July 2012

0

IN THIS ISSUE

PAGE

1. FROM THE CHAIR JUNE MEETING NOTES 2. MEETINGS & EVENTS. 3. LAKE VIÑUELA PHOTO CLUB 4. WALKING GROUP 5. SKITTLES EVENT 6. QUAD DIARY 7. BIRDING NEWS 8. WEDDING REPORT 9. DRIVING LICENCES 10. CONSUMER CORNER 11. COMMITTEE

EDITORIAL by Sue Jones This month I have received a couple of articles from Mario Blancke, who is a member of the Council at Alcaucin. We have written to Mario and the English representative on Viñuela Council to ask if they would like to send us updates occasionally as to what is happening in their Ayuntamientos.

Also, if any of you are budding writers, poets or just have something to say – providing I have the space – I will be only too happy to publish your article, story or even recipe.

Remember, there will be no newsletter in August so wherever you are spending your summer, be healthy and be safe and I will be back in September. Hasta luego amigos!

“The Diabetes Support Group” Contact Ann Bowles:952.464.184 / 607.879.450 abowles@terra.es / www.lacaladiabetics.com

1

FROM THE CHAIR a message from Lyndsey Padley Just a reminder there is no club meeting in August and we will not have a presence at the Friday market during this month. So if you need a ticket for the Mijas Races (21st July), the Almunecar Fireworks (15th August) and finally the Hog Roast (8th September) do please purchase these as soon as possible. The Hog Roast is selling out fast and we are limited to numbers.

We shall look forward to seeing you at the Club meeting, after the summer break, on 3rd September when Carolina, the vet from Torre del Mar will be giving a talk on “Pets in Spain”. If you have any specific questions for Carolina we would be grateful if you could forward these to either myself (lyndseypadley@hotmail.com) or a member of the committee (contact list in newsletter) prior to the event.

Finally, may we take this opportunity to offer our condolences and thoughts to those members, and their families, who have recently suffered bereavements. Also our thoughts are with several of you who have family and friends who are poorly and suffering at this time.

JUNE MEETING NOTES On a hot June Monday night a mere 43 members attended the usual monthly meeting, disappointing but understandable as there were many Diamond Jubilee related functions happening that evening. With this in mind, Lyndsey opened the meeting by providing all present with a glass of wine to toast Her Majesty The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee – there was a standing ovation to The Queen. She then introduced two new members, Clive & Viviane Collins to the group.

She then went on to warn members that the Police were now watching for anyone not giving way to traffic approaching from the main road towards the bridge at Puente de Don Manuel. She also warned everybody to be extra vigilant as the Police were around watching everywhere including the tunnels, roundabouts and crossroads.

Lyndsey also warned members about bogus phone calls supposedly from Microsoft – do not give them any information as it is a scam. Lyndsey then handed over to Anne to talk about the forthcoming skittles afternoon. She then handed back to Lyndsey who gave a brief outline of forthcoming events including the trip to the Mijas races.

Lyndsey then handed over to Tim Churchill who had brought two plants, he offered to buy anyone who could identify them a drink but only the “resident expert” (Steve Padley) knew what they were. He then gave a very entertaining talk about Poisonous plants and many other Mediterranean plants which was followed by a lively question & answer session. At the end of the meeting many members went to talk to Tim who brought in various chemicals & treatments. Lyndsey proposed a vote of thanks to Tim for a very entertaining evening.

All that remained was “The Box” which held 388€. Five numbers were drawn but the lucky key once again proved to be elusive. Lyndsey closed the meeting by thanking all for attending and as usual on behalf of the membership and guests gave thanks to the few committee members who spent the evening selling tickets and making people feel welcome.

