligation without accepting the need to get down to it, in which case the other situations you experience will bring you up against an even more obvious need to devote your time to this, which could be irritating at first.

34

Taurus May 2016 is going to head you towards realising some of your plans. You’re going to experience situations which will light up your road ahead and help you move forward. The Sun, Mercury and Venus (your ruling planet) will be dynamic allies for helping you to make things offical and put things into action, but also for exorcising your fears and exposing you through your self-expression and abilities to a very concrete progression. Your finances and love-life will be the first to benefit. A number of you will make a new departure in your love-life as a result of an oustanding encounter or a relationship, which will be alleviated from certain tensions or power struggles.

Virgo

Gemini

Cancer

In May 2016, there will be new acquaintances and relationships in prospect, as well as travel and very promising exchanges with others, especially in anything relating to commerce, crafts and creative work. This will be the time to spread your wings, so that your plans can gather speed. The first three weeks of the month will help you eliminate anything in the way of your fulfilment, putting an end to futile situations by amassing other things, especially from the 21st, the date of the Sun’s return to your constellation. Mercury will force you throughout the month to show caution and pragmatism in your exchanges with others and all the formalities you will need to carry out. Things will be more straightforward from next month, you can feel reassured.

Libra

Scorpio

May 2016 will highlight the more pleasant aspects of your life and soften the angles of your exchanges with those around you. The sextile aspect from Venus to your sign will add dynamics to the presence of Jupiter in your sector and put you through situations which will be very favourable for increasing the level of your love-life. This influence will predominate in your finances, encouraging you to be bold in reinforcing your gains. This will be the ideal moment for launching a business plan or devoting yourself to an important task. Mercury will be moving retrograde through your sign and will back your intellectual efforts and the quality of your exchanges with others. On the other hand, however, he will tend to slow down discussion and it will be up to you to show patience and skill in counterracting these tendencies.

May 2016 will bring you face to face with situations which will push you in the direction of life’s pleasures more forcefully than last month. Venus, your ruling planet, will be in quincunx aspect to your sign, along with the Sun and Mercury, and they will highlight your hedonistic needs. At the same time, those around you will need you and your support more than usual. The instances of Mercury are going to force you to face practical realities, which will influence your finances. You will need to pay out to maintain your home comforts this month. Investing in the future will be unavoidable, to the point of making a few cuts in your budget in less essential areas.

Capricorn

Aquarius

May 2016 is going to enable you to go through a very harmonious phase in the practical and material sense and this will be filled with opportunities to establish your position and finances at the same time. In fact, the trine aspects from Mercury and Venus to your sign will soften the angle of potential setbacks, which were present in your life, especially since the Sun has accentuated these tendencies. You are quite naturally going to experience situations where you will be heard and understood more. Your message will get across unambiguously and you will have opportunities for meeting people who are in tune with you and your more immediate projects. There will be a more passionate trend in your lovelife and in contrast to your usual ways, you will aspire to be more expansive than is your wont in expressing your affection.

May 2016 will be an intense month, especially in your social life. The Sun will be lording it in your symbolic Tenth House, along with Venus and Mercury, giving you a serious trump card for promotion prospects, undertaking a large-scale project successfully, or changing your job or company. If you are looking for work, this will be the time to put maximum effort in here, as your search will have every chance of success, thanks to the relevance of your expression in this kind of situation. The influnce of Jupiter in quincunx aspect, backed by a sextile aspect from Venus will create situations in which you will be able to help a person around you, morally speaking.

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May 2016 will be a productive month and make your life easier, especially your lovelife. In fact, the sextile aspect from Venus to your sector will herald clearer and more straightforward exchanges with others and these will also bring you easier and more immediate satisfaction. Sensuality will hit entirely the right note and will be combined with tenderness. If you are single at the moment, you can expect changes in your life and to have an oustanding encounter, which could well lead to long-term involvement. Mercury will confer charm on you through your discussions. You won’t have difficulty in obtaining certain favours, moving your plans forward or bringing your desires to fruition.

May 2016 looks set to be momentous and a bringer of change, which will take place gradually but won’t be in any way superficial. Opposition from the Sun and Venus until 21st May will put you through situations which will get you moving to assert your values and desires to the full. Your relationships will be highlighted and guide you towards new alliances, which could equally happen on the work front as in your love-life. Those of you who are already in a relationship will go through an emotionally stormy period, which could push you to ask yourself fundamental questions or take a break from your relationship. It will be up to you to avoid acting in the heat of an emotional moment.

Pisces May 2016 will be marked by the transits of Mercury and Venus, who will be in sextile aspect to your sector, along with the Sun until 21st May. This will provide an excellent atmosphere in your life in terms of your finances and love-life. Now will be the right time for the official launch of a business activity or a new project. Mars in the constellation of Sagittarius is going to form a square aspect to Mercury and make you resistant to fundamental effort. Your broad ideas will expand further and with this, certain practical considerations will seem too narrow. However, don’t ignore the legal aspects of your projects as these aspects willl highlight the fact that you could run into problems if you neglect this unavoidable side of things.


