Week 146

Edition 146

www.thecourier.es

Friday, December 6, 2013

MARIVI BITES BACK Latest salvo in HAH war Get The Courier Newspaper whenever you want! Available on iPad, iPhone and any Android powered smartphone or tablet!

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By ALEX TRELINSKI The “deposed” President of local charity, Help at Home Costa Blanca, Marivi Cuelia Nerva, has blasted back at the way she has been treated by the group, after she was “voted” out of office at an EGM last week.

In a lengthy statement sent to The Courier, the co­ founder of HAH described everything that is going on as a “pitiful situation”, but did not make it clear whether she and her supporters would be attending another EGM on December 12th.

Cuelia Nerva and her back­ ers did not attend last week’s meeting because they viewed it as illegal.

Cuelia Nerva says that after she was voted in as President back in July, she had to make changes to the way that HAH was run, after claiming to receive com­ plaints from a number of members. She added that she needed The Act’s book which is a Spanish legal requirement, as well as

detailed accounts of the charity, in addition to bank account transfers and other agreements. She claims that she was denied access and was ordered to an EGM that she did not call, and there­ fore she cancelled it, much to the anger of some HAH members.

She says that HAH has been “usurped” by certain individuals, with a number of volunteers who were loyal to her being “removed” from their positions. Cuelia Nerva added that all volunteers had to have contracts which meant that they could be covered by insurance, as well as being true to the let­ ter of Spanish law. In addi­ tion, she said certain servic­ es were being paid for via “cash in hand” rather than being done through legal invoices. She added that some matters were “under investigation”, but did not elaborate further.

Ms.Cuelia Nerva also claims that some HAH mem­ bers are misinforming patients about their rights and costs in the Spanish health system, and vehe­

mently denied any wrong doing over entry to the HAH Charity Shop in Playa Flamenca. She added that she is presenting the full facts as she sees them to

the British Consulate in Alicante and to the Spanish Government in Madrid, say­ ing that she was grateful for

Continued on page 2

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Friday, December 6, 2013

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Picture of the Week

JUNGLE DRUMS

A windy day on the rocks at Santa Pola. Photo by BRENDA PULLEN FROM GRAN ALACANT.

MARIVI BITES BACK From page 1 the support that she had got from HAH Mar Menor, friends of Help the Aged, and Maria Wilson at AECC HAH volunteer Irene Skidmore told The Courier that she greatly respected Marivi Cuelia Nerva, despite only knowing her since July. “Marivi is a very kind and com­ passionate person who cares a great deal.

She has done wonderful work within HAH.

With her contacts she has helped with all kinds of health and disability issues. She works with the Alicante church and Caritas Alicante to feed homeless people of all nationalities, and was honoured for her work with the Red Cross (pictured). She is extremely efficient and professional in her approach. I have been with her when people have crossed the street to thank her and hug her for what she has done for them.”

Two fake credit card manufactur­ ing operations based in Elche and Torrevieja have been closed down by the National Police, with A m e r i c a n “spooks” taking an active interest. 13 suspects were arrested, including a Norwegian gang leader with a record of similar misdemeanours.

Police say that some 150 thousand Euros was defrauded by the bogus cards made by the gang over just 3 months, and they expect that figure to rise as more infor­ mation appears. The fake cards, which were cloned from American holders, were used in high­end local stores or for inter­ net shopping, with the US Secret Service

getting involved in trying to track down where they were used.

Officers seized a large number of cards as well as laminating equip­ ment, software, and a printer. 8 of the arrests were in Elche, with 3 in Torrevieja, with the others in Alicante and Murcia. House calls were also made to 2 homes in Dolores and Torrevieja after a complaint from a Torrevieja back about strange credit card usage in the area.

Spain’s Director General of Police, Cosidó Ignacio, who was visiting the area last Friday was personally briefed on the credit card operation at Alicante police station.

UNCLE SAM IN CARD CON

GEORGE’S BODY FOUND There was no happy end­ ing in the search for a 78 year old British man who went missing from Alicante­ Elche airport on Saturday November 23rd. The body of dementia­sufferer, George Fletcher from Torrevieja, was found last Friday November 29th on some waste ground in the Alicante area. He had arrived half an hour early on a flight from the UK at 5.30pm, and missed the peo­ ple that were due to meet him to take him home. He was last spotted at an airport taxi rank, though he did take a cab.

“Police told me that there was no foul play involved and none of his documents had been touched”, said one of his friends, Debbie Cooke.

“We are very shocked and saddened at what has hap­ pened.”

George had been staying with his his family back in the UK. He was a familiar figure in a number of Torrevieja bars, often picking up a microphone and singing. His funeral took place yesterday afternoon (Thursday).

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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

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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.

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Thursday Sunny High 16° Low 5° Chance of rain 0%

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Friday, December 6, 2013

Pervert’s stash Mailbox push They’re watching The Guardia Civil, with the help of the US Homeland Security depart­ ment, have arrested a man who had one of the biggest ever collec­ tions of child pornography ever seized in Spain. Officers raided his homes in Madrid and Vallolidad after American authorities tipped them off that somebody in Spain was exchanging child porn via E­ mail. The pervert had a col­ lection of 846 thousand files featuring children, many of

them younger than 13, being subjected to physical and sexual vio­ lence, includ­ ing acts relat­ ed to bestiality and sado­ masochism.

The suspect has been charged with pos­ sessing and distribut­ ing child pornography on the Internet. "He also had a manual of 170 pages, written in English, with advice on searching for minors and techniques for abusing them without being detected," said a Guardia spokesman.

REAL TREAT

Real Madrid fans will be able to watch the club’s own TV channel free of charge via the Spanish Terrestrial TV system from the New Year. It’s part of a series of changes with Real Madrid TV taking over the slot from Intereconomia, which in turn will take over the channel used by MTV, which is being dumped due to low ratings. Real Madrid TV is currently avail­ able only as a subscription channel via Canal Plus.

TOP TAPAS

Cafes, bars, and restaurants that have won the top votes in tapas runs across the Costa Blanca are going to clash in a final showdown in Elche to find the best snack in the region.

Benidorm, Torrevieja, Guardamar, Elche and Torrellano are amongst the areas that will be represented in the first­ever “La Retapa”, with the winner being crowned in Elche’s Centro de Congresos this Monday. The best dish will be picked by a judging panel that will take part in “blind” tastings.

Crime down

It’s not the Costa del Crime as far as Alicante Province is concerned, with the region having a crime rate below the national statistics. End of year figures will show that the fall in crime on the Costa Blanca is double the figure across Spain, with an annual fall of around 7%. More arrests to do with drug trafficking along with a better use of the National Police is said to be behind the reductions.

On the right track Costa Blanca’s roads have seen fewer deaths this year according to official figures. There was a 33% drop in fatali­ ties between January 1st and December 1st 2013, with 22 lives lost as opposed to 33 in Alicante Province in the same time period last year.

Orihuela council claims that its Citizen’s Mailbox facility on their website is the busiest anywhere throughout the Valencian region. The service allows people to have their queries replied to without travelling to council offices, though it has not been as used as much on the Orihuela Costa. Over 17 thousand leaflets, half of which will be printed in English, will be distributed to publicise the service, with a third of the 1100 Euros cost being paid for by the Valencian Government.

WABBITS IN TROUBLE

Budding Elmer Fudds with shotgun licenses will be shoot­ ing rabbits in the Torrevieja and La Mata Nature Park through to February. The bunnies are top of the hit list along with hares and partridges in the twice­weekly shootings on Tuesday and Thursday mornings that will run until February 20th. Licensed hunters from Torrevieja and Guardamar will be involved in an operation co­ordinated by the park rangers.

The cull is caused by the animals ravaging crucial crops including the vineyards.

EMPTY TANK

Two Romanian men have been arrested for syphoning off diesel from lorries at an Orihuela canning company.

National Police swooped on the men who were stealing fuel from the firm on the Viejo de Callosa road, and

seized bottles and hoses as evidence.

LIVING DOLL

Police dogs have sniffed out a doll stuffed with marijuana on a coach in Alicante bus station. The crafty canines detect­ ed over 2 kilos of the drug that was being carried by 2 people, aged 31 and 48 on a bus that was travelling between Malaga and Barcelona. Cops found 8 packages crammed into the toy, after they had carried out a routine search of the coach.

To r r e v i e j a police are going hi­tech to stop drivers overstaying their parking slots around the city. A car with number­ plate recogni­ tion equipment is going to cir­ cle the city, and they’re also going to focus on motorists illegally parking in designat­ ed disabled areas. The vehi­

cle, with cameras on the roof, has already been used on a test basis around the Calle Gallud Ramón area.

Rojales celebrates

Rojales is staging its Christmas market this weekend through to Sunday at the Food Market next to the Town Hall.

There’ll be seasonal fun for the youngsters including a visit from Santa Claus and the Three Kings, in addition to food and drink tastings.

House of the rising scam

Two men posing as builders have been arrested for not doing any work, but taking substantial deposits. The Guardia Civil nabbed the two individuals and charged them on 6 counts of fraud around the Alicante and Murcia areas includ­ ing Pilar de la Horadada, Los Alcazares, and Beniel. Officers were alerted back in September as elderly clients were defrauded as they handed over deposits of between 1 and 4 thousand Euros to the conmen who never came back to the building work they promised to do.

JOBLESS FALL

Russkies are here

A Russian diplomat says that his countrymen have bought around 1 billion Euros of property on the Costa Blanca in the last 3 years.

Speaking at the University of Elche, Sergey Melik­ Bagdasarov from the Russian Embassy in Madrid added that 1.5 million Russians visit Spain every year and that they are now the 2nd biggest property investors in Alicante Province after the British.

Spain’s dole queues reduced in November according to the government offering some slight cheer in a country which has some of the biggest unemployment rates in the EU. The number of people out of work fell by 2,475 from the previous month to 4.8 million in November, according to the Labour Ministry. Moreover, it marked the first drop in registered unemployment in November, traditionally a difficult month, since the figures were first compiled in their current form in 1996.

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Friday, December 6, 2013

Push back the waters ALTEA TRAGEDY

Flooding should be a thing of the past on Torrevieja’s Avenida Delfina Viudes, after water company Aquagest plans to spend 364 thousand Euros next year on making improvements in the area.

Even a moderate rainfall leads to frustrating flooding for motorists, and Aquagest will be building two new drains to stop the problem.

Former Sunday Express editor Brian Hitchen and his wife Nelli have been killed after being hit by a car last Sunday in Altea, near Benidorm. The cou­ ple were run over while crossing the road near their holiday house. 77 year old Mr.Hitchen was rushed to the Marina Baixa Hospital in Villajoyosa, where he was put into a medically induced coma following emergency sur­ gery on his leg and shoul­ der. Despite the treatment store. When he realized the sweets were he died later on Monday. editor of The Daily Star Fleet Street for his sharp hard and stale, he returned to the shop in His wife Nelli died at the and Sunday Express, was news sense and warm per­ the hope of getting his money back. The scene. Hitchen, former widely respected across sonality. disgruntled shopkeeper, who has a crim­ inal record, retreated to the storeroom to then return with an 8 inch knife in his hand, and then mimicked slashing the customer’s throat.

Despite 2013 being a busy year for passenger numbers, Alicante­Elche airport is still in serious debt, which is down to the construction of the new also be extended to 6.00pm as opposed to terminal which opened over 2 midday. years ago. Figures for 2012 Hotels involved in the special offer are in show the AENA run airport Alicante, Villena, Alcoy, Biar, El Campello, recording a loss of 147 millon Elche, Elda, Javea, Mutxamel, Orihuela, Euros, despite revenues of Sant Joan and Santa Pola. More details are 110 million Euros. According available via a special website, www.finde­ to AENA, the Spanish Airport money, but they are hopeful of declaring bet­ largoenalicante.es Authority, only 8 of their operations make ter figures for El Altet next year.

NICE SWEETIES

An elderly shopkeeper in Valencia City threatened to cut a customer's throat after he complained about the quality of his sweets. Police arrested the 65­year­ old man after the victim said he had been threatened. The man, who was with his one­year­old daughter at the time, had bought some wine gums for her at the

BARGAIN BREAKS

57 Costa Blanca hotels are offering spe­ cial weekend deals through to the end of March 2014 to try to boost visitors in the off­ peak season. Anybody making a booking can enjoy free visits to attractions around Alicante City, including the Volvo Ocean Race museum and a guided City tour on the Saturday. The Sunday check­out time will

BUSY BUT LOSING

PUFFED OUT INTERNET NET

E­cigarettes could be con­ trolled in the Valencian region, including the Costa Blanca, if health chiefs get their way. The electronic fags contain nicotine, the quantity of which is decided by the user, but do not carry other dangerous chemical elements such as tar or car­ bon monoxide in the way packet cigarettes do.

