RTN Newspaper – Costa del Sol 12- 18 January 2018 Issue 037

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Issue 37

12th - 18th January

Reporting The News

Estepona Council to give city centre a €480,000 face lift

Inside this week...

MANILVA AT FITUR

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no more road works in mijas

A project to completely renovate the main street of San Lorenzo has been given the green light by Estepona’s city council.

Plans will include the enlargement of public spaces for pedestrians, a new cycleway, street furniture and construction of a large roundabout at the intersection with Calle Pilar.

The Deputy Mayor of the area for development, infrastructure and tourism (FIT), Ana Velasco, has revealed that works will also include the installation of new street lighting and road signage, and the replacement of water supply and sanitation networks with electrical pipes and drainage.

In a move to improve the aesthetics of the area, there will a greater emphasis on green areas as well as modern urban furniture.

Velasco has explained that the project will be tendered in the next few weeks with the work expected to take five months to complete.

This whole programme of remodelling Estepona’s environment will be the first to be funded by the €10 million grant obtained by the Council from European Regional Development Funds (ERDF).

The plans will have a budget based on a tender for €481,816 and the EU grant has enabled the Council to launch other projects in the coming months.

These will include the refurbishment of San Luis castle, improvements in e-Government, the renovation of the first stretch of the Andalucia avenue, and initiatives to promote greater energy efficiency.

The Deputy Mayor for new technologies, Jose Maria Ayala, has highlighted that Estepona Council has been awarded these EU funds as a result of being prompt with its payment obligations in Social Security and the tax agency.

The scale of the funds has also been attributed to the Council’s compelling presentation of a series of projects that will contribute to the sustainable development of the city.

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helping families

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12th - 18th January

BA to introduce Gatwick summer flights from Gibraltar

by Staff Reporter FOLLOWING the collapse of Monarch Airlines, BA will use its take-off and landing areas to increase its Gatwick flights to sunny destinations, including Gibraltar.

In addition to 11 weekly flights from Heathrow during the summer, the GibraltarGatwick route will operate six times a week (daily except on Tuesday).

This route will be introduced on May 28 and run for the duration of summer to September 29. More than 2,000 extra return seats will be offered per week, with a total of 37,000 seats over the operational period.

“This is fantastic news for Gibraltar,” says Gilbert Licudi, the Minister for Tourism and Commercial Aviation. “London Gatwick is Gibraltar’s busiest route and these additional weekly services highlight the demand.

“In addition, this will undoubtedly boost the tourism industry as well as providing further vital links to major UK airports for all business and leisure travellers.”

This summer will represent BA’s biggest schedule from Gatwick airport in almost a

Marbella City Council to tender public transport

THE new urban public transport service will be put out to tender under Marbella City Council’s plans to have it in operation before the end of the summer.

BRITISH AIRWAYS: Is to increase flights to sunny destinations. decade, with around 1,150 weekly flights this year compared with 1,000 in 2017.

Weekly flights to Malaga will increase from 27 to 35, and flights to Alicante will go up to 22 from 14. Tenerife will see a rise from six per week to 13, while Madeira will go from six to nine.

Further to this, Chief Executive Alex Cruz adds, “We are also introducing several new destinations to the Gatwick programme, including Palma (Majorca), and Mahon

(Menorca). These exciting new routes give our customers even more choice of destinations at competitively low prices.”

The collapse of Monarch led to the holidays of 860,000 people being cancelled. Its slots at Gatwick and Luton were worth around £60 million, with the latter taken by Wizz Air. Meanwhile, Blands Travel will begin operating a twice daily shuttle service between Gibraltar and Malaga airport, starting next week.

Councillor Felix Romero has revealed that a full modernisation of the service is envisioned. This will involve the introduction of new technologies to improve the management of public transport, and a complete renovation of the vehicle fleet.

“We have prepared a list of conditions for the tender of the contract that the previous government did not take or do anything about,” says Romero.

He is also critical of the way the previous contract was handled and that debts have been accumulated through legal proceedings.

12th - 18th January

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Extra speed cameras for San Pedro-Ronda road

By Jemima Roberts THE TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT (DGT) is installing two new speed cameras in Malaga Province following an increase in road accidents.

The speed traps will be installed in Mijas and the Ronda-San Pedro road after 39 people died on the province’s roads in 2017, the worst figure since 2010. Of those, 16 were on motorcycles, with two bikers dying in one day last week in the Serrania de Ronda leading the DGT to install the cameras on roads most used by twowheeled drivers.

One of the motorcyclists, a German man in his 60s, died after coming off the road on a straight patch of the A-366 in El Burgo.

Officers are now investigating what caused the accident. A 32-year-old Spanish man came off the road on the MA-7401 in the same area just three hours later, dying of his injuries.

While road use in Malaga Province increased last year by 3.5 per cent, the number of road deaths increased by 25 per cent from 31 in 2016. The figure is the worst it has been since 49 people died in traffic accidents in 2010.

One speed camera will now be installed

at kilometre 11.1 of the A-7053 in Mijas linking Fuengirola and Alhaurin el Grande. The road, which passes through Las Lagunas, will now be limited to 50 kilometres an hour. The second camera is located to prevent weekend bikers from speeding along the A-397. Drivers will be limited to 60 kilometres per hour between kilometres 28 and 30.5 in both directions.

Malaga politician, Miguel Angel Heredia, had said he was concerned about the “sharp increase” in accidents, calling on the government to take “immediate measures” to deal with the problem.

Last week, firemen rescued a 75-yearold man after his car fell 25 metres down a ravine in the hills in Malaga. The man was found unconscious by a cyclist before being taken to the Victoria Clinical University Hospital. Firemen said the accident could have occurred due to carelessness.

In December, a 35-year-old woman was hurt after her car overturned near Limonar. The victim was travelling across a roundabout off the A-7 at around 10am when the accident occurred in front of a petrol station. Members of the Guardia Civil and health services attended the scene.

The woman was taken to the Carlos Haya Hospital to be treated for bruises and was not believed to be in a serious condition.

Over 800 students: To benefit from the centre.

Marbella students granted access to sports facilities THE mayor of Malaga, Angeles Munoz, and the Director of the IES Rio Verde school, Jesus Capel, have signed an agreement that will allow students to make use of the Francisco Norte’s sports facilities throughout the academic year.

Munoz explained

that the plans “will allow 850 students to carry out their sports activities in a planned manner at the institute.

Our commitment is to continue to promote collaboration between the city council and the school, and to respond to its needs.”

Capel thanked the

Council for its support and noted that “currently we only have a gym and a sports court for a school with more than 1,450 students, so the possibility of using facilities such as the Francisco Norte has been very well received by the entire educational community.”

Over €1.5M investment: For renovation.

New year, new investment for Fuengirola

THE year 2018 will start positively for the residents of Fuengirola, as the council has announced five renovation projects and an investment of over €1.5 million.

The first initiative to be undertaken is a redevelopment of the streets Jacinto Benavente, Moreno Saithe, Heroes Heroes, a section of Matagorda and the main square.

The work on these areas began on January 8, with further improvements in the pipeline. “Despite

Christmas, we have not stopped working in order to ensure that the various works go ahead on schedule in 2018,” says Mayor Ana Mula.

The most important route in Fuengirola is Jacinto Benavente, as it serves as a link to the city centre, with the promenade and the fishing port.

However, its design has become outdated and needs restructuring in line with the council’s plans.

As a result, the work will begin with demolitions

and perimeter fencing.

Other renovations involve both surface and underground infrastructure, including sanitation, drinking water, electricity, telephone lines and public lighting.

The main bus stop is to be converted into a station, with greater accessibility and the replacement of the garden area with trees. A new stop will also be created in this area, in line with bus timetables, allowing easier public access.

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12th - 18th January

Model looks for El Palo’s coastal promenade

by Staff Reporter DESIGNERS have been brought in to remodel El Palo’s coastal promenade.

A consultancy firm based in Estepona will spend the next three months working on designs to give the area a facelift.

Malaga Council explained the process to find a suitable company had been “complex,” but the contractors had agreed to carry out the project for €87,023. The council adds the works will “preserve the atmosphere of a fishermen’s neighbourhood, calm and welcoming, but bearing in mind that it is a tourist area with a family beach.”

Among the options being debated is semi-pedestrianising Calles Quitapenas and Banda del Mar alongside the promenade. Entrances to the beach may also be expanded, creating wooden walkways for pedestrians and cyclists, and the terraces of bars and restaurants may be improved.

It is also thought street furniture will be replaced and rainwater outlets will be expanded.

Planners are also considering how to use the Las Acacias promenade to retain as many parking spaces as possible. All plans will then need to be approved by the Ministry of the Environment as well as other bodies.

FITUR, Madrid.

Manilva will be represented at International Tourism Fair

MANILVA will once again be present at the most prestigious International Tourism Fair, held in Madrid.

From January 17-21, the council´s Tourism delegation will be at the stand of the Tourist Board of the Costa del Sol. The leader of the delegation, Diego Urieta, has announced that they will display the motto ‘Manilva Unica,’ on the day, with a logo voted for via a Facebook competition.

“We are seeing tourism on the rise and we feel we have an obligation and desire to promote ourselves at an international level,” said Manilva’s mayor, Mario Jiminez.

Branded promotional material of the province will include USB connection chargers in car cigarette ports, and wristbands that act as mobile phone chargers.

In addition, there will be 8,000 copies of a magazine that will outline 10 of the key characteristics of the province. There will also be a promotional video outlining all the events and activities being offerred in Manilva throughout 2018.

Council officers will also hold important meetings with tour operators and tourism companies that will help to publicise Manilva’s attractions.

Malaga march of women commemorated

by Staff Reporter THIS month will see the centenary of a famous protest along the streets of Malaga.

In 1918 a group of 800 disaffected women gathered spontaneously together to campaign against the rise in the price of essential products.

Like many nations, the economic impact of the First World War took its toll on the Spanish economy.

The working class was

particularly impacted and when the price of bread rose they were struggling to survive.

The protest tragically ended with four people dead and 17 injured.

A commemoration of the event will take place and at the instigation of the Council of the Women of Malaga, to recognise the honest motives of the demonstrators, who were acting in favour of fundamental rights.

Next Tuesday the mayor of Malaga, Francisco De la

Torre, will unveil a commemorative plaque in the Poet Alfonso Canal Square.

Afterwards, a march will begin along the route that the women walked to remember their bravery.

In addition, between January 11-25 the headquarters of the Malaga Student Union will hold a photographic exhibition called ‘Women, work and dignity,’ where newspapers, photographs and public records will be shown.

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12th - 18th January

community news Braving the cold

Full of heart

NEW YEAR’S DAY 2018 attracted an amazing following yet again to raise money for 4 PAWS Adoptions, a charity to help rehome animals even overseas.

This year was the 12th annual event and was held at a new venue: Restaurant La Videra in Los Boliches.

The sun beamed down all afternoon and the sea was perfectly calm when divers from Into the Blue diving school and swimmers took to the water. Hundreds of spectators joined in the fun, raffle and BBQ. The three mermaids, Sheila, Sue and Tcherina stole the show with their water dances. Stacey Lloyd who has organised the swim for 12 years also took part in the swim.

Funds are still rolling in but are healthily in the thousands. All at 4 PAWS Adoptions would like to thank staff at La Videra and all who attended to make this another amazing event.

THE Royal British Legion, Coin Branch is having, in aid of the Poppy Appeal, a Valentine’s party, at La Tavola by Miky, Sierra Gorda, Coin on Friday February 9 at 7.30pm.

There will be a two-course chicken dinner with entertainment by Leslie Harrison.

For tickets or further information call George on: 666 721 090.

New Year’s resolution: try ICE! THE weather in the New Year may be cool and even wet, so if you can’t be swimming or sunbathing, how about some different activities?

RAF Association to hold AGM

ICE (The International Club of Estepona) has over

THE Annual General Meeting of the Costa del Sol Branch of the RAF Association will be held on Monday January 15 at Elim Church, Plaza Ibensa, Arroyo de la Miel, Benalmadena commencing at 1pm.

Voting will take place for the Officer posts of the Committee. Nomination forms can be obtained from the secretary at: secretary.rafacds@gmail. com.

The meeting will be followed by a Social.

For further information please see the website: www.rafacostadelsol.co.uk

common language is English, and everybody’s

400 members and a whole range of events, games and interests to share with you.

They’re international though their welcome; singles, couples and families.

So why not go along and be part of it? Take a look at the website: www.siberme.com, email: clubsiberme@hotmail.com, or drop into the Clubhouse on Bahia Dorada (entrada 5) on Sunday from 12.30pm to 2pm or Thursday from 10.30am to 2pm.

Entegux works on show

Enrique with some of his works at the exhibition.

A PAINTING exhibition opened over the Three Kings’ holiday in Calahonda is due to run until the end of the month.

Spanish artist Enrique Agusti Lafuente who formerly lived in La Cala has recently returned to live in southern Spain after a number of years away, setting up a new home base in Alhaurin el Grande.

Nowadays painting under the name of Entegux, a number of his paintings are on display in the eclectic exhibition, all featuring eyes and many including birds and fish.

The artworks range in price from €275 - €485, with the exhibition in El Campanario at the Norwegian Church in Avenida del Cortijo in Calahonda.

12th - 18th January

Boost for Gibraltar as Lidington becomes May’s chief confidante

by Staff Reporter LONG time friend of Gibraltar and Conservative MP David Lidington, has become Theresa May’s right-hand man in her recent reshuffle of government ministers.

Mr Lidington will take on the role of Minister for the Cabinet Office followed by the resignation of Damien Green.

After a brief spell as Justice Secretary, Mr Lidington will hold significant power as Chairman of a number of important subcommittees.

As a former Minister for Europe in David Cameron’s government, Mr Lidington worked closely with the Gibraltar

david lidington:

Taking on the role of minister for the cabinet office.

government on a range of issues, including the UK’s response to Spanish incursions.

Chief Minister of Gibraltar Fabian Picardo has publicy congratulated Mr Lidington on his appointment, which he said was good for Gibraltar. Mr Picardo

has also written personally to him.

“It is good move for Gibraltar that someone like him, who knows and understands our needs and sensitivities, will now chair some of the most relevant Cabinet committees.”

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Painter Agustin Casado to be speaker at the Marbella Carnival TH E popular ar tist an d pain ter A gustin Casado has been appoin ted the an nouncer f or this year’ s Mar bella Car n ival.

The even t will be held f r om Febr uar y 4- 17 an d its poster has been design ed by studen t Mar ia Tor r es Can dil.

Th e poster was chosen f r om 60 dif f er en t wor ks submitted via an on line competition.

Th e selection was str ipped down to the f ive that r eceived th e most votes, and the Car nival Cultur al A ssociation Mar bella ch ose the winn er .

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12th - 18th January

Mayor Maldonado and CLLR Martin: Speak with a resident.

Ayuntamiento de Mijas

No more road works in Mijas

By Jemima Roberts THE works to several of Mijas’ streets are now complete.

Calles Kennedy, Jaen, Miguel Marquez and Las Cañadas have been overhauled after the underground infrastructures were improved, bringing better sewage and electrical services to residents.

Sanitation, water supplies, electrical, lighting, telecommunications and rain water systems have all been updated.

Mijas’ mayor, Juan Carlos Maldonado, explained, “the results have been very good and the residents are happy which is important.

This action will represent a leap forward in the quality of life of all of them and, in addition to the renewal of all the infrastructure, we have adapted these areas for people with reduced mobility.”

Juan Carlos Martin, Councillor for Infrastructure, added, “the council is giving special attention to the renovation of the most deteriorated streets of

the municipality in a comprehensive way to, among other things, eradicate the problems of excess water in the town.”

Las Cañadas has also benefited from semi-pedestrianisation, better traffic management, improved accessibility and upgraded paving. Two further streets in the Las Cañadas area are also currently benefiting from comprehensive renovations. Calles Hermanos Beltran and Pio XII are undergoing €100,000 worth of works which are expected to finish soon.

Fuengirola roads smoother DRIVERS in Fuengirola are set to benefit from smoother road surfaces once upgrade works are finished.

Roads damaged by tree roots, including on Calles Huelva, Castaño, Badajoz and Ronda Sol Villas, will be resurfaced while underground infrastructure, including electricity and water supplies, will also be improved.

Councillor of Works and Infrastructures, Jose Sanchez, explained the works had been requested by residents and would include fitting LED lighting which would save on electricity costs and protect the environment.

The town’s mayor, Ana Mula, added, “for us responding to neighbourhood requests is a priority and therefore we carry out all these types of work, which represents a substantial improvement to those roads and for the people of Fuengirola who live in them. In 2018 we have many more initiatives ready to continue moving forward.”

Despite announcements over a raft

of projects to upgrade Fuengirola’s infrastructure in 2018, in September the council was forced to use €1.8 million from a contingency fund to cover a fine for delays in paying for works to the Elola Sports Centre.

A court in Malaga passed the judgement after the council delayed paying the €6.5 million bill for the project, which took place between 2005 and 2008. Opposition parties have criticised the governing team for using funds for other projects to pay the fine, although the council says it is “absolutely normal.”

The contingency fund, which was put aside to support families, is said to be running at a surplus, with a source saying, “we have made sure the money will not be needed for its original purpose and all the aid for our residents will be covered.”

Opposition party Ciudadanos said the situation was “disastrous and catastrophic,” while the governing team said the party had shown “no interest” in the issue in the council session.