Costa Blanca

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35


El Raso - Guardamar

TIM Magazine™

FOR SALE

Private (No Comm fees) detached villa on 500M2 plot near golf, shops etc With large terrace and 9x5 pool. Mature garden. Large open plan living area. Modern style, sold FF with WGs 219,950€ Sensible offers considered. For more contact 655 680 429

David Daniel This is David Daniel, he is just 2

years old and until a few months ago was a cheerful and friendly boy from Petrer in Alicante. In October 2015 he choked on a piece of almond and with such bad luck it moved into his left lung.

In January 2016 he underwent surgery at the University of Alicante General Hospital in order to remove of the piece of almond. Unfortunately with the extraction an infection of pus spread to both lungs which caused a cardiac arrest. After 23 minutes of resuscitation, they managed to stabilize little David Daniel, the doctors said it was a miracle. David Daniel has spent the last two months in the ICU in critical condition due to cardiac arrest. Little David is the youngest of three brothers, his father had to leave his job to devote himself to the care of their child. This is a family with limited financial resources. They need to pay for specialist clinics, medicines, transport a specialized bed. The best doctor for little David is in the United States. Any help is gratefully received, both technically and economically. We are trying to raise money to help in the recovery of David Daniel. Here is the account number belonging to the bank BBVA where donations can be paid: ES60 0182 0134 2702 0154 0008 "Alternatively we have collection boxes in Albert's butchers shop, Mas y Mas supermarket and Country Fincas Estate Agents office in Pinoso

36

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Costa Blanca

El Raso - Guardamar

El Raso - Guardamar

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37


TIM Magazine™

What 1 Tablespoon Of Coconut Oil A Day Can Do To Your Fat Is Amazing! The key to successful weight loss is to keep your blood sugar steady at all times. And this can only be done through your diet. No matter how hard you exercise, if you’re not able to keep your blood sugar levels stable throughout the day, you will put on fat. So how do you go about keeping your blood sugar steady over long periods of time? With real food and healthy fats! Coconut Oil Is The Best Fat For Weight Loss Eating Coconut Oil to lose weight is more effective than you think. Here’s why it works: 1. The high medium chain saturated fatty acids (MCTs) in coconut oil help boost your metabolism. (1) 2. Coconut oil decreases hunger and curbs cravings. (2) 3. Coconut oil helps balance your hormones. How to Use Coconut Oil To Lose Weight Using coconut oil for weight loss is very easy and practical. All you have to do is take a spoonful of it 15-20 minutes before every meal. Doing this will greatly reduce your appetite and help you feel more satisfied quickly, while eating less. Coconut oil is an effective weight loss tool but you still need to pay close attention to your diet, activity levels and Sleeping habits Always, consulate your doctor prior to starting a diet or using dieting aids.

38

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TIM Magazine™

Flouncing about in Fanciful Feathers

she considers worthy of her courtship. The male, far from being just a gaudy bundle of lust out for a good time, has to show his prowess, not only to attract the female, but also to attract points from the judges. He will pit himself physically and psychologically against his opponents. If he is intelligent he will distract his rivals by moving haphazardly or appearing to lag back so that he can suddenly swoop around to appear, as if from nowhere, at the side of the female. Sometimes he’ll take part in the mid-air fights, which can result in the death of a weaker opponent. All the while, he performs an aerial ballet, trying to invite the adoration of the female. For Pepe Cano, president of the Benidorm Association of Columbiculture, the skill of the pigeon is much like that of the footballer.

When the Arabs settled Spain in 711 they brought with them a culture that was to permeate almost the whole of the Iberian peninsula. Their language, their food, their arts, are recognisable in every aspect of Spanish life. They also brought with them the pigeon. The prime importance of the palomo was economic, it was valued for its meat, its plumage and for providing palomina, a high quality natural fertiliser. Documents dating from 1268 tell of a vast population of pigeons living in the 97 towers of the city of Murcia and in the surrounding countryside. The people of the city had taken the bird to their hearts and specially bred pigeons, often the descendants of those left behind when the Arabs were expelled or fled, were trained by professional colombaires. Two hundred years later there was so much palomino, basically bird manure, building up on the bridge above the River Seguram that travellers and tradesmen were unable to cross. In 1773 the first pigeon sports club was started in Murcia, but it wasn’t until more than two hundred years later, in 1994, that pigeon breeding was finally officially recognised as a national sport, when the Federacion Espoñola de Columbicultura was set up. The sport, official or otherwise, almost disappeared altogether when, in 1932, the Minister of War issued a decree banning it because of the threat of the birds being used to carry secret messages. Only after arduous negotiations was the decree repealed, when the Ministry of War finally conceded that the sport was of national importance, uniting many of the poorer rural communities. In essence, the Palomos Deportivos consists of eighty garishly painted male pigeons chasing one female. This might seem like yet another example of male domination of the gentler sex, but in fact the female is highly trained, and always referred to as a ‘professional’ paloma. Her skill is to entice, hide, out-manoeuvre and out-fly all her pursuers except for the few

