Week136

Edition 136

www.thecourier.es

Friday, September 27, 2013

SELF SERVICE

Romanians give new meaning to “help yourself”

By Alex Trelinski A ROMANIAN shoplifting gang has been smashed by the Guardia Civil in “Operation Rogue”.

The mainly female crooks plundered over 20 stores across the Vega Baja and Murcia hitting centres like Almoradi, Crevillente, Elche, and Torrevieja. Officers collared three peo­ ple this week who were charged with theft, belonging to a criminal gang, and making fake documents including bogus marriage certificates.

The Guardia said that the gang developed a certain amount of skill in their thieving, with each member con­ centrating on specialising on a certain part of their operation. Two of them would enter a shop with bags that had

electronic equipment in them that would jam any exit door alarms from going off when taking out their unpaid for booty. During their spree of stealing,

the women would cram their bags with mainly top range meats, cosmetics and alcohol, as well as jewels from some out­ lets. The thieves would then go to the checkout and pay for a small selection of low value items, before exiting the store and leaving in a car that was waiting outside with another gang member at the wheel.

Two Torrevieja homes were raided with the Guardia recover­ ing hundreds of items of jew­ ellery and electronic gear.

Amongst the food items were 30 tenderloin beef steaks as well as cosmetic products. Fake Spanish and Romanian ID papers were also recov­ ered which the gang used to order mobile phones.

ELCHE ROBBED See back page

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Friday, September 27, 2013

Are you a snapper? Do you have a great photo? Send it to design@thecourier.es and if we think it is good enough we will publish it as our Picture of the Week TELEPHONE

96 692 1003 679 096 309 965 99 66 66 E­MAIL office@thecourier.es WEB www.thecourier.es HEAD OFFICE Calle Luis Canovas Martinez 1. Urb Aguas Nuevas, Torrevieja 03183, ALICANTE PHONE: 96 692 1003 Email: office@thecourier.es OPENING HOURS Mon ­ Fri 1030 to 1730 EDITOR Alex Trelinski CONSULTANT EDITOR Donna Gee ADVERTISING SALES 966 921 003 office@thecourier.es TELESALES 966 921 003 679 096 309 Sally Los Alcazares, San Javier 618 391 491 Myra Quesada, Rojales, Torrevieja, San Miguel Tel. 618 583 765 Jean La Zenia, Playa Flamenca, Cabo Roig Tel. 618 898 034 Patrick International Rep 5 Languages Tel 685 901 265 Writers Donna Gee Sally Bengtsson Jeanette Erath Alex Trelinski Dave Silver Tony Mayes John McGregor

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Picture of the Week

JUNGLE DRUMS

CHUMLLEE SNOOZING PICTURE TAKEN BY SUSAN KEMP

Almost it for San Javier Murcia blaze SAN Javier airport’s fate could be sealed on Monday, when Murcia’s President, Ramón Luis Valcárcel goes to Madrid to meet the head of the Spanish airport authority, AENA, Jose Manuel Vargas.

They are expected to close the deal leading to the shut­ ting of San Javier airport for commercial flights next year favour of Corvera. The Murcia Government wants San Javier to start winding down in April with Corvera opening at the same time, with San Javier fully closing in the autumn of 2014.

AENA may well bid to become the new serv­ ice provider for Corvera if it gets the com­ pensation that it wants for the major invest­

ments that it made at San Javier including a 70 million Euros runaway.

Meanwhile, the new Corvera airport has seen the Murcia Supreme Court call in the Guardia Civil, after the “sacked” service provider, Aeromur refused to hand over the airport keys.A judge has given permission for the Murcia Transport Ministry to go into Corvera today(Friday) and for one day only, to do an inventory. Guardia officers are stationed outside the new airport to prevent Aeromur removing any equip­ ment, with the ex­service provider claiming that a lot of the building contents belong to them and that they are seeking legal advice.

THE Murcia region has some of the cheapest super­ markets in Spain, with a lot of the more expensive ones being in the north of the country. The annual Supermarket Report issued by the consumer organisa­ tion, the OCU, says that the average supermarket prices have gone up 2.9% over the last year, whilst household budgets have fallen by 4.5%.

Spar, with an aver­ age of 8% posted some of the biggest rises amongst the main chains, with Carrefour and Eroski having increases of over 4%. The report found the cheapest all­round chain in all products to be Alcampo, who have celebrated their 1st year at La Zenia Boulevard, followed by Lidl and Aldi.

Shopping around pays off

A huge cloud of black smoke filled the skies of Torre Pacheco on Sunday afternoon after a blaze at the IFEPA Exhibition Centre.

The fire was caused by a short circuit in the building’s solar panels on the roof, which was completely destroyed. There was no damage to the main structure including the exhibition halls, with five fire engines and a helicopter involved in put­ ting out the blaze. Only one man was in the building at the time and got out safely.

This weekend’s Antiques Fair at the centre goes ahead as planned.

LIGHTS OUT FOR OCTOBER

As the autumn nights draw in, electricity prices are going up 3.1% next month. 2013 has seen price hikes of 3% in January; 1.2% in July; and 3.2% in August, counterbalanced by a 6% drop in April. The government claims that taking everything into consideration, but not including the October changes, electricity prices have gone up overall by 8% since January 2012.

WANTED – MORE HEADLINE NEWS! DO YOU have a story that might grab the headlines?

What’s all the gossip about round your way? A spate of robberies, perhaps – or maybe you’ve spotted a celebrity in the neighbourhood. Whether your news involves fire, police, ambulance, accidents – or hap­

pier events like family weddings (particularly Golden and Diamond ones!), Just phone the Courier office on 966 921 003 or email office@thecourier.es We’re waiting for your call…and next week’s Front Page story.

Friday Partly cloudy High 29 Low 19° Chance of rain 0% Monday Sunny High 28 Low 20° Chance of rain 0%

Tuesday Sunny High 29° Low 20° Chance of rain 0%

Saturday Cloudy High 28° Low 18° Chance of rain 0% Wednesday Sunny High 30° Low 19° Chance of rain 0%

Sunday Partly cloudy High 28° Low 19° Chance of rain 0% Thursday Sunny High 28° Low 19° Chance of rain 0%

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Friday, September 27, 2013

TAX CUTS AS ELECTION LOOMS THE NAKED

TRUTH

THE VALENCIAN region President, Alberto Fabra, has pledged to slash taxes ahead of the next election in 2015. Fabra made the prom­ ise in Tuesday’s annual State of the Region debate in the Valencian Assembly, where he said that “money was best in the pocket of cit­ izens”. He said that over a quarter of a million people would see lower taxes in the region next year, with the introduction of new tax cred­ its and incentives.

Amongst the budgetary announcements, Fabra said that more than 167 million Euros(courtesy of the Madrid government) would be allocated for the so­ called “Mediterranean

Corridor” train link to Alicante, whilst in the road improvement budget, the southern ring road around Elche would be completed, as well as work on the N332 in the Benidorm. No mention was made of any upgrade to the “missing” dual carriage­ way stretch of the N332

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has said that the country is 'out of reces­ sion', but 'not out of the financial crisis'. He says his current aim is a 'rigorous recovery' which allows Spain to 'create employ­ ment'.

He has also stated his intentions to stand for elec­ tion again at the end of 2015.

“I have no intention of retiring, but my party will decide,” he announced.

Rajoy is said to be 'rea­ sonably satisfied' with steps taken by the European Union to tackle the financial crisis, and has congratulated German Chancellor, Angela Merkel on her re­election.

“Things are going in the

right direction,” Rajoy stated.

He believes the Spanish economy will grow by between 0.5 and one per cent next year, but this would not be a magical cure for the 26­per­cent jobless figures straight away.

“Improvements will happen step by step,” Rajoy concluded.

Over the EU bank bail­out, Rajoy said the Spanish banking system is now 'more transparent, more solvent and has better capital fund­ ing' following the loan from the European Central Bank and, when questioned about the possibility of needing fur­

through Torrevieja, despite repeating lobbying from the local council.

Local councils across the Valencian region would be free to set their own busi­ ness opening hours in the future, and Fabra also announced financial induce­ ments for firms to take on

the long term unemployed.

In education, 14 new schools are to be build, including one on the Orihuela Costa at Campoamor, but the list, as expected, did not include a replacement for the ailing Principe de Espana school in Rojales.

A NUDE man from Almeria bared all before Spain's Queen Sofia on Tuesday in a protest over “secret CIA crimes". The Queen was enter­ ing a Madrid hospi­ tal where King Juan Carlos was about to undergo hip surgery. The nude figure ran through the media scrum which had gathered at the Quiron Hospital hospital ahead of the King’s arrival.

38­year­old Carlos Diaz

Fernández, from Almeria, was quickly detained by police and taken into cus­ tody.

“RECESSION OVER” More Santiago charges SAYS RAJOY

SAN JAVIER MURDER Police have recovered the body of a 25 year old San Javier man from a deserted ware­ house in the area. The man had a shotgun wound to his head and was found by two men on Tuesday lunchtime who entered the building in El Pino looking for scrap. A revolver was lying next to the body, and detectives are treating the incident as a murder.

ther funding, said: “If you're asking me about the situa­ tion as at today, I would tell you that Spain will not need to increase the EU funding received in 2014.”

A LOAD OF COBBLERS Two people have been arrest­ ed in Cox for running three illegal shoe­making sweat­ shops. Local garages were used for the clandestine man­ ufacturing with non­contract mainly female workers being employed in the undercover operation. Police say that health and safety considera­ tions were also ignored.

A judge has charged the president of the company in charge of Adif, Spain's rail infra­ structure, and his two predecessors in con­ nection with a train derailment that killed 79 people outside Santiago in July.

The three men are among 30 current and former leaders of the company Adif, who were charged over "a serious lack of action" on security issues, under a judicial inquiry into the accident. Current Adif president Gonzalo Ferre along with his predecessors Enrique Verdeguer and Antoniz Gonzalez

Martin have been summoned to appear before Judge Luis Alaez. The driver, 52­ year­old Francisco Jose Garzon Amo, has been provisionally charged with 79 counts of reckless homicide. He has been released under court supervision while the investiga­ tion into the crash continues.

Judge Alaez criticized the disconnection of the advanced European Rail Traffic Management System on the stretch of rail­ way, which would put in place automatic braking if the speed limit was exceeded.

YOUNG DROWNING

ELCHE PERVERT

TOWER OF POWER

A 5 year old Redovan boy drowned in a water ditch just a few metres away from his house last Sunday morning, after he fell into it and was swept away by a current. The boy was disabled having been hit by a car two years ago. A major search started for him when his mother rang the police, and his body was found in the late afternoon having drifted a few kilometres towards Callosa de Segura.

A man has admitted behaving inappropriately towards two girls at an Elche city school where he was doing maintenance work.

The middle­aged father of two confessed to the National Police that he sexually abused the two girls in late May, taking videos and photos of them in a partially undressed state in a bathroom in the buiIding. No court date has yet been set for the man to answer charges.

Orihuela Costa police surprised two men who were trying to steal a telecom­ munications mast from a roof of a house on the Entregolf Urbanisation. A security guard called the police after spotting the men taking down the tower. The mast had been collapsed and the men were arrested in the process of trying to take it away in a van. Wrenches, torches, and a ladder were also taken away by the police, who also found some 20 metres of cabling as well as the mast lying next to the vehicle.

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Friday, September 27, 2013

RAJOY CALLS FOR GIB CHANGE Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has called for Gibraltar to be de­colonised and said the UK held territory was an "anachronism" during a speech at the United Nations on Wednesday night. Rajoy also highlighted the fact that the territory with some 30,000 inhabitants was on the 1963 UN list of Non­Self­Governing Territories that were awaiting decolonization.

"It is the only one (of its kind) in Europe, and is still affecting our territorial integrity," said Rayoy in front of a sparsely attended meeting of the UN General Assembly. “This colonial anachronism continues to cause problems for the citizens of Gibraltar and the adjoining area," he added.

Meanwhile, a team of European Union inspectors visited Gibraltar this week to investigate the border row that has caused diplomatic tensions between the UK and Spain. The UK and Gibraltar, a UK territory, complained to the EU that Spain's over­zeal­

Y VIVA ESPANA The Valencia region, including the Costa Blanca, has seen Spain’s biggest rise in international tourist arrivals this year up to the end of August. The news tallies with the increased numbers for Alicante­Elche airport with an increase of just under 12% com­ pared to the same time period in 2012.

Catalonia came second, with a rise of 6.5%, in figures released this week by Spain’s Ministry for Tourism. Costa Blanca hotels reported 33 thousand more visitors in August compared to a year ago, with almost half that number coming from outside Spain.

Meanwhile, hotels throughout Murcia had a good August, with 12.9% more tourists than in the same month last year, making Murcia the second region in Spain with the highest increase in holiday makers com­ pared to August last year, after Galicia in northern Spain.

It was the highest monthly number of for­ eign tourists to Spain since current records began in 1995, with the overall number of visitors was boosted by foreign sun­seekers avoiding Egypt and Turkey, who have been hit by civil unrest this year.

GANG PLOT STOPPED ous checks on border traffic were holding up workers and tourists. Spain accuses Gibraltar of not doing enough to combat cig­ arette smuggling. The six inspectors were expected to interview people and observe immigration and customs procedures.

REPEAT AFTER ME

Learning to speak Spanish costs nothing under a new course that has been togeth­ er by Torrevieja Council. 30 students from Britain and Ireland, along with other countries are learning the lingo twice weekly at the city’s Centre for Information and Youth (CIAJ). The les­ sons run every Monday and Wednesday for two hours from 10.00am.

National Police agents have foiled a kidnap plot, arresting six people in Alcoy who were planning to nab a prominent Alicante region businessman. The gang spent several weeks trailing their potential victim along with his family. They also watched his house, and made copious notes of all the movements in and out of it, with a view to holding him ransom in exchange for money and valuable items.

The six arrests in Alcoy involved five men and one woman, of Spanish, Ecuador and Colombian nationalities. A gun with nine bullets was also seized by the police.

ON A HIGH

A 44 year old woman has been arrested for growing 150 kilos of marijuana in a village between Murcia and Orihuela. Local cops got suspicious when they spot­ ted the woman planting material behind a cornfield in

her Monteagudo house. On investigating, two marijuana plantation areas were uncovered with the illegal crop being partially hidden by spiked boards in addition to a dog on a long lead that patrolled the area. The

ARRIVEDERCI DOMENICO

woman was bundled away to the local Guardia barracks with agents also seizing a mowing machine, a shotgun, a long pole with spikes on it, and a pair of pruning shears.

She has been charged with crimes against public health with officers taking the view that 150 kilos of marijuana was somewhat excessive for personal consumption.

A professional Italian power­ boat driver is set to return to his native country to face charges of drug smuggling after being arrested just north of Murcia City by the Guardia Civil. 52 year old Domenico Cirilli had been suspected of supplying high speed boats to drug smug­ gling rings, and the Guardia responded to a tip off that he was staying in the Murcia Region. He was arrested at Espinardo and was found to be carrying fake identity papers. He is the subject of 3 Spanish arrest warrants, in addition to a warrant from Italy where he is wanted to answer charges of drug smuggling and involvement with criminal gangs.

COPPERED OUT

Three men have been arrested by the Guardia Civil for stealing some 4 thousand metres of cop­ per lighting cable from Novelda.

The men aged 21, 25 and 33, are set to appear in court on charges of stealing the material from the town. The Guardia also seized 15 bunches of grapes that could not be accounted for!

Happy birthday boulevard

The Zenia Boulevard is cel­ ebrating its first year of busi­ ness this week with lots of fun for all the family, including 3 thousand free gifts and a giant cake. Peppa Pig will be dropping in for the young­ sters this afternoon (Friday) from 6.00pm, whilst there’s a free Zumba class on

PARKING BOOST Torrevieja Council has made 50 short stay car park­ ing spaces on Calle Ramón Gallud available again to boost trade in the area. The spaces can be used for up to one hour between 10am and 2pm and 5pm through till 9pm.The move makes it eas­ ier for shoppers to use busi­ nesses in the centre, with Mayor Eduardo Dolón saying that he’s happy with how the scheme has worked out since it was introduced last year.

SPAIN’S BUDGET DAY Spain will stick to austerity in 2014 with the government approving its draft budget today (Friday) with more cuts expected for pensioners and public workers. A new pay freeze for civil servants and pension reforms which will stop indexing pay­outs to inflation are among the measures which the govern­ ment are set to adopt.

Saturday morning from 10 o’clock, and amongst Sunday’s attractions is a trib­ ute to the rock band Queen.

Meanwhile, the DIY store, Leroy Merlin, claims to have had one million visitors since they opened for business at the Boulevard last September.

TRAIN DEATH

A man in his forties was killed when he was knocked over by a Murcia bound train just south of the city at Los Garres.

The incident happened just before 2.30 on Tuesday after­ noon, with witnesses reporting that the man was walking across the level crossing when he was hit by the train which was coming in from Alicante.

Decent summer

The Cruz Roja helped out over 3,700 people across Torrevieja’s beaches over the summer sea­ son. There were over a thousand cases of jellyfish and fish bites and only 17 cases of sunburn or heatstroke.

Only 2 people died which is lower than in previous summers.

Friday, September 27, 2013

JOHN’S WOMAN TROUBLE!

The Courier’s football writer, John McGregor, has many strings to his bow, and besides recently getting an English degree from the Open University, he’s just had a new book published called ‘A Flock of Female Friends’, which is the second part of his autobiography, ‘Fairy Tales of an SAC’.

John, from La Marina, sold over a thou­ sand copies of his book, which encour­ aged him to write more about his experi­ ences in the Royal Air Force. The first vol­ ume was all about his formative years in the Royal Air Force in the late 60s and early 70s, when he had great fun with the book actually bringing him back in touch with many old RAF friends from those great days, enjoying two reunions as a result.

In his new book we now fast­ forward ten years to the events ~ and ladies ~ in John’s life at a time when his ex­wife had a surpris­ ingly wide circle of colour­ ful acquaintances that he amusingly refers to as her ‘flock of female friends’ or ‘The FFFs’. John observed these women closely over the years ~ the good, the bad and the cosmetically­challenged ~ and describes them with dry humour in this witty and

warm­hearted account. Tales of these funny, feisty, frisky, frivolous (and other descriptive ‘F’ words) friends and their somewhat complicated love lives are interlinked with other entertaining stories revealing various lively aspects of John’s life during that busy fifteen­year period.

It makes for a roller­coaster read from a man who clearly loves women ­ but freely admits that he has trouble understanding them!

John has certainly led an active life, running the London Marathon back in 1990 at the age of 41. Here in Spain, John follows Elche where he has been a season ticket holder for over ten years, as well as liking most sports and being a member of the Torrevieja Writing Circle. He’s married to Anne, and they have 4 children and 8 grandchildren between them.

If you would like a copy of ‘A Flock of Female Friends’, RSP 10 Euros in Spain or £10 in the UK, or ‘Fairy Tales of an SAC’, please order directly from Woodfield Publishing on www.wood­ fieldpublishing.co.uk, or by tele­ phone on 0044 1243 821234 during normal business hours or via Amazon.

Bargain Books on Calle.Ramon Galud in Torrevieja also stock both books. If you wish, you can E­mail John on mcgregor­ jaw@hotmail.co.uk or tele­ phone him on 600 088 341 to arrange a copy (of either book), personally signed if requested – they are ideal as birthday or e a r l y Christmas presents!

Madrid in Alicante A Rojales hotel manager has been made the boss of a new hotel organisation for the southern part of Alicante Province. Sofia Madrid, from the La Laguna Hotel at Dona Pepa 2, Quesada has become the inaugural presi­ dent of the Association of Hotels and Tourist Establishments for the region. She says that a big part of her job will be to try to attract more tourists to the area.

KING KNIFED AGAIN Surgeons gave Spain's 75­year­old King Juan Carlos a temporary hip replacement on Tuesday but said he requires more surgery for a long­term solution to his problem.

US hip specialist Miguel Cabanela led the surgery at a Madrid hos­ pital to give the frail­looking monarch a new left hip after the previous artificial joint fitted last November became infect­ ed and painful, making it hard to walk.

But the temporary hip replacement was the king's eighth operation in three years and news that more surgery must follow in two months or so will no doubt keep alive speculation of a possible abdica­ tion, despite palace denials.

Cabanela said the king would require a new operation for a permanent prosthetic hip after a period of at least eight weeks fighting off an infection in surrounding tissue. First, he would require intra­ venous antibiotics for about six weeks

and then a two­week period without the drugs. The surgeon predicted Juan Carlos could be up and walking about six weeks after he finally receives a perma­ nent, artificial hip.

Juan Carlos is widely respected for his role in guiding Spain's transition to democracy after the death of the dictator General Franco in 1975 but his image has suffered in particular because of a cor­ ruption scandal implicating his youngest daughter Cristina.

Announcing news of the operation last week, the royal palace said however that Juan Carlos had at no time considered abdicating nor handing over his powers to his son Felipe while he recovers from surgery. The latest operation means Juan Carlos will almost certainly miss the annual Iberoamerican summit of Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American leaders next month in Panama.

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Friday, September 27, 2013

editor@thecourier.es COURIER POSTBAG: YOUR VIEWS ON OUR NEWS

It pays to retain your Spanish bank account MAY I offer some advice to Courier readers who are selling their Spanish homes and going back to their country of origin.

Please keep your Spanish bank account until all your affairs are set­ tled.

The Spanish tax authorities retain three percent of your property selling price and will only return this to a Spanish bank account.

DAVE SILVER: A devil of a good columnist

Some friends of mine who moved back to England closed their Spanish bank account when all their debits and bills had been paid.

They have now ­ four years after returning to the UK ­ had to open a new account to receive the retained cash.

Otherwise they would forfeit the money.

MARJORY NORRIS, El Raso

Pure gold: Your Silver scribe is a real gem I DON’T normally write letters but I thought it is about time I did. (Well fingers to keyboard).

I am a pensioner living out here in Spain and I love to read. I don’t have a kindle or tablet or any electronic device, I prefer the physi­ cal product. I used to enjoy getting my free expat newspapers during the week to catch up on the news. (I can’t afford 2€ or more a day for the British press). But recently I have noticed a change in the for­ mats and content of some of the newspapers.

I like to be kept up to date on local as well as national and international news, but sadly not all the freebies do this with one exception – The Courier.

Apart from all the news in your paper I love to read your columnists. Dave Silver is my favourite at the moment. Every week I look at the headline then at the picture and I say to myself ‘What has that got to do with anything?’ Then I read it and all becomes clear.

Normally right at the end of the article there is a twist and that is where the pic­ ture comes into place.

Tony Mayes. Well he is probably the only colum­ nist that actually writes what the majority of us think without going over the top and gives me food for thought.

I look forward to my Friday read and get togeth­ er with my friends and try to figure out your quiz page. It takes me all day sometimes.

Keep up the good work and don’t change like the others or I will have noth­ ing worthwhile to READ. SHEILA McKENZIE Torrevieja

THE GREAT E-SKYPE: A SENIOR’S VIEW

I HAVE a little gripe.

Many of my friends go on and on about not hav­ ing emails and what is Facebook etc.

It seems to me that they can’t be bothered to learn the basics of Internet. I used to be like them until my grandson showed me his laptop, which he got for his birthday.

I said ‘oh that’s nice’, not being really interest­ ed. He noticed this and took it on himself to show me what you could do on it.

