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Around the valle December 2015 Issue no. 11

Chairmans report by carol caldwell I can't believe that this is the last Newsletter of the year how time flies or is it an age thing. I watched the Remembrance Day Celebrations on TV from England although it was celebrated in many Spanish Towns. We remember what our ancestors fought for a better world to live in but in light of what is happening in the world today my prayers go to the families that have lost loved ones to Terrorists, I hope this war of Terrorism soon ends and no more people lose their lives. With Christmas fast approaching I hope you all have a great time either here in Spain or where ever you are spending the Festive Season I hope to see you all at our December meeting for a great evening of mince pies and wine .Sue will be doing a quiz then after, the Committee and Members will be singing Carols. Also for our Christmas Celebrations, on the 11th of December is our Christmas Dinner at Venta La Viña in Viñuela tickets are still available. On a more sombre note, I am sorry to inform you of the sudden death of Ian Harris, husband of Jane Harris our former Chair and Head of Social. Our sympathy goes out to Jane and her family. Ian was a lovely man who, as you will remember, looked after “The Box” for us, he will be greatly missed.

Merry christmas eveyone

contents CHAIRMANS REPORT NOVEMBER MEETING NOVEMBER WALK

LVPC REPORT

FORTHCOMING MEETINGS & EVENTS & WALK SCHEDULE

DETAILS OF CADIZ TRIP

TRANSFER OF VEHICLE OWNERSHIP WINE TASTING

QUAD REPORT

10, 11 & 12 13

COMMITTEEE

November meeting report by alan impey

After a couple of wet days, (more to come) Monday evening, 2nd November, remained dry for the El-Valle monthly meet at the Camping Bar. Sixty members made the trip to join in the "Fun and Games" night hosted by the hard working committee. Carol, our chair, opened the meeting at 7.45pm with the usual run through of past events and forthcoming events and a reminder that membership renewals for 2016 could now be completed at a cost of €10.00 per person. (It has been this price since I first joined 8 years ago). One of the items mentioned related to the El-Valle "big trip", the 3 night, 4 day trip to Cadiz and Jerez. It is worth noting that travel insurance is included in the cost of €220.00 p.p. BUT it is for the travel and would not cover medical advice, cancellation and you should provide this yourself if you require it. A replacement secretary is still required as Stewart, after many years service, is standing down. It turned out that it was Carols birthday and she was treated to a chorus of "happy birthday". Right a chance to replenish drinks before it was announced "LET THE GAMES COMMENCE"

Six teams of eight, put together randomly, did the rounds of the games, Putting/Bowling/ Skittles/Fishing/Boggle, each supervised by a

whilst this was being done the "Cash Box" was drawn for a potential prize of €815.00 but no one managed to draw the elusive "winning" key and the prize rolls over to next month.

Carol then announced that Team F were our games night winners, photo attached, and a bottle of wine went to each team member!!!! committee member, who collated the scores. After each team had "done" the rounds the scores were combined to find the overall winning team.

The meeting was closed by Carol with thanks to all for attending.

El valle walk by malcolm tracy: photos by jane johnston Twenty eight walkers duly assembled at the entrance to the car park in Canillas de Aceituno. Stewart Common presented the apologies of Graham and Sue Smith, who were to lead the walk, explaining that Graham had been detained in the UK undergoing surgery. He was glad to report that they were expected back home at the weekend.

Stewart asked walkers to assemble on the new mirador above the car park for the “compulsory” pre-walk photo-shoot, and then led the party up the hill into the village, passing our lunch venue and, via the main square in front of the Ayuntamiento, up to the top of the village.

There were the inevitable few “scary bits” where the path had become eroded, and in some cases where shiny pipes had replaced the long gone concrete channel.

nect the path with the one running above, it was decided that the easiest option was to return by the same route, and the group dutifully complied! We were led part of the return journey by a local out for his daily constitutional, but otherwise we were left to occupy the path ourselves. As we arrived back at the village early and before we would have been expected to present ourselves for lunch at La Maroma it was decided to undertake a short tour of Canillas including the mirador at the top of the town, along one or two of the terraces that led gently down to the main thoroughfares, and then past the restaurant El Bodegon de Juan Maria, making our way back to

It was a shame that whilst the weather, being hazy and cloudy, was ideal for walking, the views across the village and down to the coast were not as good as can usually be enjoyed! Sadly the walk along this path was terminated somewhat early when the path beyond the water deposito

After a short breather the group continued to follow the route of the agricultural irrigation system along the very top of the village providing opportunities to enjoy the views over the village whilst being careful not to take an early footbath!

was found to have disappeared completely following the rains earlier in the month. After a few brave souls unsuccessfully sought passable routes to con-

the restaurant La Maroma via the lower terraces of the town sporting the more colourful flower displays.