40

‘They each have their different tricks and techniques when they are dealing with their opponents,’ he says, ‘and you can see the way some of the better ones, those who will go on to become champions, watch what the others are doing and adapt their game accordingly.’ Training begins when the pigeon reaches sexual maturity at three months. First he will fly individually with a female, learning to recognise the scent that will later be his sonar on his route to possible championship status. After a few flights he is joined by other male trainees and begins to learn the courtship routines necessary for success in competitions to come. Eventually, the best of the flock are selected to take part in the first level of competitions, the comarca, which lead finally to the Spanish championships – at least for the best of them. ‘It’s like raising children.’ says Pepe. ‘You feed them and look after them, and as you watch them take their first flights you see which are the strongest, the ones which will be entered for competitions.’ The competition takes place around a tree - no particular tree, but preferably one with quite dense foliage where the female can hide when she needs a rest, although a particularly clever male can make extra points by finding her and settling down to a bit of private billing and cooing while his rivals tire themselves out flapping around elsewhere. It takes place over six consecutive days, and points are awarded for the time the male stays in the air with the female and for time spent in the courtship routine on the ground. Extra points can be gained for the elegance of his flight and courtliness of his attentions to the lady. As the time of the competition approaches, a rocket is set off to alert the owners and trainers, who release their birds from gardens, patios and balconies all around the town. Slowly they congregate in their wheeling flight until the referee decides the moment has arrived to release the female. Instantly she is pursued by the gaudy conquistadores and for the next two and a half hours she will try to confuse them to avoid their amorous intentions.

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Costa Blanca

Every club member has his own colour scheme but might have a number of birds wearing his house colours, each identifiable by an individual mark. The referee needs a phenomenal memory and pair of eyes to keep track of the action, but most of them have been involved in the sport since childhood and will have attended one of the many courses put on to educate children in the care of their birds. As in horse breeding, pigeons carry names that identify them with their lineage and are instantly recognised by aficionados. The parents of Chulo de Abajo (The Ruffian From Below) obviously sired a youngster with a temperament for waywardness, and the owner of En el Nombre del Padre would seem to be looking for a bit of divine intervention. Ida y Vuelta (Go and Return) at least seems to have a likelihood of getting back to its home in Seville if it should go astray, and whilst Violento, Rasputin and Renegado might well be named to strike fear into the hearts of their opponents, Desequilibrio (Unbalanced), would suggest a bird with mental instability or a difficulty with getting into the air in the first place. As fatigue and hunger override lust, pigeons will begin to retire from the chase, until only a hardy few will be left at the end of the allotted time. Their individual points will be added to their running total for the six days and the winner will go on to the next stage of the competition. As might be expected, the winning male is applauded for his stamina while the female gets scant recognition of the fact that she has had to clock up an equal amount of air-time, without which there would be no competition in the first place. But there again – she is a professional! There is no official record of when pigeons began to be painted, but with up to eighty birds in the air simultaneously the referees would be hard pushed to identify which one was closest to the female if the birds didn’t wear their distinctive markings. Reds, blues, greens and yellows fill the sky in the ‘torneo amoroso’, where the rapid dodging and weaving, unforeseen exits from the sanctuary of the tree, and mass close-up adoration make for a kaleidoscopic flurry of feathers.

During the course of the competition, garbled voices crackling from walkie-talkies exchange information as to the whereabouts of pigeons that have wandered off from the main performance. With a national champion worth anything up to £20,000, security is high, and many pigeons will have chips implanted in their legs so that they can be located if they go astray. The club in Murcia recently bought a microlite aircraft to monitor birds during competition, and Benidorm even went to the lengths of hiring a helicopter for the international championships held there in 1997. ‘For me, the sport has everything.’ comments Pepe, ‘You train the birds and get excited when you see them doing well in a competition. During the competition itself you have moments of intense activity but also of peacefulness. It’s beautiful to see the whole brightly coloured flock flying gracefully through the sky.’