2

FORTHCOMING MEETINGS & EVENTS ALL MEETINGS START PROMPTLY AT 7.30pm Monday 3rd September: MEETING FOLLOWED BY “PETS IN SPAIN” BY VET CAROLINA

DATE; SATURDAY 21st JULY LEAVE 5 BERTURA(HOTEL ROMERO) 8pmLEAVE RACECOURSE 2am MEMBERS 11€ NON MEMBERS 13€

DATE; WEDNESDAY 15th AUGUST LEAVE 5 BERTURA (HOTEL ROMERO) 6pm, LEAVE ALMUÑECAR 1 am MEMBERS 8€ NON MEMBERS 10€

DATE; SATURDAY 8th SEPTEMBER DETAILS TO BE ANNOUNCED LATER

3

We meet at 11.15am on the first Thursday of the month at Moreno’s Bar, Puente don Manuel

We hosted our first and very successful st photographic exhibition on Thursday 31 May. The event was held at the newly opened “Scirocco Live" bar (Chiringuito Antonio) where a total of 94 photographic prints were on display. Throughout the evening the show was attended by a constant flow of locals and invited guests including our friends from Nerja's Costa Camera Club. An added bonus was that a number of prints were sold during the evening.

Our “Air Brushing” challenge in May required an appropriate editing package, even so, it appeared too daunting for most but a few managed to provide a reasonable effort, others preferred the easier option of the open category. The following are a sample of entries received from both categories. http://tinyurl.com/cmdmhny

th

We plan to visit the aeronautical and vehicle museums in Málaga on Saturday 7 July in order to photograph the exhibits there. Some photos may be forwarded to the editor for possible inclusion in the August edition of the newsletter.

Since our last report our numbers have grown, possibly due to the aforementioned exhibition and recent publicity via the “net” and local publications. We welcome anyone with an interest in photography, be they beginners or the more proficient. The aim of the club is for everyone to enjoy photography and to try and improve their technique in the company of likeminded people. Whether you have a compact or a top of the range SLR camera is irrelevant, it’s all about taking better photos.

Our next three challenges JUNE - “REFLECTIONS” Revisiting a subject we tackled some time ago.

JULY - “THE SEA” Anything relevant to the sea.

AUGUST – “LOCAL LIFE” Just life in general, wherever you are.

4

EL VALLE MONTHLY WALK

by Stewart Common

On the second Thursday of June we started this month’s walk from Km 29 on the A356 just west of the Camping Bar, this month it was at 6.00pm. Twenty three of us turned up for the walk. After a brief welcome and introduction we all set off across a track towards Loma Lion, with the walkers taking the front and the talkers following at the rear. The sun was still out and it was still a hot day.

We all needed plenty of water. When reaching Loma Lion we set out to walk the track around the back of the Peñon passing by various encampments!! and plenty of dogs. So far the walk was on good tracks and quiet roads. At the far end of this track we turned right onto a small goat track up over the top of a small hill and down a slippery slope back to the road below. Protests were heard from the back that we had stopped on the top of the hill for a breather however the front walkers managed to find shade but those at the rear were out in the open. Everyone slipped their way down the hill with a couple of fallers slipping into the undergrowth on the way down, not to mention any names. Once at the bottom and onto the solid road (a track that runs between Los Romanes and Benamagosa) we all got ourselves back together and it was then an easy walk back up through Loma Lion and back to the cars, all this in about 2 hours. Once back to the cars we lost a couple of people and gained couple and twenty four of us went for a “Menu Economica” at the El Charcol Restaurant in Los Romanes. It appeared that after a drink or two and some food everyone was happy.

For those of you who do not walk with us. We have a monthly walk on the second Thursday of the month starting somewhere in the Axarquia area led by various members of the club. The walks are generally two hours in length and not too demanding and plenty of time for talking and meeting new people, although walking shoes, enough water and possibly a stick if you use one are needed. Most of us (it’s not compulsory) generally go to a local restaurant for a drink and food after and a chat about the day. The walks in the coolers months start at 11.00am and from June through to September we walk in the evenings, either at 6.00pm or 7.00pm dependant on the temperature of the month.

The next walks and dates for diaries are:Date: July 12th, start time 7.00pm, Routed by Peter Goreham.

Start location in the first car park as you enter Caleta Velez harbour.

Date: August 9th, start time 7.00pm, Routed by Alan Impey.

Start location TBA (to be advised).

