Almeria Living - June 2019

June ‘19

Issue 76

Almería Living

A Great Read - Original, Inspiring, Local

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ESTABLISHED 1986

Almería Living A Great Read - Original, Inspiring, Local

Welcome to our June issue of Almeria Living - another bumper edition!

Following a good response to my advert for new staff, I am pleased to say we are back up to full speed again. Mandy has joined our administration team and Rosemary has joined Paulette in the sales department. A big welcome to you both!

I know we all say it, but where is the time flying too? For us working on the magazine, it is extra difficult because right now I have already finished June and am looking at all things July!

Sadly, we lost a few friends this month and my thoughts are with all their families and loved ones. Growing up certainly has it’s challenges.

Sunday 16th June is dedicated to Fathers in the UK. I am lucky enough to have a great dad and wish him a very Happy Father’s Day. June is a very festive time in Mojácar - the most significant is the Moors & Christians celebrations from 14th - 16th. Find out more on pages 27-35.

I would like to welcome our new Tech Guru, Adrian, to the team of scribes. I’m sure many of us will find his advice helpful. His first article about internet and security can be found on pages 52-53.

Don’t miss our very first short story - the conclusion will feature in July’s magazine, where you will also find out a little more about the author, Christian. It is a little longer than your average short story but all will become clear - pages 48 - 49. If you, or someone you know, has written a story, why not send it to me for consideration - I look forward to reading them all.

We hope you enjoy your read - there is so much of it - and please don’t forget to continue to tell our advertisers that you saw them in the Almeria Living!

Take care, stay safe, especially around the pool and out in the sun!

Talk again in July - Karen (Ed)

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02 Almeria Living

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What’s Inside........

Regular Articles & Feature Sections Spanish Provinces

P.6 - P.7

Cora’s Diary

P.83 - P.84

Spanish Number Plates

By Mike Woolnough Day Trips & Mini Breaks ¡Buen Provecho!

Our Food & Drink section Cooking with Nina

P.96 - P.97

Wine Critic - Bill Riley

P.24

‘Look Good - Feel Great’

P.73 - P.81

P.82 P.15 - P.25 P.16 - P.20

Health & Fitness with Jacey Canovas P.74 New - Tech Guru

By Adrian Foster

P.52 - 53

‘Homes & Gardens’

P.39 - P.63

Puzzles

P.43, P.54 & P.71

Emma Randle’s Feature

P.64

‘Mojácar Section’

P.27 - P.35

‘Trades & Services’

P.65 - P.71

‘Classified’

P.87 - P.89

‘Wheels’ P.91 - P.99

Avda Andalucía 1, La Alfoquía 04661, Almeria Office Tel: 950 634 388

Editor: 627 635 514 - Karen Email: sales@almerialiving.net

Sales Team:

Paulette - 643 681 025 Rosemary - 681 015 892 Distribution towns & villages include: Albox, Arboleas, Zurgena, La Alfoquia, Purchena, Cucador, Los Carasoles, Urcal, Huercal Overa, Mojacar, Garrucha, Buganvillas, Turre, Palomares, Puerta Rey, Vera Playa, Vera Town, Antas El Real, Los Gallardos, Velez Rubio and surrounding towns Depósito Legal: T-0987-11 Printing by Indugraf Offset S.A., Constantí, Tarragona All rights reserved.

Whilst all reasonable care has been taken to ensure the accuracy of the publication, the publisher cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions.

The publisher takes no responsibility for advertisers with regards to any claims made or information given in the advertisements contained in this publication. Advertisements designed by the publisher remain the property of the publisher. No advert may be copied or reproduced without the publishers permission.

No part of this publication may be used or reproduced without explicit permission. The views and opinions given in editorial copy are not necessarily those of the Publisher.

De-registering from the Spanish System There comes a time for some people to decide that Spain is no longer the country they want to live in. Many return to their home country, whilst others take the plunge for new lands and adventures.

Whatever the reason and wherever you go it is important that you de-register from the Spanish system.

Some of this information will not apply to you as it depends what type of resident you have been.

Vehicle If you are taking a Spanish registered vehicle out of the country then it is important to notify Trafico and apply a ‘baja’ so they can remove the vehicle from their database and not charge you the annual tax.

Padron The padron is the official register that each townhall has to keep record of the number of people living in its municipality. Therefore it is important to get your name removed from this list. In return you will be issued with a certificate that confirms this has happened.

Tax The Hacienda need to know that you are no longer a resident of Spain. They will need a copy of your Padron deregistration and completion of form 030.

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Residencia Now that our residencia certificates do not expire it is necessary to notify the Oficina de Extranjero that you will no longer be living in Spain. So long as you sign an authorisation, this does not have to be done in person and there is no administration charge, nor is an appointment necessary.

Complete the EX18 form just as you did when you first registered and select the ‘Baja’ box. With this, in duplicate, original Residencia Certificate, original passport (or certified copy if someone is acting on your behalf) and the de-registered padron certificate you are set to go! In return you will receive a stamped copy of the form for your records.

Medical If you are returning to your own country and have been in the Spanish medical system, you should hand in your medical cards to the main Centro de Salud for your area. Make sure that any forthcoming hospital appointments have also been cancelled to free the space for someone else.

If you are moving to another country (not your homeland), besides carrying out the actions above you may consider getting a certificate from the Social Security office that confirms Spain is not responsible for your medical cover. I came across this situation recently when someone moved to France and it is not so easy to do if you are not close by or able to converse with the office.

As always if you would like any further advice or assistance with any of the above you can call or visit the offices of C.A.T. Services in La Alfoquia.

June ‘19 03

The Verracos

One of the most famous examples in Ciudad Rodrigo

Before heading off on a trip to Salamanca a couple of years ago I had done some research and became fascinated by the misshapen stone sculptures known as verracos - the photos show the ones I found on my travels.

The verracos (Spanish: verraco; Portuguese: berrão) are granite megalithic monuments, sculptures of animals that are to be found in western Iberian in the Spanish provinces of Ávila, Salamanca, Zamora, and Cáceres, but also in the north of Portugal and Galicia. Over 400 have been identified.

The Spanish word verraco normally refers to boars and the sculptures are sometimes called verracos de piedra (pigs of stone).

Not sure he is a genuine article?

Most are quite deformed due to the passage of time but they have various shapes, which predominately represent the bull, pig, boar and less frequently the bear.

Some have been identified as bulls, and the village of El Oso, Ávila, named for "the Bear", has a verraco which supposedly represents a bear. Their dates range from the mid 4th to 1st centuries BC. There are several theories about their meaning. On the one hand it is believed they marked land devoted to grazing and on the other to one that could have a mystical or religious significance, namely the cult of the dead and funeral rites (this is because some have recorded Latin funerary inscriptions from Roman times) or even the cult of fertility.

There are some similar zoomorphic monuments to be found in Poland from the same period or older.

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The Guardia Civil: 175 Years of Serving and Protecting ‘5,000 good men offer a better guarantee of order than the 15,000 not bad, but mediocre men’. The original corps consisted of 14 commanders, 232 officers and 5,769 agents.

They soon won the respect and gratitude of the Spanish civil population for the good job they did in tidying up the highways and making travel safe again.

In 1929 the corps was granted the Gran Cruz de la Orden Civil de Beneficencia; this earned them the nickname ‘Benemérita’ (praiseworthy), which has stayed with them up to the present day.

To many of us the Guardia Civil is nothing but an annoying bunch of highwaymen whose sole purpose in life is hassling innocent traffic offenders.

But there is actually another side to Spain’s largest police force, and they do far more than traffic policing.

The members of the Guardia Civil are classed as military career officers, and they have to be of Spanish nationality.

Their moral code calls for loyalty, sacrifice, austerity, discipline, self-denial and a charitable personality. Their motto is ‘El honor es mi divisa’ which translates into ‘Honour is my currency’.

During the Spanish Civil War the Guardia Civil divided into two almost equally big fractions, and the corps lost 2,714 agents (7.83% of the workforce); over 4,000 were wounded. 83% of the fallen were loyal to the republican side.

When Franco had won the Civil War he proceeded to completely reorganize the State, and his original idea was to dismantle the Guardia Civil; however, he was persuaded to change his mind, and instead he let them continue as a law enforcement agency and he widened their zone of competence to include guarding the coasts and borders as well as combating fraud and contraband.

Today, these are integral areas of the Guardia Civil’s action sphere together with a wide range of other competences including gender violence, the war against terrorism, the environment, weapon control and, as most of us know to our peril, traffic control.

Today, the Guardia Civil consists of over 76,000 officers and superiors nationwide; only 7%, just over 5,500 of them are women.

The Guardia Civil celebrates its 175th anniversary this year. It was formed by Francisco Javier Girón y Ezpeleta, II Duque de Ahmada in 1844.

After the end of the 1st Carlist War the highways and the Spanish countryside was a free for all for all kinds of robbers, violent attackers and other villains, and people were fed up with not being able to travel safely around the country.

On 13th May 1844 Isabel II issued a royal decree which founded a military police corps to deal with the unacceptable amount of highway crime: the Guardia Civil. This is considered their official birthday, and the first time the corps was seen by the public was on September 1st of the same year.

The 2nd Duke of Ahumada’s idea behind the Guardia Civil was that

June ‘19 05

Spanish Provinces & their Capitals

There are 50 provinces in Spain, each with its own capital city which usually, but not always, carries the same name as the province. Our next of Spain’s provincial Capitals takes us to .........

Huelva in Huelva

The province of Huelva is Andalucía’s westernmost province.

It borders on the Atlantic Ocean, Portugal and the provinces of Badajoz, Seville and Cádiz.

The river Tinto owes its name to the fact that the water that flows in it is a rusty red colour caused by the natural mineral contents in the Huelva soil.

Huelva covers an area of 10,128 km2 and has a population of 519,932 (2018). Its highest point is Monte Bonales at 1,055 MAMSL and it is traversed by four major rivers: Guadalquivir, Guadiana, Odiel and Tinto.

The province is rich on minerals which have been mined there since the year 1,000 B.C. The copper mine in the mining basin was one of the first in the world to be exploited, and the minerals and metals that were mined there over the millenniums created wealth in the district.

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06 Almeria Living

However, it was not until the middle of the 19th century that the mining was properly commercialised when British companies, such as the Rio Tinto Company Ltd., entered into the mix. In a couple of decades the area turned into one of the world’s largest mining centres, and the infrastructure was improved to facilitate the transport of the minerals to the port at Huelva city.

The fact that the larger part of the wealth created by the exploration went abroad did cause quite a bit of social unrest and rioting, and when the mines stopped yielding the large profits of the 1800s, they passed back into Spanish hands.

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643 681 025 The capital of Huelva is Huelva; it is home to 144,258 souls (2018), and it is situated on the flatland between the estuaries of the rivers Odiel and Tinto.

Huelva is an important port city and has been so for over two thousand years. Its brilliant setting between sea, rivers and productive mines turned it into a melting pot and meeting place for people from all the different civilizations that have existed through the centuries.

It has been home to Tartessians, Phoenicians, Romans, Visigoths, Moors and of course, Christians. The city remained an important port during the early days of the discovery of the Americas, but at the same rate that Cádiz and Seville grew in importance, Huelva’s prominence shrank, and the city went into a real decline at the end of the 16th century.

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The city had its ups and downs over the next few centuries until the British mining companies discovered the area and helped shape the province and city into a resemblance of what they are today.

Huelva’s economy rests on two main pillars: industry (it has an important chemical industry as well as the port and several shipyards) and the service sector as capital of the province.

It has a large fishing fleet which generates more than 400,000 euro a month, and there is a large warehousing and refrigerating sector in the port.

The chemical industry sector, which is the largest contributor to Huelva’s economy, was first established there in the 1960s under Franco. The area was chosen due to its relative backwardness, unemployment and poverty as an ideal place to start up a large industrial complex.

Due to the problems that are the drawback of the chemical industry, such as illness, pollution and ecological recline, the population is divided into two camps: those that see it as a necessity to the existence of the city, and those that see it as a problem which causes bad health and destroys eco systems.

Paradoxically, Huelva is home to one of Spain’s most important national parks, the Parque Nacional de Doñana, which also reaches into the provinces of Cádiz and Seville.

Because of its position on the migratory route between two continents, Doñana shelters hundreds of different species of migratory birds and its biodiversity is unique in Europe. It also houses Spain’s largest Iberian lynx breeding programme.

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In spite of being home to the Doñana natural park and some stunning, unspoilt beaches, Huelva remains one of Spain’s least visited provinces.

June ‘19 07

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The Spur-Thighed Tortoise - Testudo Graeca be found: - La Doñana National Park in Huelva, where they live in the dunes and pine groves with their plentiful vegetation.

- In Mallorca, where there is a tiny enclave left which covers only about 100 m2. It is in the small municipality of Calviá.

- In south-eastern Spain, in Murcia and the north of Almería. This is the largest colony, and here they do not only live in the wild, but also in agricultural areas such as olive, citrus and almond groves.

The spur-thighed tortoise, testudo graeca, is a native of the Iberian Peninsula, Mallorca, Morocco and Algiers.

It grows to a size of about 18 cm and its shell is rounded with yellowy and olive green colouring, although some specimens have an almost black shell. The plates that make up the shell usually have a black border and a black spot in the middle.

You can distinguish it from the Mediterranean tortoise by looking at the plate above the tail. On the Mediterranean tortoise it is divided, whereas on the spur-thighed tortoise it is not.

Its breast plate is yellow with black spots, which are more visible on the younger individuals; its head is yellow with black spots which sometimes cover the head completely. The eyes are bulging, like those of a frog, another trait that makes it easy to identify.

Looking at this information it is not difficult to reach the conclusion that the spur-thighed tortoise is in danger of becoming extinct. And it is indeed a protected species; it is prohibited to hunt or catch them, and also to hold them in captivity even though they were born there.

The greatest danger to the species, though, is the fact their habitat is being invaded by construction and agriculture, and destroyed by forest fires.

The spur-thighed tortoises reproduce in spring. Once they have awakened from hibernation the male starts courting by following the female around, biting her and tapping her shell. Once she allows him, he climbs up and perches himself on her shoulders. His tummy is concave to facilitate the copulation.

Continued on page 10 .....

The spur-thighed tortoise has five claws on the front feet and four on the back, and on the front of the thighs it has a spur (hence the name) which is also a trait unique to this species.

The male is smaller than the female (up to 15 cm) and its tail is long and robust. The female’s tail is short. The reason the female is larger than the male is that she reaches sexual maturity later, and tortoises keep growing until they do.

The testudo graeca lives in arid or semi arid areas with little rainfall and a predominance of scrub and small bushes, in other words in the typically Mediterranean environment.

Today there are only three places left in Spain where they can still

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Mojácar: 950 475 156 Albox: 950 120 070 mojacar@ibexinsure.com albox@ibexinsure.com Local 85 Parque Comercial Calle Rulador, 36 Bajo 04368 Mojácar 04800 Albox June ‘19 09

..... Continued from page 9 Afterwards the female conserves the semen in her body until she’s ready to lay her eggs. She can keep it for up to four years. The eggs are laid in holes she digs in the ground. She repeats the procedure three to four times a year, in the months of May and June. The amount of eggs depends on her size.

The babies’ gender depends on the temperature. For the eggs to develop correctly, the temperature has to be between26 and 33º Celcius; any colder or hotter, and the embryos become malformed or die. If the temperature is below 31.5ºC the majority of the babies are male; if it is above, the majority are female.

The hatchlings have a small horn to help them break through the shell of the egg during the hatching, which lasts some 48 hours; this horn falls off after a few days.

The spur-thighed tortoise mainly forages on wild plants, such as alfalfa, thistles, dandelion and rosemary.

Sometimes they eat dead animals and carrion, slugs and insects. The females tend to eat more meat than the males.

Wherever they find water, they drink and bathe.

Tortoises are cold blooded creatures and their body temperature is determined by the environment temperature. They go and sit in the sun first thing in the morning to heat up their bodies and start their metabolic functions.

If it gets hotter than 27ºC they dig a hole and cover it with vegetation to get away from the heat.

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10 Almeria Living

In autumn they stop eating for approximately three weeks to empty their digestive tract, and in November and December they go into hibernation, either in a protected place or underground. The ideal temperature for hibernating is 5ºC, although the tortoises can survive a temperature range of 2 to 10ºC. If it is any colder they will get brain damage or die; if it is warmer they will enter into sub-hibernation and use up too much energy.

The spur-thighed tortoise has excellent vision; they can distinguish shapes and colours, and even recognize people when it lives in captivity. It has a good sense of smell which helps it finding food and partners, and although its ears are not developed, it can feel vibrations in the ground.

Specimens living in the wild are not thought to live to beyond 20 years, although those in captivity can live to be 60.

L

U O R C T O Y A G RD N O 10th ANNIVERSARY SATURDAY 15th JUNE 10am -1.30pm

Come along and join us for Cava and Nibbles Special offers and discounts on the day!!!!

Turn the page to find out more about this amazing group of businesses

June ‘19 11

THE BOOK BOX TOP QUALITY PRE-READ BOOKS Thousands of Titles Hundreds of Authors All checked, cleaned & catalogued

We know our books

LONGO COURT YARD CELEBRATING 10 YEARS

THE BOOK BOX 10 years ….. my goodness, where has that gone.

From starting out in our mobile trailer, to moving into the shop, John sadly past away, to me going solo.

Here at The Book Box I have over 29,000 books in stock. They are all cleaned, catalogued and in the shop, just waiting for you to peruse. If I don’t have the book you are looking for, I maintain a wanted list and will inform you when it becomes available.

The books are priced from €2.50 to €3.50 and if you decide you do not want to keep the book, return it to me I good condition and you will receive €1 credit towards your next book purchase.

I also purchase books that have been published in the last 3 years.

Many of my customers over the years have now become friends.

So next time you are at the courtyard at Longo´s, pop in, sat hello and choose your books

Prices €2.50 - €3.50

Tuesday – Friday 10.00 -14.00 Saturday 10.00 – 13.00

At - The Courtyard, Ferreteria Longo, Albox Open: Tue - Fri 10am - 2pm & Sat 10am - 1.30pm

Jay - 662 585 098

1

Pool Leisure Products & Services

Many offers available throughout the summer Our shop has everything you need:• High Quality Pool Chemicals • Pool cleaning equipment • LED pool lights • Spare parts • Accessories

1 STOP POOL SHOP 10 years in the courtyard. That’s a lot of Chlorine Tablets sold!!!!!

Having moved to our prime location in the courtyard we have continued to grow from strength to strength!!

We started small selling what customers really needed for their pools, whilst offering free advice, and many other pool services.

Now we can offer so much more Leak Detection Solar and Winter Covers and Fitting Acid Bath and Re-grout Re-Tilng and Re-Lining

We have a great range of Above Ground Pools and offer a fitting service

In the shop we always stock a very large range of spare parts along with everything else needed to maintain your pool and spa.

We also offer made to measure solar covers, which gives you extended swimming time

We also offer a large range of above ground pools, for which we offer a site survey and advice on location and of course we also build your pool for you.

* Free Gift to all customers on Saturday 15th June *

Diane would love a bigger shop (and needs one!) but would never move away from the courtyard where the atmosphere of the combined shops is always a friendly and sociable place.

Longo’s Courtyard - Albox

Borders

950 104 345 / 637 582 696

Open: Mon-Fri 09.30-14.00 Sat 10.00-13.30

12 Almeria Living

Call in on Saturday and meet Frank who is always ready to help and advise.

SATURDAY 15TH JUNE 10AM - 1PM COLIN THE CARD Proud of our prices, Proud of our products (12 years in the business) Glenn and Noreen took over as the proud owners in November 2016.

Since taking over the shop we have built on the extensive range of greeting cards for every occasion, and vastly improved the gift department. The shop is now packed full of great ideas exclusive to us, to suit all budgets. We also stock a large selection of helium balloons, badges, banners, party products & jewellery from our exclusive Indulgence Range.

We offer courier & postal service worldwide for letters including recorded, parcels, packages and passport applications. You can sign up to have your post securely delivered to the shop.