E-mail: editor@timspain.com • Web site: www.timspain.com

By Derek Workman

41


TIM Magazine™

HONDON VALLEY GOLF SOCIETY VICTORIES FOR JAMIE SMITH, JOHN ORRELL AND TREVOR BATCHELOR Font del Llop – Results for 15/04/2016 Winners Jamie Smith (6)

Pts

Gold Winner

37

John Ainscough (7)

Gold Runner Up

35

John Forrester (7)

Gold Third Place

34

Silver Winner (on handicap)

36

John Orrell (16) Jim Lynch (19)

Silver Runner Up

36

Ken Knight (19)

Silver Third Place

35

Bronze Winner

36

Paul Hawes (21)

Bronze Runner Up

32

Paul Stagnell-Howe (29)

Bronze Third Place

30

Trevor Batchelor (28)

Nearly fifty members and guests met at Font del Llop Golf Club on a Friday morning for April’s Stableford competition. Temperatures were in the low to middle twenties and there was only the slightest breeze. This made for a very enjoyable day and the players appreciated the well maintained course. These factors helped towards very good results across all categories. Jamie Smith was playing off 6 and carded an impressive 37 points to win both the Gold Category and his match play competition. John Orrell played in his first event with the society for some time and managed notch up a solid 36 points on his handicap of 16. This was enough to pip Jim Lynch to the post (also with 36 points) using the society’s new methodology. Trevor Batchelor has been moving up the rankings recently. He led the Bronze Category with an exciting 36 points, which included Nearest to the Pin on the intimidating twelfth and the deceptive seventeenth. The Captain, Ken Knight, thanked the club for the excellent state of the course and went on to present the prizes. Some of the participants made several visits to the podium. Trevor Batchelor collected three prizes. Gerry O’Reilly’s won Best Guest and also Nearest to the Pin on the awkward seventeenth. Steve Ingerson won the Football Scratch Card and then the Green Fee Refund (for the second month running). Ken Knight explained that the committee had decided to award prizes for tied scores on the basis of Lowest Handicap, rather than the previous method of Count Back. He reminded members that that May’s outing to El Plantio has been scheduled for a Wednesday and that entries are now welcome for the Albacete Away Day. Details of the Costa Narejos events in June will be circulated shortly.

Category

Hole Brian Rose

Nearest the Pin

3

John Ainscough

Nearest the Pin

8

Trevor Batchelor

Nearest the Pin

12

Trevor Batchelor

Nearest the Pin

16

Gerry O’Reilly

Nearest the Pin

17

Richard Bligh

Nearest the Pin in Three

9

Charles Jones

Two on the card

Ken Cooke

Two on the card

Steve Ingerson

Football scratch card

John Sercombe

Captain’s Pick

Richard Bell

Captain’s Pick

Chris Jennings

Captain’s Pick

Match Play Jamie Smith beat Paul Hawes

Results 2 up

Forthcoming Fixtures & Social Events Wednesday 11th May – El Plantio Meet in clubhouse at 09:00 Tuesday 24th May – Albacete Away Day Meet in clubhouse at 09:15 Tuesday 7th June – Altorreal Meet in clubhouse at 09:15

SIlver

Gold

For information on how to join HVGS contact the Secretary, David Fellows, on 965 978 104 & 649 552 730 or email davidfellows13@gmail.com. To reserve your place on the list for the Society Golf Days contact the Captain, Ken Knight, on 638190 567 or email him at kjknight1954@gmail.com

42

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Costa Blanca

CAMPO GOLF SOCIETY This March we went to Altorreal which is good value at only 70 Euros for two players including a buggy. We arrived at 9.0 a.m. and there were buggies everywhere. Lots of golfers who had tee times before us and one four ball had the same time as Campo. We got off the tee around 10.30 but of course the play was slow , but the weather was nice and hot, so a nice cold beer went down well at the finish. Everybody had a nice golfing day which is what a golf day is still all about. Golf dates for May and June are as follows: May Roda on 20th, but this might change. a email will inform members June 24th Alenda first tee time 9.04 July Las Colinas 22nd first tee time 8.40. Winners at Altorreal for March Gold Winner was Brian Johnson with 25 Points on count back Runner up was Jan Hendricks with 25 Points Silver Winner was Marius Damen with 26 points Runner up was Karst Mulder with 24 points N/P on the 5th hole was Jan Hendriks N/P on the 10th was Jan Hendriks N/P on the 17th was Marius Damen Best Guest was Jeff Tanner with 24 points Thank you to all the members If you wish to join the Campo please ring me on Mob 618834774 E-mail: editor@timspain.com • Web site: www.timspain.com

43


TIM Magazine™

BOXED TRADE ADVERTS

THE METAL MAN Quality Workmanship

All aspects of work in steel.

Gazebos, Car ports. Workshops, Sheds Pool pump rooms. Naya enclosures.

Log burners.

