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Around the valle
february 2017 Issue no. 2
Chairmans report by susan jones on behalf of carol Where did January go???? Normally I find January to be a long slow month, but this year it seems to have flown!! (Must be my age!) This month we are delighted to announce our trip, a 3 day, 2 night visit to Carmona and Osuna. Carmona is a small town between Seville and Cordoba which is steeped in history, full details of the trip are to be found in the what's on pages and on the website.
Also this month I have to announce the ‘Box’ will be drawn once the contents reach €500, instead of waiting for it to reach €1000, your committee decided this to be a fairer way of ensuring more people have a chance of winning. We will trial this for 1 year and would welcome your feedback on the change. At this time of year we would also like to remind you it is time to consider becoming a committee member, nomination forms can be
obtained from Stewart, our membership secretary. A quick reminder also to those of you who have still to renew your membership, Stewart will be on duty at the monthly meeting on February 6th and also at Meson Sara this Friday. That’s all for this month, keep warm and I look forward to seeing you soon.
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january meeting by alan impey
contents CHAIRMANS REPORT JANUARY MEETING MEETING
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First of all A Happy New Year to all El-Valle members and everyone else 2 who reads the El-Valle newsletter or who accesses the web site. The first meeting of 2017 took place on Monday January 9th at the usual JANUARY 3 venue of Camping Bar. WALK The year’s first meeting 4 was unusual in that it was FORTHwidely advertised as being COMING "open" in that you did not MEETINGS need to be a member or & even thinking about joinEVENTS & 5 ing, (we hope of course WALK that you do!!) SCHEDULE The reason for the "open" tag was that our guest visINFORMA- 6 itor was Charmaine Arbouin, the British Consul TION & to Malaga, who was to MESSAGE address us on the Consuls FROM role in AndalucĂa. SAT.CO Charmaine was accompanied by the vice-consul, Rosslyn Crotty, MBE. It was clearly obvious to all MENU DEL that although, in essence, DIA AT EL the talk was about the CHARCO SOHA 10 consulates role in general it would be dominated by AGM views and questions about Brexit although to be fair I do not know what we COMMIT- 11 could expect Charmaine TEEE to tell us when the 12 thoughts of the UK Government were not yet publicly known!!!. 13 Sue, once again, standing in for Carol, opened the meeting with a membership reminder to all and as there were in excess of 90 people in the room hopefully some of the many non-members there will consider joining.
Social events were covered by Sue before we had a short break to book trips/events and to re charge our glasses before at 19:55 Sue introduced Charmaine. Charmaine has been consul in Malaga since summer of last year but has lived in Spain, currently in Ronda, for the past eight years and is married with three teenage children. She started off by reminding us of the Referendum vote on 23rd June 2016 and that she was keen to hear the thoughts and concerns of ex-pats so that she could try to ensure that the particular concerns were made aware to central government in England. She also said that the UK government were keen to ensure that the rights of European citizens living in the UK were protected as long as the rights of UK nationals living within the European Union were also protected. Charmaine reminded us also that we still enjoyed the total protection of all EU protocols until such time as the UK finally exited the EU, which would be some years away, and only after Article 50 was triggered to begin separation which was planned for the end of March 2017. The main concerns already expressed to Charmaine were as follows: 1. Residency 2. Health Care
3. Pension Capping 4. Education 5. Property 6. Nationality. Whilst it was not possible to give assurances on any of the above Charmaine asked us to think logically and apply some common sense based on that there were in the region of 2 million UK nationals living within the EU and over 3 million European citizens resident in the UK who would also be affected by decisions made between the EU and the UK. A question was put from the floor regarding taxes paid in UK and Spain and Charmaine said it was POSSIBLE that these rules would remain unchanged as the tax regulations were part of a bi-lateral agreement between UK/Spain and not the EU. Another question from the floor came from the representative of a group based in Alhama de Granada who asked, why in the light of all that was now known about the implications of a Brexit, could there not be another referendum. I think we all know the answer to that, whether we agree or not, the UK is a democracy, a referendum was called, a vote taken, a decision made and one that must be carried out. Dual nationality was also mentioned and we were told that whilst England recognised dual nationality openly Spain would
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insist that prior to applying for Spanish nationality you would need to renounce English nationality so be careful and look into all the implications before considering this option especially what may be required if you did it and then decided to try reverse it. I think a big thank you must be given to Charmaine who would have been well aware of what
was facing her when she agreed to address the El-Valle meeting and she finished her visit with a touch of humour when she said "After Article 50 is triggered if you would like to invite me back I am sure I can send SOMEONE" Thank you Charmaine, we look forward to a return visit. Whilst on with thank you's once again a very depleted committee
pulled out all the stops to ensure the meeting went ahead and that trips/functions could be booked and membership renewals could take place so thank you THE COMMITTEE. Sue closed the meeting at 20:55. Note. There was no Cash Box draw tonight due to the large number of non-members in attendance.