Imagine my surprise when he showed me how to Skype my family back in the UK. I was so overwhelmed that it brought a tear to my eye on seeing my daughter and my new grandson. I never thought that was possible. When my

grandson explained that it doesn’t cost anything to chat over the Internet, that was when I started to really listen.

He set me up my own email account so I could write to all my family and to keep in touch. He even set me up a Skype account.

I don’t have a laptop and I don’t have Internet at home but my local bar has Internet access. I can enjoy a coffee writ­ ing to my family and Skyping (I have learnt a new word) my daughter.

This has opened up a whole new world to this old fogey.

What I want to say to anybody out there who doesn’t know anything about the Internet is, grab your grandchildren or you neighbours’ kids and ask them to spend 10 minutes to show you the won­ ders of email and Skype.

It might be daunting at first but you will get used to it and even enjoy going local your to Internet café and chatting and writ­ ing to your friends.

My next mission is Facebook. I can’t wait to see who is out there.

FRED SMYTH, Cabo Roig

DON’T FORGET, WE NEED YOUR DETAILS Letters and emails will only be considered for publication if an address and contact number are provided to confirm authenticity

THE COURIER DOES NOT NECESSARILY AGREE WITH THE VIEWS EXPRESSED IN THE LETTERS ON THIS PAGE

An unfair cop, officer I LOVE living in Spain but I despair of the Spanish ever learning the art of diploma­ cy.

This applies articularly on the roads, where the police slap 100 euro fines on us for anything from driving in flip flops to carrying your shopping on the back seat.

I know loads of people who have been fleeced by officers who shoot them­ selves in the foot when a diplomatic cau­ tion would have a much more positive

effect.

Petty fines may be an easy way of bal­ ancing the books, but there’s no better way of falling out with a struggling expat than to hit them in the pocket for some­ thing trivial.

Many of those who chase the sun­ shine dream end up back in rainy Britain.

Those of us with decent UK pensions usually make it despite contrived forms

of extortion like the so­called ‘wealth tax’ on property owners.

But it defies logic when a woman gets a heavy fine because her handbag is on the passenger seat.

It would have cost her less if she had handed it voluntarily to the nearest opportunist thief in the supermarket car park five minutes earlier.

COUNTING THE COSTA , Torrevieja

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Friday, September 27, 2013

The sound of silence I SOMETIMES wonder if the Spanish authorities have a built­in dislike of all expats – or are just plain stupid.

MYSTERY OF MUSIC LICENCE BAN AS WAR IS DECLARED ON BRITISH BARS

You’d think a country in economic crisis would do anything and everything to encourage foreign invest­ ment. Particularly from the nation whose mass tourism and property invest­ ment is all that keeps Spain’s gutter economy from plung­ ing into the sewer alongside its corruption­riddled politi­ cians.

But no, the efforts of hard­ working British bar owners and tenants to make a living are being undermined by a bureaucracy that seems bent on driving them out of busi­ tread carefully. But I find it incredible that Saturday ness.

I understand the latest per­ evening’s police action at El petrators are an element of Raso was orchestrated by power in Alicante which has faceless busybodies based pulled rank on Guardamar 50 kilometres away.

The Alicante agitators also Town Hall by ordering the suspension of live entertain­ decided that official music licences granted to bar own­ ment at local bars.

Since the current situation ers by Guardamar Town Hall is labelled ‘delicate’, I will are invalid and irrelevant. In

which case, why don’t they abolish the council altogether and make their own rules?

It’s time we expats consid­ ered getting out of a province that seems to be suffering from Valencia dementia.

Residents of El Raso have certainly had enough after suddenly being deafened with silence as they enjoyed their Saturday night out.

One local bar had already lost its licence to play live music after a Spanish resi­ dent made an official com­ plaint to the police.

The plot thickened on Saturday when other bars were visited systematically by the Policia Local, who ordered an immediate halt to

live entertainment.

One of the most popular venues, Bar Med, was cele­ brating its first anniversary with a special party night for regular customers.

The owner of another bar told me: “Two Policia Local officers just came in and indi­ cated to the entertainer to cut his act immediately. I showed them my music licence, which they dismissed as meaningless, saying I would be hearing further from them.

“If the licence is not valid, why on earth was it issued in the first place?’’

Sofia’s, one of the premis­ es raided, faces the Lemon Tree Road and music ema­ nating from the bar is inaudi­

ble to residential property on the urbanisation. But the plight of Sofia’s would mean nothing to Alicante, who are seemingly a Loren to them­ selves (couldn’t resist it!).

Saturday also marked the climax of the local Spanish community fiesta, whose amplified music and fire­ crackers echoed around El Raso until dawn on Sunday.

I live roughly one mile from the epicentre and the music kept me awake until 4am. If Alicante wanted all music halted, and the police were acting on their orders, why did they not silence the fiesta as well?

One theory is that they were motivated by the fact

that most Brits prefer the local bar entertainment to Spanish fiesta action.

By halting the bar music, the theory is that the British will be more likely to ‘go Spanish’. The reality is that Spaniards frequent British bars even less than Brits attend campo fiestas.

The bars of El Raso have been found guilty without trial of playing music with a licence. Their sentence is to be gagged with voluntary hard labour in order to pay the fines that will follow.

Unless, of course, those responsible tune into reality and give us our music back.

8

Friday, September 27, 2013

Going indo Dutch There was a splash of colour in Guardamar last weekend as Costa Blanca’s Indonesian and Dutch communities celebrated a happy co­existence during the Dutch colonisation of the country that is now known as Indonesia.

The trading relationship known as the Dutch East Indies that began in 1800 ended in 1949, and the affection between the two nationalities was plain for all to see at the Marjal Holiday Resort.

The Help at Home char­ ity got a boost of 1200 Euros thanks to the sailors of SAMM (Sailing Association Mar Menor) and their annual charity race.

Seven boats with sev­ enteen helms and crews enjoyed their round the island race in pleasant weather, and with sponsorship money still coming in, that 1200 Euros figure is set to rise!

PLAIN SAILING

ADHOC’S SATISFACTION Rolling Stones tribute band, The Control Stones, will be playing Restaurante Los Rosales, Guardamar tomorrow (Saturday) with the ADHOC Theatre Company holding a raf­ fle, raising money for the San Fulgencio Mayor’s nominated charity. The Control Stones will fea­ ture all of the great hits of the band that have been together for over half a century, whilst the ADHOC team will be tak­ ing a break from rehearsing for their latest production, the farce “Not Now Darling”.

HAPPY 18TH BIRTHDAY ELLIS

ON THE RIGHT NOTE Rehearsals are gearing up for a nostalgic trip down memory lane into the world of movie musi­ cals with the latest show from the Cardenal Belluga Theatre Group in San Fulgencio.

“Movies and Musicals” will be staged at the Theatre on Friday October 18th, with tickets on sale from the Tourist Office and Butterfly Charity Shop in La Marina; or from The Card Shop in Benimar.Pre­booked tickets can also be ordered for collection at the door through Maria on 966 715 891 at only 6 Euros each, with all the money being donated to local charities.

Good day on the fairway

San Javier Golf Society had a pleasant day out at one of the area’s best golf courses, at El Valle which was in excellent condition.

The individual Stableford for­ mat saw Bob Gallard winning the first category, with Kevin Parker taking the 2nd cate­ gory. The society’s next game is at the La Serena course on Monday October 7th.

Techie Rascal wanted

Are you a music lover that loves computers and using the internet? Then the pop­ ular Costa Blanca variety showgroup, The Rascals, would love to hear from you. The team would like to meet somebody who could splice tracks together and also get the audio routed through the sound systems of the different venues that they use.

The Rascals are always looking for new members and they have raised over 125 thousand Euros for local charities in the 20 years that they have been

Reach for the sky Generous people have given over 3 thousand Euros to help past and pres­ ent RAF personnel through the Costa Blanca branch of RAFA (Royal Air Forces Association). The rattling of tins at local Iceland stores during this month’s “Wings Week” led to a healthy

sum being raised. There was more money to come through a wide range of collections and raffles throughout the area in recent months, and this was all topped up with 600 Euros being col­ lected in a raffle at the Battle of Britain Dinner/Dance at the El Prado restau­

Third Age welcome

Love Mum, Nan & Paul xxx

going.

They meet for rehearsals at Sacko’s Bar at El Limonar in Torrevieja every Monday and Thursday morning from

To r r e v i e j a ’ s University of the Third Age is back in formal business with a general meeting this Monday September 30th. The group has been busy over the summer though with beach parties and a boat trip to Tabarca last weekend. The U3A hold their monthly meetings at The CMO Building on the road behind the Carrefour in Torrevieja, normally on the last Monday of every month at 10.00am. New members are more than welcome, and

future talks include advice from a Guardia Civil officer on why everybody seems to get roundabout driving wrong. There’s more infor­ mation on a busy pro­ gramme for U3A via their w e b s i t e , www.torreviejau3a.org

11.00am, with their mem­ bers taking a breather in the photograph as they prepare for their Christmas show, Odyssey.

rant in San Miguel. That means that 6 thousand Euros will go directly to ex­ servicemen and women. This has been raised locally so far this year by RAFA.

9

Friday, September 27, 2013

MAKING A SPLASH CATWALK CUTIES

Local swimmers had plenty to smile about as they were amongst the prizes at Torrevieja’s 20th Annual Sports Gala. The event at the Municipal Theatre last Saturday saw a mix of sportsmen and women of different ages being brought together to celebrate their achievements over the last year, with 43 people being awarded trophies across the different catagories.

Torrevieja Mayor, Eduardo Dolon, award­ ed trophies to three Club Natacion Torrevieja swimmers:­Elian Rio de Castillo

in the Best Boys category; Zoe Connolly in the Best Girls; and Beryl Altabas in the Best Adults category. Three other swimmers were awarded trophies to acknowledge The ladies from Unique Hairdressers in their achievements over the last season. Dona Pepa, Quesada added the all­impor­ Adam and Lucy Stewart and Vicki Connolly tant finishing touches to a big line­up of were given trophies, though Adam and Lucy models that showed off their styles at the were unable to be there as they were back recent Quesada Country Club Fashion and in the UK. Shoe Show.

The guest of honour was the former More than 300 Euros was raised to sup­ Spanish tennis star, Juan Carlos Ferrero port the Elche Children’s Home, with an who now runs a tennis academy for young enjoyable show as well as a wide variety of players across the region and Spain. demonstrations.

The next charity event planned for the Home at Quesada Country Club is The Art and Photography Competition on Thursday October 17th, whilst the next charity fashion show will be at Let's Eat in Benimar ­ this will be a lunch event on Thursday October 24th and tickets will be 11 Euros. For more details of both events, E­Mail:­ sueinthe­ sun@hotmail.co.uk or text 619 869 959 for full details.

There was a nail­biting finish to the Casas Manuel Summer Petanca Fun League Cup, as the Dominos shaded out Los Bandidos!

The event, at Restaurante El Altos de Delores in La Mata, Torrevieja was staged on a warm September evening, and was full

A local youngster with a rare condition is better off by 1250 Euros after a summer of special fundraising events organised by Help at Home, Costa Blanca. A cheque was pre­ sented to the family of Finley Baker who is only one of five children in the world known to suffer from two conditions called Potoki Lupski Syndrome and Charcot Marie Tooth

disease.

Finley is returning to the UK with his family to get the specialist medical help he needs, as the assistance that he requires is not available in the Orihuela Costa area. The money donated by Help at Home will go towards paying for medical equipment for Finley.

DOMINOS TAKE A GENEROUS FOLK HELP FINLEY TIGHT ONE!

of determined and skilful play, with it ending up all square. Dominos took the title though on a points countback! Ben Kernohan, the youngest Dominos player, was presented with the trophy by Damon Haymes, on behalf of the sponsors, Casas Manuel.

10

Friday, September 27, 2013

CLASS ACT AT THE PUB

WITH umbrella blown inside­out, and thus unput­ downable, and with rainwa­ ter coursing out of the holes in my Crocs, I lurched into the pub and squelched over to the bar where Dave the barman greeted me thus: 'What is your pleasure, sir?'

I spluttered with indigna­ tion. 'My pleasure is that you knock off being obtuse and fetch me a towel. I'm drenched from that storm outside.'

Dave the barman gasped.

'Grumpy Dave Silver, is that you? I thought you were a stranger. That's why I was being polite.'

'How come you didn't recognise me?' I complained.

'I've been frequenting this pub every day since the famous flood of Biblical times, which prompts me to believe that it's happening all over again because the rain is positively pelting down as we speak.'

Dave the barman tutted.

'How the heck could I recog­ nise you when you've got a

broken big black umbrella draped over your face. You look like a giant fruit bat.'

I hurled the busted brolly onto the floor and the useless object yelled b a c k : 'Ouch!'

O f course, that wasn't the umbrella talking. No, the useless object reg­ istering its ire was Ol' Red Eyes.

The oldest mem­ ber of our pub dis­ cussion group was taking one of his cus­ tomary naps on the floor when my umbrel­ la landed on top of his snoozing form.

Ol' Red Eyes strug­ gled to his feet.

'Who threw this?' he demanded, brandishing the brolly in a threaten­

ing manner. 'If the person concerned does not own up immediately I shall keep in the lot of you for after­ school detention.'

Dave the barman leaned over the counter and wafted his bar towel under Ol' Red Eyes' nose in an attempt to bring the poor fellow back to reality.

'You're NOT a teacher anymore,' Dave the barman pointed out. 'You retired many years ago. Now open your eyes fully and tell us where you are. And if that's too much to con­ sider, tell us where you THINK you are.''

Ol' Red Eyes surveyed his surroundings, pondered mat­ ters for a moment, and then shrugged. 'It's got to be a building with a leaky roof oth­ erwise why am I holding this umbrella indoors?'

His watery eyes focused

on me. 'How might I help you, boy?' he sneered. 'Is it anoth­ er lame excuse about your missing homework? Has your mangy pet dog eaten it?

How do you ever expect to amount to anything if you don't do your set assign­ ments?'

A hush descended over the hostelry as Ol' Red Eyes continued his rant. To be honest, we members of the pub discussion group were becoming alarmed. The unfortunate bloke had never been awake this long between sleeps.

Dave the barman said: 'I think I should waft him some more with my towel.'

Indoor Lou said: 'Let's try to reason with him and, if that doesn't work, we should abandon a philosophical atti­ tude and give him a slap.'

Daft Barry said: 'I never knew Dave Silver had a dog.'

The situation calmed as Ol' Red Eyes halted his harangue to announce: 'I'm off to the staff room for a nap.' And he plonked himself down on a stool and nodded

off in seconds.

Dave the barman poured each of us a glass of his dilut­ ed brandy to calm our nerves and we gently eased Ol' Red Eyes onto the floor as he slid semi­comatose off his seat.

Daft Barry sidled over to me and said: 'Allow me to help you.'

I glanced at my image in the mirror behind the bar and saw a pathetic figure bedrag­ gled from the rainstorm with bits of sodden gutter moss clinging to my spectacles. 'I don't think anyone can help me, Barry.'

Daft Barry said: 'I have a roll of sticky tape in my kitchen junk drawer. I can nip home and get it if you like.'

Regretting my words as soon as they were uttered, I responded: 'And pray, Barry, why would I need adhesive tape?'

Daft Barry beamed. 'To repair your chewed­up homework, of course. Why should you get the blame for what your dog did? However, it's still raining out there. May I borrow your umbrella?'

11

Friday, September 27, 2013

SAY IT IN SPANISH Learn the lingo - with a little help from JEANETTE ERATH Spanish 90 As we continue with the preterite tense we are learning more and more and it can get a bit overwhelming or confusing, the best thing to do if you find yourself getting lost is to stop, maybe look at another part of learning Spanish and come back to it when you are ready, it isn´t a difficult tense to learn on it´s own, every tense has regular and irregular forms, but we have already learnt so much that it can seem never end­ ing, especially considering it is not the only past tense form in Spanish, however, with time and patience and a lot of work it can be mastered. Remember, no one wakes up one day speaking Spanish, it is a long road of studying and practising, a marathon not a sprint.

Here are the answers to last weeks translations, if you got any wrong go over them and note where you went wrong, it is not good enough to say you read the sentence wrong, when you are talking there is not the luxury of time and you need to be getting it correct first time, so that when you speak your confidence is there, so any mistakes I´m sure will have been little ones, but even so, rewrite the sentence with the correct verb conjugation.

We arrive at twelve o´clock every day – llegamos a las doce todos los días, They travelled last month – ellos viajaron el mes pasado, you went to school this morning – fuiste al colegio (a la escuala) esta mañana, someone came to my house last weekend – alguien vino a mi casa el fin de sem­ ana pasado, we made the beds this morning – hicimos las camas esta mañana, I put the clothes in the wardrobe – puse la ropa en el armario, What did you do last night? ­ ¿qué hiciste anoche? What did you tell her? ­ ¿qué le dijiste? They had an accident last Tuesday – ellos tuvieron un accidente el martes pasado, They didn´t go yesterday

because they went last week – ellos no fueron ayer porque fueron la semana pasada, They sang five songs – ellos cantaron cinco canciones, I read my messages last night – leí mis mensajes anoche, he was my best friend for ten years – él fue mi mejor amigo por diez años, I went to las Vegas last January, it was wonderful! – fui a Las vegas el enero pasado, ¡fue maravilloso! Did you see John yester­ day? ­ ¿viste a Juan ayer? When they saw me, they gave me the newspaper – cuando me vieron, me dieron el per­ iódico.

We are carrying on with more in the Preterite tense, and now you can see why this tense has been left so late to cover, it´s not an easy one to master especially when we start on the imperfect tense, but let´s get this one covered and remem­ bered before we move on.

I am going to cover stem changing verbs, that is those verbs that change their stem, or the beginning of the verb when conjugated. Most stem­changing verbs change only in the present however the –ir stem­changing verbs also make small changes in the preterite but only in the third person sin­ gular and plural.

In o > ue verbs in the present the o changes to u in the preterite, for example: Dormir – to sleep, in the present yo duermo, tú duermes, etc in the preterite: (I slept, you slept, etc) dormí, dormiste, durmió, dormimos, dormisteis, dur­ mieron In e > ie verbs in the present the e changes to i in the preterite: e.g. Mentir – to lie, in the present yo miento, tú mientes, etc, in the preterite (I lied, you lied, etc) mentí, mentiste, mintió, mentimos, mentisteis, mintieron.

In e > i verbs in the present the e changes to i in the preterite, e.g. Pedir – to request, ask for, in the present yo pido, tú pides, etc, in the preterite (I asked, you asked etc) pedí, pediste, pidió, pedimos, pedisteis, pidieron Verbs in these categories are: o > ue: dormir, morir: e > ie: advertir, mentir, preferir, sentir(se) e > i: medir, pedir, repitir, seguir, servir Verbs that change i > y in the preterite: in the –er and –ir verbs in which a vowel immediately precedes the infinitive ending, the third person singular and plural change from i to y that is to prevent three vowels together, and in all other forms there is an accent over the letter i.

E.g: creer – To know/believe (I believed, you believed, etc): creí, creíste, creyó, creímos, creísteis, creyeron Verbs in this category are: caer (él cayó, ellos cayeron), caer(se) (se cayó, se cayeron) creer (él creyó, ellose creyeron) leer (él leyó, ellos leyeron) oír (él oyó, ellos oyeron), poseer (él poseyó, ellos poseyeron) proveer (él proveyó, ellos proveyeron) Next week we will carry on with the pretertite tense, however I want to take my time with it, we are learning something new and as such there is no point in rushing and forgetting it all, therefore I will leave you with some more revision translation and we will carry on next week with this tense: The ants died, they repeated the question twice, she asked for more coffee, Pablo didn´t hear me, he provided his phone number to the police, Did you give me your book? We brought sandwiches to the beach, they walked to the shops and bought bread, I knew the address but could not find the house, I played the guitar last week, did you drink the orange juice?

12

Friday, September 27, 2013

YOUR DOG DESERVES A PERFECT HOLIDAY

After months of work on the property we bought in Pinoso, the kennels area is nearly fin­ ished. As well as helping the most severely abused dogs,

we will also be offering a 'Dog Hotel' service while you are away on holiday. We are about 35 minutes inland from Alicante, so we can also offer to collect your dog and trans­ port them back home after their stay with us.

While your dogs stay with us, they will be enjoying their very own holiday, as we can offer them lots of activities and lots of individual attention from Jean and I. We are in a posi­ tion to only look after a few dogs at a time, which will ensure they get plenty of quality time with us.

We are also both trained in animal first aid and always have stocks of medical supplies here, should your dog ever need them. Your dogs will only ever be in their kennel, to sleep at night. During the day, they will be too busy enjoying themselves, but at night, they will be happy to see their com­ fortable beds, for a good night’s sleep. Their kennels/sleep­ ing area will be cleaned every day and left in a spotless con­ dition, as will their bedding and feeding bowls.

During the day, your dogs are welcome to mix with our dogs and go on long walks through the Spanish countryside. iday, then why can't their dog and this is exactly what we In the hotter months, after a walk, your dogs can go and have have created here, a holiday environment for your dogs. I a dip in the mini dog pool if they like. We have excellent rela­ don't like to see dogs locked up in kennels all day, with very tions with our local vet, Cristina, in Pinoso. We live only two little to do and maybe the odd walk. With us, they will become minutes away from the surgery, so if your dog was ever ill, part of the family, where they can play and relax in very calm they could not be in better hands. surroundings.

I am a strong believer, that if the human goes away on hol­ My addiction in life is dogs and it would be a pleasure to

have yours stay with us next time you are away. You are more than welcome to call us whenever you like while you are away, to see how your furry best friend is enjoying their very own holiday. We will be up and running by the middle of October and can now begin to take bookings. Finally we can also look after your cats while you are away and they will equally receive the loving service we offer to the dogs.

Because we only have limited spaces at any given time, we urge that you book in advance. Your dogs and cats will gen­ uinely thank you for it! The charge for dogs is 12 euros per day and discounts are available for multiple dog households.

For cats, the charge is 7 euros per day, with discounts also for multiple cats.

To book you can email me at peter@thedogyouneed.com or you can call me on 664­709­758. I am available for con­ sultations throughout the Costa Blanca region, if you are hav­ ing problems with your furry best friend. To book a consulta­ tion you can email me at peter@thedogyouneed.com and I will contact you straight away.

We have also set up an animal charity, where we help the most severely abused and injured animals in Spain. If you would be kind enough to donate anything to this special cause you can do by PayPal, where the account details are peter@thedogyouneed.com or to our Nat West charity account, where the sort code is 60­16­03 and the account number is 73754900. Even one Euro will help, so please, please, try and support us. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

PETS’ CORNER: CAN YOU TAKE IN A HOMELESS DOG OR CAT? Amber is a Labrador Type Dog, she has a lovely sweet nature. She is in Kennels at the moment and she needs to find a home as soon as possible. She is about 18 months old, walks very well on the lead.

Contact 616655789 for more details

Amber Stanley is four years old and was signed over to APAH because his owners couldn't care for him any­ more. He is very friendly towards people, walks well on a lead and is very clean in his kennel, but he does­ n't like to share with other dogs, so needs to have a home of his own. To arran­ ge to meet Stanley please contact Yvonne on 630 422 563.

