QFocus magazine January 2022

E FR E

YOUR LOCAL MAGAZINE

Serving the community since 1993 COSTA BLANCA SOUTH EDITION | January 2022

DRIVING

Are You Using Roundabouts Correctly?

ELCHE A UNESCO World Heritage Site

TRAVEL

From Alicante to Gatwick, A View From The Top

ALICANTE Why is a Moor’s face carved into Alicante castle?

Page 2 www.femalefocusonline.com expensive and heavy, mine weighs 8 Kgs on its own.

Part 2 Now for the good news, Hopefully, anyone reading this will have already seen last month’s there is a way to have a introduction, particularly the bit about a telescope being made up decent telescope at home of three equally important pieces. The telescope itself, the mount, without too many pitfalls and the stand. Let’s start with correct terminology, in astronomy, or complications. As I said a telescope is the whole thing, the part you actually look through earlier a good tripod is big, is called an optical tube assembly, though everyone just calls it an heavy and expensive, so OTA. This isn't just jargon, it matters because we need to identify don't bother with one, not at first. which part we are talking about.

As long as you have a decent stable garden table, preferably one Right, so we have three pieces, the OTA itself, next comes the of those marble topped ones, you can just put the mount and mount, this is the assembly that holds the OTA and allows you to 'scope on that. This month's picture is of my portable 'scope used move from object to object around the sky. exactly as I have described, ready for use in a very short time.

Some mounts are basic, just holding the tube, some have little Some telescopes are sold without a tripod to be used in just this wheels and gears to allow you to move the tube slowly. This is way, referred to as portable or grab and go telescopes. Prices for a very important, it's called tracking, as the Earth spins, whatever decent beginners reflector (one that uses a mirror instead of a lens) you are looking at will move out of view in the telescope. At 200 telescope start at around 200€, one example being the Orion Star times magnification, a star will drift out of view in seconds, so you Blast 4.5. There are also some decent beginners telescopes that can turn a little wheel to keep the star in view. These are called have the electronic gubbins to track the stars, starting about 300€ equatorial mounts, and they take very precise setting up to work like the Skywatcher heritage 90. properly.

You'll have noticed how short and small these 'scopes are, don't let There's a third class of mount, one with electronics and motors. that put you off, there are ways of designing a telescope to be small The best of these will know where on the Earth they are (GPS), without losing performance, they just don't look as impressive. where north is, then set themselves up nearly perfectly then move There is a downside, these are telescopes made to be inexpensive, itself to see whatever star or planet you want. Does that sound so there will be a lot of plastic, and optics that are OK but not expensive? They can be, but I'll come back to that later. excellent. That said, they will massively out perform any of those That just leaves one bit of the telescope to consider, the stand, telescopes I mentioned earlier from the big stores. usually it will be a tripod, something most of us will be familiar Next month I'll tell you more about the different optics, and sizes, with. To hold everything steady, a tripod needs to be very solid and what to expect from your telescope. and sturdy or when you look through the 'scope, the image will be up dancing all over the place. Magnification amplifies every vibration Vega Baja Astronomy Gro in the tripod. The downside of a good tripod is that they are QFocus Magazine January 2022

ASTRONOMICAL TELESCOPES

Charles Oates,

● To find out more about observing and astronomy, email us at vegabaja.astronomygroup@gmail.com.

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QFocus Magazine January 2022

QF���� Maga���e Ja��a�� 2022

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What an end to 2021! After many months of stress and apprehension we have finally moved into our new house.

And what seemed to be dragging on forever turned into a mad rush at the last minute, having just a few days to have all our belongings moved...but we got there.

Although now we are living out of boxes, as each day passes we are slowly but surely unpacking and finding new homes for our things.

And this happened just a week before Christmas leaving the Christmas shopping being done just 2 days before.

Any time off work is being spent sorting the new house out rather than relaxing, as Steptoe’s Yard has become an overflow into the house and underbuild.

As always I wish you all the very best for 2022 and thank you all for your continued support.

Until next time.

Michelle

QFocus Magazine covering the Alicante South region and the Female Focus covering the Alicante North region.

Discuss your advertising with your local representative:-

Sales Manager Michelle 663 178 228 michelle@femalefocusonline.com

QFocus Office: Mon to Fri. 10am - 2pm Tel. 657 501 055 Pick up your next issue on 1 February

Deadline for advertising & editorial - 17 Jan

Please send editorial to editor@femalefocusonline.com Advert content to adver�sing@femalefocusonline.com

Like and Follow us on Facebook www.facebook.com/FemaleFocus/ & Instagram @FemaleFocusPublica�ons Female Focus is proud to have been voted the third most popular magazine worldwide in the independent Expat Survey Consumer Awards

Female Focus Publications are supporters of www.aldeasinfantiles.es

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QFocus Magazine January 2022

LA MANCHA saffron

CLOSE TO THE SMALL TOWN OF CONSUEGRA, THE FIESTA DE LA ROSA DEL AZAFRAN CAN BE VISITED SINCE 1969. Situated on a high plateau in the shadow of Don Quixote’s windmills and blanketed in soft purple crocus flowers, this colourful festival kicks-off the region’s harvest season. A festival dedicated to all things saffron.