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12th - 18th January

PRESS CONFERENCE: To announce the hike.

New urban trekking route to Los Boliches

ON January 20 a brand new urban trekking expedition will depart from the monument to the Virgen del Carmen in Los Boliches.

Tickets can be bought from the Council´s Department of Sport for €3, which includes a bag of fruit and water.

Fuengirola´s councillor for Sports, Pedro Cuevas, has held a press conference to publicise the event. He announced that the hike will start at 9am in the morning and will run through the area of Los Pacos.

Mr Cuevas explained that, “the new route will take us to the highest area of Los Pacos, with an approximate distance of seven kilometres.

“The intention of these urban paths is so that all people who want to join us can do so. We will be very safe as we will be accompanied

by Cardiosport and the municipal technicians to ensure that the march is as healthy as possible for all the people who participate.”

Joining Mr Cuevas at the press conference was a coach at the Department of

Sports, Agustin Molina. Mr Molina revealed that the hiking route will run through the areas of Los Boliches, Los Pacos and Torreblanca, in the seven kilometre long tour.

The minimum age of participation is 12 and children must be accompanied by an adult over 18 (who must also be enrolled on the trek).

Organisers are encouraging people to arrive at 8.30am to collect fruit and water before the 9am start.

The hike has been classed as of average difficulty.

1,500 animals saved

By Jemima Roberts A MALAGA rescue centre has been able to save 1,567 cats and dogs in 2017.

The Malaga Protectorate of Animals has warned it is now suffering from “tremendous overcrowding” after numbers at the centre reached 889, far exceeding its capacity of 300.

The shelter managed to rehouse 1,300 animals last year, including 802 dogs and 247 cats which went to new homes in Spain. A further 176 dogs and 13 cats were rehomed abroad. Twenty dogs and 14 cats were put down due to ill health while 55 dogs and 33 cats died of illness or old age.

The organisation worked with the fire services, nature protection services, National Police and Local Police to rescue 147 dogs and 40 cats which were identified due to their chips. The body warned “almost none (of the cats) were chipped and only about 65 or 70 per cent of dogs

SHELTER: Rehoused 802 dogs. were,” leading to 100 dogs and five cats being returned to their homes.

The shelter did not just rescue cats and dogs last year, however, with a further 109 other animals taken in, including ferrets, rabbits, hamsters, turtles and birds.

The organisation’s president, Carmen Manzano, has said owners should show “conscience and responsibility” when deciding whether to add to their collection as, “having an animal at home is not mandatory.” She added, “if you are not able to see it as another member of your family, do not have it, do not put any more strain on the refuge.”

Finally, she told animal-lovers to “adopt and not buy,” explaining, “each animal that is adopted leaves room for us to help another. Think about it.” She added owners should chip and sterilise their animals, explaining, “litters of lactating dogs and cats arrive frozen and almost dying that often die in our hands while their mother will give birth to more.”

12th - 18th January

Estepona council invests €2 million in new hospital

by Staff Reporter ALMOST €2 million has been spent on the construction of the new High Resolution hospital for Estepona, says its city council.

The foundation works have already been completed and the structure and sanitation of the building are well underway.

The mayor of Estepona, Jose Maria Garcia Urbano, has emphasised the council’s commitment to the project, saying that it represents “the greatest aspiration of the city during the last decade.”

The initial work on the hospital began

last June and construction is scheduled to be completed in December 2018. The total cost of €15 million has been factored into the city council’s budget.

The hospital is expected to be a pioneering beacon of the Malaga Province, providing a range of medical specialties.

Urgent health care will be prioritised with waiting times for consultations and tests significantly shorter than the national average.

The hospital will also host cutting edge technology that will play a key role in major surgery and also ensure that hospital stays for patients are markedly reduced.

CONSTRUCTION UNDERWAY: The new hospital.

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12th - 18th January

Have your Say!

A popular post this week is Alicante-Elche Airport is ‘most efficient’ in Spain reaching 13,859 people with 73 reactions and 30 comments

Liz Searle

I fly in and out every two weeks from Alicante for work and have never had a problem

Marion Lacey

E-readers for passport are rubbish, the worst I’ve ever come across slow slow

Jim Thomson

Other than e-passport system, it’s great. My favourite airport anywhere, in fact I noted someone saying the food is expensive ... seriously? ... compared to UK airports?

For an airport of its size the choice is good. 8pm closing is NOT so good

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Most liked posts from this week Eight rescued from balcony after building blaze Dognappers arrested in major swoop Della released back into the wild Alicante-Elche Airport is ‘most efficient’ in Spain Costa Blanca expat community thanked by friends of ‘missing’ Caz

Expat riders living Los Motos Locos A NEW community is growing in the Costa Del Sol that will appeal to anyone with a passion for scooters, music, and anything a bit retro or ‘Mod.’ Los Motos Locos was started by expatriates Andy Welland and Mike Couch in July 2017, and over the last six months has seen over 100 people join its Facebook page.

While they are based in Fuengirola, they have members from Gibraltar to Nerja, as well as the Costa Blanca.

All makes and models of bikes are welcome and the group looks to meet up on a regular basis for ride outs, nights out, and events.

Since Los Motos Locos started they have been on several ride outs including Malaga, Mijas, Nerja, Coin, Alora, El Chorro

and Ronda. Videos of all these can be seen on the website: www.andyw1976.wixsite.com/ losmotoslocos/videos Music is a big part of Los Motos Locos’ identity, with artists such as One Wish Steve/Quadrasteveia, who is said to do an amazing The Who and Small Faces tribute show. Both Terry Shaughnessy and Doojip are members and provide the backing tracks for the Ride Out videos.

Last November also saw the first Saturday Soul evening which took place at the Table 7 bar in Fuengirola. It was a terrific four hours of Soul, Northern Soul and Motown music which drew 50 members from along the coast and Gibraltar.

The group has also been involved with charity events

FROM January 9 to 14 the city is celebrating Malaga Education Week, a pioneering initiative that will focus attention on tourism and the study of Spanish as a foreign language.

The event, which will bring together more than 500 tourism professionals, is aimed at teachers, senior academics, and international educators and consultants.

The week comprises three

In Total

Reporting The News Send us your comments on Facebook, Twitter and on our website. Or if you prefer you can email our editor directly:

admin.rtn@ ewnmediagroup.com See more on Page 32

The group’s next ride out is on January 20 to Jorox, and details can be found here: https://www.facebook.com/ events/138781986823674/ If you don’t own a scooter but still want to go along, you can hire a retro Scomadi from https://www.facebook. com/Spyder-Rent-GroupFuengirola-501905653529149/

Malaga Education Week

17,968 people reached 10,442 reactions

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los motos locos: Have members from Gibraltar to Nerja. such as the Music Story fundraiser for Cudeca in September 2017.

Los Motos Locos has many members that run affiliated businesses and events ranging from Soul nights like the Costa del Sol Collective, Scooters bar in Benalmadena, and retro clothing such as Capital Vintage.

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12th - 18th January

Estepona route of murals to display Nasrid architecture

by Staff Reporter THE path of artistic murals in the province, which was launched in 2012, is to incorporate 600 square metres of Nasrid Moorish artwork, the council has announced.

Hyper-realist artist Jose Fernandez Rios’ new work is the 51st since the concept started. It has representative elements of monuments and archaeological sites such as the Alhambra in Granada, La Alcazaba of Malaga and the mythical city of Medina Azahara.

Fernandez Rios has also used both the façade and the side of a block of properties and commercial buildings at different heights to ‘trick the eye’ of the passer-by, generating a panorama of Moorish beauty.

The murals have been painted on several buildings and shops along the Antonia Guerrero central square, which has recently been remodelled.

Taking into account the existing vegetation and lighting, Fernandez Rios creates for the public a wonderful display

ARTISTIC MURAL: Nasrid Moorish artwork. of Arabic arches and battlements.

Fernandez Rios is the latest in a line of artists that have produced nothing less than a museum in the open air that has become one of the main attractions of Estepona.

Surprisingly, inmates of the penitentiary centre of Alhaurin de la Torre (Malaga) have also been contributing murals for the

route. One of these is a ‘Don Quixote of the 21st century,’ in memory of the author Cervantes in the 400th anniversary of his death. There is also an artwork dedicated to refugee children.

The City Council rightly states that the path of artistic murals, along with the routes of poetry and sculptures, have given a new cultural vibrancy to the area.

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Nerja to host new exhibition of paintings TODAY (Friday) Nerja Council’s municipal exhibition hall will play host to a fresh and exciting exhibition of paintings by local artists.

The wonderful display will be called ‘Harmonies’ and has been put together

by Marie Jose Larousse and Francine Raguet. It will be open to the public from January 12-27.

Marie Jose Larousse was trained at the National School of fine arts in Paris. His favourite subjects are still lifes and portraits, using a pastel and oil technique on canvas, wood or cardboard.

Francine Raguet was mentored by the artist Paul Kleim in Sain-Remy de Provence (France). His impressionist paintings using oil on canvas are inspired by animals, birds, music and women.

The exhibition has been organised by Nerja Council’s Department of Culture.

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12th - 18th January

Feel good factor

By Jemima Roberts ALMOST 40 children received gifts of toys over Christmas following a donation drive in Mijas.

The inititative, organised by charity Caritas and supported by Mijas Comunicacion and El Corte Ingles, saw 36 children visited by the Royal Postman who gave them their gifts. The little ones, aged between one and 12 years old, are from some of the town’s most vulnerable families.

The town’s mayor, Juan Carlos Maldonado, oversaw the delivery of the gifts alongside the managing director of Mijas Comunicacion, Jose Antonio Gonzalez, and the director and deputy director of the Costa Mijas Shopping Centre, Emilio Fuentes and Jose Navarro.

Generous donors handed over their gifts at El Corte Ingles between December

ORGANISERS: Show off the donations.

Ayuntamiento de Mijas 23 and January 4, with almost 400 people giving something. The project’s organisers’ explained, “the most important thing about this initiative is that no child of Mijas will be left without a gift this Christmas. We want to thank the companies involved as well as the residents of the municipality who once again have shown their most supportive side.”

Mayor Maldonado added the initiative “would

be impossible without the collaboration of the Mijas community and the Caritas volunteers,” explaining, “we are very satisfied with the results of this campaign and with the response of the residents and visitors of the municipality. We are talking about families that have difficulties when it comes to buying these gifts, so my congratulations and thanks to all those involved and, of course, to the Caritas volunteers.”

Night at the theatre PLEASE remember that since the AGM, Thespa events now follow the Fiscal Year. That means that membership for 2016/17 is now finished and renewal starts at their first meeting of the year on January 31.

They look forward to welcoming members new and old to support the group. Membership remains at €10.

This month they are presenting ‘Just Passing’ by Colin and Mary Crowther (directed by Peter Cadman).

The characters will be played by Julie Payne, Peter Cadman and Shirley Knauf.

Terry is once again catering, meal details to be confirmed.

Their second play will be ‘Last Post’ written by Jean Mc’Connall (directed

by Geoffrey Stansfield) featuring

Wendy Smith and Margaret SpencerBrooks In order to reserve a place you need to contact thespabooking@gmail.com or phone 622 454 422.

They need to know exactly how many in your party and who will be will be coming. They also need to know if there are any special dietary requirements.

Please let Thespa know by Friday January 26, making sure that they have a phone contact number or email address.

Please remember that members pay €16 for the evening and guests €18.

It would be much appreciated if you could bring the correct amount to avoid giving change.

Happy New Year!

Malaga to host vintage car fair again

By Jemima Roberts SPAIN’s most important classic car exhibition will once again be held in Malaga. The city’s magnificent Palace of Congress will provide the setting in what will be the fifth occasion of the event.

It will take place from January 26 to 28 and more than 20,000 motor enthusiasts are expected to attend.

The prestigious fair will put Malaga in the spotlight as automobile clubs, amateur fans and the public in general gather for what is a renowned part of the Andalucian calendar.

The organisers, Retro Málaga, plan to host more than 150 exhibitors this year and completely maximise the available space. Indeed the last two years have seen companies that were late in applying to attend, turned away.

The Malaga exhibition will continue to provide an opportunity for professionals from the sector to offer cars or motorcycles for sale; clubs that assemble stands and display their

CLASSIC CARS: More than 150 exhibitors will take part. activities, and zones where private owners can show off their collector items.

There will of course also be a commercial area where companies can offer all kinds of spare parts, clothing, magazines, and merchandise related to the

fair.

Any visitor who arrives in a vintage car or motorbike will be awarded a discount on entry and free indoor parking. The parking area itself will be open to the public to admire the vehicles on show.

12th - 18th January

Charge it in January

By Jemima Roberts IF you had your eye on a big purchase before Christmas but failed to do the deal, now may be the perfect time to buy.

While sales in Spain are more tightly regulated than in the UK, shops are allowed to offer up to 75 per cent off at several points throughout the year and post-Christmas is one of the most popular.

Discounts have already reached 70 per cent in Women’s Secret, and up to 50 per cent in fashion favourites H&M and Mango. In Spain, products can only go on sale after being offered for at least a month before and must be of the same quality as before the sale.

In addition, sellers must display the original price next to the reduced one or the percentage offered.

Despite the sales offering significant savings, one consumer group warned buyers not to overspend or take financial risks just because prices are reduced.

The Organisation of Consumers and Users (OCU) told consumers “do not die in the effort” to get a bargain, also warning them “not to consume more than necessary,” while advising, “take advantage of good prices and do not give up any rights.”

SALES TIME: Now may be the perfect time to buy.

The body also suggests buyers make a list of what they need before visiting the shops to avoid compulsive purchases, and keeping any receipts to protect your right to return items.

Ahead of the busy festive shopping season, Fuengirola’s Council launched a campaign to support local businesses, entitled ‘this Christmas, your purchases in Fuengirola,’ encouraging people to pop out to their local shop to buy gifts this year.

Ricardo Von Wichmann, Councillor for Commerce, explained at the time, “we are hoping to promote responsible consumption this Christmas, which is achieved by making purchases at local shops, therefore supporting entrepreneurs and the self-employed in Fuengirola. He added, “with the festivities just around the corner and the traditional gift lists and requests, it is more than likely that we think about shopping”

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San Roque launches new weight loss initiative THE Municipal Sports Delegation of the San Roque Town Hall is introducing a programme to help people lose weight alongside the companies ‘Tu Entrenas (You train)’ and Gimnasio Energy.

The concept is that in a timetable of only 10 weeks, under the guidance of fitness and nutrition experts, participants can achieve their weight loss targets.

Every fortnight they will be given new instructions for cardio and toning exercises, which will then be posted on the companies’ social media pages, and the city council´s own site. The project will also be broadcast on Canal San Roque TV. The initiative is “good news for all those people who at the beginning of the year have the goal of getting fit and losing weight, in order to have a healthier old age,” says Councillor for Sports, Antonio Navas.

Those taking part will be able to see their progression over time, which will help to spur them on.

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12th - 18th January

By Jemima Roberts AMONG the Costa del Sol’s other attractions are its abundance of wellpreserved Roman ruins.

Although the south of Spain may be best known for its sun, sea and sangria, the area also has a rich cultural offering, with the Romans settling in Andalucia for around 700 years from 200 BC. So if you have a spare weekend why not take in some of the area’s many historical sites using our handy guide below?

Arguably the most famous of the Costa del Sol’s Roman attractions, the amphitheatre at Acinipo in Ronda is well worth a visit, which is so wellpreserved it is still used for events.

The theatre forms part of a Roman town which dates back to the first Century BC and is thought to have been built by retired soldiers after the battle of Munda in 45 BC. At only 20 kilometres from Ronda, the site is easily accessible in a day trip as part of a longer stay in the area.

In Cartama you will find another example of one of the Romans’ bestknown innovations, the aqueduct.

Connecting the town to a river in Alhaurin el Grande, the structure would have been used to provide residents with water both for drinking and for its modern-style sewage network.

Don’t forget your toga

amphitheatre: Is well worth visiting in

telitec 3x6

Ronda.

Ahead of their time, the Romans made sophisticated use of water famously building public baths in many of their towns. Examples of these can be found in the Manilva-Casares area where the Bodegas baths’ domed ceilings lend a cavern-like feel to the site.

The sulphuric waters can still be bathed in today and Romans believed it had healing properties.

Julius Caesar himself is thought to have used the baths here to cure a skin infection.

Although the site is slightly tricky to find, it is unspoilt as well as intact and free to visit.

A larger and more sophisticated example of private baths can be found in Marbella at the Bovedas baths.

While not still in use, the two-storey structure is in good condition thanks to the lime, sand and pebble concrete used to build it. Dating from the third century AD, the baths originally belonged to a private villa.

Finally, fans of a unique landscape will enjoy a trip to Huelva where the Riotinto mines offer an unusual copper-coloured vista.

What the mine lacks in archaeological remains, it certainly makes up for in photo opportunities with the earth stained pink, yellow, brown and red.

12th - 18th January

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Helping families in need

FESTIVE TREATS: Soroptimist members preparing parcels with Red Cross representatives.

SOROPTIMIST INTERNATIONAL COSTA DEL SOL prepared 180 special festive season parcels at the Red Cross for families in need in Mijas.

The association made money by participating at the Christmas Market in Centro Idea and receiving generous donations from the Malaga CF supporter club La Peña de Dinamarca, and the Danish Church Margrethekirken.