THE PERFECT ONE STOP SHOP for all your needs. Glenn, Noreen, Tania & Viv are always on hand to assist you in any way we can.

COLIN THE CARD

Proud of our products Proud of our prices • The largest selection of Cards in Andalucía • Extensive range of Gifts

• Party Products & Banners • Helium Balloons for all occasions • Luxurious gift-boxed Jewellery • Worldwide postal service send/receive • Securely send & receive Passports • 20% discount on all gifts on the day Colin The Card - find us on Facebook Opening hours 9.30–14.00 Monday - Saturday Sunday Closed

Longo - Centro Commercial -

Albox

Tel: 650 600 032 / 950 430 115 noreenmiller@hotmail.co.uk

ENGLISH SPOKEN

INFORDATOX Your computing shop, established now for TEN years at Longo´s courtyard.

Having the biggest range of ink cartridges in the “Comarca”, Infordatox could become your computing reference shop.

Computer Products & Services Genuine and compatible Ink Cartridges, Printers, WiFi range extenders, Internet accessories, Android boxes, Smartphones, Tablets, Laptops, Computers

We also have the latest printer models, tablets, smartphones and laptops, as well as many internet and computer accessories. Just come to visit us and do not hesitate to ask us about what you are looking for.

Recently we have added a new service to our business. We can provide you with an amazing Internet connection.

We are working with Wimax and we are very proud of the service they are offering, so just come and ask about this, you will be very pleased with their Internet Service.

We really want to thank all our customers/friends for their support.

As you know Raquel hasn´t been in the shop for ten years, but Infordatox has been under her management for six years now, WOW, amazing, where the time has gone?

So, to celebrate the anniversary we are going to have special offers available on the 15th June.

You can find us - Mon-Fri 9:00 – 14:00 and Sat 10:00 – 13:30

Official Distributor of WiMAX Online Open: Mon - Fri 9am - 2pm & Sat 10am - 1.30pm Call 950 63 32 23 or Email: infordatox@infordatox.com Next to Centro Comercial LONGO - Ctra Lorca-Baza, ALBOX

June ‘19 13

Spanish Income Tax Returns It is fast approaching time to complete the annual Spanish Income Tax Returns and below are some of the frequently asked questions: Do we have to declare all of our income?

Yes, the law states that ALL income has to be declared and tax paid in the country that you are living in, the caveat to this is that Crown Pensions, UK Property Rental and Royalties, the tax has to be paid in the UK but it still needs to be declared in Spain and any tax paid in the UK will be taken into account.

What is the difference in State Pension and Crown Pension?

A State pension is the Old Age Pension, a Crown Pension is Armed Forces, Civil Service or Local Government Pensions Is the State Pension taxable in Spain?

Yes, it is liable for tax in Spain as it would be if you lived in the UK. Can we choose to pay our taxes in the UK? No, if you are a Spanish Tax Resident, then your income needs to be declared and taxes paid in Spain.

When am I classed as a Spanish Tax Resident?

If you live in Spain for more than 183 days in any year, you are deemed as a Spanish Tax Resident.

What happens if I do not make a declaration or only declare some of my income?

The Spanish Tax Authorities have direct access to the UK Tax Authorities system and are fully aware of your income, if you do not declare or declare incorrectly, the Authorities can go back four years and claim the tax that was due, plus interest, plus they will also fine you.

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What are the allowances and tax limits in Spain?

14 Almeria Living

The Spanish system is totally different to the UK and is based on your personal circumstances.

In the UK everyone has a personal allowance of ÂŁ12,500 and any income above that allowance is taxed at 20% up to ÂŁ32,000. In Spain there are tax allowances and liabilities for Madrid and your local Authority ie. Andalucia. Once your income figures are entered onto the system, allowances and liabilities are applied according to your personal circumstances and any tax due is calculated by the system.

When does any tax liability have to be paid and how do I pay it?

The income tax returns need to be completed, submitted and any tax due paid by the 30th of June each year. There are three ways to pay the tax: 1. Go into a bank and pay over the counter.

2. Direct Debit taken from your bank.

3. Direct Debit of 60% taken at end of June & 40% taken at the beginning of November

These are only some of the most frequently asked questions but if you have any others,

please contact Aurora on 950 472 242 or aurora@indalo.partners

Black Plums Ciruelas Negras

¡Buen Provecho!

Please note that this is only the score for antioxidant absorption, it does not mean that other fruits are not as beneficial in other areas.

The figures show the ORAC per 100g of foodstuff, and don’t go eating 100g of ground cloves a day to get lots of antioxidants into your system, it’d probably kill you!!

A thumb rule for fruit is that the darker the fruit, the higher the ORAC; so choose black plums rather than the green variety, black grapes rather than green etc.

Apart from the high absorption of antioxidants, plums also help our digestion. We have probably all experienced the effects of overindulging in plums, at least as children. If you have a slow tummy or constipation, there’s nothing like a portion of plums, or indeed prunes, to get you going.

Plums can be eaten fresh, or cooked with a drop of water, a pinch of sugar and cinnamon they turn into a delicious compote.

Like so many other fruits and vegetables, plums are available almost all year round nowadays, but it is in June, at least here in Spain, that they really start their season and come into their own. This time of year they are sweet, juicy and the stone comes out easily. It is not just the black plum that is at its height right now; in Spain summer is the high season for all stone fruits.

Plums are a great source of antioxidants, not least vitamin C. Antioxidants are great defenders of our immune system and they help protect our cells from free radicals. Free radicals are a natural by-product of living, but they can damage our cells and lead to illness and aging.

There are antioxidants in all fruits and vegetables, but not all of them offer the same amount of protection; it depends on how easily they are absorbed in the body.

Scientists have classified alimentation according to its absorption and they have created the so-called ORAC list (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) so that we can see at a glance how many ‘points’ each kind of food gets. The top ranking foodstuffs are spices and herbs, number one is ground cloves with a score of 314,446.

But amongst fruits, the plum is one of the highest ranking contenders. It scores 6,259; the dried plum, the prune, gets 5,770. As a comparison, strawberries score 1,536, oranges 750 and apples 218.

Black plums are also the ones that are used for drying, and making prunes.

When buying plums, choose the ones that are firm and without bruises. Bruises quickly spread and turn the whole fruit.

Plums can keep for 4-6 days in the fridge.

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Bar Lepanto 26 Between Mercadona & Rizos - Avda Lepanto 26, ALBOX June ‘19 15

Auf Wiedersehen, Pets!

Cooking with Nina

The heat is upon us, and many people don’t like spending a lot of time in the kitchen if they can avoid it.

So I thought I’d be nice to y’all and do some quickies this month.

But then I thought you might like to do some bread, and I took out a quickie and stuck in German Laugebrötchen. And then I stumbled over a recipe for Berliner Bouletten, a kind of frikadelle. And seeing as I’m off to Berlin and most likely will be sitting in Tiergarten enjoying a large frosty glass of Bier when you read this, I decided to take out another quickie and give you the bouletten.

The two quickies are both lovely pasta dishes, a traditional Spanish one and the other – shock horror – is vegetarian. And absolutely irresistible!

Spaghetti with Mushrooms and Green Asparagus A quick and easy summer meal which tastes wonderful and is ready in the time it takes to cook the pasta.

© Deborah Lee Rossiter

I have taken to using wholemeal pasta, both for the fibre and the lovely rich flavour!

Ingredients for two: 250g mushrooms, cleaned and sliced 1 bunch green asparagus, rinsed 200 ml cream Salt and pepper 2 tbsp olive oil 150g (wholemeal) spaghetti 2L water Salt

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Bring the salted water to the boil in a large saucepan.

Snap the wooden end off the asparagus, cut the rest into 2 cm pieces.

When the water boils, throw in the spaghetti, stir until it’s all separated; and again from time to time.

Heat the oil in a large frying pan and throw in the mushrooms. Fry them fiercely until they take colour, then lower the heat and add the asparagus. Let them fry along for a couple of minutes, then add the cream.

Bring it to the boil and let it bubble gently until the spaghetti is done.

Drain the spaghetti and distribute it in two bowls.

Season the sauce to taste and pour it over the pasta.

Serve just like that – the lovely green asparagus is all the green you need with this meal!

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Berliner Bouletten – Frikadelles from Berlin Ingredients for two: 2 tbsp oil

Salt, pepper, marjoram and cumin to taste; don’t be shy!

Bouletten 400g mince, a mix of beef and pork 1 day-old bread roll, soaked in water ½ onion, finely chopped 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

Sauce: 3 tbsp mustard 150ml stock 100ml cream Salt and pepper, pinch of sugar

One of the things I love about German food, and which always makes me laugh, is the amount of meat they calculate per person.

This recipe, for example, is for two, and you use 400g minced meat! According to the original, you actually shape this into four large frikadelles, but I must admit that I chickened out and made it into six.

In this recipe there is no egg to bind together the ingredients, which means that you must handle the bouletten with care; however, I have later found other recipes that do have egg, so if it will make you feel better, by all means, stick one in!

The bouletten comes with a tasty sauce!

Wring the water out of the bread roll and mix all the ingredients for the bouletten. Knead thoroughly.

Heat the oil in a thick-based frying pan, shape the mix into 4-6 balls and fry them until they are golden on both sides. Turn down the heat and let them keep frying for 15 – 20 minutes, until completely done.

Take them out of the pan and keep them warm.

Pour the stock into the same pan and bring it to the boil. Add the mustard, stir until there are no more lumps, then add the cream and a pinch of sugar.

Season to taste; if you need to, you can thicken the sauce either by reducing it, or adding a little corn flour mixed with water.

Serve the hot bouletten in their sauce with potatoes and some wonderful green vegetables.

Sunday 23rd June - 3pm – 6pm SHARON ELIZABETH REGAN ‘The Little Lady with the BIG Voice’ Singing hits from the 1950’s onwards, Country & songs from the West End

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© Deborah Lee Rossiter

NEW INDIAN TANDOORI RESTAURANT BAR , RESTAURANT & TAKEAWAY Full Restaurant Menu Available Tel: 632 110 888

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June ‘19 17

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Macaroni with Sausages

You will often see this recipe as ‘primer plato’ on a Menú del Día, and it is one of my favourites.

Use lovely Spanish sausages; they are always full of meat and flavour, and little else! Especially if you get them from the butcher’s.

Ingredients for four: 400g (wholemeal ) macaroni 1 onion, finely cuopped 4 tomatoes, grated (or a tin of chopped tomatoes) 400g pork sausages, cut into 2cm pieces

Nutmeg, 2 bay leaves 250ml milk 1 tsp corn flour 1 tbsp pork pate Salt and pepper 4 tbsp olive oil

Bring a large pan of salted water to the boil. Throw in the macaroni and let it cook until it is almost ‘al dente’. Drain and reserve.

Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the sausages. Let them cook for 5 minutes then reserve.

Put the chopped onion into the sausage fat and let them bubble for 3-4 minutes then add the tomato and the bay leaves. Season and let it all fry for 15 minutes. Pour in half of the milk and add the pate, stirring until it is dissolved. Add the macaroni and sausages and let it bubble for a couple of minutes while you dissolve the corn flour in the rest of the milk. Pour it into the pan and keep stirring until the sauce is thickened. Season to taste with salt, pepper and nutmeg.

Take the pan off the heat, cover and let it rest for 2-3 minutes before serving with a lovely salad!

Maximum delicious with minimum fuss!

© Deborah Lee Rossiter

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950 930 539 THE LITTLE SHOP THAT´S GOT A LOT! We have the largest selection of your favourite goods in the area, and at the best prices too! All direct from the UK. Check out our website for all the latest SPECIAL OFFERS

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Pay us a visit, you will love our prices !

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The best breakfast in Albox from 3€ A great selection of pasties all freshly baked on the premises. They are the best quality & value in the area.

See you here soon!

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June ‘19 19

Laugenbrötchen © Deborah Lee Rossiter

As the more astute amongst you may have gathered from the name, these are small German rolls.

You used to be able to get them in Lidl, dark brown with a light cross on the surface.

My (German) man loves them, so when he stumbled over a recipe in one of my German cooking magazines, he ‘suggested’ (begged) that I made some.

The recipe was for spelt flour, and so far I have only managed to get wholemeal spelt in Spain. Traditional Laugenbrötchen are not wholemeal, but mine turned out just fine!

Ingredients for 12 rolls (they are fairly small, next time I will make 8 out of the same amount of dough): 15g yeast

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½ tsp sugar 400g spelt flour 20g soft butter 1 tsp salt 50g bicarbonate of soda

Crumble the yeast into 200 ml warm water.

Add the sugar and stir until all is dissolved.

Add flour, butter and salt, and mix everything for four minutes with a hand mixer with the dough hooks attached. I don’t have a hand mixer, so I kneaded as quickly as I could by hand (apparently spelt doesn’t like to be over-kneaded) until it was soft but not sticky.

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Roll the dough into a ball, place it in a clean bowl and leave it to rise for an hour in a warm place.

Closed: Tue / Sat /Sun

Bring 1½ litres of water to the boil and add the bicarbonate of soda.

Telephone orders welcome Last orders taken 15 minutes before closing

After an hour, roll the dough into a sausage and cut it into 12 even pieces using a sharp knife.

With floured hands roll each piece into a small ball.

Now comes the unusual bit:

Reduce the heat to stop the water from boiling, then put four rolls into the water using a slotted spoon.

Let them soak for 30 seconds then turn them and give them another 30 seconds. Take them out and drain them.

Repeat with the rest of the rolls. This process is what gives them their characteristic brown colour.

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Use a sharp knife to cut a cross in each roll then place them on a baking sheet lined with baking paper. You can sprinkle them with coarse salt if you like, I prefer not to.

Bake your Laugenbrötchen at 220ºC for 18-20 minutes, then leave them to cool on a rack.

The fresher they are, the scrummier.

They freeze well, and if you want to freeze some of them, place them in the freezing bag before they are completely cooled down.

But don’t put them in the freezer until they are cold.

Eat your delicious, warm rolls with jam and butter – or just butter!

Yum!!

What’s On - June / July Wednesday 5th June – ALTOONAS - 7pm onwards Saturday 8th June – BRIAN DEE – 8pm onwards Sunday 9th June – JACK LAW - 5pm onwards Wednesday 12th June - SHARON ELIZABETH REGAN - 7pm onwards Sunday 16th June – ALL SKAS – 6pm onwards 5 piece group extravaganza Tickets 8€ to include food - available at the bar

Wednesday 19th June – SOULBOTS - 7pm onwards Saturday 22nd June – See our Facebook page for details Sunday 23rd June – STEVE FISHER (aka Rod Stewart) Wednesday 26th June – MAD ON BLONDE - 7pm onwards Saturday 29th June – CARL LEWIS singing all your favourites – 7pm onwards Sunday 30th June – MARTIN THE CROONER - 5pm onwards Saturday 6th July – MARILYN SHIPLEY - 7pm onwards Sunday 7th July – JACKY & STEVE DEL MUNDO - 5pm onwards

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Every Monday

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Tuesday

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Arroyo Acietuno 1 Arboleas June ‘19 21

La

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Restaurant - Bar Danny & Sharron welcome customers new and old

Saturday 8th June

Saturday 29th June

BBQ on the terrace from 2pm Live entertainment with SKA BAND - from 3pm

BBQ on the terrace from 2pm

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WEDNESDAY STEAK DEAL Buy 1 fillet steak meal & get the 2nd for half price 6pm-9pm

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The Mediterranean Diet Doctors, specialists and scientists, at least in the western world, all seem to agree on one thing: that the Mediterranean diet is the healthiest diet around, and that we should all adopt it if we want to stay healthy and live long.

And many of us really do try: Lots of salads, fruit and vegetables; olive oil instead of butter; less bread in general and sandwiches in particular; lots of fish; less animal fat. And the list goes on…

We all have a general idea what it’s all about, and this is how it is put into practice on a typical food day in the life of a traditional Spaniard: First thing: Coffee or milk and a couple of biscuits.

Mid morning: Breakfast. Traditionally half a baguette split lengthways and smeared with tomato and drizzled with olive oil; the famous tostada. Nowadays, however, there are many other tostada toppings on offer; tuna fish, cheese, ham and also butter and jam, the latter of which is definitely not part of the Mediterranean diet!

Early to mid afternoon: Lunch. This traditionally consists of a salad followed by two main courses. The first (primer plato) is usually pasta in a sauce or a rice dish (what we foreigners would classify as paella but isn’t really), or in winter a hearty stew or soup with plenty of flavour and not a lot of meat in it. The second main course (segundo plato) is meat or fish almost always with a few potatoes or chips, or a vegetable garnish. This meal is often rounded off with a piece of fruit or yoghurt, or even a portion of ice cream or flan.

Followed by a good, long relax!

Mid evening: Supper. A light meal, just enough to see you through the night, but not so much as to give you acid or heartburn. This was

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traditionally soup or a salad.

Sadly, modern living is starting to encroach on the Mediterranean diet, and stress and lack of time often causes people to resort to precooked and processed foods, which are not good for us at the best of times.

I’m not saying that eating following the Mediterranean diet guarantees anybody a long and healthy life, but that combined with the good old maxim ‘Everything in Moderation’ will definitely help you along towards healthier living!

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Toro

One of the smallest D.O. (Denominacion de Origen) wine regions, covering only eight thousand hectares (there are 2.47 acres per hectare), is the little known region of Toro in the province of Zamora, part of Castille y Leon.

Toro is to the west of the much larger region of Rioja (66,000 ha) and is quite close to the Portuguese border. The D.O. classification was not granted until 1987 but the area has been quietly making good red wine for centuries.

By Bill Riley “Tulga” a joven (young) wine from the firm of Pagos del Rey. For less than three euros per bottle in a big supermarket it is good value, eminently quaffable, and gives hints of the quality which could be found in older and more illustrious styles. “Tulga” is also available in reserva and gran reserva styles – both of which are excellent.

Yes, Toro wines are definitely worth seeking out. © Bill Riley

In 1171 King Alfonso 1X of Leon and Galicia was born and duly devoted the next fifty-nine years trying to cure, single-handed, the lack of population in north-west Spain fathering well over twenty children – and those are the ones we know about. On the rare occasions he got out of bed he generously gave land to various churches on condition they planted vines. This may well explain the number of churches in the town of Toro which boasts over forty.

It also, no doubt, helped establish Toro as a small but serious wine growing region.

When, in the late twentieth century, French vineyards were being devastated by Phylloxera, it was noticed that the Toro region was immune to the nasty little bug which was busy killing vines on superior soils a few miles to the north in France. Fortunately Phylloxera does not like sand and the Toro vineyards are planted on predominately sandy terrain and were thus unaffected. France duly became a good customer for the robust red wines of Toro.

The main grape variety is our old friend Tempranillo though the locals call it Tinto de Toro and argue that it is actually a close relative. Reserva and Gran Reserva wines from top vineyards such as Bodegas Pintia command prices north of fifty euros per bottle but cheaper, younger wines are also to be found and I recently tasted

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Is It a Fig? No, It’s a Breba! between white and intense pink inside. They are usually labelled as figs, but they are brebas and their skin is thinner and more brittle than that of figs, their flavour not quite as rich. They have higher water content as they have developed in spring.

They are harvested in June or July, depending on when the heat set in, and they are sold straight away, usually for eating as fresh fruit, as their sugar contents are lower than the figs’.

Due to their mellower flavour and fine skin, they are also popular for making fig jam.

Have you ever noticed on the fig trees in spring, how there are very few fruits, and they develop so slowly that it makes you wonder how they are ever to amount to a whole harvest?

Well you see, they aren’t actually figs. They look like figs, they feel like figs, they taste almost like figs – but they are brebas!

Not all fig trees have brebas; only the ones that fruit twice a year, and which can be classified as ‘bifid’ figs.

Bifid figs are a genetic variety of the fig trees that fruit only once a year. Both varieties live side by side in the countryside, and man has had no hand in generating the bifid trees, nature performed her own little miracle and created them.

You could actually say that the bifid fig tree only fruits once a year, in August and September, which is when it produces figs.