Festival goers can look forward to three days of activities, including musical acts, dancing in a flurry of traditional costume. As a fanfare there are cooking contests featuring saffron, and vendors serving local dishes prepared with the prized ingredient. The festivities culminate with a contest, where participants compete with each other, to see who can remove most saffron threads from the crocus flowers.

IT IS NEARLY 11 O’CLOCK. THE SUN SHINES BRIGHT FROM A CLEAR BLUE SKY. A purple glimmer lies over the crocus fields. Between precisely planted rows of flowers, local people are helping with the harvest.

Stooping men carefully pluck the delicate flowers and place them in a brown wicker basket.

the short harvest season begins. It will end in the middle of November.

A crocus can grow to a height of 30cm. 6 petals protect the 3 stigmas inside the flower. It is these 2.5 to 4.5cm long stigmas that yield saffron. The crocus is sown in August and starts flowering at the end of October. This is when

With autumnal magic, the fields of La Mancha are transformed overnight into a glorious sea of colour. The time has come at last, and the flowers must be harvested immediately. The delicate crocus flowers cannot survive the Spanish sun for long; they risk wilting. To prevent this, harvesters go out every day. Harvesting by hand is a laborious business, but so far there is no machine to do this work ‘the flowers are too delicate’.

It needs around 250,000 flowers to produce a kilo of saffron, and that’s a lot of labour.

From the field, the crocus is taken for further processing – not to a factory but to a house close to the fields.

Inside the intense smell of saffron overrides any other sensation. In the middle of the room is a long table covered with a white cloth, on which hundreds of crocus flowers are spread. Around 25 women, most of them past retirement age, are removing the three delicate red stigmas from the flowers. Petals land on the floor, they may be beautiful, but there is no further use for them.

There is a cheerful, almost family atmosphere among the women. ‘That is what it’s all about for them, they use the harvest as a pastime, to meet other villagers and swap news. They receive ‘red gold’ as payment instead of money. They can take a third of their day’s output home with them.’

While most of the women are at the table busily removing the stigmas, another woman is roasting them.

The aroma is not released until the stigmas are roasted over charcoal in a cylindrical sieve. Some say that saffron can have up to 150 different flavours: it starts sweet, with a slight hint of vanilla or caramel, but over the years, it becomes more and more powerful, like liquorice.

The last stage is packaging. Saffron is rolled into small pieces of parchment to make it easier to fill one gram and two-gram jars. Once the jars are labelled, the saffron is ready to be sold.

LA MANCHA IS ONE OF THE FEW SAFFRON PRODUCTION AREAS IN EUROPE. Though saffron crocuses grow in Italy, Iran, India, and beyond, many chefs consider La Mancha saffron to be ‘the gold standard.’

Producing saffron requires lots of labour, the main reason why this spice is by far and away the world’s priciest food by weight. Well, is it? The wholesale price of saffron ranges from around 1000€ to 5000€ per kilogram - obviously, a huge variation with price dependant on quality. The nice thing about saffron is even though it’s extremely expensive by weight, when you think about it in terms of cost per food serving, it is actually quite affordable.

Azafran, Consuegra, La Mancha. Map reference 39 2543 N, 3 2729 W. This article is an extract from ‘OUT OF SIGHT SPAIN, top 150 cool places to visit.’ by local author Harry King. 216 pages. 140 colour photos. Best value source: Book Depository.com Waterstones.com Amazon Kindle Store.

QFocus Magazine January 2022

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QUARTERLY ANNOUNCEMENT - 25th November 2021 - provided by an Investment Product Provider extremely well known to British expats: The investment committee has announced NO CHANGE to Expected Growth Rates (EGR) of the International Bond applied to investor's accounts daily, as follows, AFTER charges:

Growth (Sterling) Fund 3.3% p.a.

Cautious (Sterling) Fund 2.4% p.a.

Growth (Euro) Fund 2.4% p.a.

Cautious (Euro) Fund 1.6% p.a. (note: The above is what new investors would receive and investors of over 5 years would receive 1.2% p.a. more than published rates above) In addition to the above returns on your money the investments are wrapped in a Spanish Tax Compliant investment product designed especially for Spanish resident ex-pats and this will give you the following benefits: • Mechanism employed by the Provider smooths returns. Excellent for inexperienced investors and historically vastly better than bank interest returns.

• Option to give a regular monthly or quarterly withdrawal of 5% p.a. penalty free, giving peace of mind for the regularity of a set income.

• Avoidance of Spanish inheritance tax liabilities between spouses if written as a joint policy which is all held in Ireland i.e. outside of Spain.

• Named UK resident beneficiaries will only pay Inheritance tax per UK rules on the passing of this bond. In most cases this will be Nil.

• All income tax deduction and reporting and Modelo 720 asset reporting is done for you in Spain by the Product Provider. This is very simple for investors.

• Portable, should you move back to UK. • Minimum investment £20,000 or €25,000 or US$35,000.

• 1.5% allocation bonus for investments over £150,000 (immediately worth £152,250). 0.5% allocation bonus for investments over £75,000.

Please call me for information on investment solutions for your circumstances (minimum £20,000/€25,000) or about pension transfers to enable flexible access (take what you want when you want rather than being drip-fed your own money).

David Diggle C.A.T. DipFA Tel: 615 607 278 / 865 751 713.