Stanley

Bobbie is 6 months old and has been with us since he was 4 weeks. He was found abandoned along with his mum and 7 siblings. He is an absolutely gorgeous pup who would make a super addition to any family. Please call 650 304 746. Email p.e.p.a.ani­ malcharity@gmail.com

Bobbie

Jet and Jinty are a devoted brother and sister who were found in a cardboard box when they were four weeks old. A loving home for both of them together would be a wonderful future for them.

To arrange to meet Jet and Jinty please contact Yvonne on 630 422 563.

This is Mami she is looking for a forever home. Can it be yours.

Please contact Perros de Alicante Rehoming Dogs From Spain on 634 065 540

Bella is a friendly little girl who is very affectionate and placid towards people. She is fine with other dogs but can find them rather over­ whelming at first. She is about 8 to 12 months old, and desperately requires a permanent home. Please call 600 84 54 20 for more info www.k9club.es

Rusty born approx January 2011 is a medium sized boy, he was found wandering in a very bad state, he is a lovely boy he likes everyone, dogs and even cats too. He is very loving and will make a very loyal companion. For more info about Rusty please call 650 304 746 or email p.e.p.a.animalcharity@gmail .com

Jinty and Jet

Mami

Bella

Rusty

Friday, September 27, 2013

Call 966 921 003 NOW!

13

14

Friday, September 27, 2013

MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS

What is your best memory? Is it something that happened in your childhood or some­ thing more recent?

I often wonder what makes a favourite memory what kind of things come together to make one particular occa­ sion stay in the mind. As I think about the past, I have many memories of course. Some are milestones such as my children being born or starting a new job, whilst oth­ ers are recollections of school and college days, although the school memories are more distant and vague. People often ask what a person´s first memory is of and at what age that we start remembering things. I don´t recall being a baby and my memory is pretty vague up until around my teenage years, but my first actual memory, the one I can still clearly see as though I was watching it on a TV screen, happened when I was around four years old. I believe that is quite young to remember but this one was quite traumatic and those are the memories that tend to stick. It was of my mum and dad saying goodbye.

My dad is Canadian and in fact I was born in Canada.

My mum is English and they separated when I was very young and I was taken to the UK with her and my sister to start our new lives with my grandmother. Once back in Britain, my mum met a man who was to become my step­ dad and my real dad came over from Canada to finalise the divorce. I remember standing in the street in the small town where I grew up and saying goodbye to my father for the very last time. It is now vague and other memories tend to cloud it but I still remember the basic details and can still see the little girl holding her mum’s hand as she walks away from her father. I never heard from my dad,

apart from a quick phone call when I was around thirteen, until nearly three years ago when just before Christmas 2010 I got a Facebook request from him!

What causes memories to stay in our heads and what makes a memory so important that it is there forever? I mentioned earlier my favourite memories, but there are sadly memories that I wish I didn´t have. There are parts of my life that were less than happy and my life would maybe be better had they never happened, but they did and so they made me the person I am today. Therefore it was with great interest that I read about a gene that may be able to block a person´s memory, with the bad memo­ ry being replaced by a different one and so causing the old memory to go. This was a test done on mice and I am sceptical of animal testing and against it on so many lev­ els, and an animal test is not of course guaranteed to work on humans, but if it does work is it a good idea?

For the vast majority of us I would say no! Our memo­ ries are what mould us into the people we become. My past experiences have made me a stronger person, and wiping out some of those times would change me and I actually quite like who I am now, so I would not be sign­ ing up for this treatment should it become widely avail­ able! However for those who are suffering from post­trau­ matic stress disorder, it could help with forgetting whatev­ er it was that was so horrific that blighted their lives. This could be a fantastic thing for those people. I also read that addicts could be treated through this, but I would not

be happy to see my money being spent by the health authorities to treat junkies. I know they do so right now but I guess this treatment would not be cheap and addicts need more than a memory jolt to stop them. We all have had bad times, with the majority of us suffering at one point or another. But we don´t all reach for drugs or alcohol in excess when it happens, and so the addict tends to be a weaker person, or one who has just given up, and giving them treatment will not necessarily make them strong.

So, as I sit and reminisce about my past and the per­ son I might have been, I look back to my youth and the times I remember. It feels as though I am watching some­ one else´s life, with vivid memories seen as though on a television and I have to remind myself that they did in fact, happen to me. While I remember, a smile comes to my face, with the first memories tending to be the happier ones. Things like messing around with friends in college; boarding the plane to emigrate to Spain; or watching my children playing and having fun and joining in with them.

They are the memories that I will cherish and keep with me, whilst the others which occasional surface, remind me of my inner strength and that I have come a long way from the shy girl who grew up on a poor council estate and that no matter what crosses my path, there will always be happy memories ahead to join to those in the past.

Take a while to reflect on your past. It´s a place you will never get to go again but also remember today is your past of the future, so do build some good memories to look back on!

15

Friday, September 27, 2013

NO BLOOMING CHANCE I’ll make a very confident prediction that come the 2015 UK General Election, UKIP will not win a single seat.

I’d have said that before their disastrous conference because of the first past the post electoral system, and I’ll increase that certainty still further after the outrageous comments from their now­ former Euro MP, Godfrey Bloom, who has now gone independent. This gentle­ man, who has a habit of say­ ing daft things, popped up at a conference meeting called “Women in Politics”, and described the ladies there as a bunch of sluts. Bloom’s behaviour with the media afterwards was childish and pathetic and added to UKIP’s woes. There’s been less pub­ licity about two other MEP’s quitting UKIP in recent weeks because of what they claim is dictatorial leader­ ship at the top, which is code for saying that they

don’t like Nigel Farage.

To give credit to Farage, he immediately removed the UKIP Euro whip from Bloom, who had already made some unwelcome head­ lines some time ago that British foreign aid should not go to “bongo bongo land”, and has in the past sug­ gested that w o m e n should spend their time clean­ ing behind the fridge. So much then for Farage try­ ing to position UKIP as some kind of credible politi­ c a l

force, rather than some­ where to dump protest votes.

It was a gift for the media, but I will predict that UKIP will still do well in next year’s Euro elections, before they become irrelevant come the big 2015 vote.

Protest voting is the stuff of by­elec­ tions and Euro elec­ tions, and not of G e n e r a l Elections, when you vote for the big boys.

Everybody remem­ bers how Nick Clegg did brilliantly well in the leader debates back in 2010

and the opinion polls had the Lib Dems riding high at times, but when it came to the privacy of a secret ballot, they actually lost votes and seats compared to 2005.

British voters are creatures of habit, and most tend to return to their traditional Labour and Tory folds when crunch time happens. The one good thing though about UKIP is that they’ve become the natural party of protest as opposed to the odious British National Party, which has disap­ peared without trace.

Labour’s Brighton con­ ference has produced some pledges from Ed Miliband as to what they would do as a government.

The big news was the eye­ grabbing freeze on energy prices until 2017, which must as I hate the e n e r g y compa­

q

nies, may cause utter chaos in the industry. The “bedroom tax” would be scrapped, along with VAT going down to 17.5%. Miliband was evasive on income tax rates, promis­ ing to declare his hand in the 2015 election manifesto, which actually is fair enough.

I don’t know of main stream parties tipping their tax hand with 18 months before a vote, unless they are com­ pletely stupid, but income tax rises for the wealthiest must surely be a way that Labour will be going. He rightly isn’t going to say that now, but of serious concern to every­ body must be their £28 billion “black­hole” in their current spending plans. Those fig­ ures have come from the Treasury no less, and so you assume they are free of polit­ ical bias. Squeezing a few extra thousand out of the rich will barely start to fill that hole in, and there are many key economic questions that Labour need to answer before they are deemed fit for government come May 2015.

16

Friday, September 27, 2013

Friday, September 27, 2013

WHITE & DARK CHOCOLATE CAKE

Ingredients 175g butter, softened, plus extra for greasing 100g white chocolate (we like M & S or Green & Black’s with real vanilla) 100g dark chocolate (70% cocoa) 3 eggs 100ml whole or semi­skimmed milk 175g caster sugar 1 tsp baking powder 200g self­raising flour 2 tbsp very strong coffee (instant is fine) 1 tsp vanilla extract For the ganache and to decorate 284ml pot double cream 200g dark chocolate (70% cocoa) 50g white chocolate, melted small bag white chocolate Maltesers (option­ al)

Method 1. Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Butter and bottom­line 2 x 20cm sandwich tins. For the cake, break the white and dark chocolate into two small bowls, then melt in the microwave on High for 1 min or over a pan of simmering water. Put everything else, except the coffee and vanilla, into a large bowl, then

beat until creamy.

2. Divide the mixture in two, then add the coffee and melted dark chocolate to one bowl, and the vanilla and melted white chocolate to the other. Stir until mixed through, then tip into the tins. Bake for 20­25 mins until risen and slightly shrunk from the sides of the tins. Cool in the tins for a few mins, then turn onto a wire rack.

3. For the ganache, heat the cream in a pan, then break the dark chocolate into a large bowl. Once the cream is just boiling, pour it onto the chocolate, then leave for 5 mins.

Stir until smooth, then leave until thickened and cool. Split the cakes in two across the middle (a bread knife works well), layer up the pieces, alternating white and dark layers, and sandwiching, then topping them with the ganache.

4. To decorate, spoon the melted white chocolate into a piping bag with a fine nozzle (or use a sandwich bag and snip off the end instead). Zig­zag the white chocolate over the cake, then finish with a scattering of white Maltesers. Serve on its own or for dessert with pouring cream. Best eaten on the day, but keeps in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

17

Happy Birthday Med Bar!

Birthday candles were the order of the day last weekend when The Med Bar in El Raso near Guardamar celebrated its 1st birthday.

Bar owners Andrew and Steven were cer­ tainly in the mood to celebrate as they slashed the price of their drinks and cobbled up a free buffet for all their loyal customers.

They also had some entertainment thrown into the bargain with the popular local singer, Lucinda.

Andrew and Steven have had a hectic first year, and they thought that when they opened The Med Bar last September that it might be a bit of quiet start, with the summer season done and dusted. But nothing could be further from the truth with the bar attract­ ing customers from a wide area. What makes it different to most other bars is that

The Med Bar is a quiz and karaoke free zone and they don’t have any televisions either, as they want to concentrate on making it a bar bistro that offers a selection of Mediterranean fresh food and a place to go to if you want to chill out and relax in the company of family and friends.

Some of the customers go back to the days of Charles Dickens when they describe the bar as the 'Old Curiosity Shop' with so much going on. There’s traditional Spanish style background music and some decadent furnishings which help to offer the bar a relaxed ambience. Andrew and Steven are really looking forward to their 2nd year in business and have lots of new ideas for The Med Bar including themed nights, and a new exciting Winter Menu.

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Friday, September 27, 2013

RICHARD CAVENDER

Bluemoon Solutions www.bluemoonsolutions.es

BlueMoon Solutions is the computer and IT services com­ pany on the Costa Blanca, they provide quality computer services at realistic prices and specialise in working with home users and small businesses.

Richard moved to Spain seven years ago hav­ ing left his management background behind in the UK and decided to use his IT skills to help home users and small businesses with their PC problems. Now a relaxed 'computer man' he is out and about in the Spanish sun every day, making house and shop calls and using his vast experience and qualifications to (usually) sort out the problem there and then. Computers are his hobby as well as his work so don’t be surprised to get an answer to your email in the early hours!

ADVICE: Bob wanted to know why his Internet Explorer TIP: David wanted to know how to access the Spanish session kept crashing. health service website I use Internet Explorer for my browser. Recently a problem has started to happen whilst reading newspapers online such as the Daily Mail or El Pais (in English). I read the various articles and then suddenly a warning comes up on the screen “Internet Explorer has stopped working” and the page sticks. It states “A problem caused programme to stop working cor­ rectly. Windows will close programme and notify you if a solution is available”. It performs a check and then requires the warning notice to be closed. I can then carry on reading. I have not had any notification of the problem to date so do you have you any idea of what this prob­ lem is? Please note that my first page to read each week in The Courier is yours so keep up the good work. Regards Bob

Q

A

Hi Bob, this sort of problem is usually caused by a plugin or as Microsoft call them “add­ons” these are small programs that run inside your Internet Explorer browser session and provide additional functionality (or crash your session every now and

then!).

In order to properly identify which add­on is causing the problem you should do the follow­ ing…

Launch Internet Explorer Click Tools, Manage Add­Ons You will notice that each Add­On has a status of either “enabled” or “disabled”, make a note of which has each status For each Add­On that is enabled, click on it and click disable, do this until all the Add­Ons are disabled Now navigate to the page that you are having problems with and you should find that Internet Explorer doesn’t crash Now enable each Add­On individually and refresh the Internet Explorer page until it crashes again – when it does the problem is the Add­On you have just enabled.

Hope this helps.

office@bluemoonsolutions.es www.bluemoonsolutions.es Mobile: 655 044 970

Office: 902 906 200

Don’t forget you can follow me on twitter @bluemoonspain Alternatively why don’t you sign up for my newsletter. You can do this by going to:­ www.bluemoonsolutions.es and fill in the form that is on any page except the front page.

Richard, I'm sure that you've answered this question before but I can't find it anywhere on your website.

I used to be able to log onto a website that allowed me to book doctor appoint­ ments, look at test results etc. but a while back a new system was brought in and now I can't do this.

At the local Health Centre I was given a document that told me to log onto torre­ vieja­salud.com, go to 'my health e­space' and enter my SIP and password.

This doesn't work and the health centre couldn't explain why!!!!

Can you republish the link that will give me access to what I think is an excellent website ­ once you can get into it, that is.

Regards, David

Q

Hi David, sure, the articles (there are two because some people had problems with different browsers when following the first article), they can be found at…. www.bluemoonsolutions.es/booking­a­spanish­medical­appointment­online and www.bluemoonsolutions.es/booking­a­spanish­medical­appointment­online­update I haven’t checked their validity recently so could be interested in your comments as to whether they are still valid or need to be updated.

A

TIP: Ken wanted to know how to remove some Malware he had picked up.

Q

I have picked up a new web searcher some­ how it is called delta­search.com I can’t find it in my list of progs.to delete it, and if I remove it from settings in google, it reappears again.

I am using windows7, any ideas would be appreciated.

Regards, Ken Hi Ken, one of the best programs that I have used for getting rid of this type of Malware is MalwareBytes, you can download a free ver­ sion of the software from www.malwarebytes.org ­ once downloaded, do a full scan of your computer and allow it to remove anything that it finds, that should sort your problem out.

A

Friday, September 27, 2013

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20

The incidence of diabetes is increas­ ing at an alarming rate and so this week we are going to take a brief look at this disease as in fact there is hope on the horizon if you have been diag­ nosed. There are two main types of diabetes namely Diabetes Type 1 and Diabetes Type 2. In most cases Type 1 will have been diagnosed in childhood or early youth and is usually treated with a hor­ mone called insulin.

Type 2 is sometimes referred to as, late onset, which simply means that it has happened when we are an adult and sometimes even in late adulthood.

Often when the diabetes is late onset there is a history of weight gain and it is this that has put the body out of balance and affected the production of insulin. Type 2 may be treated with diet alone or by medication.

There are several types of medication pre­ scribed so it is not a case of one size fits all, sometimes more than one medication is pre­ scribed. One of the main things about either

Friday, September 27, 2013

type is to eat a diet that is aimed at keeping insulin and blood sugar levels as normal as possible and also the aim should be to get weight what it should be according to the person’s height this is known as body mass index.

Another impor­ tant measure­ ment is the waist size and it is now thought this this may be a bigger indicator of health than B.M.I. The other aim of con­ trolling blood sugar levels is to try to prevent the side effects of diabetes as it is these side effects that can shorten life and cause a multitude of unpleasant symptoms including loss of limbs and vision.

As nutritionists we can help both types of diabetics to lose weight and normalise blood sugar, yes, even Type 1 diabetics can see improvements in levels and health.

Call SlimFit NOW on 722 219 450 to book your initial consultation and let us help you to help yourself!

ACETYL-L-CARNITINE: ESSENTIAL FOR THE BRAIN AND HEART DR MACHI MANNU’S ADVICE CLINIC Email your questions and comments to contact@medb.es

An undeniable fact of life is that as we age, our more active organs such as the brain and heart start to deteriorate, and we become more prone to chronic diseases.

Overtime, scientists have been able to identify fac­ tors that contribute to the ageing process and at the top of the list is the pro­ gressive decline in the pro­ duction of certain key nutri­ ents such as Acetyl­L­ Carnitine, without which our organs will fail to func­ tion optimally. Your brain uses about 20% of all the energy generated in the body, which is more than any other organ including the heart, which also uses a lot of energy. And this process requires an array of nutrients – fatty acids, glucose, enzymes, cofac­ tors, vitamins, minerals and

essential nutrients – to ensure that energy genera­ tion runs smoothly. Acetyl­ L­Carnitine is required to transport fatty acids into brain tissue. In contrast to other organs of the body, the brain prefers fat to sugar as a source of ener­ gy. But as we grow older, the level of Acetyl­L­ Carnitine which transports fat into the brain and heart becomes significantly reduced thereby reducing the performance of these organs. Acetyl­L –Carnitine also helps prevent Alzheimer’s disease by contributing to the produc­ tion of the brain chemical Acetylcholine, the lack of which has been linked to Alzheimer’s and other neu­ rodegenerative brain disor­ ders.

Acetyl­L­Carnitine has also been shown to improve cerebral blood

flow, and in general improves mental perform­ ance: memory, concentra­ tion and focus. It also improves the performance of the heart by providing it with energy. Other studies have shown that Acetyl­L­ Carnitine reduces the inci­ dence of atherosclerosis (hardening and furring of arteries) by increasing the levels of HDL (good choles­ terol) and reducing the amounts of bad cholesterol and triglycerides. Acetyl­L­ Carnitine is completely dif­ ferent from L­Carnitine, a plain amino acid. Acetyl­L­ Carnitine from Douglas Labs is available from MedB Health Shop for a best value price of 44.98 Euros, and delivery is free.

Call 965 07 1745 FOR FULL BODY DIAG­ NOSTICS CALL DR MANNU :965071745

Edition 10

OFFERS OF THE MONTH Page 2

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Friday, September 27, 2013

Homes and taxes are Stattin's business

Stattin & Partners is situated in the busy Torremarina shopping center close to both La Mata and Torrevieja. Both staff and own­ ers have extensive experience in providing service to foreign property owners for more than 20 years. The services they provide are oriented mainly to assist and represent prop­ erty owners in Spain in all matters related to the ownership. Due to the constantly chang­ ing tax system in Spain, many foreigners choose to appoint a fiscal representative to ensure fulfilment of their fiscal obligations in Spain and fiscal representation is one the services provided by Stattin & Partners.

Due to falling property prices in Spain they have also noticed an increased demand for representation and advisory service by

Spain gains ground in property popularity stakes

Spanish property is gaining ground in the popularity stakes, attracting more and more overseas buyers as house prices fall.

According to Conti, Spain is the second most popular destination for investors, accounting for 36 per cent of all mortgage enquiries. France tops this list with 43 per cent, but the gap between the two nations is narrowing.

Enquiries about mortgages on Spanish clients buying property in the area.

Many property owners will eventually face properties increased by three per cent year­ the necessity to draw up an inheritance in on­year in August, while France fell two per Spain. Stattin & Partners´ professional and cent during the same period. In fact, during experienced staff will also be of assistance the months of May, June and July, Spain in these matters, providing information about accounted for more enquiries than France. procedures and costs involved. To facilitate a This is likely down to the market swaying in future inheritance Stattin & Partners recom­ favour of buyers. There are a large number mends all owners of property to make of homes available in the country and prices are yet to reach the bottom, meaning there Spanish wills.

If you are in need of advise or representa­ is plenty of scope for negotiating values. In tion in any matter connected to the owner­ terms of lending, there are also plenty of ship of property or living in Spain in general, opportunities to be had as long as investors you can contact Stattin & Partners on 965 have a healthy deposit. Add in to the mix the 716 652 or email info@stattinpartners.com . fact that the country is easily accessible and Their website, www.stattinpartners.com will Spain looks like a very attractive prospect indeed. be available in English shortly.

However, it isn't just France and Spain that are attracting the eyes of buyers. In fact, more and more people are looking for overseas property across the globe. During August Conti saw a 62 per cent increase in the number of mortgage enquiries, making it the busiest month so far this year.

Clare Nessling, director at Conti, said: "Traditionally, our enquiry levels tend rise around now, as people return home from trips abroad with dreams of owning their own place in the sun. But the uplift is even higher this year, perhaps the result of the UK’s hottest, driest and sunniest summer in the UK since 2006 inspiring even more peo­ ple to invest in an overseas bolthole which they can escape to during the cold winter months."

However, Ms Nessling added that buyers still want to play it safe and opt for traditional locations for overseas homes. This may be the result of uncertainty in certain parts of the globe following the Arab spring, not to mention the consistent tourism activity in popular spots like the Costa del Sol, mean­ ing holiday­let opportunities are available.

Friday, September 27, 2013

3

How you become a MAKING DREAMS tax resident in Spain COME TRUE

If you move to Spain permanently for six months or more you will almost certainly become tax resident and be obliged to pay income, capital gains, and wealth taxes on your worldwide assets and be subject to Spanish inheritance and gifts tax rules.

You will become tax resident in Spain under Spanish rules if: a) you spend more than 183 days in the calendar year in Spain. These days do not have to be consecutive, and temporary absences from Spain are ignored unless you can show habitual residence in another country for more than 183 days in the year.

OR b) your ‘centre of interests’ is in Spain, e.g. the base for your economic or profes­ sional activities is in Spain.

OR c) your spouse is resident in Spain and you are not legally separated, even though you may spend less than 183 days there (unless you can show habitual resi­ dence in another country for more than 183 days in the year).

The tax year in Spain ends on 31st December. You are either resident or not resident for the whole tax year (subject to any residence elsewhere under treaty rules).

So, the date from which you become resi­ dent will largely depend on the time of year you arrive in Spain.

If you arrive in Spain in the first six months of the year with the intention of staying there indefinitely, you are likely to be regarded as tax resident for the full calendar year.

However, if you move directly from the UK, then it is likely that, because of the UK/Spain Tax Treaty, you will be regarded as UK resi­ dent up to the date you leave the UK and resident in Spain thereafter.

If you move to Spain in the latter half of the calendar year, then you are likely to find that

you are regarded as non­Spanish resident for that year, on the basis you have not spent 183 days there during the year. However, if you have made previous visits to Spain and these have been significant or frequent, the Spanish authorities could deem you to be resident in Spain from an earlier date, and regard any subsequent time spent outside of Spain as a temporary absence (unless you were clearly resident at that time in another ‘tax treaty’ country such as the UK).

UK/Spain Double Tax Treaty The UK/Spain Double Tax Treaty has a tie­breaker clause that comes into operation if you are resident both in the UK under the UK rules and in Spain under the Spanish rules. The purpose is to determine in which country you will ultimately be regarded as tax resident – it cannot be both.

The agreement works as follows: • If you are dual resident in practice, you are deemed to be tax resident in the country in which you have a permanent home avail­ able to you.

• If you have a permanent home in both countries (or neither), you are deemed to be resident in the country where your ‘centre of vital interests’ lies. ‘Vital’ means the whole pattern of your life.

• If this test is indeterminate, you are deemed to be resident in the country in which you have a habitual abode (a place where you spend most of your time during the tax year), but if this is not clear you are deemed to be resident in the country of which you are a national. UK nationals will at this point be regarded as UK residents.

It is always best before making the move to Spain to take professional tax advice from a specialist who knows both UK and Spanish tax legislation.