Although they do not give off smoke, they emit water vapour, and are not permit­ ted on airlines.

But authorities want to ban them in bars and restaurants in the same way as they have with conven­ tional cigarettes, at least until they know for certain whether the emissions pro­ duced could cause health problems.

Regional health minister Manuel Llombart says his department is 'considering

6 people have been arrested in Spain for running websites that sell fake goods.

In an international operation that saw 32 websites closed down in Spain alone, the Guardia Civil collared people in Alicante and Valencia provinces in addi­ tion to Madrid. The whole international swoop was co­ordinated by Europol which led to 690 sites being shut by the authorities around the world. Among the counterfeit goods seized by the Guardia, there was a selection of audio equipment, sportswear, mobile phones, and personal care products.

They advised internet shoppers to always use

regulating' areas in which they can be used.

“These include places where people may be more susceptible to their ill­ effects, if applicable, such as in schools, hospitals, health centres and residential care homes,” Llombart reveals.

“A commission of experts is studying the possible

health risks of E­cigarettes, but as yet there is nothing conclusive available.

However, under the provi­ sions of the General Law of Public Health, in the event of any suspicions whatsoever that a given substance may be harmful to health, the government has to act promptly.”

MERCADONA BOOST

Supermarket chain Mercadona has announced plans to create a thousand new jobs in the next five years, and it plans to increase wages of its existing staff above the level of inflation every year until then at least. The store, which is based mostly in the Costa Blanca region but has branches all over the country, guarantees a mini­ mum take­home salary of 1,260 euros a month for every full­time member of staff from their first day at work and says it will increase wages by 0.4% every year from 2014 and by 0.8% from 2018, or more if inflation goes above this level.

WAITER!

Hotels and restaurants are facing a big shortage of qualified chefs and waiters in the Costa Blanca, despite high unemployment and the impor­ tance of the service sector to the region. That’s the view of the Alicante Province Hospitality Association (APEHA) and their President, María José San Román.

Students dropping out at early stages of courses are blamed along with a shortage of experienced peo­ ple to run high quality catering estab­ lishments according to San Román who is the owner of a recently­ awarded Michelin star restaurant in Alicante City Centre.

websites that were run by established and well­known companies.

RECORD BREAKER

A 25 kilo tumour has been removed from a 47 year old woman’s ovary in an operation at Torrevieja Hospital. There have only been 5 other internationally published cases of such a dramatic size, though the tumour was benign. Dr. Eduardo Cazorla, head of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, said that he had never come across such a case in his 20­ year career.

Friday, December 6, 2013

MONEY GRABBERS

A 9 year old girl put her tiny hands into a Murcia region shop till, stealing two and a half thousand Euros, whilst the shop assis­ tants were deliberately distracted. The well­ planned robbery happened in a toy and lot­ tery shop in Beniel near Murcia City last Thursday night.

Two women spent half an hour asking about various toys, while the girl wandered around looking at the dolls. In the end, the two grown­up’s bought a 9 Euro item and left with the girl, who had already put her hands into the till. It took staff ten minutes to realize that the store had been robbed.

The assistants said that all three people

appeared to be gypsies, but they were not foreign as they had strong Murcian accents.

The shop owner was left speechless, as he had never been robbed before: ­ “We hope the police catch them, as they are teaching a young child to live like a thief.” The gang has been caught on CCTV and investigators are studying the images in order to not miss the smallest details which may help in the inquiry.

The women are believed to have taken part in at least three other robberies in Beniel. They are said to have stolen money from a newspaper vendor, a café, and a supermarket.

Police officers helped liquida­ tors to pull the plug on Valencian regional TV services Nou and Nou 24 last F r i d a y lunchtime. The station was closed down after a final live protest broad­ cast, with demonstrations taking place last weekend in Valencia and Alicante.

Banners mostly in the regional language, Valenciano, read: 'Send the president to Picassent' [Valencia's main prison]; 'This is a coup d'état'; 'Fabra resign' – in reference to Valencian President, Alberto Fabra whose decision it was to close down RTVV. Other banners read: 'RTVV should not close, it's yours'; 'Fabra fascist, this is a coup'; 'thieves'; 'you should be ashamed', and 'we'll be back'. Organisers claimed over 60 thou­

sand demonstra­ tors in Valencia whilst local police put the number at just 4 thousand.

Chairman of the board of RTVV, Vicent Mifsud says the firm's closure is 'not just an attack on the workers, but also on everyone in Valencian society who wants a TV station in their own regional language'.

He called it 'demented' that the regional gov­ ernment is keeping on the workers until February on full pay, some of whom are due to take holiday during that time, whilst claim­ ing that RTVV was closed 'for financial rea­ sons'. Also, the channel had signed up to advertising deals over the next few months which will now not go ahead and fees paid will need to be refunded, leading to a loss of over 3 million Euros.

Spain is still very much seen as “bent” according to a new survey of which coun­ tries people feel are corrupt, especially after its recent scandals. The results carried out for Transparency International showed only Syria, with a fully blown civil war, losing more ground in 2013.

Scandals involving cash bunged to Spain's politicians and its royal family saw the country lose points, compared to 2012.

The top and bottom places were unchanged on 2012's survey, with Denmark and New Zealand still joint first, while

Somalia, North Korea and Afghanistan tied for last place.

As well as Spain, other countries that were heavily marked down were Gambia, Mali, Guinea­Bissau and Libya. Corruption in Spain was highlighted this year when the former treasurer of the ruling PP told a judge that he had channelled cash donations from construction firms into politicians' pockets, and he was found to have almost 50 million euros in a Swiss bank account. The king's son­in­law was also charged this year with embezzling millions in public funds.

NICE NOUING YOU

SPAIN VIEWED AS “CORRUPT”

HARD TIMES

Over a million people in the Valencia region live below the poverty line, which according to a sur­ vey suggests that their income is just below 9

thousand Euros a year.

The study called “Inequality in Times of Crisis: Rich Man, Poor Man” commissioned by the white collar union,

Gestha, says that poverty across Valencia has gone up by 50% since 2007. The worst poverty figures in Spain are claimed to be in the Navarra region.

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Friday, December 6, 2013

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

Martina bridging the gap q

I WOULD like to con­ gratulate Martina Scheurer (pictured) for continuing the good work started by Pedro Mancebo of CLR. Last week work com­ menced on the footbridge linking the Cabo Roig Medical Centre to La Regia at Global Cars.

Other projects started by Mancebo have also been undertaken, well done Martina!

It does not often happen that a politician from one party has the courage to continue the good works begun by another.

tre since the N332 was widened.

Tourists and businesses will also benefit from the free flow of pedestrian traffic especially in the busy summer season.

RAYMOND KEARNEY, CLR Supporters’ Group, Orihuela Costa President

q

Martina Scheurer The La Regia footbridge will be of great benefit to elderly residents of La Regia who have been cut off from the medical cen­

THANK you for run­ ning the recent letters on the Padron. What I understood from Raymond Kearney's letter of two weeks ago was that there have actually been no changes to the padron requirements. The only

difference is in the inter­ pretation of the Padron law by those in authority.

I also believe that the meeting with the officials from Alicante was espe­ cially informative to those who did not understand the law as it stood, includ­ ing the current Councillor for the Coast Martina Scheurer and maybe even former Councillor for the Coast Bob Houliston because if he did in reality understand the Padron law then why didn't he implement it during his watch?

JOHN CARROLL,

THEY’RE DRIVING ME ROUND IN CIRCLES! WHAT on earth do Spanish drivers think roundabouts are for?

Particularly the ones with two lanes, which they treat like racetracks.

Only maniacs overtake on a roundabout but I fear for my life every time I drive along the N332 into Torrevieja.

Cars. taxis, vans, they all seem to think the dual carriage­ way is a Grand Prix circuit rather than a sedate carriage­ way through the Costa Blanca.

I have NEVER seen anyone overtake on a roundabout in England ­ it doesn’t even enter the mind of a good driver. But from what I can gather, the Spanish version of the Highway Code actually ENCOURAGES it.

No wonder their safety record on the roads is miles behind that of the United Kingdom which, for all its excessive traffic

and interminable gridlock, has one of the lowest casualty fig­ ures in Europe, if not the world.

I read on the internet that Spain had no roundabouts at all until after the Franco era, so when they joined the European Community, most of the motorists hadn’t a clue how to negotiate them.

I’ve had a few near misses in the two years I have been living in this country, usually as a result of someone driving too fast and without consideration for other road users.

The worst thing of all is that invariably they shout and ges­ ture wildly at YOU as they fly past. And you have done absolutely nothing other than drive steadily along in the cor­ rect lane minding your own business.

ROUNDLY FED UP, Guardamar del Segura (name and address supplied)

Why does apathy dog the Singh rescue mission?

PETER Singh (above) writes a column in this paper every week and always asks for any donations, however small, to help him continue the wonderful work he does with the rescued dogs.

It seems that in 12 weeks of hoping, he has only had one donation, which is so sad.

So please, if you are an animal lover like me and maybe have a dog yourself, please find it in your heart to send a few euros to help him to help these poor sick and neglected animals ( the pho­ tos tell their own story).

Details of how to do this are always at the bottom of his,column. Thank You. LYNN NIGHTINGALE

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Letters and emails will only be considered for publication if an address and contact number are provided.

The Courier management does not necessarily agree with the views expressed on this page

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Calm down, meditation can change your life MANY years ago when I was under stress, my G.P. advised me to try meditation.

I thought the idea was very odd, and that my GP was lacking in the brain department! How wrong I was.

A few years down the line when asked to join a new meditation group I decided to "give it a go" and it was a turning point in my life.

That was in 1987, and a lady I met at the group is still my dearest friend all these years later.

There are many ways of meditating.

The simplest form is to sit somewhere quiet and comfortable and have gentle music playing.

Close your eyes and concentrate on your breathing. Now imagine you are sit­ ting in a deckchair on the beach on a warm sunny day. Or maybe you prefer to imagine a cool shady woodland glade.

Whatever suits you and makes you feel relaxed is OK. Now just let your mind drift for a few

minutes. When you are ready, open your eyes, wiggle your fingers and toes, and take a sip of water.

Transcendental Meditation is a deeper form of meditation which brings about an altered state of awareness. This is best practised in a group setting. There is nothing scary about it, but it helps to have a leader of the group who can keep an eye on everyone and tell you when it is time to bring yourself back to normal awareness. There is no need to chant or

hum incantations, although they do help to keep the mind focused.

There are many people who are com­ fortable with these methods, but I prefer a silent meditation.

There are a few groups offering medita­ tion in our region, so if you get a chance why not try it? You may love it, but if it's not for you, ­ at least you will make some new friends.

TRISH, Rainbow Spiritual Awareness Centre, El Liminar, Torrevieja

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Friday, December 6, 2013

IT wasn’t so much the physical side effects of the new medication that wor­ ried my neurologist, more the compulsive behaviour he feared it might induce.

Like uncontrollable gambling and compulsive shopping.

Dr Cooper didn’t mention eating like a pig, horse and hippopotamus combined, but there’s got to be a medical reason for the way I’ve been shovelling down the grub since I completed my sponsored diet back in July.

The caution came as he switched my PPP intake (that’s Parkinson’s Pill Pushing in this instance) to counteract the gradu­ ally worsening symptoms of the condition I was diagnosed with in 2010.

I’m not going into details of the medication and become a Pessimistic Parkinson Plonker.

I’m one of those Positive Parkinson’s People who prefer to count our blessings than mope about in a world of negativity.

Anyway, the gambling­shopping scenario sounded so unlikely that I bet myself 1000 euros that I wouldn’t buy more than 25 new outfits during my first week on the new drug.

The neurologist’s words sound­ ed like a joke at the time, but six weeks later, I am beginning to understand what he meant. And I am just a little concerned because I have started to gamble. Not in a big way, but enough to sow a tiny seed of concern in the back of my mind.

