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Around the valle march 2016 Issue no. 3
Chairmans report by carol caldwell
We have certainly had a mixed bag of weather recently, with some much needed rain and hailstones! It was so good to see that dusty haze lift and looking around the valley spring is definitely in the air. It’s lovely to see the blossom on the almond trees and spring flowers
begin their bloom as the campo becomes a lush green.
do to a very entertaining and enjoyable evening.
We held the race night on Fri-
We have lots more events and trips planned for the coming year and a lot to look forward to so keep your eye on our flyers and adverts that we put out at our regular Friday visit to Meson Sara, Puente Don Manuel
day 26th February and we all had a wonderful night, lots of fun and laughs with member participation, bringing all the hard work that the committee
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contents CHAIRMANS REPORT FEBRUARY MEETING & NEWS FRO SATCO FEBRUARY WALK & REMINDER FROM MEMBERSHIP SECRETARY MEMORIAM TO
february meeting report by alan impey
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PETER GOREHAM FORTHCOMING MEETINGS & EVENTS & WALK SCHEDULE
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RACE NIGHT
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QUAD REPORT
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COMMITTEEE
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& 10 UK VOTING 10 INFORMATION FINANCIAL 11 REPORT
Februarys El-Valle monthly meeting started on a sombre note when Sue opened the meeting asking for a few moments silence to remember Peter Goreham, a long standing member and unsung hard working member who died suddenly on Thursday 28th January. Our thoughts are with Christine, his wife and his family at this sad time. He will be sadly missed. Carol then went on to remind us that April would be the AGM of the El Valle and that nominations were still wanted for committee members.
Fifty five members turned up for the meeting and were given an overview of forthcoming events and it was announced that the Cadiz Trip in May was now full. Tonight's speaker was Gordon Whatman, cruise director of The Royal Caribbean Line, a position he has held for 26 years come April. Gordon went on to tell us that for the last 3 years he has been in fact semiretired but in May this year he was looking forward to heading up the China side of the operation and a new ship OVA-
News from sat.co This time I would like to talk about that age old problem the remote control. It is so often that we are faced day to day by what may be a failed remote or not doing what is supposed to do. Please check your remote controls on a regular basis. If you are pressing too hard on the buttons maybe you need new batteries. When you change them have a quick check of the terminals they sit on as they often get dirty and may not make the connection you need. Remember not rechargeable batteries
TION was to be based in China. As of October 2015 they have 23 ships with a further 3 on order. We then had a very interesting, amusing and informative presentation by Gordon and it was very apparent that he knew his topic well and also loved his job although as he said he was now semi-retired. It was announced next that the cash box stood at €285.00 but none of the tickets drawn matched up to the lucky key.
by dick atterbury
as they only run at 1.2 volts they have to be Alkaline to run at the full 1.5 volts. Two other things, the remotes are always badly treated in the home so keep them in plastic bags to keep them clean. They still work that way. Second if you think it is not working drop it off to Sat.Co and we will endeavour to repair it. On average it only costs about €5 to €10. Our new workshop is now up and running so we can repair all types of Flat Screen TVs. We will always give you a quote before we do anything so you know the end cost.
Talking about TVs so many people are buying TVs these days and are disappointed when they put them to use at home. As I have said at Sat.Co we are always ready to give free advice about your purchase. Many of our customers have found some good savings by taking our advice. We also always install them for you free of charge and make sure you understand the controls.
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february El valle walk by ALAN IMPEY Thursday 11th February and once again time for the monthly El-Valle walk which was due to be led by yours truly but unfortunately I was/am suffering from sciatica and had to ask Neil Marland to take over for me and a sterling job he did, agreeing to an early start in order that I could go over the route with him prior to walkers assembling at 11am. Come 11am 18 walkers turned up on a day that had a varied weather forecast with a strong possibility of rain. The weather gods were with the group though and the walk started in dry conditions and finished in sunny conditions.
The meeting point was at the Bar Venta San Miguel on the coast road just outside Nerja and the route went immediately north (inland) eventually passing under the
A7 motorway and then turning west (right) and paralleling the motorway but at a lower level. The next change of direction was to the North West and the days climbing began but on a good surface and up through a small but spread out hamlet.