The fruits from the bifid fig tree are very resistant to cold, and when the last, late fruits are produced in October, these do not develop, but stay ‘hibernating’ on the tree until the following spring.

When the first real heat comes in May, these hibernating fruits wake up and develop into brebas, which are harvested in early summer: Big, fleshy fruits that are purple on the outside and any nuance

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With today’s well-developed infrastructures, they are often available throughout summer, as they develop later in fresher climates and are shipped down from further north when our own season finishes.

Later on, the figs proper arrive on the market stalls, smaller and more intense in flavour; these can also be eaten fresh, and they are excellent for drying.

Note: If you decide to dry your own, make sure you keep them in a fly free zone as they are not only popular with humans!

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June ‘19 25

Rural Depopulation, a Real Problem in Spain awkward and backward beings compared to their ‘sophisticated’ city cousins. A tendency which the authorities are actively trying to reverse by putting an end to the stereotyping of city versus country folk.

All these factors contribute to people, especially youngsters, wanting to leave country life and hit the lights of the big cities.

However, the depopulation is not only a problem for the villages and rural areas.

Spain’s big cities and coastal areas are getting overpopulated. They are turning into macro cities that expand non-stop; but even so, demand vastly exceeds supply in almost all areas. The inadequate availability of housing in areas where everybody is looking for somewhere to live pushes up the rents and property prices.

Spain’s rural population, as those of so many other modern countries, is moving in their droves to the cities. In Spain today, 90% of the population occupies only 30% of the territory – to be more precise, Madrid and the coastal areas.

It is a vicious circle in that the more people move away from the rural areas, the less inclined the public services and utility companies are to invest in the infrastructures in the countryside and small villages.

Public transport is inadequate for the number of people that need it, which increases the use of private transport. This again creates traffic jams and congestion, and the air pollution is an ever increasing problem. The number of people suffering health problems as a consequence of this puts undue pressure on the health service in the cities, and waiting lists are growing.

Today, a large number of villages are without a doctor’s surgery, school, bus service or even a village shop or bar. Broadband is usually a no-no, and many mobile providers do not bother to ensure cover in areas where the clients are few and far between.

Strangely enough, even in today’s modern society there is a tendency to look down on country dwellers as ‘rednecks’ and ‘hillbillies’ as

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At the same time there are some 7,000 abandoned villages in Spain, mainly in the north.

The Spanish government is aware of the problem and has set up a commission to face what they have dubbed the Demographic Challenge. The commission recommends various measures to try to stem the flow, including the provision of basic services to areas in danger of depopulation and through legislation encourage new investments and projects to be carried out all over the Spanish territory.

The Scottish government has been very successful with a similar project called the ‘Highlands and Islands Enterprise’, and Spain is looking north for inspiration and ideas to reverse the tide.

SUMMER IS ALMOST HERE!

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Drinks & Cocktails  Breakfasts  Snacks  3 course Menu del Día 15€ Sunday Roast from 9.95€  Monday Fun Quiz 8pm, Free entry Open 10am - late Wed 19th June - Show at 9pm - 10€ Food served all day World Class Closed Thursdays

ELTON JOHN Tribute

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Fun Monday Night Quiz

Play Your Cards Right with Sharon at 8pm 1€ entry - Half the proceeds are donated to Equinac charity

Wed 24th July - 9pm - 15€ Headline act ‘Our Trace’ from Britain’s got Talent, also featuring Sam Rhodes, Mia Zuanic & Basil Jamm

Paseo de Mediterráneo 75, MOJACAR PLAYA (near Hotel Indalo)

Hair & Beauty Salon for Women, Men and children Tues-Thurs: 9.30am-1.30pm & 4.30-8pm Sat: 10am-2pm

Wash & Blowdry from 10€ Wash, Cut & Blowdry from 22€ Ladies Cut - 14€ 656 646 257 Yasmin

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Restaurante Casa Egea Playa Las Ventanicas

Mojácar Playa - 950 472 190 Specialising in Fish, Meat & Arroz Caldoso (house speciality)

Special Menu del Día Tuesday - Friday Open: Tue - Sun 10am-late Closed Monday

Property/Community Administrators Calle La Mata N01, Local 2 04638 MOJACAR – Almería

950 475 199 / 638 00 62 10 Mon - Fri 09.00-14.30 & Sat 10.00-13.00 June ‘19 27

Mojácar

El Noche de San Juan – the night of ritual and bonfires San Juan is a festival celebrated on June 23rd, a magical night that welcomes the summer season.

The celebration takes place during the shortest night of the year; during the summer solstice. It is a celebration that is usually held on the beach with roaring bonfires, drinks, food and friends. Legends, tradition and magical rituals are connected by the common elements: fire and water.

Some mystical people believe that on this magical night paranormal events can occur because ancient pagan gods get closer to humans. For this reason many magical rituals are celebrated.

Young people jump over fires which according to legend, gives more strength to the sun, which loses hours of light during the summer.

It is also a night full of Superstition. If you want to be lucky for the next 12 months you may want to: Jump over a bonfire.

Burn a piece of paper with your lovers name on it.

Burn something old and personal to leave behind bad spirits from the past and start a new phase.

Swim in the sea after midnight to purify the soul and body.

Pagan and Religious tradition meet in this awesome celebration.

Every region in Spain also has different local traditions.

Depending where you experience San Juan, you might find yourself almost entranced by the spectacle.

In some places, hundreds upon hundreds of fires dot the coastline. The smell of smoke permeates the air and there is a feeling of camaraderie that crosses age, culture, and background.

So welcome to the magical night of San Juan. It is about changes. It is about night to day; it is about fire to water. Fire purifies and water recuperates, refreshes, and rejuvenates.

Celebrating

51

Years

Live Music

Every Sunday

MOJACAR PLAYA

All meat & fish cooked on volcanic stones

For reservations & information call: 670 018 035 / 629 287 265

Large selectio n of Fresh Fish, Paella, Pincho s, great variety of Salads, Snacks, Burge rs & Menu del d ía Open daily from 10am

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28 Almeria Living

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Mojácar

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June ‘19 29

Mojácar Moros y Cristianos literally in English means Moors and Christians, is a set of festival activities which are celebrated in many towns and cities of Spain. According to popular tradition the festivals commemorate the battles, combats and fights between Moors (i.e.

Muslims) and Christians during the period known as Reconquista.

Streets are decked out like the Middle Ages, magnificent processions and exciting mock battles. The spectacular festival of Moors and Christians are days filled with magic, legend and wonder. For over four centuries, this festival has recreated the historic clash between two cultures. Go along and enjoy this unique festival in which thousands of people take part year after year, all trying to outshine each other in splendour and brilliance.

The festival of Moors and Christians is a very old tradition that dates back to the 16th century. It re enacts the confrontation that took place between Moorish and Christian soldiers in the 13th century over the rule of Spain. The events are held in honour of the city's patron saint who also played a decisive role in the battle. Thanks to the saint's sudden and unexpected intervention, victory went to the Christians in spite of their being outnumbered by the Moors.

The attraction, grandeur and popular nature of these festivities have caused them to spread to many parts of Spain, although they are especially popular in Valencia and Alicante. There are many variations on these festivities, as each place has its own history and unique elements that set it apart from the rest. The festivals stand out for their spectacular nature and are recognised as being of International Touristic Interest. By taking part in this festive reenactment, you will have the chance to discover an important piece of Spanish history, at the same time as you enjoy a festival which never fails to outshine that of previous years.

BAR - CAFETERIA Live Music Every Saturday 8pm

Breakfast • Sandwiches Snacks • Tapas platos combinados Coffees

•

Copas

Friday Night is Quiz Night at 8.30pm Avda. Med 413, Mojácar Playa (opposite Hotel Continental) 634 312 820 30 Almeria Living

∼ Legal Services ∼ N.I.E. Numbers ∼ Resident Certificates ∼ Conveyancing ∼ Contracts ∼ Accounting - Payroll ∼ Tax Returns ∼ Vehicle Registration ∼ Licenses ∼ Deeds ∼ Wills & Inheritance ∼ Power of Attorney ∼ Insurance Paseo del Mediterraneo 46 E, Mojácar lucas@geckolegal.com www.geckolegal.com Tel/Fax: +34 950 475 949

Mojácar

R E S TA U R A N T E & E V E N T O S

MOJÁCAR

THE FRESHEST FISH AND SEAFOOD IN MOJÁCAR

Mojácar Moors & Christians fiesta programme 14th – 15th – 16th JUNE The ‘clash’ between the Moorish and Christian sides is undoubtedly a magnificent spectacular, in which virtually all Mojácar’s residents take part.

Medieval Market The Medieval Market in the Pueblo opens at 12 midday on 14th June, with stalls offering all kinds of crafts and hand-made items and the stallholders themselves dressed in period costume. This is a great opportunity to stroll the streets of the Pueblo and imagine medieval times.

There will also be a host of street entertainment to suit all ages including various workshops, archery, belly dancing and fire eaters.

The market and street entertainment continues over the whole weekend.

Sardines, Sea Bass and Sea Bream cooked fresh to order on our fire pit.

Why not also try our BBQ, our various meats, Paellas & other dishes.

Parades & Enactments Friday 14th June 9.30pm – The troops gather in the area of the Fuente in the Pueblo and after the Moorish king hands over the key to the city to the Christian king they make their way up to the village accompanied by bands, fireworks and musket fire. 11pm Traditional opening of the fiesta, with junior and adult ambassadors reading the ‘Pregón de las Fiestas’, followed by fireworks as the fiesta with live music goes on well into the night.

A BEAUTIFUL SETTING ON A BEACH FRONT LOCATION

SATURDAY 15TH JUNE 5pm – Troops gather with blunderbusses at the Playa Del Lance, in front of Pueblo Indalo. Then at 6.00pm a procession of horses and exhibition of horsemanship and a confrontation between Moorish and Christian troops with shots from land and sea, followed by a Medieval tournament, where Moorish and Christian knights attempt to win the highest number of scarves put up by the ladies from both sides. The troops then march from Chiringuito Ankara to the Red Cross, accompanied by entertainers and once again fiesta until the early hours.

SUNDAY 16TH JUNE 12 noon on Mojácar Playa - gathering of Moorish and Christian fusiliers and firing of blunderbusses along the beach. Leading to the finale at 6.30pm in the Pueblo with a procession of Moors & Christians in full gala and military costumes accompanied by numerous bands, pomp and ceremony.

Open every day - Serving Lunch & Evening Meal Kitchen now open all day from 13.00 - 23.00 Come and enjoy a relaxing drink & sample our fresh tapas T. 616 005 387 E. info@neptunomojacar.com www.neptunomojacar.com

@neptunomojacar. Pso. del Mediterráneo 62E, Mojácar Playa

June ‘19 31

Mojácar

New One Stop

Tel: 950 473 040 Fax: 950 472 412

EST. SINCE 2002

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info@newonestop.com Paseo del Mediterraneo 275, Mojácar Playa 04638, Almeria

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REDUCED €169,995 50m to the beach, beautiful ground floor large apartment, 2 beds, 2 Bath, 98m built plus large terrace overlooking the pool, lounge/dining room, fitted kitchen, private secure parking & a store room, communal pool, A/C central.

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A beautiful brand new villa in excellent condition, with wonderful garden of 225m, terraces, private solarium, communal swimming pool. 4 double beds, 3 baths, air-con. Off- street parking.

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2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom apartment, with beautiful sea views, large terrace, fitted kitchen, private parking space and beautiful communal pool, excellent value for money.

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Fantastic opportunity – very large detached villa of 173m build, set on a beautiful tranquil plot with wonderful sea views, only 3 minutes’ walk to the beach and all amenities, 3 double bedrooms, 2.5 baths, private pool, garage, various terraces.

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Mojácar REDUCED €149,500 Mojácar €139,000 BARGAIN Beautifully furnished 2nd line beach ground floor

Penthouse apartment, with 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, with terrace and large Roof solarium set on a fenced and gated community, beautiful sea views, close to all amenities, Air condition hot and cold, fitted kitchen, wonderful sea & golf views.

apartment, 3 beds, 2 Bath, 75m built plus large terrace, lounge/dining room, fitted kitchen, private secure parking, walking distance to amenities & 50m from the beach.

Mojácar

Romantic Night in Mojácar Every year around the 20th June in Mojácar, the pueblo is decked out with thousands of balloons and hearts.

This year the festival falls on 23rd June. An unforgettable evening which sees all the charming nooks and corners of Mojácar filled with love and music.

The lovely little squares are beautifully decorated and the enchantment of romantic Mojácar becomes even more intense on this magical night.

The restaurants in the old quarter are decorated for romance with flowers, balloons and hearts, and the menu they offer is put together especially for the occasion.

Stroll through the streets of the Pueblo, pass through arches made of balloons to the musings of a saxophone, a piano or a Spanish guitar, and immortalize the moment in the photo calls which have been set up for the occasion.

Catholic couples can renew their vows in the church and receive a new blessing.

Countless stories of love and friendship will abound the streets of Mojácar on one of the most beautiful nights of the year as the participants await its high point: When the clock reaches midnight and all those attending enjoy ‘The world’s most beautiful kiss’

For all your glazing needs including....

Windows, Bath & Shower Screens, Mirrors & Mirror Murals, Safety Glass, Double Glazing

950 475 376 / 672 042 853

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cristaleriamojacar@hotmail.es www.cristaleriamojacar.es

Paseo del Mediterráneo 401, MOJÁCAR

Subida de la Marina 14, GARRUCHA

MIMI’S BAR

Mark & Julie welcome you

Open: 10.30 - late 7 days a week

Bar Snacks & Tapas

Quiz Nights (Wed & Sun)

for all the big sporting events

Avda Mediterraneo 443, Local 12

Mojácar Playa

651 872 604

MENU DEL DÍA Served Monday - Friday no fiestas

ELECTRONIC CIGARETTES ACCESSORIES - REGALOS SOUVENIRS Tel: 699 975 552 Email: volutasplace@gmail.com

Parque Comercial Mojácar, Local 18A

Tel: 664 097 279

Mojácar Playa (200m from Parque Comercial) June ‘19 33

Mojácar

Ruta de Tapas Mojacar

Mojacar will be holding its annual Ruta de Tapas event this year starting on Friday 31st May and running until Sunday 9th June.

This year the route will start from the Red Cross building facing the sea and finish on the beach at the Maui Bar. Over 20 of the local bars and restaurants will be participating offering small tapas dishes which will include all the local sea food favourites along with many other choices.

So if you are visiting the area during this period call in to one of the bars and see what individual specialities they have to offer.

The word "tapas" is derived from the Spanish verb tapar, "to cover".

It is very common for a bar or a small local restaurant to have eight to 12 different kinds of tapas in warming trays with glass partitions covering the food.

They are often very strongly flavored with garlic, chilies or paprika, cumin, salt, pepper, saffron and sometimes in plentiful amounts of olive oil. Often, one or more of the choices is seafood (mariscos), often including anchovies, sardines or mackerel in olive oil, squid or others in a tomato-based sauce, sometimes with the addition of red or green peppers or other seasonings.

It is rare to see a tapas selection not include one or more types of olives, such as Manzanilla or Arbequina olives. One or more types of bread are usually available to eat with any of the sauce-based tapas.

The original tapas were thin slices of bread or meat which sherry drinkers in Andalusian taverns used to cover their glasses between sips. This was a practical measure meant to prevent fruit flies from hovering over the sweet sherry. The meat used to cover the sherry

was normally ham or chorizo, which are both very salty and activate thirst. Because of this, bartenders and restaurant owners created a variety of snacks to serve with sherry, thus increasing their alcohol sales. The tapas eventually became as important as the sherry.

It has also been claimed that tapas originated in the south of Spain during the time of the Spanish Inquisition as a means of publicly identifying conversos, Jews who had converted to Christianity. Since tapas often consist in part of ham or other non-kosher foodstuffs, the reluctance of the conversos to eat whatever tapas dish was offered to them could be taken as a tacit admission that they had not abandoned their Jewish faith, thus tapas were a tool of the Spanish Inquisition.

Fresh Food Cocktail Bar

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Live Music

Live Music Every Saturday 8pm

Tapas Espetos (Bbq sardines) Paseo del Mediterráneo, 18

Mojácar Playa

950 47 30 42

Sunflower

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34 Almeria Living

651 802 415 620 386 039 Paseo del Mediterráneo, 325 Mojácar Playa (next to MACS)

Situated in Mojacar Playa on the Plaza Estrella next door to Marcello’s restaurant, La Bodega tapas bar and the gym.

This beautiful little boutique is owned by Mandy and Alan Price who moved to Mojacar three years ago, re locating from the west of England after absolutely falling in love with the beautiful area and warm welcoming people of Mojacar.

Sunflower, officially re-opened by Mandy and 6th May .UO Y YLEU QINAlan U .GNon IHT OLC TCEthis LESyear, offer a large selection of women’s clothing including, Coline a French collection, Laraethnics also from France, 100% Italian linen range as well as many other different collections. They also cater for men and have a range of plus sizes to suit both men and women. Sunflower also has a beautiful selection of accessories including jewellery, hats, bags and sandals.

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Though the primary meaning of tapa is cover or lid, it has in Spain also become a term for this style of food. The origin of this new meaning is uncertain but there are several theories: As mentioned, a commonly cited explanation is that an item, be it bread or a flat card, etc., would often be placed on top of a drink to protect it from fruit flies; at some point it became a habit to top this "cover" with a snack.

It is also commonly said that since one would be standing while eating a tapa in traditional Spanish bars, they would need to place their plates on top of their drinks to eat, making it a top.

Some believe the name originated sometime around the 16th century when tavern owners from Castile-La Mancha found out that the strong taste and smell of mature cheese could help disguise that of bad wine, thus "covering" it, and started offering free cheese when serving cheap wine..

Others believe the tapas tradition began when king Alfonso X of Castile recovered from an illness by drinking wine with small dishes between meals. After regaining his health, the king ordered that taverns would not be allowed to serve wine to customers unless it was accompanied by a small snack or "tapa".

Another popular explanation says that King Alfonso XIII stopped by a famous tavern in Cádiz (Andalusian city) where he ordered a cup of wine. The waiter covered the glass with a slice of cured ham before offering it to the king, to protect the wine from the beach sand, as Cádiz is a windy place. The king, after drinking the wine and eating the tapa, ordered another wine "with the cover".

A final possibility surrounds Felipe III, who passed a law in an effort to curb rowdy drunken behaviour, particularly among soldiers and sailors. The law stated that when one purchased a drink, the bartender was to place over the mouth of the mug or goblet a cover or lid containing some small quantity of food as part of the purchase of the beverage, the hope being that the food would slow the effects of the alcohol, and fill the stomach to prevent over imbibing.

KITCHENS

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BATHROOMS

Shower Trays, screens & columns to suit all budgets. Complete bathroom renovations.

MOSQUITO SCREENS

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SHUTTERS & REJAS Rejas, grills & shutters.

Fencing, gates & railings.

BUILT IN WARDROBES . INTERNAL BLINDS TOLDOS . AWNINGS & MUCH MORE PLUMBING . JOINERY . TILING SERVICES

If you are looking to improve your home, visit our Mojácar Playa showroom to see our large & varied displays.

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T: 950 473 104

info@mojacarhomeimprovements.com www.mojacarhomeimprovements.com

TRADE ENQUIRIES WELCOME

Paseo del Mediterráneo 30, Mojácar Playa 04638 June ‘19 35

The Children from San Ildefonso

Every Spaniard knows ‘los niños de San Ildefonso’, the children from San Ildefonso.

reign of King Enrique IV’.’

Many foreigners know them as well from when they sing the numbers in the Christmas (El Gordo) lottery.

Orignally known as ‘La Casa de los Niños Doctrinos San Ildefonso’ the school started to take in Madrid’s orphaned boys between the ages of seven and nine.

But it is not only the Christmas lottery they sing, they sing the numbers of the national lottery every Saturday all year round, and they are considered quite the little artists in their field.

The centre was first situated in Carrera de San Francisco and stayed there until 1883 when it was moved to its present location in central Madrid.