I’ve had an online account with two bookmakers for some time, but other than the odd bet on the Grand National, the Irish Lottery and sports results, rarely used either of them. I hadn’t even noticed that one of them has a

I’M GAMBLING ON SEEING 21 AGAIN!

‘games’ section where people can play Blackjack and Roulette against a random Banker.

About four weeks ago, I decided to have a little go at Blackjack, which I used to enjoy in our local casino in Manchester some years ago. I deposited 10 euros using my debit card, and proceeded to take on the Banker at one euro a game.

I know from the experience of

friends just how addictive and cost­ ly these things can be and my aim was to make a few euros and then get out while I was winning.

Well, not exactly winning but before I started to lose REAL money. Anyway, I won a bit and lost a bit more – and 10 minutes or so into my professional gambling career, I found myself 10 euros poorer. Never again, I vowed to

myself after the Banker hit an unlikely five­card 21 to my 20 in the final game.

The next evening I plonked another 10 euros into the account…and eventually lost that too. Subsequent dabbles have left me roughly 50 euros out of pocket in a month, which is not exactly a fortune, but enough to tell me I need to be careful.

Whether the new drugs are responsible I don’t know, but one thing has become apparent to me from my Blackjack experience. It is far too easy for those with a major gambling problem to dig them­ selves into an inescapable hell. If they have a bank account with money in it, it is simple to open an online account and filter every penny into all sorts of punts.

A friend of mine with an addic­ tion problem has so little willpower that she’s had her computer fitted with a blocking device which pre­ vents her accessing gambling sites.

And while the occasional private game of Blackjack is not going to break the bank, just a tiny part of me fears I could sink with the Pontoon if I don’t play my cards right.

I’m realistic enough to accept that I’ll never get my own Parkinson’s Chat Show and I’m damned if I’ll stop doing my Shakin’ Stevens and Tremble­ows impressions.

I also have a good reason for persisting with the Blackjack. I’ll never see 21 again in the real world.

From muddy waters to a literary Yuletide

FLOODY NIGHT­ MARE: The scene that faced the Picks and their neighbours

THE strains of “I’m dreaming of a dry Christmas” have been echoing around the home of my El Raso neighbours Bill and Moe Pick as they prepare to return to the UK for the festive season.

They’ll be staying at the home of their daughter and son in law in Leeds – because back in September their own cosy, charm­ ing, country cottage near Whitby devastated by a flash flood.

Within 25 minutes they were trapped inside, frantically dragging furniture upstairs to safety. Then Moe noticed flood water ris­ ing up the outside of the lounge window.

Gripped by panic and fear, the Picks realised they were marooned in a vast lake with the waters still rising. It’s the sort of sce­ nario that would petrify anyone but in all the chaos, they at least had the option of scoot­ ing upstairs if the windows caved in.

The torrent cascaded into the cottage from under the doors and from between the win­ dow and wall and retired educator Bill recalls how weird it was watching shoes and slip­ pers floating around the room.

Then everything reversed itself. Says much­travelled headmaster Bill: “Just as the water was rising up our legs and pouring into the kitchen units and white goods, it began to recede just as quickly as it had risen. It left

a trail of muddy, slimy, smelly deposits throughout.’’

Back in east Yorkshire, the cleaning­up process is continuing and the Picks’ Christmas shopping will include a search for replacement goods for the cottage, which was ‘attacked’ by similar flash floods back in 2000.

“The only difference was we were not pres­ ent that night,” sighs Bill, who has the con­ solation that his alter ego Nick Crozby is about to flood the book market with his liter­ ary genius.

The Pick­Nick package features a host of amusing anecdotal tales in two books, Pleeaze! Tell Me That Wasn’t A Teacher and Pleeaze! Tell Me That Bomb Isn’t Live. Both went on sale around the time the Whitby cot­ tage was all but washed away.

One enthusiastic Amazon reviewer describes Crozby’s writing style as “both engaging and witty” and says of the ‘Teacher’ book: “It's an amazing insight into life in a northern inner city primary school and all the trials and tribulations that go along with it.

“Very humorous in parts and a great read for anyone but especially anyone involved in education and/or local councils at any level.

8

Friday, December 6, 2013

Friday, December 6, 2013

UK HEADLINES

9

PERSONAL TRAINER 'TERRIFIED' HOLIDAYMAKERS A student 'terrified' holidaymak­ ers as he hurled abuse at pas­ sengers and cabin crew and swung from seats while on board a packed flight to Ibiza.

Muscular Kyle Bent began shouting at a fellow passenger as the aeroplane came into land on the Spanish party island, before threatening staff on the Thomas Cook flight.

The 25­year­old personal trainer has been jailed for 10 weeks after he admitted two public order offences in relation to his behav­ iour on the plane in July this year.

As magistrates doled out his sentence, Bent screamed at them 'you have ruined my life' before he was led away to the cells.

Trafford Magistrates' Court heard how passengers on the late­night flight from Manchester felt threatened by Bent's outburst.

Lauren Costello, prosecuting, said: 'This case is brought on the basis of the defendant’s disgrace­ ful behaviour to passengers and cabin crew who all felt threatened and worried. In the confines of an aeroplane there was no space to escape from him.'

During the safety briefing, Bent, a Manchester Metropolitan University student was described as ‘boisterous and excited’.

On take­off, he struggled to keep still and began shouting ‘inane’ comments to his friends.

Ross Stafford, a teacher on the flight, had kindly swapped seats with Bent so the defendant could be closer to his friends.

However, after feeling a force on the back of his seat and turning round, Bent swore at him.

When Mr Stafford told him to calm down he swore again before

adding: 'Look at what you’re wearing, you look like a grand­ dad, what have you got on?

Watch what you’re saying.'

Mr Stafford was so scared he moved seats, only for Bent to then turn on the cabin crew.

When flight attendant Lisa Cahill urged him to fasten his seatbelt for landing, he refused, swore at her and began swinging from the seat rests in the aisle.

He was again asked to sit down, only to swear again, adding: 'Your breath stinks, stop talking to me lit­ tle girl.'

Bent was asked for his passport so his details could be recorded but he refused, swore, and threat­ ened the attendant and her family.

Bent, from Victoria Park, Manchester, admitted two public order offences of using threaten­ ing or abusive behaviour when he

appeared before the court.

Karl Miles, mitigating, said: 'Mr Bent proffers his apologies for his behaviour. He has remorse and regret for what happened on that flight.'

Mr Miles said Bent suffered from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

Jailing Bent for 10 weeks, Anne Marie Evans, chairman of the bench, told Bent: 'Your behaviour during a flight full of passengers seems to have terrified every­ body.'

As he was taken down Bent shouted at the bench: ‘You have ruined my life’.

After the hearing, Pc Steve Thompson, airport community beat officer who helped catch Bent on his return from Ibiza, said: 'Anti­social behaviours will not be tolerated in any form.

'Greater Manchester Police will go to any lengths to apprehend an offender and bring him to justice.

'Even if they leave the country we will be ready for them when they get back.'

John Terry's father JAILED FOR HAVING SEX WITH GOAT to stand trial

Former England football captain John Terry’s father will stand trial next year after denying he hurled a tirade of racist abuse before allegedly head­butting a man outside a pub.

Ted Terry, 59, was alleged­ ly heard shouting "black c***," "black p****," "milk­ shake," and "f***ing Paki," before the alleged brawl with Amarjit Talafair on March 22 this year.

The Chelsea captain’s father’s two friends Stephen Niland, 36, and 47­year­old Tudor Musteata were also allegedly heard to shout racist abuse during the attack near The Windsor pub

in the City of London.

Wearing a black leather jacket, glasses and sporting thinning grey hair, Terry denied racially aggravated common assault and a racially aggravated public order offence during a brief hearing at the Old Bailey on Tuesday.

Niland, in a purple long­ sleeved polo shirt, also pleaded not guilty to the offences, while Russian Musteata, who used an inter­ preter, will appear again at another hearing on December 17.

They will stand trial on March 17, 2014, for a five day case.

A man found guilty of having sex with a goat has been jailed for ten years after fac­ ing his victim in court.

Katana Kitsao Gona, 28, last week admitted sexually abusing the animal in the Kenyan town of Malindi.

The female goat Judge Rebecca Poulet QC watched quietly in the said: “This matter is now corner of the court fixed for trial for the 17th room as her attacker March 2014 with an estimate was jailed for bestiality.

He was caught when a local resident for trial of five days.”

Construction worker Terry, found him naked in a field having sex with of Grays, Essex, was the grazing goat, who was tied up, according released on unconditional to The Star.

The goat’s owner was alerted and arrived bail, along with his co­defen­ at the scene with other residents who also dants.

witnessed Gona having sex with the animal.

He was arrested by police and a medical examination confirmed sexual abuse had taken place.

Gona told the court his wife is disabled and depends on him but was nevertheless jailed for ten years.

10

A sudden series of bright lights, piercing whistling sounds and cracking thun­ derclaps outside the pub last night rocked us regu­ lars out of our reveries.

'What the devil was THAT?' exclaimed Dave the bar­ man who immediately swung into action by hid­ ing under the counter.

Ol' Red Eyes' peepers opened slowly as he announced: 'I never thought anything could wake me from a sound snooze.' And then he went back to sleep. Indoor Lou shouted: 'Somebody contact the emergency serv­ ices!'

I grabbed my mobile. 'I can't phone them all. I've only got one dialling finger,' I pointed (!) out. 'I know, I'll try the police first. What's their number?'

'Idiot!' hollered Indoor Lou. 'Just jab 999 with your dumb digit and get EVERYONE to come!' At which point Daft Barry sauntered into the pub as calm as you like.

'For goodness sake, get down, Barry!' bawled Indoor Lou. 'There must be a war going on out there.'

Indoor Lou was beginning to get on my nerves with all of his shouting, hollering and bawling. 'You'd better do

Friday, December 6, 2013

HE FORGOT TO REMEMBER what Indoor Lou yells at you,' I urged Daft Barry.

'Otherwise he'll start shriek­ ing again and I can't take any more.'

'Anybody want to buy a drink while I'm down here with the bottled stuff?' asked Dave the barman from his hiding place under the c o u n t e r .

Despite still feeling nerv­ ous, mein host was aware that he was losing business in all the mayhem.

Not that we weren't all frightened by the light bursts and the noise coming from the street. But then we noticed two things.

Firstly, Daft Barry was stand­ ing there with a big cheesy grin on his big cheesy face.

And secondly, the light bursts and the noise had ceased.

Taking those two develop­ ments in tandem, we knew that Daft Barry must have been in some way responsi­

ble for what had been going on.

'Just what have you done?' demanded Indoor Lou. Even though he had stopped bel­ lowing, Indoor Lou was still getting on my nerves but I let it go because nobody's per­ fect.

'How did you like my dis­ play of Roman candles, foun­ tains, bottle and sky rockets, poppers, snaps and sparklers?' asked Daft Barry.

We all rose from our crouching positions and cho­ rused: 'What the hell are the fireworks all about, Barry?'

Daft Barry grinned again. 'Remember, remember the Fifth of December. You've all forgot­ ten it's Bonfire Night.'

'But that was LAST month!' we chorused. 'And even if you never know what day it is, you could have seriously harmed yourself just now, setting off fireworks in the street.'

Daft Barry looked puzzled.

'But I didn't set them off. I was just showing the fire­ works to Fag Ash Bill when some of the fag ash dropped

from his cigarette into the open box. Everything went off and I dived into a doorway until the explosions stopped.'

There was a sombre silence as we pondered the fate of Fag Ash Bill. As I have mentioned before, although he is a pub regular, Fag Ash Bill rarely enters the premis­ es. An enthusiastic cigarette smoker, he hangs around outside the hostelry rather than light up inside and thus be thrown out for breaking the law.

Some say that Fag Ash Bill is not a loyal member of our pub group because he prefers solitary smoking to the company of his mates.

Others maintain that he deserves our sympathy because he is slave to an unsociable and unfashion­ able activity. But what we were all in agreement over

last night was that something awful had happened to the poor bloke.

'So how is Fag Ash Bill?' we questioned Daft Barry.

'Oh, he's still smoking,' came the reply. We heaved a col­ lective sigh of relief. And then, Daft Barry added: 'Well, I say smoking but it's more like he's smouldering.'

For once in my life I took control of the situation.