At the top of the climb the route went south (right) along a ridge with views down to the coast and eventually dropping down to pass once again under the motorway and then a level track back to the start point at the bar where lunch was to be taken. Twenty of us shared lunch together which was the standard menu del dĂa at â‚Ź9.50 a head and I was not aware of any one being unhappy with their meal. Thanks to Neil for stepping in and leading the walk.
Hi It’s me again, your membership secretary !!!
A reminder about your 2016 Membership As hopefully all of you know by now our membership year now runs from January 1st to December 31st. If you have not yet renewed your membership for 2016 then now is the time to do it. We will as we have done in the past, keep our 2015 membership circulation list running until the end of April. At this point we will move over fully to the 2016 membership circulation list, therefore if you have not renewed your membership by the end of April you will be removed from the El-Valle circulation, so now is your chance to renew. Hope this is clear. Memberships can be renewed either at any of the club meetings (first Monday of the month at the Camping Bar on the A356) or at the Friday Market in Puente Don Manuel (we are now at/in Meson Sara Bar, Puente crossroads between 11.30-12.30am).
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PETER GOREHAM;BORN 15-09-1939. DIED 28-1-2016, AGED 76. Peter Goreham --- What can one say about a perfect gentleman. He was born in Northampton on 15th September 1939 but was bought up in Clapham, leaving School at 15 to go to the Gas Board as an Apprentice draughtsman. One of the last people to be required for National Service he decided to sign up for 22 years, with an option to leave after 6 years, and wishing to keep up his trade skills, joined the Royal Engineers making Lance Corporal and served in Aden amongst other places. Posted was back to the U.K. and in 1961 he met Christine who became his wife and being a true romantic, Peter proposed to Christine on Valentines day 1962 as he wanted Christine to accompany him back to France. They were engaged in November 1962 and Married on the 14th September 1963 before Peter was posted back to France where he was based at Fontainbleau Chateau. First born, David was born in June 1964 in Fontainbleau. Peter took the option to leave the Army after 6 years and returned to the U.K., under the repatriation scheme and settled in Harringay,returning to British Gas for employment as a draughtsman. Second child Amanda was born in May 1966. Peter was then called upon to be involved in the North Sea Gas pipeline project and was to be based in Orsett in Essex, and in his line of work was involved in designing Pipeline Stations and the demolition of Gas Holders. The decision was made to move to Stanford-le-Hope in Essex After 11 years, Peter gained promotion and his job required him to work out of an office in Thetford, Norfolk. Moving to Kenninghall, Norfolk, both Peter and Christine became part of village life. It is no surprise that they became more and more involved helping the village. Amongst other things, Peter became a Scout Leader with the nickname ‘’curly’’ and was a very proud parent when David became a Chief Scout in Norfolk. He also built a stable in the back garden for Mandy’s pony, Bramble. A further promotion saw Peter then move to Head Office at Potters Bar. Always an energetic man Peter joined the local running club and started his running career. He competed in numerous London Marathons, Marathons abroad, and many other half Marathons, for which he won the respect of many, and a clutch of medals. He still holds records for various distances at his two clubs, Wymondham (windham) Joggers and Newmarket pacers. Both David and Amanda have given Peter and Christine 5 wonderful grandchildren, Sophie 26, Chloe 23, Jack 24, Charlie 20 and Joe 19, of whom he was always extremely proud. All the grandchildren have said he was the best granddad you could possibly have, and was always there with advice if needed. To give you an idea of Peters commitment to life, he was a Parish Councillor, a School Governor and spent many hours arranging Sports days for the Schools. With all the travelling to London Peter took early retirement at 51, and still got involved in the Probation Service in Cambridge This gives you an idea of the commitment he had to helping others. He still took great delight in running Marathons, involving both his son David and his son-in-law Gary, and even though he was becoming mature in age, received a plaque for coming first in his age group with a time of 2 hours 47 minutes and 34 seconds. At the age of 65, both Peter and Christine moved to Spain. Became involved in many Organisations, including Hash House Harriers, The Valley Association and Probus, becoming Chairman of Probus in 2013. We will forever remember Peter as always having an infectious smile on his face. Always willing to help. A memoriam service was held at Benajarafe church at 12noon Tuesday 2nd January 2016, in order that his legion of friends could pay their respects to a truly remarkable man. This was followed by a private family cremation service whilst several glasses were raised to his memory at the Balendro’s Beach Bar close to his and Christine’s home. These “raised glasses” included the notorious sol y sombre which over time had become an almost obligatory trade mark drink for Peter and a close cadre of friends. Another measure of the esteem that Peter was held in was the princely sum of over €1,400.00 raised in collection trays at the memoriam service and which will be shared between the Marie Cure Trust and the Heart Foundation. Our last words on Peter are that it has been a privilege and an honour to have been included in your enormous list of friends and may you Rest in Peace, you have certainly earned that right.