january WALK by alan impey The first of this year’s El-Valle walks took place on Thursday 12th January and was routed and led by Martyn and Rebecca Higgins. As is the norm all El-Valle walks take place on the second Thursday of the month and start details are published in the newsletter/website and given at the preceding monthly meeting. Januarys walk started in the pueblo Canaillas de Aceituno at 11am. Eighteen walkers gathered on a glorious sunny morning and Martyn and Rebecca led us off through the pueblo where we immediately began climbing a set of steep steps to the top of the pueblo.
Almost at the top we turned off right along the start of a walk known as "The Watercourse". This walk follows for a good way one the many constructed water troughs that provide local crop irrigation.
This time however, after a few hundred yards, we left the watercourse on the left to climb steeply up to another track which eventually joined another track at the actual top of the pueblo. We followed this heading in the direction of the cemetery and old football ground but before reaching either we branched off right to once again begin climbing between the trees until our path deposited us onto another broad track. This was followed left and eventually we arrived at the old football ground which we passed to right of.
As we reached a crest we were taken right and then gently down through the trees to meet another water course which was followed left, still in amongst the trees. Whilst following this course we were at one point obliged to turn sideways and hug the rock face as we sidestepped for several yards with a steep drop immediately behind us. Everyone successfully navigated this obstacle
and once again we continued straight ahead along the water course. As we broke out of the trees there was the water course going hard left and once again we followed it until we arrived once again at the pueblo with our start point just below to the right. It was 12.45pm and the meal had been booked for 1pm so Martyn decided on an extended walk through the pueblo to pass more time. At this point I had to leave the walk as Maureen, she who must be obeyed, was at home and not well, suffering from the latest cold that was doing the rounds and it was also our wedding anniversary so I was not staying for the meal and I made my way back to the car and home. I am reliably informed that the meal at La Maroma Restaurant was very good. All in all a very good walk, slightly shorter than usual but a lovely area to explore. Walk Details; Distance 4kms Total Time 1hr 40mins. (without pueblo extension) Moving Time 1hr 17mins Stopped Time 23mins Thanks to Martyn and Rebecca for their efforts.
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FORTHCOMING MEETINGS FEBRUARY 5th
Ho Down/ Line Dancing By David Lawrie
March 5th
Barbershop Choir
April 6th
AGM and Photos Old & New Quiz
May 8th
Table Top Treasure Hunt
16 march 2017 th
a day visit to motril where we will visit bodega Ron
montero &
the pre industrial cane sugar Museum Price €24 members €28 non members Price includes lunch at the salobrena hotel with a drink included Bus leaves ‘mis tapitas’ 09:00
Supper with free film 24 february 2017 th
Film is the latest jack reacher film starring tom cruise Doors open 19:00 for 19:30 Members €5 non members €7
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June 6 to 8 2017 th
th
3 day, 2 night trip to carmona staying at the hotel alcazar de la reina, a beautiful mudejar building We will leave mis tapitas at 07:30, there will be a stop on the way for coffee. During the stay there will be two guided tours and lunch will be included on the second day. On the day of departure we will travel to osuna for a guided tour and again lunch will be included before we leave for home. Price €175 members €185 non members
WALKS SCHEDULE
FEBRUARY 9TH
Led by Alan & Maureen Impey. Start take A7 from Torre towards Nerja. Take first Nerja exit to wards coast and then take coast road back towards Torre. After the Repsol garage look for Venta San Miguel on right and park there for start. (Also a garden center there) at 11.00am
MARCH 9TH
Led by Douglas and Jane Johnson. Walk will be out of Viñuela and lunch at Venta La Vina
APRIL 13TH
Led by Jane & Ruby Frost; starts from Guaro village car park at 11:00. Followed by lunch in the village
MAY 11TH
Led by Matyn & Reecca Higgins. Start 11:00 TBA