'Right,' I said, reaching for my mobile. 'The police are probably on their way any­ way because of the explo­ sions. So I'll ring for an ambulance while one of you lot phone for the fire brigade.

Or we can do it the other way round if you like.'

'But I'm all right,' Fag Ash Bill insisted from the street.

'However, would somebody bring me out a vodka Martini.

I'm feeling a bit shaken.'

11

Friday, December 6, 2013

YOUR MARBLES? BIG CHANGES AT LOSING Don’t be floored by stains and damage IRON ART FACTORY – clean up with Simply Pro Floor Care OUTLETS What can we say about 2013 apart from WOW – we have had yet another fabulous year with all our 3 Outlets exceeding expec­ tations. Our customer base has grown from strength to strength and also in diversity.

In the last couple of years we have noticed that we are now attracting more Scandinavian and Eastern European cus­ tomers and this is mainly due to the fact that we offer one of the largest ranges of garden and patio furniture and accessories on the Costa Blanca. New clients regularly visit and tell us friends or neighbours have recom­ mended us which proves we are doing something right.

It has been decided we now need to carry on moving forward and extend our furniture range to meet customer expectations there­ fore, 2014 will bring a lot of exciting changes to the company as a whole ­ the first one being a change of the company name.

If someone says the name Iron Art Factory Outlets to you what is your first thought? We would hope it would be “quality home and garden furniture” however, due to our initial involvement with steel manufacturing (which we moved away from 5 years ago) for a lot of people it suggests we still have some con­ nection to products such as security grills, gates etc so to avoid any confusion the com­ pany will soon be known as SIESTA GROUP. Our new website will go live in January and will be modern, fresh and easi­ er to use and all our shops are easily acces­ sible with huge display areas.

Our buying team now get actively involved in designing the furniture directly with the facto­ ries so we know it will be exclusive to us and

we can therefore, always be competitive on price and be one step ahead of the market.

Gata de Gorgos has just been renovated and can now boast 2000m2 of garden and showroom space. As well as the furniture showroom there is the gift shop with a huge range of home and garden items which would make ideal Xmas gifts and also an onsite tearoom where you can grab a bite to eat and a warm drink on these cold winter days.

Los Montesinos has just celebrated its First anniversary and in celebration is currently being extended to increase their showroom space from 400m2 to 800m2 making your shopping experience more enjoyable. The Guardamar Del Segura outlet based in the Procomobel Home Centre has 500m2 of showroom space in a beautiful purpose built gazebo which enables the garden furniture to be displayed in natural daylight. There is also the added attraction on a Saturday morning of the Moncayo market held in the Procomobel Home Centre grounds 09.00­ 14.00 As a thank you to our loyal customers we are holding a pre Xmas sale with discounts of up to 30% on some products and delivery is guaranteed before Santa arrives so pop along to your nearest outlet and treat your­ self ready for the festive season.

Mike Butler, who owns Simply Pro Floor Care, has been in the cleaning business for over 30 years; from 1997 till 2008, he had specialised in floor maintenance and carpet cleaning in the south of England and the last 5 years he has specialised in marble care in Spain.

After attending several stone restoration courses in London, he sold a very successful cleaning busi­ ness in Hastings and moved over to Spain to concentrate on stone floor care. There is very little Mike doesn't know when it comes to the cleaning industry and in the last few years his passion for stone restoration and mar­ ble polishing has grown as he has worked all over the Murcia region and along the Costa Blanca

and Costa Calida.

Mike’s main work is pol­ ishing and repairing dull and damaged marble floors but he also reno­ vates stone stairs, fire places, furniture, bath­ room tops and kitchen work tops. He is very happy to come out and give you a no obligation quote and a demonstra­ tion to show you how good your marble can look. If you need any work done or would just like to

talk to a professional, please call him on 691 649 515 ­ Day 966 721 331 – Evenings.

12

Friday, December 6, 2013

WHY DOGS NEED TO BE UNDERSTOOD

Last week, Courier columnist Tony Mayes asked me why, even though his family have taken their Westie dog to train­ ing classes, the dog has still snapped twice at children. The answer to this question is very simply. Like I explain to all of my clients, I am a dog behaviourist and not a dog trainer. I personally do not believe that our domestic dogs need train­ ing. What they do need is us to understand what their needs are on a daily basis and in turn they then become calm and balanced.

Every dog I get called in to see has been through some form of dog training class. All the dogs I work with who can be aggressive can all sit perfectly and wait etc… but they still suffer from aggression. I have said for years, that it is the same as going into a hospital where humans are suffering from some form of mental illness. If you asked all of these people to stand up and sit down, yes, they could follow these commands, but it does not mean they are well. Just because a dog can sit and stay does not mean for one minute that they are balanced.

If you have a police dog or a bomb dog or special assis­ tance dog then yes, they need to be trained to carry out their duties, but domestic dogs, no. For humans to have a dog that is calm and balanced, they need to follow the rules of nature and not the rules of training. Does your dog have suf­ ficient daily exercise, where their energy has been drained and not a quick walk around the block? Do they have con­ sistent rules to follow in life, just as we have to?

Do you give your dog affection when they are calm or when they are being pushy or misbehaving?

With the highest amount of respect Tony, I guarantee you that any dog who has snapped at a child has definitely been given affection at the wrong times, or was not socialised with children properly when they were a puppy. Whenever you give a dog affection, you are nurturing the state of mind they are currently in and socialising a dog to everything and any­ thing you want them to accept is critical in their first sixteen weeks of life. All the dogs I have worked with, who have a tendency to snap, have not been given enough exercise,

have very few consistent rules to follow and are given affec­ tion when they are being pushy, i.e. demanding affection.

Think about it ­ dog training is simply getting a dog to fol­ low a command. At no point is it about understanding a dog.

If aliens came down tonight and kidnapped you and all they wanted you for was to tell you what to do, you would not have a happy relationship with them because they are not willing to understand who you are and what are your real needs. That's the same as dog training. To have a positive relationship with any species all boils down to one word ­ understanding.

I am available for consultations throughout the Costa Blanca region, if you are having problems with your furry best friend. To book a consultation you can E­mail me at peter@thedogyouneed.com and I will contact you straight away. We can also look after your dogs and cats when you are away. Please E­mail me or call me on 664­709­758 or 966­847­827 for more details.

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? LUCK is a small 18 month old male crossbreed.

Originally taken off the stre­ ets but due to his owners ill health is now looking for a new home; he is a happy and friendly little chap who is now fully vaccinated, micro chipped and castrated.

966710047 or email info@satanimalrescue.com

Luck Bella is a lovely friendly lit­ tle girl who is very affectio­ nate and placid towards people. She is fine with other dogs but can find them rather overwhelming at first. She is about 1 year old , no more and despera­ tely requires a permanent home as she loves people.

She is a small dog about the size of a spaniel and is currently in one of our ken­ nels. Please contact K9 or PHONE 600 84 54 20 for more info www.k9club.es

Bella

Caballito born approx 2009 medium, is a beautiful affec­ tionate dog that was found wandering some time ago, he has been waiting a long time for someone to love him again. He has such a sweet nature and is good with other dogs. For more info about Caballito, call 650 304 746 or email p.e.p.a.animalcha­ rity@gmail.com

Rogan is a lovely 'ginger tom' who has lived in APAH's Cattery since being rescued as a tiny kitten. He is one of 80+ cats and kit­ tens looking for a loving home, for many it will be their first. To visit Rogan, please contact Yvonne on 630 422 563.

Cabalitto

Rogan

Becky is a 22 month old Collie cross She seems to have settled in well to kennel life and is generally a happy girl who loves her exercise and walks well on the lead; she is now fully vaccinated, micro chipped and sterilized.

If you would like to give this pretty girl a forever home then please contact us on 966710047 or email info@satanimalrescue.com

Carrie born approx Jan 2013 is a beautiful mixed breed dog that was found wande­ ring with her two sisters, she is a medium to large girl, she has such a lovely tem­ perament, she is very good with other dogs and cats is very loving and of course very willing to please. For more info call 650 304 746.

Or email p.e.p.a.animalcha­ rity@gmail.com

4 year old Stanley is a lovely, placid dog who is great with people, but doesn't like to share with other dogs. He would be a fantastic compa­ nion dog for someone who only wants one dog. Can you give him a loving home?

To meet Stanley, call Yvonne on 630 422 563

Becky

Carrie

Stanly

Friday, December 6, 2013

13

14

Friday, December 6, 2013

BOYS SHOULD COME DANCING My son has just started a new hobby, but strictly speaking it was something he did a few years ago but he was a bit young then to enjoy or understand it.

He has always liked to move, and by that I mean to music rather than running around, although he quite enjoys that too! So I have started him at dance classes with Totally Dance in Benijofar, however there is a slight problem, or at least it was the first week I took him.

The class consists of around ten children but only one of those was a boy. Before my son went to the class, we saw the Halloween show they put on and my son remarked several times about how many girls there were. It was only when we saw the one boy that I could get him interested. However many times I tried to ask him

if he wanted to dance he would say no, because he wasn´t happy with so many girls. He told me he did want to dance but only in a class for boys! Since Benijofar is close to where I live and easy to get to, I really want­ ed him to go there, plus we had seen the show and the types of dancing he would be learning.

The only boys group I knew about, and I´m not even sure if it´s still there, was a street dance group.

But at Totally Dance he would learn different types of dancing, from tap to ballet via modern and street dance. For me this was a better option; he could find the type that he enjoys the most and have a go at the rest. It is great exercise for him whilst gaining confi­ dence in something that he finds enjoyable and I can sit

in a cafe nearby writing my articles or just relaxing. My son has rhythm, of that there is no doubt. I have a video on my phone of him dancing from last New Year’s Eve and he was really owning the dance floor! But the thing that he lacks is confi­ dence and this will only be gained by going to the class­ es and learning the dances and of course by making friends. I loved the stage and spent two years study­ ing performing arts and I hope that my son continues with that love, but I´m not pushing him into anything.

This is something that he will truly enjoy, and after all we all just want our children to be happy. It´s natural for a young boy to not want to mix too much with girls and I am full of admiration for the lone boy who was there before I took my son. How much

confidence must it have taken to walk into a room full of girls and join in, but I am so grateful that he was there because without him I am sure my son wouldn´t have even entered the room. He certainly wouldn´t have gone in so easily on his own the first time.

Having seen boys in the street dance class years before, I wondered why there weren´t more in this group. I am sure there are

plenty of lads out playing football on a Saturday morn­ ing, whether they are any good or not, but why is it that English boys don´t want to dance? Or is it more of a parent thing? Do the parents not want their sons danc­ ing? Is it still seen as a girl´s hobby rather than one for all sexes? I have never had any bad reaction from Spanish or English adults when I tell them my little fella goes dancing. They are all

supportive and rightly so. I am so excited that my boy is doing something that he enjoys and I am sure he will be good at. I am just a bit disappointed that there are only two little guys in the group and I would urge any parents of boys who show rhythm and a love of dancing to get them into a class as soon as possible. The instructor Susan is lovely with the children; I sat in on the first class to help my son settle in and so saw first­ hand how she is firm but fun with them and seeing the show, I know she can get them to follow instructions and work as a team, all things that will help them in life whether they chose dance as their career or not.

So all you mums and dads out there, especially of boys, get your children dancing.

They will gain so much from classes and make new friends, and how proud will you feel when you see your child on a stage, full of confi­ dence showing you how fan­ tastic they are!

15

Friday, December 6, 2013

Over in the Belgian capital, Brussels, there’s the famous statue called Manneken Pis, which features a young boy relieving him­ self into the fountain.

It was made nearly 400 years ago, and his naughty behaviour

TAKING THE MANNEKEN

reminds me of the utter contempt that the British politicians are treating their loyal subjects with at the moment! Take the business of rising energy prices.

Ed Miliband makes a crazy, yet voter appealing pledge of freezing rates for close to 2 years if Labour win the next election. That gets the Tories and the Lib Dems taking down their flies and entering into a urinating contest as they scramble around to find some bribe that they can counter with. Lo and behold, some 50 pounds of savings have been found, but this is small beer for most Brits, as the annual rise on their already hefty power bills is going to be

well over 100 pounds. All the political parties should be chastised for this stupid Dutch auction, and Cameron and Clegg come worse out of this for sticking their noses into a trough of trouble, prob­ ably nudged by some secret focus group which said that Labour had stolen a march on them.