San Ildefonso is the name of the school they go to, and it is located in the La Latina neighbourhood in central Madrid. And it goes back a long way…

The first boy to draw and sing a lottery prize in the Spanish lottery was a seven-year-old by the name of Diego López. That was on the 9th March 1771, a date that marked the start of a very special relationship between the lottery and the voices of the children from San Ildefonso.

El Colegio de San Ildefonso was founded in the middle of the 15th century by the council of Madrid ‘in order to help relieve the problems created by the banditry and plagues that had marred the

The centre was funded by donations and, as a trade-off, the children participated in various public acts with their singing. After that first performance the school received 500 reales for its services.

238 years down the line the centre is jointly financed by the Spanish National State Lottery and the Madrid city council.

About 100 years ago the school changed its criteria and also opened its doors to children from families with problems, not only orphans.

And in 1984 it actually started allowing girls as pupils too, and that same year a girl sang in the national lottery for the first time.

The school is now open for children of both genders and of any origin and creed.

Singing all your favourite country music and oldies

Today San Ildefonso comprises a primary and infant education school, Centro de Educación Infatil y Primaria San Ildefonso, and the Residencia-Internado San Ildefonso, whose raison d’être is to support families that need help to bring up their children.

Step 2 It Line Dancing Wednesday New Class First Steps 6.45 - 7.30pm An Introduction to Line Dancing

Bar Rosaleda Arboleas

For details call Carrie 627 279 584 email: step2it@outlook.com For more information or to book a performance Email: musicbws@gmail.com

36 Almeria Living

Wednesday 7.30 onwards a mix of Beginner/Improver & Intermediate dances taught

June ‘19 37

Welcome to Los Gallardos

townhouses and villas along with older flat roofed whitewashed homes that have been there for many years.

It has all the amenities that you would expect of a small town including an array of bars and restaurants many of which have lovely outdoor seating areas. Plus a doctors surgery, a dentist, the town hall, school, church, chemist and a post office.

There are some lovely local shops, situated throughout the village, including furniture shops, a kitchen shop, gift shops, a tobacconist, and various food shops including a bakers, a butchers, and a fishmongers, plus smaller supermarkets for everyday needs.

Surrounded by beautiful countryside, Los Gallardos village lies in a lovely valley between the Sierra Cabrera mountains and the mountain village of Bedar.

It is accessible from the AP-7 motorway and is less than 40 mins from Almeria airport. It is also close to a number of beach resorts including Garrucha, Mojacar and Vera, all worth a visit if you are new to this fabulous corner of Spain..

Los Gallardos, is a pretty village, with attractive streets of

The local market is held every Tuesday, and if you need extra cash, there are 2 banks. The market is just as you would expect in rural Spain and has an array of stalls selling locally produced fruits and veg, and of course a selection of clothes and shoe stalls.

Los Gallardos is certainly worth a visit.

There are a number of seating areas set around the village, including a pretty town square, planted with beautiful flowers and surrounded by some stunning trees.

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38 Almeria Living

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HOMES & GARDENS

B is for Bougainvillea

One of the most prolific plants grown here in Spain has to be the glorious Bougainvillea. Wherever you travel, this stunning plant seems to thrive.

There is quite an array of colours to choose from, some are more delicate than others. If you live at around 500 metres, you may find the purple variety easier to grow. As you travel towards the coast, you will see yellow, orange, different shades of pink, and white, all a mass of colour and quite a sight to see and enjoy.

The colour is not the flower however. The flower is actually an insignificant part set in the centre of the coloured papery leaves, which are called bracts. These versatile shrubs can be trained to climb or even a become a hedge, given the correct support.

As a result of interbreeding over the years, there are now around 300 varieties of Bougainvillea around the world, all equally beautiful.

But how do you plant and care for them to achieve the results you see around you?

First of all, make sure you’re planting it in a sunny, warm location, Bougainvillea needs sun & heat to thrive and be a blooming machine.

Just like planting a shrub, dig the hole at least 2 times as wide as the root ball. Loosen the soil on the bottom of the hole to make sure the water will drain out. Bougainvillea doesn’t like to be kept sopping wet & is subject to rot.

So, the soil needs to be well drained. A rich, loamy soil is ideal.

You can amend as you need to in your area. I always amend in the ratio of 1/3 local organic compost to 2/3 native soil when planting bougainvillea. I always keep a 2-3″ layer of compost on top for good measure.

Continued on page 40 .....

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June ‘19 39

..... Continued from page 39 When planting in containers, use a good organic potting soil. Mix in compost at a ratio of 1/4 as the potting soil should already have compost in it. I always top my container planting with a 1-2″ layer of the compost, again for extra good measure. Just know that you’ll probably have to water your Bougainvilleas in containers more than you would if they’re in the ground. Also, the shorter growing varieties are much better suited to growing in containers.

Talking of watering, bougainvillea prefers infrequent, deep watering rather than frequent shallow watering. Too much water = too much green growth & eventually rot. Whilst your bougainvillea is establishing itself and getting its roots down, you’ll have to water it more frequently. How often depends on the size of the plant, the soil it is planted in and of course your climate zone.

Spring or summer is a great time to plant your Bougainvillea because that gives it plenty of time to settle in before winter comes. If you live at high altitude and tend to get cold snaps, a newly planted bougainvillea is much more likely to get damaged and quite possibly not recover.

Choose the location carefully because bougainvillea doesn’t like to be transplanted. Once established it is strong, but, start messing about moving it and it does not like it all. Some of the gardening sites have recommended making slits in the plant pot that you buy it in and then plant it along with the pot. This way the root ball does not get disturbed. Does this work? Maybe try it and see (if you are brave enough!)?

If you are lucky enough to be a bit of a master at growing Bougainvillea, why not have a try at propagating it. As with many plants around your garden, it is often quite easy to start off a new plant by taking cuttings.

English Spoken

Raising a garden full of woody, bright-bloomed bougainvillea only requires a single plant. Simply cut 6–8 inches (15–20 cm) from the stem of an existing plant, coat the end in rooting hormone, and stick it in a shallow container filled with well-drained potting soil. After a thorough initial watering, cover the cutting with a plastic bag and leave it to sit somewhere dim and cool. With minimal interference, it will develop into its own self-sufficient plant in as little as 3-6 months.

Casa Conchillo

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40 Almeria Living

Fantastic choice of unique and unusual items of furniture & sofas, artwork & mirrors, home & giftware, bedding and soft furnishings Mojacar Playa

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June ‘19 41

PROPERTIES FOR SALE AND RENT IN THE GENERAL HUÉRCAL-OVERA, TABERNO, ZURGENA AND LA ALFOQUIA AREA Office:155a Carretera Estacion, Huércal-Overa, 1km off the A7 motorway at exit 553. 100 metres from Lidl

ATTENTION CHOOSE THE AGENCY WHO IS SELLING & RENTING BY FAR THE MOST PROPERTIES IN THE HUERCAL-OVERA, LA ALFOQUIA, ZURGENA & TABERNO AREA.

CHOOSE VOSS HOMES! Please call 0034 950 616 827 / 678 002 006 / 667 891 741 or email info@vosshomesspain.com

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42 Almeria Living

Puzzle Time

Puzzle solutions on page 96 Each of these circled letters is the first letter of one or more of the words on the given word list.

Reverse Word Search

Reverse Word Search Puzzle #B165NJ

S

T G

R

O

A

P R

D D

H

L

B

J W

D

S

I

T I N

A

W

S

A S

M

F

R

V

C

R N

W

R

D

P

T

Acquires

Hurls

Ravish

Twangs

Arches

Insane

Redesign

Vented

Ascetic

Inward

Retainer

Walled

Assent

Justices

Rings

Wasps

Bathe

Lisps

Ruffled

Watchful

Creeds

Listener

Sensed

Withdraw

Deduce

Model

Shies

Depth

Navel

Sirens

Dined

Neutral

Stagnate

Drops

Order

Start

Freight

Pastes

Teeming

Goofs

Plunging

Traverse

S

Your task is to fill in the grid completely using only the given words. No word will repeat itself. Words can be positioned the same as in a regular word search – horizontally, vertically or diagonally, reading frontwards or backwards.

Remember, any starting letter may be used by more than one word at the same time!

Acquires

Inward

Ruffled

Arches

Justices

Sensed

Ascetic

Lisps

Shies

Assent

Listener

Sirens

Bathe

Model

Stagnate

Creeds

Navel

Start

Deduce

Neutral

Teeming

Depth

Order

Traverse

Dined

Pastes

Twangs

Drops

Plunging

Vented

Freight

Ravish

Walled

Goofs

Redesign

Wasps

Hurls

Retainer

Watchful

Insane

Rings

Withdraw

Copyright © Puzzle Baron May 23, 2019 - Go to www.Printable-Puzzles.com for Hints and Solutions!

June ‘19 43

“Cual es la palabra....?”

By Vic Davey

Sometimes life seems to be full of unanswerable questions, like, 'when butterflies get nervous, what do they get in their stomach'?

And, 'are Exit signs on the way out'?

Then, what about the guy who invented the Drawing Board?

When he first failed, what did he go back to?

And, should Britain stay in the EU or leave? It's ok, I'm not going to debate that here. Like many people, I'm fed up of hearing about it.

However, what did interest me at the begining of the campaign was the word 'Brexit', a combining of the words 'Britain' and 'Exit', referring to whether we should leave the EU. Every TV News channel, newspaper and commentator used it and it has now been included in OxfordDictionaries.com along with another 1000 new words. I thought Brexit had been 'invented' recently, like in the last 6 months or so, but apparently it was first alluded to back in 2012, on the back of Grexit which was when Greece came close to leaving the Eurozone.

Remember when Tim Henman battled to win Wimbledon back in the day? Another new word was coined, 'Henmania'. One of my recent favourites is 'BeerO'Clock'. Yes, it is a word and indicates an appropriate time of day to commence drinking beer! No actual time is suggested, I am pleased to say. I also like 'Hangry', which is the state of being irritable or bad-tempered as a result of being hungry. I can identify with that too. And having eaten and drunk, how about returning home to your 'fur-baby', which is a pet cat or dog.

Words get into the dictionary after the compilers and researchers have received sufficient independent evidence of regular usage from a wide variety of sources. Of course, the Internet and social media has a big impact on this. When you think of how words have to be abbreviated for Text messages and Twitter, which has character limitations, it’s not difficult to see how new word forms would be created from a new kind of shorthand, ‘Textspeak’.

Some of the more colourful ones: !!!!

Talk to the hand

Str8

Straight

143

I love you

1432

I love you too

LOL

Laughing out loud OR Lots of love

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44 Almeria Living

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I have also been trying to find out how new words get added to the Spanish language, but it is a bit sketchy.

As with some other languages, Spanish identify things as either Masculine or Feminine. So, I wondered who decides which is which when faced with defining a new word. This is where it gets confusing.

Many new Spanish words have a root in or are borrowed from another language and will then carry the gender from there, assuming that language also has genders. Some sources say that the natural pronunciation will lead to it being one or the other to avoid having to get your tongue around awkward syllables etc., something the Brits are not good at. I'm not convinced.

But, there is a Real Academia Espanola, Royal Spanish Academy, which is responsible for overseeing the Spanish language: not just for Spain, but for the whole of the Spanish speaking world. Huge task, I would suggest. It is based in Madrid and has links with national academies around the world.

Another word I find fascinating is 'Crowdfunding'. It refers to a method of raising money for projects or ventures from alternative sources such as individual donations or pledges, to funding by large numbers of people.

Although the word describing it might be relatively new, the concept goes back hundreds of years. War Bonds was a form of crowdfunding and the Bank of England was supported by London's business community back in the 1730's when customers demanded their pounds be converted into gold. Financial support was 'crowdfunded' until the Bank stabilised. Sound familiar? Not too different to recent events where the taxpayers, you and I, bailed out the Banks!

RPS

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Property Management and Rental Specialists

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It was founded in 1713 with the purpose, “to fix the voices and vocabularies of the Castilian language with propriety, elegance and purity”. Lofty ideals.....It's founder, one Juan Manuel Fernandez Pacheco (phew, what a handle!) stated that it's aims was “to assure that Spanish speakers will always be able to read Cervantes.”

Perhaps someone in the UK should have founded something similar for Shakespeare!

So, it would seem that I may have found where new words would be accepted into the Spanish language and, presumably, also decide which gender they should be. All I have to do now is work my way through the 3800 page, Nueva Gramatica de la lengua espanola in two volumes plus a third volume of phonetics and phonology...

Oh... and a DVD! Wish me suerte!

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June ‘19 45

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46 Almeria Living

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Lovely 3 bed /1 bath / 1 cloakroom town house with communal pool and a private garden.

Large roof solarium enjoying countryside views and all day sun.

Built area 75 m2. Plot 178 m2.

Large apartment with 3 bed / 2 bath plus terraces and huge solarium with amazing 360º views of the sea, mountains and golf course. Includes an underground parking space and storage room, 2 communal pools, a gymnasium and sauna. Built area 102 m2.

Immaculate villa with 3 bed / 2 bath and a private pool and built BBQ. Walled in plot with automatic gate and large terraces with distant sea views.

Built area 112 m2. Plot 441 m2.

La Parata, Mojacar Playa

Spirit of Mojacar, Mojacar Playa

Marina de la Torre, Mojacar

REF: ME 1331

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REF: ME 2006

PRICE: € 165,000

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Spacious villa with lovely sea views with 5 bed / 3 bath with a private pool and a jacuzzi. Located in the sought after area of La Parata. Large terraces and low maintenance garden. Built area 221 m2.

Plot 520 m2.

Lovely ground floor 2 bed / 2 bath apartment with large oasis style communal pool and gardens.

Own private garden and includes an underground parking space and store room. Only 300m from the beach. Ideal for holiday rentals. Built area 86 m2.

Unique country house, built to a very high standard with beautiful views of the mountains. 4 bed / 4 bath with several terraces and all the comforts you need. Private pool and studio room. Built area 426 m2. Plot size. 1 hectare.

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Cortijo Grande, Turre

Pueblo Arabe, Mojacar Playa

REF: ME 1561

PRICE: € 189,000

Detached villa with views over Turre and mountain rango with 3 bed / 2 bath and a conservatory.

Jacuzzi and garage plus many extras and a fruit orchard in the enclosed garden. Built area 186 m2.

Plot size: 600m2.

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Private pool and built BBQ. Built area 426 m2.

Plot size: 729 m2.

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Communal pool and parking. Ideal for holiday lets.

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Lifestyle Living Levante

June ‘19 47

The following short story, which will feature over two issues, was sent to me by Adrienne, the Author’s sister - it is slightly longer than is regular but makes a good start to our new section.... an introduction to the author will follow next month at the end of the story.....

Refugee From Noise Chapter One I am a refugee from noise. I left a loving but very noisy home to seek peace and quiet.

To escape from three other cats, two dogs, a lively 3-year old and a new baby, I wandered away from the trials of boisterous living, searching for a new life and home, where I could relax. My decision to leave left me feeling very sad as I cared very much for the family that cared for me – but at 9 years old it is difficult to feel comfortable with so much noise and activity around. I also felt might nervous.

I was known as a fighter, ready to protect – friend and territory.

I have little memory of my Mother; I was not with her very long.

A short story by CHRISTIAN KOUVELAKIS

of reach, in a damson tree, and in the rain gutters, way above my head, and began to think of food.

Suddenly, to my right, a sharp sound sent me leaping to the flagstones, where I paused to identify the cause. On the other side of the window a man stood, almost as surprised as I, drawing back the curtains, revealing the room to the sunshine. I stood, uncertainly, poised for flight. He moved away, out of my sight, and I hesitated, remembering the warmth of the windowsill yet wary of where he might next appear. Almost immediately, I heard the sound of a key and bolds being drawn and, as the door opened, I turned and fled, leaping over a wall to the shelter of a narrow, overgrown alleyway that ran

They say she was pretty wild, that I was born on forgotten wasteland beside allotments and railway lines, and that I badly scratched the Woman who took me to her home. She called me ‘Friend’ and it became clear that I was to be company for Bea, a big female dog that was very gentle with me. We played together, ate together, shared the same bed sometimes. I was happy, loved and well cared for, but never lost a sense of ‘threat’ – which made me shy away at times, constantly alert and quick to flee – the lasting legacy of my precarious early life and parentage.

As I walked slowly along the pavement, I mused on what I was leaving behind, and conjured up the beloved face of the Woman who had sheltered me for so long and reminisced over the cosy times we has spent together. So deep in concentration the roar of a motorbike close beside me startled me and sent me scampering for my life into the garden of a house further along the road.

Recovering my breath, I peered around me.

The clean smell of pine and honeysuckle enticed me forward and I slipped through a gate that led to a path beside the house. My whiskers and nose told me that no cat had made this their territory, and there was no evidence of a dog either.

With a touch of fear prickling the back of my neck, I took up my position on a broad windowsill of the house within the garden, and watched as the sun rose, to my left, above the trees. I listened to the birds, out

48 Almeria Living

walked through, to find a sunny spot and consider where I could find a meal.

Returning to my former home was not an option – it would weaken my resolve to move away, be independent – a decision I had not taken lightly.

As I passed the windowsill, I saw a small plate had been left in the corner. I stretched up to take a closer look. With deep regret, I moved on – I don’t like milk.

For several days, I spent my time on the windowsill, or under the conifer.

Occasionally I would cross the road to a house where I knew another cat has his home and finished whatever was left on his plate by the door (I was out of practice as a hunter). I saw him once, stretched out at the bottom of his garden, a big black blob, eyeing me with a cautioning look. I grabbed the last piece of jellied meat and ran back to the safety of my pine tree.

The quiet of my new garden brought a stillness and peace to me that covered the hints of loneliness. From time to time, the man I had seen came into the garden, to sweep leaves, or spray water over the honeysuckle and ivy that grew in profusion covering the walls. He rarely ventured in my direction, where I crouched watchfully under the conifer. When he did, I quietly crept along the alleyway and waited.

along the side of the garden. The man’s head appeared over the wall – he was clearly looking for me – and I burrowed deeper into the undergrowth. I watched him nervously, and heard him call softly: “Puss, Puss”, but I could not be coaxed. My heart was beating fiercely, and I could feel the tension cramping my muscles as I crouched.

When I was sure that he had gone, I crept away and sat, watchful, under the broad branches of a conifer that swept to the ground beyond the gate, towards the front of the house. Without the warmth of the sun’s rays, which could not penetrate the dark green curtain, I sat and shivered until hunger forced me to move.

The garden was quiet again and I carefully

One evening, as I lay catching the last rays of the sun on my windowsill, I realised I must have been sleeping and awoke with a start to hear the louvre window above my head being opened. I froze and looked up fearfully to see the man gently pushing something through the window. The smell reached me before I could see that the pink flakes were pieces of ham that dropped to the windowsill beside me.

Somehow, I knew that this was safe, and chewed and swallowed hungrily, gratefully.

It had been a while since I had eaten anything but cleansing blades of grass. When it was all gone, I looked up to see the man, and a woman, smiling at me. I licked my lips, jumped down to the flagstones and ran for the conifer tree. I began to clean myself, slowly, thoroughly, covering every inch of my now spare frame, dragging pine fronds, goose grass and burrs deep from within my coat.

The hint of Winter was clearly in the air next morning as I made my way to the windowsill. In the corner, on a pink and cream flowered plate, I found pieces of chicken. For an instant, I smiled to myself that perhaps they had mistaken me for a lady with such a fine dish, but the moment passed, and I filled my stomach with the tender, sweet-tasting chicken that held a hint of fresh herb.

A ritual began – a large plate of food would be left for me each day. I became less afraid and, from time to time, remained comfortably on my windowsill even though, beyond the window, the couple moved back and forth or sat at a table to eat. They accepted my presence and I had begun to accept theirs.

One morning, just beyond the edge of Winter, I made my way to the windowsill to find the back door of the house open and the man crouching, holding a plate of food. He called inviting me to come closer. I stopped – to reflect and consider what this could mean. I took a few paces forward, wary and ready to leap away at the first sigh of danger.