Date: September 13th, start time 6.00pm, Routed by Terry & Jane Frost.

Start location TBA. Date: October 11th, start time 11.00am, Routed by Martyn Higgins.

Start location TBA. Date: November 8th, start time 11.00am, Routed by Alan Clay.

Start location TBA. Date: December 13th, start time 11.00am, Routed by Alice and Mike Venus.

Start location in the Benamagosa area, TBA. I will try to keep you informed of the actual start locations either in the newsletters or by a web flyer.Hope to see you all again at the next one!!!! We are always looking for new members to lead/route new walks in the area.

5

SKITTLES EVENT

by Alan Impey

The latest social event from the el-Vallé took the form of a skittles contest and was held at Atila's Bar, Puente de don Manuel on Wednesday 20th June 2012. Meeting time was 3.30pm for team selection with the contest to start at 4pm followed by a meal also at Atila's.

Under clear blue skies the contest began on time with five teams contesting a 50.00€ first prize.

Kim, the compare and scorer, announced a further prize, one for the highest individual scorer.

As the contest progressed two teams, one captained by Anne and the other by Ian were neck and neck throughout and the result was always in doubt.

After three rounds the two teams were separated by 1 point though to be fair only 16 points separated all five teams. The final round began and something special was called for and delivered, with Ian giving a Captain's inning's and scoring a perfect 9 to lead his team to victory over Anne's team by two points, 164 to 162. When it came to the highest individual score there was a three way tie between Shirley, Percy and yours truly so a play off was held with yours truly scoring the perfect 9 to Shirley and Percy's 7.

The winning team shared the 50.00€ I pocketed 10.00€ but the drama was not over yet. Throughout the course of the game Pedro (Peter Goreham) as well as being a member of the winning team scored 9 with only two of his three bowls so after bowling his third bowl and hitting one pin had a total of 10 which earned him a bottle of wine. Now we come to the tragic bit!!!! the one and only Sue Dodds sent down three bowls and missed with each one scoring a DUCK. It did however win her a bottle of wine!!!! Well done Sue and Pedro.

Our meal had been planned for 8pm but this was brought forward to 7.30pm and the Chicken Curry or Lasagna was well received by all. Lyndsey, (our chair) thanked everyone for attending and making the event a success with special thanks to Jane, Anne and Carol the main organisers of this particular event, also a thank-you to compare Kim and Nicky who delivered all our meals in a short space of time so everyone was dining together.

Alan Impey

6

QUAD DIARY By Chris Pegman The heat haze shimmered on the horizon where the track met the sky, melting them into a molten blur. Tumbleweed couldn’t be bothered to try to live up to its name. The quads rumbled into town, streets deserted, the only signs of life were three horses tethered to the bar. The Hole in the Wall Gang had beaten us into town- Nat (Wild) West; San Tander and Cam Banco lounged back on their chairs, beer bottles in hand, curled lips hinting at the dark thoughts festering under their sombreros.

Walking up the steps to the bar a lump of chewed tobacco splattered on my boots. It was followed

by Nat’s menacing drawl- ‘This town ain’t big enough for the two of us...’ He was interrupted by his horse’s complaint to the barman- ‘Neigh lad, I said a bucket of lager!’ It was then that I knew that I must have had too much sun!! (see photos!) The bar was in Colmenar and we had approached it almost entirely on track from Los Romanes, turning right before Bar Ortega and then crossing the Riogordo- Benamargosa road onto a track that led down to La Cueva River where we could see water snakes in the pools.

We stopped for a break at a point overlooking Riogordo (see photo) then continued up to the ‘three horse town’. This was a new route for us and had been mapped by Angelika and Klaus who enjoy discovering new territory. We returned via the main road to the Lake, and then detoured to the picnic site at the end of the Lake where a large fiesta was being held.

The main social outing of the month headed out via Espino through Robledal to the restaurant (Paloma) on the reservoir near Alhama.

We had a very enjoyable meal before heading back via Zafarraya and the challenging ‘Donkey Track’ down to Venta Alta. Another outing took us to our Burger Bar in Salares where we added a route that has been walked by the BBC group, part of which follows the valley of the Rio de Salares.