David Cameron also offered something that he could not possibly hope to deliver in the form of making life harder for Bulgarian and Romanian immigrants to the UK over the claiming of ben­ efits, once they’ve barely cleared passport control.

There is of course absolutely no evidence of “floods” of people coming in from the Balkan region, or that many of them are coming to just

queue up and claim, but playing a race card is good for getting the voters on board. I was horrified by some of the TV interviews with people in the street that I saw after the Prime Minister’s announcement. If TV had been around in the Nazi Germany of the 30’s, then the words Jew could have been substituted for Bulgarian, Romanian, or Roma. Most of the vox­ popped morons chose to blame “the foreigners” for Britain’s problems, but that’s what some politicians would like you to believe, since it’s the people in charge that are the guilty ones, and not Johnny Foreigner! To make matters worse, we then got Labour’s Yvette Cooper squealing like a demented

hyena over Cameron’s com­ ments, but of course Labour did nothing over immigration in their 13 years in office did they? Cameron’s moves will save peanuts in the benefit budget, and I should mention that the EU will veto it all as being discriminatory. Like the contest over power

prices, this nonsense is all about trying to shore up votes in 2015, and another example of why so many people are just plain fed up with the British political par­ ties who are content to just go for the lowest common denominator at every oppor­ tunity.

16

Friday, December 6, 2013

Tony

Mayes

HE ALWAYS HAS SOMETHING TO SHOUT ABOUT

WHAT REALLY CAUSED THE CHOPPER HORROR

Last weekend’s tragedy in Glasgow, in which an out of control helicopter plunged through the roof of a pub killing the crew as well as customers was hor­ rific. But have you thought who was indirectly respon­ sible for this crash?

It was the person or people who were being sought by police and meant the heli­ copter had to be used. You don't scramble a police heli­ copter for trivia, especially at night. The reason for its use may never be publicly known, but it's sad that it is necessary to have to use hel­ icopters at night in the fight to combat crime and disorder.

Those people up to no good probably know that indirectly they caused the deaths of those innocent people. I hope it haunts them all for the rest of their lives.

One of the worst stories I read in the UK press last week was that of the murder of an Iranian national Bijan Ebrahimi by two vigi­ lante neighbours who wrong­ ly thought he was a pae­ dophile. They beat him and then set him on fire. Mr Ebrahimi was murdered three days after he was arrested by police following complaints that he had been taking pictures of children near his home. Officers examined his camera, videos and computer but found nothing suspicious and he was released without charge.

What makes this so much worse is that Mr Ebrahimi made several calls to police during the 48 hours prior to his death but his pleas for help were ignored. I can imagine police were all over him when they heard the reports that he was suspect­ ed of taking pictures of chil­ dren. Shame they didn't exercise the same degree of concern about the threats levelled against him.

Avon and Somerset Chief Constable Nick Gargan issued an apology after the tragedy, saying: "Mr Ebrahimi was someone who deserved the protection of all of us and

q

we are very sorry about what happened to him." The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has interviewed six police officers and six civilian staff as part of their investiga­ tion into police contact prior to Mr Ebrahimi's death.

Three constables have been questioned over potential misconduct in public office.

Again, I hope this man's death weighs heavily on the consciences of those who failed to do their jobs proper­ ly.

q

Wow! Didn't it get cold quickly here on the Costa this year? One week we were enjoying tempera­ tures near 25 degrees, and the next we were struggling to reach double figures and the long drought ended with deluges. There was snow over much of northern Spain and snow has come early to the Pyranees and the Alps, heralding what looks like being an excellent skiing season.

So where has global warming gone, latched on by politicians as an excellent way of introducing more "green" taxes on us the

already tax burdened?

Ironically politicians have switched tack and are now talking about sky­high winter energy bills, forgetting that energy costs less in Britain than most countries in Europe relative to incomes.

And they've been dwelling on the big rise in winter deaths among the elderly, forgetting that it happens every year ­ the death rate always rises in winter because the bodies of the frail elderly have more of a struggle in the winter and the cold tips the scales.

There's no doubt that the weather is far more volatile than it has been. A few years ago we were hearing of an unprecedented thawing of the ice caps and a prediction that in a few years the Arctic would be free of ice in sum­ mer. Since those dire predic­ tions, it's gone back to busi­ ness as usual and currently, adding together the amount of ice at both poles. There's more now than the 30­year average, and over a million more square kilometres of ice more around the North Pole than 2 years ago. Just take a look at the satellite image of ice and snow in the Northern Hemisphere taken on November 30th. If that's anything to go by, we're in for some bitter weather this win­ ter, and Spain is not immune.

You would have seen in last week’s Courier the major problems faced by the leading charity Help at Home Costa Blanca over a dispute involving a new president last summer. It culminated in

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an EGM last week which voted to remove her, amidst claims and counter­claims over what happened at the HAH charity shop in Playa Flamenca.In this column I am not making any further com­ ment specifically about HAH Costa Blanca in general, or the presidency in particular, because of possible pending legal action. Nothing I write from now on should be con­ strued as referring to the HAH problems. But it has prompted me to look at the institution of president of communities here. Putting a president responsible for the running a number of proper­ ties within streets, is, in theo­ ry, an excellent one.

It puts someone, elected by a group of residents, legally responsible for deal­ ing with problems or liasing with the various authorities to get things done. Just look at a well­run community here in the Costa, and see there is little or no rubbish, facilities are working and well­main­ tained, and certainly no van­ dalism or graffiti which can only encourage more. That's the good side, and I stress a "well­run community". There are some that are not so well run, or have insufficient funds coming in through bad debts or lack of people's ability to pay, and the community quickly looks run down. But it's a system which, if the right people are elected, is a good one, and one which could so easily be replicated in the UK. It could, in a fairly short time, uplift some run­

doesn't have enough infor­ mation about the recipients!

The loans could have gone to unemployed students liv­ ing in the UK, EU students who have returned home or UK students who have moved overseas, a report from the National Audit Office claims. There are around 368,000 students who have borrowed money whom the Business Department (BIS) does not have a current UK employment record for, or other details on earnings, according to a study by the Audit Office.

Students only repay their loans when they are earning a certain salary ­ now set at £21,000 ­ and repayments are linked to their earnings.

The NAO's report concluded that in total this group has a total remaining debt of £5.3 billion. The watchdog warns that the BIS have not done down areas, provided presi­ enough to establish whether dents are given the same borrowers with no current legal backing as they enjoy in employment record are earn­ ing enough to repay their Spain.

But there are problems ­ loans. What a joke! It never the post so often attracts the ceases to amaze me how wrong people. Far too often government can be so lax the best candidates do not when it comes to handing out put themselves forward for our money. Perhaps MPs election, viewing it, probably, and bureaucrats should be as a job from hell, with all the surcharged each time they problems, very little recogni­ "lose" public money. That tion, or thanks, or backing might get their brains in gear.

A few months ago I sug­ from anyone else. And those gested that the govern­ who do apply quite often are people on an ego trip, per­ ment should introduce a haps always having to be maximum level that pay­day subservient in their working loan companies can charge lives and finally seeing it as in interest. I was attacking an opportunity to lord it over these leeches on the poorest others. And these are just the in society, preying on them kind of people who find it charging them ridiculous impossible to delegate any amounts in interest, some­ responsibility, think they have times over 4,000%.

Finally the government has the answers to everything, and also, often find they can­ decided to do just that. Well not accept what they are done ­ that's the third time advised by administrators. now that things I've suggest­ And if they are "helped" by ed in this column have been an overbearing, controlling introduced by the govern­ wife then heaven help the ment. Keep reading the Courier David and Nick, and community!

So, what could be an I'll come up with some more excellent system in manag­ ideas for you soon! ing communities often And finally, the straight­ becomes a nightmare, culmi­ laced, stiff shirts at the nating in disastrous annual DVLA have been busy clean­ meetings. In my book, it's ing up filth on Britain's roads. rather like Socialism ­ ideal No, for once I'm not referring on paper, but a disaster in to dog mess, but the dubious practice. number plates created when Sick joke of the week the year 14 plates arrive. The must go to the British red pen has been used to government for "losing" more prevent personalised number than £5 billion of public plates such as BU63 GER, money. This is the cash FA63 HAG, FA63 GTT, HU63 handed out in student loans NOB, OR63 ASM and SO63 but can't be reclaimed OMY. Killjoys! There's no fun because the government anywhere, any more!

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Friday, December 6, 2013

SAY IT IN SPANISH Learn the lingo - with a little help from JEANETTE ERATH Spanish 100 So, here we are, one hundred weeks of learning Spanish. By now you should have a firm grasp of the language and be putting what you have learnt into prac­ tise. I hope you are able to hold a basic conversation at least and your confi­ dence I hope is increasing.

Here are the answers to last weeks translations: I see Julia ­ veo a Julia, I look for my shoes – busco mis zapatos, I under­ stand Marcos – entiendo (comprendo) a Marcos, We listen to Jorge – escuchamos a Jorge, Do you see the girl? ­ ¿ves a la chica (niña), Laura loves Juan – Laura ama a Juan, you are my friend – eres mi amigo, Antonio is the president of the club – Antonio es el presidente del club, I know Alan, John, Mary and Ellen – yo conozco a Alan, a John, a Mary y a Ellen.

This week we are going to have a big revision week, then next week we will be finding out the answers so take your time as ever, some will be easier than others but with each one remember to read the words out loud and hopefully you will hear any errors.

I am not going to give you any clues as to which tense to use, that should be clear from the sentence itself, so here we go for our big one hundred lesson revision exercise.

Translate the following into Spanish: There is one person in the shop, it is necessary to study in order to learn, in winter I prefer to ski, I have a bath every day, John is preparing dinner, we have lived here for more than ten years, my watch is not working, if you go to the party, call me, when Carlos lived in New York, he used to go to the

Bilbao. Trabajo en una fábrica de artículos electrodomésticos. Mis actividades habit­ Keep studying! uales son las siguientes: normalmente (despertarse) a las 6.30 de la mañana, luego (levantarse) y (ducharse) y sobre las 7.30 (desayunar) con mi esposa y mis tres hijos A las 8.30 (salir) de casa para ir a la fábrica. Por lo general (ir) en el coche, pero a veces (Coger) el autobús. Al mediodía no (volver) a casa a comer, ya que normalmente yo (almorzar) con unos colegas en un restaurante cerca de la empresa. A las 7.30 (marcharse) a casa, oero de vez en cuando (ir) a un club deportivo dondo (jugar) al tenis con algún amigo. Por la noche, después de cenar, a veces (dar) un paseo con mi esposa.

Nunca (acostarse) antes de las 12.00.

Now I´m going to give you a paragraph to translate from English to Spanish: There are many ways to learn a language one can use the internet, which has many dif­ ferent websites, some are free and others have verbal practise as well, where you can hear the accent and pronunciation. Another theatre frequently, Arturo wants to dance, he is ready for the otption is to go to language class with a teacher who can party, don´t say anything!, it´s very cold, I would go to the help you personally and make sure that you are learning at shops but I don´t have time, we have to leave now, yesterday a steady pace. Of course there is another way which is free, there was a meeting, Spanish food is delicious, Have you got and that is to learn from newspapers like this one and use all up in a good mood today?, we will buy the food tomorrow, do you have learnt with Spanish friends, neighbours and the you want anything else?, it is said that the price of petrol is staff at your local shop or bar. going up , what do you do in your free time?, how many chil­ dren do you have?, do you like to go to the cinema?, do you I hope you have a great week, and remember to use your have to go right now?

Spanish when you can, you are so lucky to live in the country Now I am going to write a passage with some verbs in the of the language you are trying to learn, so take your time and infinitive, you need to conjugate the verb to the correct form: I´ll be back next week with the answers, ¡Que tengas una Me llamo Ricardo Aguirre, soy inginiero y vivo en buena semana!

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Friday, December 6, 2013

THE HUMBLE COCONUT AND ITS AMAZING BENEFITS

What do you think of if I mention the word Coconut? Probably when you were a child and went to the fairground and had a go at winning a coconut, if you were lucky you took it home and your dad drilled a hole in it and you drank the “milk” of the coconut. All those years ago it was not known that the humble coconut has many health giving benefits.

Research has claimed that we can pre­ vent and reverse several conditions by having coconut in our diet and this includes things like dementia, Alzheimers and multiple sclerosis, to name but a few.

Memory loss is caused by chronic inflam­ mation and excess free radical damage.