He saw my caution and stood up, placed the plate on the ground in front of him and moved two steps back. He crouched again, held his hand out to me, calling softly. I needed to show my thanks for his care, so moved slowly, carefully forward, and began to eat.

He stretched out his hand and I let him stroke my head, When I moved away, he picked up the plate and I almost panicked that he would take it from me, that I would be unable to finish this very welcome meal.

He moved towards the door, placed the plate inside, and tried to coax me to follow.

Temptation and fear of a trap fought each other in my head and, reluctantly, I moved away. I climbed to the wall and sat watching – half Gidden by the branches of the damson tree and a wild privet bush. The man moved inside, and I saw him pass the window and disappear. He had left the door open, the plate sat temptingly just inside. Summoning all my courage, I finally came down from the wall and moved cautiously forward to clean the plate – nervously keeping watch between bites.

The man was nowhere in sight. Making sure first that the door was still open to the garden, as a means of escape, I began to look around me. My first impression was of a warm glow. The floor, walls and furniture were different shades of honey-colour.

Table, chairs, kitchen units, big cupboards and a dresser, with colourful plates and vases, and a big green bowl full of fruit. The fresh, clean fragrance of apples and flowers

mingled with an aroma of coffee, and the smell of heat. The sight and smells cheered me, but I turned, walked back through the door, and settled on the flagstones a few yards away to clean my fur.

The next day I found the kitchen door open.

The man was nowhere to be seen. My blue plate, full of fresh fish and biscuits, was just inside. As I ventured through the door, the warmth and good feeling made me think “This could be my new home”.

That night, huddled on my pine and earth carpet, beneath the conifer, I tried to sleep, despite the cold air flowing through the branches, and deep midnight threatening stealth and dangers beyond.

Towards dawn, I jerked awake to the sound of arguing cats close by. My noise brought two pairs of green eyes peering through the green curtain. I recognised one, the ginger and white, as Cornflakes, a former friend from my former home. The other was the big black Blob from across the road. “Why are you here?”, Cornflakes demanded. “My choice”, I replied, and backed towards the alleyway. I moved swiftly through the undergrowth – past the two giant elderberry trees, the cherry tree, the damson tree, the tall wild privet bush, the sweet-smelling honeysuckle, and the tough dark-green ivy, on the other side of the wall. I didn’t check if they were following me. I just wanted to get away. I couldn’t cope with questions – I didn’t need reminders, there were already too many self-doubts nagging and pursuing me, and distance seemed the only answer.

I turned left, without thinking, where the alleyway continued behind the garden of the house next door, and remembered, almost too late, that this was leading into another cats’ territory. A huge dark brown fur ball leapt from the darkness, arched its back and spat. I ducked, slewed right and clawed my way upwards, and without stopping, slid down the other side of a high fence. I paused for breath and strained to make out shapes in the dark gloom. Carefully I made my way through the grass of a long garden – passing a gnarled old pear tree, raspberry canes, flowerless rose bushes and a potting shed.

With the smell of compost filling my nose, I didn’t realise the dog was there until he warned me with a low growl. “Just passing through”, I whispered, and rushed through a gate beside his house, to find myself on the pavement of a busy road that was new to me.

“No going back that way”, I thought grimly, as I stood quivering beside the road, trying to get my bearings. What if I turn right, and right again? I might find myself in the garden of my former home! What if I turn left? How

far would I have to travel to be sure I would not encounter hostile inhabitants? The noise of the traffic, and the thick smell of exhaust fumes, were bewildering. I needed to get a better view of what lay ahead to my left. Concentrating on my plan of how to return to my new ground, I stepped from the pavement.

Before I could begin to make my way to the other side of the road, my ears were filled with a shrieking jangling and load shout, and I felt my back legs give under me as the front wheel of a bicycle hit me. A pedal grazed my ear as I went down and I lay, still dazed, at the side of the kerb. “Stupid cat”, yelled the boy on the bike, as he adjusted his cap and bag of newspapers and rode on.

I shook my head, to clear the ringing sound, and reached back to inspect for damage. I knew there was no real harm, so got to my feet, steadied myself, and returned to the pavement. I would just have to set off in the direction away from my former home and investigate a way back.

The morning arrived at last – cold, grey and damp. My bruised legs made progress slow, and the sting of my ear wouldn’t go away, no matter how many times I shook my head.

I passed many houses and became quire tired, so stopped for a while to rest. I licked my paw and gently stroked my sore ear. I realised it was still bleeding and decided to leave it alone. I walked on. Two people appeared ahead of me and I slipped into a garden and hid behind a lavender bush until they had passed. The thought of warmth, my shelter under the conifer, and a meal, hurried me on.

Ahead of me, a big blue car was blocking the path. As I turned into the garden, to make my way around it, an elderly woman stepped in front of me, stooped and scooped me up into her arms. “Hello, Puss”, she cooed, “Been in a fight?” All my instincts must have deserted me to have been caught so easily! “Want some milk?”, she asked.

“Don’t like milk”, I replied as I twisted, paws flailing, out of her grasp. I ran.

I was exhausted and needed to rest. Up ahead, I could see a break in the long line of houses and, coming closer, saw tall railings enclosing a small park. The gate was open, and I ducked in. The dewy grass felt good under my paws. I lowered my head and gently rubbed my sore ear against the long blades, feeling the drops of water soothing the ache. It felt so good, I stretched out and rolled in it. I lay down for a while and dozed – feeling sure that I was safe for the moment.

To be contined next month .....

June ‘19 49

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(*same estate as Lopez Ferreteria) June ‘19 51

Hello. Thank you for taking the time to read. When I was asked to write an article for the magazine, I was (of course) honoured, but with such a broad subject, where do you start? So, without further Adrian Foster ado, I will be talking about t’Internet and how you can protect yourself and your personal information.

What is the Internet?

The internet is a way of connecting any computing device to another through a series of Hubs, like taking a train journey from Cardiff to Skegness and back, but much, much faster. Depending on what time of day you leave, this epic train journey can take up to 11 hours and 40 minutes each way, changing at Hereford, Worcester, Birmingham and Nottingham.

The same is true of the internet but on a grander scale. The information typed into your keyboard first goes to your Internet provider (Murcia is one local internet hub) and then continues on its merry way to wherever the web page on your screen is located, and back. Your information request can be bounced through several Servers (junctions and information storage points) until it reaches the end of its journey. And all in the blink of an eye. This is a highlysimplified explanation but the basic principle stands.

Although many military and commercial communication projects were undertaken from as early as the 1960’s, these were closed systems with dedicated ‘phone’ lines. The Internet as we know it has only been in existence since Tim Berners-Lee (working at the CERN Institute) unveiled a fledgling internet in 1991.

During what is best described as its Wild West phase of development, the Internet experienced a frantic level of development and growth.

HARMONY HAVEN Open: Monday - Friday 10am - 2pm Avda Andalucia 1, La Alfoquia

There is always a warm welcome

By 1993, companies like AOL and Compuserve released the first user-friendly web browsers and businesses such as Pizza Hut were quick to exploit this new advertising medium. We think that innovation is fast-paced today, but in its early days the Internet saw growth rates in traffic of over 300,000% per year.

Although before, many of us had computers, they were not connected to each other and used incompatible operating systems (Commodore 64 vs Sinclair Spectrum, anyone?). Most viruses were targeted at business user systems.

It was not until the World Wide Web was opened to all, that dedicated developers like Symantec & AVG released Antivirus software, as we know it today. It became apparent that the whole thing would very quickly become a chaotic mess, so agreements were made to standardise all communications for Web pages, Email and file transfers (sharing).

The basic system used in 1995 is, in one form or another, still in use today. Viruses were a problem from the start, as they could and still can be freely propagated. It seems there is no palatable way to reprogram Human nature.

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HARMONY COMMUNIT Y SUPPORT

52 Almeria Living

Come and browse our wide selection of ladies, gents & childrens clothing and accessories. We also have an assortment of household items and soft furnishings.

Donations always welcome!

Helpline 11.00-14.00 (Mon-Fri) 634 339 192 help@harmonycharity.com N.I.F. G04813408

Most of us are now familiar in one form or another with the Internet; smartphones, tablets, even watches and the gently-whirring box that sits innocuously by the desk in your office. They have all been designed to “enrich” our lives and although this could be a subject for debate (and maybe a later article), with a little thought, this is exactly what they can do.

The first place to start is with the basics.

Protect yourself from unnecessary attacks; make sure you have an antivirus program installed and not just on your laptop. Mobile and tablet antivirus apps are available from all the major players. Some for free (ish), such as AVG and some not.

Secondly, links to web pages are another possible source. With ads and “helpful” information popping up all over the screen, it may be tempting to just click and make it go away. If you can’t clear it in your usual manner then there is probably a valid reason. On a PC or Laptop, this is easily spotted. Hover your cursor over the web link without clicking on it and look at the actual web address at the bottom of your browser. The link to pictures of cute kittens may be something a lot more harmful. Either way, a basic rule of thumb applies. If in doubt, walk away and use the resources available to you. Google search the web page, adding the keywords; problems, review etc.... The results may well surprise you.

Wacky Races Update Hello everyone An update on Wacky Races Villaricos.

1. Total raised - another record - €1518 after expenses all paid.

2. Will donate money to the 3 dance groups who performed.

3. Will fund the travel costs for a local girl who needs to go to Barcelona for an operation.

4. Will donate a significant amount to Villaricos school for either playground or classroom equipment.

5. There are 4 unclaimed raffle prizes including a one week stay in a 2-bed apartment in Villaricos. A full list of winners is available at Bar La Plaza in Villaricos. The prizes will be available up to 30 June. After this date the prizes will be sold at a silent auction in early July at Bar La Plaza.

6. Next year Wacky Races will take place on April 25th 2020.

7. We need people to join the organising and delivery team contact the organiser as below.

Ian Watson Organiser 634 368 243

SATELLITE * AERIALS * HOME CINEMA

Satellite TDT & Home Cinema Installations The next issue is a little more subtle and involves being informed about exactly what personal information or access you are giving away. For example: I have noticed several Facebook quizzes appearing of late and although these could be a pleasant diversion, they could have a more sinister purpose... It may ask you to choose your day and month of birth, which will give you a comedy name (Henry Drainpipe). Hardly Mission Impossible, but the next quiz might ask you for the street you grew up in and your Family name.

Before you know it, you have unknowingly provided the answers to every security question that could be used to hijack email accounts, subscriptions and possibly your identity. I must point out that not all social media quizzes are designed to steal from you. It is important to just stop for a second and think before acting. Don’t give away personal information.

In these days of instant gratification it is easy to be blinded to what is going on. The internet is still largely anonymous and being aware is still the best protection you can have.

In my next article, I will cover other ways in which you can protect your identity and information. Use of a VPN (Virtual Private Network) and how they work for you is one subject I will be covering.

If you have any burning Tech-related questions, please Google search my Tech Guru page – “@techgurualmeria” on Facebook.

Thank you for reading. Enjoy the Summer and talk again soon!

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June ‘19 53

Quick Crossword Puzzle - 12 ★★★ Try and solve our Quick Crossword Puzzle in 10 minutes!

Puzzle Time Quick Crossword

Puzzle solutions on page 96

Easy

Regular Sudoku Every Sudoku has a unique solution that can be reached logically.

Across Clues: 1 Compassion Enter numbers 3 Ideas into the blank Across 9 Serfhood spaces so that each 1 Compassion row, column and 3 Ideas10 Innocent 3x3 box contains 9 Serfhood 11 Accomplishments 10 Innocent the numbers 13 Rejoices 11 Accomplishments 1 to 9.

13 Rejoices 15 Classic sports car 15 Classic sports car 17 Decrepit people (6,6) 17 Decrepit people (6,6) 20 Critical 20 Critical 21 Loose 21(2,5) Loose (2,5) 22 Alone 22 Alone 16 Damage 23 Be against 23 Be against

Carmen Guerra

Your life

Legal & Financial

sy a e e d a m n i a in Sp

 Tax registration in Spain  Deregistration in UK  Annual Resident & Non Resident Tax returns  Spanish Wills & Inheritance in Spain  Funeral Plans  Private Health Insurance

Puzzle compiled by Bianca Morèl Down 1 Aisles 2 Down Garbage 4 Air constituent 1 Aisles 52 Garbage Despicable 4 Air constituent 6 Cutting 5 Despicable 76 Cutting Grasps 87 Grasps The transport of people to a people to a 8 The newtransport regionofafter disaster new region after disaster 12 Expectations 12 Expectations 14Strange Strange 14 16 Damage 18 Algarroba 18 Algarroba 19Small Small islands 19 islands

UK DIRECT

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54 Almeria Living

Advertise in Almeria Living

DREAM HOMES ALMERIA Andrea +34 697 875 717 dreamhomesalmeria.com

info@dreamhomesalmeria.com

Dream Homes Almeria - Andrea Hollings Who we are and where we came from In February 2005, my husband Stephen and I flew out from a very cold Leeds and Bradford Airport, leaving minus zero temperatures and snow on the ground to visit Almeria for a few days. We came to see if we liked the area and find a new home and way of life for ourselves and our two children then aged 5 and 7. We were disillusioned with life in the UK and what it had to offer our children in the future.

We arrived to temperatures of 18 degrees, sunshine, clear blue skies and immediately fell in love with the area. We loved the ruggedness of the hills, the acres of citrus groves and the fact that unlike any of the other Costas we’d previously visited on holiday; Almeria was still predominately Spanish, none touristy and though it may sound like a cliché it was the real Spain.

We wasted no time and found a lovely location, picked out a plot, chose a design of villa we loved and paid our deposit. All in 3 days.

Our house already sold in the UK we moved to Almeria in May 2005 and the children started in September at Arboleas primary school. At such young ages, they both settled quickly and were fluent in Spanish within months.

As the children settled in school, we bought our first business, an internet café in Albox we renamed Tuck In. In those days there was no internet connection to houses and very few telephone lines.

Whilst Stephen ran Tuck In and really, quite by accident, I started work for a local estate agent. And In the process found my dream job! Coming from a legal background

in the UK, estate agency was far removed from what I had ever predicted I would do. Meeting with clients, listening to their needs and requirements, showing them the area, I love and eventually finding them their dream homes and a lifestyle they could only dream about very quickly became a passion. Hundreds of satisfied clients and so many that have become friends over the many years can attest to that.

In 2011, Stephen along with my parents Eileen and Brian took over Cornish Pride on Avenida America in Albox where they still run a very successful café and bakery. The children, now aged 21 and 19 still live in the area and are working in Spanish businesses.

In March 2019, with 14 years’ experience in property sales I launched my own agency, Dream Homes Almeria.

Applying the standards, I have always worked by, complete transparency, honesty and integrity with a friendly no pressure or hard sell approach the business is growing fast.

Dream Homes are the first in the area to use social media as a very successful advertising medium. Alongside the major Internet property portals, I have many contacts and reach buyers from not only the Uk but Europe and beyond.

If you are looking to sell then give me a call for expert, no nonsense advice on getting your property sold.

If you’re looking to buy then I’ll use my many years experience and knowledge of the area to find you your dream home.

Use your mobile phone to scan the QR code to the right to go straight to our Facebook page June ‘19 55

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The Adventures of Neila - 5. Too Much Information I summoned up all my courage – there was nothing for it!

‘Mrs Worsley, Cyril won’t take my spaceship away, will he?’

‘He’ll only take it to his garage, so that he can mend it. He’s not going to steal it.’

Oh no! This Cyril is going to take it away – I’ve heard that there is a place called Roswell where they take spaceships, and they never come back.

I was nearly white with fear. My voice shook when I said ‘He’s not taking it to Roswell, is he?’

Mrs Worsley laughed, but a kindly laugh. ‘No dear, he’s going to take it to his garage in Hanton, where he’s got tools to mend it with. Then you will be able to fly back to, er, where did you say? Notreally. Where I expect your family are waiting for you.’

‘I haven’t got a family. I’m fully formed.’

I could see more explanation was needed. ‘We are usually fully formed by about 60 orbits.’

‘But you are all alone?’

Without thinking I said ‘Apart from the others.’

‘What others?’

Oh dear, was she ready for this? ‘The others from other planets.’

‘You mean others from Notreally?’

‘Maybe. There are beings here from all over.’

She was looking at me very thoughtfully. Maybe I had said too much. I’d better explain again.

Then I had an inspiration. I had watched several holomentaries about Earth, and its strange habits, and I remembered there was one about beings from other planets.’

I looked up at her. ‘Have you seen Men in Black?’

I could tell by her expression that she didn’t understand.

‘But that’s a film dear – it’s not real.’

‘You see, we only have a family when we are forming. Once we are fully formed we leave our Mum and Dad.’

‘It is real. Look at me, I’m real.’

She still looked a bit confused.

‘So there are more beings from other planets here on Earth?’

‘And I haven’t got a boy partner yet. So I’m on my own.’

‘I see. How old are you, dear?’

‘I’m 80.’

‘What – 80 years?’

‘I don’t know. How long is a year?’

‘A year is..’ She paused. ‘It’s how long it takes for the earth to go all the way around the sun.’

‘Oh. We measure our time by our moon. And our moon had orbited our planet 80 times. So I’m 80 orbits.’

She was silent for a long time.

I nodded. I wish I hadn’t said that.

At that moment a great big and very noisy transporter drew up. It had a weird attachment at the back. A large human in strange dirty camouflage got out from inside it.

‘Hello Cyril.’ Mrs Worsley sounded relieved.

Have I told Mrs Worsley too much?

Can I trust Cyril?

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58 Almeria Living

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www.newhorizonvillas.com / email: info@newhorizonvillas.com June ‘19 59

60 Almeria Living

Top Tips to Help Sell Your Property

By Voss Homes Estate Agents - Huércal Overa

2019 continues to be a very productive year in local property sales. Even the delay in Brexit is not slowing anything down.

over suitcases, heaters, fans etc. Put un-needed items away in cupboards etc or even better give them to charity.

As we now move firmly into summer everything looks like this success will continue throughout the year.

4. De-personalise. – It is lovely to see happy photos and artwork from the grandchildren, but potential buyers want to imagine their family living there. Don’t take down everything but reducing the amount would certainly help.

Here are a few simple things you as the seller can do to help your estate agent sell your property quicker and for more money.

1. Price – To get more potential buyers through your door to see how fantastic your property is, make sure it is priced at an achievable price.

Do not compare your property against overpriced ones which have been up for sale for years.

Compare it against the ones that are selling. Instruct the agent who is the most proactive and selling the most properties in your area.

2. Kerb Appeal - Upon arrival buyers expect to be WOWED so Tidy up your garden, pull up the weeds, touch up the paint work and get rid of all the old building materials 3. Declutter – Don’t turn your house into an assault course. Buyers don’t want to be squeezing around un-needed furniture and tripping

5. Clean & Refresh Inside Clean the windows, mop the floors, de-grease the kitchen and get those bathrooms sparkling. Paint your walls white or magnolia.

6. Animals & Smells - During viewings take the dogs out for a walk, open the windows, hide the food bowls or kitty litter and don’t smoke just before or during the viewing.

7. Holiday Homes – If you are selling a holiday home which is lacking in furniture etc please furnish & dress it to make it feel more warm & homely. A few Euros spent in a charity or secondhand shop on some pictures, throws, cushions, table decorations etc could make all the difference.

June ‘19 61

Mrs Grumpy’s Gripes Hi, Mrs Grumpy is back. Oh No! I hear you cry. Unfortunately I have found time to sit and write another life enhancing epistle. I say unfortunate because I am currently meant to be in UK playing with Grandchildren. Their loss is your gain (or the reverse depending on your opinion).

Unfortunately 24 hours prior to setting off on a 2 week sabbatical on teens and juniors Mr Grumpy drove me to the local hospital.

I have suffered from heart problems for many years and these incidents do pick their moments... I arrived and was dealt with in their usual efficient manner and admit that I got the feeling that perhaps this was a better place to be rather than on a flight or in the much advertised queues in A & E in the UK. (Here I must say that I have always been treated with efficiency in the UK and have no qualms about using the NHS if the need arises.)