EVA VERONIKA offers country properties along the Costa Blanca and Costa Cálida since 1996. Whether you are looking for a luxury or a derelict finca, a building plot or a cozy country retreat, together with EVA VERONIKA you will find your dream prop­ erty. Her 40 years experience in Spain, her deep knowledge about Spain and Spanish country properties, her professional and individual customer care, her fair prices, made her the preferred country property advisor. Her clients are satisfied and more importantly are her good friends. If you have not yet found your dream property with her – she make sure there will be one waiting for you! EVA VERONIKA is there for you with lots of enthusiasm, love and efforts as always. For questions or viewings please call: 669 621 173 or 966 180 004 www.spain­fincas.info, info@spain­fincas.info

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Friday, September 27, 2013

HOW TO LIVE IN SPAIN

If you want to live in Spain, there are some valuable tips worth knowing before making the next step.

Here are 10 reasons why moving to Spain is still a number one destination to retire or emigrate to: 1. Low property prices. Property in Spain for sale is the lowest they have been for over a decade.

2. Regular flights and deals mean that trips to and from the UK; to see family and loved ones are so much easier.

3. Warm and dry climate. Over 300 days of sunshine per year and a moderate tem­ perature throughout the whole year.

(Depending on the region & area you live in) If you are thinking of living in northern Spain you need to be prepared for an elevated annual rainfall and colder weather condi­ tions.

4. Very good Spanish road communica­ tions and public transport at affordable rates, which is great if you are thinking of living in Madrid or another Spanish city.

Trains are very well maintained and the new high­speed rail links all over Spain are going to make travelling in Spain even easi­ er. Motorways and roads despite having many toll roads have very little traffic and makes Spanish road travel a very pleasant experience.

5. The cost of living in Spain is generally lower in comparison to the UK. Despite infla­ tion in the past few years Spain the cost of living in Spain is still cheaper. Council rates, utility bills, eating out and supermarket / fresh produce are all still cheaper than in the UK. 6. Schools in Spain in many areas offer a bilingual education. Children stay children for longer and the values that are shown to

children in Spanish schools are of a high standard.

7. A geographical paradise. From snowy mountain ranges in the Pyrenees and Granada to tropical islands in Tenerife and the Canary islands to long stretches of unspoilt coastline and of course thousands of acres of almond, orange, grape and olive groves. Spain also has many world heritage sites including la “Alhambra”, in Granada and the “Serra de Tramuntana”, Mallorca, which was recently declared this year. World heritage sites are determined by UNESCU and Spain is second in Europe being home to a total of 42 World heritage sites. Italy is in first place with 45 sites.

8. Unbeatable National Health Service.

Clean hygienic hospitals and very compe­ tent medical staff.

9. Spanish people are generally very friendly, tolerant and family orientated. If you

make an effort to integrate you will find it very easy to make friends.

10. An unbeatable lifestyle. Fabulous fies­ tas all over the country all year around, a country oozing culture and places of histori­ cal interest, fabulous golf courses, Sandy beaches and a healthy Mediterranean diet.

Remember Spain is different. It’s not one big holiday. At some point you need to get down to the nitty gritty. Here are 10 tips that will help you prepare for frus­ trating moments.

1. Don´t sell up everything and make a giant step. Instead live between the two countries first. To give up your life in the UK and live in a country you have only had hol­ idays in before, is not a good idea at a retire­ ment age.

If you are emigrating to Spain for work reasons make sure you can establish a trial period first. Maybe it is best to rent in Spain long term before selling up. Make sure you have security in your job and you are happy with the new lifestyle.

2. Be assertive, open minded and respectful. Don´t expect everything to be done overnight. Spain has a bureaucratic system that drives even the locals to distrac­ tion.

3. Go with the flow and make sure all your paper work is in order. There will always be some other paper that is needed but you are sometimes lucky. The help of a knowledge­ able Spanish speaking local or translator comes in handy in these cases.

4. Pay a gestoria / abogado to obtain a nie number and any other matters that need to be processed in the Extranjería or the offices of eg. “Trafico”, (Traffic office.

“Funcionarios”, (Civil servants) that work in administrative positions in Spain have the reputation amongst the Spanish as being the laziest workers of the nation & guess what? They have a job for life….

Rely on the help of people that are “in the know”, to process your paperwork. A fun­ cionario’s job is not at risk for attending you

badly and they will only try to make you as miserable as they are…

5. Try and learn Spanish and do not expect the locals to speak to you in fluent English, especially if you are going to work in Spain…. That is not going to make you popular with the locals or the English people that are making an effort.

Remember you are in Spain. Always try and make an effort first and you may find you will get a friendlier service and the locals will have more patience with you.

6. Don´t compare. “Well it’s not like that in England” is not going to get you anywhere.

You are in Spain and the way of life takes some getting used to. Please refer back to point 1.

7. “La hora del Almuerzo”, (Brunch) takes place nationwide between 10.30­11.30 each day. Don´t be caught in any queues at that time and especially if it is to file a complaint.

If you are in a queue and waiting to be attended by a funcionario…. You are likely to have the window closed in your face despite the fact that you have been queuing for 1 hour.

8. National holidays, bank holidays, local fiestas and August are all times that means that the area that you are living in is likely to be closed.

Shops, banks, supermarkets etc. prepare for this in advance… Get a calendar of the local fiestas and bank holidays.

Don´t try and do anything in August that requires the processing of paper work or means placing an order for something that is not in stock 9. If it is your birthday remember it is down to you to buy a cake and the first round…

Don´t expect your Spanish friends to make too much of a fuss. They are waiting for you to make the effort…. Buy your own cake and take it into work for the whole office to enjoy.

If you are retired, throw a party!

10. “La Mañana”, (Morning) is until 14.00 hours. “Buenos Días”, (Good Morning) The Spanish Lunch hour is between 14.00 hrs and 17.00 hrs.

“La siesta”, is between 15.00­17.00 hrs and is when the Spanish generally take a power nap. Call the children in from the pool if you are on a development.

“La tarde”, (Afternoon) runs from 14.00 hrs until nightfall. “Buenas tardes”, (Good afternoon) “La Noche”, is from dusk until midnight.

After that the small hours are referred to as “La Madrugada”. “Buenas noches”, (Good evening).

Try and have a sense of humour about the things that are different. Life in Spain is dif­ ferent and can be a shock to the system if you are not prepared for it. A good sense of humour and an open mind will certainly mean that the good will outweigh the bad.

Friday, September 27, 2013

5

WOULD YOU Are you looking for a holiday LIVE HERE? home or residency in Spain?

Cockburn, Western Australia Although this name is often pronounced “Coburn” by those who stand to lose from its awfulness, who actually reads that when they see this word? Oh, how it burns.

Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenu­ akitanatahu, New Zealand Locals call this hill in Hawke’s Bay “Taumata” because…

Well. Just because.

Looneyville, Texas, United States Little Looneyville was named for storekeeper John Looney in the early 1870s. This is a hilarious name for a town in the state that brought us Dallas, the Bush Twins and Waco. How awkward must that be when you go to college? “Hey guys, my name’s Sue and I’m from Looneyville!”

Titty Hill, Sussex, England Falling squarely into the extensive Stupid Place Names From England category, Titty Hill is probably located just north of…

Thong, Kent, England Which actually is south­east of…

Gravesend, Kent, England Oh, come on, England. Graves End? What a nasty, depressing little name. You could have at least gone all the way with this one and called it Corpse Feet.

Whiskey Dick Mountain, Washington State, United States As hard as America tries, it can’t compete with Britain’s high standards. This was a good effort, though. Well done, Washington.

Toad Suck, Arkansas, United States So that’s what they do down in the big AR. Shitterton, Dorset, England I wonder if they bleep out the first part of Shitterton’s name if it’s mentioned on TV in America?

Disappointment, Kentucky, United States Le sigh. Never mind. You live in a small town in Kentucky.

At least it was appropriately named.

Whakapapa Why is this the worst place name in the world? In Maori, the native language of New Zealand, the “wh” sound is pro­ nounced “f”. Say it aloud in your office and see what happens.

There can not be many places as well suited as the La Finca Golf and Spa Resort in Algorfa. Located close to Quesada, Almoradi and Los Montesinos, just a 15 minute drive to some of the best beaches in the area at Guardamar and the busy resort of Torrevieja and 30 min­ utes to the airports of Alicante or San Javier.

The resort has a 5 star hotel and spa on site, club house and a number of bars, restaurants and a Johnsons supermarket. Panoramic views of the golf course and local mountains can be enjoyed from a good number of properties not only front line golf. The area is golfers heaven with 7 courses within a 20 minute drive and 16 within an hours drive. However it is the picturesque landscape, safe living environment and tranquil lifestyle which appeals to most people.

The majority of the properties ranging from 2 bedroom 2 bathroom apartments to 4 bedroom 3 bathroom front

line detached villas with private pools were built between 2003 and 2009 however new modern designed properties are still being built by the same developers who have a good reputation for build quality.

OP Group Spain have a local office on site and can offer apartments to rent long term for 350 Euros per month or from 75,000 Euros to buy, bungalows from 400 Euros per month on a long term lease or from 80,000 Euros to buy to detached villas with pools from 650 Euros per month and from 230,000 Euros to buy.

Each property has use of a communal swimming pool and are located on gated communities with of road park­ ing.

If you would like to find out more and are looking to find a home please contact us at algorfa@opgroupspain.com Telephone 0034 966729653 or visit www.opgroupspain.com

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Friday, September 27, 2013

How to redecorate with paint Liven up your living room Decorating your home and giving it your personal touch is a pleasurable pastime­and it’s so easy. With a little paint, you can transform dull rooms into vibrant living spaces. Here are 10 ways to redecorate your rooms with simple painting projects.

An entirely repainted living room will command attention, but painting an accent wall adds drama ­­ and it's a lot less work. Try painting your focal­point wall a darker or more vibrant colour than the others. It will give your living room an entirely new feel.

the job effortless.

Keep it fresh in the kitchen

Add a splash of colour to a bland kitchen while giving new life to a wooden table and chairs. Paint the table a bright colour and, for added interest, paint each chair a different complementary colour. You'll have an instant conversation piece ­­ and maybe a family heirloom.

Get creative with the kids

Kids' rooms should be fun. Paint a wall with chalkboard paint, then supply your kids with coloured chalk and invite them to be artists. Or paint soft, fluffy clouds on the ceiling of a nursery to create a dreamland. Cloud stencil kits are avail­ able at many craft and home­improvement stores, but try it freehand. It will bring out the artist in you, too.

Welcome to our home Your home's entry sets the tone for the rest of the house, so freshen it with two simple statements. First, paint the front door an exciting colour inside and out. Then pick up an inex­ pensive rug that you can transform with paint. Create an abstract design using several colours or use painters tape for stripes and plaids ­­ and be prepared for the compli­ ments.

Fireplace face-lift

Jazz up the garage

Your man cave/garage should be a reflection of your per­ sonality and love for a particular sport or team. Paint the garage walls in the colours of your favourite sports team, and alternate the colours for each wall. Stripe the dull grey concrete for added colour, and then bring in a large televi­ sion and comfortable chairs. You'll be set for game day.

Small room, big impact

Shine an updated light on your dining room guests

What do you do with a brick fireplace or brick wall that sucks all the light out of the room? Clean, prime and paint the bricks and the grout lines. A creamy white paint will give the room a fresh and contemporary feel. If your room is more formal, try using a shade of brown or taupe for added sophistication.

Tired of that 1970s­era brass­and­glass chandelier in your dining room? Peruse thrift stores for an old crystal chande­ lier. If you find one, but it's missing crystals, check your local craft store for replacements. Prime first, and then spray paint your new fixture a glossy colour. You'll be the proud owner of a designer chandelier.

70s be gone

Straight up or sideways, your bedroom will love it

Put pizzazz into your bedroom by painting stripes on the walls. Vertical stripes make the ceiling look higher, and hor­ izontal stripes make the room feel larger. Stripes intimidate many novice painters, but creating them is surprisingly sim­ ple. Painters tape and a reliable level or plumb line will make

Does your bathroom or powder room look lifeless? Be daring and paint the ceiling a vivid contrasting colour. In one afternoon of painting, your once­drab room will come to life.

Add matching towels for a real punch of colour.

Are you tired of the retro look of panelling in your family room? Don't remove it, paint it. A dark and dreary panelled room will come to life with a fresh coat of soft yellow or green paint. While you're at it, you'll probably want to remove the orange shag carpet.

Roll up your sleeves, get out the drop cloth, brushes and rollers and get busy. With imagination and a little paint, you can easily bring new personality to your home.

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Friday, September 27, 2013

GETTING THE BEST OUT OF GOOD BACTERIA Q

My main problem is stomach discomfort with occa­ sional pain, diarrhoea, and constipation, and this has been going on for many years. I also suffer from occa­ sional thrush, headaches, and depression. I have had many tests including endoscopies, ultrasounds and blood tests, and nothing concrete has been found wrong with me. I am 61 years old, and have been on a number of medications on and off.

A

The symptoms you describe are a familiar presentation at our clinic and in my opinion the investigations you have carried out would not have picked up the cause of your prob­ lem. Hospital practises do not recognise the beneficial role of ‘healthy microbes’ in our digestive system, and the harmful effects of antibiotics to this delicate balance, to the detriment of people’s health. For this reason the investigations done in hospitals rarely include a check for harmful microbes that are the cause of your problem. The scans I perform on my patients include a check for microbes anywhere in the body among many other checks, and so I frequently come across microbes in the gastrointestinal system. On average there are about 500 different microbes that reside in the digestive tract, especially in the large intestines. Some of these microbes are harmful, but are kept in check by a healthy population of ‘good bacte­ ria’. The stomach contains fewer microbes than the intestines, and most of these are beneficial bacteria that suppress and destroy harmful bacteria. These harmful bugs are everywhere around us. From the air we breathe, to the food we eat, how­ ever as long as our population of good bacteria is healthy, these harmful bugs are kept under control. But the population of good bacteria’ in our gut and stomach in particular can be easily disrupted by external factors which includes substances we eat, drink or inhale. Drugs especially antibiotics have the most disruptive and destructive effect on the gut microbes. For a start antibiotics are said to work ‘blind’. They cannot differen­

tiate your own blood cells or even healthy bacteria from harm­ ful bacteria. So they kill off everything in their path to achieve an effect. After this has occurred, harmful bugs such as E. coli and Staphylococcus aureus rush to re­colonise the stomach before useful bacteria such as lactobacillus and bifidobacteri­ um. When E. coli, streptococcus or staphylococcus or such harmful bugs take hold of the digestive tract, people experi­ ence the symptoms you describe including– stomach pain, acid reflux, feeling bloated, nausea, vomiting, flatulence, diar­ rhoea, constipation. Beneficial microbes also protect the uri­ nary tract from infections, because antibiotics equally destroy protective microbes in the urinary tract, and this is especially true for women who have a short urinary tract and are more prone to infections. Many women develop urinary tract infec­ tions (UTIs) soon after a course of antibiotics. People are also not aware that, wheat flour and wheat containing foods are very harmful to health, especially digestive health. Wheat was genetically modified (hybridized) in the 1970s, and this com­ pletely changed its structure, making it a more toxic food.

Wheat contains the toxin gliadin and glutenin. Gluten comes from glutenin, and while many of us associate gluten sensitiv­ ity to coeliac disease, what we don’t appreciate is that every­ one has a degree of sensitivity to gluten. The question is how much. Some people feel very mild stomach cramps after eat­ ing a fairly large amount wheat containing foods, others may eat a tiny amount and feel bloated or have an acid reflux. What is true is that many people continue to live with these symp­ toms without making any connection to wheat. These symp­ toms usually become worse over the years because of the gradual destructive effects of the toxins found in wheat. Wheat also contains the toxin Wheat Germ Agglutinin (WGA) which has been shown to perforate the tight membrane that lines the intestines, making it possible for other toxins from wheat to escape into surrounding tissues causing inflammatory reac­

tions. These inflammatory reactions have been linked to chronic diseases such as cardiac autoimmune disorders, car­ diac problems, arthritis, skin problems, and mental illnesses (schizophrenia) etc. WGA damages the villi ­ finger like processes that absorb food from the small intestine­ as well as the intestinal lining or membrane. Many people understand the benefits of probiotics, but also believe that it is as easy as eat­ ing a few tubs of yogurt to get what you need. Only problem is that the amount in yogurt is far too small to make any real dif­ ference to your health. The best way to replenish good bacte­ ria is through a good quality probiotic. I say good quality because most probiotics are not manufactured in a manner that will protect the beneficial bacteria from the harsh stomach acid environment, thereby destroying them even before they have had a chance to repopulate the stomach. However if your digestive tract is heavily infected with harmful bacteria such as E. coli, probiotics will not be enough to do the job. Colostrum is most effective for such nasty bugs. Colostrum is the most powerful natural antibiotic known to man, and many studies have shown it to be very effective against many different kinds of harmful bacteria, fungi, parasites, including viruses such as HIV. In addition colostrum increases the effectiveness of pro­ biotics by making it easier for those beneficial bacteria to attach themselves to the gut. Colostrum also contains many antibodies and growth factors such as epithelial growth factor and fibroblast growth factors that regenerate and speeds up the healing of damaged epithelial tissue. Supplements are available from MedB Health Shop – Good Value for Money.

Colostrum powder (150 grams) for 80 Euros or 60 Colostrum capsules for 28 Euro. Multi­probiotic from Douglas Laboratories ­ 39.82 Euros for 60 capsules. Delivery is free.

Call 965071745.

PLEASE SEND YOUR QUESTIONS TO contact@medb.es or to the editor of the courier.

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Friday, September 27, 2013

23

Friday, September 27, 2013

Tony

Mayes

HE ALWAYS HAS SOMETHING TO SHOUT ABOUT

IT’S ALL IN THE MIND HAVE you ever thought how clever your mind is ­ and how much control it has over your body?

Increasingly, doctors are coming to realise there is far more power in the mind than they have ever thought. And a new book has now set out to demonstrate just how powerful the mind can be.

The author is Dr Lissa Rankin, a physician and doc­ tor in obstetrics and gynae­ cology, who has compiled many cases of patients apparently healing them­ selves. One study concerned a group of patients who were given a saline solution which they were told could be chemotherapy. It was just salt solution, but 30% cent lost their hair! Another con­ cerned a psychiatric patient with a split personality who was diabetic when she was in one personality and not when she was in the other, to the point where her blood sugar readings changed dra­ matically. A patient suffered from severe nausea and

vomiting and was given a drug that she was told would undoubtedly cure her. Within a few minutes, she recov­ ered entirely ­ despite the fact that the doctors had lied to her – she had actually been given a drug known not to prevent nausea, but to cause it. Through her research, incredibly, Dr Rankin discovered that patients who were given placebos did not just feel bet­ ter – they can actually become clinically better.

Religious believers have a word for this ­ miracles. They have a simple explanation, that it is the work of God. Dr Rankin has examples of peo­ ple who have been to Lourdes and been cured.

The work of God or the per­ son's own mind? Dr Rankin believes it's the latter, a case of mind over matter.

In past decades, main­ stream doctors went into denial that patients could cure themselves, believing their prescriptions or proce­ dures were the cure.

Undoubtedly, medicines and operations are essential, but a patient's belief that he or she is going to get better, is (until now) the hidden plus factor, and the one that should be the subject of much more research. What's needed more than anything else, is an end to the closed minds of mainsteam doctors and a different approach by religious believers ­ an acceptance that people have the power to self­ heal ­ whether or not they believe in God. Religion did its damnest to pretend the earth was the centre of the uni­ verse and condemned Galileo for showing it wasn't, hiding the truth from people for 200 years. Religion did its utmost to condemn Darwin and disprove the evolution theory, and now some reli­ gious leaders condemn sci­ entists for their big bang the­ ory in the creation of the uni­ verse. When religious lead­ ers and their Roman political masters were deciding what should be in the Bible, they omitted the gospel of (doubt­ ing) Thomas because he spoke of Jesus telling him that God was within every­ one.

That didn't sit well with what the religious leaders and politicians wanted the people to believe ­ an early example of political manipu­ lation. Dr Rankin, in her book, preaches that patients have self­healing powers and that they can solve many of their own health problems.

She writes: "There’s proof that you can radically alter your body’s physiology just by changing your mind.

There’s also proof that you can make yourself sick when your mind thinks unhealthy thoughts. And it’s not just mental. It’s physiological."

I'm sure there's much truth in

this ­ and the sooner her ideas are embraced by far more research, the more humanity will benefit ­ who knows, we might, at last, actually discover God's true identity in the process. How fantastic would that be? Dr Rankin's book is called “Mind Over Medicine: Scientific Proof That You Can Heal Yourself”.

IT'S not cheap raising a child, and the cost is not made any less by middle class teachers and gover­ nors choosing expensive uni­ forms as some kind of crazy status symbol for the school.

So, I'm delighted that schools in England are going to be told to cut the cost of school uniforms for hard­ pressed parents. What's under scrutiny is schools which use a single uniform supplier, which often is more expensive than being able to go to a store or supermarket and buying a kit. When I was at school, my parents went to a shop and bought the uni­ form and to another to buy the school badge which was sewn on. Nice and simple and cheap. But problems arise when schools get into a cosy relationship with one supplier, which then hands back a commission for the school. It may be be right for a cash­strapped school, but not so good for parents.

Families are hit when a school switches to academy status and then decides to change its emblem. New guidelines will now restrict changes to one or two items or to sew­on logos. An Office of Fair Trading investigation last year suggested 75% of UK state schools placed restrictions on where uni­ forms could be bought and that typically added £5 to the price tag for each item, leav­ ing parents an estimated £52m a year worse off. It's all made so much worse when parents are now heavily fined for taking children out of school for holidays and have to face sky­high holiday prices at peak times. There's one suggestion that would cut uniform costs by 100% ­ and that’s to scrap them alto­ gether! The world's best school systems – like those in Scandinavia ­ get on fine without them and so could Britain. However, there's no doubt that having kids seri­ ously damages your wealth!

THANK goodness that at long last the UK Government is to introduce longer prison sentences for benefit cheats. From now on cheats can be jailed for a maximum of ten years, due

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to a new guideline from the Director of Public Prosecutions. In the past, benefit cheats were com­ monly charged under social security legislation carrying a maximum sentence of seven years. And benefit frauds of less than £20,000 were auto­ matically tried in magistrates' courts, which could only sen­ tence people up to 12 months imprisonment for multiple offences. For a sin­ gle offence, the maximum is six months. This financial threshold has now been scrapped under the new guidelines, so smaller cases can be referred straight to crown courts for tougher sen­ tencing. Now what's needed is to force judges to be tough on cheats or be threatened with removal from the bench if they carry on giving namby­ pamby suspended sen­ tences or community orders.

As I keep on saying, benefit fraud will not be stopped until people doing it know they are going to be treated extremely harshly. A few years in a prison where they are required to work to pay back their ill­gotten gains is the answer followed by a tariff to limit the amount a cheat is able to claim in future. And finally, tax cheats should be treated in exactly the same way as benefit cheats. After all there is no difference between either.