Repairs, Refurbishments & Installations

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Tel: 651-963-359. Office. 966-180-894. Email: metalmanspain@hotmail.com

Buying A New Car/ Motorbike? Want to check out your Car/Bikes History “HPI Check In Spain” All we need is your nie and car/bike registration. 35 euros per vehicle Email us at belen@assintem.com

44

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Costa Blanca

DAD, what an inspiration you were, trying your best to put us all first. knowing how ill you were. many of you will never have known my dad, but I hope on reading this you will make sure you do that silly little test with a spatula to test for bowel cancer as my Dad chose not to do. because if he had, he may possibly be here now , instead he was taken from our big hearted family last year on the 4th of May, after trying to be strong and brave for nearly 18 months. my message here is simple, better to catch it early and live, this is for my DAD, who is now at peace, love and miss you more than words can say xxxxxxx

E-mail: editor@timspain.com • Web site: www.timspain.com

Care of the Elderly, permanent, respite and dementia clients, affordable rates TEL 659401945 or 677 804 691

Facebook: TIM Spain www.timspain.com

IN MEMORIAM

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TIM Magazine™

Classifieds

Email your small ads to bargainads@yahoo.es or text your free small ads up to €1.000 to 680 976 823

ADVERTISE YOUR UNWANTED ITEMS UP TO THE VALUE OF 1,000 Euros Sell it Fast Sell it For FREE! You can now place your unwanted items in our Classifieds section FREE of charge up to the value of 1.000 euros. Simply text your unwanted items too 680 976 823 or email them to bargainads@ yahoo.es remember, no more than 25 words per item and no more than 3 items per household, and please always include what area you live in, we do not take FREE classifieds over the phone. Last day for Free ads is the 18th of the month. When sending through your items by email, please only send in normal size text.

If you have an item for sale over 1.000 euros or if you have a commercial advert and would like them listed in the Classifieds section of the magazine, then call 606 891 644. Closing date for Classifieds in the magazine is the 19th of the month. Advertise Your Classifieds For FREE No Value Restrictions. Sell anything fast at www.timspain.com classifieds, its totally FREE. Sell you House/car/boat or what you have at www.timspain.com

GENERAL

Mountain Bike 35 EUROS. Good

Samsung galaxy 4 7”,

unwanted

For sale: SOLAC Ideal 4000 deep fat

Top of the range Braun Juicer Mul-

Condition 675360574 (Beneixama)

gift, still in box. Price on Amazon.es

fryer. 25 euros. Ring 660 042 859,

tiquick 7 Model J700 as new, boxed

new 143 euros, Only 95 euros want-

Pinoso.

with full instructions. Cost €157 will

Gas Fire & Bottle €48. Wrought Iron

ed. Contact Graham on 633732625.

accept €100. La Marina Urb tel no

3 Wicker Draw Unit €18. Wrought

865779931 / Mob 652298561

Iron Wicker Shelf Unit €22. Siemens

Fridge freezer. Bottled gas. Taver

15 Euros o n o Castalla tel 687 345

3 Phone Gigaset €25. UFESA Dehu-

model number t242. Manufactured

058

BBQ Stainless Steel Deluxe 6-piece

midifier 6.5 Holding Tank €40. Ring

2013. Very efficient. Dimensions

tool set in metal carrying case.

639847312 Castalla

height 155, breadth 55, depth 75.

Corner Jacuzzi Bath, as new, hardly

300 euros. Villena. Call johnny on

used, bargain at 200€ Hondon de

Set of golf clubs with trolley , also

637958062.

las Nieves Phone: 965 480 605.

many hand & power tools, 2 x

Mothercare travel cot excellent

G-Plan Unit measuring 45cm deep,

bench grinders. Jumilla 968 780709

condition 20€. Bluesky microwave

For sale. Chrome finish walking

51cm high and 90cm wide. Teak

John Pearce

800w and 20ltr 20€. Small pine 2

frame, never used, immaculate

drawer bedside tables 10€ each.

condition. €25.00 or near offer.

Contact 965060493 Torrevieja

Orihuela Costa area. Tel :- Ann or

New, never used. 20€ Aspe area. Tel: 651572942

finish, in excellent condition. 50€. Aspe area. Tel: 651572942.

Royal blue velvet curtains for sale.

Floor standing fan, good condition,

All are 240cm drop. Price is 35€ per

Alan on 965 073 193

32”LCD HD TV, Never used, very

curtain: 6 curtains @ 136 cm across,

Folding Director’s and Deck chairs,

smart grey/silver surround, com-

1 curtain @ 134 cm across

with carry bags,ideal camping/

SERVICES

plete with instruction book and

1 curtain @ 94 cm across, 1 curtain

caravanning. 10€ each Call 690 772

Qualified

remote, 150euros ono, Castalla, Tel

@ 82 cm across Tel:664 753 231 Tibi

178 (San Fulgencio)

personal one to one care Tel

687 345 058.

area Alicante

carer

available

for

Barbara 675 874 665 Dark Green Leather3 Seater Settee

Tifell Oil fired heating system:

For sale cinema equipment. Sony

with 2 Arm Chairs. With ornate

YOGA

Floor standing boiler, stainless flue,

projector 180€ ,3 red cinema seats

wooden frame. VGC 200 Euros.