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FORTHCOMING MEETINGS MARCH 7th
BARBER SHOP CHOIR
APRIL 4th
MYSTERY EVENING
MAY 9th
PLEASE NOTE DATE CHANGE DUE TO MAY BANK HOLIDAY. Music Quiz by David Lawrie
JUNE 6th
Talk by Adrian Woodward
March 31st day trip to sierra nevada & granada leave mis tapitas, (hotel romero) At 08:30 for a visit to the ski slopes (you don’t have to ski, just enjoy the atmosphere) then down to Granada, free time for lunch or just to explore before returning at 6:00 pm €10 members €13 non members
April 19
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Petanc in torre del mar 10:30 am Followed by lunch at tanit Only 32 players allowed but others can join just for the lunch - the price is the same €10 members €13 non
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Our 4 day, 3 night trip to cadiz & jerez Is now full Please remember your second payment is now overdue. Come and see us at meson sara on a Friday morning or a the club meeting on Monday please A reminder, please take out your own travel insurance as refunds cannot be given in the event of a cancellation June 16
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Possible visit to parque la paloma Benalmadena with return to malaga port by ferry Further details to follow
WALKS SCHEDULE MARCH 10th
Led by Jim &Lindsey Hughes. Start at the Vulture Statue in the picnic site between Canillas de Aceituno and Sedella, take the MA 126 out of Canillas for about 5.4Kms (10 mins) and take a sharp turn left with a wooden sign board for the park. Up this windy road for 1.5Kms. Meet here at 11:00
APRIL 14th
Led by Terry & Jane Frost in the village of Guaro car park, just beyond Periana. Start 11:00
MAY 12th
Led by Douglas and Jane Johnson. Start at the bottom of La Vinuela village at 11:00
JUNE 9th
Led by Martyn and Rebecca Higgins. Start TBA at 11:00
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Race night by alan impey The El-Valle Race Night took place on Friday 26th February 2016 at The Camping Bar and not all of the 66 people attending were actually aware of what they had signed up for!!!!!! I spoke to several who were expecting a film screening of horse racing and the opportunity to place cash bets!!!! What they got was much more entertaining and everyone seemed to really enjoy themselves and enter into the spirit of the evening. On your arrival you were given a duplicated sheet of raffle tickets and a Race Card detailing the runners and riders of the five races!! but before the fun commenced it was time to eat and the two preordered choices were chicken or fish preceded by salad. I had the fish and unusually for a Spanish Bar it was battered white fish served with chips, very English but very nice. The chicken was fillets and also I was told very nice. Once the food was over the fun commenced and the format was 6 runners in each of the 5 Races.
The 6 riders for the first race were pre-determined and with names like Bare All, (they are big and furry, loved being stroked by the ladies) and Red Hat No Drawers, (Best type of filly cheap to take out.) Each rider had a "Hobby Horse" and they all paraded round the course for the race goers to see and decide where to bet. After the parade bets were placed by the members putting one half of their raffle tickets into the box of their chosen horse. AND THEY'RE OFF.
Stewart threw the large sponge dice for each horse and the horse moved the required steps down the course.
If you got a four you stayed put and for a three you went back three steps. From the shouts and laughter everyone enjoyed themselves especially when the Race Officials declared a drugs test was needed and samples were taken from the suspect horse, modesty protected by a wrap around blanket. I still managed a photograph!!!