REGULAR readers know how much I hate council stupidity and here’s another case featuring a parking space in Burry Port, Carmarthenshire, which is nine inches, or 23cm wide:­ long enough just to park a child's toy. It's been created by two teams of workmen, one employed by the council, which dealt with the highway, and the other by another team which dealt with a pri­ vate road, which leads to a GP surgery. The surgery arranged for their private road to be painted with yel­ low lines to stop car parking there, but the council painted theirs and stopped nine inch­ es short to differentiate between the two owners with different powers of enforce­ ment. It's yet another exam­

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ple of how Britain is driving motorists to distraction. How on earth are motorists expected to take signs and notices seriously when faced with such nonsense? Still on the subject of parking, what I hate are those signs which ban people from parking because streets are allocat­ ed for residents' parking places. Of course residents need help finding parking places in busy towns, but when do the majority of resi­ dents leave? Yes, during the day when they are most like­ ly to be away at work. And when do others want to park? Yes, during the day, when the shops are open.

When are residents most likely to want to park near their homes? Yes, at night.

And when are visitors most unlikely to want the spaces?

Yes at night. Day after day while we were in the UK, we saw virtually empty streets with parking restricted to res­ idents, and shoppers cram­ ming into remaining places.

Councils, get your act togeth­ er and get real, or better still, butt out altogether!

This week we are on holiday visiting Krakow, Poland, and seeing the hor­ ror of the WW2 concentration camps at nearby Auschwitz.

I think it is one thing that everyone should do in life ­ visit such places and see first­hand man's inhumanity to man. It saddens me so much that there are those who try to pretend that such atrocities did not happen.

We're also at the tender mer­ cies of Ryanair on the trip from Alicante and back. It pleases me that this week Ryanair had its shareholders' meeting and shareholders took management to task for their crass policies. It was music to hear that finally management have accepted that their lack of customer care had to change and it was wrong to piss travellers off by petty nonsense, such as quibbling over baggage allowances and trying to extract more money by being a few ounces or centimetres over. What a shame that it has taken a drop in profits to get them to get the message!

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24

Friday, September 27, 2013

Horrorscopes Aries March 21 ­ April 19 Sleeping bag onesies (with the thick insulat­ ed hood) are about to become epically well starred. Obviously they are superb for all night camp fire get together's where you can literally drop off to sleep where you sit singing the thirtieth verse of Kumbaya and awaken open mouthed with tambourine in hand the next morning, but they are also about to become useful in more general sit­ uations.

Taurus April 20 ­ May 20 Stacking cans of vegetables neatly in rows, alphabetically and all the right way up, is well starred, although if you find yourself doing this on Tuesdays get help from an Aries psychiatrist if you find you are also sharpening knives too much.

Tattoos done by heavily drunk tattoo artists are well starred for about a week starting Thursday.

Gemini May 21 ­ June 20 Saying "argh" while sticking your tongue out continues to be your lucky medical sound this week, especially in any nose or throat trips to the doctor or nurse or a per­ son wearing a suitably medical looking hat. Slow moving traffic whilst your vehicle is covered in flags of some sort is very well starred this week.

Cancer June 21 ­ July 22 A sudden burst of plot line telegraphy is a danger this month due to a freak, once in a million years, electrical storm on Uranus. This will completely remove any enjoyment from watching any kind of scripted film or television program with a plot, because you will be able to see the ending, spooky style.

By Pandora Leo July 23 ­ August 22 Fishing, including talking to the fish guy behind the counter at the supermarket, is well starred this week, especially when the words "snapper", "fillet" and "nice tasting" are mentioned. Little known facts, such as a lemon will float in water but a lime will sink, will impress you from Thursday until the end of the month.

Virgo August 23 ­ September 22 Carving is well starred this week, from roast chickens to stone sculptures the size of medium buildings.

Swearing in Chinese continues to be your lucky Firefly method of speech this week, especially when there is no chance a Chinese person can hear what you are saying.

Libra September 23 ­ October 22 "Buzzing The Tower", just like Maverick did in Top Gun, is about to become unbeliev­ ably brilliantly starred this week, however your attempt to sing "You've Lost That Loving Feeling" afterwards has never been worse starred, with a high chance of it lead­ ing to a vicious and expensive copyright infringement claim against you for an unau­ thorised public performance of the song.

Scorpio October 23 ­ November 21 People who can explain really really com­ plicated things to the rest of us often don't tell us all the facts. It saves time. You can't know everything. Let that be your comfort on Friday when a seemingly compromis­ ing situation really isn't what it seems.

Sagittarius November 22 ­ December 21 Doing things at dusk, at dawn, or, come to think about it, any dimly lit place, is well starred this week, especially when you get a sort of Jedi feeling that you are able to do things without relying on your eyesight.

Just don't try to fight small balls with what looks like little lasers like Luke Skywalker did in the first Star Wars movie.

Capricorn December 22 ­ January 19 Taking candy from a baby will become surprisingly difficult this week as it comes under the influence of Saturn from Thursday ­ expect surprise back prob­ lems, falling to the floor all of a sudden, and bleeding from the nose and ears when you attempt it.

Aquarius January 20 ­ February 18 You should try a new music on your portable music player, the music you are playing at the moment is making you walk in a strange rhythm. Don't just listen to us, take a quick look at the way people are looking at you when you walk by play­ ing that music. Yes, it's that obvious.

Pisces February 19 ­ March 20 Doing dangerous things with exciting music playing is about to be embraced by Pisces. It is quite incredible how much easier doing dumb stupid dangerous things is if exciting uplifting music is played either in the background, or on an iPod (make sure your earphones don't ping out midway).

Friday, September 27, 2013

25

POWER TUNE

ELECTRICITY SAVER In these days of high electricity costs, which seem to be rising each month, the Powertune electrici­ ty saver is a must for every home and small business.

Indeed wherever electricity is used.

The Power Tune has been used in many countries for the last 12 years and has been in Spain for nearly 2 years.

The unit, which is fitted by an approved electri­ cian, will save up to 25% in a domestic installation and 20% in a commercial installation.

The Power Tune units come with a 2 year warranty. They have full CE approval and have all the relevant government tests and approvals. In addition they carry insurance certificates and guarantees.

The Units are fireproof and also act as a lightning protector thus protecting all your electrical appliances from lightning strikes to your electrical supply.

How does the Power Tune work?

The units control the electrical current entering your home or business. It smoothers the current spikes by storing the energy normally lost with current

spikes and using this stored power in a controlled manner thus saving electricity.

Not only will Power tune save money by reducing your electricity consumption, but it will also prolong the lifespan of the electrical appliances in the home or busi­ ness.

The cost of a domestic unit including installation is €180. This will quickly be recovered by savings in your electricity bill.

This special price will only be available until the end of December or when pres­ ent stocks last.

For a free demonstration of how the Power Tune works, call Peter on 634325933 E­mail... powertune2014@gmail.com

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Friday, September 27, 2013

Four million UK drivers Warning over UK aged 70 or over driving instructors

The number of older people with driving licences has exceeded the four million mark for the first time, reveals a report by the RAC Foundation.

Data shows that there are a record 4,018,900 men and women aged 70 or over who hold a valid full British licence, with the motoring research charity predicting that number is set to rise even further.

This prediction is backed by the govern­ ment, which has said that of the UK citizens alive today, around 10 million will reach their 100th birthday. Today, 191 people aged over 100 hold a full driving licence, with the oldest lady driver currently 107, one year older than the oldest man.

The news had led to Rica – a national charity providing information to older and disabled consumers – to publish a new guide entitled Driving safely for life. The pub­ lication is aimed at ensuring older drivers make the right decision when declaring themselves fit to drive.

Under current regulations, drivers aged 70

and over must declare themselves fit and healthy to drive. The declaration – which has to be made every three years – relies on no formal medical records and no driving test is required.

As well as giving medical and legal advice, the Rica guide also advises older drivers to explore the potential for downsizing to a newer car. Features to look out for include: Variable power steering Brake assist and traction control Automatic or semi­automatic gearboxes Cruise control Hill start assist Automatic headlights and wipers Parking sensors and cameras

Statistics show that drivers over 55 years old are the least likely to be involved in an accident, but the chances of being seriously injured go up from the age of 65.

Given that the compulsory driving test was introduced in 1935, there are still some driv­ ers on the road who have received no formal train­ ing or validation that they’re fit to drive. And indeed, the roads today are completely different to what they were even 50 years ago.

Is self­declaration for older drivers enough, or should there be a compul­ sory driving test for driv­ ers reaching their 70th birthday?

With an increasingly ageing popu­ lation, it’s a question that will need answering soon­ er rather than later…

LEARNER DRIVERS are being urged to make sure their instructor is operating legally after dozens have been convicted for not hav­ ing the correct licence, The Driving Standards Agency (DSA) has said.

The warning from the DSA comes after more than 123 people have been arrested for offences relating to illegal driving instruction in the last four years.

Of those 39 were convict­ ed and 31 received police cautions, the DSA said.

Police have warned get­ ting into a car with an unli­ censed instructor who has not undergone the obligatory criminal background check is as dangerous as getting into an unlicensed minicab.

Inspector Vince Brady, of the Met roads unit, told the BBC: "We talk an awful lot with people around using a licensed minicab, because you've got confidence that that vehicle, that person, is subject to a process and a series of checks.

"It's exactly the same with learner drivers. They're get­ ting into a vehicle with a stranger they may know nothing about."

Learner drivers also risk missing out on key driving skills essential to instructors

being awarded a licence.

The DSA said it has car­ ried out more than 30 road­ side operations in the UK targeting illegal instructors since 2011.

DSA's Head of Fraud and Integrity, Andy Rice, said: "We urge all learners to ensure their instructor is qualified to teach by check­ ing they display a valid DSA badge in their windscreen.

Learners can also use the free 'Find a driving instructor' service on GOV.UK to see

details of their nearest instructors who are approved and registered with the Driving Standards Agency.

"All approved driving instructors undergo regular assessments of their ability to teach and are also CRB checked. Illegal driving instruction is rare but when it happens it can potentially be very serious. We investigate all reported cases and work with the police to bring offenders to justice."

Friday, September 27, 2013

27

28

Friday, September 27, 2013

CODE CRACKER Code Cracker is a crossword puzzle with no clues; instead, every letter of the alphabet has been replaced by a number, the same number representing the same letter throughout the puzzle. All you have to do is decide which letter is represented by which number. In this week’s puzzle, 15 represents M and 19 represents Q, when these letters have been entered throughout the puzzle, you should have enough information to start guessing words and discovering other letters.

QUICKIE

Across

Down

1 Expensive (4) 3 Retaliation (8) 9 Genuine (7) 10 Raw (5) 11 Faithful (5) 12 Backyard (6) 14 Safe (6) 16 Assert (6) 19 Perplex (6) 21 Anticipate (5) 24 Change (5) 25 Plant of the buttercup family (7) 26 Wizard (8) 27 Charges (4)

1 Make known (8) 2 Irritate (5) 4 Come out (6) 5 Repeat itself (5) 6 Press (7) 7 Allium porrum (4) 8 Basement (6) 13 Fidgety (8) 15 Gossip (7) 17 Head (6) 18 Discussion (6) 20 Compel (5) 22 On your own (5) 23 Overtake (4)

Last weeks Solution

Across: 1 Scared, 4 Cringe, 9 Latrine, 10 Tutor, 11 Mare, 12 Familiar, 13 Say, 14 Elect, 16 Sedge, 17 Car, 19 Bungalow, 20 Bags, 23 Climb, 24 Statute, 25 Nugget, 26 Excess.

Down: 1 Solemn, 2 Alter, 3 Evil, 5 Retailer, 6 Nothing, 7 Error, 8 Decay, 12 Fat, 13 Scramble, 15 Landing, 16 Saw, 17 Copse, 18 Assess, 19 Bacon, 21 Acute, 22 Manx.

Scribble Pad

DOUBLE CROSS-WORD Solve the Double Cross­Word puzzle using either the standard or cryptic clues, the answers are exactly the same.

CRYTPIC CLUES Across 1 Cheat Charlie out of rep­ utation (6) 4 Pinafores for a ragged parson? (6) 9 Fashionable journalist coming back after battle (1,2,4) 10 Daisy with a bovine look (5) 11 Some self­indulgent treats for a petite type (5) 12 Spinning ring around a fish (7) 13 End a hundred works in a secretive manner (11) 18 Huge muddle in attic (7) 20 Love boat built for banned (5) 22 Coming before the superior cleric? (5) 23 Inclined to substitute bridge player for another bridge player in eloping (7) 24 Her Majesty takes the princess on a horse to meet an Australian (6) 25 Commercial outlet that is coming (6) STANDARD CLUES Across 1 Prestige (6) 4 Pinafores (6) 9 In fashion (1,2,4) 10 Variety of daisy (5) 11 Fairy­like (5) 12 Staggering (7) 13 Sneaky (11) 18 Colossal (7) 20 Forbidden (5) 22 Previous (5) 23 On an incline (7) 24 Excavator (6) 25 Arrival (6)

Down 1 Just the drink for a hunter (6) 2 Fodder for Josh? (5) 3 Nurse snow leopard, say (7) 5 Fake endless call (5) 6 Former head of educa­ tion was in at the appoint­ ed hour (7) 7 Transport massacre, we hear (6) 8 Fresh chaos, better pick up the bill (4,3,4) 14 Sweet Fanny Adams is on night turn (7) 15 With a touch of service, it’s let to a court official (3,4) 16 Is put off by the date, which is ridiculous (6) 17 Nothing is disgusting, not outside (6) 19 This language is from either the Amazon or Senegal (5) 21 Felt like a tablecloth (5) Down 1 Pursuer 2 Grain husk (5) 3 Articulate (7) 5 Call up (5) 6 Former (7) 7 Sledge (6) 8 Cover expenses (4,3,4) 14 Not anything (7) 15 String supporting tennis net (3,4) 16 Foolish (6) 17 Zero (6) 19 Ancient Scandinavian (5) 21 Billiards surface (5)

Last weeks Solution Across: 1 Wordplay, 5 Asp, 8 Equator, 9 Aloha, 10 Tie­in, 11 Freedom, 12 Dinghy, 14 Nordic, 17 Pliable, 18 Simon, 20 Ethic, 21 Volcano, 22 End, 23 Asserted.

Down: 1 Wrested, 2 Rouge, 3 Pat on the back, 4 Adrift, 5 Avoided, 6 Psalm, 7 Mademoiselle, 13 Neighed, 15 Concord, 16 Leaves, 17 Piece, 19 Meant.

FILL IT IN

Complete the crossword grid by using the given words:

2 letter words Ad Be Is So 3 letter words Ago Ale All Alp Apt Are Art Cue End Era Gnu Lei Lug

Non Nor Oft Ore Pea Pen Pie Ran Sad Sat Sin Spy Tad Tea Ten Tie Tog 4 letter words Abet Ague

Aids Aloe Apse Aria Babe Back Bans Bars Base Bias Bold Cuss Elan Free Koto Lieu Naps Noun Oats Pyre Rand

Sale Sane Sent Song Sore Spas Suds Tent Test Tree Yank 5 letter words Alone Baron Cagey Elute Emend Peace Sales Satin

Sepia Specs State Ulnar 6 letter words Busted Cackle Kettle Settee Sprang Tartar 7 letter words Console Subsoil 8 letter words Backseat Lameness

SPANISH-ENGLISH CROSSWORD

Improve your Spanish ­ clues in Spanish, answers in English or vice versa.

Across 7 Siempre (indicando fre­ cuencia) (6) 8 Ángulos (6) 9 Straw (agricultura) (4) 10 Mono (traje de faena) (8) 11 Cenicero (7) 13 Margarita (flor) (5) 15 To marry (5) 17 To teach (7) 20 Pumpkin (8) 21 Silk (4) 22 Hembra (6) 23 Oración (religión) (6)

Down 1 Limpia (6) 2 Room (in a house) (4) 3 Handcuffs (7) 4 Panadero (5) 5 Avocadon pear (8) 6 Keys (typewriter/piano) (6) 12 To work (activity) (8) 14 Infeliz (persona) (7) 16 Abbots (6) 18 Andrew (6) 19 Cuevas (5) 21 Mares (4)

29

Friday, September 27, 2013 Across 9 Which adjective means ‘giving the worrying impres­ sion that something bad is going to happen’? (7) 10 Which town in central Kansas to the west of Topeka was the home of President Dwight D Eisenhower? (7) 11 The poet Ben Okri and the singer Sade Adu were both born in country in West Africa? (7) 12 The comic strip created

by Barry Appleby in 1950, which was originally pub­ lished in the Daily Express and is now seen in the Mail on Sunday, is entitled The [What]? (7) 13 According to ‘Guinness World Records’ which Lennon and McCartney song was covered seven million times in the 20th century? Official versions range from Frank Sinatra to Wet Wet Wet and Boyz II Men. (9) 15 Asleep in the Back, Cast of Thousands, Leaders of the Free World and The Seldom Seen Kid are all hit albums by which alternative rock band? (5) 16 In the television sitcom

My Family, what is the pro­ fession of Robert Lindsay’s character, Ben Harper? (7) 19 What was the surname of the music entrepreneur who was the manager of the Beatles from 1961 to 1967? (7) 20 Singer Bruce Hornsby’s backing band is known as The [What]? (5) 21 Derived from the French for ‘relate’, what name is often given to someone like Peter Ustinov who can tell stories in an interesting or amusing way? (9) 25 By what nickname was the jazz trumpeter Louis Armstrong usually known?

(7) 27 Voiced by actor Francis Matthews, the primary agent of Spectrum who fought against the Mysterons, was Captain [Who]? (7) 29 Which adjective mean­ ing ‘involving an oppressive amount of effort and difficul­ ty’, comes from the Latin word for ‘burden’? (7) 30 Which word can mean both ‘the contours or outer edges of an object’ and ‘a general plan showing essential features but no

SUDOKU (Easy)

Quiz Word

detail’? (7) Down 1/24 What was the punk stage name of John Joseph

Lydon, the lead singer of the Sex Pistols? (6,6) 2 What name is often applied to sombre songs expressing mourning or

grief, such as would be appropriate for performance at a funeral? (6) 3 In pop group names, which word precedes Aces, Pennies, Seasons and Tops? (4) 4 What name is given to is any piece of sub­continental land that is surrounded by water? (6) 5 What name is given to a grotesque carved human or animal face or figure pro­ jecting from the gutter of a building, usually as a spout to carry water clear of a wall? (8) 6 Which Irish­born actor starred as Oskar Schindler in the epic 1993 film Schindler’s List? (4,6) 7 Which term, used in the card game bridge, means ‘make twice as great or intense’? (8) 8 What was the surname of the US composers George and Ira, whose hits include Embraceable You, I Got Rhythm and They Can’t Take That Away from Me? (8) 14 The rock­pop ballad Kiss You All Over, in 1978, was the only British hit single by which US band? (5)

16 Which word, derived from the Latin for ‘scoff at’ means contemptuous ridicule or mockery? (8) 17 What was the title of Paul Hardcastle’s 1985 number one British hit sin­ gle? (8) 18 Which creature appeared on the opening credits of the television sit­ com One Foot in the Grave? (8) 22 A Personal Voyage was the subtitle of which ground­ breaking 13­part television series written and present­ ed by Carl Sagan? (6) 23 What is the stage sur­ name of British comedienne and novelist, originally named Jenny Clare Hargreaves? (6) 24 See 1 26 Which 1991 fantasy­ comedy film directed by Steven Spielberg and star­ ring Dustin Hoffman in the title role, was a sequel to Peter Pan’s original adven­ tures, focusing on a grown­ up Peter who has forgotten his childhood? (4) 28 Which is the highest adult male or lowest female singing voice? (4)

SALLY’S SIMPLE SPANISH

EL OTOÑO ­AUTUMN Match these words with their Spanish translations then find them in the wordsearch.

(Answers below)

movies/tv QUIZ

ANSEWRS: 1. Sharks and Jets 2. Tonto, Jay Silverheels 3. Ensign Chekov 4. David Jason 5. Sergeant Joe Friday 6. The Ant Hill Mob 7. Fred Quimby 8. Stuffing birds 9. Camels 10.

Eric 11. The Bush Kangaroo 12. Sean Connery

Last Week’s Solutions Code Cracker Last weeks Quiz Word Solution Across: 1 Supine, 4 Glasnost, 9 Apiary, 10 Parakeet, 12 Peshawar, 13 Edison, 15 Lynx, 16 Coat of arms, 19 Anemometer, 20 Ovid, 23 Rapier, 25 Plectrum, 27 Brussels, 28 Daniel, 29 Trotters, 30 Newels.

Down: 1 Scalpel, 2 Puissance, 3 Norway, 5 Lear, 6 Standoff, 7 Owens, 8 Tetanus, 11 Bayonet, 14 Othello, 17 Riverside, 18 Somerset, 19 Acrobat, 21 Dimples, 22 Ice Age, 24 Pluto, 26 Blur.

las botas

el sueter

las castañas

el viento

las granadas

la ardilla

las hojas

la brisa

la tormenta

la calabaza

los charcos

la hoguera

una bufanda

la lluvia

un paraguas

Empareja estas palabras ­ Match the Spanish and English words You will find the answers at the bottom of the quiz.

1.el rastrillo, 2.el sueter,

15.una bufanda, 16.un paraguas

l.the puddles, m.the wind,

3.el viento, 4.la ardilla, 5.la brisa, 6.la calabaza, 7.la hoguera, 8.la lluvia,

a.the pomegranates,

n.the leaves, o. the boots,

b.the breeze, c.the pumpkin,

p.the storm.

9.las botas, 10.las castañas,

d.the jumper, e.an umbrella,

11.las granadas, 12.las hojas,

f.the bonfire, g.a scarf,

13.la tormenta, 14.los charcos,

h.the rain, i.the chestnuts,

Soduko

j.the rake, k.the squirrel,

Span ­ Eng

Quizword

Answers: 1j, 2d, 3m, 4k, 5b, 6c, 7f, 8h, 9o, 10i, 11a, 12n, 13p, 14l, 15g, 16e.

1. Name both of the gangs, in the musical 'West Side Story'?

2. Harold J. Smith, a Canadian, changed his name and became which famous sidekick?

3. Walter Koenig played which role in the Star Trek series?

4. Who played the Fugitive?

5. Who was the hero of the old TV cop series 'Dragnet'?

6. In the 'wacky races' what were the gang of criminals called?

7. Who produced the 'Tom and Jerry' cartoons until 1956?

8. What was Norman Bate's hobby in the movie 'Psycho'?

9. Detective Philip Marlow smokes what brand of ciga­ rette?

10. In the TV show Bonanza, what was Hoss Cartwright's characters first name?

11. Who or what was Skippy ( on TV )?

12. What actor once had a job as a coffin polisher?

el rastrillo

Fill It In

30

Friday, September 27, 2013

TRELI ON THE TELLY with ALEX TRELINSKI The alarm bells always ring very loud for me when BBC 1 launches a new sitcom after the Ten O’clock News.

Barring Mrs.Brown’s Boys, you know that the BBC is hid­ ing something if a sitcom gets shown once Huw Edwards has gone home for his nightly Horlicks. What other conclusion could be drawn over Father Figure, a family comedy that is being

WHEN IRISH EYES ARE GRIMACING

dumped at 10.35pm UK time? This show made the scrapped My Family seem to have the wit of Oscar Wilde as I sat through Irish comedi­ an, Jason Byrne playing a stay at home dad, with a cou­ ple of boys, whilst mum goes out to work. We also have a collection of odd neighbours coupled with his parents, including the usual clichéd Irish mother who wants to

run everything. I really want­ ed Brendan O’Carroll to pop up as Mrs.Brown to tell them all what they could with themselves!