We then returned via the ridge to Trapiche.

The number of quads on outings has varied widely this month, the migratory seasonal visitors and trips back to the soggy UK have depleted our numbers at times.

7

BIRDING NEWS

Part of the Axarquia Bird Group - www.birdingaxarquia.weebly.com

Still very hot; too hot for real birding. However, there are still birds to be seen if you keep your eyes open despite the lakes and rivers gradually losing their water levels – if not all their water. An early morning, not week-ends, visit to the Rio Velez in Torre del Mar before the dog-walkers and nudists cam out to play can be productive as can a visit to either the old railway track at Ventas de Zafarraya or the picnic sites above Alcaucin. But you do need to go early before it gets too hot and the birds seek shelter from the heat.

Alternatively, a late afternoon visit can also be productive.

The third week-end of June saw Jenny and I with birding friends down in the Donana National Park and (relatively) near Odiel Marshes just outside Huelva. We had a tremendous three days with lots of birds seen but, nevertheless, there was a shortage of water everywhere - apart form the rice fields around the Isla Mayor.

Here the fields had been flooded and just about every member of the heron-like family could be seen. Lots of Spoonbills and Glossy Ibis in addition to the scores of breeding and non-breeding White Storks, Cattle and Little Egrets, both Grey and Purple Herons and those especially delightful herons, the Squacco and Night Heron.

Odiel Ospreys with 3 young In the skies above we were able to watch many Black Kites, Marsh Harriers and Buzzards but also breeding Montagu’s Harriers and one of the four nesting pairs of Ospreys on the Odiel Marshes. This last is a real success story; much in the same way as the Osprey has re-colonised a few areas within Great Britain. From the first breeding pair in Andalucia only a couple of years ago an on-going re-introduction programme has been underway for a number of years and now we are seeing the return of some of the first released chicks into the area. The young leave for the western shores of sub-Saharan Africa and return to find mates and breed from their third year onwards. Indeed, one of the above four nests is occupied by such a male.

Strangely enough, similar to the Peregrines on this year’s Springwatch, one of the nests is a “three-some” with one female and two males in attendance. At least it gives the chicks a better chance to survive. It shows how much further south we are when you think of the Welsh Osprey hardly able to raise its head at such a young age whereas the three chicks we were watching were within a week or so of fledging.

As I write this short piece the bee-eaters are calling away outside and, on going downstairs to make a drink, I happened to look behind the house and within couple of hundred yards I had a resting Short-toed Eagle, photograph attached.

Short-toed Eagle outside Casa Collado Some may know that in addition to organising the Axarquia Bird Group, I am the Membership Secretary of the Andalucia Bird Society. Well, next month, we will be publishing our very first quarterly magazine, “Birds of Andalucia” of which I should have the odd copy to show those interested. The magazine, which is to be commercially printed, will contain 20 pages of birding news and articles and can be obtained by subscription for those who do not wish to actually join the Society. The cost, including postage within Spain, will be €16 for the four issues. If you do not see me, email or contact to let me know if you would be interested in receiving copies, etc.

Meanwhile, keep following the web site and/or the blog to see what is happening locally.

Happy birding Bob Wright

8

WEDDING REPORT

by Alan Impey

Friday 25th May 2012 was a day two of our el-VallĂŠ members, Neil and Pauline Marland will not forget. It was the day their daughter, Caroline, married Chris and the celebrations were held in Spain. What made the occasion even more special was the fact that the marriage blessing was conducted by Chris's father, Stephen, a Methodist Minister in what would be his last service before retiring.

The venue chosen was La Plata, (Casa Matilda) on the beach at Benarajafe. 97 guests attended and all but 4 had flown in from around the world from such places as Thailand, South of France, Canada and England for the pleasure of sharing Caroline and Chris's day.