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This is from Dr. Geetha Krishnaswamy, Please give your 2 minutes and read this: 1. Let’s say it’s 7.25pm and you’re going home (alone of course) after an unusually hard day on the job. 2. You’re really tired, upset and frustrated. 3 Suddenly you start experiencing severe pain in your chest that starts to drag out into your arm and up in to your jaw. You are only about five km from the hospital nearest your home. 4. Unfortunately you don’t know if you’ll be able to make it that far. 5. You have been trained in CPR, but the guy who taught the course did not tell you how to perform it on yourself. 6. HOW TO SURVIVE A HEART ATTACK WHEN ALONE? Since many people are alone when they suffer a heart attack without help, the person whose heart is beating improperly and who begins to feel faint, has only about 10 seconds left before losing consciousness. 7. However, these victims can help themselves by coughing repeatedly and very vigorously. A deep breath should be taken before each cough, and the cough must be deep and prolonged, as when producing sputum from deep inside the chest. A breath and a cough must be repeated about every two seconds without let-up until help arrives, or until the heart is felt to be beating normally again. 8. Deep breaths get oxygen into the lungs and coughing movements squeeze the heart and keep the blood circulating. The squeezing pressure on the heart also helps it regain normal rhythm. In this way, heart attack victims can get to a hospital. 9. Tell as many other people as possible about this. It could save their lives!!
MESSAGE FROM SAT.CO BY DICK ATTERBURY rFirstly this month I would like to talk about the latest launch by LG of their latest range of TVs for 2017. These new low power consumers run on less power than a domestic light bulb but produce the latest in 4K pictures that will blow your mind. They come in 2 forms Smart with built in internet connections without cables and satellite and terrestrial receivers built in. The non smart range has all the connectors you would require to connect all your various units such as DVD players etc. The units are much lighter than the previous models and can be fixed on walls. Please ensure that when you choose your new TV that it has all the connections you require as some models now do not have Scart connectors and others have limited HDMI sockets. Its something that you need to check at the shop. The other thing to do is order it from us and we will en-
sure it has what you need and we will install it for free. We are now ready to install the new range of boxes by VU yes I did say VU. It is as capable as the old style Humax plus box which has a one touch record facility from the Electronic programme guide. It will allow you to serial record your favourite programmes and will when you get into it allow you to watch one programme while recording up to 5 others. For those of you that have hearing problems there is Sub Titles available. The programmes are automatically labelled as they are recorded. The boxes are very small and come in white as well as black. We are demonstrating this box at the Tuesday market and on Saturdays by appointment. We at daily getting questions about Sky Q . The usual question is will it work in Spain. At this stage our exper-
iments show that it will not work. Therefore be careful before you invest in these systems. At any time you are considering buying new equipment in the realms of TV please talk to us as we always say advice is free. For those of you that have lost some of your Spanish TV channels some of them shifted frequency in early January so a retune of the on board digital decoder is needed. Go into the set up menu and tools, and do an auto tune to bring them back plus a couple of new ones. Remember some original English programmes that are dubbed over can be watched in English by using the Audio button on your TV remote. Just as a reminder we are available 7 days a week and for same day service please call us before 10 AM and we will get to you. Tel: 657 484 853.
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Menu del dia at el charco, by alan impey, photos by margaret Friday 20th January 2017 saw a different type of El-Valle social event with a relaxed Menu Del Dia luncheon held at the El-Charco restaurant in Los Romanes, sometimes known as Miguels. Members had been requested to show their interest by reserving a seat with a 5€ deposit and paying the balance on the day. This was primarily to allow the restaurant staff to have an idea of numbers. Forty two members had initially reserved but I think three had to withdraw for varying reasons but if I am not mistaken two more had been included giving a forty strong turnout.
have members sharing with them that were not particularly known to them, a situation quickly remedied by the end of the afternoon.
El-Charco, (Miguel's) is well known for its value Menu Del Dia and this day was no exception, a good choice of all courses along with a
Here’s how the scam works: you may receive a phone call from an automated system (a robocall) or a live person, but the common thread will be that the caller will ask, “Can you hear me?” “Yes,” you respond, because you heard the question. Now, according to police departments across the country, that means that the scammers now have a recording of your voice saying “yes.”
accompanied of course by many friends and acquaintances all sharing the common theme of El-Valle membership. It was a very good afternoon and an event that I am sure will be repeated in the future. Thanks to all who assisted in the organising/running of the afternoon in particular Chris, Barbara and Sue.