When we experience excessive free radi­ cal damage it prevents the brain from uti­ lizing glucose and this causes the brain cells to degenerate and eventually die... this loss of brain matter can destroy memory and motor skills depending on which part of the brain is affected.

Alzheimers is sometimes described today as diabetes type 3. The part of the coconut that has this amazing restorative effect is something called medium chain triglycerides and what this does is give the brain an alternative fuel source and it is claimed that coconut oil can keep the brain energised by killing bacteria, bal­

ancing hormones, maintaining healthy blood sugar levels and eliminating brain inflammation. The scientific data is easi­ ly found and if you would like to know more about this there is You Tube video featuring Dr. Mary Newport a Florida neu­ rologist documented her husband’s incredible progress reversing Alzheimers by eating coconut oil. Her book “Alzheimers Disease. What if there was a cure? “.

Coconut oil has been used successfully to treat skin conditions and is also avail­ able as a flour which can help to regulate blood sugar levels by binding with water from the gut to form a gel that slows down the digestive process, and reduces the rate at which the stomach is emptied.

By delaying the emptying of the stomach, soluble dietary fibre reduces the speed at which glucose is absorbed into the body and reduces the need for insulin. The sol­ uble dietary fibre in coconut flour is also thought to play an important part in inter­ fering with the absorption of dietary cho­ lesterol and lowering the low density harmful cholesterol levels. Numerous scientific studies have also shown that the dietary fibre in coconut can help to aid weight loss by making us feel fuller for longer.

FOOD IS NO LONGER WHAT IT USED TO BE

DR MACHI MANNU’S ADVICE CLINIC Email your questions and comments to contact@medb.es

You may not have realised it, but the food you eat today is very differ­ ent from what was con­ sumed 50 years ago.

Scientists studying the nutrient content of foods over past decades have observed steady declines in all food crops – fruits, vegetables, tubers and even meat. In the 1950s Potatoes for example con­ tained fairly reasonable amounts of Vitamin A; today’s potatoes contain none at all. The nutrient content of fruits and veg­ etables has fallen by 50% in most cases. Many fac­ tors are to blame for this decline especially mono­ culture, which refers to the practise of growing a sin­ gle crop over a large area, year in year out. Plants do not require many nutrients to thrive, however they concentrate dozens of nutrients in their parts for the animals that feed on them. Over the years farm­ ers have only replaced just the basic nutrients required by plants, and this has led to severe defi­ ciency of other nutrients.

Monoculture is akin to put­ ting all your eggs in one basket­ you’ll do all you can to protect that basket.

And to ensure the survival

of monoculture crops, farmers use heavy doses, of toxic insecticides, pesti­ cides, fungicides and many other chemicals. And this is just the beginning.

When food is harvested, it is also sprayed with toxic chemicals to prevent them from going off on their long journeys to the supermar­ ket. And then there is the growing problem of geneti­ cally modified (GM) plants that come with in­built pes­ ticides that explode the intestines of the pests that consume them. Research has shown that animals

develop cancer within weeks of eating such crops. What can you do?

Become vigilant, avoid GMO foods like the plague and join campaigns calling for their ban. Wash all your fruits and vegetables in Apple cider vinegar as these absorb most of the toxins when soaked for about 15 minutes. Choose organic foods if you can find them. Fortify your diet with supplements.

FOR FULL BODY DIAG­ NOSTIC SCAN CALL DR MANNU: 965071745

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Friday, December 6, 2013

GETTING TO GRIPS WITH GOUT Q

I have suffered from recurring gout for many years.

The pain affects both my knees and big toes.

Colchicine has been very helpful for managing the pain, but I am now worried that it may be suppressing my immunity. I never used to suffer from colds, but I get one a few times in a year now. I will be glad for your advice on what else I can do to help manage it.

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Gout is a common cause of arthritic pain due to increased uric acid levels in bodily fluids. The elevated uric acid pre­ cipitates into crystals that are deposited around the joints of the toes, cartilage, subcutaneous tissue and bone leading to inflammation and damage to the surrounding areas. These crystals can also lead to the formation of kidney stones. 90% of all cases of gout (primary gout) are of unknown origin and have been linked to gene defects. The remaining 10% (sec­ ondary gout) occurs when the raised uric acid is caused by some other factor such as kidney disease, and medications such as aspirin. Primary gout occurs when the body produces a lot of uric acid, or is unable to excrete the uric acid it pro­ duces. The drug colchicine has no effect on uric acid levels, but reduces the inflammation it causes by suppressing the activities of white blood cells. It is very effective for managing acute gout pain, but has many side effects such as; lowered immunity, hair loss, depression, and liver damage.

Uric acid is produced when a compound known as purine is broken down in the liver. High levels of purine are found in foods rich in proteins such as organ meats, shellfish, yeast, herring, sardines and also spinach, asparagus and legumes.

Cutting down on foods rich in protein especially red meat and organ meat is paramount in the reduction of uric acid levels.

Alcohol increases the production of uric acid, and often initi­ ates gouty attacks. In some cases, abstinence may be the only way to prevent such attacks. Obesity and weight gain

have been linked to increased production of uric acid and weight reduction has been shown to lower uric acid levels and reduce associated symptoms. Refined carbohydrate espe­ cially wheat also increases uric acid levels in the body. An ideal diet for anyone suffering from gout is a diet low in animal and plant protein, low in fats and high in fibres and complex carbohydrates. Proteins are essential for survival, and should never be avoided but curtailed. Many people do not drink the required amount of water ­ 1.5 – 2 litres daily, which is essen­ tial for excreting waste from the body. Drinking adequate amounts of water promotes the excretion of uric acid, and pre­ vents the formation of kidney stones. Cherries and red­blue berries are very effective in lowering uric acid levels. These fruits (cherries, blueberries, hawthorn berries) are rich sources of anti­oxidants – flavonoids that give them their deep red­blue colours. Eating a quarter kilo of cherries is known to reduce uric acid levels significantly after 3 hours. Folic acid blocks the enzyme that produces uric acid, working on the same principle as allopurinol (the drug of choice for treating gout). If you consume vitamin C in high doses to maintain your health, it is important to realise that this may lead to increased production of uric acid and its crystals. Avoid high dose Vitamin C if you suffer from gout.

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How to Look Younger with MitoQ anti­ageing serum

MitoQ is a patented anti­ageing skincare lotion, formulat­ ed with a super active form of Co­enzyme Q10, a natural substance found in the body. Many people are aware of Co­ enzyme Q10 because it has been available as an anti­ageing supplement since the early 1980s. This is because CoQ10 is required as a nutrient by every cell in the body especially by very active cells such as those in the heart, brain, kidney, muscles and skin. But as we grow older, our bodies make less

and less of this vital nutrient. In fact, CoQ10 levels start to fall in our thirties, when the ageing process becomes apparent. In skin cells, this reduction in the levels of CoQ10 causes a fall in the production of the proteins collagen and elastin – the lack of which results in the skin developing fine lines, wrinkles, pigmentation problems as well as thinner skin as we age.

MitoQ was formulated by scientists in Cambridge and New Zealand, while studying the mitochondria (the power house of cells). They stumbled upon a way to deliver CoQ10 directly into the mitochondria and to penetrate skin cells 1000 times more than anyone else had done in the past. By doing so, skin cells become more energized, and are able to produce more collagen and elastin like they did in our youth, as well as pump out from the cells toxins and waste products that have accumulated in the cells over the years, further contributing to skin ageing. One of the biggest causes of skin ageing is sun­ light, in a process known as photo­ageing. Ultraviolet rays from the sun increases the skins production of deadly toxins known as free radicals. These free radicals cause oxidative damage to the layers of the skin, and this way speeds up the ageing process, in a manner similar to the damaging effects of cigarettes. MitoQ being the most powerful anti­oxidant ever created neutralizes the effect of these deadly free radicals, and by doing so, starts to reverse the photo­ageing effects of sunlight. Many people have noticed a difference in their appearance from the first day of using MitoQ. But in general the anti­ageing benefits begin to become noticeable within the first week of use, and these benefits are – reduced fine lines, and wrinkles, firmer skin, fading of age spots, even skin tone, resulting in a brighter, firmer and healthier complexion. It is designed for both men and women. A bottle of MitoQ is about 50 ml and lasts between 6 and 8 weeks. You can buy it from MedB at a special discount price of €85.00 Delivery is free.

Call Dr Mannu on 965 071 745

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SPANISH NEWS

TORREMOLINOS TRAGEDY A local police officer found shot through the head along with her sister in Torremolinos on the Costa del Sol probably committed suicide. Identified only by her initials of A.M., the 47­year­ old is said to have come to the end of 'a long string of periods of sick­leave' and was due to be moved to the central station in Málaga city to a desk job dealing with members of the public.

Her body was found on a piece of wasteland in the La Colina area of Torremolinos and, a few metres away in her car, that of her sister, J.M., 55, who had also died from a fatal shot­wound. The officer's gun, which she car­ ries when on duty was found near the scene and it is thought she killed her sister before turning the weapon on herself. Nearby residents say the policewoman, who was divorced, was often seen walking her dogs on the very same heath where her body was found by walkers. They all said she was a 'great person' and had never appeared 'strange' or 'troubled'. One man accidentally stepped over her whilst out jogging just minutes before the discovery.

BARING ALL IN THE COLD

Visibly affected by the news, he told reporters that as the heath was very close to a number of bars and nightclubs, it was not at all unusual to see passed­out revellers lying there when he went out for his morning run. He had thought the WPC was one of these and did not intervene, but on his way back found the area cordoned off and the police combing the area.

“Ecce Homo” priest arrested

The priest of the small Spanish village which rose to interna­ tional fame after a woman last year 'restored' a fresco of Jesus Christ has been arrested for alleged sexual abuse and the embezzlement of 210 thousand Euros. The local priest of Borja in Zaragoza, is one of six men who have been arrested as part of a fraud investigation that police have dubbed Operation Thorn Tree, according to the nation­ al daily, El Mundo.

Borja came to international atten­ tion in 2012 after local parishioner Cecilia Giménez touched up the 19th century image of Jesus. She carried

out the work after fearing that parts of the fresco were flaking off due to damp on the church walls. The ama­ teur results captured international attention, inspiring ridicule but have also brought many tourists to the town.

Entrance to the church costs 1

Euro and all the money goes to the renovation of the building, with visitors so far contributing 50 thousand Euros to church coffers. The lawyer for Garcés said, however, that the current charges did not relate to money earned though visi­ tors to see the Ecce Homo.

Locals demonstrat­ ed last Saturday in support of the priest saying they are "in disbelief" after his arrest, according to La Nueva España newspaper. Garcés was released from custody and his passport has been confiscated, and he appeared before a judge on Monday.

Animal rights activists gathered in Barcelona last Sunday to bare their naked 'blood­covered' bodies in a protest against the killing of mammals to make fur coats. Around fifty members of animal rights group Anima Naturalis took part in the eye­catching demo in the city’s Plaza de Sant Jaume.

Protesters piled on top of each other inside and around a giant metal cage after covering their naked bodies in a red blood­like liquid.

"We want consumers to be aware of the terrible suffering which is behind this cruel business," Anima Naturalis head Aida Gascón told the crowd of intrigued spectators.

"We have so many alternatives when it comes to choosing our clothes nowadays; it makes no sense to skin an animal when there are so many other materials available. Animals need their fur, you don't," she concluded.

According to the group, every year 60 million otters, lynx­ es, minks, foxes and other species are either raised in cap­ tivity or captured to then be brutally killed for their fur.

SEVILLE ORDERS TAXI COVER UP Seville is ordering taxi drivers to learn English and banning them from wearing shorts whilst working. The drivers retorts have included: “When all politicians decide to learn English and speak it properly, so will we.” Another driver interviewed said, “Learn English? But this is Spain, isn't it? It should be enough to speak our own language, Spanish.”

He also commented on the irony of 'politicians expecting taxi drivers to learn English' when a poor grasp of the lan­ guage had made the Madrid mayor, Ana Botella 'an interna­ tional laughing stock' during the 2020 Olympic bid. They are also unhappy about rules covering dress code whilst work­ ing. “If you're clean and tidy, and not scruffy, why should it matter if you wear shorts rather than long trousers?” asked one driver who works in a city, which reaches temperatures of 45ºC in the shade in high summer, when trouser wearing is something of rarity.