Guests arrived at 4pm and took their seats facing the sea and waited for the service to begin. The bride, Caroline, as is her privilege, was just fashionably late, but you have to wonder what thoughts may have crossed Chris's mind as he waited for her arrival. The service was obviously more personal than ever with Chris's father conducting it and there were tears in the eyes of more than a few of the congregation. (Male as well as female) After the service we all made our way to the tables for the reception and enjoyed a paella banquet followed by the speeches. For those who know Neil, father of the Bride, he is a man never lost for words and that was true today but he did have trouble delivering some of them such were his emotions at seeing his daughter married.

After all the speeches were concluded it was party time and there was a flamenco demonstration during which the Bride and Groom were escorted onto the dance floor to join in the dancing. The flamenco gave way to the Disc Jockey and the party continued until the early hours of the morning (3am) when guests were provided with transport back to their respective accommodation. On behalf of everyone who attended I am sure we wish Caroline and Chris much happiness in their future life together.

Some photographs are attached giving an insight into this happy occasion.

9

REAL DECRETO 818/2009 DE 8 DE MAYO.TITLE I-CHAPTER II. DE DRIVER’S LICENCES ISSUED IN OTHER COUNTRIES. Section 1: drivers licence issued by a UE-member.

Art.15: Validity.

1. The drivers licence issued in one of the EU countries are valid in Spain, respecting the same conditions of the country where they were issued.

2. The licence is not valid if it has been suspended or restricted by the authorities of the country where the licence was issued.

4. The owner of the license, once he/she becomes resident in Spain, is submitted to the Spanish Regulations in terms of period of validity, psycho-physiological ability and the assignment of points.

If the drivers licence has no time limit, the holder will have to proceed to its renewal after 2 years of residence in Spain.

5. The holder of the licence, once resident in Spain, is submitted to the Spanish Regulations and must pass the psycho-physiological test. The original licence will be listed in the “Registro de Conductores e Infractores”- If, due to the result of the control of the psycho-physiological aptitude, the licence has to be revised, the Spanish authorities will automatically proceed to the trade of the licence.

Art. 16: Enrollment of the licence in the “Registro de Conductores e Infractores”The holder of the licence issued in one of the EU-countries and resident in Spain can voluntarily apply for registration in the “Registro de Conductores”. (He/she is obliged to do so once his residence in Spain exceeds the 2 years.)

Art.17: New licence in case of loss, deterioration or subtraction of the original licence.

If the licence was issued in one of the EU members and the owner is resident in Spain, he/she can apply for a duplicate in the “Jefatura Provincial de Tráfico”.

If the reason for applying for a duplicate is the deterioration of the original one, the original one will be retrieved and send to the authorities of the corresponding country.

When a copy is due to a loss, if the original is found back, it will have to be turned into the “Jefatura Provincial de Tráfico”.

Art.18: Trade of the licence.

Any person residing in Spain can trade his licence for a Spanish licence and will automatically be included in the “Registro de Conductores e Infractores”.

Art.19: Trade of the licence on behalf of the Spanish Authorities. a. When, due to the application of the Spanish Regulations, adaption or restriction of the licence is required. b. When a sanction implies a loss of points, restriction or a temporary suspension of the licence.

Art.20: Remission of the traded licences.

Once a new licence is issued, the traded licence will be returned to the authorities of the country that issued the original licence through its embassy or consulate, explaining the reason of the trade.

Mario Blancke

10

CONSUMER’S CORNER: SKYPE AND TELEFÓNICA from Mario Blancke Not long ago, having an Internet connection in rural areas was almost a privilege. Initiatives such as GUADALINFO, an initiative of the Andalusian Government to encourage the spread of the internet, could only succeed if the technology was there to bring the internet to houses in outlying areas.

The Ley de Impulso de la Sociedad de la Información 56/2007 de 28 de decimetre (a law designed to boost the use of the Internet) obliged Telefónica to extend the offer of ADSL to cover all of the country by the end of 2008. However, as someone on one of the forums quipped: “Not even the cows in my village will believe that!” It has been the private companies offering internet by WiFi and WiMax that have provided the solution. The problem, however, is the cost depending on the service provided. Many of us have opted to purchase an internet connection in addition to our telephone with Telefónica. Consequently, we end up paying twice: for our internet connection as well as the standing charge for our phone line (about 13€ per month).