Email: info@daviddiggle.es / dave.diggle@seagatewealth.es Website: www.daviddiggle.es / seagatewealth.es We work in conjunction with fully regulated and authorised companies.

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QFocus Magazine January 2022

SUDOKU

Here are two Sudoku puzzles of different skill levels for you to try. It is not a maths game at all - it is a pure logic game.

F i l l i n t h e g r i d s o t h a t e v e r y r o w, e v e r y c o l u m n a n d e v e r y 3 x 3 grid contains the digits 1 through to 9 with no repeats, which means that no number is repeated in any row, column or box.

CROSSWORD

Across 1 Paris product (7) 5 Office team (5) 9 Chinese province, mostly an island (6) 10 Asparagus serving (5) 11 Summon back (6) 12 Uncover (6) 13 Broadcast (3) 14 More secure (5) 16 Dull-coloured robes undone (5) 18 Welkin (3) 20 Render harmless (6) 22 Purpose (6) 24 In pieces (5) 25 Irrational fear (6) 26 Bundles (5) 27 Fixed (7) Down 2 Rub out (5) 3 Trumpet flourish (7) 4 Paper capital? (6) 6 Moor (3,2) 7 Predict (7) 8 Tares ripped up, revealing garden flower (5)

15 "Arabian Nights" hero (3,4) 17 Farthest away (7) 18 Metalworker (5) 19 Joyful expression (6) 21 Rouse (5) 23 Hubbub (5) See back pages for answers

QFocus Magazine January 2022

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Some Common Questions Answered

Are Habitation Licences Required To Sell A Property In Almeria Or Murcia Area?

Actually, an occupation licence is not a document required to sell a property at the notary within the Murcia Region, but you may find that solicitors from Alicante area ask for it, even if it’s not legally essential to sign a sale. Having said that, a habitation licence is only required in Alicante.

Why Is The Average EPC Rating So Low? This is basically due to poor insulation in local building methods.

Ratings in Southern Spain are generally very low but this fact doesn’t affect the marketing process or the property´s price.

What Is The Difference Between An EPC In UK And Spain?

There is little difference between the UK and Spanish standards or protocol with an EPC. Surveyors in UK take into account light bulbs whilst in Spain we are not allowed to include light bulbs and other installations that are not likely to be permanent during the 10 year validation of the certificate.

Have The EPC Inspections Started?

Yes, the inspection process has started for properties offered for sale or rent. A couple of years ago 42 agencies were fined regarding most of their clients in Catalonia. In Murcia, inspections have started activated by ‘denuncias’ between estate agents and also to detect false or unqualified technicians. In Madrid full inspections and fining has officially started, revealing that 20% of the cases were actions against the unqualified “technicians”, 40% were cases against falsified documents, and the final 40% were for cases

of properties that didn't have the obligatory EPC prepared for the purposes of marketing for sale or leasing. In Alicante we have only heard of cases where fines have been given to agents or sellers after neighbours, purchasers or other agencies have reported them.

Is It Obligatory To Have A Retrospective Licence?

There is no law that makes it obligatory to have a Retrospective Licence (also known as a Certificate of Antiquity), but as a matter of fact now all purchasers or solicitors are asking to have licences correctly in place. Most vendors prefer to have a Retrospective Licence when a pool or extension has been done without a licence or without the proper licence. Vendors benefit from having this done sooner rather than later, as explained before, to avoid trying to organise such things at the last moment (when sales are already very stressful) and to avoid additional “in panic” expenses. Plus, we are seeing an increase of vendors having these licenses done to prevent losing the confidence of a potential purchaser due to the existence of illegal parts of the property. Likewise agents are now more likely to expect a vendor to have this license for the sake of their reputations, so as not to sell a property that is only "partially" legal and prevent having possible disgruntled clients later on.

What Do I Need To Have A Retrospective Licence?

The conditions needed in Alicante area to obtain Retrospective Licences / Antiquity Certificates for extensions or pools is that the extension or pool needs to be over 4 years old, before the 20 August 2014, and without having received any objections from authorities.

Martinez de la Casa Architects is the Number 1 company in EPC Certificates (121€ inc IVA) and Number 1 for Antiquity Certificates/ Retrospective Licences for pools (190€ +IVA) and building extensions (270€ +IVA). We also offer superb discounts to groups of 2 clients or more on the same visit, or if you require a combination of legal certificates/services.

If your Solicitors are studying your case, ask them to contact us to provide any of these documents and we will make the whole process easier, faster and cheaper for you. For all enquiries or to arrange an appointment please call 665 810 411 or visit www.martinezdelacasa.com to see an impressive list of over 150 testimonials by different clients.

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Book Review by Ivor Kindle Title: The last Conquest 1066 Author: Berwick Coates Publisher: Simon and Schuster October 1066...The Normans under William Bastard of Normandy have landed in Sussex expecting to take Battle with the English under Harold Godwinson and his army (fyrd). However the English are miles away fighting the Battle of Stamford Bridge against the Vikings under Harald. Eventually the two forces clash and probably the most remembered date in English History, 1066 comes into being. The book has lots of characters and the dialogue between them does take some following... that said the story line rolls along and keeps the reader interested as does the battle dialogue. On a personal note, as a young man I spent many a weekend roaming the modern day site of Battle Abbey and Senlac Hillin Sussex. I still read the occasional thoughts on where the actual Battle site is located... however that is for another day. Enjoy this book and give some thought about the Englishness of the English nation.