Being of a certain age, I have many friends who have had the need to use the health facilities in Spain and there are varying senses of efficiency. However, I can neither fault this treatment nor any previous treatments I have received. Thank you Spanish health service.

Yes living in Spain is different to living in the UK, get used to it, accept it and get on with life. Enjoy the difference.

I like to think that what you reap you will sow. I have over the past few weeks been catching up on all the annoying jobs such as Tax, Bills and other ‘official’ housekeeping and have been treated with a kindness and efficiency whichever country I have been dealing with.

That is not to say that they are always right but they are the people you are hoping to help you so, go with the flow and make them feel that they want to help you, that they can help you. They are people like you after all is said and done.

I have encountered Ex-Pats over the past couple of weeks who appear to think that they have some sort of right to tell the Spanish what to do in their own country and how to do it.

If you don’t like it there is a wonderful nation, falling to pieces, where you came from, waiting for your sage advice.

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62 Almeria Living

June ‘19 63

La Chanca Life Former Costa Almeria News reporter Emma Randle embarks on a new adventure in the historic gypsy quarter of Almeria. Faced with the mid-life challenge of job loss and children leaving home, at the start of the year she upped sticks from her comfortable country residence to experience a different way of life. Over the coming weeks you can follow her journey, as well as learning about what Almeria city has to offer – its bars, attractions and colourful history

Bearing gifts: January 2019 continued The first week of the year in Spain is a double celebration – New Year itself followed by the arrival of the ‘Three Kings’ of Biblical fame who followed a star to bring presents to the baby Jesus.

This year it seemed the Magi managed to load their camels full of vehicles of varying types and sizes for all the children of La Chanca, judging by the number of quads and mini-motorbikes that were racing up and down our street the morning after!

Crowds at the Alcazaba Castle awaiting the 'Three Kings'

By Emma Randle seemed well meaning but then aimed a couple of kicks at Luna my Breton spaniel.

She was terrified poor thing, and after I took her inside they continued their entertainment, kicking my car and throwing stones at my window.

In the end I shouted at the little brats in English and they ran off down the street saying I had threatened to cut their throats, according to some little girls a couple of doors down (not part of the brat pack). Not that I had, but still it was a good result.

So that was that, not a nice experience but the kids were only young and it happened a few weeks ago since when I haven’t had any more trouble.

It’s still not a suitable area for the dogs though, what with the goats and chickens in the street and the tempting piles of rubbish for foodobsessed Luna to nose through.

So they will be well looked after in the comfort of their country home and that will be one worry less for me.

In the meantime, just to end on a more positive kids and dogs note, when my friend Jeanne came over she brought an old dog basket for a little lame puppy that only had a piece of cardboard to sleep on outside his house. I gave it to the owner saying our dogs had grown out of it, and now the puppy sleeps in it all the time, he is so cute.

(Jeanne is a part of this adventure as she invested both in me and La Chanca by buying the house I’m living in, after being bowled over by the amazing view and historical and cultural context available for a fraction of the price of a flat in a smart part of town.)

We also gave a big bag of sweets to one of the little girls to share among all the kids the night of the kings, and I’ve never seen a child be so excited over some sweets. She literally squealed and jumped up and down. Also cute.

It’s easy to be generous in that way when we have so much and they apparently so little (except for the anomaly of mobile phones, massive tv screens and the sudden plethora of electric vehicles) but I also feel it would be a mistake to act like Lady Bountiful, so my main aim is to live a simple life, fitting in as much as possible so that eventually they will see me as one of them.

I’m sure the delivery of my new Ikea sofa helped!!

For more on La Chanca Life go to www.lachancalife.com

I thought it was meant to be a poor neighbourhood, but clearly either the magic of the three kings really does exist, or there is money coming in from ways and means it’s probably better not to explore too closely at this stage, seeing as I want to live a quiet life.

Anyway I was very excited to be able to walk just around the corner for the descent of the three kings from the Alcazaba on the evening of January 5.

Now that the festivities are over I’m on countdown to my proper moving in date on January 14.

Although I’ve been spending as much time as possible in La Chanca over the holidays I can’t actually move until my house sitters arrive.

They are going to take care of my dogs and cat, as well as keeping the Cariatiz house safe.

I tried the dogs out in La Chanca but they stood out just as much as I do, with their soft white fur and well kept appearance.

They attracted a lot of attention from the street kids, who at first

64 Almeria Living

My dogs Luna and Bibi are more suited to the country life (with son Alex)

Trades & Services IMAGINE RECEIVING A WATERBILL OF 1000€ !!!!! This is what an undetected water leak could cost YOU! A Water Watch System can provide an early warning leak detection, therefore saving you from receiving that unexpected large water bill.

The system is designed to detect water leaks as they happen and can be set to turn off the water to your property automatically. It is suitable for all uses from a holiday home that is infrequently used to a home that is permanently used, whilst still allowing the use of an irrigation system.

The equipment is installed between the water meter and the house and fits neatly inside a standard water meter cabinet and is operated by mains connection or battery.

Water Watch helps to look after all aspects of water usage including swimming pools and outside shower.

Carlos Saliente is your local supplier of this new innovative system. For further detail see the advert below for contact details or visit him at Los Llanos Market every Saturday.

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66 Almeria Living

The Benefits of Tinted Windows Home window tinting can turn your house into a safer, private, more energy efficient and comfortable place to live, enabling rooms and conservatories to be accesible all year round.

Before

The sun can make certain rooms too hot in the summer or fill the room with direct sunlight which causes a glare making it difficult to watch the television, read or work at the computer.

Installing window film blocks the heat and glare without the need of blinds and curtains which in turn still enables you to keep and enjoy your view.

Solar protection films can be mirrored finished, the higher the mirrored finish the better the heat rejection, this allows you to look out from inside clearly but stops people from looking in, giving you complete daytime privacy. However, at night time with the lights on inside you will be able to look in from the outside.

Window film can block up to 99% of ultraviolet (UV) rays, thus providing a sunscreen for you and your families skin protection, it also protects your furnishings and furniture from fading or perishing.

Window film is very aesthetically pleasing, giving your property a classy, sophisticated look, depending on the film it is applied inside or outside on the glass.

After

Certain window films can provide up to 82% more heat reduction in comparison to glass not treated by film, therefore keeping your air conditioning costs down but it also acts as an insulator in the winter to keep your heating costs down too.

Professional window film installation is quick and non- intrusive as disruption to an occupants' lifestyle, activities, or work schedules are kept to a minimum.

There are several types of window film available and not all of them are compatible with certain types of window glass.

Different types of film absorb varying degrees of heat, to avoid thermal stress on the glass it is always important to check the compatibility of the film with your type of windows.

For more information, quotes or questions please contact us on 950 459 253 or call in and see us at Tyre King or email: tyreking@ymail.com

Ecocorp

www.ecocorpshop.com Solar & Energy Saving Solutions Every system we design and install is tailor made to be both effective and efficient. From standard “off the shelf” systems to specific, space - saving, tracking systems; we can ensure that all individual requirements can be met.

Whether you are considering alternative energy provision or need an electrical supply to a remote location, contact Ecocorp for professional, cost effective service. We do not just send your kit to you. When we deliver your solar power system, no matter how small we install it and take time to ensure that you are confident with it.

A high percentage of our business is from repeat customers and personal recommendations. We would welcome the opportunity to earn your trust and to provide you with the best in the industry.

Easy Installation Process Victron Energy Official Installers We cover the Almería, Murcia and Granada regions with full technical support and back up. Our Victron installations carry a 5 year warranty on inverters, change controllers and other Victron Energy products. Our engineers and installers are fully trained and authorised in conjunction with the manufacturer.

English and Spanish speaking engineers

Contact us via the website for a FREE, no obligation consultation and survey or call 950 930 187 or 671 716 597 or for UK numbers call 01332 896510

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Local Family Goes Organic

Olive Tree Farm´s diary continues......

We have kept chickens here at Olive Tree Farm for about 7 or 8 years now. Originally, we bought one small bantam cockerel and 5 hens, which meant we got just enough eggs a day for the family.

After a little while, as we became more confident about keeping them, we added to the flock.

We kept them in the orchard at first. They had a little wooden house where they slept at night and we let them free range in the garden, until we suddenly noticed we didn’t have much garden left! This was when we decided to move them up to the olive field after we had fenced it all.

Whilst they are an easy bird to look after, we do on occasions encounter problems and the past couple of weeks were one of those problem times.

One of the breeds we have done well with are our white Sussex.

They are a large bird and pretty hardy, but we noticed that one of the hens was not quite right. At feeding time, they take on a new lease of life. As the food goes down, it is game on and they all run towards the bowls at speed to see who can get the tastiest morsels. One of the hens however didn’t seem interested.

We put some food down in front of her, but she wasn’t up for breakfast and we needed to go out. A couple of hours later when we came back, we went to check on her, but she had hardly moved.

She looked pretty sorry for herself. We then noticed mucus coming from her beak. We knew immediately what was wrong, ‘Sour crop, or impacted crop’.

The crop on a bird (not all birds have them), is an expanded muscular pouch near the gullet or throat. It is used to temporarily store food.

Sometimes it can get a candida infection which causes thickening of the walls of the crop which means the food in there gets stuck.

Sometimes if the bird has managed to get to long grass the crop becomes blocked. There are a few things you can do to alleviate

either of these problems, but we went for our first option. We gently held her and tipped her upside down for about 15 seconds. This induces vomiting. It worked. Once the blockage cleared, and the culprit was long grass, we sat her back down on the floor. She had a quick ruffle of feathers and stood up almost immediately. We didn’t have anywhere to isolate her over-night, so had to leave her with the rest of the flock. The next morning, she was up and about and at the front of the breakfast queue. A couple of weeks on and she is absolutely fine, thank goodness!

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Our other mystery was a missing bantam hen. One minute she wasn’t there, the next she was. We couldn’t work out where she was going to, or, coming from. She didn’t miss breakfast but was always late. We kept looking around the field, under trees, under grasses, anywhere we could think of that she could have a nest. But to no avail.

Then at around 2am on a warm Saturday morning I was awoken by a noise not far from our open bedroom window. There was scuffling and screeching. Although half awake, I knew it was a hen and she was in trouble. I quickly slipped on shoes and my dressing gown.

Everyone else was asleep. I grabbed a torch and dashed outside. By the time I got through the gate and to the small hill at the side of the house, all was quiet. I shone the light all around, listening for any movement, but no. Whatever had been there had gone.

The next morning, we were not met by our little red hen, she wasn’t late, she just wasn’t there. We had another search, this time checking outside the fence. And then we found the nest. Hidden under a wild broom, there was a perfect nest, with a number of eggs in it. Most were damaged and sadly almost ready for hatching. Our little girl had made a mistake. In her plight to make a nest away from sight, she had chosen a very unsafe place to sit. Whether it was stray dog or a fox that took her, we don’t know.

Another lesson learned, but, following a very sad end.

You can follow the progress of the family and farm on our Face Book page https://www.facebook.com/OliveTreeFarmSpain/ To contact us regarding restoration of your swimming pool, find Olive Tree Farm Pool Services on Face Book https://www. facebook.com/Olive-Tree-Farm-Pool-Services-297410080711334/ or contact us by email … olivetreefarmalmeria@outlook.com

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Sir Bernard Lovell’s Jodrell Bank

I admire engineers that paved the way for so many things and yet seem to be somewhat unsung. Bernard was one such chap.

As a child and teenager, in addition to his love of physics, he had a passion for cricket, playing the piano, and was an organist at his local church. In fact, colleagues recount that during his working life, everything stopped for cricket, work coming second! Studying Physics at university, he obtained his Degree and then a PhD in ’36.

He went to work as part of the Cosmic Ray research Team based at Manchester University. He was fascinated by Gamma-rays, X-rays, photons etc and the effects caused by Solar flares. This was quite ground breaking at the time and set the stage for investigating the beginning of the universe, Black Holes and so on. Ask Stephen Hawkin. Well not now, he’s dead.

At the start of WW2, he was seconded to the Telecommunications Research establishment, TRE. He worked on the H2S radar system which was being designed to be fitted to aircraft. He worked closely with engineers such as Alan Blumein on the top secret and fundamental component of radar, the Magnetron. That’s the bit that generates the high frequency energy, same thing that heats your food in your microwave oven. Lovell took over this work after the test aircraft along with several of his colleagues , including Blumlein, ‘mysteriously’ crashed in ‘42, killing all those on board. More on this under the ‘Articles page’ on my website. It’s quite interesting… honest.

End of WW2, Lovell went back to his study of cosmic rays, at Manchester University. Finances were tight, and he managed to obtain ex-military radar, radio and other electronic gear, that he had been working with at the end of the war. The army provided him with an old arc lamp searchlight. It was supposed to be a loan, but they never saw it again. Lovell used this metal frame to build his first Yagi antenna array (type of aerial). The main problem he had, when searching into the night sky, was interference caused by local Manchester trams (things used to transport poor people ‘t mill) and ignition from cars. He persuaded the university to let him use some land near Goostrey, Cheshire. It was remote and distant

from electrical noise. The area was called Jodrell Bank. Considering his setup was very Heath Robinson and working from the back of a van and trailer, the results were remarkable. This is where he set up his Observatory, which has become a household name. Using his cobbled together second hand kit, he managed to demonstrate how radar could detect meteors entering the earth’s atmosphere. With government and university funding, he built what was at the time, the largest directable radio telescope. The “Lovell telescope” is still in use today and forms part of the MERLIN network. Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network. Interferometry, I hear you cry… what’s that? I think it’s the analysis of radio waves with a military, weapons bias. Too complex for me.

Jodrell Bank was used for, amongst other things in the ‘50s-60s, as part of the Cold wars’ early warning system, keeping an eye on the naughty Ruskies. In fact, The Russians used Jodrell Bank to keep a track of their early-days space rocket launches. That always seemed a bit ironic, the fact they could stuff a rocket, complete with dog into space, but couldn’t find them afterwards. Lovell claimed that during a working trip to the Centre for Deep Space Communications (Ukraine), during the Cold War, the Russians tried to bump him off by exposing him to a nasty dose of radiation. I am not sure if this was ever proved to be correct, but story has it that he wrote a detailed account of the episode only to be published after his death. Next time I speak to Putin, I will ask him and let you know. A friend here recalls a school trip many years ago to Jodrell bank, where he fiddled with and broke a piece of equipment. Lovell happened to be there at the time and gave him a jolly good ticking off.

Certainly as far as Britain is concerned, Bernard’s contribution to Radio Astronomy is second to none. Many have built upon his early work and spectacular results of the telescopes sited at Jodrell Bank.

He received his well deserved Knighthood in 1961.

Now this is praise indeed. Nigel Kneale, who wrote the brilliant Sci-Fi series, Quatermass, (Remember?), took Lovell’s first name Bernard as the key player, Professor Bernard Quatermass.

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Puzzle Time

Puzzle solutions on page 96

Enter digits from 1 to 9 into the blank spaces. Every row of each 9x9 cube must contain one of each digit. So must every column, as must every 3x3 square.

ROSETTA

1

5

2 3 4 A Rosetta is made up of a 7 6 centre coloured hexagon Example encircled by 6 white hexagons.

ToRosetta complete the up puzzle, fill incoloured all 7 Rosettas A is made of a centre hexagon with each 7 in no encircled by number 6 white between hexagons. 1Toand complete the particular also ensuring that :number puzzle, fillorder in allwhile 7 Rosettas with each

Rosetta

between 1 and 7 in no particular order while 1. No number ensuring that: is repeated in a horizontal row 2.

Each number from 1 in to a7horizontal are represented in 1. No number is repeated row the 7number grey coloured cells. in the 7 2. Each for 1 to hexagon 7 are represented grey hexagon cells

Samurai Sudoku

© Engaged Learning

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Look Good - Feel Great No Gym Required: How to Get Fit at Home You want to get fit. But you don't want to join a health club -- it's too expensive, there's no gym convenient to you, or maybe you're just the independent type. Or perhaps you're already a gym member, but your schedule has been too manic for you to get away.

That leaves working out at home. But can you really get a great workout without leaving the house?

In today's world, the reality of it is people don't have time to go to a facility every day anyway, and consistency is key.

Believe it or not, it is just as easy to workout and to exercise at home as much as at the gym. This way, you are more apt to adopt fitness as a lifestyle. The key thing is that you do something, somewhere, sometime.

Many fitness experts say it doesn't take much effort or money to design an effective workout program at home. Things like fit balls, dumbbells, exercise bands or tubing, and push-up bars are an inexpensive way to create a routine that works all the major muscle groups. You can even use bottles of water, or bags of potatoes saving you even more money!

But even with no props or machines, you can build muscles and burn calories.

If you want to get started, take a brisk walk, then do abdominal exercises and push-ups.

The 5 Elements of Fitness • A warm up • A cardiovascular (aerobic) workout • Resistance (strength-building) exercises • Flexibility moves • A cool down A warm-up could be an easy walk outside or on a treadmill, or a slow pace on a stationary bike. For the cardiovascular portion, walk or pedal faster, do step aerobics with a video, or jump rope -whatever you enjoy that gets your heart rate up. Take a look on You Tube for videos, there are some fabulous ideas to get you started and help keep you motivated.

If you're not the create-your-own workout type, there are fitness videos galore -- offering everything from kickboxing to belly dancing to Pilates. You can find them easily on You Tube, or you may even find second-hand CD’s in a local charity shop.

No matter what type of exercise you do, be sure to start slowly and gradually increase your workout time and intensity. And don't forget to listen to your body.

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The resistance portion can be as simple as squats, push-ups and abdominal crunches. Or you could work with small dumbbells, a weight bar, bands or tubing.

Increase your flexibility with floor stretches or yoga poses. And your cooldown should be similar to the warm-up; Cardiovascular work, at a low level to bring the heart rate down to a resting state.

You can do strength work in same workout as your aerobic work, or, split them up. Just be sure to warm up and cool down every time you exercise.

If you're short on time one day, increase the intensity of your workout.

Instead of your usual 45-minute ride on the stationary bike, choose a harder program for 25 minutes and really push yourself. Choose the hilly walk in your neighbourhood, or jog instead of walking.

You can step up the pace of your strength workout by doing compound exercises -- those that work more than one muscle group at a time. For example, doing squats (with or without weights) works the quadriceps, hamstrings, gluteus, and calves. Push-ups involve the pectorals, deltoids, biceps, triceps -- even the abdominals and the upper back. Not sure what all this mean? Have a google and take a look!

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June ‘19 73

Knee Care - part 3

By

Jacey Canovas

The Great Stairs of China

We spoke last month about knees and the challenge of climbing stairs.

How about climbing 6 000 stairs in one day?

That's what Amanda did over Easter as she took on the Great Wall of China Marathon where a course of 42,2km winds across an area of recognised beauty and spectacular views about 150km from Beijing.

Along time-worn tracks through placid villages, tackling misty hills and long stretches of the Great Wall itself, she ran with the feel of history under her feet. Her constant companions were centuries old stones - and those stairs!

"Some of them are so steep and so high," Amanda recounts, "that I was literally crawling upwards from one to the next."

With all that her knees held out and she finished with a smile.

I have no plans to run a marathon, nor even to climb more steps than come across my path in the course of a normal day. But as an average keep-fitter I can still benefit from the same strengthening exercises that Amanda uses.

Ham and Quads The quadriceps, commonly referred to as quads, are the largest muscles in the body.

They run down the front of the thighs and are important in maintaining overall posture and balance.

The hamstrings play an equivalent role at the back of the thighs, and together these two muscle groups contribute to maintaining well functioning knees.

Exercises that strengthen and tone them include: Squats • Stand with the feet wider apart than the shoulders and engage the core.

• Adopt the 'duck' position, moving the rear end backwards and downwards.

• As the knees bend ensure that you can always see your toes - a guide to avoid putting excess stress on the knees.

• Go as far down as you can without discomfort.

• Without strain or sudden moves, raise the body to the starting position Lunges • Engage the core.