MEDITATION

1000L oil tank, some piping, Dan-

150€ ( brand new) ,2 red cinema

Ring 660234754

MORNING,

foss wireless programmer. 100 Euro

seats 100€ ( brand new)

Tel: 698 436 886 Buyer collect from

Cinema screen size 280 cm x 200

SOL inverter charger 3kv pure

SITUATED IN THE CAMPO NEAR

Abanilla.

cm 90€ If you purchase the lot

sinewave

CASTALLA ARE YOU INTERESTED

price is negotiable. Telephone 664

ago still in box cost €1350 now

IN

753 231 Tibi Alicante.

€450 Ayora valley 622790896 /

BEGINNERS CLASSES? FOR MORE

963145154 can deliver

INFORMATION AND OUR COUNTRY

Gents 22” (56 cm) 15 gear Mountain Bike - with panniers and bags plus

+

YOGAPILATES CLASSES

IN

AFTERNOON,

+ THE AND

EVENING. OUR YOGA STUDIO IS bought

18

months

JOINING

ONE

OF

THE

spare tyre. 50 EUROS. Good condi-

For sale: Chrome walking frame,

tion 675360574 (Beneixama)

with wheels. NEVER used (still

Fridge freezer. Bottled gas. Taver

607 754 009 yaninahwsn@gmail.

with tickets). Albatera Area- call:

model number t242. Manufactured

com

667503236-Euro 30..o.n.o.

2013. Very efficient. Dimensions

Superb bevelled edge. Mirror with

ADDRESS CONTACT YA’NINA ON

height 155, breadth 55, depth 75.

SPANISH

glass inside 6x3 ft gold frame. 120

Floor standing oscillating fan,

300 euros. Villena. Call johnny on

TRANSLATION SERVICE - Hospital,

euros. Tel 865643243 606645727.

15euros ono, Castalla,

637958062.

Notary, Court, etc. In the Castalla

Teenager/Ladies 18” (46cm) 15 gear

Tel 687 345 058.

copper colored bevelled mirror

46

E-mail: editor@timspain.com • Web site: www.timspain.com

CLASSES

AND

Area, Spanish Classes for all levels


Costa Blanca from

Basic

advanced

communication conversation.

to

VEHICLES

Feel

confident in your Day to Day life in Spain !Also, TRANSLATION SERVICE - Hospital, Notary, Court, etc. PHONE PETER 625-834-920 flowtalk@hotmail.com Place your services here. email bargainads@yahoo.es today but remember the deadline is the

CASH CASH

CASH

INSTANT CASH WAITING Cars Vans M/Bikes Quads etc. MOTOR VEHICLES SCRAPPED ALL LEGAL PAPERWORK ISSUED

COLLECTION SERVICE

19th of the month!

Is Your Garden Too Much To Cope With? I can weed/ Dig Over/ Plant and prune your trees or exterior painting of garden walls etc for 7 euros an hour Sax - Salinas- Elda -Petrer areas. I am also fluent in Spanish for help with translations. Call Callum on 634 309 459

Tel Phil (Fortuna) 607 848 332

PARTY YOURSELF INTO SHAPE FOR

Wine cooler 18 bottle capacity.

SPRING!! Ditch the Workout, Join

Black finish. Ideal for Barbacoa.

the Party!! Zumba Fitness Classes

Size 35x56x70cm. As new. 99 Euros.

with Licensed Zumba Instructor in

Abanilla 968 684 168.

Pinoso, Fortuna, the Hondons. For details contact Donna 966 195 876

Top of the range Braun Juicer

/ 699 408 773 www.zumbaiberia.

Multiquick 7 Model J700 as new,

com

boxed with full instructions. Cost €157 will accept €100. La Marina

CHARITIES

Urb tel no 865779931 / Mob

Castalla charity caritas. calle toribio

652298561

Open mondays 4 pm---8pm. accept clothes and food and any decent

2nd hand cars bought and sold Tel

items for more info, Phone,651 943

691 260 502

037.

CLUBS/MEETINGS

The Samaritans cover the whole of

TORREVIEJA PHILATELIC SOCIETY.

Spain and operate 24/7. We also

We are Stamp Club with members

have a drop off centre and charity

fro

Countries

shop at Punta Prima off N332 24

who share a like minded interest

hour Helpline 900 525 100 or email

in collecting stamps.

pat@samaritansinspain.com

many

European

We were

established in 2003 and currently but others from Germany, Belgium, Switzerland & Spain. Our members collect, sell and swap stamps from every country in the world, our meetings are informal and friendly, we hold stamp auctions, quizzes and have talks on stamp collecting. We hold meeting on the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month and they start at 3pm, Meetings are held at he “La Torre” Hotel on the outskirts of Los Montesinos. Did you collect stamps when you were young? are you interested in takingup the hobby again? or perhaps you have an old Stamp Album that you would like to share with other collectors. Everyone is welcome to attend any of our meetings. For further information please contact