Keep reading, Ivor Kindle.

HELP Vega Baja were delighted to meet up with Francisco from the N332.

The N332 have been g r e a t supporters for the charity as well as obviously providing so much valuable information on not only driving but on so many other subjects that impact on life here in Spain.

Francisco provided us with a supply of their new "Stickers".

For a small donation to the charity, these will be available to you at our San Miguel Centre, Calle Lope de Vega 46, San Miguel de Salinas. Please ask any of our volunteers for one.

We very much hope to be able to work with the N332 in the future and thank them for their support.

QF���� Maga���e Ja��a�� 2022

QFocus Magazine January 2022

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HEALTH AND WELLNESS STUDIO IN SAN LUIS

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SHAPE4LIFE under new ownership! With SLIM4LIFE continuing with Shirley Latham, offering a complete, unique and dynamic package in one studio.

Shape4Life and Slim4Life with Exante Diet, to assist you to start 2022 with Renewed vigour Shape4Life in San Luis, which achieved such success since opening the SHAPEMASTER CIRCUIT in December 2019, is now set to reach further achievement with our valued clients in 2022.

Leeanda Carroll is excited to bring her new ideas and enthusiasm to the studio. Leeanda, who has always been client focused and in a front supporting role, is looking forward to welcoming back previous clients and new clients alike.

With this partnership, Leeanda will now have the time to devote to our toning clients and offer new classes, including pilates and personal training.

Who will benefit from Shapemaster+ Pilates exercise?

• Seniors will be able to enjoy exercises safely with supervision and comfortably positioned to safely increase mobility and reduce pain!

• Unfit and overweight? This programme will get you going and increase your energy and as you tone up, help you burn more calories.

• In addition new extended hours are hoping to be added.

SLIM4LIFE – our successful EXANTE weight loss programme, together with other High Protein quality products to make up a full range, will continue at the Studio as normal. However, now Shirley will have more time to devote for individual meetings and consultations. The unique SLIM4LIFE programme being run here in San Luis, continues to have outstanding transformations with clients losing weight and regaining health and most importantly, maintaining their weight loss through professional weight loss coaching, which is part of the programme.

The new addition in 2021 of the Diabetic II, NHS approved, programme saw clients in reversal within a very short period.

The team at SHAPE4LIFE AND SLIM4LIFE San Luis look forward to welcoming you and getting you toned, trimmed and in the best of health for 2022.

QFocus Magazine January 2022

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Celebrating pomegranates and dates from Elche

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Elche is famous for many things - shoes, football, its unique Mystery Play El Misteri d'Elx taking place in the Basilica of Santa María, and being home to the largest palm grove in Europe.

It is believed there are between 200,000 to 300,000 palm trees in the city today.

The original palm grove is said to date back to Phoenician times around 2,000 to 2,500 years ago. This green oasis is now a UNESCO World Heritage site and provides a calm, shady spot within the city centre.

It certainly impressed Danish author Hans Christian Andersen who wrote in A Journey through Spain in 1862: “As we approached Elche, we could already make out its valley resplendent with fruits and its immense Palm Grove, the most extensive and most beautiful in Europe, the most luxuriant in all of Spain.”

Many typical Elche products are made with dates including pan de dátil cake made with dates and almonds, date liqueur, and delicias de Elche, which is a tapas dish of dates stuffed with almond and wrapped in bacon.

The palms can be seen throughout the world during Palm Sunday processions while the dates are sold in local shops, Elche indoor market and at a stall in the Huerto del Cura garden - where you'll also find the famous and very rare Imperial Palm shaped like a candelabra - as well as online.

As well as palm trees, other Spanish Mediterranean fruits such as pomegranate, carob, lemon and orange are cultivated in the Huerto del Cura (Priest’s Garden). The Mollar pomegranate from Elche is one of the most valued pomegranates in the world and is renowned for its sweetness. It is also one of the so-called superfruits as it is rich in antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. These fruits are used in many dishes created in Elche restaurants, including pomegranate ice-cream.

Article by Sarah Farrell - www.sarahswritestuff.com

Spot the 12 differences

Spot the odd one out

(answers in the classified pages)

A

B

C

D

E

F

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NANCY by Jacqueline Carpenter It's the swinging sixties and Great Britain is soaring ahead with fabulous fashions, sensational music, a booming economy and new found freedom for all.

Join Louisa, her lovable family and quirky friends for a thrilling decade in their lives as they encounter love, happiness, sorrow, success and female strength.

NANCY will warm your heart and stay with you forever.

NANCY is the third novel in Jacqueline Carpenter's rags to riches trilogy and follows the hugely successful LOUISA and JOAN. LOUISA and JOAN are available on Amazon and Kindle worldwide and NANCY will be on 14th February 2022, Valentine's Day! Jacqueline Carpenter was born in Kent and moved to Aveley, Essex at just four months old. Her father was from Bermondsey, South London and her mother is from Aberdeen, Scotland. She had a very happy young life in Aveley and worked in the City of London after leaving school.

Jacqueline now lives in Spain where in her words she is enjoying writing, sewing and eating olives! www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B08HGZWBQS

QFocus Magazine January 2022

HELP VEGA BAJA Volunteers Wanted HELP is a registered charity and appears on the register of charities held by the Valencian government. We help people of all ages with all sorts of problems within the Vega Baja area from La Marina to Pilar de la Horadada.