Father Figure is a woeful mish­mash of 50 years of second­rate UK sitcoms, with every gag being telegraphed around 10 minutes before it appears along with a very obvious canned laughter track that was in overdrive in a fruitless attempt to paper over all the cracks. I thought that UK TV had stopped doing this bilge long ago, which genuinely had me cry­ ing out for some of the family efforts starring Wendy Craig in the late sixties and early seventies. Anybody remem­ ber Not in Front of the Children or And Mother Makes Three?

I wish somebody in the BBC actually had the bottle to say that the series of six

episodes is just not good enough to be transmitted, wiping the recordings into the bargain! What makes Father Figure even more weird is that it’s actually a successful Radio 4 comedy, and so clearly something has gone badly wrong in transferring it to the small screen. The same cannot be said for Count Arthur Strong, which after a number of years on Radio 4, has spawned a TV version. The show stars cre­ ator and co­writer, Steve Delaney, as an elderly ex­ entertainer, and has been co­ written by the man behind Father Ted, Graham Linehan. It also is completely different from the radio show in that all the other charac­ ters are brand new along with the stories. I missed it first time round in July, but have become hooked with BBC2 repeating it on a

Saturday after Dad’s Army.

Arthur Strong is a great comic creation and the show makes me laugh, which is good enough for me.

q

We are promised more laughter in series four of Downton Abbey, which hit the ground running for ITV on Sunday. The opener saw a return to its very best stan­ dards and top marks to Michelle Dockery as the still­ grieving Mary, and the sen­ sational Maggie Smith. This was a very enjoyable return for a popular drama that still has a lot of mileage left in it.

q

I enjoyed Miranda Hart’s chat with Bruce Forsyth last Saturday night on BBC1, but wasn’t Bruce’s piano playing awful? Miranda offered the great man the choice of playing Misty or Grieg’s Piano Concerto, and he made the wrong decision,

hitting a number of wrong notes. He could have fol­ lowed the lead of Eric Morecambe and gone for Grieg, offering the excuse that he was playing all the right notes, but not necessar­ ily in the right order!

q

BBC 2 is on an absolute winner with The Wonder of Dogs. As a relatively new dog lover, I was fascinated to learn so much about our four legged friends, and why they are as they are. The end credits were interesting in that they showed that it was a co­production with the Open University. All a far cry from bearded professors scribbling away on black­ boards in glorious black and white in the seventies during the many hours of OU trans­ missions, which used to dis­ rupt my enjoyment of watch­ ing the cricket on BBC2

The Courier Friday TV

September 27

00:35 This Week 01:20 Holiday Weatherview 01:25 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Rip Off Britain 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 The Sheriffs Are Coming 12:45 Claimed and Shamed 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News; Weather 14:30 Regional News and Weather 14:45 Doctors 15:15 Perfection 16:00 Escape to the Country 16:45 Country Show Cook Off 17:15 Flog It! 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News 19:30 Weather 20:00 The One Show 20:30 Ronnie's Animal Crackers 21:00 EastEnders 21:30 Miranda 22:00 Strictly Come Dancing 23:00 BBC News 23:25 National Lottery Update 23:35 John Bishop Live: Rollercoaster Tour

00:20 01:20 02:20 02:50 05:00 05:45 06:00

Science Britannica The Review Show Panorama This Is BBC Two Schools ­ Once Upon a Time Found Schools ­ Bringing Books to

Life 2 07:00 Homes Under the Hammer 08:00 The Sheriffs Are Coming 08:45 Claimed and Shamed 09:15 Wanted Down Under 10:00 Flog It! Trade Secrets 11:00 Question Time 12:00 BBC News 12:30 BBC World News 13:00 Daily Politics 14:00 Mastermind 14:30 Weakest Link 15:15 Great British Menu 15:45 Oceans 16:45 Elephant Diaries 17:15 Incredible Animal Journeys 18:15 Antiques Roadshow 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 James Martin's Food Map of Britain 20:00 The Hairy Bikers: Everyday Gourmets 21:00 Mastermind 21:30 Gardeners' World 22:00 David Attenborough's Rise of Animals: Triumph of the Vertebrates 23:00 QI 23:30 Newsnight

00:35 Goodwood Revival 2013 01:30 Jackpot247 04:00 Tonight 04:25 ITV Nightscreen 06:05 The Jeremy Kyle Show 07:00 Daybreak 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV News and Weather 14:55 ITV Meridian Weather 15:00 Dickinson's Real Deal 16:00 The Alan Titchmarsh Show 16:59 ITV Meridian Weather 17:00 Tipping Point 18:00 The Chase 19:00 ITV News Meridian 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Coronation Street 21:00 Gino's Italian Escape 21:30 Coronation Street 22:00 Piers Morgan's Life Stories 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 ITV News Meridian 23:35 The Break­Up

STRICTLY COME DANCING New series. The pro­celebrity contest returns, as Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly host the first of this weekend's two live shows. Mark Benton, Abbey Clancy, Ben Cohen, Sophie Ellis­Bextor, Vanessa Feltz, Fiona Fullerton, Natalie Gumede, Tony Jacklin, Julien Macdonald, Deborah Meaden, Dave Myers, Susanna Reid, Rachel Riley, Patrick Robinson and Ashley Taylor Dawson are the famous faces who have signed up for the chal­ lenge, but only six of them will dance tonight.

00:05 The Fried Chicken Shop 01:10 Sex, Lies and Rinsing Guys 02:05 Random Acts 02:10 Fabulous Fashionistas 03:05 Inside Nature's Giants 04:00 SuperScrimpers 04:55 Kirstie's Handmade Treasures 05:15 Deal or No Deal 06:00 Countdown 06:45 SuperScrimpers 07:00 The Treacle People 07:10 The Hoobs 08:05 According to Jim 08:30 Will & Grace 08:55 Frasier 10:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 11:00 Four Rooms US 12:00 A Place in the Sun: Home or Away 13:00 Channel 4 News Summary 13:05 Jamie's 15 Minute Meals 13:35 River Cottage 14:35 Channel 4 Racing 16:30 Countdown 17:15 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:55 4thought.tv 21:00 Marvel's Agents of SHIELD 22:00 The IT Crowd 23:00 Alan Carr: Chatty Man

00:00 Law & Order: Criminal Intent 00:55 Inside Hollywood 01:00 SuperCasino 04:55 Divine Designs 05:20 Great Artists 05:45 House Doctor 06:10 Wildlife SOS 06:35 Wildlife SOS 07:00 Bananas in Pyjamas 07:10 Igam Ogam 07:20 Fireman Sam 07:35 The WotWots 07:45 Peppa Pig 07:50 Big School 08:00 Little Princess 08:10 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 08:20 The Mr Men Show 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:45 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:20 Milkshake! Monkey 09:25 Peppa Pig 09:35 Toby's Travelling Circus 09:50 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 Cowboy Builders 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Police Interceptors 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:20 The Mentalist 16:15 Tornado Warning 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 NewsTalk Live 20:00 World's Strongest Man 21:00 Monster Moves 22:00 CSI: NY 23:00 The Punisher

31

The Courier Saturday TV

September 28

03:55 This Is BBC Two 00:55 The Love Letter 02:20 Weatherview

07:00 This Is BBC Two 07:30 From This Day Forward 09:00 A Damsel in Distress

02:25 BBC News

10:40 Reel History of Britain

07:00 Breakfast 11:00 Saturday Kitchen Live 12:30 Paul Hollywood's Bread 13:00 Football Focus

11:10 The Life of Birds 12:00 Fred Dibnah's Industrial Age 12:30 University Challenge 13:00 The A to Z of TV Cooking

13:45 Sportsday 14:00 BBC News; Regional News and Weather

13:45 The Hairy Bakers 14:00 Live MotoGP 15:05 EastEnders

14:15 Bargain Hunt 15:00 Homes Under the Hammer 16:00 Live Cycling

17:00 Live Cycling 18:15 Flog It! 19:00 The Wonder of Dogs

17:00 Final Score 18:10 BBC News; Regional News and Weather 18:30 I Love My Country 19:15 Pointless Celebrities 20:00 Strictly Come Dancing 21:25 Atlantis 22:15 The National Lottery

20:00 Dad's Army 20:30 Count Arthur Strong 21:00 The 70s 22:00 Mock the Week 22:30 The Sarah Millican Slightly Longer Television Programme 23:10 Dara O Briain ­ Craic Dealer

01:30 Jackpot247 04:00 Columbo: Playback 05:20 ITV Nightscreen 07:00 Babar and the Adventures of Badou 07:10 Matt Hatter Chronicles 07:35 Dino Dan 08:00 Canimals 08:25 Sooty 08:35 Horrid Henry 09:00 Bottom Knocker Street 09:30 Fish Hooks 10:00 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 10:25 ITV News 10:30 Saturday Cookbook 11:25 Murder, She Wrote 12:25 ITV News and Weather 12:34 ITV Meridian Weather 12:35 Surprise Surprise 13:35 All Star Family Fortunes 14:20 Catchphrase 15:05 Doc Martin 16:05 The X Factor 17:05 Crocodile Dundee in Los Angeles 18:55 ITV Meridian Weather 19:05 ITV News and Weather 19:20 You've Been Framed!

20:20 Stepping Out 21:20 The X Factor 22:50 Through the Keyhole 23:50 ITV News and Weather

00:20 01:50 01:55 03:30 04:00 04:20 04:40 05:35 06:20 06:30 07:15 07:40 08:05 09:00 10:00 11:05 11:35 12:05 12:30 13:00 13:30 14:30 17:10 19:40 20:00 21:00 22:00

Big Fat Quiz of the 80s Random Acts All about Steve The Ricky Gervais Show 2 Broke Girls 2 Broke Girls SuperScrimpers Deal or No Deal SuperScrimpers Countdown British F3 International Series The Grid The Great North Swim The Morning Line The American Football Show Frasier Everybody Loves Raymond The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Simpsons The Secret Millionaire USA Channel 4 Racing Come Dine with Me Channel 4 News Marvel's Agents of SHIELD Grand Designs The Taking of Pelham 123

ATLANTIS

Saturday Night Draws 22:25 Casualty 23:15 BBC News; Weather 23:30 Match of the Day

00:00 Weather 00:05 Later with Jools Holland

Fantasy drama set in the vast legendary city, fol­ lowing the adventures of the young Jason and his friends Hercules and Pythagoras. Fledgling hero Jason goes in search of his father, only to find him­ self washed up on the shores of a mysterious land ­ a world of strange creatures, soothsaying oracles and palaces so large it is said they were built by giants.

01:10 10 Rillington Place 02:55 Question Time

01:25 SuperCasino 04:55 Motorsport Mundial 05:20 Great Artists 05:45 House Doctor 06:10 Wildlife SOS 06:35 Wildlife SOS 07:00 Peppa Pig 07:05 Roary the Racing Car 07:15 Fifi and the Flowertots 07:25 Bubble Guppies 07:35 The Mr Men Show 07:50 Chloe's Closet 08:00 Roobarb and Custard Too 08:10 Bananas in Pyjamas 08:25 Make Way for Noddy 08:40 City of Friends 08:55 Little Princess 09:10 The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill and His Best Friend Corky 09:25 Angelina Ballerina 09:45 Rupert Bear 10:00 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 10:15 Toby's Travelling Circus 10:25 Roary the Racing Car 10:40 Jelly Jamm 11:00 Mr Men 11:15 Power Rangers: Megaforce 11:50 Slugterra 12:15 Inside Hollywood 12:20 Animal Maternity 13:15 Cowboy Builders 14:15 Columbo: Caution ­ Murder Can Be Hazardous to Your Health 16:10 The Kentuckian 18:15 The Magnificent Seven 20:45 The Wonderful Country 22:40 5 News Weekend 22:45 Point Break

The Courier Sunday TV

September 29

08:30 Around the World in 80 Gardens 00:55 The Football League Show

09:30 Gardeners' World

02:10 Weatherview

10:00 The Beechgrove Garden

02:15 BBC News

10:30 Saturday Kitchen Best Bites

07:00 Breakfast

12:00 James Martin's Food Map of

08:30 Match of the Day

Britain

10:00 The Andrew Marr Show

12:30 James Martin's Food Map of

11:00 Sunday Morning Live

Britain

12:00 Sunday Politics

13:00 James Martin's Food Map of

13:15 MOTD2 Extra

Britain

14:00 BBC News

13:30 Live MotoGP 14:10 Weather for the Week Ahead 15:15 Live Cycling 14:15 Bargain Hunt 17:15 Flog It! 15:00 Homes Under the Hammer 18:00 Super League 16:00 Ronnie's Animal Crackers

19:00 Great British Railway

16:30 Ronnie's Animal Crackers

Journeys

17:00 Points of View

19:30 The Great British Bake Off

17:15 Escape to the Country

20:30 The Ginge, the Geordie and

18:00 Songs of Praise

the Geek

18:35 Britain's Big Wildlife Revival

21:00 The Crane Gang

19:35 BBC News; Regional News

22:00 The Story of the Jews

and Weather

23:00 The Wrong Mans

20:00 Countryfile

23:30 QI XL

21:00 Antiques Roadshow 22:00 By Any Means 23:00 BBC News; Regional News

00:04 ITV Meridian Weather 00:05 10,000 BC 02:00 Jackpot247 04:00 The Jeremy Kyle Show USA 04:45 ITV Nightscreen 07:00 Babar and the Adventures of Badou 07:10 Matt Hatter Chronicles 07:35 Dino Dan 08:00 Canimals 08:25 Sooty 08:35 Horrid Henry 09:00 Bottom Knocker Street 09:30 Fish Hooks 10:00 Big Time Rush 10:25 ITV News 10:30 Ade in Britain 11:25 Columbo: Dagger of the Mind 13:25 ITV News and Weather 13:34 ITV Meridian Weather 13:35 Murder, She Wrote 14:35 The X Factor 16:05 You've Been Framed!

16:35 Big Star's Little Star 17:35 Downton Abbey 19:05 ITV News Meridian 19:05 ITV Meridian Weather 19:15 ITV News and Weather 19:30 Surprise Surprise 20:30 The X Factor 22:00 Downton Abbey 23:05 ITV News and Weather 23:19 ITV Meridian Weather 23:20 Larry Crowne

BIG FAT QUIZ OF THE 90S

and Weather 23:25 Match of the Day 2

00:10 Wonder Boys 01:55 Distant Voices, Still Lives 03:15 This Is BBC Two 07:00 Borderline

Jimmy Carr hosts another irreverent quiz on decades gone by, as Jonathan Ross, Jo Brand, Sue Perkins, Lee Mack, Bob Mortimer and Richard Ayoade demonstrate how much they remember about the 1990s. Among the celebrity question­set­ ters are boy band Hanson, presenters Melinda Messenger and Andi Peters, fitness guru Mr Motivator and DJ Goldie.

00:10 02:00 03:35 05:45 Bites 05:55 06:40 07:35 08:30 09:30 10:00 10:30 13:20 13:50 14:20 14:50 17:00 18:05 18:25 18:30 21:00 Home 22:00 23:35

Hitman The Informers Hollyoaks Hugh's 3 Good Things: Best Countdown Blancpain Endurance Series The American Football Show Hard Knocks Everybody Loves Raymond Frasier Sunday Brunch The Big Bang Theory The Simpsons The Simpsons The Net Location, Location, Location Channel 4 News The Political Slot American Football Live Kevin McCloud's Man Made Big Fat Quiz of the 90s Gogglebox

01:05 SuperCasino 04:55 Michaela's Wild Challenge 05:20 Make It Big 05:50 Roary the Racing Car 06:00 Angels of Jarm 06:05 Hana's Helpline 06:20 Angels of Jarm 06:25 The Funky Valley Show 06:40 Roary the Racing Car 06:50 Hana's Helpline 07:00 Peppa Pig 07:05 Roary the Racing Car 07:15 Fifi and the Flowertots 07:25 Bubble Guppies 07:35 The Mr Men Show 07:50 Chloe's Closet 08:00 Roobarb and Custard Too 08:10 Bananas in Pyjamas 08:20 Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures 08:25 Make Way for Noddy 08:40 City of Friends 08:55 Little Princess 09:20 Mio Mao 09:25 Angelina Ballerina 09:45 Rupert Bear 10:00 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 10:15 Toby's Travelling Circus 10:25 Roary the Racing Car 10:40 Jelly Jamm 11:00 The Mr Men Show 11:15 Power Rangers: Super Samurai 11:50 Slugterra 12:15 Inside Hollywood 12:20 Police Interceptors 13:20 The True Story 14:20 Vertical Limit 16:40 Close Encounters of the Third Kind 19:20 Superman 21:55 5 News Weekend 22:00 Gone in Sixty Seconds

32

The Courier Monday TV

September 30

00:25 02:00 02:05 07:00 10:15 11:00 12:00 12:45 13:15 14:00 14:30 14:45 15:15 16:00 16:45 17:15 18:15 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 21:30 22:00 23:00 23:25 23:35

New Town Killers Weatherview BBC News Breakfast Rip Off Britain Homes Under the Hammer Real Rescues Claimed and Shamed Bargain Hunt BBC News; Weather Regional News and Weather Doctors Perfection Escape to the Country Country Show Cook Off Flog It! Pointless BBC News Weather The One Show Inside Out EastEnders A Question of Sport Motorway Cops BBC News Regional News and Weather Panorama

00:15 00:45 02:15 03:10 04:10 07:00 07:05

Never Mind the Buzzcocks Sus Countryfile Holby City This Is BBC Two This Is BBC Two Homes Under the Hammer

08:05 The Sheriffs Are Coming 08:50 Claimed and Shamed 09:20 Wanted Down Under 10:05 Watchdog 11:05 The Incredible Spice Men 11:35 Click 12:00 BBC News 12:30 Daily Politics Conference Special 14:00 Mastermind 14:30 Weakest Link 15:15 Great British Menu 15:45 Oceans 16:45 Elephant Diaries 17:15 South Pacific 18:15 Antiques Roadshow 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Strictly Come Dancing ­ It Takes Two 20:00 The Hairy Bikers: Everyday Gourmets 21:00 University Challenge 21:30 Tom Kerridge's Proper Pub Food 22:00 The Midwives 23:00 Never Mind the Buzzcocks 23:30 Newsnight

01:10 Premiership Rugby Union 02:00 The Store 04:00 British Superbike Championship Highlights 04:55 Motorsport UK 05:40 ITV Nightscreen 06:05 The Jeremy Kyle Show 07:00 Daybreak 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV News and Weather 14:55 ITV Meridian Weather 15:00 Dickinson's Real Deal 16:00 The Alan Titchmarsh Show 16:59 ITV Meridian Weather 17:00 Tipping Point 18:00 The Chase 19:00 ITV News Meridian 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Coronation Street 21:00 Countrywise 21:30 Coronation Street 22:00 Doc Martin 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 ITV Meridian Weather 23:35 Through the Keyhole

00:20 Alan Carr: Chatty Man 01:35 Paddy's TV Guide 02:15 American Football Live 05:45 British F3 International Series 06:10 Brief Encounters of the Sporting Mind 06:15 Deal or No Deal 07:10 The Hoobs 08:00 According to Jim 08:25 Will & Grace 08:55 Frasier 10:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 11:00 Four Rooms US 12:00 A Place in the Sun 13:00 Channel 4 News Summary 13:05 River Cottage 14:05 Kirstie's Vintage Gems 14:25 Green for Danger 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Four in a Bed 18:30 Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:55 4thought.tv 21:00 Jamie's Money Saving Meals 21:30 Gadget Man 22:00 The Fried Chicken Shop 23:00 Porn on the Brain

BROADMOOR: THE INSIDE STORY Part one of two. Documentary charting the history of the high­security psychiatric hospital, examining the diverse treatments that have been applied during the 150 years it has been in operation. This edition looks at some of the first residents, including artist Richard Dadd, who believed himself to be controlled by an Egyptian god and killed his father, and Edward Oxford, who tried to assassinate Queen Victoria.

00:25 Timecop 02:15 SuperCasino 04:55 Michaela's Wild Challenge 05:20 Make It Big 05:50 Roary the Racing Car 06:00 Angels of Jarm 06:10 Hana's Helpline 06:20 Angels of Jarm 06:25 The Funky Valley Show 06:40 Roary the Racing Car 06:50 Hana's Helpline 07:00 Bananas in Pyjamas 07:10 Igam Ogam 07:20 Fireman Sam 07:35 The WotWots 07:45 Peppa Pig 07:50 Big School 08:00 Little Princess 08:10 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 08:20 The Mr Men Show 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:45 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:10 Peppa Pig 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:25 Peppa Pig 09:35 Toby's Travelling Circus 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 Cowboy Builders 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Hustling America 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 Castle 16:15 Her Fatal Flaw 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 NewsTalk Live 20:00 Nature Shock 21:00 Police Interceptors 22:00 Broadmoor: The Inside Story 23:00 Under the Dome

The Courier Tuesday TV

October 1

00:05 BBC News: The Editors 00:35 The Name of the Rose 02:40 Weatherview 02:45 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Rip Off Britain 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Real Rescues 12:45 Claimed and Shamed 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News; Weather 14:30 Regional News and Weather 14:45 Doctors 15:15 Perfection 16:00 Escape to the Country 16:45 Country Show Cook Off 17:15 Flog It! 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News 19:30 BBC London News 20:00 The One Show 20:30 EastEnders 21:00 Holby City 22:00 New Tricks 23:00 BBC News 23:25 National Lottery Update 23:25 Regional News and Weather 23:35 The Stephen Lawrence Unity Concert

06:55 Wonders of Nature: Birds of Paradise ­ Display 07:00 This Is BBC Two 07:05 Homes Under the Hammer 08:05 Real Rescues 08:50 Claimed and Shamed 09:20 Wanted Down Under 10:05 Britain's Big Wildlife Revival 11:05 The Incredible Spice Men 11:35 HARDtalk 12:00 BBC News 12:30 BBC World News 13:00 Daily Politics Conference Special 14:00 Mastermind 14:30 Weakest Link 15:15 Great British Menu 15:45 Oceans 16:45 Elephant Diaries 17:15 South Pacific 18:15 Antiques Roadshow 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Strictly Come Dancing ­ It Takes Two 20:00 The Hairy Bikers' Bakeation 21:00 The Great British Bake Off 22:00 The Wrong Mans 22:30 The Sarah Millican Television Programme 23:00 Later Live ­ with Jools Holland 23:30 Weather

00:20 00:50 01:20 02:20 March 03:20 05:00 05:30 05:45 06:00

One­off documentary exploring the attitudes of British gypsies and travellers toward birth and death, revealing the customs, rituals and cere­ monies observed. The film reveals a world in which pregnancy comes with its own strict rules of conduct and breastfeeding is considered shameful by some, while a funeral is an event planned with as much energy as the biggest wed­ ding.