Everyone seemed to enjoy the splendid and plentiful lunch provided for us by Paco and his sons at La Maroma, and murmurings were heard that it would be necessary to organise another walk in the Canillas area soon, if only to enjoy another lunch there! Thanks were offered to Stewart and Elaine for organising the walk in Graham and Sue’s absence.

Lake vinuela photographic club by doug poplett “Colour Popping”, was the theme for our October technical challenge; besides being an art form, the technique is also used to highlight a focal point in photography, as in these examples. The theme for November is “The Generation Gap”; although family relations are the most likely of subject matter, there are many other scenarios that meet the criteria which, hopefully will be demonstrated in the entries submitted by our members. We’re entering a busy time of the year, we shall be judging our photo of the year, selecting entries for a forthcoming inter club competition and putting together an exhibition of our photographs which we hope will take place in May of next year, we’ll keep you posted on dates when finalised. Fancy dusting off that camera that rarely sees the light of day? Well, why not come and join us, we are a friendly group of people of differing abilities from novice to the more proficient, it’s all about learning from each other, but more importantly, enjoying photography. We meet on the first Thursday of the month (10.30am), currently at Restaurante La Era in Puente Don Manuel. If you are interested, contact us, leaving your contact details at lakevinuelaphotoclub@gmail.com, or, just turn up at a meeting.

Salted caramel rum hot chocolate Method

In a small bowl, mix together the rum and the dulce de leche until

smooth then set aside.

Warm the milk in a saucepan over a medium heat until simmer-

ing. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate and stir untilmelted. Pop the pan back on the heat until warm then add the rum mixture and a pinch of flaky sea salt. Pour into a mug and serve.

FORTHCOMING MEETINGS DECEMBER 7th

MINCE PIES & GLASS OF WINE & CAROLS BY OUR OWN “EL VALLE CHOIR”!

JANUARY 11th

PLEASE NOTE DATE CHANGE “WHERE IN THE WORLD” PICTURE BY ELAINE

FEBRUARY 1st

TALK BY GORDON WHATMAN - CRUISE DIRECTOR FOR ROYAL CARIBBEAN

MARCH 7th

BARBER SHOP CHOIR

El valle annual xmas dinner December 11 2015 th

Venta la vina 7:30 pm for 8 pm €12.50 members €16 non members Music by Alan miles

TRIP TO FUENGIROLA FOR THE PANTO mother goose AT SALON VARIETIES FOLLOWED BY THREE KINGS PARADE Coach leaves ‘mis tapitas’ fuengirola at 23:00 €25 members €27 non To include theatre ticket and coach

January 22ND SUPPER NIGHT WITH A MOVIE la maroma church room Film San andreas €5 members €7 non

February 26

Race night Plus a meal Details to follow

March day trip Trip to

the sierra nevada & granada details to follow

WALKS SCHEDULE DECEMBER 10th

Led by Stewart and Elaine. Start at 11-00am from the car park of ElCharco (Miguels) Los Romanes. Try not to park in his car park.

JANUARY 14th

Led by alan Clay. Start 11:00

FEBRUARY 11th

Led by Martyn & Rebecca Higgins. Start 11:00

MARCH 10th

Led by Mike & Sue Watkins in Alcaucin. Start 11:00

APRIL 14th

Led by Terry & Jane Frost in Guaro area. Start 11:00

4 DAYS 3 NIGHTS IN CADIZ & JEREZ word/media/image1.jpg

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ASOCIACION EL VALLE 4 DAYS Y 3 NIGHTS B&B 17th – 20th MAY 2016 1st DAY- HOTEL ROMERO- Hotel Bacelo, Cadiz Leave Hotel Romero at 07:00 in the direction of Cadiz. Free time for lunch. After check in at the hotel you are free to explore the surrounding area and possibly look for a restaurant for dinner.

2nd DAY- VISIT CADIZ Breakfast in the hotel then leave to visit Cadiz. A guided visit of the city , where we can see the important monuments of the city (duracion aprox. 2 hours). Free time for lunch After lunch afternoon & evening free.