Another driver said: “Everyone in this country is expected to learn English just to do their job in Spain. Taxi drivers, bar staff, waiting staff, shop assistants...everyone except politi­ cians, who make themselves look silly in front of the rest of the world.”

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Friday, December 6, 2013

Focus on San Miguel STRIKE A BARGAIN WITH ALLIANZ No matter where you are, or what you are doing, life will always have its little hiccups. So it’s good to know that help is only a phone call away. Allianz Seguros is one of the leading companies in the country’s insurance market. Geli Perez has been responsible for the branch in San Miguel de Salinas since 2004. Taking care of her clients, and offering them the best pos­ sible insurance solutions to suit their needs is of paramount importance to Geli. The products and services provided at Allianz cater for both personal and business needs offering flex­ ible life, motor, home, accident, health and dental insurance packages as it is vitally important to ensure that you and your family are covered. Allianz customer advisers work around the clock, providing emergency attention exactly when it is needed, even if travelling overseas. Geli is now offering up to 15% off a wide range of all insurance policies so why not pop in to see her today and discover how she can help safeguard your future.

MAKE YOURSELF A HAPPY HOME To get the best ideas on how to decorate your home, the only place to go is Cortinas Charlot in San Miguel. A family run busi­ ness for over 18 years, the owner Esther offers a great variety and choice in bed linen, curtains and soft furnishings for your home, with a free estimate provided on any item you require.

Cortinas Charlot also offer an onsite home service where Esther will visit your home, let you look through her great vari­ ety of fabrics, offer her advice on the various models of curtains available to dress up your home, and when your order is ready, Esther will install your new curtains for you which is all included in her home service. For the next few weeks Cortinas Charlot is offering a 20% discount on all in­store stock and 10% off on all curtain orders. Cortinas Charlot is open from 9.30am to 2.00pm then 4.00pm to 8.00pm Monday to Friday and 9.30am to 2.00pm on Saturdays. So why not go along to Cortinas Charlot and view the special selection of curtains on sale and grab yourself a bargain!

PROPERTY PLUS DELIVERS “Small and perfectly formed” is how we describe ourselves at Property Plus in San Miguel. Although we have only been in the town for just over 3 years, we have between us over 50 years’ experience in the sales, rental and property manage­ ment business.

Our rental portfolio carries to date over 70 managed prop­ erties of which 25 are let on a long term basis and the rest are available for holidays and short breaks. Due to the increase of the rental market, we are always looking for more proper­ ties from Torrevieja down the coast to the Mar Menor.

Our sales team also has a varied supply of real estate including land and commercial properties as well as houses and apartments in all areas. Our advertising is worldwide and we strive to offer the best service possible for buyers as well as sellers. Many of our customers are now friends and we pride ourselves in our honest and informative approach to our business and look forward to meeting new clients in the future

TICKLING THE TASTE BUDS Ian and Roxy, owners of The New Tavern Bar and Restaurant in San Miguel have been in business for 3 years, and have totally revamped the restaurant. The menu has been overhauled and they now offer Sunday Lunches, Pie Nights, Mexican Nights, as well as Steak Nights on Wednesday and Fridays. That’s all in addition to many other varied dishes, with something on the menu to suit all tastes! On New Year’s Eve, The New Tavern is offering a 3­course meal including wine for only 30 euros per person.

Entertainment is being provided by a Bette Midler Show fol­ lowed by the great vocal duo Sunflower Valley. This should be a fantastic night, and with their Pick up and Drop Service available to you, then why not bring in the New Year in style in The New Tavern Bar and Restaurant in San Miguel. To reserve a table, phone: 966 194 121

Montessori - the start that counts for every child The San Miguel Montessori School offers a high quality bilingual education to children aged two to six in a bright and happy environment.

Dr. Maria Montessori dedicated her life to education and is responsible for major changes in education methods made over the past 100 years.

Children are taught academic skills individually or in very small groups. They are prepared for English, Spanish or bilin­ gual primary education and one child’s progress is not com­ pared to another’s but to his/her own personal progress.

Children experiencing a positive learning experience will continue to enjoy education throughout their lives.

The school also celebrates birthdays in a very original way with the Montessori Birthday Celebration (4 to 10 years), more details tel 966723797 and 692140969.

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Focus on San Miguel A DREAM COME TRUE Property Salespana is your professional Inmobiliaria/Estate agent here on the Costa Blanca, and we are after helping you to find your perfect home in the sun in this area!

Property Salespana is run by the experienced duo of Barry Miles and Glyn Horsfall, who also have a Spanish speaking team behind them to get that special deal sorted out for you.

Jose Anguita Castillo is their Fincas expert who will help you in every step of the way in buying your dream home, and that means from start to finish so that you can enjoy a better qual­ ity of life here in Spain. We also urgently need properties for sale in all parts of the region, due to many enquiries from potential buyers.

The Food Cupboard is always full….

The Food Cupboard is situated in the High Street of San Miguel de Salinas ­ directly opposite the Guardia Civil.

It has been open for nine months and benefits from being a family run business. A small but very friendly supermarket, it stocks all your favourites including McVities, Kenco, Yorkshire Tea, Vitaminas, Bisto, Sharwoods and Weetabix to name but a few – plus fresh produce such as milk, Cravendale, cheese, fresh farm eggs, butter, cream, etc. There is also a wide variety of cakes and biscuits to satisfy the sweetest cravings.

Other services include greetings cards; English newspapers and magazines; jewellery gifts; UK postal service (Royal Mail); mobile phone top­ups and unlocking; laptop and mobile phone repairs. A home delivery service, And if they don’t have what you want, they’ll try to source it for you. Opening hours are Mon­Fri 8.15am to 7pm; Sat and Sun 8.15­2pm. A huge choice of Xmas goodies now in stock. The Food Cupboard is also now taking meat orders for Xmas.

A BETTER VIEW Satellites Direct provides High Quality Television with NO monthly payments. A family run business trading for over 5 years, opened a new Showroom in San Miguel one year ago and has gone from strength to strength. So much so that Nigel, the owner, who has been in the Satellite TV business for over 30 years, is considering opening another two shops in the near future. Nigel offers all types of systems, for all countries, at very competitive prices, starting at only 199 Euros for a fully installed system and receivers from as little as 50 Euros. The new Showroom based at La Ronda Oeste in San Miguel is well worth a visit where Nigel will give you all the information you require on the satellite sys­ tems he has on display and will advise which one would best suit your needs. Satellites Direct provide an excellent back up service and guarantees all installation work using the best quality prod­ ucts including famaval high dishes and twin black ultra high gain LNB. The showroom is open from 10am to 2.30pm Monday to Friday. You will also find Satellites Direct at Moncayo Market Guardamar every Saturday and Zoco Market on Sundays.

BOOKWORM HEAVEN The Bargain Book Store can be found on Plaza Juan Carlos, opposite the Tourist Information Centre in San Miguel. Lee and his wife Gaynor have run the shop for 6 years with happy customers returning time and time again for their helpful service and prices. Bargain Books has a large range of Boxed Xmas Cards in store starting from just 75 cents. There is also a massive choice of new paperbacks starting from just 3.50 Euros, ranging from Biographies to Children’s Books, along with Diaries and Calendars for 2014.

Lee and Gaynor are more than happy to order any book that may not be available in stock, and with their very affordable prices it is no wonder they have loyal and happy clients.

They also have a huge range of gifts to suit all ages and for all occasions. The Bargain Bookstore in San Miguel is open Monday to Saturday from 10.00am until 2.00pm.

SPIRAL WEAVES QUALITY HAIR CARE Spiral Unisex Hair and Beauty Salon has been operating since 2006 and is situated in Calle Pablo Picasso near The Post Office in San Miguel. Manoli the owner, who is Spanish lived and trained in London and has over 30 years experience in the hairdressing trade and has developed Spiral into a Unisex Hairdresser offering cuts, colours, blow dries, perms, hair extensions and hair and scalp treatments. During the Xmas period Make Up and Hair Ups are available at very competitive rates. Several beauty and body treatments including facials, pedicures, manicures and waxing are also available. Spiral has a friendly relaxed atmosphere and strives, on every occasion, to please its clients. With friendly staff who speak Spanish, French and English, this has helped Spiral to be well supported over the years with clients returning time and again. Spiral Unisex Hair and Beauty Salon is open Monday, Wednesday and Thursday from 10am until 5pm and in Fridays from 10am until 6pm. The Salon is closed every Tuesday. To make an appointment Tel. 966 723 938.

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Friday, December 6, 2013

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Friday, December 6, 2013

GOURMET CHRISTMAS GIFTS BITTER CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES Ingredients

2 x 100g bars 70% dark chocolate, chopped 85ml double cream 1 tsp vanilla extract cocoa and grated white chocolate, for dusting

Method

1. Put the chocolate, cream and vanilla in a pan and heat very gently until melted.

Cool, then chill for 90 mins until firm.

2. Use a mini ice cream scoop or teaspoon to make 24 truf­ fles, then dust with cocoa or grated white chocolate. Chill until ready to eat. You can make these 4 days ahead or they will freeze for 1 month. Thaw in a cool place and, if needed, dust with a little more cocoa.

NUTTY CHOCOLATE CRUNCH Ingredients 250g assorted biscuits, rough­ ly chopped 250g assorted nuts, or a mix of nuts and dried fruit 300g milk or plain chocolate, or a mixture of both, chopped 100g butter, chopped 140g golden syrup

Method

1. Butter and line a 20cm square tin with non­stick baking parchment. In a large bowl, combine the biscuits and nuts, halving any larger nuts. Melt the chocolate, butter and golden syrup in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth and glossy, then pour this over the biscuit and nut mixture.

2. Tip the mixture into the tin, then flatten lightly – it doesn’t need to be completely smooth. Chill for at least 2 hrs or overnight before cutting into squares.

REINDEER CUPCAKES Ingredients 175g butter 165g caster sugar ½ tsp natural vanilla extract 2 eggs, at room tempera­ ture 110g self­raising flour 150g plain flour 160ml buttermilk 500g fondant icing coloured brown, 100g/4oz of it a paler brown

50g fondant icing coloured red 25g fondant icing coloured black twigs or wire for the antlers and spaghetti for attaching the ears For the ganache 140g chocolate, chopped 75ml double cream

Method

1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line the holes of a 12­ hole muffin tin with paper cases.

2. Beat the butter, sugar and vanilla in a medium bowl using an electric mixer until light and fluffy.

3. Beat the eggs into the butter mixture one at a time. Add half the sifted flours and half the buttermilk, and mix on low speed until just combined. Mix in the remaining flours and buttermilk.

4. Divide the mix evenly among the paper cases. Gently smooth the tops (this will help the cupcakes to rise evenly).

5. Bake for 25­30 mins or until lightly golden and cooked when tested with a skewer. Allow to stand for 5 mins in the tin before transferring to a wire rack to cool.

6. To make the ganache, put the chocolate in a bowl, bring the cream to a simmer and pour it over the chocolate. Stir until smooth. Cool until firm.

7. Ice the cupcakes with ganache, then with brown fondant icing. Use the rest of the colours for the ears, eye and nose.

Attach ears to the head by pushing a 3cm piece of spaghetti a little way into the ear, then pushing the other end into the head.

Continued on pg 28

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Friday, December 6, 2013

MACADAMIA & CRANBERRY AMERICAN COOKIES Ingredients 3 x 200g/7oz white chocolate bars, chopped 200g butter 2 eggs 100g light muscovado sugar 175g golden caster sugar 2 tsp vanilla extract 350g plain flour 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp cinnamon 100g dried cranberries 100g macadamia nuts, chopped

Method

1. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Melt 170g of the chocolate, then allow to cool. Beat in the butter, eggs, sugars and vanilla, preferably with an electric hand whisk, until creamy. Stir in the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and cran­ berries with two­thirds of the remaining chocolate and macadamias, to make a stiff dough.

2. Using a tablespoon measure or a small ice­cream scoop, drop small mounds onto a large baking dish, spacing them well apart, then poke in the reserved chocolate, nuts and berries. Bake in batches for 12 mins until pale golden, leave to harden for 1­2 mins, then cool on a wire rack.

3. To freeze, open­freeze the raw cookie dough scoops on baking trays; when solid, pack them into a freezer container, interleaving the layers with baking parchment. Use within 3 months. Bake from frozen for 15­20 mins.