Today at Conference The Women's Football Show The Story of the Jews Martin Luther King and the on Washington This Is BBC Two The Genius of Invention Schools ­ My Kite Is Flying The Little Promise Schools ­ In My Shoes: China

00:35 Piers Morgan's Life Stories 01:30 Jackpot247 04:00 Champions League Weekly 04:25 ITV Nightscreen 06:05 The Jeremy Kyle Show 07:00 Daybreak 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV News and Weather 14:55 ITV News Meridian 15:00 Dickinson's Real Deal 16:00 The Alan Titchmarsh Show 16:59 ITV Meridian Weather 17:00 Tipping Point 18:00 The Chase 19:00 ITV News Meridian 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Live UEFA Champions League 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 ITV News Meridian 23:35 UEFA Champions League: Extra Time

BIG FAT GYPSY WEDDINGS

00:05 Educating Yorkshire 01:05 First Time Farmers 02:05 Random Acts 02:10 Gunga Jumna 05:05 Dark Waters 06:40 Countdown 07:25 The Treacle People 07:35 The Hoobs 08:00 According to Jim 08:30 Will & Grace 08:55 Frasier 10:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 11:00 Four Rooms 12:00 A Place in the Sun 13:00 Channel 4 News Summary 13:05 River Cottage 14:10 Kirstie's Handmade Treasures 14:30 The Siege of the Saxons 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Four in a Bed 18:30 Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:55 4thought.tv 21:00 Double Your House for Half the Money 22:00 Big Fat Gypsy Weddings 23:00 London Irish 23:30 My Tattoo Addiction

00:00 Hostel 01:45 Campus PD 02:10 SuperCasino 04:55 Great Scientists 05:20 Great Artists 05:45 House Doctor 06:10 Wildlife SOS 06:35 Wildlife SOS 07:00 Bananas in Pyjamas 07:10 Igam Ogam 07:20 Fireman Sam 07:35 The WotWots 07:45 Peppa Pig 07:50 Big School 08:00 Little Princess 08:10 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 08:20 The Mr Men Show 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:45 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:25 Peppa Pig 09:30 Milkshake! Monkey 09:35 Toby's Travelling Circus 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 Cowboy Builders 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Animal Maternity 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 Law & Order: Criminal Intent 16:15 Inside Hollywood 16:20 Jane Doe: Eye of the Beholder 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 NewsTalk Live 20:00 Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead 21:00 Cowboy Builders 22:00 CSI: NY 23:00 Castle 23:55 Body of Proof

33

The Courier Wednesday TV

October 2

00:35 01:35 01:40 07:00 10:15 11:00 12:00 12:45 13:15 14:00 14:30 14:45 15:15 16:00 16:45 17:15 18:15 19:00 19:30 19:55 20:00 21:00 22:00 23:00 23:25 23:35

Who Do You Think You Are? Weatherview BBC News Breakfast Rip Off Britain Homes Under the Hammer Real Rescues Claimed and Shamed Bargain Hunt BBC News; Weather Regional News and Weather Doctors Perfection Escape to the Country Country Show Cook Off Flog It! Pointless BBC News BBC London News Party Political Broadcast The One Show Watchdog The Great British Year BBC News National Lottery Update Father Figure

06:55 Wonders of Nature ­ Emperor Penguin ­ Caring 07:00 Homes Under the Hammer 08:00 Real Rescues 08:45 Claimed and Shamed 09:15 Wanted Down Under 10:00 Hairy Bikers' Meals on Wheels Back on the Road 11:00 Inspire: The Olympic Journey 11:30 See Hear 12:00 Daily Politics Conference Special 14:00 Mastermind 14:30 Weakest Link 15:15 Great British Menu 15:45 Oceans 16:45 Elephant Diaries 17:15 South Pacific 18:15 Antiques Roadshow 18:55 Party Political Broadcast 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Strictly Come Dancing ­ It Takes Two 20:00 The Hairy Bikers' Bakeation 21:00 The House That £100K Built 22:00 Science Britannica 23:00 The Culture Show 23:30 Newsnight

00:35 01:20 04:00 04:45 06:05 07:00 09:30 10:25 11:30 13:30 14:30 14:55 15:00 16:00 16:59 17:00 18:00 19:00 19:25 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 22:00 23:00 23:30 23:35

The Jeremy Kyle Show USA Jackpot247 Loose Women ITV Nightscreen The Jeremy Kyle Show Daybreak Lorraine The Jeremy Kyle Show This Morning Loose Women ITV News and Weather ITV Meridian Weather Dickinson's Real Deal The Alan Titchmarsh Show ITV Meridian Weather Tipping Point The Chase ITV News Meridian Party Political Broadcast ITV News and Weather Emmerdale Coronation Street Big Star's Little Star Whitechapel ITV News at Ten and Weather ITV News Meridian Exposure

THE GREAT BRITISH YEAR 00:20 Today at Conference 00:50 The Crane Gang 01:50 The United States of Television: America in Primetime 02:50 This Is BBC Two 05:00 Fazer's Urban Takeover 05:30 Adapting Carmen: Re­imagin­ ing a Classic 06:00 Schools

00:35 01:30 01:35 02:30 03:25 03:55 04:50 05:20 06:15 07:10 07:35 08:00 08:30 08:55 09:30 10:00 10:30 11:00 12:00 13:00 13:05 14:05 14:30 16:10 17:00 18:00 18:30 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:55 21:00 22:00 23:00 23:45

Celebrity Fifteen to One Random Acts Poker Hard Knocks KOTV Boxing Weekly Beach Volleyball The Grid Blancpain Endurance Series The Great Swim Series The Hoobs The Hoobs According to Jim Will & Grace Frasier Frasier Everybody Loves Raymond Everybody Loves Raymond Four Rooms A Place in the Sun Channel 4 News Summary River Cottage Kirstie's Vintage Gems Bugles in the Afternoon Countdown Deal or No Deal Four in a Bed Come Dine with Me The Simpsons Hollyoaks Channel 4 News 4thought.tv The Three Day Nanny Grand Designs Gogglebox Big Fat Gypsy Weddings

New series. Documentary following British wildlife through the seasons, beginning on New Year's Day, with the landscape in the grip of win­ ter. Time­lapse photography shows a magical country shrouded in frost and swirling mist, while water becomes the enemy as the creatures must cope with ice. Red squirrels resort to sub­ terfuge, kites track a farmer's plough to get at the worms beneath the frost.erupts with snowdrops.

00:50 Law & Order: Criminal Intent 01:40 True Crimes: The First 72 Hours 02:05 SuperCasino 04:55 Great Scientists 05:20 Great Artists 05:45 House Doctor 06:10 Wildlife SOS 06:35 Wildlife SOS 07:00 Bananas in Pyjamas 07:10 Igam Ogam 07:20 Fireman Sam 07:35 The WotWots 07:45 Peppa Pig 07:50 Big School 08:00 Little Princess 08:10 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 08:20 The Mr Men Show 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:45 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:25 Peppa Pig 09:30 Milkshake! Monkey 09:35 Toby's Travelling Circus 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 Cowboy Builders 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 The Railway: First Great Western 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 NCIS 16:15 Seventeen and Missing 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 NewsTalk Live 20:00 Robson's Extreme Fishing Challenge 21:00 Animal Maternity 22:00 NCIS 23:00 Wentworth Prison

The Courier Thursday TV

October 3

00:05 Room 101 ­ Extra Storage 00:45 Judgment Night 02:30 Weatherview 02:35 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Rip Off Britain 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Real Rescues 12:45 Claimed and Shamed 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News; Weather 14:30 Regional News and Weather 14:45 Doctors 15:15 Perfection 16:00 Escape to the Country 16:45 Country Show Cook Off 17:15 Flog It! 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News 19:30 BBC London News 20:00 The One Show 20:30 EastEnders 21:00 Waterloo Road 22:00 Mayhem & Mishaps: Britain Caught on Camera 23:00 BBC News 23:25 Regional News and Weather 23:35 Question Time

00:20 Today at Conference 00:50 The Midwives 01:50 See Hear 02:20 This Is BBC Two 05:00 Schools ­ Poets in Person 05:30 Schools ­ Simon Armitage, Writing Poems 06:00 Schools ­ Spark

07:00 This Is BBC Two 07:05 Homes Under the Hammer 08:05 Real Rescues 08:50 Claimed and Shamed 09:20 Wanted Down Under 10:05 Robert Peston Goes Shopping 11:05 Raymond Blanc: How to Cook Well 11:35 HARDtalk 12:00 BBC News 12:30 BBC World News 13:00 Daily Politics 14:00 Mastermind 14:30 Weakest Link 15:15 Great British Menu 15:45 Oceans 16:45 Animal Park 17:15 South Pacific 18:15 Antiques Roadshow 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Strictly Come Dancing ­ It Takes Two 20:00 The Hairy Bikers' Bakeation 21:00 The Wonder of Dogs 22:00 Peaky Blinders 23:00 Mock the Week 23:30 Newsnight

00:35 James Nesbitt's Ireland 01:05 Jackpot247 04:00 British Touring Car Championship 05:15 ITV Nightscreen 06:05 The Jeremy Kyle Show 07:00 Daybreak 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV News and Weather 14:55 ITV News Meridian 15:00 Dickinson's Real Deal 16:00 The Alan Titchmarsh Show 16:59 ITV Meridian Weather 17:00 Tipping Point 18:00 The Chase 19:00 ITV News Meridian 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Tonight 21:00 Emmerdale 21:30 Pat and Cabbage 22:00 Women Behind Bars with Trevor McDonald 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 ITV Meridian Weather 23:35 Magicians

MAGICIANS Comedy starring Peep Show's David Mitchell and Robert Webb. Former top magic double act Harry and Karl haven't spoken in years, following a rather unsavoury onstage incident. But when an international conjuring contest offers a big cash prize, the lure of glory tempts the duo to put their differences aside and get back together.

00:50 Random Acts 00:55 iTunes Festival 2013 01:50 Shameless USA 02:45 Mere Mehboob 05:45 Deal or No Deal 06:40 Countdown 07:25 The Treacle People 07:35 The Hoobs 08:00 According to Jim 08:30 Will & Grace 08:55 Frasier 09:25 Frasier 10:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 11:00 Four Rooms 12:00 A Place in the Sun 13:00 Channel 4 News Summary 13:05 River Cottage 14:05 Kirstie's Handmade Treasures 14:20 The Day the Earth Stood Still 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Four in a Bed 18:30 Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 20:55 4thought.tv 21:00 Location, Location, Location 22:00 Educating Yorkshire 23:00 My Tattoo Addiction

00:00 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 00:55 Inside Hollywood 01:00 Poker 01:50 SuperCasino 04:55 Great Scientists 05:20 Great Artists 05:45 House Doctor 06:10 Wildlife SOS 06:35 Wildlife SOS 07:00 Bananas in Pyjamas 07:10 Igam Ogam 07:20 Fireman Sam 07:35 The WotWots 07:45 Peppa Pig 07:50 Big School 08:00 Little Princess 08:10 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 08:20 The Mr Men Show 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:45 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:25 Peppa Pig 09:35 Toby's Travelling Circus 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 Cowboy Builders 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Cowboy Builders 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 NCIS 16:15 The Perfect Teacher 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 NewsTalk Live 20:00 The True Story 21:00 The Railway: First Great Western 22:00 NCIS 23:00 Law & Order: Criminal Intent 23:55 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation

34

Friday, September 27, 2013

ACCOUNTANTS Pro Business Support – for all your accountan­ cy needs in English; bookkeeping, taxes, wage slips and more.

We cater for companies and self­employed peo­ ple; we can deal with everything for you. Call us on 966 923 963 for first consultation free of charge.

ANIMALS Pet Travel UK family pet transporters Spain/UK. Travel with your pet for free. All air conditioned vehicles (no vans) www.pettraveluk.co.uk UK 0800 612 4922 or Spain 678 756 644 (131)

BOATS FOR SALE GC15: 16m Guy Couach motor cruiser, 3 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, kitchen, lounge/dining area, and flybridge. 2 x Mercedes 350kw diesel motors.

56000€. Call 966 923 963 or 651 885 200 A57: Rare Vintage 1957 Astondoa Classic Wooden motor launch, 10 m with Perkins diesel engine. All in working order. Needs TLC and re­varnish, great proj­ ect, 6000€. Call 966 923 963 or 651 885 200 .

AIR CONDITIONING

CHURCH SERVICES International Christian Assembly, Calle Pilar de Horadada 5, Torrevieja.

Evangelical non­ denominational church.

Sunday services 11am.

Children's church 11am.

House groups in Torrevieja, Los Balcones, San Javier.

Ladies meeting Thursdays 11am. Craft club, Tuesdays, 2pm.

Pastor, Rafael Restrepo. All nationali­ ties welcome. Call 966 799 273 or 660 127 276.

Pilar Christian Community Church Calle Canalejas 3. Pilar de la Horadada. Sunday Service at 11am, and Thursday at 5pm for Bible study and Prayer.

Home groups meet dur­ ing the week. All wel­ come from any church background or none.

For further information contact PilarChristian.

CommunityChurch@g mail.com or contact Reverend Eddie on 966769300 or 650509606.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Mormons) meet at 10.00 each Sunday at their Torrevieja meet­ inghouse in the Torreaguas building on the corner of Rambla Juan Mateo Garcia 104, close to the windmill in Torrevieja, 667 533 597.

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES Busy bar/restaurant in San Javier, close to air­ port, selling up due to health problems. Loyal clientele, ideal location.

Phone 634362820 for further information.

CATERING

FOR SALE. S u p e r m a r k e t ‘Traspasa’.

Fully stocked plus machines / shelving. Been running with present owner 7 years. Good income. In high street Guardamar.

Near Weds market.

20.000€ ONO. Tel: 634 106 460

CARS FOR SALE

Car insurance quotes – new extra discount on fully comprehensive policies at the price of third party!

Excellent prices for expats, all policies and call centre staff in English. We will call you back with a quote. 966 923 963

INSURANCE CASER SEGUROS ­ for all your insurance needs, home, car, health, funeral. Policies available in English and German.

Call Professional Business Support on 966 923 963 for a quick quote from our friendly staff.

www.villaandvacation.c om or Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 2 or 3 bed / 2 bath apartments in San Miguel. Lift, communal rooftop pool & solarium, video entry system.

Available for short or long term rent from 350 pcm. Tel 966723437 or 616 493 487. (136) Ref: 61, A lovely two bedroomed ground floor apartment, located in the centre of the small Spanish town of Los Montesinos, With a pleasant communal swimming pool adjacent & all amenities in walk­ ing distance. Long and short term rental avail­ able. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref 33, Ground floor spacious 2 bedroom apartment, located in Torre la Mata. Close to all amenities and beach.

3 month rental €300pcm Call: 965 707 188 Ref: 104, 2 Bedroom apartment in Torrevieja, (near gypsy lane), small balcony, near all ameni­ ties and Friday market. €350pcm Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref: 112, Spacious 3

CARPENTER

PROPERTY FOR RENT Viva Villa and Vacation Services, For Short or Long Term Rentals visit:

ALARMS

CAR HIRE

bedroom detached villa with its private pool is located on the El Raso urbanisation near Guardamar. Convenient for all amenities, shops, supermarket, restau­ rants and bars. Short term rental available.

Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref 702: Beautiful 2 bedroom apartment, located near los Locos beach, beautifully fur­ nished. Short term rentals from 175€ per week. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref: 63, Two bedroom 1st floor apartment situ­ ated in Monino Blanco.

The property overlooks a superb communal pool area, in within walking distance of bars, restaurants and shops. Short or long term rental available.

Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397

LONG TERM RENTALS WANTED! Properties, all types, in the Torrevieja area wanted for long term rentals.

Call us on 96 692 3963 CBR32 : 3 bed, 2 bath apartment in Los Montesinos, very spa­ cious 120 m2, fully fur­ nished, with pool on solarium, only 300€ p/m, available end of September, call now on 966 923 963 CBR31 : Town centre apartment in Los Montesinos, with lift, lock up storeroom on solarium, all amenities nearby, spacious 2 bed 1 bath, 250 € p/m 966 923 963 Ref: 709, A lovely 1 bed­ room apartment in Aguas Nuevas, within a 5 minute walk of the beach. There is a ter­

race outside with views to the sea. Short or long term rental available.

Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 KBJ3 : 3 bed penthouse in Guardamar, fur­ nished, fantastic sea view, communal pool and parking, 550 € pcm, call 966 923 963

PROPERTY FOR SALE Home and Contents cover ­ Comprehensive policies for house and contents with CASER Seguros ­ excellent prices for expats; poli­ cies available in. Call 966 923 963 for a quote.

Butia Espana Are you trapped. Need to sell quick. We are the only answer for a speedy sale.UK buyers waiting. www.butiaespana.com Telephone 0800 612 7514 or Spain 678 756 644 (131) Rare opportunity to pur­ chase on Mediterrania III, Gran Alacant. 2 bed­ rooms, 2 bathrooms, Private Parking, F/Furnished, Large communal pools & Tennis courts S/W fac­ ing, Dramatically reduced for quick sale to 126.000 euros. Ref No. K58 Call 627 711 155 for immediate view­ ing RS96 : La Mata, 1 bed­ room apartment, large solarium, communal pool, close to beach, 55.000€, call 966 923 963 RS80 : Spanish style townhouse in Algorfa, totally reformed and redecorated, 110m2, 3 lrg.bedrooms, 1 bath­ room, many extras, absolute bargain at 99,500 €, call now on 966 923 963 for no obli­ gation viewing.

CLEANERS

35

Friday, September 27, 2013 Ref: 510, €70,000.

Bungalow located in San Luis. It is close to the supermarkets, bars and restaurants and is on the local bus route.

An Opel Corsa car is included in this sale.

Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Lovely Corner property in Novamar V, Gran Alacant. 2 bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms Being sold fully furnished including appliances, Has secure underground parking and faces large oasis communal pool.

Walking distance to beach. 139.000 Euros, Call 627 711 155 and quote Ref No. K10 Ref: 104 Lovely 2 Bedroom Apartment, close to Shops, walking distance to Friday

Market and Town Centre and the beach.

The property is close to the Habaneres Shopping Centre and Aquapark.

Recently refurbished apartment in a good central loca­ tion. Conveniently situ­ ated for all the facilities of this modern vibrant town, and only a few blocks away from Torreviejas excellent sea front with its abun­ dant cafes, restaurants and shops.

Price €43950 Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref. BRJ1 – 1 bedroom top floor renovated apartment in San Luis.

Great sea and lake views. 55.000€. Tel. 966 923 963 Immaculate ground floor Duplex, 2 beds, 2

CAR BREAKERS

bath, Private Parking, Situated in Novamar, Gran Alacant. Price includes very tasteful furniture and white goods. Walking dis­ tance to all local ameni­ ties and beach. Now only 129,750 euros. Ref No K24. 627 711 155 Ref: 521, €105,000.

This comfortable bun­ galow is located in San Luis with a new roof and solarium tiles. It is close to supermarkets, bars, restaurants and is on the local bus route. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Don Pueblo, Gran Alacant. 3 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms, Large Kitchen with Galleria, Secure underground parking, Gas Central Heating, Glazed in Porch, Solarium with stunning views.

Viewings absolutely essential. Very large property at reduced price of 190.000 euros.

Ref No. K38 Call 627 711 155 KBJ3 : 3 bed penthouse in Guardamar, fur­ nished, fantastic sea views, communal pool and parking, 155.000€, call 966 923 963 RS1 : 3 bed large villa in Torrevieja on 950m2 plot, private pool, Jacuzzi/sauna, parking, 289.000€, call 966 923 963 Opportunity to purchase at the off plan price of 195.000 euros. Large 4 Bed, 3 Bath Brand new property. Secure under­ ground parking for 2 cars and communal pool. Situated opposite Gran Alacant and over looks projected golf course. Ref No. K52.

HOUSE / BAR CLEARANCE

627 711 155 Viva Villa and Vacation Services are pleased to offer property sales for the Torrevieja and Oriheula areas of the Costa Blanca, Spain.

Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 or Visit : www.villaandvacation.c om Ref: 78, €120,000.

Three bedroom Quad in Jardin Del Mar VII. There is off­road park­ ing and small storage shed in the enclosed garden area, communal pool nearby. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 2 Bed, 1 Bath Ground floor duplex. Central heating, Grills, Fully fur­ nished, Glazed in Galleria, 2 communal pools, private parking and walking distance to the Gran Alacant com­ mercial centre. Situated

in the popular urbanisa­ tion of Puerto Marino.

Now only 96,500 euros for quick sale Ref No. K46. 627 711 155 Ground Floor Duplex, on the Monte y Mar estate of Gran Alacant.

3 Bedrooms, 1 Bathroom, Fully fur­ nished, Private Parking, Communal pool Ref. GA0094 NOw only 83.000e Tel. 680333242 Gran Alacant Detached villa, located in a very sought after location.Situated on a 560m2 S/W facing plot and constructed in 2005. Comprising of 3 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms (2 full baths), Lounge­ Diner, fully equipped Kitchen, Porch and Solarium with Alicante & Sea Views. ref.L81. €258,000 neg. Tel. 680333242

HOME CARE

36

Friday, September 27, 2013

Gran Alacant Town House with a difference.

2 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, Glazed in Porch, Quiet Location, Extra storage areas, and South Facing Private Pool as well as 2 communal pools. Fully Furnished, All mod cons. Greenland Views and all local amenities close by. Ref. No L79.

179.000 euros 680 333 242 Ref: 520, €80,000. Two bedroom apartment in Dream Hills, with a fully equipped kitchen, large lounge, glazed­in ter­ race and a large solari­ um.

This property comes with a large com­ munal swimming pool.

Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Gran Alacant immacu­ late villa, 3 bedroomed, 3 bathroomed property maintained to a very high standard inside and out and the interior furnishings are top qual­ ity, offering a feeling of luxury and good taste.

The plot size is 400m2 and has been beautiful­ ly tiles, and graveled and has established palms and plants. Oil fired central heating throughout, log effect fire place, ceiling fans in all rooms, towel heater rails, glazed in shower units, instant hot water, water purifier, free English TV, phone & internet lines, fitted dou­ ble hanging wardrobes, safe, glazed in front porch, vanity units and much more. The pool is an 8 X 4 m2 salt water pool, meaning mainte­

nance is much easier plus outside toilet and shower. Sea views to front with Greenland views to the rear. ref K51. €245,000 Tel 680333242 Ref 533: Lovely 2 bed­ room duplex located in the popular area of Punta Prima, the prop­ erty has a large lounge and fully equipped kitchen, 2 double bed­ rooms, one with bal­ cony, bathroom with double shower. €126,000 Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref: 516, €39,999.

Studio apartment in San Luis, close to amenities.

Open plan fully equipped kitchen. Good sized lounge, bedroom and out onto balcony which has been glazed to create another room.

Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref: 513, €115,000.

Two bedroom ground floor apartment, in Aguas Nuevas, close to all amenities including the beach. It has a good size lounge, kitchen and has off road parking facilities. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref: 709, €60,000 A lovely 1 bedroom apart­ ment in Aguas Nuevas, within a 5 minute walk of the beach. There is a terrace outside with views to the sea. Short or long term rental avail­ able. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref: KP3100, €183,000.

Three bedroom, two bathroom detached villa, located in San Luis, on a 450sqm plot,

with communal pool.

Garage to side of house. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref: 520, €85,000. Two bedroom apartment in Dream Hills, with a fully equipped kitchen, large lounge, glazed­in ter­ race and a large solari­ um.

This property comes with a large com­ munal swimming pool.

Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Lovely clean detached Villa just as you enter Gran Alacant. Very cen­ tral location, 3 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms, Glazed in Porch, Garden Shed, Private Parking, Attractive Gardens, Private pool Ref: K59 240.000e Tel. 627711155 Recently reduced 4 Bed, 3 Bath Villa, in Gran Alacant. Quiet Location, Exceptional Views.