“We have been collaborating with the Red Cross in Mijas for seven years

and are very grateful for the fantastic donations from our contacts, they make it possible to help the local families” said Daphne Theunissen, treasurer of Soroptimist International Costa del Sol. The parcels included Spanish polvorones, instant chocolate powder, coffee, sugar, chocolate bars, and canned peaches and were handed out just before Christmas.

Soroptimists are women in professions and business who work together at local,

national and international levels to educate, enable and empower women and girls with an aim to improving their lives.

Soroptimist International Costa del Sol is part of a strong international network of some 75,000 women in 132 countries, who are powerful and effective advocates of women’s and girl’s rights.

For more information take a look at the website: www.soroptimist.es or visit Soroptimist International Costa del Sol on Facebook.

SIERRA NEVADA: Youngsters enjoy day trips.

Fuengirola presents ‘Young Winter’ programme for youths YOUNG people in the city of Fuengirola will find it difficult to be bored this winter as the Council has announced a full package of activities from January to March.

Most of the 20 activities on offer are free and include cooking workshops, concerts, hiking trails, trips to the Sierra Nevada and Cadiz Carnival.

This excellent concept is aimed at the city’s 10,000 young people and will take place every Saturday in January, February and March.

There will even be a free course on Styling and Personal Image that will be taught in February. In addition, the same month sees a Harry Potter wand-making workshop that many expect will be magical.

Another original workshop will be held in March called ‘Take care of your pet’ that has been organised in collaboration with trainers and veterinarians.

Those youngsters who prefer more traditional activities can be assured that singing, drama, drawing and chess have been kept on.

VIVA ADVER

RT

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12th - 18th January

News from around Europe RUSSIA

NETHERLANDS Abandoned alpaca a huge hit An investigation into an Alpaca found wandering the streets of Haarlem is ongoing but after the local police tweeted asking for tips or information regarding the animal, they received so many calls from citizens wanting to adopt it that they were forced to post another message asking the public to stop contacting them.

Rapper under fire 24-year-old Dutch rapper Boef’s performances at several festivals and his cooperation with Coorendon has been cancelled following a commotion surrounding blogs he

posted calling women who gave him a lift home “whores”.

In the interest of sport The Dutch representative on the International Olympic Committee has resigned following mounting pressure from athletes and officials over a domestic violence incident in 2015. In a statement issued last Friday, Camiel Eurlings said he is standing down “in the interest of sport and sportsmen and women”.

Pervy coach jailed A 28-year-old volleyball coach from Berlicum near Den Bosch has been jailed for eight months, six suspended, for

filming teenage players while they were getting changed and for the sexual abuse of a minor. He was also given 150 hours of community service.

Arrested over Marbs shooting A 30-year-old Dutchman wanted in connection with a shooting incident at a Marbella brothel in September has been arrested in Oslo, Norway. According to Spanish media, the man used an automatic weapon to shoot people in the brothel an hour after he had been involved in a fight there. Five people were injured.

FRANCE Treat me like a man French mayor Aude Picard-Wolff has made waves for refusing to greet colleagues with a traditional kiss on each cheek, sending an email in December to the 73 village councillors saying: “From now on, I would prefer to shake hands, like men do.”

Eleanor kills skier Storm Eleanor swept across Europe last week causing widespread damage and disruptions. A 21-year-old skier was killed by a falling tree at Morillon in the French Alps while 15 people were injured by the storm across France, four of them seriously.

French DAESH fighter arrested Emilie Koenig, a Frenchwoman suspected of recruiting fighters for Daesh who figured on US and UN blacklists, has been arrested by Kurdish forces in Syria.

The 33-year-old daughter of a gendarme is “being held in a Kurdish camp and has been interrogated and tortured,” her mother told the French press.

Three years on French president Emmanuel Macron laid a wreath in front of the former offices of satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo on Sunday to mark three years since the massacre of its staff in an Islamist attack.

Pinching pockets France is among the European nations whose citizens spend the least on their wardrobe, with clothing expenses for the French falling well below those of their neighbours including the British. According to a new study, in 2016 clothing and footwear represented 3.7 percent of the total spending of the average French household.

ICELAND Homophobic attack “in the air” A YOUNG Icelandic man was beaten up for being gay in central Reykjavik “It's always been in the air. I've always endured all kinds of awful degrading comments. I feel like I've always been waiting to experience physical violence as well,” says Úlfar Viktor Björnsson after being attacked.

Country loses its fresh status DIRECTOR of the asthma and allergy association in Iceland says that the number of small airborne particles now in the air in Reykjavik that were caused by fireworks on New Year’s

Eve has meant that they are “no longer the freshest country in the world.”

Hello, hello black sheep FARMERS based in the Hrunamannahreppur district went on an expedition to find some lost sheep in the Kerlingarfjöll mountains. "We knew about some sheep from the farms that didn't appear this autumn. We didn't find those but found a ewe with two lambs and one sole lamb instead.”

2018 Internet Conference announced THE next Reykjavík Internet Marketing Conference

will be held for the 15th time on March 23. Speakers will address the conference from Domino’s Pizza, SEMrush, DoubleClick by Google, The Engine, Deepcrawl, Bing, and Revlon. The ‘Winter is Coming’ campaign from IKEA will also be launched.

Less milk today...

FOUNDER of The Icelandic Milk and Skyr Company (TIMSC), Sigurður Kjartan Hilmarsson, has struck a deal to sell his and his friend’s 75 per cent share in the company to French multinational dairy product company Lactalis.

TIMSC products are sold in 25,000 stores across all 50 states.

McFiction The Russian Embassy has hit out at the BBC for propagating negative ‘cliches’ of its citizens in its new series ‘McMafia’.The new eight-part series portrays a world where Russians move in a world rife with criminal activity - but the embassy moved quickly to point out the difference between fact and fiction.

Not allowed Russia´s supreme court has upheld a ban on the government critic Alexei Navalny from running for president.

The ruling came after Russia’s central election committee said that Navalny was not allowed to stand for public office until at least 2028 because of a previous fraud conviction.

A tribute– to dumplings A monument to Russian dumplings, called pelmeni, has been unveiled in

the Ural Mountains region of Chelyabinsk.The statue of a bearded merchant with a giant dumpling on a table in front of him was installed outside Russia’s only museum devoted to the classic food.

Cop kills jaywalker A police officer hit a jaywalker attempting to cross the Moscow Ring Road last week, killing the pedestrian. The off-duty officer ran into the 20-year-old man on the southern stretch of the 100-kilometre highway.

Who does that?

A nurse is under investigation in Russia after posting pictures online mocking dying patients and boasting: “We tie them to beds.” She used cruel expletives to portray her elderly patients as filthy and disgusting and alleged doctors in the hospital in Sakhalin “only help people they want to help”.

SCANDINAVIA Measles outbreak confirmed GOTHENBURG'S Sahlgrenska University Hospital has urged people not to come to hospital unless it is necessary, as a measles outbreak grew to 22 confirmed cases. Health officials urged people who do not require medical attention to stay away from hospital premises, to avoid the highly contagious disease spreading further.

Blood clue to missing woman ALMOST TWO weeks after a 36-year-old mother of two disappeared from her home in the Norwegian town of Brumunddal in the Hedmark County she is still

to be located. Police are still searching for the woman, Janne Jemtland, on a piece of land after traces of her blood were found in two separate places.

Rare vodka found... drunk EXPENSIVE vodka that was stolen from a bar in Copenhagen has been found at a construction site on the outskirts of the city – empty. The stolen Russo Baltique vodka, reportedly the only one of its kind and worth eight million kroner (€1.1 million), was found by a member of the public.

Boost for foreign workers DANISH Minister of

Employment Troels Lund Poulsen’s recent comments that the government supports improved access for foreigners to the job market has been praised by the Confederation of Danish Industry. Such initiatives are at the top of many companies’ wish lists, and welcome the moves.

Cleaner energy sooner rather than later FINLAND will be looking at the possibility of phasing out the use of coal in energy production, by 2025, according to Kimmo Tiilikainen, the Minister of the Environment, Energy and Housing. Their original target was to phase out coal five years later in 2030.

GERMANY Flying higher in 2018 AIRLINE group Lufthansa have announced that it plans to take on more than 8,000 staff during 2018; all part of the company’s latest step to push for further growth of one of the largest carriers in Europe. Over half of the new staff will be flight attendants.

Bus bomber confesses A GERMAN-RUSSIAN man has admitted to being behind the bomb attack on the Borussia Dortmund football team's bus that took place last April, in a plan to make a fortune on the stock exchange. The blast left Spanish footballer Marc Bartra with a broken wrist.

Union calls strikes for rights NEXT Monday will see a series of strikes across the country that has been called by the powerful IG Metall union. Apart from a pay rise, they also demand rights for work-

ers to temporarily switch to a 28-hour week to care for children or elderly relatives.

Politician ‘court’ in Twitter outrage AFD politician Jens Maier has been warned by his party over a racist tweet about the son of tennis legend Boris Becker. But Maier, who called Noah Becker a “half-negro”, can remain in the party. The national executive of the right-wing populist party said the decision was unanimous.

Flood warnings affect shipping AFTER days of torrential rain and melting snow, the water levels of the Rhine, Moselle and Danube rose considerably, causing authorities to warn that flooding was likely to continue for a number of days. Shipping was halted through Cologne at the weekend after the river breached the 8 metre mark.

12th - 18th January

Have you registered your pooch?

By Jemima Roberts HUNDREDS of pet owners could risk a fine if they have not registered their pet’s DNA. Residents of Malaga City had until December 31 to take part in the obligatory scheme to register dogs or face fines of between €110 and €130.

The initiative, which follows a similar scheme in Rincon de la Victoria, Ojen and Benalmadena, aims to crack down on dog abandonment and fouling, with owners being fined up to €500 if dog mess is traced back to them.

As of the end of last year it was thought only around 7,000 of the city’s 100,000

dog owners had signed up to the scheme.

Registration cost €35 and was carried out in veterinary clinics where dogs had a blood sample taken which was then sent off and logged in a database. The animal itself was given an ID number.

Specialists will now be taking to Malaga’s streets and collecting samples of dog mess to identify owners who do not clear up after their pets. A similar scheme in Valencia has seen the level of dog fouling dramatically reduced.

The initiative will also help track down owners who have lost or abandoned their pets which would in turn reduce the number of animals being put down if unclaimed.

Packed weekend of rugby in Marbella

THIS weekend at Marbella’s Bay’s Park will witness a bonanza of rugby.

On Saturday and Sunday five rugby matches involving the Trocadero Marbella teams will take place.

On Saturday, three teams from the Academy (U14s, U16s and U18s) will be competing. On Sunday it will be the turn of the first team (Division de Honor B) and second team (2a Divisional Regional Andalucian).

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12th - 18th January

Russia remembers by

Michael Walsh

keyboardcosmetics@ gmail.com

The opinions published in Mike´s weekly column are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or newspaper sponsors.

IN sombre mood Russia reflects on the centenary of a coup that presaged a bloodbath that claimed the lives of up to 70 million martyrs. There’s hardly a village library let alone city museum that isn’t marking the tragedy that in 1917 befell Imperial Russia.

Before the seizure Russians accounted for 8 per cent of the world population; today it is 2 per cent. In Russia were listed 54,174 Christian churches, 25,593 chapels, 1,025 monasteries, military churches and cemetery chapels. By 1987 only 6,893 churches and 15 monasteries remained.

Many times Bolshevism could have been nipped in the bud but to its eternal shame the political elite and corporate dynasties of the West profited enormously from the coup.

Lenin said, “Without big banks socialism would be impossible.” He was likely referring to the $20 million ($416 million now) New York based bank Kuhn, Loeb & Co invested in the ‘revolution.’

By 1922 the dust had settled. Thanks to Western collaboration Imperial Russia was now in the hands of insurgents with little political but much criminal experience.

Western corporations were quick to take advantage of Imperial Russia’s vast resources. The nation’s gold reserves, the largest in the world, disappeared into the bank vaults of the West.

The entire Gulag system and Stalin’s five-year plans, in which it is estimated 40 million slaves perished, were made possible and accessible by western banks and corporations.

Those in on the kill included Ford, Amtorg Trading Corporation, General Electric, RCA, International Harvester Tractors, Caterpillar; in all over 100 US corporations profiting from Stalin’s slave empire.

“This Soviet Russia toils perpetually along on the arm of the capitalist States. She took from them her workers, her engineers, her machines: she drew everything from the capitalists’ states. Communists were surviving only on the non-communist institutions of the world.”

The harvesting of human martyrs continued its cruel course. Then, when Bolshevism to all intents and purposes was routed in December 1941 it was rescued by Roosevelt’s Lend Lease rescue package.

British aid to preserve Bolshevism likely cost its Far Eastern territories which were left unprotected.

In February 1945 Soviet tyrant Joe Stalin added his

signature to those of Roosevelt and Churchill’s on the Yalta Agreement. To Bolshevism was surrendered the lion’s share of plunder including 21 European nations.

Ironically, they included Poland for whose territorial integrity the war was begun.

The spoils of war were divided between the Allies.

These included 10 million captive slaves; by 1946 there wasn’t even a bicycle to be found in Germany.

Tens of thousands of ransacked trains and trucks were used to transport millions of new slaves from transferred territories.

The silence in the West is deafening. Is this because they want the ground left undisturbed?

12th - 18th January

Where’s all the fan mail?

by

Colin Bird

The opinions published in Colin’s weekly column are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or newspaper sponsors.

BACK in 2008, changes were made to the postal address system here in the southern Costa Blanca.

We were informed that by adding a certain key element, it would simplify things for Correos and that moreover, if our mail did not carry this modified address, then there was a possibility that it would not be delivered. In other words, destroyed.

I always say: ‘If it aint broke, don’t fix it’ and having worked for Royal Mail, I could not for the life of me see how, by adding another street name and area number ahead of our regular address, it could possibly improve things.

A major flaw was that whilst many properties were covered by the new postal address, the actual mail boxes often carried a different one.

Confusing surely for the delivery staff.

However, the carteros (postmen) appeared to possess more common sense than the authorities, and continued to deliver the mail to our regular boxes, whether or not it carried the new prefix.

I was back in the UK shortly after the change over, so I took the new details of the revised Spanish address to our Building Society, who duly changed the information on the computer in my presence.

Then after returning to Spain, we received written confirmation that the Building Society records had been changed ac-

25

cordingly. Great.

Two days later we received another confirmation - an exact duplicate of the first - followed by yet another a few days after that.

In total we received five identical letters of confirmation and get this: all carrying the old address. Was it any wonder the banking system had all but collapsed I remember thinking.

But crucially, all were delivered to our original address without any problem.

By and large, the postal service in the meantime has been quite satisfactory, that is until this past Christmas.

Two weeks before the big day, we had received just one of the many cards we normally receive from our friends around the world.

On taking delivery of a parcel one day, we asked our charming cartero Eva about this and were told that the instruction was to make parcels a priority and to ignore letters and cards until they had been cleared.

Cards began to dribble through shortly after, but now in the second week of January we are without at least a score of cards that we know for a fact were sent.

Many of our friends and neighbours have the same complaint and if this applies to others in the Orihuela Costa area, it begs the question: where is all the missing mail?

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12th - 18th January

Irregular past participles

Basic Spanish for everyday needs by

Jane Cronin

We are now continuing our quest to learn how to talk about the recent past in Spanish, and a few other things besides, by forming the past participle of verbs. There are actually quite a few things to say about all of this which will take a few articles. Whilst the picture is still incomplete you will probably have all sorts of questions, but if you wait you may well find them answered as we go along.

So for today we will just talk about the formation of the past participle and give a few examples at the end of the sorts of sentences we are aiming at so that you’re not left completely in the dark.

We saw last week that in the case of regular verbs, that is most of them, we take the two letter endings off our infinitive verbs and make a simple change with them. The –ar ending becomes – ado; and the –er and –ir endings become – ido.

This gives us, for example: to speak -“hablar”, spoken - “hablado”; to drink – “beber”, drunk -

“bebido”; to sleep “dormir”, slept - “dormido”.

Now this is very simple indeed, but there are a few irregular verbs as well to think about. Happily they are very common, so we tend to get to know them quite quickly. Here are some of them:

Abrir (to open) abierto (opened) Escribir (to write) escrito (written) dicho (said/told) Decir (to say/to tell) Hacer (to make/to do) hecho (made/done) Morir (to die) muerto (died) Ver (to see/to watch) visto (seen/watched) Volver (to return) vuelto (returned) I feel I can go no further without giving you actual examples of how these things are used, on the understanding that more will be explained next time, particularly regarding the translation of “have” and “has” in these sentences.

Here we go: He hablado con mi vecino.

I have spoken to my neighbour.

Has escrito una carta.

You have written a letter.

Ha dormido bien.

He has slept well.

Hemos visto la película We have seen the film.

Habéis vuelto de vacaciones You have come back from holiday.

Han bebibo mucha cerveza.

They have drunk a lot of beer.

Before next week, practise forming some more past participles. Here are some verbs we have already learnt to get you started. They are all regular so you should do them in a jiffy: Trabajar, cocinar, bailar, aprender, comer, firmar, visitar, tener, comprar, conducir, ir, cambiar.

irregular past participle He hablado con mi vecino escribir Han bebido mucha cerveza

Hemos visto la pelicula

morir

Ha dormido bien

Less hassle, and savings!