• Step forward with one leg, keeping both feet pointing ahead.

• Bend the front leg at the knee and push the body towards the floor.

• Keep the front toe in sight and aim for a 90º knee-to-thigh bend.

• As you do this, let the back leg bend.

• Without strain or sudden moves, raise the body to the starting position Leg Raises • Engage the core.

• Stand with feet closer together than shoulder width, but not touching.

• Be aware of equal balance and don't allow tension to develop.

74 Almeria Living

• Raise one foot, moving it forward and upward.

• Aim to achieve a knee-to-thigh angle of 90º, together with a body-to-thigh angle also of 90º.

• Smoothly lower the foot to the ground.

Comments and queries welcome. josnovas@gmail.com Jacey Cánovas is a journalist on a discovery journey about diet and fitness. Amanda Cantle is a qualified trainer, nutritionist and competing athlete. This article is ©, an extract from the book they are currently writing.

Information and opinions contained in this article should not be used as a substitute for the advice of a licensed health care professional.

Advertorial - What's new at CBD Natural CBD Natural in Huércal Overa is the only shop in the area exclusively specialising in CBD lifestyle products. Since opening just over a year ago our goal was simple, to provide quality CBD and natural hemp based products for customers to purchase safe in the knowledge that all the products were of the highest quality and all from their original source.

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We see many people before and after their cannabis treatment and often the difference is incredible. It is greatly satisfying to see the relief and improvement to peoples lives. However, there are still so many people confused and misled about the facts of medical cannabis that we have started an appointment only service from 2pm until late

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June ‘19 75

THE ANNUAL WALK FOR LIFE 2019 Helen Simpson and Carrie Ann Earl who also walked 6k in their kilts.

240 people registered to walk or run and collected their number and many more came to cheer them on and stayed on for the party afterwards.

Before the race finished Walk for Life had already received €2511.62 and it is still coming in.

The conditions were perfect, not too hot and the forecast rain never happened. Cecilia Molina Verdú cut the tape on behalf of Spanish cancer charity AECC.

You can pay in at our bank in Arboleas Unicaja IBAN No ES73 2103 5140 0600 3000 7723 quoting your name and sponsor form number or you can email admin@walk4lifearboleas.com and we will arrange collection.

Do not give donations elsewhere as you must have a receipt.

There were two routes, 3 kilometre and 6 kilometre, the 3k runners were the first home.

Everybody who took part received a medal.

Thank you to everyone who took part but especially to Les and Sue for the bottle stall which made €300 and the dog show run

by Christine Axelsen, there will be a detailed write up and photos, which made €310.

The winners First Child (under 16) was number 318, 12 year-old Alannah Innes Bedford who ran the 3k route First Dog and Owner were number 322, Paul Day with Lily who walked the 3k route

Thank you to Mike Holliday of GM Photography for his wonderful photos; to Sue and Ken Hayes and Sue and Allen Pearce for handling the walkers’ registration which ran very smoothly; to Steve Booth and the marshals; to Nikki from Almería Angels for being the First aider (glad we didn’t need you); to Ali for doing the warm up; to unsung heroes Les, Jeff and Malcolm for all their help at this and every event and to Saks catering for the lovely food and their donation to Walk for Life.

First 3k walker to reach the finish line was number 282, Olivia Hair First 6k runner back was number 119, Eric Wintersgill First 6k walker was number 73, Christine Fawcett Oldest walker, number 308, was 85 yearold Sheila Coles who walked the 3k route First Fancy-Dress Child was number 40, Daisy Wakeman on the 6k route and dressed as a pirate.

Well done everyone - organisers and participants too!!

First Fancy-dress adults were a pair of bonny scots lassies, numbers 3 and 4,

Ladies fashion and accessories

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What to wear this summer!

Barely there sandals, floppy hats, Bardot style tops and that little white dress, all indications that Summer is here! Like it or not, the heat is almost upon us and our wardrobe suddenly takes on a whole new look. Here are our top 9 fashion hits for 2019 1. It seems that anything goes this summer looking at the latest fashion house editorials. Stepping back in time to the 70’s features tie dye fabrics. Whether jeans or tops, tie dye certainly packs a punch when added to your summer wardrobe.

2. Animal prints are also having a major moment thanks to the likes of Roberto Cavalli, Burberry, Gucci, and Tom Ford. Walk on your wild side with the cheetah, zebra, and snakeskin options. Short skirts, long skirts, dresses, even shorts, animal prints are definitely in!

3. If you are a fan of fluorescent fabrics, then you can’t go wrong!

If you get the chance to build up a nice tan, those florescent colours come into their own. Neon green seems to be particularly popular, but as long as it is bright, you will be alright!

4. Are you a feather fan? Yes, you did read that correctly! Feathers are huge hit on both the catwalk, and in the major fashion houses.

Whether added to the hem of a top, or even to the hem on a pair of jeans, feathers in. So, if that tickles your fancy, why not give it a go!

5. Over the shoulder! One cheeky shoulder on show and the other holding your top up! Whether short sleeved, long sleeved or showing off your belly, one shoulder tops are in!

6. Go fish(net)! Crochet isn’t just for old ladies! Oh no! Fish net can be glamorous and sexy all in one! Whether it is a cover up for when on the beach, or a cheeky backless top, the crochet, fishnet look is in!

7. Polka Dots never loose their appeal, and this year is no different!

Pretty backless tops, shoulder revealing dresses, 50’s style skirts and even shirt dresses are all popular styles to go dotty!

8. Bermuda shorts are another favourite. You can be a hippy or chic wearing Bermudas, they even work for evenings. Teamed up with a patterned top for daytime, or a chic top for the evening, shorts are in!

9. Lavender is a top colour for 2019. This often, low key colour works as a complimentary colour to denim and black! Denim during the day, black for your evening wardrobe. Silk gives it a sleek look, gingham cotton teamed with denim gives it a clean comfortable look. You can’t go wrong!

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If someone you care about has a drinking problem, you can see what it is doing to them but can you see what it is doing to you?

‘Al-Anon Family Groups provide support to anyone whose life is, or has been affected by someone else’s drinking, regardless of whether that person is still drinking or not. For some of our members, the wounds still run deep, even if their loved one may no longer be a part of their lives or has died.’ (www.al-anonuk. org.uk) Al-Anon helps us overcome even the most negative aspects of our lives and, in turn, to extend hope and help to others. In AlAnon we discover that no situation is really hopeless and that it is possible for us to find contentment, and even happiness, whether the alcoholic is still drinking or not.

“When I first went to Al-Anon, I was hoping to learn how to ‘fix’ the alcoholic in my life. I thought that if she stopped drinking, all my problems would be solved and everything would be fine.

What I hadn’t realised is that alcoholism is a disease, which I did not cause, have no control over and which I certainly can’t cure.

It was actually a bit of a relief to find out that alcoholism is a devastating illness, not a choice.

I also discovered that alcoholism is known as a family disease.

‘Why?’ you might ask. Well that was something else I hadn’t realised; my other half’s compulsive drinking wasn’t just making her ill, it was taking a huge toll on the rest of us. I could see her drinking was out of control so I tried to control it for her.

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I would hunt for hidden bottles, pouring the contents down the drain when I found them; I made excuses for her behaviour and I became obsessed about what she was doing – had she snuck off for yet another drink? I became very anxious about the state of her health, our bank balance and the impact all this was having on the kids.

To be honest, I sometimes got pretty angry too; I was sick of being lied to and having to take responsibility for everything. Other times, I was in denial, making believe that everything was really ok. The real damage though was believing that somehow this was all my fault, that I should be able to help this person I loved so much, that I had failed.

So, there you have it. I thought my marriage was a failure and that I was too. If this was what my life was going to look like for the foreseeable, I just couldn’t see the point. I hit rock bottom.

I remember going to my first Al-Anon meeting. I didn’t really know what to expect to be honest and couldn’t imagine how it was going to help.

meeting. Everything that is shared is held in confidence.

I shared about how I knew I could never trust my partner again after all the lies and broken promises. We’d spent a fortune on rehab and she had relapsed almost immediately. What a waste of money I thought. I listened to the other shares and one in particular had a big impact on me.

In Al-Anon I learned that I could not change anybody other than myself. Changing the alcoholic was most definitely NOT my responsibility. On the other hand, if I want to be happy, well that is my responsibility and it is Al-Anon that is helping me to achieve this.”

This lady talked about when her marriage was in a state of collapse, when she had lost all faith and trust in her husband but how, over time, trust had come back. Her marriage was once again thriving.

For the first time in months, I had hope.

There are weekly Al-Anon meetings in La Alfoquia and Turre.

I decided to carry on going to meetings and I can tell you now that Al-Anon has made a big difference to my life. Firstly, I was really grateful for the welcome I felt in the group and the knowledge that I was not alone.

People, who were strangers when I first walked through the door, seemed to care about me. They knew what I was talking about, probably because they had been there too.

I felt safe because people only introduce themselves by their first names and nobody will ever divulge that you have even attended the

Useful links: Al-Anon Spain http://www.alanonspain.org Al-Anon Family Groups UK and Eire http://www.al-anonuk.org.uk Al-Anon Inc https://al-anon.org/ Al-Anon España http://al-anonespana.org Facebook http://www.facebook.com/AlAnonFamilyGroupsUK

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June ‘19 81

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82 Almeria Living

CORA’S DIARY

A Lesson in Humility - for Brutus!

Hooolaaa, it’s meee-heee! Bursting Cora!

No, I’m not bursting for a pee! I’m fortunate enough to have free access to in and outdoors, and never have to strain my bladder or walk around cross-legged.

No, I’m bursting with things to tell you! And the funny thing is that I haven’t actually any news or anything to share with you, just our little everyday happenings at Cortijo Moreno.

Do you remember last month I said that I’d probably have to take Brutus down a peg or two after him coming second in the obedience competition? Well, I was right.

We were both of us proud and pleased with ourselves when we came home after the competition, and mum and dad kept praising us. And that’s just like it should be.

But going on about it 24/7? I tell you, Brutus got really tiring!

Rosette blah blah blah almost best in competition blah blah blah only five points less than you blah blah blah next Champion of the Training Club blah blah blah clever blah beautiful blah unbeatable blah blah blah…

Well, as you can imagine, I had to put a stop to it. So I sat him down and said, Cassius Brutus, listen to me. I know you did well in the competition, I’m not disputing that, but have you thought why?

Sure, he said, blah blah clever blah blah graceful blah… Let me stop you right there! I said. Have you ever thought it might be because the other dogs in the class feel sorry for you? That they think you are the clown in the class, the bungling blunderer who can’t get anything right? And decided to let you win out of the goodness of their hearts?

He looked absolutely crestfallen! I almost felt sorry for him. I’d obviously hit home.

He hung his head and started walking away. I called him back and said, I’m not saying that’s what happened; I just want you to appreciate that you’re only as good as the circumstances on the day let you be. Coming second in the competition doesn’t mean that you’re the second best dog in the class, it just means that you did second best on the day. With the mood you were in the week before, there’s no way you would have won ANY rosette!

He looked relieved and even pricked his ears up again. He sat there thinking for a while; I could almost see the wheels turning in his head! He then said, I think I see what you’re saying. I’m very grateful that I managed to do so well on the day. It came out a bit stilted, but I didn’t comment on that. That’s more like it, I said, well done. But don’t now go around saying that 24 hours a day; it’s a good feeling to have, but you don’t have to share it non-stop.

He got it, and since then there has been only the occasional slip which I have let go by; we have to be allowed to enjoy our success from time to time. I CAME FIIIIIRST!!! (Oops!)

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It’s been a funny spring, weather wise, as you have probably noticed.

And out in the hills strange things have been going on. There are so many rabbits this year, more I think than I have ever seen before.

And for a while we kept stumbling over dead rabbits. Me and Bru always pick up any dead rabbit we find, and mum always tells us to drop it. Bru always spits his out with relief, but I only let go reluctantly, dead rabbits are indeed a delicacy.

Continued on page 84 .....

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June ‘19 83

..... Continued from page 83 Mum says not to eat them if they’ve gone off. How would we be able to eat them if they’d done that? I obviously only eat the ones that are still there! And I decided to do it where I found them instead of trying to transport them home, as I knew mum would make me drop them.

And none would be the wiser, I thought. But I hadn’t reckoned with my tummy. Every time I’d had a few bites of dead rabbit, my tummy started rumbling. I mean RUMBLING. Mum and dad could hear it at a distance, and they only have human hearing, so that says something!

I then felt the irresistible urge to let out a bit of air. Ever so discreetly, no sound, just a bit of warm air that was bothering me. No harm done. I actually thought it smelt quite pleasant.

Not so mum and dad! Oh my God, what’s that smell?!? Was it you? No, of course not, it was obviously you! No way! I always go outside.

And just then my tummy decides to rumble again and both of them turn around and look at me…

Well, they put two and two together, and it was decided that I was only allowed out under strict supervision, either on the lead or being called back every time I got too far away or out of sight. I did try to sneak off a few times, but was always caught just as I thought I’d made it. Boo! But after a while the dead rabbits disappeared, and I was allowed my usual freedom again, thank God! There’s nothing more annoying than getting called back just as you are following an interesting scent!

You’re not gonna believe this: I’ve got an ear again! I’ve gone eight months without any trouble at all, and now my left (stiff) ear has decided to give me grief! I’m quite upset about it, and mum’s distressed! She thinks it’s not like the other times when I’ve had an infection, she thinks there’s something stuck in my ear.

I don’t know what difference it makes, it’s jolly uncomfortable no matter what it is! Uncle Javier (my Personal Physician) decided in his wisdom to stick his torch 30 cm into my ear (more or less) and said he couldn’t see the end because of something called pus. (Is that not a cat?)

So he emptied a pipette of something into my ear and told mum to leave it alone, no cleaning or touching (YES!), only observing. If

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I’m not better by Sunday, I’ll have to go back. Mum won’t tell me what the next step is, so that doesn’t bode well. I try to make out that I’m much better already, but sometimes I can’t help letting my ear droop or shaking my head when there’s a sudden itch or pain.

In fact, I had scratched so much at it that I’d managed to open a wound on my neck. It bothered me a bit and felt a little sore, but I wasn’t worried, ‘cos it was right under my collar so mum didn’t notice or try to muck about with it. But last week at training when I was wearing my training collar, she did notice, so she got Uncle Javier to look at that as well while we were there. And he proceeded to pull off the scab! Ouch!! But I think he did the right thing, ‘cos it’s stopped bothering me, and mum puts on something soothing twice a day and it feels a lot better.

So my only worry now is not to let on if my ear bothers me, to try to avoid going into the 2nd instalment of This Year’s Ear Trouble.

In fact I think I’ll go and sit in front of the mirror to practice my poker face. Or poker ear, as it were. And I’ll let you know next month how I got on. Until then, wroof wroof!

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I

f you like hiking and you are not scared of heights, do yourself a great favour and visit la Ruta del Cares in Picos de Europa in northern Spain; it presents a unique opportunity to experience and walk through one of the most spectacular mountain landscapes in Europe.

La Ruta del Cares

The river Cares has worked its way through the rock over hundreds of thousands of years and created a gorge which reaches a depth of 1.5 km from the tops of the mountains. It goes without saying that it is a savage landscape, but it is possible for ordinary hikers to enjoy it thanks to a path created as a service road for access to the electricity generation plants that are situated in the gorge.

The path goes through tunnels, crosses bridges and is carved out under rocks, all of which has created a unique route through the mountains.

The distance from Almería to Picos de Europa is more than 1,000 km and it feels like a different world all together. Picos de Europa is Spain’s first and largest national park, and not without a reason. The whole park is full of fascinating wildlife and spectacular sights with tall, rugged mountains, the highest of which is the Torre de Cerredo at 2,650 m. There are guided tours to take you through the mountains, but on Ruta del Cares you don’t need a guide. It goes through the middle of the mountains and there is hardly any incline.

La Ruta del Cares is also known as La Garganta Divina (the divine gorge), and it connects the villages of Cain and Poncebos and it 11 km long. If you are fit you can do a return trip in a day, or you can do only a part before turning back, or indeed find somewhere to spend the night when you get to the other end of the path.

Some 300,000 people walk the route every year and it is one of the most well-known and visited routes in Spain. People come from near and far, from the Far East to the Far West and of course, from Europe. The most popular month to visit is August, and you might prefer to go a little earlier in the year before it gets too hot and too crowded.

When the path first leaves Cain it crosses the river Cares and passes

the white water of an electricity generation plant. It then goes through dark and dripping tunnels where you have to be careful not to bash your head.

Once you’ve gone through the tunnels the path zig-zags and crosses the river a few times via foot bridges high above the bottom of the gorge – only look down if you have a strong head for heights!

In places the rock has been carved out to head height to allow a person to pass, and all along the route the path is fairly wide so you don’t have the feeling that you are standing on an 8 inch ledge on the edge of the abyss.

One part of the path is not carved out of the rock; a bridge-like construction runs along the rock on one side of the gorge. A sign proclaims that this part of the path is called ‘Pasarela de los Martínez’, and there is a story behind it.

In 2012 a giant rock by the name of La Madama de la Huertona pulled loose from the mountain side and dropped to the bottom of the gorge, destroying some 10m of the service path in the act.

With la Ruta del Cares being quite a tourist attraction and bringing much needed income to the area, the path becoming impassable was a bit of a disaster, so something had to be done quickly to reopen the route.

A couple of strapping mountain lads, the Martínez brothers, whose family has lived in the mountains for generations, were commissioned to repair the broken path, and as quickly as humanly possible.

They managed to construct a 30m long bridge to connect the two broken ends of the path in just 2½ months, and to thank them for their efforts the construction was named after them.

Inset in this part of the path is a glass plate which allows you to look down and imagine that you are floating mid-air, while the waters rush by 100m below.

La Ruta del Cares offers a unique opportunity to experience the thrills of mountain hiking in one of the most beautiful settings in Europa, even for those who are not able to do any climbing or much uphill walking.

June ‘19 85

Let’s Talk Spanish Before or After?

Many learners of Spanish claim that the language is spoken ‘back to front’. That is definitely not true (you should try to learn German!); but the word order in a sentence is quite often random, and you can say the verb before or after the subject both in affirmative and interrogative sentences.

Look at these examples:

We also put it after when the speaker considers that there are alternative options.

Examples: 3. Prefiero el vestido amarillo – I prefer the yellow dress.

4. Mi padre solo come pescado fresco – my dad only eats fresh fish.

Mi padre me dijo que preguntase a mi madre – Me dijo mi padre que preguntase a mi madre. Both mean ‘My father told me to ask my mother’.

We put the adjective before the noun when the speaker considers the description of the noun to be a well known fact.

¿El doctor González trabaja mañana? ¿Trabaja mañana el doctor González? Both mean, ‘Is Doctor Gonzalez working tomorrow?’

5. ¡Muerte a los infames traidores de la patria! – Death to the vile traitors of our country!

However, in Spanish we do often put the adjective after the noun, and that may be what confuses some learners.

So when do we put the adjective before and when after?

We put the adjective after the noun when it describes a quality of the noun which the speaker considers new or unknown, or which he does not consider a matter of course.

Examples: 1. Un coche nuevo no necesita reparaciones – a new car doesn’t need repairing.

2. Te digo, es un perro muy inteligente – I tell you, he’s a very intelligent dog.

Examples:

6. Ayer visité a mi vieja abuela – I visited my old grandmother yesterday.

Also when it would have the wrong meaning as in examples 3 and 4. Look at this: 7. Bailó todo la noche con el fuerte herrero – she danced with the strong blacksmith all night.

If you used ‘el herrero fuerte’ in this instance, it would be the strong blacksmith as opposed to the weak one!

Putting the adjective before the noun also has a subjective feel to it, whereas after is more objective: 8. Mi muy querida suegra – my beloved mother-in-law.

9. Mi suegra muy querida – my well-loved mother-in-law.

Sometimes the adjective changes meaning according to its position, and it also follows to a great extent the subjective – objective rule mentioned above.

10. Tiene bastante dinero consigo – he has quite a lot of money with him.

11.Tiene dinero bastante – he’s got enough money.