3rd DAY- BODEGA SANDEMAN- JEREZ Breakfast at the hotel and at 11.00 am, visit one of the famous wineries of the city, Bodega " Sandeman " with tasting. Then lunch in the restaurant included. After lunch, visit Jerez with official guide in English, for 1.30 hours. From among its major monuments will visit the Museum of Clocks “The Watchtower ", “The Collegiate”, the “Church of San Miguel " ... among others.

4th DAY CADIZ - ROYAL ANDALUCIAN SCHOOL OF EQUESTRIAN ART – RETURN TO HOTEL ROMERO Breakfast at the hotel 11.00 and visit the Royal Andalucian School of Equestrian Art, at 12.00 enjoy the “Exhibition as the Andalucian Horses Dance.". Possibility of lunch in restaurant for €11 After lunch, return to Hotel Romero and end of our services.

PRICE PER PERSON: €220 members €250 non members

TRANSFER OF VEHICLE OWNERSHIP AFTER DEATH OF REGISTERED OWNER In the event of a vehicle owner passing away, there is a standard procedure for having the vehicle ownership transferred to a living beneficiary.

Article 609 of the Civil Code dictates the modes of acquiring ownership of property succession, and the administrative procedure set out in Article 32.6 of the Reglamento de Vehículos details the process. PROVISIONAL TRANSFER OF A VEHICLE Immediately after a death, the vehicle can be transferred to a new named owner who may not be the long-term benefactor, but may seek ownership on a temporary basis. In this event, the temporary custodian of the vehicle has 90 days in which they must notify the traffic department of this temporary custody and their legal address. The person registering the vehicle must produce the following to the traffic department: A formal request The payment for transfer (the prices in 2015 are 52.80€ for most vehicles, 26.40€ for mopeds) Identity documents Death certificate of the original owner or marriage certificate stating the death Document proving the possession of the vehicle Driving license ITV card or technical status document of the vehicle An appointment at the traffic office The new provisional holder is deemed as the subject of any obligations corresponding to the holder of the vehicle. FINAL TRANSFER OF THE VEHICLE The intended permanent vehicle owner must apply for the final transfer of the vehicle within a 90 day period. The intended permanent owner must submit the same documentation as above, but with two additions: Certificate of liquidation or exemption from inheritance tax. Declaration of heirs, or will, accompanied by a certificate of wills, or document stating the award of the vehicle. You must also request a printed official form that will facilitate the transfer of the vehicle by the traffic department on behalf of the state. If the applicant is a minor or incapacitated, the documentation must also include the additional data and signature of the legal guardian or representative. You will also have to pay the fees for the transfer. If the applicant is an individual and a Spanish national, the National Identity Document (DNI) can be used in place of the driving license. If the applicant is a person of foreign nationality, there are other processes to consider. If a Green Card is in force, that must also be presented, or, failing that, the official Identity of the country of origin (for citizens of other Member States of the European Union, the other States party to the Agreement on the European Economic Area and the Swiss Confederation) or Passport or Certificate of Citizenship if you are a citizen of a third country with the Foreigner Identification Number (NIE). You may also have to produce the original document attesting to your home in Spain if you are not registered with foreign identity documents (e.g. certificate of ownership, lease, or police census card or certificate). If the new owner is a legal entity or company, rather than an individual, you will also be required to produce the following: Original Tax identification card (CIF). Original ID, passport, identity card and NIE Original document attesting to power to act on behalf of the company, (available from the www.dgt.es website). The process seems a very complicated one, especially given the time frame in which it must be completed, but the process is also a standard administrative procedure and so your advisor or lawyer will be able to advise you further. Always obtain advice from registered, legal representatives in Spain if there is any doubt. Our associates at PSI Consultants offer legal and fiscal advice for a range of different topics including wills, power of attorney, notarial services and more. Visit their website for more details, psiconsultants.es, or telephone 966 730 104

WINE TASTING NOVEMBER 13 2015 TH

Some would say Friday 13th is unlucky but certainly not for those of us who attended the wine tasting at the La Viñuela Centro Cultura. A successful evening and with some very palatable wines. Some 26 members attended which was a little disappointing as 30 tickets had been sold. For those of you on the “waiting list”, an even bigger disappointment, as you could have attended. So a note for all members, if you book an event and are unable to attend, please notify the committee so they can offer your place (s) to other members.