Alternative ways for expats to welcome summer visitors

AS many expatriates in Spain begin to look at summer visitor schedules there are bargains to be grabbed with a little research and flexibility.

If limited home space is an issue to welcome friends and family - or if tired of coping with a never-ending trail of UK-based visitors anxious to grab some sun - then get them to consider staying in a nearby hotel, or rented property.

This provides you ongoing freedom of your own home space, though they can still visit for meals and trips out even though not staying.

So a win-win situation, for the opportunity for some quality periods together to make their holiday extra special remains without the hassle at times identified with homestaying visitors.

Luxury hotels to more basic local hostels have wide ranging guest rates, while private properties - from apartments to villas with pools - also offer freedom and a great alternative for visiting friends and family, especially for those with children.

The ‘shoulder season’ between high and low season when the weather is still good, the crowds have thinned, tourist attractions and amenities are still open, but travel and accommodation prices have dropped, offers instant better bargains.

According to travel analysts at Spain-Holiday.com the top savings tips for those planning a Spanish summer holiday in 2018 include: * Avoid travelling in the school holidays. If this is not possible savings of more than 30 per cent can still be found by booking at the very beginning or end of the school holidays. * Book now if possible or at least finalise all arrangements by the end of February, providing the best pick of properties at the best prices. *Off-season travellers can see big savings away from high season crowds with cheaper flights and better accommodation deals. * Booking in less popular locations - but still within easy reach of locally based expatriate friends and family - can also provide excellent holiday breaks along with the all-important sunshine.

So this is a great opportunity to suggest ways that visiting friends and family can make savings when visiting this summer, and the opportunity to remain welcoming hosts while keeping some breathing space in your own homely surrounds.

Friday 12th - Thursday 18th January

Pick of the Day

FRIDAY 7:00am Breakfast 10:15am Rip Off Britain 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Wanted Down Under 12:45pm Close Calls: On Camera 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News 2:30pm BBC London News 2:45pm Doctors 3:15pm Father Brown 4:00pm I Escaped to the Country 4:45pm The Farmers’ Country Showdown 5:30pm Antiques Road Trip 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm A Question of Sport 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Room 101 10:00pm Would I Lie to You? 10:30pm Mrs. Brown’s Boys 11:00pm BBC News 11:25pm BBC London News 11:35pm The Graham Norton Show 12:25am Witless

7:00am Flog it! Trade Secrets 7:30am The Farmers’ Country Showdown 8:15am Antiques Road Trip 9:00am MasterChef: The Professionals 10:00am Victoria Derbyshire 12:00pm BBC Newsroom Live 1:00pm The Daily Politics 2:00pm Coast 2:15pm Himalaya with Michael Palin 3:15pm Himalaya with Michael Palin 4:15pm The Great British Winter 5:15pm Great Barrier Reef with David Attenborough 6:15pm Flog It! 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 8:00pm Rick Stein’s Road to Mexico 9:00pm Mastermind 9:30pm A Vicar’s Life 10:00pm Rome Unpacked 11:00pm QI 11:30pm Newsnight 12:05am Deep Water

7:00am 9:30am 10:25am 11:30am 1:30pm 2:30pm 2:55pm 3:00pm 4:00pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 11:40pm

12:40am

Good Morning Britain Lorraine The Jeremy Kyle Show This Morning Loose Women ITV News ITV News London Judge Rinder Dickinson’s Real Deal Tipping Point The Chase ITV News London ITV News Emmerdale Coronation Street River Monsters Coronation Street Lethal Weapon ITV News ITV News London Totally You’ve Been Framed Gold Through the Keyhole

7:15am Kirstie’s Vintage Gems 7:20am 3rd Rock from the Sun 7:45am 3rd Rock from the Sun 8:10am Everybody Loves Raymond 8:35am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:05am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:35am Frasier 10:05am Frasier 10:35am Frasier 11:05am Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares USA 12:00pm Sun, Sea and Selling Houses 1:00pm Channel 4 News 1:05pm Darts 6:00pm Come Dine with Me 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Jamie and Jimmy’s Friday Night Feast 10:00pm The Big Fat Quiz of Everything 12:05am First Dates Hotel

7:00am Children TV 10:15am The Wright Stuff 12:15pm GPs: Behind Closed Doors 1:10pm 5 News Lunchtime 1:15pm The Hotel Inspector 2:15pm Home and Away 2:45pm Neighbours 3:15pm NCIS 4:15pm The Perfect Stalker 6:00pm 5 News 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm The Wine Show 9:00pm Costa Del Celebrity 10:00pm Celebrity Big Brother 11:00pm Will and Grace 11:35pm Celebrity Big Brother 12:05am Celebrity Big Brother’s Bit on the Side

7:00am Futurama 7:30am Futurama 8:00am Monkey Life 8:30am Monkey Life 9:00am Meerkat Manor 9:30am Meerkat Manor 10:00am Road Wars 11:00am Stargate Atlantis 12:00pm MacGyver 1:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 2:00pm Hawaii Five-0 3:00pm Hawaii Five-0 4:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 5:00pm Stargate SG-1 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm The Simpsons 7:00pm Futurama 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm The Simpsons 9:30pm Modern Family 10:00pm Delicious 11:00pm A League of Their Own 12:00am The Russell Howard Hour

The Big Fat Quiz of Everything, 10pm, Channel 4

Saturday 7:00am 11:00am 12:30pm 1:00pm 2:00pm 2:15pm 4:15pm 5:00pm 6:10pm 6:40pm 6:50pm 7:00pm

7:40pm 8:25pm 9:25pm 10:15pm 10:35pm 11:30pm 12:55am

Breakfast Saturday Kitchen Live Mary Berry Everyday Football Focus BBC News Athletics Money for Nothing Final Score Celebrity Mastermind BBC News BBC London News And They’re Off... for Sport Relief Pointless Wedding Day Winners Casualty BBC News Hard Sun Match of the Day The NFL Show

8:10am The Pets Factor 8:30am Matilda and the Ramsay Bunch 9:00am The Dengineers 9:30am Deadly Top 10 10:00am Robot Wars 11:00am Steve Backshall’s Extreme Mountain Challenge 12:00pm Pets: Wild at Heart 1:00pm Hairy Bikers’

Mediterranean Adventure 2:00pm A Vicar’s Life 2:30pm Back to the Land with Kate Humble 3:30pm Rome Unpacked 4:30pm Brendan Foster: A Life in Athletics 5:15pm Flog It! 6:00pm Trust Me, I’m a Doctor 6:30pm Tom Kerridge’s Lose Weight for Good 7:00pm Hugh’s Wild West 8:00pm A House Through Time 9:00pm Dad’s Army 9:30pm Grand Tours of Scotland’s Lochs 10:00pm Live at the Apollo 10:45pm QI XL 11:30pm Madonna Rebel Heart Tour

7:00am Childrens TV 10:25am ITV News 10:30am Saturday Morning with James Martin 12:25pm Save Money: Good Food 12:55pm Countrywise 1:35pm Dancing on Ice 3:30pm Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home 5:20pm The Chase 6:20pm Local News 6:30pm ITV News 6:45pm The BRITS are Coming 7:45pm Take Me Out 9:00pm The Voice UK 10:30pm Through the Keyhole 11:25pm ITV News 11:45pm Jaws 2

7:05am Kirstie’s Vintage Gems 7:25am King of Queens 7:50am King of Queens 8:15am King of Queens 8:40am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:05am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:35am Frasier 10:05am Frasier 10:35am Frasier 11:05am The Big Bang Theory 11:35am The Big Bang Theory 12:05pm The Big Bang Theory 12:30pm The Simpsons 1:00pm The Simpsons 1:30pm The Simpsons 2:00pm Come Dine with Me 3:00pm Darts 7:00pm A Place in the Sun 7:30pm Channel 4 News 8:00pm Spying on the Royals 9:00pm Queen Victoria’s Last Love 10:00pm Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation 12:40am Transporter 2

7:00am 11:30am

11:55am

12:55pm 1:55pm 2:55pm 4:00pm 4:30pm 6:15pm

7:10pm

8:00pm

9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 12:30am

Childrens TV Cats Make You Laugh Out Loud Police Interceptors: Deadly Pursuits Police Interceptors The A-Team The A-Team FIA Formula E FIA Formula E Dogs Make You Laugh Out Loud The Wonderful World of Puppies Greatest Celebrity Wind-Ups Ever!

Blind Date Football on 5 Football on 5 Celebrity Big Brother Lip Sync Battle UK

7:00am Ashley Banjo’s Secret Street Crew 8:00am Futurama 8:30am Futurama 9:00am The Simpsons 9:30am The Simpsons 10:00am The Simpsons 10:30am The Simpsons 11:00am Soccer A.M. 12:30pm Best Pl Goals 1:00pm Hawaii Five-0 2:00pm Hawaii Five-0 3:00pm Hawaii Five-0 4:00pm Gillette Soccer Saturday 6:15pm Gillette Soccer Saturday 6:30pm Gillette Soccer Saturday 7:00pm Harry Hill’s Tea Time 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 10:00pm Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol 12:00am Hawaii Five-0

7:00am Coast 8:00am The Instant Gardener 8:45am Gardeners’ World 9:15am Greatest Gardens 9:50am Countryfile 10:45am Saturday Kitchen Best Bites 12:15pm Raymond Blanc: How to Cook Well 12:45pm Food and Drink 1:15pm MOTD2 Extra 2:00pm Masters Snooker 6:35pm Ski Sunday 7:20pm Mr Holmes 9:00pm Yellowstone 10:00pm Dragons’ Den 11:00pm The Water Diviner 12:45am Masters Snooker Highlights

7:00am Childrens TV 10:25am ITV News 10:30am River Monsters 11:00am Peston on Sunday 12:00pm The Martin Lewis Money Show Live 1:00pm The Voice UK 2:30pm ITV News 2:40pm Britain’s Brightest Family 3:10pm The Cruise 3:40pm Death Becomes Her 5:35pm Local News 5:45pm ITV News 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm Dancing on Ice 9:00pm Vera 11:00pm ITV News 11:15pm Peston on Sunday 12:10am Next of Kin

7:05am Kirstie’s Handmade Treasures 7:10am King of Queens 7:35am King of Queens 8:00am Everybody Loves Raymond 8:30am Everybody Loves Raymond 8:55am Frasier 9:30am Frasier 10:00am Frasier 10:30am Sunday Brunch 1:30pm Jamie’s Quick and Easy Food 2:05pm The Simpsons 2:35pm The Simpsons 3:05pm Two by Two 4:50pm Channel 4 News 5:15pm Darts 9:00pm The Biggest Little Railway in the World 10:00pm SAS: Who Dares Wins 11:00pm The Big Fat Quiz of Everything 1:00am Killing Them Softly

7:00am

Childrens TV

11:35am

Football on 5

12:30pm

Football on 5

7:00am 8:00am 8:30am 9:00am 9:30am 10:00am 10:30am 11:00am 11:30am 12:00pm 1:00pm 2:00pm 3:00pm 4:00pm 4:30pm 5:00pm 5:30pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:00am

Hard Sun, 10.35pm, BBC1

Sunday 7:00am Breakfast 8:35am Match of the Day 10:00am The Andrew Marr Show 11:00am The Big Questions 12:00pm Sunday Politics 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News 2:15pm Money for Nothing 3:00pm Escape to the Country 3:30pm The Truth About Looking Good 4:30pm Big Cats 5:30pm Songs of Praise 6:05pm Attenborough and the Sea Dragon 7:05pm BBC News 7:20pm BBC London News 7:30pm Countryfile 8:30pm Still Open All Hours 9:00pm The Coronation 10:00pm McMafia 11:00pm BBC News 11:20pm BBC London News 11:30pm Match of the Day 2 12:30am Man Like Mobeen

1:00pm Blind Date 2:00pm

Will and Grace

2:30pm

Are We There Yet?

4:15pm

Dennis Strikes Again

5:40pm

Garfield 2:

A Tail of Two Kitties

7:10pm Pixels 8:10pm 5 News 8:15pm Pixels 9:00pm

Billionaire Babies:

24 Carat Kids

9:55pm

5 News Weekend

10:00pm

Celebrity Big Brother

11:05pm

Grown Ups 2

12:55am

One Night with My Ex

The Hour of Power Futurama Futurama The Simpsons The Simpsons The Simpsons The Simpsons The Simpsons The Simpsons WWE Raw NCIS: Los Angeles NCIS: Los Angeles NCIS: Los Angeles Modern Family Modern Family Modern Family Modern Family Modern Family The Simpsons The Simpsons The Simpsons The Simpsons The Simpsons MacGyver Hawaii Five-0 NCIS: Los Angeles The Blacklist

Mr Holmes, 7.20pm, BBC2

Pick of the Day

Monday 7:00am Breakfast 10:15am Rip Off Britain 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Wanted Down Under 12:45pm Close Calls: On Camera 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News 2:30pm BBC London News 2:45pm Doctors 3:15pm Father Brown 4:00pm Escape to the Country 4:45pm The Farmers’ Country Showdown 5:30pm Antiques Road Trip 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm Inside Out 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Panorama 10:00pm Silent Witness 11:00pm BBC News 11:30pm BBC London News 11:45pm Have I Got Old News for You 12:15am Miriam’s Big American Adventure

7:00am Flog it! Trade Secrets 7:30am The Farmers’ Country Showdown 8:15am Antiques Road Trip 9:00am Antiques Roadshow 10:00am Victoria Derbyshire 12:00pm BBC Newsroom Live 1:00pm The Daily Politics 2:00pm Masters Snooker 5:45pm More Creatures Great and Small 6:15pm Flog It! 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 8:00pm Rick Stein’s Road to Mexico 9:00pm Only Connect 9:30pm University Challenge 10:00pm Surgeons: At the Edge of Life 11:00pm Insert Name Here 11:30pm Newsnight 12:15am Masters Snooker Highlights

7:00am

Good Morning Britain

9:30am Lorraine 10:25am

The Jeremy Kyle Show

11:30am

This Morning

1:30pm

Loose Women

2:30pm

ITV News

3:00pm

Judge Rinder

4:00pm

Dickinson’s Real Deal

5:00pm

Tipping Point

6:00pm

The Chase

7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm

ITV News

8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm

Coronation Street

9:00pm

The Martin Lewis

Money Show

9:30pm

Coronation Street

10:00pm

Next of Kin

11:00pm

ITV News

11:30pm

ITV News London

11:40pm

School for Stammerers

7:20am 3rd Rock from the Sun 7:45am 3rd Rock from the Sun 8:10am Everybody Loves Raymond 8:35am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:00am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:30am Frasier 10:00am Frasier 10:35am Frasier 11:05am Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares USA 12:00pm Sun, Sea and Selling Houses 1:00pm Channel 4 News 1:05pm Couples Come Dine with Me 2:05pm Posh Pawn 3:10pm Countdown 4:00pm Village of the Year 5:00pm A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun 6:00pm Four in a Bed 6:30pm Extreme Cake Makers 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm How to Lose Weight Well 10:00pm The Undateables 11:00pm First Dates Hotel 12:05am Derry Girls

7:00am Childrens TV 10:15am

The Wright Stuff

12:15pm GPs:

Behind Closed Doors

1:10pm 5 News Lunchtime 1:15pm

The Hotel Inspector

2:05pm Access 2:15pm

Home and Away

2:45pm Neighbours 3:15pm NCIS 4:15pm

The Wrong Mother

6:00pm

5 News

6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm

Home and Away

7:30pm

5 News Tonight

8:00pm

Car Crash TV

9:00pm

Police Interceptors

10:00pm

Celebrity Big Brother

11:00pm

Not So Sweet Sixteen

12:05am

Celebrity Big Brother’s

Bit on the Side

7:00am The Dog Whisperer 8:00am Monkey Life 8:30am Monkey Life 9:00am Meerkat Manor 9:30am Meerkat Manor 10:00am Road Wars 11:00am Stargate Atlantis 12:00pm MacGyver 1:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 2:00pm Hawaii Five-0 3:00pm Hawaii Five-0 4:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 5:00pm Stargate SG-1 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Futurama 7:00pm Futurama 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm David Attenborough’ s Galapagos 10:00pm Mission: Impossible II 12:25am The Force: North East

Tuesday 7:00am Breakfast 10:15am Rip Off Britain 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Wanted Down Under 12:45pm Close Calls: On Camera 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News 2:30pm BBC London News 2:45pm Doctors 3:15pm Father Brown 4:00pm Escape to the Country 4:45pm The Farmers’ Country Showdown 5:30pm Antiques Road Trip 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm Holby City 10:00pm Silent Witness 11:00pm BBC News 11:30pm BBC London News 11:45pm Love and Hate Crime 12:45am Stacey Dooley Investigates

7:00am Flog it! Trade Secrets 7:30am The Farmers’ Country Showdown 8:15am Antiques Road Trip 9:00am Celebrity Antiques Road Trip 10:00am Victoria Derbyshire 12:00pm BBC Newsroom Live 1:00pm The Daily Politics 2:00pm Masters Snooker 5:45pm More Creatures Great and Small 6:15pm Flog It! 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 8:00pm Rick Stein’s Road to Mexico 9:00pm Inside the Factory 10:00pm House of Saud: A Family at War 11:00pm Inside No 9 11:30pm Newsnight 12:15am NFL