Converted Under build, 2 Lounges, 2 Kitchens, Private Garage and being sold Fully Furnished, now only 239.950 Ref: L81 Tel. 680333242 Large 4 Bedroom, 4 Bathroom, 2 Kitchens, 2 Lounges, 600m2+ plot Large Retractable Glazed in Pool for all year swimming, Private Parking for 4 cars, Very low­maintenance, Fully Furnished. 330.000e

but Negotiable. Very dif­ ferent to the other prop­ erties in Gran Alacant and is disabled friendly Ref: L80 Tel. 680333242 Corner Plot Property in the lower end of Gran Alacant. 3 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, Under build, Roof top Solarium Being sold Fully Furnished including White goods. Walking distance to all local amenities.

139.950e Ref. GA0087 Tel. 680333242 Limited Edition Fortaleze in Gran Alacant Exceptionally Large Plot. 4 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms, Large Private Pool with Decorative Garden, Private Parking, Electric Gates, Glazed in Porch, Solarium, Under build.

Quiet sought after area.

Very tastefully furnished and all included 370.000e Ref. K52 Tel. 627711155 Mid Terraced Townhouse on Avda Polognia, Gran Alacant Furnished to a very high standard and includes White Goods. 3 Bed, 2 Bath, Lounge Diner, Fully converted Under build offering a second lounge and large stor­ age area. Roof top Solarium, Glazed in gal­ leria with extended worktops. Front Garden

with BBQ, Communal Pool with Gardens.

132.000e Ref. K16 Tel. 627711155 Semi­Detached Villa with Open Greenland Views to the Rear and Alicante Views to the Front, means this prop­ erty in Gran Alacant would appeal to any­ body looking for a quiet location. Comprising of 3 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms, Lounge diner, with working Fire place, Porch, Solarium, Established Gardens and Private Pool, Private Parking on a large plot. 265.000e Ref. L95 Tel. 680333242 Offers Invited on a mid Terraced Town house in Gran Alacant.

Comprising of 3 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, Lounge Diner, Galleria, Solarium, Under build.

Communal Pool and Gardens, and with Exceptional Views of Alicante. Being Sold Fully Furnished includ­ ing White Goods. Ref. K42 Tel. 627711155 (reasonable offers only)

2 Bedroom, 2 Bathroom, Unfurnished Mid Terraced Townhouse in GA. Recently decorated throughout means this property is a very clean black canvass. Has Air­ Con & Security Grills and the use of a Communal Pool. Price recently reduced to 110.000e Ref.K12 Tel. 627711155 Reduced for a quick sale to 95.000 e 2 Bedroom, 1 bathroom, Top Floor Duplex in Gran Alacant. Very Modern Property with Many extras. Glazed in Porch, Roof Top Solarium, Wooden Flooring. Immaculate condition and ready to move in. Ref. K15 Tel. 627711155.

POOLS

PETS

PERSONAL

MAN AND A VAN

PLUMBERS

DRAINAGE

POOL TABLES

37

Friday, September 27, 2013 Gran Alacant, Situated on the very first urbani­ sation as you enter Gran Alacant, this 2nd floor duplex offers taste and quality. Comprising of 2 bedrooms, 1 bath­ room, lounge­diner, independent kitchen, full roof­top solarium with superb views and recently glazed in porch offering extra living area as well as extra privacy as the glass is mirrored.

Ref.K44 €108,000 Tel 680333242 Gran Alacant, Situated in the "Alto" part of Gran Alacant, this 3 bed­ roomed, 4th floor apart­ ment, offers luxury accommodation, with absolutely stunning sea views, as well as views of Alicante bay and the famous Santa Barbara Castle.The apartment is 89 square meters with open plan kitchen / liv­ ing room and includes all electrical appliances & furniture also there is a utility room, open ter­ race, and private park­ ing. The urbanisation also offers many com­ munal pools, tennis courts, restaurants and

bars.

Ref. K20 €109,000 Tel 680333242 Gran Alacant villa locat­ ed in a very quiet area , situated at the end of a cul­de­sac means there is no through traffic.3 bed, 3 bath, 330m2 plot, established large gar­ dens, working fireplace, solar panel for hot water,private parking, south facing great views, fully furnished, fantastic opportunity. ref. L85. €215,000 Tel 680333242 Beach front Line proper­ ty, over looks Carabassi Beach, Gran Alacant. 2 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, Secure Underground Parking, Fully furnished, Roof Top Solarium. 3 Large Communal Pools, Fantastic communal Gardens, Tennis Courts and much more.

125.000 Euros Ref No. K23. Tel. 627 711 155 Gran Alacant, Situated front line to the famous blue flag beaches of Carabassi, the real beauty of this property is its proximity to the beach, but also on offer

SURVEYOR

STORAGE

REMOVALS

is a fantastic communal pool situated in beauti­ fully kept gardens with little Spanish walk ways.Comprising of 2 bedrooms, 2 bath­ rooms, lounge diner, American style kitchen including all appliances, roof top solarium with stunning views, front porch area with front garden and a secure underground garage. fully furnished Ref. K23 €125,000 rare opportu­ nity Tel 680333242 Gran Alacant limited edition villa, not very often available on the market. Only a few of this type were ever con­ structed­ Very large 5 bedrooms, 4 bath­ room(2 en­suit) proper­ ty, situated on a large corner plot with a 10 x 5 private pool and private parking. Lounge­diner with working fireplace, fully equipped kitchen with utility room. Large landing area, leading onto solarium, with extra storage external room. Front porch area leading into large well established gardens with irrigation system and fruit trees. Being sold fully furnished.

Within walking distance to Gran Alacant com­ mercial centre and 5 minute drive to Carabassi beaches. ref.

K11. €270,000 Tel 680333242

Gran Alacant large detached villa with 3 double bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, lounge­ diner, fully equipped kitchen, large porch, roof top solarium, 400 m2 Plot, with estab­ lished low maintenance very private gardens with irrigation system, electronic gates, private parking, outside wc, sink & shower, terraces, air con ( h & c ), mosqui­ to nets, grills, alarmed, large spa pool with sep­ arate Jacuzzi section.

Within easy walking dis­ tance to Gran Alacant commercial centre and close to local bus and tram route. Ref K33. €260,000 neg Tel 680333242 Gran Alacant, detached villa in desirable road close to all amenities, comprising of 3 double bedrooms, 3 baths, lounge diner with work­ ing fire place, brand new kitchen with all appliances and black granite work tops, pri­ vate pool, plot of 550m2, established irri­ gated gardens and fruit trees, private parking, solarium, also there is a converted under build giving more bedrooms ,bathroom & kitchen, this house has many extras and is being sold fully furnished. Ref.k47. €280,000 neg Tel 680333242

RAG AND BONE

Gran Alacant south­fac­ ing, very private villa, with woodland and Alicante views. Situated at the end of a small cul­ de­sac which means this villa enjoys a very peaceful location.3 Bedrooms with fitted wardrobes, 3 Bathrooms, lounge­ diner with working fire­ place, fully fitted kitchen with including white goods, large front porch, solarium,work­ shop and storage in under build, central heating, air con H/C, ceiling fans, grills, UK T.V, off road parking and plenty of outside park­ ing also. Due to its ori­ entation of this property enjoys full sun, all day, something very impor­ tant in the winter months.

Ref.K24. €237,000 Tel 680333242

QUIZZES Experienced quiz­mas­ ter/question setter with personality available to host quiz nights in local bars. Tel:­ 664 838 581

REMOVALS Move It Now Small removals and deliver­ ies. Spain/UK Budget prices. Last minute jobs u n d e r t a k e n . www.moveitnow.co.uk Telephone UK 0800 612 4922 or Spain 678 756 644 (131) SITUATIONS VACANT RADIO COSTA INTER­ NATIONAL needs moti­ vated sellers. Spanish, English and German language is a bonus but not essential. Training and good earnings guaranteed. For more info call 644 126 600 or

VAN HIRE

email info@radico­ costainternational.com Medaesthetics require a Beautician. Must have NVQ Level 3 and work­ ing self employed email cv to sabinebrooks@hot­ mail.com

SOLICITORS Need English speak­ ing solicitors in Torrevieja? Let us help to solve your problems with debt recovery, divorce, property, fraud, criminal defence. Call us on 966 923 963, give us brief details and get in touch with your spe­ cialist solicitor today

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Also fashion/festival accessories TV/TS are welcome to our service.

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WANTED

38

Friday, September 27, 2013

Greenside Gossip IVIE DAVIES takes a weekly look at the golf scene - golfdavies@gmail.com

MANNERS MAKETH THE PLAYER

I know I keep wittering on about golf etiquette and I am fully aware that my other fellow golf scribes do the same, in the hope that those who read our efforts will take note and ensure that the lovely game we play continues with the great traditions of fair play and good manners. Sadly, though there are players who have no desire to adopt any form of courtesy and respect for not only the game or the course, but for those of us who play it! I witnessed very recently something that left me gasping for breath, which involved trying to hit a ball from a green! More of that later. It’s the total ignorance of golfing etiquette, and this sadly is common place these days.

First, a fourball were holding up a two ball which included myself. Each time we finished a hole, we arrived at the tee and waited for them to tee off. Not once did they acknowl­ edge our presence or offer to let us tee off and play through.

There were times when they hit errant shots of not more than 25 meters as they lost the ball, but did they play a provisional or offer to call us through? NO!

ETIQUETTE COURTESY ON THE COURSE – PACE OF PLAY

This section in "The Rules of Golf" states: Players should play at a good pace. The Committee may establish pace of play guidelines that all players should follow. It is a group’s responsibility to keep up with the group in front. If it loses a clear hole and it is delaying the group behind, it should invite the group behind to play through, irrespective of the number of players in that group. Where a group has not lost a clear hole, but it is apparent that the group behind can play faster, it should invite the faster moving group to play through.

The fourball in front of us carried on their behaviour through the whole round, but worse was to follow! One of their errant shots finished on an adjacent green, with the ball lying plumb in the centre of the green, with players coming up the fairway. The player strode onto the green with what looked like a 4 iron and was addressing the ball to hit it from the green. Having seen this, I shouted for him to pick up his ball and play from away from the green. He obviously did not know the following rule:­

Rule 25.3b – WRONG PUTTING GREEN

would help if there were voluntary marshals or for new visi­ tors a “goody bag” provided with a pitch mark repairer and a simple request to rake bunkers and to avoid slow play.

Sometimes when you play this lovely game, you have to wonder what‘s going on in our golfing world with what you see on the course. These are not one­off incidents and good policing will go some way to eradicate or at least reduce some of these problems. Directors of Golf take note!

TIGER DOES NOT “RULE” THE GAME

Tiger Woods was involved in another costly rules violation following what he thought was an unjustified penalty follow­ ing the 2nd round of the BMW Championship a fortnight ago.

Tiger shot a 5­under­par 66 in the 3rd round, but the 2­shot penalty he got for an incident that occurred on the first hole on Friday proved too large for his tournament chances. He was pretty angry because he felt like nothing happened, in his opinion he felt the ball oscillated, and that was it. It did mean he had to work hard to get back in the tournament and then go from 5 to 7 behind, and that was obviously too much for him. The infraction was filmed by a PGA Tour Entertainment production crew, which passed along the footage to officials. It was not one of those armchair TV whin­ ers who phone in, and at Tiger’s request they constantly

b. Relief If a player’s ball lies on a wrong putting green, he must not play the ball as it lies. He must take relief, without penalty, as follows: The player must lift the ball and drop it within one club­ length of and not nearer the hole than the nearest point of relief. The nearest point of relief must not be in a hazard or on a putting green. When dropping the ball within one club­ length of the nearest point of relief, the ball must first strike a part of the course at a spot that avoids interference by the wrong putting green and is not in a hazard and not on a put­ ting green. The ball may be cleaned when lifted under this Rule.

It is this type of player that needs to be addressed as to the knowledge of not just the rules of golf but etiquette in general.

Sad to say it is usually the same nationality of players that are guilty. These are the same ones who do not repair pitch QUESTION What happens when your ball comes to rest in tractor marks and rake bunkers, and the very same that explain, when confronted, that it is the green keepers job. Perhaps it marks?

ANSWER You are entitled to a free drop away from the marks. When a ball is at rest in a tractor mark through the green, the ball should be dropped within a club length of the nearest point of relief.

Bob was in the Golf Clubhouse bar after his Saturday That is so long as:­ round, staring sadly into his beer and sighing heavily.

1.

It is not nearer the hole “What’s up Bob?” asked the Club Secretary…It’s not like 2.

It avoids interference with the tractor marks you to be so down in the mouth.”

3.

It is not in a hazard or on the green “It’s my five year old son…” Bob replied.

“Don’t tell me, he’s in trouble for fighting in school? – my lad’s just the same – forget about it; it happens to boys that age,” said the Secretary, sympathetically.

“I only wish it was that,” continued Bob, “But it’s far worse than that and it could mean an end to my golf. The little devil has got our gorgeous 18 year old next door neighbour pregnant.”

“Get away, that’s impossible!” gasped the Club Secretary.

“It’s not,” said Bob. "The little devil stuck a pin in all my condoms.”

KNOW YOUR RULES

TITTER ON THE TEE

replayed the video but he did not change his opinion.

Tiger Woods was given a 2­shot penalty because it was deemed that he caused his ball to move when attempting to remove debris behind it. According to Rule 18­2a, if a player causes his ball to move, it's a 1­stroke penalty. However, because Tiger did not return the ball to its original position, he was assessed another stroke. In Tigers opinion, after see­ ing the video he considered the ball just oscillated, and I thought that was it and that was the end of story. But the Rules officials thought otherwise. Normally, in rules disputes, the word of the player is taken. But in this case, the video, showed an infringement. It was the 3rd time this year that Woods was penalised for a rules contravention. In each of the first two cases, he agreed with the assessment.

In January, at the Abu Dhabi Championship, Woods believed he was entitled to relief due to an embedded ball; the ball was underneath foliage in a sandy area, and any ball embedded in sand is not entitled to a free drop. He could have played it or taken a 1­stroke unplayable lie penalty. He took a drop, receiving a 2­stroke penalty and missed the cut by 1 shot. At the Masters, he was involved in a huge rules issue when his 3rd shot during the 2nd round hit the flagstick at the 15th hole and cannoned back into the water. He elect­ ed to play from his original spot, but went too far back in tak­ ing a drop.

Any professional player at his level should and would be expected to be more familiar with the Rules of Golf and not have repeated issues of Rules infringements, but it appears not. Or does he think he is above all that? The jury’s still out!

39

Friday, September 27, 2013

CITY SLICKERS LOOK THE PREMIERSHIP PART… Local bragging rights mean everything in any city where there is more than one top team. In the offices, factories, supermar­ kets, bars, anywhere where the local support is divided, it hurts when your team loses to a nasty neigh­ bour.

In mighty Manchester, poor old City have had to play second fiddle to the glorious glamourpusses gloating away at Old Trafford for decades. It was back to the ‘60s when City could last really com­ pete with United, as the 1970 World

Cup approached. ‘Hi ho, hi ho, it’s off to Mexico, with Bell and Lee, and Summerbee’ they sang on the terraces of Maine Road, when dear old Joe Mercer and the flam­ boyant Malcolm Allison were the gaffers who produced that great City team. What went wrong, as the team sank to the third divi­ sion while United were conquer­ ing the Premiership and Europe under Alex Ferguson?

All teams need money, and City eventu­ ally got oil­ fields of it

Big blow for Elche The size of Elche’s massive task of staying in La Liga was exposed last Friday night when they travelled to bottom club Sauna, who grabbed their first points of the season in a 2­1 victory.

Elche went in at half­time trailing 1­nil, with Osasuna’s keeper, Andres Fernandez pulling off three brilliant saves from Carlos Sanchez, Boakye, and Albacar. The killer blow came shortly into the second half with an early Osasuna strike which knocked the stuffing out of Elche, with the home side’s defence determined to hang onto the advantage.

Towards the end of the match substitute Javi Marquez made an audacious attempt to lob Fernandez from just ahead of the halfway line, but the shot crept just over the bar. Elche eventually did get back into the game via the penalty spot. Marc Bertran blocked a cross with his hands, and Albacar(pictured) sent Fernandez the wrong way to score with two minutes left of normal time. The goalkeeper went down injured after the spot­kick, leading to four min­ utes of added time being played. Elche were then awarded a corner in the final minute of injury time, but the Osasuna defence held firm.

from a sympathetic sheik. But spondulicks need spending soundly. Two seasons ago Manchester City won the prestigious Premiership, albeit just from United on the last day. Last time out, the Boys in Blue came a modest second and unexpectedly lost the Cup Final last season. Hardly fail­ ure, the luckless Roberto Mancini had built a very good team at the Etihad: Sergio Aguerro, Vincent Kompany and Yaya Toure are all world class footballers, the spine of a sound side in front of England’s finest goal­ keeper for years, Joe Hart.

But Mario Balotelli’s antics and unruliness played its part in Mancini’s dismissal. Big bad boys like Barmy Balo are idolised by fans and certain pop stars, but if they’re not team players who have their club’s interests at heart, well… Cracks in the City wall were eroding to become bigger holes and inevitably the increasingly irascible Italian in charge was replaced by a dignified Chilean with a growing reputation in Spain. The close­season timing was perfect to tempt Manuel Pellegrini away from a Malaga club with big problems and give the man a little preparation time.

To provide ‘The Engineer’ with the tools to improve the current model, the silent ones spent their sheik’s sheckles shrewdly on a five­star foursome to complement the stars in situ, but perhaps unsurprisingly the

new­look City did not immediately kick off the new season looking like champions elect. David and Goliath­type football feats can and do happen often as results con­ stantly reveal. There’s no free lunches in the Prem, or the teams wouldn’t be there – and league tables never lie.

Not helped by the temporary absence in defence and leadership that towering Captain Courageous Vincent Kompany wields at City, the remaining Boys in Blue were undone by newbies Cardiff 3 – 2 in a swooning Swalian stadium, and held goal­ less by everybody’s favourites­for­failure Stoke City, at the same time putting nervy Newcastle and hopeful Hull City in their places. This year’s new City seem to be learning quickly however ­ all­in­all a Premiership learning curve to prepare for the mighty Manchester showdown last Sunday.

If you watched it, you saw how superior City were to United in all departments. With squirming, spectating Robin van Persie out injured, King Kompany was back in charge, quickly clashing with a fiercely combative (and booked) Wayne Rooney. No­one else in Red turned up as the Blues bullied all over the park. On that showing David Moyes has much to meditate on if United are to hold on to their title, Fellaini or no. Certainly on Super Sunday’s showing, seriously­superior City look the side to beat if you want to win the Prestigious Premiership this season: London and Merseyside take note!

TORRY WIN

FC Torrevieja returned to win­ ning ways with a 1­nil home vic­ tory over Utiel on Sunday, but it was hardly entertaining fare for the 300 odd spectators that went to the Vicente Garcia sta­ dium. Torry boss Anselmo rang the changes after losing at Muro by demoting Boix, Carrasco, Alberto, and Burguillos to the bench. The first half had scoring chances at a premium, though things livened up after the inter­ val, with Dani Lucas converting

a 53rd minute penalty, after a Gasch corner was handled by Prieto. Obele had opportunities to boost Torry’s lead, but Utiel were also unlucky not to have got onto the score sheet them­ selves. Torrevieja have the rela­ tively short journey to Orihuela CF this Sunday, where they hope to play their new striker, Rafa Gomez (pictured). The 30 year old comes from UD Badajoz, with a wealth of expe­ rience in division 2B.

ITV Orihuela’s rout

Two off but monte still lose

CD Montesinos failed to take advantage of two Almoradi players being red­carded in the second half, as they went down to a 1­nil home defeat. Almoradi B looked disciplined early on and dominat­ ed the first half, with Monte’s only real chance coming from Vaz. Almoradi’s goal was helped by poor defending and debut keeper Alex could do nothing to stop the

tap in from the cross. The second half saw Montesinos be more dominant, and though two oppos­ ing players were sent off in the space of just 3 minutes, the home side could not capitalise, despite a series of chances, including a well saved strike from Marcos.

Monte are back at home this Sunday taking on Bigastro with a 5.00pm kick off.

The Rugby players of ITV Orihuela limbered up nicely for the new season with an emphatic 89­nil win over a

combined Alcoy/Aspe team who have only been playing the sport for just 18 months.

Orihuela played two different

sides in the two halves in what was a good work out for the team ahead of the more serious challenges ahead.

Friday, September 27, 2013

40

FOOTBALL’S NOT FAIR...

Ref robs Elche

Just when you think you’ve seen it all, a match comes along like this.

The massively­wealthy visiting superstars representing one of the world’s greatest clubs comes to your newly­promoted modest backyard; you’re not playing well and they are, and you expect to get hammered. Instead you are soon hampered by a referee who clearly thinks you can’t tackle their over­ paid, pampered prima donnas, and proceeds to book most of your newly­assembled team ­ except when they do it, they don’t get admonished, even when one should have been sent off. The score is 0 ­0 at half­ time, you’ve done OK, and you start the second half full of optimism.

Soon they get a free­kick (surprise, another one) in a dangerous area. Now they have one of the world’s greatest players, and amongst other attributes he is a superb free­kick taker. Instead of one of his expected up­and­unders, up over the wall and under the bar, this one goes low, bent round the wall and into the near

John McGregor reports

corner. Drat, 0 – 1, just when you were starting to believe in miracles again. No, just carry on as before, they’re really not that good, think of the chances we’ve already had. Keep going right up to the end of normal time and beyond and suddenly – yes, there is a God! You sweep down the left, a fierce centre, your new striker hurls himself at it and – pinch yourself – it’s 1 – 1! You’ve done it, you’ve deservedly played your stout hearts out and drawn with the Kings from the Capital.

Except – remember that ref? He’s not finished yet, no sir, and has to have the last laugh. With virtually every­ one praying for the final whistle they get a corner. It’s cleared, but wait... he blows and points to the penalty spot. After a huge home howl of hateful protests he books a few more, that makes seven of your team now and – that same superstar steps up to slide in the penalty and you’ve just lost 2 – 1. How cruel is that?

Elche 1 Real Madrid 2. That was the official score, keeping Real in contention with their nasty neighbours Athletico et al up near the top of La Liga, and leaving Elche deep in trouble near the bottom. How the Galacticos must have laughed on their way home after this smash­and­grab raid in the City of Palms, where they returned after 24 years (they won 3 – 1 here last

time as well). Sadly the greedy administration running Elche overcooked the deal for the spectators: the capacity at Elche’s mighty Martinez Valero stadium is 33,000 but the attendance was only 28,754, so over 4,000 seats went unsold. It should have been a sell­out but the cash­strapped Valencian club over­inflated the entrance prices, hence the vacant seats, the locals vot­ ing with their feet. To walk in off the street cost between €110 and €180, and even for loyal season tick­ et holders the premium was between €30 and €60.

Those who did come sang and cheered their green­ and­white hearts out to loyally support their Davids against the Goliaths – and it very nearly came off. We all thought at the end Elche had deservedly done it after all by equalising, only to have the punishing penalty pushed down our hoarse throats to send us back to our loved ones sad and cursing.

All is not lost. Only six games of the new season have gone, and on the night’s showing there is much to be positive about, despite Elche’s lowly position. It’s Celta Vigo away on Sunday afternoon, so chins up, lads ­ after playing mighty Real Madrid like that, there’s no need to fear anybody – we can do it!

Mucho Elche!