The evening began with Sue introducing Marie Carmen from Vinomar, Torre del Mar, who in turn introduced Alicia Pérez-Bryan, Director of Bodegas Antakira who would be our “guide” for the evening. Alicia, who has been based in Mollina for the past 2 years, and prior to that, for 3 years in Velez Malaga, presented 4 wines for us to taste with prices varying between 4.50 – 25.00 Euros per bottle.

by Carol T. Johnson

The first was a dry white Malaga wine, Rebolaje 2014, which Alicia makes herself. It is made from Moscatel, Pedro Ximen, Lairen and Doradilla grapes from the region of Axarquia, perfect to enjoy with salads, fish, seafood or on its own. It was a very pleasant dry white but quite fruity and very drinkable! You can also buy this in red and also as a sweet white. Cost 4.50 Euros.

Next we moved to Bodega Atalaya which was founded in 2001 in the Albacete region. The wine was Laya, 2014 which is produced from Garnacha,Tintorera/Monistrell grapes, which was a very deep red with hints of chocolate and is aged for 6 months in oak barrels. D.O Almansa which was founded in 1966, but they have been producing wine since the 16th century, by the Juan Gil family and sell their wines in more than 35 countries. They make 3 different Laya wines, the best of which has been chosen by the consumers as being the best red in Spain! Cost 5.50 Euros

Our wine experience then took us to Valencia for Venta Del Puerto No 12, Selecion Especial 2011 which is aged for 12 months in American or French barrels, a very rich dark red which needs to breathe well before drinking. It is made from a blend of 4 grapes, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz and Tempranillo, surprisingly it is the 3rd best seller in China!! It was certainly my favourite! Cost 9.00 Euros. We finished in France with Champagne Esterlin from Epernay which was founded in 1948 (a very good year!) The champagne was a Brut “Exclusive” which was surprisingly fruity. It is made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Menier grapes. One of the vineyards was the Marne & Sezanne, 45% of the Chardonnay plantations are in Sezanne and the river Marne Valley and the average age of the vines is 45 years! Cost 25.00 Euros. After the tasting, there was the opportunity to purchase our favourite wines and there was certainly no shortage of customers. During our purchases, the committee replenished our glasses and provided us with a tasty feast of cheese, cold meats and pate on toast. Once again another successful and enjoyable event and our thanks go, not only to our hard working committee for all the organisation involved in making these events happen, but also to Marie Carmen from Vinomar for introducing us to Alicia Perez-Bryan whose knowledge and expertise on wines kept us all thoroughly entertained. I will certainly be looking forward to next wine tasting event.

November quad report by Jackie and Roger Frewin The heavy rain towards the end of October gave rise to some challenging trips out in early November but the scenery looked so much more spectacular with the wonderful fresh green growth that now covered most of the countryside. Beautiful! Evidence of the recent heavy rain sprung up at various spots on our first trip out this month. The Wednesday outing had been postponed to Thursday but still many of the tracks we encountered that day had large deep muddy puddles, though nothing too taxing for the quad bikes and we didn’t mind getting splattered with spots of mud. Just 3 quads had met up at a new venue to the group, the Trops petrol station and Restaurante Paco Hijano on the new industrial estate in Trapiche. The perfect choice as it was better situated for those that were participating that day and the fuel there is just about the cheapest in the area – a useful bit of knowledge for everyone, possibly. From there we travelled along the back road from the poligono to the Arroyo de Mineral, up towards the radio masts, then over the ridge and down the other side to Arenas where we stopped for refreshments. We dropped down the steep slope at the far end of Arenas, climbed rapidly up towards the site of the Castillo de Bentomiz then down steeply again to the coast and our lunchtime destination of Algarrobo Costa. After a sumptuous menu del dia at an excellent price at Restaurante Los Pippos, we back-tracked along the same route as far as the campo but then branched off into the Rio Seco and along the back streets of Velez-Malaga where the group split to take the appropriate route home.

This is the map of the route we took …….

11 The next trip out was probably the most challenging we have ever faced. The trip was a familiar one from Mis Tapitas, in Puente de don Manual, up to the radio masts above Alcaucín then down to Canillas de Aceituno where we stopped at Asador La Maroma for refreshments. We then travelled on towards Sedella, turned right towards Los Valverdes and followed campo tracks down into the valley. All had gone well up to this point and crossing the small river beds was great fun, as there was just a tad more water there than normal. However, when we started to climb the soft red mountains that would take us to our destination the ruts in the tracks became more and more difficult to negotiate.