Once a horse passed the winning post the rider drew a ticket from the winning horse box (pun intended) and the lucky holder of the number received a bottle of wine, as did the winning rider. This was repeated for each race but the riders were now selected by the raffle tickets so a good proportion
of the race goers took an active part in the evening.
With the final race came a poignant moment when it was announced that the race was billed as The Goreham Gallop, in memory of Peter Goreham, who recently died, and who was one of main contributors to the making of the props needed for the Race Night Event.
The night ended just after 10pm and it was obvious that a lot of hard work by the committee had been needed to make the evening the success that it was so thanks to all concerned especially David, Stewart and Chris the three main front- of- house persons but also to the committee members in the background.
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february quad report by Jackie and Roger Frewin What a delightful month this has turned out to be. With more of the group currently in Spain our numbers have been fairly constant with 5 quads participating in many of our outings. We’ve enjoyed some fairly lengthy trips with slight variations on some of our regular routes and we’ve tried out a new place to eat too. More of the early spring flowers have been evident on our travels, adding delightfully bright colours to many of the tracks. We’d arranged to meet up at the Trops Restaurant, on the Trapiche Poligono, on many occasions over the last few months and had often thought about trying the menu del dia there. One Wednesday this month we finally decided to try it out and planned a route accordingly. We had also wanted to revisit the track we normally take to Canillas de Albaida for a while now so we decided to follow that on a round trip, to end up back at Trops. With that in mind we left the poligono on the back road and made our way towards Velez, then turned left to follow the Arroyo del Mineral up towards the radio masts. When we joined the ridge we continued in an easterly direction until we arrived at the crossroads, where we turned left towards the ‘wooden house’ then right to follow the rugged track that set us quite an ordeal back in November. There was little evidence of the deep ruts that caused a bit of anguish before and no sign at all of where the small landslide had been. So we arrived safely at the ‘brick shell’, from where we would normally take the track north to visit Canillas de Albaida, but this time headed south and then west to take us back towards Velez-Malaga. We skirted around the northern perimeter of the town, passing the old fort and then descended to meet up with the route we’d started our journey on, close to the Arroyo del Mineral track. The Trops restaurant served very nice food at a very reasonable price but the noise in this typical workingman’s lunch venue was not too attractive.
Map of the route we took, starting and ending at Trops.
9 On a rather cool and dismal looking day the group, led by Roger, passed through Venta Baja, then turned left up to the main road which we crossed to travel along country lanes past Castillo de Zalia then towards Las Provincias and took a right turn before El Toril to take us back down to the main road, crossing it again and heading to Venta Alta. Another right turn took us up to ‘Kitchen Mountain’ albeit a little ruffled, having been attacked by low-hanging olive trees when we missed a turning amid the olive groves. We continued on to Espino and along tracks running parallel(ish) to the Zafarraya to Alhama de Granada road, which we eventually joined around Los Pergueres. We visited Hotel Rural los Caños for refreshments and some emergency repairs (with masking tape supplied at the bar), to fix a broken visor back onto Mike L’s helmet. Once we’d entered the Granada province the temperature had become very much colder so it would have been very unpleasant to continue without the visor. Heading back south we pulled up at the Chicken Shack, by the Zafarraya pass, for a menu del dia. Although there was some doubt about the first course some of us had chosen the second course plates were absolutely delightful and I’m sure I speak for us all when I say we gorged ourselves until we were full to bursting. A quick de-brief before we left found us all in agreement that the shortest homeward route was required so we simply followed the main road down from the Zafarraya Pass then turned off towards Los Pavitos, Venta Alta and back to Venta Baja. Nice one Roger!
Other outings this month included a trip to Caleta via a very long and roundabout route from Puente de don Manuel through Rio Bermuza, then along the Canillas de Aceituno bypass where we stopped at the swimming pool bar for refreshments. Heading then towards Sedella we turned right and towards Valverde and proceeded cross-country to Arenas. After just a few kilometres on the road we then took to the tracks again and climbed steeply up to Castillo de Bentomiz and back down the other side to emerge onto the Algarrobo road. This we followed down to Algarrobo Costa and took the coast road to Caleta where we enjoyed some delightful, though rather expensive, bacon sandwiches. Although it was a bit cold it was a lovely bright sunny day, ideal for relaxing by the sea. The route home was more direct, taking back roads, rather than the main ones but no tracks this time.