We have a centre at San Miguel de Salinas which includes a charity shop and a hire centre for mobility equipment. We also have a helpdesk in La Marina. Each of these supply a wide range of information and advice to members and nonmembers alike.

We also provide a Welfare Team who are able to offer advice and assistance.

We operate a hire service of orthopaedic equipment at low cost to the public and reduced fees for our members. Our vast stock of equipment includes wheelchairs, walking frames, toilet seat raisers, bath seats and crutches. This service is available to both residents and visitors alike.

Events are held throughout the year to raise funds and we are able to support those in need. All our volunteers work extremely hard throughout the year for our charity, often in the background and we are very grateful for their continued support. If you perhaps have a few hours a week to spare and are interested in finding out about becoming a volunteer with us, please get in touch. We would love to hear from you. There are a wide range of opportunities from office administration to hospital visiting and much more in between!

Please 'like' our Facebook page (HELP Vega Baja) to see regular updates of events and activities at HELP plus information that may be of interest to you.

Contact us via a message on WhatsApp 00 34 681 934 270, email: office@helpvegabaja.com or the website www.helpvegabaja.com.

QFocus Magazine January 2022

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SERGIO LEONE Sad Hill Cemetery WISH TO SEE CLINT EASTWOOD, LEE VAN CLEEF AND ELI WALLACH AGAIN? Then come to Burgos and relive it like a cowboy from the American West; you will freak out!

Sad Hill Cemetery was built between the Burgos municipalities of Contreras and Santo Domingo de Silos, to shoot the final scene of the movie ‘The Good, the Bad and the Ugly’. This is where the 15-minute classic movie scene was shot and in Burgos you can relive it at Sad Hill Cemetery.

It was the summer of 1966 when the Italian film director Sergio Leone was in Spain locating exterior settings.

Leone had already shot some of his famous spaghetti westerns in the Tabernas Desert in Almeria. The film he was shooting needed a stage with a bridge and a river, something he would hardly find in the province of Almería.

He found it in the Arlanza river valley, in the Sierra de la Demanda.

The Monastery of San Pedro de Arlanza was transformed into the Mission San Antonio. Near the municipality of Carazo, the unionist Fort Betterville was erected. The Arlanza river became the Rio Grande’s Langstone Bridge. In the Mirandilla Valley, remarkably close to Santo Domingo de Silos, the Sad Hill Cemetery was built where the final scene of the film was shot.

Leone had the help of the Spanish army to build the circular Sad Hill Cemetery. More than 5,000 ‘graves’ were created. Most of them had their own wooden cross. After filming the place was abandoned. Over the years, vegetation covered the graves; the wooden crosses rotted.

In 2013, with the intention of recovering the film scenes for tourism purposes, the Sad Hill Cultural Association emerged. Its members took months to unearth the cemetery's original central cobblestone, scene of the big shootout between Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and Eli Wallach. Two years later, on the fiftieth anniversary of the shooting of the film, the association began to recover ‘graves’ in the cemetery. Thousands of volunteers cleared vegetation and breathed new life into this gigantic setting.

Since 2016, the association has managed to recover more than 1,500 ‘graves.’ It has done through a somewhat macabre patronage campaign. For only 15 euros, anyone could have a headstone with a name in Sad Hill Cemetery. This original campaign spread across the globe, with requests coming from everywhere. An American fan of the film even tried to have his ashes deposited here after his death. Among the tombs that already have a name is one dedicated to the director Sergio Leone, another to the unknown soldier. The success of the financial campaign was so astonishing it is now closed.

The access track that goes to Sad Hill cemetery is three kilometres from Contreras and four from Santo Domingo de Silos. Once there the cemetery is open to visitors. Take time to stroll among the endless rows of crosses. Discover inscriptions that will surprise.

Sad Hill Cemetery, near Burgos, Castille & Leon. Map reference 41 5925 N, 3 2431 W. This article is an extract from ‘OUT OF SIGHT SPAIN, top 150 cool places to visit.’ by local author Harry King. 216 pages. 140 colour photos. Best value source: BookDepository.com Waterstones.com and Amazon Kindle Store.

QFocus Magazine January 2022

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Recipes by Pushpa from the Spice Hut Ginger & lemon turkey Healthy option after Christmas 250g turkey pieces 125ml plain low fat yoghurt 4 tbspn of fromage frais, fat free if possible 2 tspn garlic paste 2 tspn ginger paste 2 tspn shredded ginger 1 tspn of curry powder 1 fresh lemon - juice of the lemon and the grated zest.

2 fresh green chillies, finely diced

1 tbspn of dried chillies 4 tbspn fresh coriander Salt 1/2 tspn turmeric Little oil 2 bay leaves 4 cardamom pods Stick of cinnamon Few cloves Few peppercorns

Mix together the yoghurt, lemon juice, zest, ginger, garlic, chillies fresh and dried, curry powder, turmeric, salt and fromage frais.

Marinade the turkey with the mix and set aside.

In a frying pan, heat oil and sizzle the whole spices on a medium heat until you can smell the spices.

Add the marinaded turkey, pour all the mix over it and cook on a low heat, keep stirring occasionally until cooked.