7:00am

Good Morning Britain

9:30am Lorraine 10:25am

The Jeremy Kyle Show

11:30am

This Morning

1:30pm

Loose Women

2:30pm

ITV News

3:00pm

Judge Rinder

4:00pm

Tipping Point

6:00pm

The Chase

7:00pm

ITV News London

7:30pm

ITV News

8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm

Britain’s Favourite

Dogs: Top 100

11:00pm

ITV News

11:30pm

ITV News London

11:40pm

The Late Debate

12:10am

Girlfriends

7:20am 3rd Rock from the Sun 7:45am 3rd Rock from the Sun 8:10am Everybody Loves Raymond 8:35am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:00am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:30am Frasier 10:00am Frasier 10:35am Frasier 11:05am Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares USA 12:00pm Sun, Sea and Selling Houses 1:00pm Channel 4 News 1:05pm Couples Come Dine with Me 2:05pm Posh Pawn 3:10pm Countdown 4:00pm Village of the Year 5:00pm A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun 6:00pm Four in a Bed 6:30pm Extreme Cake Makers 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm The Secret Life of the Zoo 10:00pm 24 Hours in A and E 11:00pm Working Class White Men 12:00am Before We Die

7:00am Childrens TV 10:15am The Wright Stuff 12:15pm GPs: Behind Closed Doors 1:10pm 5 News Lunchtime 1:15pm The Hotel Inspector 2:15pm Home and Away 2:45pm Neighbours 3:15pm NCIS 4:15pm False Pretences 6:00pm 5 News 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm Secrets of the National Trust with Alan Titchmarsh 9:00pm Diet Secrets and How to Lose Weight 10:00pm Celebrity Big Brother 11:00pm One Night with My Ex 12:05am Celebrity Big Brother’s Bit on the Side

7:00am The Dog Whisperer 8:00am Monkey Life 8:30am Monkey Life 9:00am Meerkat Manor 9:30am Meerkat Manor 10:00am Road Wars 11:00am Stargate Atlantis 12:00pm MacGyver 1:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 2:00pm Hawaii Five-0 3:00pm Hawaii Five-0 4:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 5:00pm Stargate SG-1 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Futurama 7:00pm Futurama 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm The Simpsons 9:30pm Harry Hill’s Tea Time 10:00pm The Blacklist 11:00pm Trollied 11:30pm A League of Their Own 12:00am The Force: North East

Mission: Impossible II, 10pm, Sky1

Britain's Favourite Dogs: Top 100, 8.30pm, ITV1

31

12th - 18th January

Pick of the Day

WEDNESDAY 7:00am Breakfast 10:15am Rip Off Britain 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Wanted Down Under 12:45pm Close Calls: On Camera 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News 2:30pm BBC London News 2:45pm Doctors 3:15pm Father Brown 4:00pm Escape to the Country 4:45pm The Farmers’ Country Showdown 5:30pm Antiques Road Trip 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm Match of the Day Live 11:00pm BBC News 11:30pm BBC London News 11:45pm A Question of Sport 12:15am And They’re Off... for Sport Relief

7:00am Flog it! Trade Secrets 7:30am The Farmers’ Country Showdown 8:15am Antiques Road Trip 9:00am Fern Britton Meets...

10:00am Victoria Derbyshire 12:00pm BBC Newsroom Live 12:30pm The Daily Politics 2:00pm Masters Snooker 5:45pm More Creatures Great

and Small 6:15pm Flog It! 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 8:00pm Rick Stein’s Road to Mexico 9:00pm Tom Kerridge’s

Lose Weight for Good 9:30pm Trust Me, I’m a Doctor 10:00pm Millionaires’ Ex-Wives Club 11:00pm Mock the Week 11:30pm Newsnight 12:15am Masters Snooker Highlights

7:00am Good Morning Britain 9:30am Lorraine 10:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30am This Morning 1:30pm Loose Women 2:30pm ITV News 3:00pm Judge Rinder 4:00pm Dickinson’s Real Deal 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:25pm Party Political Broadcast 7:30pm ITV News 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Britain’s Brightest Family 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Girlfriends 11:00pm ITV News 11:30pm ITV News London 11:40pm Transformation Street 12:40am Britain’s Busiest Airport Heathrow

7:45am 3rd Rock from the Sun 8:10am Everybody Loves Raymond 8:35am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:00am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:30am Frasier 10:00am Frasier 10:35am Frasier 11:05am Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares USA 12:00pm Sun, Sea and Selling Houses 1:00pm Channel 4 News 1:05pm Couples Come Dine with Me 2:05pm Posh Pawn 3:10pm Countdown 4:00pm Village of the Year 5:00pm A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun 6:00pm Four in a Bed 6:30pm Extreme Cake Makers 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm Kirstie and Phil’s

Love it or List it 10:00pm Kiri 11:00pm 999: What’s Your Emergency?

12:05am 24 Hours in A and E

7:00am Childrens TV 10:15am The Wright Stuff 12:15pm GPs: Behind Closed Doors 1:10pm 5 News Lunchtime 1:15pm The Hotel Inspector 2:15pm Home and Away 2:45pm Neighbours 3:15pm NCIS 4:15pm A Murderer Upstairs 6:00pm 5 News 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm Starting Up, Starting Over 9:00pm GPs: Behind Closed Doors 10:00pm Celebrity Big Brother 11:00pm When Beyonce Met Jayz 12:05am Celebrity Big Brother’s

Bit on the Side

7:00am The Dog Whisperer 8:00am Monkey Life 8:30am Monkey Life 9:00am Meerkat Manor 9:30am Meerkat Manor 10:00am Road Wars 10:30am Road Wars 11:00am Stargate Atlantis 12:00pm MacGyver 1:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 2:00pm Hawaii Five-0 3:00pm Hawaii Five-0 4:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 5:00pm Stargate SG-1 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Futurama 7:00pm Futurama 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm A League of Their Own 10:00pm A League of Their Own 11:00pm Russell Howard’s Hour 12:00am The Force: North East

7:00am Good Morning Britain 9:30am Lorraine 10:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30am This Morning 1:30pm Loose Women 2:30pm ITV News 3:00pm Judge Rinder 4:00pm Dickinson’s Real Deal 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm ITV News London 7:30pm ITV News 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Tonight 9:00pm Emmerdale 9:30pm The Cruise 10:00pm Transformation Street 11:00pm ITV News 11:30pm ITV News London 11:45pm Great Art 12:45am Lethal Weapon

7:45am 3rd Rock from the Sun 8:10am Everybody Loves Raymond 8:35am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:00am Everybody Loves Raymond 9:30am Frasier 10:00am Frasier 10:35am Frasier 11:05am Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares USA 12:00pm Sun, Sea and Selling Houses 1:00pm Channel 4 News 1:05pm Couples Come Dine with Me 2:05pm Posh Pawn 3:10pm Countdown 4:00pm Village of the Year 5:00pm A Place in the Sun: Winter Sun 6:00pm Four in a Bed 6:30pm Extreme Cake Makers 7:00pm The Simpsons 7:30pm Hollyoaks 8:00pm Channel 4 News 9:00pm George Clarke’s Amazing Spaces 10:00pm Hunted 11:00pm Derry Girls 11:35pm The Undateables 12:35am Working Class White Men

7:00am Childrens TV 10:15am The Wright Stuff 12:15pm GPs: Behind Closed Doors 1:10pm 5 News Lunchtime 1:15pm The Hotel Inspector Returns 2:15pm Home and Away 2:45pm Neighbours 3:15pm NCIS 4:15pm Her Dark Past 6:00pm 5 News 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm Baby Ballroom 9:00pm Big Family Values:

More Kids Than Cash 10:00pm Celebrity Big Brother 11:00pm Celebrity 100% Hotter!

12:05am Celebrity Big Brother’s

Bit on the Side

7:00am The Dog Whisperer 8:00am Monkey Life 8:30am Monkey Life 9:00am Meerkat Manor 9:30am Meerkat Manor 10:00am Road Wars 10:30am Road Wars 11:00am Stargate Atlantis 12:00pm MacGyver 1:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 2:00pm Hawaii Five-0 3:00pm Hawaii Five-0 4:00pm NCIS: Los Angeles 5:00pm Stargate SG-1 6:00pm The Simpsons 6:30pm Futurama 7:00pm Futurama 7:30pm The Simpsons 8:00pm The Simpsons 8:30pm The Simpsons 9:00pm Duck Quacks Don’t Echo 10:00pm A League of Their Own 11:00pm Delicious 12:00am The Force: North East

Match of the Day Live, 8.30pm, BBC1

thursday 7:00am Breakfast 10:15am Rip Off Britain 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm Wanted Down Under 12:45pm Close Calls: On Camera 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News 2:30pm BBC London News 2:45pm Doctors 3:15pm Father Brown 4:00pm Escape to the Country 4:45pm The Farmers’ Country Showdown 5:30pm Antiques Road Trip 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm Big Cats 10:00pm Death in Paradise 11:00pm BBC News 11:30pm BBC London News 11:45pm Question Time 12:45am This Week

7:00am Flog it! Trade Secrets 7:30am The Farmers’ Country Showdown 8:15am Antiques Road Trip 9:00am MasterChef:

The Professionals 10:00am Victoria Derbyshire 12:00pm BBC Newsroom Live 1:00pm The Daily Politics J2:00pm Masters Snooker 5:45pm More Creatures Great

and Small 6:15pm Flog It! 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 8:00pm Masters Snooker 9:00pm Hairy Bikers’ Mediterranean Adventure 10:00pm A House Through Time 11:00pm The Mash Report 11:30pm Newsnight 12:15am Masters Snooker Highlights

People are capable of almost anything WHO GOES to a dinner party next door and leaves her baby alone in the house? What kind of mother does such a thing?

She feels the familiar agony set in - she is not a good mother.

You never know what’s happening on the other side of the wall. Your neighbour told you that she didn’t want your sixmonth-old daughter at the dinner party. Nothing personal, she just couldn’t stand her crying. Your husband said it would be fine. After all, you only live next door. You’ll have the baby monitor and you’ll take it in turns to go back every half hour.

Your daughter was sleeping when you checked on her last.

But now, as you race up the stairs in your deathly quiet house, your worst fears are realised. She’s gone. You’ve never had to call the police before. But now they’re in your home, and who knows what they’ll find there.

What would you be capable of, when pushed past your limit?

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Hunted, 10pm, Channel 4

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this weeks weather FRI Jan 12

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32

12th - 18th January

whats on

Break the Senses will Gold Diggers are do what they say priceless

HAILING from Velez-Malaga, Break the Senses have been leaving their mark wherever they have toured.

The two girls of the band of three met at high school, and met drummer Marce some years later while he was playing in a pub in the area.

The band´s name comes from what they try to do to their audience during each gig. It’s no surprise therefore, that they are influenced by Muse, Biffy Clyro, Nirvana and Placebo!

ON STAGE: Break the Senses.

If you´d like to know what watching them is like, listen to one of the girls, Priscila, explain. “We are beasts on the stage. I mean, we can’t control it. We feel our music too intensely and our goal is for the public to feel the same!”

Clearly with such an original makeup, the band is not only breaking senses but breaking the mould. If you’d like to experience them for yourselves, head down to the New Eagle Pass this Saturday in Fuengirola, starting at 12am.

THE Gold Diggers are a vibrant rockabilly band with a lot of swing.

Heading it up on the vocals is Oona, an Irish woman who lives in Granada and has sung in bands such as Oona Fortune and the Pavement Kings and Oona Fortune and the Rocketeers.

The double bass player Javi also turns out for another rockabilly band - The Radios.

Drummer Felipe and guitarist Lalo play for Atomic Propellers too.

All this experience shows and they know how to give punters a good time.

If you’re curious then go along to El Bar de las Motos, Benalmadena this Sunday, at 4.30pm.

12th - 18th January

food & drink

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This week Fellow Master Chef, author and TV presenter Steven Saunders from his famous Little Geranium restaurant in La Cala… stays on the theme of keeping it healthy!

New Year Healthy Year!

Steven Saunders FMCGB The Little Geranium La Cala De Mijas www.thelittlegeranium.com

LAST week we looked at healthy food swaps to reduce the sugar and fat content that we all love so much but most are not necessary and can easily be swapped with healthy alternatives.

This week I have a great winter salad recipe for you that I used in my restaurant in La Cala over the Christmas period as a tapas salad on the menu. At first it may sound like something you would never eat but when you try it you will say OMG what flavours!

It’s also a great dish for vegetarians (who often get overlooked) and for

vegans as it appears there is a new trend for vegan food going around!

It’s worth adding that the vegans that had this dish raved about it saying it was one of the best things that they have ever eaten.

Interestingly we have vegans that order fish and vegetarians that order chicken! There seems to be some confusion? Lol However, whatever you are you will still like this salad recipe so do try it and if you want you can add crispy bacon if you MUST eat some meat. The salad is light, fresh and full of complex flavours, smart to look

at and works very well as a unique starter for a dinner party, a lunchtime snack or a side dish next to either meat or fish dishes.

I called it Christmas Quinoa Salad but now that Christmas has finished I’m calling it Winter Quinoa Salad.

You can find Quinoa in most supermarkets over here, true it doesn’t have much flavour, but it acts like a sponge and it soaks up all the flavours of whatever you put in and because this recipe has so many different flavours it really will surprise you.

Quinoa is also gluten free which will please many of you. Domesti-

cated for human consumption about 4,000 years ago it originates from South America. Before that it was mainly used for animal feed.

Between 2006 and 2013 Quinoa has trebled in price due to trends mainly from America and Japan.

However it still is comparably cheap.

In 2013 it was named an International Year for Quinoa as it could easily be a futuristic grain that could help feed the world and help with poverty eradication.

So it’s on trend and in all the stores, more healthy than rice and cous cous, why not give it a try?

Quinoa Winter Salad with Spiced Tofu Ingredients more than enough for 4 For Cooking • 250g Quinoa (bags usually come as 500g) • water • 1 teaspoon salt • 1 onion, chopped • 1 tablespoon of white wine vinegar • A little olive oil To Finish • 4 tablespoons orange juice • 1 orange, sectioned into segments • 2 tablespoons of toasted pistachios rough chopped • 1 tablespoon of toasted chopped chestnuts * • 1 tablespoon dried cranberries • 2 tablespoons pomegranate seeds • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley • 1 tablespoon fresh coriander chopped • 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil • 1 tablespoon good honey • Maldon salt to taste • Squeeze of fresh lemon to finish

method

Start by simply boiling the quinoa grain in at least twice water to the grain and then add the other cooking ingredients to assist flavours. Usually about 10 minutes.

Drain and let it rest and cool down.

Now add all the other ingredients and toss well together. Make sure that you season well and continually taste

*You can buy pre-cooked chestnuts from most supermarkets.

Simply dry fry to toast but keep an eye on them!

For Tofu you can buy fresh Tofu from most supermarkets.

Approx 150gms of fresh Tofu cut into small 1 cm cubes.

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg 1 teaspoon ground ginger 1 teaspoon ground curry spices or paprika 1 teaspoon Maldon salt 1 teaspoon of ground black pepper

Quino

a win t

check until you are satisfied. You should taste it and want to go back for more!

Leave aside and deep fry the tofu cubes in hot oil 190c until crispy for approx 3 minutes.

er s alad

with

spic

ed

Tofu

Season with all the spices.

Serve a little ring of the quinoa on a plate (moulded into a metal ring about 5 cm diameter) with the tofu on top and drizzle with basil oil (or you could use the oil

from a pesto.)

Serve as a starter like this or if a side dish simply fill a salad bowl with the quinoa and toss the tofu on top and serve in the centre of the table.

Steven Saunders FMCGB, The Little Geranium, La Cala de Mijas & Marbella www.thelittlegeranium.com steven@thelittlegeranium.com

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Puzzles Code Breaker

Mars skims Uranus and backs up plans you have in store.

Heavyweight Mars brings intensity and reward whilst Uranus celebrates your awareness and technique. This time around you seem to have all your eggs in one basket, but then you know that everything now seems right, and you are ready!

Word Pyramid

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Allow somebody the benefit of the doubt as you take things in your stride during a week of good fortune and opportunity. Jupiter sextiles Pluto and your ebullient mood serves to inspire others who, quite frankly, need now to take a step into reality. Don’t let your generosity go to you head, but do have fun!

Your psychic senses are working overtime but you know that something just isn’t right and you have your intuition to help piece things together. Venus squares Uranus and love will triumph, and you know that. Whatever has to come next is part of the scheme to show others that you are not to be messed with.

Mars is in action with Kora, and though this week is truly a delicious break away from routine, so too is it a time to sit down and think. Change for changes sake is pointless but you reap what you sow and it is time that your true feelings were made known; especially since you have other fish to fry!

Your skills are sought after the weekend as somebody’s plans go awry, and you are set to save the day. This gives you ample opportunity to show others just what you can do when you have to, as you have a free reign to instigate and create. Actions between Jupiter and Pluto assist you somewhat.

The entry of Mercury this week allows effective communication to work on your behalf. You are charged and ready but waiting for something to get your teeth into, and so events this week may show you the many options that you have ahead of you. When the time comes you will see exactly what’s in store.

Everything centres around work issues right now, as you seem to have a problem in communicating just what you have in mind. Your vision is inspired and your enthusiasm hard to keep in bounds; but uncertainty won’t help to get this show on the road, nor will it do you any favours whatsoever.