12. El único cordero del pobre – the poor man’s only lamb.

13. Es una oportunidad única – it’s a unique opportunith.

14. Siempre busca nuevas víctimas – she is always looking for new (other) victims.

15.Ha comprado un móvil nuevo – he has bought a new (unused) mobile.

Certain adjectives are only used before the noun.

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I still haven’t decided which delightful aspects of the Spanish language I’ll treat you to next month – so watch this space! ¡Hasta luego!

86 Almeria Living

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Albox

Farmacia Jaime Jiménez Gómez - Avda Guillermo Reyna 24 – 950 135 427

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11/06 - 17/06

88 Almeria Living

Removals & Storage

Support Groups

UK DIRECT

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS (meetings Mon, Wed & Fri)

Removals / Relocation / Collections / Pet Transort / Deliveries UK +44 7719 118879 / Spain 642 099 479 ukdirectremovalsandstorage@gmail.com

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Please call for a quote

Emergencies (multi lingual) 112 Health Emergencies: Life Threatening 061 All Other Health Emergencies 902 505 061 POLICE Guardia Civil 062 Local Police 092 Coast Guard 900 202 202

call 634 349 535 for details aaspain@gmail.com

AL-ANON Family Help Group

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AGE CONCERN ALMANZORA Carers’ Support Group

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HOUSE CLEARANCES LOCAL REMOVALS

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in confidence

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To advertise in the Classified section: Call 643 681 025 or email paulette@almerialiving.net Don’t forget to tell the advertiser you saw them in the Almeria Living!

June ‘19 89

ABOUT US Although many Removal firms nowadays claim to be a “Family Business” few actually are.

This is where we are different.

We pride ourselves on giving each individual job (regardless of size) a personal service that is second to none, and in achieving complete customer satisfaction. After all, it´s our reputation – our name – at stake, so we do we can to maintain our high standards and also meet those of the customer. It´s for this reason that a majority of our work is due to recommendation.

SPAIN AND FRANCE We specialise in relocations to and from France and Spain, and often have weekly loads going to both destinations. By combining knowledge of the European laws with local information and years of overseas experience, we have managed to remain as reliable in Europe as we are in England, and consequently have built up a good reputation in both countries.

We work closely alongside several English-run storage companies in Spain, allowing us greater flexibility with our customers on both sides. All work within our guidelines and adhere to our high standards. We have become one of their top recommended removal companies for moves to and from the UK, and still remain the removal company of choice for many ex-pats.

EUROPEAN REMOVALS We offer a professional service to and from most parts of Europe and gladly tailor make a package to suit your individual needs. We understand that flexibility and reliability is of utmost importance to our customers, especially when moving overseas and we aim to cover both areas within the services we offer.

Quotations for European moves follow the same protocol for domestic UK removals (see quotations). They require an estimator to visit your home (where possible) or can be submitted via “Online Quotes”. You may wish to email your enquiry to: fredphillipsremovalsltd@ymail.com

FULL OR PART LOADS The main options to consider in a European move are how big your load is likely to be, and whether you require your belongings on a specific date, or just within a certain timescale.

• Full Load – You pay for sole use of the vehicle. Gives you full control (as far as possible) over the collection and delivery of your belongings, allowing you to work to a specific date.

• Part Load – The cost effective option. You have part use of the vehicle along with other loads going via the same route to their destinations. Collection can still be when you require, but delivery is arranged on a full vehicle (cost efficient) basis. However, we will still do our best to work within your time frame.

Both services can have storage incorporated into the move, and both offer the same experienced, dedicated customer care service from planning and preparation right through to delivery.

AIMS: Our goal is to make your relocation overseas a completely stress free experience from start to finish, (as far as the removal is concerned!) and to maintain customer satisfaction throughout.

STORAGE

We offer store facilities both in the UK and in Spain. We can store anything from single items to full house loads, for any duration.

Our Storage Facilities offer the following: • 24 hour Security and Surveillance • Heated Warehouse • Full Insurance • Flexibility Storage is charged on a weekly basis and customers are invoiced monthly.

For more specific information please contact us.

Contact Us: +44 1634 856433 Email: fredphillipsremovalsltd@ymail.com 90 Almeria Living

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A Tribute to F1 Legend, Niki Lauda Niki Lauda, who has died aged 70, was a three-time Formula 1 world champion, non-executive chairman of the world champion Mercedes team, and one of the biggest names in motorsport.

He was also a pilot and successful businessman, who set up two airlines and continued to occasionally captain their planes into his late 60s.

But he will be remembered most for the remarkable bravery and resilience he showed in recovering from a fiery crash at the 1976 German Grand Prix at the fearsome Nurburgring.

Lauda - leading the World Championship, having won his first title a year earlier - suffered third-degree burns to his head and face that left him scarred for life, inhaled toxic gases that damaged his lungs, and received the last rites in hospital.

Yet he returned to racing just 40 days later - finishing fourth in the Italian Grand Prix. By the end of the race, his unhealed wounds had soaked his fireproof balaclava in blood. When he tried to remove the balaclava, he found it was stuck to his bandages, and had to resort to ripping it off in one go.

It was one of the bravest acts in the history of sport.

At the time, Lauda played down his condition. Later, in his disarmingly frank autobiography, he admitted he had been so scared he could hardly drive.

"I said then and later that I had conquered my fear quickly and cleanly," Lauda wrote in To Hell And Back. "That was a lie. But it would have been foolish to play into the hands of my rivals by confirming my weakness. At Monza, I was rigid with fear."

Lauda drove that weekend because he felt it was the "best thing" for his physical and mental wellbeing. "Lying in bed ruminating about the 'Ring would have finished me," he said.

dangerous for F1. Its 14 miles twisting through the Eifel mountains meant the emergency services were stretched too far, he said, and any driver who had a serious crash was therefore at a disproportionately high risk in an era that was already extremely dangerous.

What happened on 1 August proved him right. For unknown reasons, Lauda lost control at a flat-out kink before a corner called Bergwerk, hit an embankment and his car burst into flames.

Trapped in the wreckage, but conscious, he was dragged clear by four fellow drivers - but not before he had suffered severe injuries.

The accident ended the notorious Nurburgring's time as a Formula 1 circuit.

Lauda carried the scars, including a mostly missing right ear, for the rest of his life and always had a matter-of-fact approach to his disfigurement. It didn't bother him, he said, and if others felt differently, that was their problem.

Lauda had been warning for some time that the circuit was too

Continued on page 92 .....

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..... Continued from page 91 His injuries, in fact, were often the butt of his merciless wit.

Once it was pointed out to him that, owing to the rule that says the original start of a race does not count if there is a restart, he had not officially taken part in the 1976 German Grand Prix. "Oh yes," he said, in his clipped tones. "So, what happened to my ear?"

The accident came at a time when Lauda appeared to be cruising to a second consecutive world title for Ferrari, and his determination to return was founded in his desire to shore up a lead that was rapidly diminishing in his absence from competition, under assault from British McLaren driver James Hunt.

The compelling narrative of that season was effectively the kickstart for F1's current global popularity. The storyline had something for everyone - the ascetic Austrian racing driver-cum-engineer, renowned for his clinical approach and lack of emotions, driving for Ferrari; the handsome, playboy Englishman for McLaren. Lauda's crash and awe-inspiring recovery only added to the frisson.

By the final round in Japan, Lauda was only three points ahead, and when race day brought torrential rain, he pulled out after two laps, saying it was too dangerous.

Lauda admitted he was "panic-stricken" - feelings rooted in his crash - but later said he regretted the decision. Ferrari remonstrated with him and tried to convince him to race, but he refused, and Hunt took the third place he needed to win the title by one point.

Their battle has been turned into a Hollywood film, but it misrepresented them as enemies - in fact, Lauda and Hunt were close friends. So much so they had next-door rooms that weekend in Japan and, on race morning, with Hunt in bed with a girlfriend, Lauda goose-stepped into the room and barked out: "Today, I vin the Vorld Championship."

It was unarguably the most dramatic, inspiring and fascinating part of Lauda's career, but his life was one lived in Technicolor, and remarkable in its entirety.

He was a singular personality, brusque and matter of fact, but with a wicked sense of humour and independent mind.

After success in the lower categories, Lauda bought his way into F1 in 1971, against the wishes of his well-heeled family, by way of a bank loan secured against his life insurance policy, and started his career with March. He needed a second loan to move to BRM two

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92 Almeria Living

years later. It was the move that made his career.

He impressed team-mate Clay Regazzoni, and when the Swiss was signed by Ferrari for 1974, he recommended Lauda.

The legendary Italian team had been in the doldrums in 1973, but were about to start a strong recovery under the management of the brilliant Luca di Montezemolo. In 1974, Lauda lost out on the title to McLaren's Emerson Fittipaldi only through inexperience, but that was the precursor to dominating in 1975 in the now legendary Ferrari 312T. After narrowly missing out on the title in 1976, Lauda won again in 1977, despite falling out with Enzo Ferrari, whose lack of support following the Nurburgring crash fatally fractured their relationship.

The atmosphere chilly, amid Lauda’s fall-out with the owner and distaste for his new team-mate Carlos Reutemann, Lauda stayed at Ferrari in 1977 only long enough to clinch the title, and pulled out of the final two races before a move to Bernie Ecclestone’s Brabham team for 1978.

The Brabham was beautiful to look at, but its Alfa Romeo engine was uncompetitive, and Lauda began to lose interest in F1. At the Canadian Grand Prix, the penultimate race of the 1979 season, he got out of his car part-way through a practice session and told Ecclestone he was retiring, saying he was “bored of driving around in circles”.

Continued on page 95 .....

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June ‘19 93

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..... Continued from page 92 He returned to Austria to run his airline, Lauda Air, full-time. But just over two years later he was back in F1, tempted out of retirement

by McLaren boss Ron Dennis, on a $3m salary - by far the largest in the sport at the time.

Lauda won his third race back - in Long Beach, California - and in 1984 the team were dominant with the new MP4/2, powered by a Porsche engine funded by McLaren's new backer TAG. Lauda was out-paced by new team-mate Alain Prost but won five races to Prost's seven, most as a result of the Frenchman's bad luck or retirement, and clinched the title by half a point, the closest margin in history.

He stayed for one more year, 1985, when he was uncompetitive but still managed to win in the Netherlands - holding off a charge from Prost - before finally calling it a day for good, aged 36.

Through both his periods in F1, his driving was characterised by elegant stylishness, all economy of effort and fluidity, which matched his belief it was the driver's job to work as hard as possible on the technical aspects of the car, to make it work for him, and let it do the work. It was not spectacular, but it was certainly effective - as proved by Prost himself, and Jackie Stewart, who shared a similar approach and won a further seven titles between them.

The end of Lauda's driving career, though, did not mean the end of his links with F1.

In 1993, Montezemolo offered him a consulting role at Ferrari, though that did not last long into the management of the team's new boss that year - Jean Todt, who went on to mastermind the dominant Michael Schumacher era.

In 2001, Lauda took charge of the Ford-owned Jaguar team, only to be sacked at the end of 2002 along with 70 other key figures when the performance failed to improve.

team boss in 2014, and after that - as Mercedes dominated the sport in the era of turbo hybrid engines - Lauda had attended races and acted as an adviser to Wolff and the Mercedes board.

In July 2018, he was diagnosed with a severe lung infection and had a double lung transplant. In November, he and the team posted a message on social media with a video of Lauda saying he would be back at work "soon".

But in January he was diagnosed with pneumonia and taken back into hospital in Vienna.

Lauda leaves his second wife Birgit, their twins Max and Mia - born in 2009, two sons from his first wife Marlene Knaus - Mathias and Lukas, and a son - Christoph - born from a third relationship.

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From then, he largely combined running his new airline Niki founded in 2003, after the sale of Lauda Air to Austrian Airlines in 1999 - with an analyst's role on the German TV channel RTL's F1 coverage.

But then, in September 2012, he was appointed a non-executive director of the Mercedes F1 team, a decision made by the Mercedes board, who were unhappy at the team's lack of competitiveness under Ross Brawn, and wanted Lauda as an effective spy in the camp.

Along with Brawn, Lauda played a key role in the signing of Lewis Hamilton to replace Schumacher at the end of 2012. And in early 2013, he became a 10% shareholder in Mercedes, at the same time as Toto Wolff took on 30%.

Wolff, initially appointed executive director, replaced Brawn as

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A Nerd Looks at Spanish Number Plates!

Having spent the last 18 months trying to be vaguely academic I thought I would return to being a nerd! The world needs more nerds, they are generally quiet, peaceful people who just want to enjoy their hobby without bothering anyone else. Usually, they are objects of mild ridicule, so I was very pleased by the public outpouring of support for the model railway club that had its exhibition totally trashed by teenage yobs.

I am sure there must be a name for people who are interested in and/ or collect vehicle registration plates but, try as I did I could not find one! It is not my particular nerdish activity but I recognise fellow nerds when I see them!

I contemplated writing this piece as a result of a number of our visitors expressing an interest in how Spanish car registration works when there is more than one format to be seen! It always seemed a bit strange as there are several different formats to be seen in the UK…anyway, here goes!

By Mike Woolnough

of Huércal Overa you will find a number of vintage cars with early issue plates.

In 1971 a new system was introduced, still regionally based. The region identification letters were standardised at one or two letters followed by four figures followed by the letter A, this letter increased incrementally up to Z at which point the letter sequence became AA with the intention it would sequence through to ZZ. The letters Ñ and Q were never used.

On square plates, all four letters came together with the numbers underneath with the potential to form words. Two letter combinations ending in A, E, I and O were not used in the suffixes because of the risk they could form offensive words! Certain other combinations were never issued for the same reason, but one or two dubious combinations did slip through – but this is a family magazine!

In 1893 the Department of the Seine in France issued the world’s first vehicle licence number plate. The rest of France did not follow until 1901 by which time Spain had been issuing them for a year.

At the end of the first year, four vehicles had been issued with plates, two in the Balearics, one in Cáceres and one in San Sebastian. A further 47 were issued in the following year.

The system was regionally based with one, two or three letters followed by a number sequence starting at 1 and continuing up to 999,999 (except that they never got that far!). The letters used were the initial letter of the region concerned except where confusion could happen. For example, AL was for Almeria and A was for Alicante; similarly, M was for Madrid and MA for Malaga. In some cases the letters were those of the regional capital.

There were a few three-letter prefixes where the first two letters were the same. By 1971 Madrid had issued over 960,000 plates with Barcelona not far behind, so a new system was required. There are quite a few cars around bearing the original series of plates. If you visit Barol Oil service station on the Santa María de Nieva road out

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96 Almeria Living

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All of these plates had black characters on a white background, in 1987 there was a change to the font which resulted in heavier characters being used. By the end of the twentieth century Madrid and Barcelona had reached ZX and XC respectively so there was an urgent need for some changes to be made.

A further complication arose from the use of regional languages which resulted in changes in the spelling of same regional names.

Gerona became Girona with the number plate identifier changing from GE to GI. To avoid a flood of changes the Government decided to abandon the regional system and replace it with a standard national system from 18th September 2000.

The national system consists of four figures followed by three letters. The first such plate was 0000 BBB and will continue through to 9999 ZZZ. As before Ñ and Q will not be used, neither will any of the vowels. It is estimated that this system will last until about 2040.

At the beginning of June they are about to issue 0000 LBB. If you are a true nerd you will work out if the 2040 prediction is on target!

All of the new series carry the EU identifier as a small blue panel on the left of the plate. With the older plates it was optional. Owners of older cars may now add the identifier. If the plate has to be replaced due to loss or damage the new plate must include the identifier.

Of course, number plate spotters will have noticed there are quite a few vehicles around which have completely different number plates.

Vehicles with an engine capacity less than 50cc (e.g. mopeds and microcars) do not have to have a national plate, these are still issued locally and are black on yellow. They all start with C for ciclomotor.

Agricultural or other special vehicles are red on white and all start with E. There are a number of other fairly standard plates with letters allocated to specific organisations, the two most common being DGP followed by four figures. (DGP= Dirección General de la Policía), often there is a suffix - RC; this indicates the vehicle is leased and other letter combinations like AB that it is purchased! The letters PGC are for the Guardia Civil.

congratulations! One more thing, if you should spot a registration plate that simply has a gold crown on a purple background start tugging your forelock, for that is a plate used by the King on official duties!

Pictures courtesy of worldlicenseplates.com

Others you might see are EA, ET and FN for the Air Force, Army and Navy respectively. In all of these cases the letters precede the figures. In Seville and Cordoba they issue plates for horse-drawn vehicles. Special plates were also issued to Olympic officials for the Barcelona Olympics and similarly to officials at Expo 92 in Seville.

Coloured plates not already mentioned all have a prefix letter.

H ~ black on white, historical vehicles; R~ red on black, trailers over 750kg (the R is for remolque = trailer); P ~ white on green, provisional; T ~ black on white, tourist plates; S ~ white on red, is for new vehicle deliverers, V ~ also white on red is for car dealers, as in UK trade plates. Many of these have a small rectangular panel on the right with a combination of Roman and ordinary numbers indicating when it expires. One more coloured plate which does not have any extra letters - from about October of last year taxis have been sporting a rear plate that is white on blue.

Some vehicles carry a small supplementary pate; SP = Servicio Publico (Public Service) and MP for a vehicle carrying the owners own merchandise.

Diplomatic plates have two letters followed by two sets of figures.

For the Diplomatic Corps, the letters are CD and are white on red, Consular cars are white on green, TA – white on yellow, for Auxiliary workers and OI – white on blue for international organisations. The first set of numbers identifies the country/organisation – the UK is 32, USA 27, France 30, Brazil 10 and Portugal 63 to mention a few.

The second set is simply the order in which the embassy allocates them so, presumably, the British Ambassador has CD 32 1, If you are still with me after all this then you are a true nerd,

June ‘19 97

Driving in Spain

It’s easy to forget about what you’re doing when driving in Spain, especially if the sun is shining and you’re driving to somewhere exciting. But, of course, a driver must always be aware of their actions and remember that they’re in charge of not only their passengers’ safety, but also of those on the roads around them.

The Dirección General de Tráfico has put together a mountain of rules in the Reglamento General de Circulación (General Traffic Law) to make sure that driving on Spanish roads and motorways is a safe experience for everyone.

However, there are certain obscure, and some unbelievable regulations that make it easy to get a driving penalty in Spain without knowing you’ve done anything wrong. Insurance agency Wiquot put together a list of the top 10 strangest things drivers have been fined for in Spain.

1. Driving with one hand or arm outside of the vehicle can lead to a fine of €100. Article 18 of the General Traffic Law states that the driver and passengers should always maintain a sensible position inside the vehicle.

2. Driving without wearing a shirt, being barefoot or wearing flipflops comes with a fine of €200. According to the law, driving without ‘proper’ clothing or footwear could diminish the driver’s capacity to control the vehicle.

3. You have to be extremely careful when parking on sand at the beach because if the area is classified as ‘protected’, you could end up with a fine of up to €6,000.

4. Making the most of being stationary at a red light by touching up your make-up or eating food could cost you €200 euro and two points off your licence.

98 Almeria Living

5. Driving while blasting music in a quiet area like a hospital or during the early hours of the morning can lead to a fine of €80– 100. In one case, a fine of €2,400 was imposed because the noise prevented homeowners from sleeping.

6. You should only use the car horn in cases of emergencies such as avoiding an accident and alerting another motorist that you plan on overtaking their vehicle. Any other use could lead to a fine of €80.

7. Driving in the left-hand lane or in the middle lane if the right-hand lane is free could result in a fine of €200, according to Articles 28 and 31.

8. Be careful if you’re having an argument while driving. If you are caught taking your eyes off the road on several occasions, you could end up with a fine of €80. The same amount will be applied if the driver is caught biting his nails, kissing a passenger or insulting other drivers through hand gestures.

9. Both hands should be kept on the steering wheel while driving and the driver’s ears should be visible.

10. Filling up the car with petrol with the radio on could lead to a fine of up to €91.

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June ‘19 99

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