Garnish with the coriander sprigs, shredded ginger and serve hot.

Check the flavours and add extra spice or garlic/ ginger if needed.

The Spice Hut Quesada. Tel. 96 673 1063 or visit www.spicehutspain.com.

The QFocus team wish you all a happy, healthy & prosperous year

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QFocus Magazine January 2022

Why is a Moor’s face carved into Alicante castle?

Next time you visit Alicante, stand by Postiguet beach, look up at Santa Bárbara Castle and on the left side you will see a Moor’s face etched in the rocks.

Legend says this is the face of a Moorish ruler or Caliph mourning the untimely death of his daughter, Princess Cántara.

Cántara had fallen in love with a romantic young man called Ali. But the Caliph thought he was an unsuitable suitor for a princess.

Thankfully, or so he thought, there was another man interested in marrying Cántara - Almanzor, a brave general from Cordoba.

The Caliph set a challenge for the two love rivals - Almanzor was to sail to India to bring home the finest silks and spices. Ali was to build a ditch that would bring much-needed water from Tibi, 30 kilometres from Alicante, to the castle.

Ali forgot about his task and spent all his days reading love poems to the princess. That was until the general returned with a fine array of coloured silks and aromatic spices. Ali rushed to Tibi to start his challenge but realised he was too late and threw himself to the bottom of a ravine and died. Ironically, when his body hit the ground it caused the earth to split in two and diverted water from the nearby river to create the Pantano de Tibi reservoir.

When Cántara heard the news about Ali she threw herself off the Sierra de San Julian mountain into the sea. This spot is now known as El Salto de la Reina Mora - the Moor Queen’s Jump.

The Caliph never recovered from the loss of his darling daughter and when he died, his grief-stricken face became permanently carved in Mount Benacantil mountain upon which Alicante castle stands.

You can visit Santa Bárbara Castle in Alicante for free or pay for a guided tour to find out more about the history of this medieval fortress.

Article by Sarah Farrell - www.sarahswritestuff.com

QFocus Magazine January 2022

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COSTA BLANCA SOUTH

Note from Benny: Let's hope 2022 will be a good year for all board treaders from thespians to vocal groups, or whatever you do to raise money for charity in the name of entertainment.

Break a leg one and all.

Actors Community Theatre Society: The Company are excited to announce their next production will be, `Murdered to Death´.

This brilliant and hilarious Agatha Christie inspired spoof by Peter Gordon, will be staged at Benijofar Theatre on the 25 and 26 March.

They say this is one show you will not want to miss. More next month.

Lyrical Mixed Voice Choir: The choir have just completed their very successful Christmas concerts, raising more than 2500€ for charity. They start rehearsals on 12 January for their spring concert, `It's a Grand Night for Singing´ which will be staged on 29 April (venue TBA). The programme will include several hits from the musicals `Phantom of the Opera´ and `Les Misérables´ as well as many popular classics and sacred music. Contact Philip Mitchell 865 750 435 or Trent Harris 650 764 127 for further details.

www.femalefocusonline.com Rojales Pantomime Group: The group are very sad to have to announce that the Pantomime, `Treasure Island´, which was due to be performed at the end of February, has had to be postponed due to various unforeseen circumstances with the cast. The Group has decided to re-schedule the performances to the beginning of December 2022 when they hope to see you all again......Oh yes, they will!

Studio 32: This musical theatre company are back with a bang. Having successfully delivered four performances of `South Pacific´ at the end of November they have now started preparations for their summer 2022 show which will be the musical extravaganza ‘Guys & Dolls’.

If you would like to be a part of this show, either on stage or helping out backstage, contact the company by email at studiothirtytwo@icloud.com for further information or go to their website at studiothirtytwo.org.

If you would like to be part of this band of charitable entertainers, please email editor@femalefocusonline.com.

Deadline for copy is the 15th of the month prior to publication.

Full details of all Stage Diary entertainment groups are available online at www.femalefocusonline.com

Over the last two years life has been very challenging for everyone....

For ACTS the pandemic has limited our opportunities to use the theatres for our performances, meaning that we have only managed to stage one full length play, Ladies Day, which we staged at the theatre in San Fulgencio recently, rather than the four plays that we would normally have shown.

So instead of sitting around, our enthusiastic and talented actors have taken to smaller venues with a number of productions including comedy scripts and monologues which have allowed us to continue with our annual donations to charity.

The photographs show the presentations in which two of our actors, Anthony Smith and Sheila Standley, handed our donations to Michelle from Torrevieja Alzheimer’s Association and to Claudia and Bobby who were representing Elche Children’s Home at the end our second performance of our sell out Christmas Cracker show at Lakeview in Ciudad Quesada.

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The N-332 are a group of Spanish Traffic Police Officers who decided to create a Facebook group to inform all ex-pats and tourists about Spanish traffic laws as they think it is unfair to fine them for breaking rules they didn't know about. You can find them on Facebook at www.facebook.com/DrivingSpain/ and follow them to keep up to date as they only share official information.

HOW TO DRIVE ON ROUNDABOUTS How to drive correctly on roundabouts is one of the biggest issues in road safety and the one that starts the most arguments! We all think we know how to do it correctly, but we always find a driver who does it wrong. So, who is right? We will answer this question here.

- BEFORE ENTERING… It is important to not forget that priority is given to whom is already on the roundabout.