WANTED

More Bargain Ads

selles number 5 near the church.

have 26 members mostly British,

Peak Transport, Vince Webster Large Van UkSpain-Uk, Monthly runs, competitive quotes, reliable, friendly service. Telephone 690 818 090 and Uk mobile 0750 492 7034 email: spain2ukpeaktrans @yahoo.co.uk

EVENTS

Alan on 868 171 936. or e-mail alan. aylward@rocketmail.com

PROPERTY RENTALS House to rent, center of Salinas, 3 beds, furnished, small outside space, short term or long term, 200 euros per month ex bills. Tel 0044 1924 865 668 or 0044 7583 100 143 email petermcshane@ymail.com 3 bedroom fully furnished Country house, Spanish style, with period features and furniture, shower room, kitchen, washing machine, Fridge Freezer, wood burner, TV, small fenced easy maintained garden, beautiful country location amongst vine yards and fruit groves, 2 minuets from real Spanish village life, UK TV, WI FI. Rent includes FREE ELECTRICITY, WATER, FIREWOOD AND COUNCIL TAX. 350 EUROS PCM. Also available, office, storage, workshop, animal shed etc. Call 963 146 701

at 9.30 at Waldamars Restaurant in Orihuela Costa All makes of bike and nationality welcome. For more info contact Rob via mollyandbaileybassett@hotmail. com or call Rob on 671-826-201 Castalla

community

church, meets every Sunday at 10.30 am. Held at 137 Avenida Fernando Fenoll Bergua Castalla International all welcome.

Contact us for Advertising that WORKS!

Call 696 891 644 www.timspain.com

EMPLOYMENT

A group of us meet every Thursday

The

NEW PROPERTIES URGENTLY REQUIRED IN THE SAX/SALINAS/PINOSO/ VILLENA AREAS. FABFINCAS IS A FULLY LEGAL & INDEPENDENT AGENCY. NO SALE - NO FEE. Contact Steve or Claire on 965 474 314 / 675 218 436 fabfincas@gmail.com Website: www.fabfincas.com

For

further information call Ruth 686 818 113

E-mail: editor@timspain.com • Web site: www.timspain.com

NOW you can Place your items for sale for ree up to the value of

€1000

PROPERTY SALES

47


TIM Magazine™

J and A Foam Limited is a family run business based in Blackburn, Lancashire. We specialise in making high quality

www.jandafoam.com

memory foam mattresses and mattress toppers. We supply all standard mattress sizes and we also offer a made to measure service for custom sized beds, motor homes, caravans, sleeper cabs and boats. Any size, any shape, WE CAN MAKE IT! When your mattress has been made up, it’s then vacuum

LUXURY MEMORY FOAM MATTRESSES DELIVERED TO SPAIN for only £30 80x200x20cm from £137 90x190x20cm from £140 140x190x20cm from £197 150x200x20cm from £210 160x200x20cm from £240 180x200x25cm from £280

Made in the UK FAST 72H DELIVERY BUY ONLINE AND GET 10%OFF USE CODE: TIM10 www.jandafoam.com web@jandafoam.com

packed and sealed for shipping. We use a tracked and insured shipping service via UPS which takes 2/3 days for delivery. All mattresses come with a 5 year guarantee protecting it from collapsing (which often occurs with cheaper, imported mattresses). All of the foam we use is made in the UK, Flame Retardant to BS7177 (source 5) and free from all harmful chemicals.

For more information please visit the website at www.jandafoam.com and use code: TIM10 for 10% discount.

Sax Retiree Plans Charity Motorcycle Ride In Aid Of Great Ormond Street.

At the age of 66 Geoff Stacey is planning a motorcycle ride with a difference for charity. Geoff plans to raise money for Great Ormond street children’s hospital as a thank you for their help and support the doctors and staff gave to Geoff’s grandson who was suffering a rare heart condition which was heredity and was the illness that resulted in Geoff’s wife’s death at the early age of 52. You can find Geoff’s story on www.justgiving.com/geoffstacey , where Geoff explains the reasons for his adventure in the summer of this year Geoff’s plan is to ride off road across the trans American trail 5000 miles starting in Tennessee and finishing in Oregon on the Pacific coast. The whole journey is off road on back country tracks forest paths and mountain biking trails and high passes.