The final trip that we personally participated in (owing to being away for the latter part of the month) was devised by Mike Larner, Frances was to be joining us for lunch at El Charco so Mike led us from Mis Tapitas to Vinuela where he had previously been introduced to a road that was new to me. It took us behind the town and eventually, after crossing under the main road, came out by the lake, very close to the football ground. We turned right onto the newly tarmac-surfaced track that we followed as far as Hotel Vinuela then turned left to take the concrete track that runs around the perimeter of the lake. After travelling along concrete, gravel and rocky tracks, having traversed approximately half of the lake and now situated at its northern shore, we turned right to take us up past Las Mayoralas. Having climbed up to and through Periana, beside, then along the back of the school, (where for the first time we encountered school children excitedly waving out of the windows at us) we headed out f the town along a fairly rough track. Our route continued to climb northwards towards Guaro and as we approached there dark clouds were rolling over the mountains beyond, it turned considerably colder and an encounter with rain started to seem inevitable. We stopped for refreshments at Restaurante El Caseron in Guaro, where we certainly felt a little of the wet stuff
10 being blown towards us but, fortunately, by the time we left, the clouds had lifted and it was pleasantly dry again, although still very cold. The next stage of our travels took us along the donkey track between Guaro and Mondron and continued southwards to La Viña and Los Marines before we finally reached the main road, and headed east back towards Los Romanes. Frances was waiting patiently for us as we pulled up outside El Charco and I suspect we might have been a little later than we had predicted, after such an extensive and long ride, but it was fantastic, so well done to Mike. We had a very pleasant menu especial, which was excellent value for money, and after eating planned a fairly direct off-road route home to allow us all to relax and give our over-full bellies a chance to recover, at the earliest opportunity.
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/.
Advice from british embassy on registering to vote in forthcoming e.u. elections
How you can register to vote in the EU Referendum A referendum on the UK’s membership of the European Union will be held by the end of 2017. It could even be this year – the date hasn’t been announced yet. If you were registered to vote in the UK within the last 15 years, then you can register as an overseas voter and have your say. #yourvotematters. Go to www.gov.uk/register-to-vote and fill in your data. All you need is your National Insurance number, passport details and date of birth. (Even if you don’t have an NI number, you can still register). If you are a couple you will both need to register seperately. Choose how you want to vote – by post, proxy, or even in person if you will be in the UK on polling day. If you choose to vote by post, ballot forms will be despatched about one month ahead, giving you time to receive, complete and return your vote to the UK. Do register early, so you have done it well before the referendum date is announced. If you wait, you may miss your chance to have your say. Just as in the UK, you need to register annually. So if you registered as an overseas voter for last year’s General Election, you need to renew your registration for the EU vote. Out of 283,000 Britons officially resident in Spain, just 11,000 were registered to vote in last year’s General Election. Many British expats could miss out on the EU referendum, so tell your friends and family to register too. Use Facebook and Twitter to pass the message on that #yourvotematters.
Go to www.gov.uk/register-to-vote - make sure you can have your say
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FINANCIAL ACCOUNTS 2015 ASOCIACION EL VALLE DEL EMBALSE 2014 INCOME ASOCIACION EL VALLE DEL EMBALSE Subscriptions 1840 Newsletter – advertising Cash Box 513 ____ Total Income 2353
2015
1850 0 195 ____ 2045
EXPENDITURE Newsletter and Web Site Members Meetings Social Events – subsidy Stationery Telephone Presentation Gifts Almoners Expenses Bank Charges Slow Cookers, Sound System, Laminator and Printing
-84 -228 -1589 -415
135 495 215 452 -
-100 -217 -96
17 72
-
689 _____ Total Expenditure
-2729
Excess Expenditure over Income
-376
Balance at 31 December 2014 Excess Expenditure
2075 30 5700
5700 -
30
____ Balance at 31 December 2015 Represented by:Bank Balance Cash in Hand Total
……………………………………………. Carol Caldwell – Chair
……………………………………………. Chris Wishart - Treasurer
5670 ____ 5485 215 5700
5664 6 5670
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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