The sensitivity you muster is inspirational and stems from your soul energies. Whilst there are those who seek to control you; they should be a fuller part of your dreams and portents by respecting that you offer sincerity and the truth. Left alone you have the good guidance you need and a fuller insight into what’s next!

T

N I

O

Word Wheel There is 1x11 letter word and 283 others! Make as many 3 or more letter words as you can using any letter combination just once and you must use the central letter in every word!

Mercury’s conjunct with Saturn means that you are leaving no stone unturned this time around. The wisdom of Saturn and the communication enabled by Mercury sees things coming right at last. It has been a long and difficult journey but now you can see light at the end of the tunnel at last!

As the Sun squares on Uranus it is vital that you abandon fear and go for the gold that you so deserve. Life seems to have been a string of compromises just lately, but now that you have rejected second best you are ready to take on that which you deserve. Be distinct and make it clear what comes next.

A

Start at a letter and spell out a 10-letter word by moving to adjacent letters. Each letter will be used at least once, but no letter will be used twice in a row.

As Venus veers towards Aquarius at the end of the week, the focus is on working with the heart, as you examine clearly the inner you and actually like what you find. Since you have left things open in a relationship issue, the time comes to have a soulful chat to iron away any nagging doubts.

This is not the best of times to retreat into that shell and plan the many nasty nips due to those who have failed to support you. Angry though you may be, this week is all about forging new connections and forgiving the past for what it has done to you. An acquaintance soon becomes a friend indeed!

S

Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 23 represents Q and 25 represents H. Now using your knowledge of the English language work out which letters should go in the missing squares.

As you discover the letters, fill in other squares with the same number in the main grid and the control grid.

Kenny’s Postbag Kenny, another year and I feel as if I am back

to square one again with the same old same old!

WORD fit

Using just logic, can you make all the words fit correctly into the grid?

What can I do?

Grace G.

Well Grace, be unafraid to make the changes

you would like to make. You will be surprised what happens when you have Spirit onboard. Eliminate

the fear of the future and bring in action to get what you need. A combination of these two vital

elements will bring you result and reward; and you

are in need of both! I wish you all that you wish for

yourself and wherever 2018 takes you on this your journey.

Don't forget to email or message me with your Postbag Questions!. Check out my new website: www.kennycorris.net

For Birthday Celebrants If It’s Your Birthday This Week: Forget the tried and tested and accept that the Cosmos will provide for those who eliminate fear and instigate positive actions. Be prepared to see things from a different angle.

3 letter words AIR DIM 4 letter words BAKE BULL EARN ETCH LOAD TRUE

5 letter words ADAPT BASIC CATCH DIARY DODGE LUCID POLAR SALAD 6 letter words BALLAD CARROT DESIRE NOTICE

7 letter words ABSTAIN APPLAUD CONTROL DELAYED SALIENT SHELTER TEMPTED TRAINED 8 letter words AUDIENCE BASEBALL

More Puzzles

Cryptic

ACROSS 1 Deny policeman’s allegation (8) 6 Go off nonsense (3) 9 Legal centre for solicitor (5) 10 Company car is ordered for island (7) 11 Emperor going round old country could be positive or negative (3-4) 13 God with new thing that’s sharp (5) 14 Reluctant savers expect inclusion (6) 15 Everyone in competition for conscription (4-2) 18 Cushion concerning chaplain (5) 20 Charitable gift for worker on strike (4-3) 21 Needing a cure, do set out for the country (7) 22 Feudal superior in Belgian city (5) 23 Auction item for biblical character (3) 24 Playing darts? Yes, in leisure time (4,4) DOWN 2 Making a terrible scene in anger (7) 3 Economy measure called for by movie director? (3) 4 Secure part in Metropolitan chorus (6) 5 Knit a warm wrap for this writer (4,5) 6 Crumpled horn protecting one animal (5) 7 Loco observer teaches craftsman (5,7) 8 Singer in valley with clan member (4,8) 12 Object in festival for Cockney? (4,5) 16 Conveniences on top of cathedral? Not exactly! (7) 17 Church with weapons? Lucky things! (6) 19 Discourage daughter and parent’s sister (5) 22 Youth leaders in Leeds and Doncaster (3)

Word Ladder Can you by changing 1 letter at a time, get from the first word to the last word in the given number of moves?

HAPPY

1 2 3 4 5 6

FOLKS Soduku

Quick

Futoshiki

The purpose of the game is to discover the digits hidden inside the board’s cells; each cell is filled with a digit between 1 and 6. On each row and column each digit appears exactly once; therefore, when revealed, the digits of the board form a so-called Latin square. The board may also contain some inequalities between the board cells; these inequalities must be respected and can be used as clues in order to discover the remaining hidden digits. ie > is greater than and < is less than.

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Fill the grid so every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1-9

Quiz 1 James Grieve, Blenheim Orange, Irish Peach, and Ashmead’s Kernel are traditional varieties of: Walnuts; Apples; Plums; or Lemons?

2 RPM on a traditional record player stands for what?

3 A traditional Moroccan house with central atrium courtyard/garden is called a: Riad; Cyan; Triad; or Fad? 4 Junk, Trimaran, Pontoon, and Luzzu are types of: Card games; Boats; Floppy hats; or Indian spiced rice dishes?

5 The Atlas Mountains extend across which three of these countries: Spain; Morocco; Turkey; Algeria; Tunisia?

6 Twelve three-hundredths (12/300) expresssed as a percentage is: 2%; 4%; 8%; or 12%?

7 Sabot and saboton (from French, savate and botte) are respectively a box from which casino cards are dealt, and knight’s armour, equating to a: Shoe; Glove; Hat; or Pocket?

8 Oddly known by its river, Kingston-upon-(What?) was judged by Rough Guides 2016 among the ten best places to visit in the world: Thames; Severn; Hull; or Trent?

9 The traditional pudding of strawberries, meringue and whipped cream is called: Eton Mess; Harrow Crumble; Roedean Chaos; or Westminster Splodge?

10 Flat-top, Pageboy, Mullet, and Bob are: Simpson’s characters; Hairstyles; Plumber’s tools; or Yacht sail configurations?

ACROSS 1 Quandary (7) 5 Doctor’s stand-in (5) 8 Throng (5) 9 Curling lock of hair (7) 10 World’s highest mountain (7) 11 Expertise (5) 12 Light meals (6) 14 Tight-fitting undergarment (6) 18 Sofa (5) 20 Rather old (7) 22 Capital of China (7) 23 Electronic sound reproduction (5) 24 Furious (5) 25 Borne (7)

DOWN 1 Author of “Dombey and Son” (7) 2 Slack (5) 3 Wednesday or thereabouts (7) 4 Charge with gas (6) 5 Connections (5) 6 Temperature scale (7) 7 Accommodation for motorists (5) 13 Comical (7) 15 Veteran (3,4) 16 Gland in the neck (7) 17 Skimpy (6) 18 Hooded snake (5) 19 Hirsute (5) 21 One on horseback (5)

Last Weeks Solutions on page 45

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More Puzzles

Giant Crossword Across

Across 1. Ignited (7) 5. Express strong disapproval of (7) 9. Intense emotion (7) 14. Stitched (5) 15. Changed (7) 16. Angry (5) 17. Mediterranean fruit (5) 18. Joke (3) 19. Elevate (5) 21. Departing (5) 22. Highway (5) 23. Oblivious (7) 24. Chuckled (7) 26. Extra (10) 27. Tight (4) 30. Evade (5) 31. Thumb a ride (9) 33. Treasured (9) 34. Large church (9) 35. Make ready (7) 37. Consultant (7) 39. Tenders (4) 40. Hide (7) 42. Administration of the law (7) 43. Weapons (4) 48. Sweepstake (7) 50. Go before (7) 51. Persuaded (9) 52. Clapped (9) 54. Atoms (9) 1

2

3

4

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Down

1. Kind of falcon (7) 2. Novel (3) 3. Ridge (5) 4. Hauled (7) 5. Prejudicial (11) 6. Group of sentences (9) 7. Commanded (7) 8. Protocol (9) 9. Inert medication (7) 10. Take a risk for profit (9) 11. Meteorological indicator (6) 12. Currency of Nigeria (5) 13. Forstalled (9) 20. Swamped (9) 5

6

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8

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Jumbo Quiz

25. Paid close attention to (6) 28. Dull pains (5) 29. Strainer (5) 30. Unit of sound intensity (7) 31. Concordance (7) 32. Notion (4) 33. Top line of a hill (5) 35. Serenity (5) 36. Entertain (5) 37. Goes up (7) 38. Dwells (7) 41. Roman god of love (5) 44. Remedied (9) 45. Commenced (5) 46. Rend (4) 47. Chess piece (6) 49. Lukewarm (5) 51. Famous people (11) 52. Astonishment (9) 53. Athletic contest (9) 54. Harbinger (9) 55. Exactly the same (9) 59. Previously (7) 60. Stuck (7) 61. Deference (7) 62. Female performer (7) 63. Buy back for money (6) 65. Used to control a horse (5) 68. Small piece of bread or cake (5) 74. Pool stick (3)

56. Successors (5) 57. Tallies (4) 58. Increase speed (10) 61. Reproduction (7) 64. Sincere (7) 66. Coarse (5) 67. Attempts (5) 68. Trainee (5) 69. Average (3) 70. Deport (5) 71. Dens (5) 72. Repose (7) 73. Male relative (5) 75. Conference (7) 76. Conundrums (7) 77. Pills (7)

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1 Which of these is the only coastal capital city of South America: Santiago; Lima; Brasilia; Buenos Aires?

2 The poodle dog/name originated in Germany from association with: Shaving; Water; Circuses; or Dung?

3 In Europe which dangerous natural phenomenon exists only in Portugal, Norway, Iceland, Italy and the Canary Islands: Malaria; Volcanoes; Typhoons; or Bears?

4 In maths the cube root of an eighth is a: Sixty-fourth; Half; Ninth; or Three-quarters?

5 Richard Adams’ 1972 anthropomorphic novel Watership Down is about a colony of: Ducks; Kangaroos; Rabbits; or Neanderthals?

6 1960s Thamesmead social housing estate in SE London was the main location for the film: A Clockwork Orange; Thunderball; Batman Returns; or Taxi Driver?

7 The Battle of Jutland was the only (What?) battle of the 1st World War: Air; Tank; Naval; or Cavalry?

8 Lent (Latin Quadragesima) is traditionally a Christian religious fast of how many days: 12; 21; 40; or 52?

9 The expression ‘Book him Dano’ (urging action/reprimand) originated 1960-80s in: The Rocky Horror Show; Hawaii Five-O; Opportunity Knocks; or The Flintstones?

10 In May 2016 the world record for ‘planking’ (a stress position on toes and forearms) was set at: 45mins; 93mins; 2.5hrs; or 8hrs?

11 Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay did what in May 1953: Invented Aspirin; First ascent of Everest; Flew faster than the speed of sound; or Discovered the first oil in USA? 12 Baklava, a food in Turkish/Central-West Asian cuisine, is a type of: Salad; Pastry; Stew; or Fish soup?

13 What iconic British brand of matches and tobacco smoking materials is the Roman goddess of the hearth/fire?

14 Grévy’s, Grant’s, Chapman’s, and the extinct Quagga, are varieties of: Lion; Gorilla; Zebra; or Hippopotamus?

15 Acetylsalicylic acid (ASA), first identified in willow bark by Hippocrates c.400BC, is better known as what a genericized trademark: Aspirin; Heroin; The (birth control) Pill; or Sugar?

16 What Anglicized German word originally from ‘harm-joy’ refers to pleasure derived from misfortunes of others?

17 The Latin word via originally meant: Travel; Road; Map; or Visit?

18 Anthropomorphic means: Australian; Prehistoric; Feathered; or Human characteristics given to something nonhuman?

19 The Anglicized Italian portmanteau word chiaroscuro refers to a painting style of: Animals and children; Light and dark; Happy and sad; or Fruit and vegetables?

20 Match these South American capitals to their countries: Santiago, Lima, Brasilia, Buenos Aires - Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Peru?

More Puzzles

Squiggly Soduku

37

American Capitals Wordsearch BATONROUGE OLYMPIA HARRISBURG SALTLAKECITY MONTGOMERY RICHMOND LITTLEROCK HONOLULU NASHVILLE HELENA DESMOINES COLUMBIA MONTPELIER TALLAHASSEE JACKSON PROVIDENCE OKLAHOMACITY SACRAMENTO

Number Cruncher 59752346353552487785112

Did you know?

Across

Down

1. Three times 19 down

1. 12 across divided by eleven

4. 19 down minus five

2. 1 down plus twenty-five

6. 15 across plus eighty-three

3. Minutes in three days

7. 17 across minus 2

4. Dozen in twelve gross

8. 18 down plus thirty-eight

5. Seconds in five minutes

10. 19 across minus sixty-six

9. 17 down minus eleven

12. 3 down plus forty-seven

10. 11 down minus eight

14. 12 across doubled

11. Minutes in three hours

15. 13 down minus 150

13. 3 down divided by twelve

17. 20 down minus sixteen

16. 23 across doubled

19. 5 down minus 133

17. 14 across divided by eleven

21. Minutes in four hours

18. 4 down times three

22. Four times 4 across

19. Months in nine years

23. Five times 10 down

20. 3 down divided by six

• Did you know dreamt is the only word that ends in mt • Did you know the first letters of the months July through to November spell JASON • Did you know a cat has 32 muscles in each ear • Did you know Perth is Australia’s windiest city • Did you know Elvis’s middle name was Aron • Did you know goldfish can see both infrared and ultraviolet light • Did you know the smallest bones in the human body are found in • your ear • Did you know cats spend 66% of their life asleep • Did you know Switzerland eats the most chocolate equating to 10 kilos per person per year • Did you know money is the number one thing that couples argue about • Did you know macadamia nuts are toxic to dogs • Did you know when lightning strikes it can reach up to 30,000

degrees celsius (54,000 degrees fahrenheit) • Did you know spiders are arachnids and not insects • Did you know each time you see a full moon you always see the same side • Did you know stewardesses is the longest word that is typed with only the left hand • Did you know honey is the only natural food which never spoils • Did you know M&M’s chocolate stands for the initials for its inventors Mars and Murrie • Did you know that you burn more calories eating celery than it contains (the more you eat the thinner you become) • Did you know the only continent with no active volcanoes is Australia • Did you know the longest street in the world is Yonge street in Toronto Canada measuring 1,896 km (1,178 miles)

38

12th - 18th January

health

Brain foods to help you concentrate Ginseng, fish, berries, or caffeine?

Listen to the buzz about foods and dietary supplements, and you’ll believe they can do everything from sharpen focus to enhance memory, attention span, and brain function.

But do they really work? There’s no denying that as we age, our body ages right along with us. The good news is that you can improve your chances of maintaining a healthy brain if you add ‘smart’ foods and drinks to your diet.

source - not table sugar, but glucose, which your body processes from the sugars and carbs you eat. That’s why a glass of OJ or another fruit juice can offer a short-term boost to memory, thinking, and mental ability.

Have too much, though, and memory can be impaired - along with the rest of you. Go easy on the added sugar, as it has been linked to heart disease and other conditions.

Caffeine can make you more alert There’s no magic bullet to boost IQ or make you smarter - but certain substances, like caffeine, can energise you and help you concentrate. Found in coffee, chocolate, energy drinks, and some medications, caffeine gives you that unmistakable wake-up buzz, though the effects are short-term. And more is often less: Overdo it on caffeine and it can make you jittery.

Eat breakfast to fuel your brain Tempted to skip breakfast? Studies have found that eating breakfast may improve short-term memory and attention. Students who eat it tend to perform better than those who don’t. Foods at the top of researchers’ brain-fuel list include high-fibre whole grains, dairy, and fruits. Just don’t overeat; researchers also found highcalorie breakfasts appear to hinder concentration.

Sugar can enhance alertness Sugar is your brain’s preferred fuel

Fish really is brain food A protein source linked to a great brain

boost is fish - rich in omega-3 fatty acids that are key for brain health. These healthy fats have amazing brain power: A diet with higher levels of them has been linked to lower dementia and stroke risks and slower mental decline; plus, they may play a vital role in enhancing memory, especially as we get older.

For brain and heart health, eat two servings of fish weekly.

Add a daily dose of nuts and chocolate Nuts and seeds are good sources of the antioxidant vitamin E, which has been linked in some studies to less cognitive decline as you age. Dark chocolate also has other powerful antioxidant properties, and it contains natural stimulants like caffeine, which can enhance focus.

Enjoy up to an ounce a day of nuts and dark chocolate to get all the benefits you need with a minimum of excess calories, fat, or sugar.

Add avocados and whole grains Every organ in the body depends on blood flow, especially the heart and brain. A diet high in whole grains and fruits like avocados can cut the risk of heart disease and lower bad cholesterol.

This reduces your risk of plaque buildup and enhances blood flow, offering a simple, tasty way to fire up brain cells.

Whole grains, like popcorn and whole wheat, also contribute dietary fibre and vitamin E. Though avocados have fat, it’s the good-for-you, monounsaturated fat that helps with healthy blood flow.

Blueberries are super nutritious Research in animals shows that blueberries may help protect the brain from the damage caused by free radicals and may reduce the effects of agerelated conditions such as Alzheimer’s

disease or dementia. Studies also show that diets rich in blueberries improved both the learning and muscle function of aging rats, making them mentally equal to much younger rats.