For the scientific-minded of our readers, quad bikes have a low centre of gravity which enables them to negotiate fairly uneven terrain without difficulty but with a rider and passenger on board that centre of gravity is raised. As the wheels of the quad cross the large deep channels we encountered that day the bike tips diagonally, first one way then the other and if the centre of gravity is too high the bike can topple over. There were places where these rainwater trenches crossed the track on sharp bends with a steep drop so in the interest of safety I dismounted before we crossed the worst of them. Another of the quads in the group was far lighter in weight than the monsters some of us have and did not have the added bonus of low gear and/or four wheel drive. In response to being subjected to these obstacles it was prone to rearing up onto its back wheels and so, again for safety (and the peace of mind of its rider) others helped to hold it down as it negotiated the worst of the obstructions. The final complication was on another sharp bend where the rain had caused the bank to collapse, which had built up the track to a precarious camber with a sheer drop on the lower side. The only answer to getting us all safely across this one was to physically move some of the rocks across the track to help to even it out a bit. Even then, the photos give some indication as to just how uneven it was.

We eventually arrived in Canillas de Albaida for our lunch stop more than a half hour later than planned only to find the restaurant that we normally frequent there was shut. Fortunately, there was another right next door and we all enjoyed a slow, relaxed and delightful meal before embarking on our return journey, along a far simpler route I hasten to add. One of October’s trips, led by Klaus and Angelika, took us to what they refer to as ‘Kitchen Mountain’. It was a lovely ride out so Mike decided to try to track the route on Google Earth so we could give it another go without having to wait for them to return from Germany. The following Wednesday we did just that. The route took us from Puente de don Manuel, through Venta Baja and left to join the main Viñuela to Zafarraya road for a short while before turning left again to climb up past the Castillo de Zalia and traverse a very attractive olive grove with a rich red track. What wasn’t quite so pleasant was that the track was somewhat sludgy so the quad tyres got caked in thick red mud which then sprayed all over us for the next few kilometres. From here the route rejoined the main road and we followed that up as far as the next bar for refreshments.

We made our way back along the same road and turned left towards Los Cortijillos, then left again and along concrete tracks for a while before turning right to make our way up to ‘Kitchen Mountain.’ The tracks here were in fair condition and were a

12 doddle in comparison to those we’d encountered recently. The views from the mountain were stunning whether you were looking up to the natural park or down to Alcaucín, Lake Viñuela and the sea (although it was a bit too misty to see that very clearly). There were lots of bee hives around there so the hum of bees was all around us, a delightful little haven!

After admiring the view for quite a while our journey continued on towards and through Espino, to eventually join the main Zafarraya to Alhama de Granada road, which we followed until just before Hotel Rural los Caños de las Alcaiceria then turned right to do a circuit around the quarry, close to Robledal. We rejoined the main road at the hotel and took that back to the Zafarraya pass and the Chicken Shack where we enjoyed a very pleasant menu del dia, at an excellent price and with good service too. What a wonderful day we had! Thank you Mike. Another outing took a grand total of 5 quads, the largest number this month, from Mis Tapitas up towards Alcaucín then across the valley to Los Cortijillos, up towards Zafarraya then along the old railway track to Guaro where we stopped for refreshments. The route from there, via Móndron and Los Marines, is notoriously tricky but, despite the effects of the rain we’d encountered elsewhere, it was no more demanding than normal. After crossing the main Casabermeja road our route took us up to Los Romanes then along the ridge from there to Benamargosa where we enjoyed a nice afternoon snack.

Are you interested in joining our friendly group? It’s a really fun way to explore and appreciate the area. You’ll find more information and contact details on the El Valle web page at http://www.el-valle-asociacion.com/the-quaddies/.

Asociacion el valle del embalse Committee 2015/2016

Chair : Tel: Carol Caldwell 635291532

Treasurer: Chris Wishart Tel: 609952926

Secretary: Stewart Common Tel: 647076177

Newsletter Editor Sue Jones Tel: 680407894

Almoner: Christine Goreham Tel: 635361233 MEMBERS

Elaine Edwards Tel: 647076177

Judy Maycock Tel: 673847608

Pauline Ward Tel: 665886471

Peter Girvan Tel: 676320615

Jane Harris Tel: 633615154

Barbara Jenkinson Tel: 616264067

Dorothy Girvan Tel: 676320615

David Evans Tel: 622690581

INFORMATION NEWSLETTER EDITOR newslettereditor2012@gmail.com WEBSITE - www.el-valle-asociacion.com A REPRESENTTIVE OF THE COMMITTEE WILL BE ON DUTY EVERY FRIDAY BETWEEN 11:30 AND 12:30 AT MESON SARA