- Which lane do we choose to enter the roundabout?

If the roundabout is interurban you have to travel in the right hand lane.

If the roundabout is inside of town and the lanes are delimited, we can use the one that best suits our destination, according to the exit we are going to take.

- TO EXIT; This is where the issue seems to lie... Which lane do you choose? Why do they beep at us if we have done it correctly? Who hasn’t asked themselves these questions at some point? You must ALWAYS, we repeat, YOU MUST ALWAYS leave a roundabout from the right hand lane, because the only option to leave it is to turn right. A very simple rule that gets complicated in practice.

Careful though! This does not mean that we always have to join a roundabout from the right hand lane. It depends on the exit we are going to take...

- If we are exiting on the right: We will have to enter the roundabout in the outer lane and remain in it until we exit. Before leaving the roundabout, do not forget to use your indicators to signal the manoeuvre to the rest of the road users.

- If we are going to continue straight: We will access the roundabout in the outer lane and we will remain there. We will signal that we are leaving the roundabout just after we have passed the previous exit to ours.

- If we are turning left or changing direction: We will enter the roundabout using the left hand lane. We will remain in it until we pass the previous exit to ours. Then we will change to the right hand lane to leave, we will do it in advance, we will signal the manoeuvre to warn the rest of the drivers and we cannot forget that those driving in the outer lane have priority.

We hope that this information will be useful to you and that you put it into practice when next using a roundabout, the more people know how to do it correctly, the less chance there is of an accident occurring.

QFocus Magazine January 2022

www.femalefocusonline.com Page 20 The joy of eating breakfast together, having a beer or a glass of wine, and the pleasure of just seeing the amazing growth, both physical and intellectual of children as they grow, really is not elcome to my monthly column “A view from something to be missed. the top”. Hopefully you will find my rambling readable (maybe even enjoyable). You may agree As half term in the UK came around (late October 2021) we or you may disagree with my views, I care not. decided that we would make plans to visit both friends and family These are my views long held and forged over a life time of due to the semblance of Covid seemingly being in some sort of work, travel and experience. Now that’s over let’s have a look at control. Things were looking to be on the up, vaccinations and what is really winding me up. daily numbers were being managed, and from what we knew it looked like the ideal time to travel. I made arrangements to visit Off to Covid Central. a great friend on Hayling Island, spend a few days with him and Like many people our family life has been torn asunder by the then onward to visit the Daughter in Sussex. I would be away for Covid Pandemic. Under normal circumstances myself and Er ten days and Er indoors would commence her journey four days indoors would visit family in the UK once, or maybe even twice a later. Her sojourn would take her to Manchester to visit our eldest year. Grandchildren, Son and Partner and a Daughter are resident son and his family, she would also be with them for the 12th and in the UK and although we keep in contact via WhatsApp and 9th birthdays of the Grandchildren. All in all it seemed like a good Zoom etc, the fact is that it is the actual physical contact that plan. leaves a person sometimes adrift when you cannot share the same space as your family.

Next on the list of things to do would be to organise flights which

A View From The Top

W

went well. The problems started when we started to organise the paperwork needed to allow the trip to be made. As we had both been double vaccinated we printed off our Covid certificates. In my case, I had to organise a PCR test (day 2) for the UK and Er indoors would need to organise a lateral flow test as her travel dates meant she fitted into the then lateral flow test agreement.

These were organised and thus we could go onto requesting the locator forms from both the UK and Spanish Governments. This was done and hey ho, it was off to the UK for us.

Now, as many of you who read my pieces will know, I am now into my seventies and for my past sins my right knee is a mess in the physical sense. ACL long time gone and now rheumatism has decided that my knee cavity is a good place to hang around in, causing me at times lots of pain and affecting my mobility.

With this in mind special assistance was booked for my departure from Alicante airport, coupled with assistance from Gatwick for the return journey. So it was with some trepidation that Er indoors dropped me off at Alicante for my trip to the UK. Following her instructions I queued to be booked in and get rid of my luggage.

My paperwork was checked and was all in order, I was directed to the assistance desk and was told to wait and that I would be attended too. Having never before needed special assistance I did not know what to expect next. What happened next was that a nice young lady asked me to sit in a wheelchair, which is in itself rather strange, she then wheeled me through the chaos that is the departure security. I was checked, but as I had help the process was speedier. Through departure, she asked did I need the toilet, did I need anything that she could help me with? My answer was no thank you. She then parked me in a special area and explained that either herself or a colleague would come back for me once the gate number had been confirmed. 20 minutes later a colleague came for me and explained that my passport would be needed as would my boarding pass. I was then wheeled past the queue and around to a security booth where the Guardia Civil officer asked for my boarding pass. OK, he said, now your passport, when I faffed about trying to locate my passport he said TIE. Oh yes I said, I had that to hand and with a wave of his hand I was wheeled once more past the queue and straight onto the aircraft. All in all special assistance worked for me and made the journey at least through Alicante airport a pleasant experience. Now onward to the UK and the beauty that is Hayling Island. However, before that I had to navigate the fun that is Gatwick airport from the front seat of a special assistance golf cart.... More in February.

SUPPORT

LOCAL BUSINESSES

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all the Spanish words from the word list in the puzzle grid. Words may be found WORD Find going forwards, backwards, up, down or diagonally. Answers can be found in the back

SEARCH of the magazine. Good Luck.