What has SKYPE to do with all this? SKYPE is without doubt one of the most popular Internet applications, offering VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol). In simple terms this is the transfer of the sound of our voice via the Internet. Why should we use SKYPE? Because it is free! (depending on exactly how it is used.) Here we give some examples: 1. I want to speak with another person anywhere in the world and this person also has SKYPE installed on their computer and it is switched on. (It costs nothing to install SKYPE on your computer.) These calls are called SKYPE to SKYPE and are free at all times. If in addition you have a webcam, you can enjoy a video call.

2. Calling a land line using SKYPE. The cost of calling a landline using SKYPE is considerably cheaper than by the traditional method. There are also several packages available. I personally have the Plan Europa. It costs 6.50 € per month and allows me unlimited calls to landlines anywhere in Europe.

The drawback is that calls cannot be received from landlines using SKYPE. This limitation does not exist in some other European countries, UK, Netherlands, Lithuania, etc. There it is possible to pay for a SKYPE number which works just as any other landline number. There is even SKYPE mobile that you can use anywhere, with no need to be in front of your computer. Could it be that Telefónica has had a hand in the fact that these options are not available in Spain?

Because of this, many SKYPE users keep their telephone so as to continue to receive calls. For some months I had been toying with the idea of cancelling my contract with Telefónica and so stop having to pay the standing charge. If anyone wants to call me there is always my mobile. I finally called Telefónica on 1004 to cancel my contract and, what a surprise! they offered me an alternative that few people have heard of: Línea Cero. With this you continue to have your land line but without having to pay the standing charge. You just pay for the calls and for the hiring of the equipment, if you haven’t provided your own. The charge for calls is a little higher but if you use SKYPE for your calls to landlines, then this is immaterial. One condition is that you must use the telephone to call out at least once every three months; otherwise your contract reverts to what it was before. This is not a problem as you would need to use the landline anyway for calls to 900 numbers, something which is not possible on SKYPE. Conclusion: If you have ADSL via a WiFi system, rather than through your landline, you can reduce your Telefónica bill considerably.

- Download SKYPE to your computer – it’s free to do so. If you computer doesn’t already have a microphone and speakers, buy a headset with earphones and a microphone (about 5€).

- Call Telefónica (1004) and ask to change to Línea Cero. You can receive calls on your phone but make them via SKYPE and you save the standing charge that you formerly paid to Telefónica.

Make sure they don’t charge you just to change the contract into Linea Cero.

For more details (in Spanish):

http://www.movistar.es/on/io/es/atencion/consultas_y_dudas/contratos/telefonia/c_p_contrato_cero.pdf

11

ASOCIACIÓN EL VALLE DEL EMBALSE COMMITTEE 2012-13 Chair: Lyndsey Padley - 628655801 Vice Chair: Jane Harris - 633615154 Treasurer: Terry Frost - 697569141 Secretary: Stewart Common - 647076177 MEMBERS Linda Kemp: - 951167088 Elaine Edwards: - 647076177 Anne Dibden: - 605826358 Carol Jackson: - 635291532 Kim Rogerson: - 696126204 Editor: Susan Jones - 680407894 Almoner: Christine Goreham – 635361233

INFORMATION.  WEBMASTER – MIKE HICKMAN 

webmaster@el-valle.org WEBSITE - www.el-valle.org

A representative of the committee is usually on duty between 11am – 12.30pm at Mis Tapas (“BILLY’S BAR”) during Friday Market - Chiringuito Antonio Asociación El Valle del Embalse normally meet at 7pm on the first MONDAY of each month with the exception of August, at the “Camping Bar Restaurante” by Lake Viñuela (km 31/32 A356).

ASOCIACIÓN MOBILE ‘PHONE. 676.641.577 NB: THE ASOCIACIÓN MOBILE IS ONLY IN USE DURING TRIPS OR EVENTS, PLEASE USE THE NUMBERS AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE TO CONTACT A COMMITTEE MEMBER AT OTHER TIMES.