Benefits of a healthy diet It may sound trite but it’s true: If your diet lacks essential nutrients, it can hurt your ability to concentrate. Eating too much or too little can also interfere with your focus. A heavy meal may make you feel tired, while too few calories can result in distracting hunger pangs.

Benefit your brain: Strive for a wellbalanced diet full of a wide variety of healthy foods.

Vitamins, minerals, and supplements?

Store shelves groan with supplements claiming to boost health. Although many of the reports on the brain-boosting power of supplements like vitamins B, C, E, beta-carotene, and magnesium are promising, a supplement is only useful to people whose diets are lacking in that specific nutrient.

Some researchers are cautiously optimistic about ginseng, ginkgo, and vitamin, mineral, and herb combinations and their impact on the brain, but more proof is still needed.

Check with your doctor.

Get ready for a big day Want to power up your ability to concentrate? Start with a meal of 100 per cent fruit juice, a whole-grain bagel with salmon, and a cup of coffee.

In addition to eating a well-balanced meal, experts also offer this advice: • Get a good night’s sleep.

• Stay hydrated.

• Exercise to help sharpen thinking.

• Meditate to clear thinking and relax.

12th - 18th January

39

health Make it a New Year resolution – be clearer on cancer

EVERY year, around 17,450 people in England are diagnosed with bladder or kidney cancer. Around 7,600 people die from bladder or kidney cancer in England each year.

Both cancers affect men and women, although they are more common in men. Most people diagnosed with these cancers are over 50. Those who have worked in manufacturing jobs that involved the use of rubber, dyes, textiles, plastics or certain other chemicals are more prone to developing bladder cancer. Smokers have a much higher risk of bladder and kidney cancer. People on kidney dialysis are more at risk of developing kidney cancer.

If you notice any blood in your pee, even if it is just once, tell your doctor straight away. The chances are it’s nothing serious, but these cancers are more treatable if they are found early.

Blood in your pee is a key symptom for both types of cancer, and other bladder cancer symptoms to look out for include pain when urinating.

Other kidney cancer symptoms include a pain in the side, below the ribs, that doesn’t go away, weight loss and, as with bladder cancer symptoms, if you notice blood in your pee, even if it’s ‘just the once,’ tell your doctor.

You’re not wasting anyone’s time by getting your symptoms checked out and, if it’s not serious, your mind will be put at rest. But if it is a condition such as bladder or kidney cancer, early detection makes it easier to treat. Seeing your doctor early could save your life.

Some symptoms may be caused by an infection or bladder or kidney stones, all of which may need treatment. But don’t try and diagnose yourself. Go and see your doctor now to find out for sure.

Ask the Optician What are the dangers of buying contact lenses online?

There are many common factors which can adversely affect eye sight which we should be aware of and work to avoid.

• Too much screen time - Most of us spend hours every day reading and sitting in front of a screen and as a result our eyes become strained converging on one point. For anyone focused on screens for long periods of time, it’s essential that you take frequent breaks.

• Genetics - family history of glaucoma - If you have a family history of glaucoma, are over 40, or fall into another high risk category it’s important to have more frequent eye tests to ensure it is spotted early.

• Smoking - There is a significantly higher risk of eye disease in smokers due to the many toxic components. Smoking can cause or worsen several eye disorders, in particular age-related macular degeneration (AMD), which may lead to blindness.

• Poor nutrition - Eating a diet high in vegetables, fruit and nuts containing Vitamin A, Zinc and antioxidants, especially carotenoids may help slow down the effects of age related macular degeneration, a leading cause of blindness.

• Inadequate eye protection - Wear safety goggles when undertaking DIY, there are more than 20,000 eye accidents every year and some of these can result in blindness. You should also protect your eyes from the sun with the right sunglasses.

To maintain the highest standard of vision and check the overall health of your eyes, it is recommended you book an eye test and visit the opticians at least every two years.

To find your nearest Specsavers Opticas and book a free eye test visit www.specsavers.es.

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12th - 18th January

pets

Ear mites in cats What are ear mites?

Ear mites are a fairly common parasite in both cats and dogs. The mites are microscopic and infectious organisms which are like tiny white dots in appearance, but can barely be seen with the naked eye.

Detection under a microscope is normally required to confirm their presence.

Ear mites live on the skin of the ear canal and feed off ear wax and skin oils. An adult normally lives for approximately two months, but can multiply quickly with eggs taking just four days to hatch and a further three weeks to develop into an adult mite ready to breed.

How do I know if my cat has ear mites?

An ear mite infection will cause your cat’s ears to itch, which often results in them shaking their head excessively, or scratching at their ears with their paws. Ear mites can also produce wax and irritation, so your pet’s ears may well look red and inflamed.

Typically, ear mites will also cause a dry black ear discharge. There may also be an unusual odour.

But irritation in a cat’s ear can also be caused by allergies leading to infections other than ear mites, so it’s crucial that you get your pet to the vets for a proper diagnosis - especially since the parasites are so difficult to detect with the naked eye.

Vets will normally confirm a diagnosis of ear mites using an otoscope to look inside the ear.

Without visiting the vet, many owners are unaware that their cat is suffering from a bacterial or yeast ear infection; this can lead to weeks of inappropriate treatment and the condition worsening.

How do cats catch ear mites?

Ear mites transfer between animals - or ‘hosts’ - through close physical contact.

Are ear mites contagious to other pets?

Yes, ear mites are contagious to other cats and dogs in the household. Even if other pets aren’t showing symptoms of ear mites, it’s essential that they are also treated at the same time. Cats are the most prone to catching ear mites due to their lifestyle habits.

Can humans catch ear mites from pets?

Only in extremely rare cases, cat owners have been known to develop skin rashes if their pet has ear mites.

The ear mites that infect cats are different from the parasite affecting humans.

What treatment is there for ear mites?

Many spot on flea treatments also prevent and treat ear mites, and - if recommended by your vet - this is by far and away the easiest way to protect your pet from the parasites. One or two applications is usually enough and they are a lot less stressful for your pet - and for you - than ear drops.

Although spot on treatments are the most popular form of treatment, ear drops are also available. Some of these require at least three weeks of treatment as the medication cannot kill the eggs of the parasites, which take 21 days to develop into adult mites.

If using these treatments, it’s therefore crucial that you use them, as prescribed, for the recommended time period. Other topical treatments only need to be used for 10 to 14 days and are much stronger, so kill the eggs as well as the adult mites and include medication to tackle the infection caused by the parasites.

Always consult your vet on the best and most suitable treatment to use.

Protect your pets this winter

by Jemima Roberts LIVING in Spain comes with many perks, including warm winters, blue skies and great wine.

But one of the unexpected downsides of the life in warmer climes can be the different breed of creepy crawlies to the tame bugs of the UK. And while many of Spain’s insects are both fascinating and harmless, processionary caterpillars can be quite the opposite. The insects, which nest in pine trees, pose a health risk to both animals and humans and are capable of killing pets.

Between February and April the caterpillars build white nests resembling cotton wool and feed on pine trees before forming a chain and processing to ground level.

The bugs make their way over the floor until they find somewhere to burrow while they ‘pupate,’ turning into moths. While they are on the ground the caterpillars cause the greatest health risk as their hair contains dust which can cause rashes and breathing problems.

If touched, this dust can prove harmful, particularly for animals and children, while the insects can actually eject their hairs if threatened, injecting anything

within a metre-range with toxic spindles.

In humans this can cause an angry rash which may take weeks to clear up, as well as other symptoms including dizziness and confusion. In animals the toxin can have more serious consequences as, if licked, a pet’s tongue can swell or become burnt, causing their air passages to become blocked. An animal in contact with these caterpillars can also suffer from vomiting.

While some pine trees are protected and should not be cut down without permission from the relevant authorities, it is possible to arrange for a professional to cut the nests down before the caterpillars leave them. If the nest is in a public area you can get in touch with the local council to ask them to remove it.

If the caterpillars have already nested and you come into contact with one it is best to visit a doctor. If an animal comes into contact with the insects they will become distressed and develop white spots in their mouth. It is important to take the animal to a vet immediately, who will give it a cortisone injection and may be forced to remove part of the pet’s tongue if it has licked a caterpillar and become swollen.

12th - 18th January

air conditioning

animals/PETS

domestic

ADVANCED CLEANING Advanced Cleaning Services. Professional Carpet, Upholstery Cleaning, 27 Years Experience, Wet/Dry Clean. Honest, Reliable Service.

678 808 837 / 952 669 701 Or Email acservs@outlook.com (252581)

air conditioning Air Conditioning / Quality Air Conditioning Unit Installations. Silent Operation. Economical In Electrical Consumption.

Free Quotations. All Areas Covered. Envirocare Sl 21 Years Cooling The Coasts. 952 663 131 670 409 759 www.envirocarespain.com Aircon Choices 0034 617 804 564 info@airconchoices.com Serving the Costa Del Sol See our advert on page 10 (246832)

TAROT

storage & REMOVALS

AIR CONDITIONING by Cool and Cosy. The family company that cares.

Installation and repairs.

Quality machines. EsoSense movement sensor supplied and fitted for 80 euros. Coin meters supplied and fitted from 260 euros. For other energysaving products, visit www.coolandcosy.es.

Tel 952 935 513

builders INLAND CONSTRUCTION COMPLETE building services. Fully Legal and Insured. We cover all areas from Marbella to Granada. Call 695 903 825 today for a free estimate (257111)

antiques WANTED! All types of antiques, paintings, jewellery, watches, silver etc.

Any condition. Immediate cash settlement. For more information call into Anthony’s Antiques and Jewellers shops, extensive premises at C/Ramon y Cajal 40, Fuengirola. Mobile 609 529 633. Telephone 952 588 795

charities ACE CHARITY “El Refugio” in La Cala de Mijas is a registered charity. We have on average 275 dogs in our care and we receive no help from the Town Hall or the Andalucian government. We desperately need foster homes and adoptants for our many dogs, especially the small ones and puppies who do not do well in a big shelter. We are grateful for any help offered, including donations of food and blankets. Visiting times are from 13.00

to 15.00 and you can always turn up or make an appointment by calling Denise on 669 018 736. Our website is www.ace-charity.org where you can view all the dogs in our care ADANA THE ANIMAL SHELTER IN ESTEPONA. We always need volunteers to walk and socialise with our dogs and help with cleaning. We also need good homes for our animals that you can see on www.adana.es. Kennels open every day 10-1.30, Camino de Casares, near Parque de los Pedregales, Estepona. (5 minutes from the Poligono) For more information call 952 113 467, available from 10.00am until 14.00pm SEPE the horse and donkey charity is open to the public week-ends from 10.00 to 5.00. Volunteers are much needed in all departments and are welcome at anytime. For our riding for the disabled classes, we are also in need of extra helpers. We are nationally registered by the Spanish Ministry of the Interior (164640) but only with your support can we give the equine a voice. If you can just commit to 2 or 3 euros a month it will really help make a difference. You can find us at Lauro Golf Equestrian Centre, Alqueria, Alhaurin de la Torre.

Tel. 608 258 950 info@sepeonline.net www.sepeonline.net

41

cleaning services

Professional Carpet And Upholstery Cleaning, 27 Years Experience, Wet/Dry Clean. Honest, Reliable.

678 808 837 952 669 701 acservs@outlook.com (252581) Rugs Fitted Carpets, Upholstery Including Leather Cleaned On Site 685 524 921 (252581)

concrete

CONCRETE – OZBUILD. The specialists of printed concrete. Reseals, Brickwork, Tiling, Plastering, Reforms. 14 Years in Spain. Competitive Prices, Quality Finish.

952 426 074 606 745 920 www.ozbuildspain.com

computers

COMPUTER PROBLEMS SOLVED. Error messages fixed, viruses removed. Repairs and upgrades available. Laptops in English.

Kindle, iPad & Android help. One-to-one training. Experienced, reliable service.

Paul 630 652 338 / 952 493 859 PC DOCTOR Computer Sales & Repairs in any Language. 24HR IT Support. 20 Years on the Coast. We come to wherever YOU are – Home or Business.

952 591 071

obituaries

42

12th - 18th January

decorators

RAINBOW PINTURAS. English professional, reliable painting & decorating company. Furniture spraying. Building service available. Free quotations. Daniel 628 066 308 www.rainbowpinturas.com

dentist NHS REGISTERED DENTIST in Fuengirola. Specializing in Zircon crowns, bridges etc. Free check up! drvisky@hotmail.com 689 887 019

electrician MARBELLA BASED ELECTRICIAN call richard on 687 352 358 or email richi@europe.com all installations & maintenance. Surge protection, garden lights, upgrades, boletins.

(257525) BS ELECTRICAL, All electrical work, rewires, Boletins, Endesa helpline, professional genuine service, www.bselectrical.eu. Call Sean 952 961 108, 669 070 011 CSW ELECTRICAL & MAINTENANCE for all your Electrical & Maintenance needs. No Job too Small.

Call Craig for a FREE QUOTE on 604 106 414

floor polishing

marble floor (2.50€/ M2) why pay more .We clean, crystallise, seal then polish your marble to high gloss, non slip. Professional guaranteed, fast service. 25 Years experience. Also repairs damages to marble, clean and seal terracotta terraces, covers all costa del sol.

Tel: 671 244 683

furniture The Warehouse – We Buy A Single Item To A FUll House Clearance – 602 610 103 Furniture Wanted, Same Day Collection, Also House Clearance And Removals.

602 610 103( 252581)

gardening PROFESSIONAL garden

glass curtains GLASS CURTAIN repairs, specialist in replacement of discoloured plastic strips that act as a seal between the glass panels. Call Julian 655 825 931

holiday rentals Nerja 2 Bed Well Equipped Rental Villa, Close To All Amenities And Beach. Please Call Kim +44 7596 379 686 (251269)

services from Fuengirola to Estepona. All aspects of gardening and full maintenance and landscaping, free quotes, competitive prices. Contact Andrew 600 259 981 Andrew@garden-profes sionals.com TOP-JARDIN. No tree too tall, palm & tree pruning - removal - pests bio treatments. Town hall licence process advice. Timber

house clearance The Warehouse – We Buy A Single Item To A Full House Clearance – 602 610 103 (252581)

irrigation F&P-IRRIGATION: professional new sprinkler systems and repairs, 30 years’ experience. 14 days free trial, fixed price.

Six Solid Rock Guarantees. Free quotation.

952931558 (258952)

logs. Mulch. Urban veggie gardens.

Visit us www.top-jardin.com or call Andres mob 686 948 552 / 602 130 250 GARDEN SERVICE – from €10 per hour. Monthly contract from €90. Benalmadena to Marbella.

RICARDO 637 160 129

F&P PUMPS: pressure and pool pumps, service, sales and repairs Six Solid Rock Guarantees 952931558 (258952)

locksmiths 24/7 Locksmith Emergency Appointment. Doors Opened Without Damage, Locks Changed, Patio Doors And Windows Secured, 24 Hour Honest, Fast And Reliable Service.

Call Paul 657 466 803 (251072)

24 Hour Locksmiths Safe Engineers.

30 Years Experience, Call Daren Or Bob 952 660 233 667 668 673 www.securityofspain.com (240915)

metalwork ALL METALWORK UNDERTAKEN – New Fabrication & Repairs/Alterations. Work Guaranteed.

Reliable. 14yrs on Coast.

Steve Call or Whatsapp 655 040 648

mobility MOBILITY scooters, electric wheelchairs, wheelchairs, walking frames, etc, for sale and rent. Large selection of quality used scooters at competitive prices. Rascal vantage X, Rascal Veo X, Shoprider Sovereign, Pride Go Go, Neo 4 and 8, Mercury Prism, Pride XL8, Rascal 388, Rascal 329, Rascal 125 Wheelchair, Shoprider electric wheelchair breaks up for boot, Rascal 330 electric wheelchair as new condition at considerable saving, Rascal turnabout electric wheelchair, plus many more all with guarantee. New and used wheelchairs for sale at competitive prices. Brand New Pride Go Go Mobility Scooters All models just arrived huge savings on retails prices. Rentals from 55 euros weekly. New mobility scooter batteries supplied and fitted.

Mobility scooters bought for cash. www.mobilityscootersdi rectspain.com email info@mobilityscooter sdirectspain.com Tel 609581139

SENIORWORLD - MOBILITY scooters, wheelchairs, stairlifts, nursing beds, rise ´n´ recline chairs and a large range of daily living aids for sale or hire.

Visit our showroom in Los Boliches - or call on 952 663 131 or 670 964 181 for advice & best prices

motoring PARKING, STORAGE & SALES. Caravans - Motorhomes - Boats - Cars and Vans etc. Short / long term - Safe & secure, drop off & collections. Excellent rates, discount for long term, 5 mins from Fuengirola. Established 25 years. www.eurodog.es / info@eurodog.es 679 786 669 / 606 101 807 MOTOR INSURANCE. For the most competitive quotes in English call Linea Directa on 902 123 153, you could save as much as 30% and you can transfer your existing no claims bonus. Call Linea Directa on 902 123 153 for motor insurance with a human voice in English from Monday to Friday 9am to 6pm and save money now!

LSM INSURANCE. No fat singing blokes or trumpeting telephone´s, just professional service at the best prices for all your insurance needs including car, household, commercial, life, health and travel.