Four tables had been set up and reserved so it was easily possible for particular groups of friends to share a table and also have perhaps to
DoctorLaptop Alert! If A Telemarketer Or Robocall Asks “Can You Hear Me?” Just Hang Up; It’s A Scam
drink for the princely sum of 9€
Even if you never agree to buy anything, you might later find out you’ve been signed up for a home alarm system, a cruise, some added service for your phone, or any other thing you couldn’t possibly want. If you dispute the charges, the company may take legal action, sticking that recording of you saying “yes” into a recording of a different conversation as evidence that you agreed to the transaction. Another variation uses that recording to “prove” that you agreed to charges on a credit card of yours when the perpetrators have already stolen the number. This is similar to a scam
we wrote about in 2010, where scammers posed as pollsters, asking people if, for example, they had a dog. With today's technology scammers can take just a small recording of you speaking on the phone and use it to create a whole different conversation in your voice that will pass voice analysis confirming that it was you speaking, thus hanging up is better than arguing with them. Source: https://consumerist.com/20 17/01/27/if-a-telemarketer-orrobocall-asks-can-you-hear-me-justhang-up-its-a-scam/
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Notes from soha agm by john munns
SOHA Holds its AGM with over 100 Members Irene Rivera says SOHA is “working for justice” Save Our Homes in Axarquia held its Annual General Meeting on Saturday 26th January at La Vinuela. More than 100 members attended, mostly ex-patriate residents of Axarquia. The President, Phil Smalley said that this year’s principal achievement had been to bring about the amendment to Article 185.2 of the LOUA (Andalusia’s Planning Law). This change now permits home owners on parcelled land to apply for the designation of AFO (Asimilado Fuera de Ordinación), to avoid the threat of demolition of their home.
He informed the meeting that SOHA will write directly to Jose Fiscal, Planning Officer to seek an urgent meeting to decide how the Junta is going to solve the problem of licences legally granted by local authorities, but later annulled by tribunals. The Mayor of Alcaucin, and SOHA’s Spokesman Mario Blancke welcomed the support and confidence of
the members at the AGM. He explained the details of the amendment to the LOUA, calling it
be done, but that SOHA now commands respect in the Andalusian Parliament and the National Congress. The meeting was attended by Irene Rivera, Malaga’s Deputy in the National Congress. Irene emphasised that SOHA’s efforts were “for justice”, not only for ex-patriates, but also for a large number of Spanish who are facing the same problems. SOHA was founded in 2008. SOHA is a non-profit making association of mostly foreign residents, whose aim is to uphold the rights of residents of Axarquia, according to Article 8 of the European Convention of Human Rights, and to help those who bought their homes in good faith to protect their homes through legal action, and keep their legal title to their homes.
“a triumph for everyone”. He went on to say that there was still a lot to
FEBRUARY "The word February is believed to have derived from the name 'Februa' taken from the Roman 'Festival of Purification'. The root 'februo' meaning to 'I purify by sacrifice'. As part of the seasonal calendar February is the time of the 'Ice Moon' according to Pagan beliefs, and the period described as the 'Moon of the Dark Red Calf' by Black Elk. February has also been known as 'Sprout-kale' by the Anglo-Saxons in relation to the time the kale and cabbage was edible."
"If apples were pears And peaches were plums And the rose had a different name. If tigers were bears And fingers were thumbs I'd love you just the same."
- Valentine's Day Songs and Poems
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Asociacion el valle del embalse Committee 2016/2017
Stewart Common Tel: 647076177
Chair : Tel: Carol Caldwell 635291532
Treasurer: Chris Wishart Tel: 609952926
Almoner: Christine Goreham Tel: 635361233
Newsletter Editor Sue Jones Tel: 680407894
Head of Social Jane Harris Tel: 633615154
MEMBERS
Elaine Edwards Tel: 647076177
Barbara Jenkinson Tel: 616264067
Pauline Ward Tel: 665886471
Dorothy Girvan Tel: 676320615
Peter Girvan Tel: 676320615
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