EMOCIONES - EMOTIONS ALEGRÍA - JOY AMOR - LOVE ANSIEDAD - ANXIETY ASCO - DISGUST ASOMBRO - ASTONISHMENT DISGUSTO - DISPLEASURE ENFADO - ANGER EUFORIA - EUPHORIA FELICIDAD - HAPPINESS FURIA - FURY INCERTIDUMBRE - UNCERTAINTY INSEGURIDAD - INSECURITY INTERÉS - INTEREST IRA - WRATH MIEDO - FEAR PENA - SORROW RABIA - RAGE RESENTIMIENTO - RESENTMENT SORPRESA - SURPRISE TRISTEZA - SADNESS

QF���� Maga���e Ja��a�� 2022

Page 22

our ARIES Arguing and complaining about everything at work and at home is not going to end well for anyone. You must find a compromise and solutions otherwise you will be stuck in the same position.

TAURUS Both your home and work life are going through changes this month. Keeping up with them all will be a challenge but with team work and commitment, progress will be quick and rewarding for all concerned.

Fortunately your energy levels are high at the moment.

GEMINI Self development is very important to you at the moment and you have decided this year to set yourself new goals to expand your knowledge by signing up for courses and learning new skills.

CANCER The start of the year will bring a lot of joy and happiness for you. Looking forward to new experiences and setting new goals is something that not only is motivating you, but also those around you.

LEO Now is the time to set out your plan for the year. It is the time to look forward and leave past problems behind you. Learn from the past but leave it there. Making changes, setting goals and moving forward will help steer you towards the life you deserve.

VIRGO Cooperation and team work will help you all move forward to bring the best for everyone. Although you are a born leader, use these skills to guide others, not order them and everything will run smoothly.

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oroscope LIBRA Don’t stretch yourself too thin this month. You have enough people supporting you to delegate some of your workload. Be careful though to make sure you give clear instructions so as not to cause unnecessary and avoidable misunderstandings.

SCORPIO Don’t let family and friends feel neglected. Recently your work life balance has been in favour of work leaving you feeling tired and with little time for family, fun and relaxing. Make sure this year you get this balance right from the start.

SAGITTARIUS This month will be a whirlwind of decisions and surprises. Keeping your calm will mean you can deal with anything that is thrown at you. By the end of it all things will settle down again.

CAPRICORN Figuring out what your goals are and who you want to spend time with will make it easy to start planning where you are going this year. You can make it whatever you want it to be.

AQUARIUS There is a lot going on but mostly for the good leaving a positive impact on you. Don’t worry if your to do list has more on it than your list of achievements.

There are 11 more months, don’t rush things.

PISCES Looking for the best in people will help you with changes in your outlook and opinion. Less negativity all round will start bringing out the best in those around you as your positivity rubs off on them. Family, friends and colleagues will all be influenced for the better.

At Reach Out we are in need of VOLUNTEERS

If you have any spare time where you could come along and help, please consider coming in and help us provide for the homeless and needy families here in Torrevieja.

We have vacancies in every department, Shop, Store, Kitchen, Driving/Helping and Office areas are all short on helpers. Our Office workers will help you complete our very short Application To Volunteer form, and find out where best we can use you.

HELP US HELP THOSE WHO NEED OUR HELP! Call 965 713 063 or email president@reachouttorrevieja.eu NOW! Thank you.

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You’re invited to come and meet the Easy Horse Care Centre rescued horses, ponies and donkeys Call 652 021 980 or email rescue@easyhorsecare.net.

For more information visit our website http://www.easyhorsecare.net Poppy is a 7 year old beautiful, friendly collie cross. She gets on well with other dogs, is fully vaccinated, chipped, spayed and has a passport.

She is an escape artist so would need a secure garden. Call the K9 shelter on 711 075 305 or k9clubinfo@gmail.com

AL-ANON FAMILY GROUPS For families and friends of problem drinkers. There are meetings in Torrevieja. Phone 634 349 961.

PUZZLE SOLUTIONS

Joey is 4 months old and had to have a back leg amputated after it was badly broken. He is negative for feline diseases and good with other cats.

Call: 645 469 253, visit www.petsinspain.com or email info@petsinspain.com

F.A.B (Friends after Bereavement)

We are a relaxed and friendly mixed group who meet once a week at the Laguna Hotel in Quesada at 3pm for a chat and coffee. The aim of the group is to support those who have lost someone close and help make new friends. We also enjoy meals / lunches out and day trips etc. For more information call Joan on 634 336 103 or Steve on 623 220 052 or just come along for a chat one Saturday.

CROSSWORD SOLUTIONS Across: 1 Perfume, 5 Staff, 9 Hainan, 10 Spear, 11 Recall, 12 Expose, 13 Air, 14 Safer, 16 Sober, 18 Sky, 20 Disarm, 22 Intent, 24 Apart, 25 Phobia, 26 Bales, 27 Settled.

Down: 2 Erase, 3 Fanfare, 4 Manila, 6 Tie up, 7 Foresee, 8 Aster, 15 Ali Baba, 17 Outmost, 18 Smith, 19 Yippee, 21 Awake, 23 Noise.

Easy

ANSWER TO SPOT THE ODD ONE OUT: A

Medium