Tel 952 578 008 or www.lsminsurance.biz for a quotation

MOBILE MECHANIC will come to your home or work. Servicing, repairs, ITVs & diagnostics. Call Mick on 617 553 072 WANTED all cars vans and anything interesting also classic cars, bikes, etc, with or without paperwork considered, same day decision, cash waiting, 653 777 073

pest control COCKROACHES, ANTS, insects, fleas, mice, rats, wasps, termite specialists. Fumigations, bars, restaurants, houses, etc.

Sanitary department officially registered certificates. Guarantee. Serving the coast since 1985. Only legal English owned pest control company on the coast. If you want the best then phone N.P.S. Nigel 606 008 940

pets/animals EURODOG Boarding Kennels & Cattery. Under new ownership by animal loving family. Large kennels and exercise yards, fully licensed and sanitary approved. Safe, secure and caring environment.

Inspections welcome anyt ime. 5 minutes from Fuengirola 679 786 669 952 464 947 / www.eurodog.es PETCARE PET HOTEL. Alhaurin el Grande. Holiday accommodation for dogs and cats. Heated/Air conditioned kennels available.

Tel: 952 112 284 685 400 216 www.petcarespain.com.

Find us on Facebook at Petcare Spain

12th - 17th January ACCOMPANY your pets to their new home. Fully licensed pet transport service. Denise www.petchauffeur.eu 952 197 187 696 233 848 info@petchauffeur.eu

pool services www.perfectpools.es.

Maintenance, Repairs & Renovation. Professional & Reliable Service. All Areas. info@perfectpools.es.

650 348 785

Man and van / HOUSE CLEARANCES 20€ per hour 609 321 958 (257550)

SWIMMING pool construction, reforms, architectural services available www.advasolsolutions.com 951 965 309 664 871 133

property WWW.INMOANDALUZ.COM is always looking for realistically priced inland properties to sell to our interested buyers.

Tel 952 491 609 685 514 835 WWW.INMOANDALUZ.COM Bargain inland properties for all budgets, fincas, village homes, apartments and villas. Legal building plots. 952 491 609 685 514 835 LONG TERM RENTALS. Super prices, no commission.

Apartments, townhouses,

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property management PROPERTY MANAGEMENT ANTARIOS Let us take good care of your Property www.renovarsecostadelsol. com call Piero: 605 379061 email: piero.ceciarelli@gmail.com (246580)

removal services

WESTARPOOLS. Pool construction, renovation, repairs and heating.

619 246 372 / www.westarpools.com

Wordwheel Solution

villas, fincas, shops, offices, bars, restaurants.

Coast & inland. Tlf 679 111 522

roller shutters ACE OF SHADES - PERSIANA (security shutter) electric and manual, various colours available including wood effect, we also offer a repair service.

Make your home more secure!

Tel: 951 273 254 671 732 204 / info@aceofshades.design ROLLER shutter repairs, 7 days a week, conversion from manual to motorised, new installations. All areas covered. Coast and inland. 655 825 931

43

tv & satellite

Save Heat In The Winter Too Improve Your Living Environment. ian@solarshadetinting.com Tel Ian 958 496 571 / 644 546 176 (251071)

ENGLISH TV bbc 1, 2, 3, 4, itv, ch4 & ch5. no internet needed. No subscriptions. good prices also dish realignment.

Tel: 652 023 012

soft furnishings Curtains, Blinds, Cushions And Much More. Free Estimates And Home Visits. Tel 657 369 343 Or rosannacarmella@ hotmail.com (252512)

BRITISH freeview channels via satellite for a one off payment. Also full sky package available (Internet required). Call for details. TV solutions 600 038 950

tuition MARBELLA DESIGN ACADEMY – Validated programms. UK Bachelor of Arts Degrees in Interior architecture, Graphic design & Fashion design. www.designschool.com

upholstery Rugs Fitted Carpets, Upholstery Including Leather Cleaned On Site 685 524 921 (252581)

tv & satellite

Advanced Cleaning Services. Professional Carpet, Upholstery Cleaning, 27 Years Experience, Wet/Dry Clean. Honest, Reliable Service 678 808 837 / 952 669 701 Or Email acservs@outlook.com (252581)

REPAIRS – TV’s, Plasmas, LCD’s, Digi – Boxes, Video, Hi-Fi and microwaves.

Free estimates, can collect.

35 Years experience. John 952 491 723 or 600 706 201

situations vacant

solar blinds Solar Blinds Es Ideal For Large Glazed Areas To Reflect Heat / Glare And Stop Furniture Fading And Still Keep The View.

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44

12th - 18th January

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MIJAS Council is set to save €150,000 after fitting LED street lighting.

The lights, which have been installed in Camino de Campanales, followed requests from residents who said the street should be better-lit.

Jose Antonio Gonzalez, Councillor for Energy Efficiency, explained, “from the Department of Energy and Efficiency and in collaboration with residents we have pushed through this project that was forgotten by the Partido Popular (PP) while they were in government.”

He added the project “involved the installation of up to 20 LED-type lights, so we have not only been able to respond to this historical demand from neighbours, but we can also continue to protect the environment.”

Councillor Gonzalez explained, “this is a completely new innovation and we have taken advantage of some of the material that we already had in the area, thus speeding up its development and allowing residents to have a well-lit road.”

The councillor met with residents, including Diego Martin, president of the

Vega del Cañadon community.

Mr Martin said, “we are very happy because this was a request that the residents had been pushing for since 2013,” adding it was “a project the current councillor has brought about and it is finally a reality.”

In October Mijas Council spent €171,948 upgrading the El Juncal road linking Santiago and Molino de Viento. The multithousand Euro project will connect the main roads as well as offering access to four others; Virgen de Monserra, Virgen de la Cabeza, Virgen del Pilar and Virgen del Rocio and is nearing completion.

The town’s mayor, Juan Carlos Maldonado, confirmed, “we are going to improve all our infrastructures and, in this case, we are going to create ones. There will also be for the first time separate networks for sewage and rainwater, as well as public lighting, electrical and telecommunications networks and paving to join roads together like Virgen del Rocio and Virgen del Pilar, which used to have only pedestrian access, and will now be equipped for road traffic.”

Construction works for a new parking lot on El Juncal are now also in the planning stage, with a tender having been drafted and offered out. The contract will now be awarded in the next few days.

motoring

Carry on... with no cabby!

MITSUBISHI MOTORS, Renault, and Nissan Motor are seeking a number of partnerships for their proposed move into the shared driverless robo-taxi market.

The combination of some of the biggest names in the automobile industry plans to unveil who they’re hoping to work with in coming months, said Ogi Redzic, a senior vice president overseeing about 1,000 employees developing connectivity services for the group.

The three want to work with technology companies that are already experimenting with self-driving cars, he said. These include, for example, Google and Uber Technologies.

“Tech companies aren’t going to build and sell cars to our current customers,” said Redzic, a former Nokia executive. For them, autonomous technology enables and enhances their main businesses, he said. “We envision that partnerships are possible.”

Renault, alongside its long-time partner Nissan, and their more recent ally Mitsubishi, plan to develop 15 models with autonomous features by 2022 that includes one fully self-driving vehicle.

Combined, the companies spent a total of $8.3 billion on research and development last year which is similar to that of General Motors.

The alliance has already reached some agreements to share the R&D burden. Nissan works with mobile-games editor DeNA on autonomous cabs to be tested in Yokohama, while Renault teamed up with French transportation-services provider Transdev to develop self-driving fleets. The alliance signed a deal with Microsoft last year to co-invest on developing backend cloud technology fit for autonomous vehicles.

Other automakers have made similar deals. Volvo and Daimler have teamed up with Uber, and a driverless-car alliance

NO TIPS?: Big three looking to develop driver-free taxis. has been recently announced pairing Volkswagen Group and Hyundai Motor with the startup Aurora will develop vehicles for Moia, VW’s electric ride-hailing network.

To show off the perks of autonomous cars, Renault built a fully-working prototype called Symbioz that is capable of selfdriving on the open highway.

Redzic says drivers will be compelled to pay for a car that lets them take their eyes off the road, allowing them to answer emails, watch movies or recline in their seats.

“Autonomous cars will bring more value to our existing customers,” Redzic said. “The vehicle itself is valuable and also services will generate a lot of value. We want to take a fair share.”

12th - 18th January

motoring

45

Nissan Navara takes on the gruelling Dakar Rally ‘DREAM… DARE… LIVE IT’ is the official motto of the worldfamous Dakar Rally - and that’s exactly what one man and his Nissan Navara are currently experiencing.

Mindaugas Plukys has bought the pickup, found sponsors to help him modify it and shipped it across the Atlantic Ocean to the start line in Lima, Peru.

Timing for this ‘trip of a lifetime’ expedition could not be more perfect for Mindaugas. As the gruelling Dakar Rally celebrates its 40th anniversary in 2018, he will be doing the same thing later in the year.

Mindaugas commented: “There is something about the Dakar Rally which has always inspired me, and this adventure has been five years in the planning. I always said I’d do it before my 40th birthday, so getting to South America in January 2018 has been my goal.”

Mindaugas lives in Vilnius, Lithuania, and works for Nissan as part of the communications team in the Baltic region. It means the ‘tough and smart’ Nissan Navara was always going to be the vehicle to make his dream come true.

The vehicle is a Double Cab model, powered by a 2.3-litre 160PS diesel engine linked to a six-speed manual transmission. Finished in Flame Red, the ride height has been raised 4cm with an Old Man Emu suspension system.

Nissan side bars and a rear bumper bar have been added to improve styling and durability, while a Rival underbody protection system has also been fitted. Night-time visibility is improved by a Hella LED light bar, while a plastic load liner and aluminium load cover provide secure storage.

On the roof are Thule cross bars and roof rack, plus a Lazer Triple R 16 LED bar for additional lighting. The exterior is finished with 18-inch black alloys and Cooper Discoverer ST Maxx tyres.

Inside the Navara is standard apart from a 220V power converter plus the addition of four extra USB sockets.

Mindaugas added: “The tough and smart character of the Nissan Navara makes it the perfect vehicle for this adventure. Apart from the suspension upgrades and body protection, it’s a standard vehicle.

Every other new component is there to make life easier. The route through South America will be hard, but I expect the Navara to cope with it.”

EN ROUTE: Lithuanian driver Mindaugas Plukys ready for the challenge.

M. DOMENECH

WE BUY OR HELP YOU SELL YOUR VEHICLE AT THE BEST PRICE

www.autosdomenech.com All prices include VAT, transfer and 12 months warranty

12th - 18th January

sport

2018 Vuelta to start with time trial in Malaga

47

A former player, Tony Matthews is now the world’s most prolific author of football books with 150 published since 1975. He has also been a PE teacher, policeman, radio correspondent and is now a quiz-organiser and fund–raiser, for various charities.

Starting with cricket and it’s now Australia 15 England three with regards to Test Match victories down under over the last 12 years! Although they won the Ashes series 3-1 in 2010-11, England were white-washed 5-0 in 2006-07 and 2014-15 and they’ve just lost the latest series 4-0 after the Aussies comprehensively won the final Test by an innings and 123 runs in Sydney. As they say, things can only get better, starting hopefully, with the ODIs which take place over the next fortnight. The next Ashes series is in England in the summer of 2019.

The first Grand Slam tennis tournament of the year starts on Monday in Melbourne, Australia. Reigning champion Roger Federer is ranked second behind Rafal Nadal, followed

by Grigor Dimitrov (3), Alexander Zverev (4), Dominic Thiem (5) and Marin Cilic (6), followed by three Americans, Jack Sock (8), Sam Querrey (13) and John Isner (16) while Stan Wawrinka and Novak Djokovic are standing 9th and 12th respectively. The 2017 women’s champion Serena Williams is out, along with Victoria Azarenka, leaving Simona Halep as the top player, ahead of Caroline Wozniacki (2), Spain’s Garbiñe Muguruza (3), Elina Svitolina (4), Venus Williams (5), Karoline Plitskova (6), Jelena Ostapenka (7), Caroline Garcia (8) and GB’s Johanna Konta (9). Injured Andy Murray is also out - he’s had a hip operation - and Kyle Edmund could be an absentee as well. My outsiders to reach the semi-finals at least are David Goffin and Spain’s Roberto Bautista Agut and Madison Keys and CoCo Vandeweghe.

The 2018 Masters Snooker championship in London runs from Sunday to January 21 and once again Ronnie O’Sullivan will be going for glory, and the BDO Darts World Championship at Frimley Green is currently underway and ends on Sunday when Rob Cross, who beat Phil ‘The Power’ Taylor in the recent PDC Championship final, could be victorious again.

VUELTA: To start this year in Malaga.

THE Vuelta a España, one of the most famous cycling races of the calendar, will start this year in Malaga with a time trial.

Although the official description of the route will be announced tomorrow (Saturday), certain details are already trickling out, heightening the anticipation.

The popular Andalucian port city of Malaga will launch the Vuelta with a nine-kilometre individual time trial.

That is expected to be followed my multiple short mountain stages, before finishing with

another time trial at an as yet unknown location (potentially Torrelavega).

The gruelling race will be battled out from August 25 to September 16 and should be another climber’s delight.

After stages along the Portuguese border and those in Asturias, the Basque Country, and Andorra, it will finish in Madrid.

A similarly hilly route in 2017 saw Tour de France champion Chris Froome triumph, although after recent controversies his involvement is now unclear.

Alhaurin de la Torre to host the 5th Half Marathon ON Sunday, a thousand brave

Onto football… and the biggest shocks in last weekend’s FA Cup third round saw the holders and record 13-time winners Arsenal crash out 4-2 at Nottingham Forest while Coventry beat Stoke 2-1 - a result which led to the sacking of Potters’ manager Mark Hughes. And for Arsene Wenger, it was his first-ever defeat in round three as Arsenal boss.

Other excellent wins were achieved by Newport County 2-1 over Leeds, by Peterborough 3-1 at Aston Villa, Liverpool 2-1 against Everton in the Merseyside derby (Reds’ £75m defender Virgil van Dijk headed the winner on debut), Manchester City 4-1 over Burnley, Manchester United 2-0 versus Derby and Spurs 3-0 against Wimbledon.

There were also victories for Birmingham, Huddersfield, Middlesbrough (over neighbours Sunderland), Newcastle, Notts County, Preston (5-1 at Wycombe), Southampton, Watford, West Brom and the lowest-ranked team left in the competition, Yeovil who are in round 4 for the first time since 1949.

Chelsea, Leicester and toothless West Ham were held 0-0 by Norwich, Fleetwood and Shrewsbury respectively while League One leaders Wigan drew 2-2 at Bournemouth.

The fourth round draw is: Bournemouth/Wigan v Shrewsbury/West Ham, Cardiff/ Mansfield v Manchester City Carlisle/Sheffield Wednesday v Stevenage/Reading, Huddersfield v Birmingham, Hull v Nottingham Forest, Liverpool v WBA, MK Dons v Coventry, Middlesbrough v Brighton, Millwall v Rochdale, Newport v Spurs, Norwich/ Chelsea v Newcastle, Notts County v Wolves/Swansea, Peterborough v Fleetwood/ Leicester, Sheffield United v Preston, Southampton v Watford and Yeovil v Manchester United. Ties to be played over the weekend of January 26, 27, 28.

The first legs of this season’s Carabao League Cup semi-finals involving Manchester City v Bristol City and Chelsea v Arsenal took place on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively, with the return legs due next mid-week. Also there are the semi-finals of the Checkatrade Cup and the FA Trophy and coming up this weekend, we have PL games involving Bournemouth-Arsenal, Chelsea-Leicester, Liverpool-Manchester City, Manchester United-Stoke City and Tottenham-Everton, plus Barnsley-Wolves and the Sheffield ‘steel’ derby between United and Wednesday in the Championship and in Leagues 1 and 2 it’s Wigan-Peterborough and Chesterfield-Luton.

runners are expected to pound the streets of Alhaurin de la Torre for the fifth Half Marathon.

While there is a child’s race of 1,500m, the main event will be 21km and another great sporting showpiece.

In Spain, the imperious Lionel Messi scored his 365th goal on his 400th appearance for Barcelona who beat Levante 3-0 while Real Madrid drew 2-2 with Celta Vigo. Barcá now lead La Liga by nine points from Atletico Madrid and they are 16 ahead of fourth-placed Real.

Messi has now equalled Gerd Muller’s all-time record for most League goals for a European club. Andres Iniesta also made his 650th appearance for Barcá in this latest match.

It has been organised by the Alpino Sports Club Jarapalos and the Sports Area of the City Council, and will be the event’s fifth outing.

At last, Brazilian Philipe Coutinho has left Liverpool for Barcelona for a fee of £142m (€160m). “It’s a dream come true for me,” said the midfielder. Barcelona’s squad is currently valued at £525m (€706.5m).

All participants will receive a runner’s bag on finishing with vest, medal, sandwich and drink. The start time is 10am and the athletes will have access to physio, showers, and changing rooms. half marathon: The main event is 21km.

Finally, in Rugby Union, in-form Newcastle Falcons beat Aviva Premiership leaders Exeter Chiefs 28-20. Saracens (38-15 winners over Wasps) are second, five points behind the Chiefs (50-45) while London Irish are bottom (10). And some sad news from Rugby League… the Widnes Vikings’ centre Kato Ottio (aged 23) has died during a training session.