48

Geoff will be scaling the Appalachian Mountains and over the Rockies and the great divide. During the journey Geoff will pass through the states of Tennessee Arkansas Oklahoma Colorado , Nevada , New Mexico California Utah, Idaho and Oregon . And Geoff will be travelling alone with no backup save for a Mobil phone and he will be relying on track maps and GPS coordinates provided by Sam correro the founder of this trail , which took him 5 years to map. You can find more about the trail on www.motorcycle-usa.com or www. transamtrail.com. Geoff is paying all his own costs on this trip and any/all donations will go straight to the Great Ormond Street charity. If you would like to donate to this very worthwhile cause. Please go to the site www.justgiving.com/ geoffstacey any small donation helps

E-mail: editor@timspain.com • Web site: www.timspain.com

Thank you in anticipation Geoff Stacey


Costa Blanca

FAB FINCAS FA B Pr oper ti es • FA B P rice s • FA B S e rv ic e

Tel: 965 474 314 • Mob: 675 218 436 www.fabfincas.com • fabfincas@gmail.com Apartado de Correos 3, 03630. Sax. Alicante

Las Virtudes - Ref: ff0796. Bargain Villa with detached casita. Price only 134,995 euros. On a fully fenced plot of around 3000m2, this property has the added advantage of having a separate casita which is ideal for extended family or a possible rental income. In total, the property has 3 living rooms, 2 kitchens, 5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms and a 6.5m by 14m swimming pool. There is also a detached garage with water and electricity. A real bargain.

FAB PROPERTIES, FAB PRICES, FAB SERVICE

International clients looking to buy

NOW

FULLY LEGAL ESTATE AGENCY “VERY COMPETITIVE COMMISSION ESTABLISHED 10 YEARS. CHARGES. INDEPENDENT, GENUINE CUSTOMER TESTIMONIALS UNRIVALED CUSTOMER SERVICE. ESTABLISHED, LOCAL.” Tel: 0034 965 474 314 / 0034 675 218 436 www.fabfincas.com Email: fabfincas@gmail.com

We need more properties to sell.

NO SALE - NO FEE

Sax - Ref: ff0715

Villena - Ref: ff0738

Sax - Ref: ff0614

Sax - Ref: ff0799

Detached villa in gorgeous location 4 beds, 2 baths Swimming pool Large kitchen/diner

Extremely well presented villa 4 beds, 2 baths Outside entertaining area. Lots of outbuildings. Price dropped to 183,995 euros.

Finca at a great price. 2 beds, 1 bath Swimming pool Detached garage/workshop

Large villa close to town 4 beds, 3 baths Swimming pool. Casita for reform.

Only 94,000 euros.

Reduced Now Only 179,990 euros.

Reduced Now Only 139,995 euros.

E-mail: editor@timspain.com • Web site: www.timspain.com

49


May´s Property of the Month

The Olive Tree Estate Agents - One of only four ADIP Nationally Qualified Property Asesorias in the Alicante Region. Registration

ADPI - 1322 - JONES, JAIME JANET ROSE PINOSO. Our Spanish Nationally Qualified Property Consultant, commonly known as Asesor de la Propiedad Inmobiliario, was required to pass Professional Spanish Property Exams. If you want peace of mind when purchasing or selling in Spain, you need look no further. If you have problems with 225,000€ Detached Country Villa your property paperwork or need assistance at the Only 45 minutes from the Coast. 3 bedrooms, 2 Notary office, or wish our Asesoria to act for you bathrooms, private swimming pool, pergola, gas fire pit when purchasing a property. Give us a call today. and all set in a plot of 11,000m². 5 minutes from Pinoso.

Do you want to see your property here, then call us on 965070591. No Sale No Fee Contract. Do you want to purchase through a qualified agent, then give us a call to see our selection of Sole Agents - what do you have to lose!

Inland Specialists - Resale Properties, Building Plots and New Builds for Sale

114,995€ Town house in Salinas 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, large decorated under build/games room. Front and rear terrace and close to bars, restaurants, banks & much more.

199,995€ Detached Country Villa 50 minutes from the Coast. Large double garage, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, BBQ, pergola, jacuzzi, 10,000m² plot & 5 minutes from Pinoso.

239,995€ Detached Country Villa 40 minutes from the Coast. Garage, 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, private pool area, pergola, outside kitchen & only 8 minutes from Pinoso.

336,000€ Detached Country Home 55 minutes from the Coast and 15 minutes from Pinoso. 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, separate lounge and dining room & private swimming pool.

Email: sales@theolivetree.es Office: 0034-965070591

199,940€ Detached Country Villa 30 minutes from the Coast. 3 double bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, separate outside kitchen area near the pool & walking distance to a Restaurant.

94,995€ Village House, Pinoso Only 40 minutes from the Coast. 2 large bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, roof terrace and courtyard with its own private pool. Near amenities.

74,995€ 4 bedroom Apartment, Sax This lovely 4 bedroom apartment has air-conditioning throughout which is hot and cold, one complete frontal balcony, one rear roof terrace and furnished.

349,000€ Detached Country Villa Only 45 minutes from the Coast. 3 double bedrooms all with en-suites, garage, games room, swimming pool & only 5 minutes from Pinoso.

Telephone: 0034-965070591 Email: sales@theolivetree.es Website: www.theolivetree.es


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