PEPPERMINT CANDY BISCUITS Ingredients 175g plain flour, plus a little extra for dusting 100g butter, cut into small cubes 85g caster sugar 1 egg yolk about 5 peppermint candy canes

Method

1. Before you start, read the tips at the bottom of the recipe.

2. Tip the flour and butter into a bowl. Use your fingers to squash the lumps of butter into the flour, then rub together until the mixture resembles wet sand. Add the sugar and egg yolk and 1­2 tbsp cold water. Mix together with a blunt cutlery knife, then your hands, until it becomes a soft dough. (Or, get an adult to help you to do this in a food processor.) Wrap the dough in cling film and pop in the fridge for 20 mins to chill.

3. Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Line 2 baking trays with baking parchment. Put the candy canes in a resealable plastic bag, then wrap in a tea towel. Use a rolling pin to bash them to a chunky rubble. Set to one side.

4. Dust your work surface with a little flour, then use a rolling pin to roll out the dough. Cut out heart shapes with your big cookie cutter. Put them on the baking trays, spaced a little apart. Use your small cutter to cut out a little heart in the cen­ tre of each big heart. Re­roll your cuttings to make about 20 hearts in total.

5. Bake for 8 mins. Carefully remove the trays from the oven,

then fill each small heart with a little of the crushed candy cane. Return to the oven for 4 mins more, until the biscuits are just starting to turn golden and the candy cane has melt­ ed.

6. Once out of the oven, quickly sprinkle the gooey centre of each heart with a little extra crushed candy cane. Leave to set and cool completely on the trays. Once cool, the biscuits will peel straight off the trays. Wrap them in pretty boxes to give as a gift.

CHILLI VODKA Ingredients 2 fat red chillies, plus extra for bottling 1l vodka

Method

Slice the chillies and mix with the vodka in a large bottle or jug. Leave for 4­5 hrs. Strain out the chillies and pour back into a bottle to store until needed. Just before giving away, decant into smaller glass bottles, pop a whole chilli in each and label.

APPLE & CRANBERRY CHUTNEY Ingredients 1kg cooking apples, peeled and chopped into small chunks 500g eating apples, peeled and chopped into large chunks 450g onions, sliced 50g fresh root ginger, finely chopped 1 tsp peppercorns 500g granulated sugar 250ml cider vinegar 500g cranberries

Method

1. Place all ingredients except cranberries in a large heavy­ based saucepan, then gently heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 50 mins, stirring regularly until the apples and onions are tender, the mixture has thickened and no watery juice remains.

2. Add the cranberries, then cook for a further 10 mins or so until just softened but not burst.

3. Spoon the hot chutney into sterilised jars and seal (see instructions below). Store unopened in a cool, dark place.

The chutney will keep for up to 6 months. Chill on opening.

PEPPERMINT CANDY CANES Ingredients few drops peppermint essence or extract 100g white regal icing 50g red regal icing 50g green regal icing

Method

1. Mix a few drops of peppermint into the white, red and green icing. Divide the white icing in 2 and wrap

half in cling film along with the green icing.

2. Roll the remaining half of white icing into a long, thin sausage shape, then do the same with the red icing.

Lay the 2 sausages next to each other, and twist together.

Gently roll the twisted length with the palm of your hand until the 2 sausages are joined and smooth. Slice into 12cm lengths, then bend the end of each one to make a hook. Line a baking sheet with baking parchment, then spread out the candy canes. Repeat with the remaining white icing and green icing, then leave the canes to dry out for at least 24 hrs before packaging.

WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIP FUDGE Ingredients 500g golden caster sugar 500ml double cream 3 tbsp liquid glucose (available in most supermarkets and chemists) 140g white chocolate, cut into chunks (not too small or they'll melt completely)

Method

1. Line a 22cm square non­stick tin with baking parchment.

Put the caster sugar, double cream and liquid glucose in a pan. Slowly heat together, stirring continually, until the sugar melts and stops feeling grainy on the bottom of the pan. Turn up the heat and fast boil until a small amount of the mixture dropped into a glass of cold water sets into a soft ball that you can pick up on a teaspoon. By this time the bubbles in the mixture will look small and even.

2. Turn off the heat and keep stirring for 5 mins or until the mix starts to thicken a little. Sprinkle in the white chocolate and swirl it through the mixture once using a spatula or the handle of a wooden spoon. Pour into a tin and leave the fudge overnight to set, then turn out and cut into squares. Will keep for up to 2 months in an airtight container – don't store in the fridge or the fudge will go soft.

TURKISH DELIGHT VODKA Ingredients 1l bottle vodka 1 tsp rosewater 1 tsp caster sugar 100g Turkish delight, chopped, plus a little extra for packag­ ing

Method

1. Pour 100ml out of the vodka bottle – you can keep this in the freezer for Christmas cocktails. Mix the rose water and caster sugar together until the sugar dissolves, then pour into the vodka bottle using a funnel.

2. Wash any sugar off the Turkish delight, then put it in the bottle. Screw on the lid and leave to stand for up to a month, swirling occasionally until the Turkish delight dissolves.

Serve with soda water and ice, or drizzle neat over vanilla ice cream for a boozy treat.

29

Friday, December 6, 2013

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: Margaret wanted to know how to set her home ADVICE: Robert received a suspicious email purporting to page in Internet Explorer be from Microsoft Hi Richard, I would appreciate some advice please. I will try to keep the info to a minimum but need to give you all facts so please bear with me.

In the past I have streamed live football from PC without downloading Spocast or similar, which has worked for us in the past. However yesterday I must have done something different as I now have a new homepage for search called 'dosearches.com'.

From reading on the web it would seem this is not a good thing to have. I have done a secu­ rity scan yesterday and today and it would appear that all is OK, but you may think other­ wise? I checked in the add/remove prog and there doesn't appear to be anything there that should be. The advice given on the help pages would be to go to 'manage add­ons' and click to remove any undesired ones and to reinstate the preferred ones. However I do not have this dosearch or google showing in the box.

Basically all I need to know is how can I change back to have www.google.co.uk as my pre­ ferred opening page?

Many thanks and sorry for making this long­winded. Margaret

Q

Hi Margaret, in order to set your home page in Internet Explorer you need to do the following…

1. Launch Internet Explorer 2. Click Tools, Internet Options or if you have a newer version click the cog in the top right hand corner of the screen and click Internet Options 3. In the Home Page section replace whatever is listed as the current home page with what you would like (i.e. www.google.co.uk) 4. Click OK …that’s it, everything should go back to normal for you now.

A

Hi Richard & the team, received an e­mail, reportedly from Microsoft Security (ericjian@ms.usi.com.tw), Monday, telling me my account is open in another loca­ tion with IP address (212.181.171.66). I did use my laptop at my son­in­laws house Sunday evening, via his router etc. So guess it might well be.

Received this e­mail this morning, so perhaps it is genuine, and so should action as they ask?

The Monday e­mail asked that I move the message to my in­box. Click at show content to enable. Do not make any change after logging in to avoid suspension of my Hotmail (End of quote).

Am I being too cautious in this instance? Thanks in advance for your thoughts Richard.

Robert ________________________________________ Date: Wed, 13 Nov 2013 04:56:25 +0400 To: Robert Subject: Attention be warned your account might be suspended From: member­service@live.com

Q

Dear User, For your own Security, Re­activate your account you are given 5 days do so or your account will be suspended be warned.

Please click and follow the link below to Sign In & Re­activate your account,in other Hi I have recently acquired an iPad and cannot navigate my way around it success­ to re­activate your account with new security to protect your account from any fully. Do you have any articles anywhere or any advice where to gather info to help attempt to log in to your account from another location. https://login.live.com/ me use the iPad. Many thanks, Olga Thank you Hi Olga, we don’t specifically have any articles about using the iPad, however we do Security Protocols offer training for this sort of thing, we would come to your house and go through the Copyright © 2013 Microsoft. basic functions with you on your iPad. Another good resource is the articles on our No, you most certainly are not being too cautious – this is a scam email, the first clue website, if you go to the following address... is that it says “dear user”, if it was legitimate then Microsoft know your username and www.bluemoonsolutions.es/?s=ipad they would use it. ...you will see a list of articles that mention the iPad. The link (if you were to have clicked it would have taken you not to Don’t forget you can follow me on twitter https://login.live.com but to http://www.jtmetrolaw.com/wp­content/upgrade/outlook.htm @bluemoonspain which is a website that has been hacked and a virus has been added to it – you certainly Alternatively why don’t you sign up for my could have got the virus had you have clicked on the link.

ADVICE: Olga was looking for help navigating and using her iPad.

Q A

A

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.

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

Office: 902 906 200

30

Friday, December 6, 2013

STEADY EDDIE’S NEW SHOP FOR CHART-TOPPER REACH OUT

By ANDREW ATKINSON Musician Eddie White once had his name mentioned in the same breath as Elvis Presley, The Beatles and The Who, and the man who has made Los Montesinos his home for the last 8 years even hit the top of the Irish Pop charts for 13 weeks as a crown­ ing moment in his career.

"We were number 1 in the Irish charts with Dear God”, reflected Eddie. The 65 year old joined The Breakaways as a teenager ­ and was featured in the New Spotlight Annual 1967, alongside Elvis, The Beatles and The Who. "I remember it all too well when I was in my first band at the age of just 16, “said Eddie, who was born in Magherafelt, Northern Ireland. "Having joined The Breakaways in the early sixties, the band was re­formed and named The Signs," added the genial Irishman who moved to Los Montesinos with his wife Mary in 2005.

"Brendan Quinn was the lead singer and we had hits with Four In The Morning and

Help Me Make It Through The Night”. Multi­ talented Eddie, who has the sax, drums, and piano as his musical talents, as well as being a vocalist, played at The St Patrick's Festival Concert at London’s Royal Albert Hall in 1974. Eddie's chart­topping Dear God came when he was with Hugo Duncan and The Tallmen: "Other hits included Three Leaf Shamrock, and then the boys formed anoth­ er group Mighty Avons, fronted by Brendan Quinn, featuring members of The Breakaways and Hugo Duncan and The Tallmen” remembered Eddie.

"During my music career I toured around Britain during the sixties and seventies, with a pay packet of up to £200 a week! I recently had visits from John Bates and Leo Doran, two members of the bands, Mighty Avons and Hugo Duncan and The Tallmen. It was great to see them and catch up on old times.

Life's great living in Spain, and Los Montesinos is a beautiful place. We love it here. I couldn't ask for anything more."

The Torrevieja homeless charity, Reach Out, have opened their brand new shop in the Accequion area of the city, offering plenty of pre­Xmas bargains. You’ll find the store on Calle Doña Sinforosa 8, and is open for busi­ ness on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday between 10.00am and 2.00pm. The shop is a crucial part of keeping the work of Reach Out going, and they are always after any of your unused items.

Reach Out gives out over 400 Euros a week on food, cleaning and hygiene prod­ ucts to our local families every week. They

serve up to 40 breakfasts and over 50 lunch­ es 6 days a week, plus they help out with things like bus fares, medication, bottled gas, children's school lunches and much more. They’ve recently had some much needed food donations from the Torrevieja Costa Blanca Lions (huge freezer and 500 Euros worth of food); The Ladies who Lunch (500 Euros worth of Carrefour vouchers and lots of toiletries); The Barbershop Harmonisers (500 Euros of food and clean­ ing products), and the Scandinavian Odd Fellows.

The Quesada Country Club gave the Elche Children’s Home a fantastic pre­ Christmas gift with a cheque for 1,500 Euros at their recent Black and White night. The club’s owner Anita Patrick pre­ sented the money to Annette English from the Home, and there was even more, with an anonymous gift of 1000 Euros, plus a top up of 500 to take the grand total up to 3 thousand Euros. The event was spon­

sored by Spanish Life Properties, who have decided to make the Children’s Home their designated charity for 2014. Kellie Callaghan and Mark Roscoe from the com­ pany have also come up with “The Smarties” project, where they are looking for as many people as possible to take tubes of the famous sweet, and once they’ve eaten them, then they fill them up with 20 cent coins.

SMARTIE PANTS

CHRISTMAS CHEER

Torrevieja’s English speaking churches are getting together to celebrate Christmas with a special night this Wednesday(December 11th) at the Torrevieja Christian Fellowship. Doors open at 6.30pm for the 7.00pm concert which will feature the talents of the Crescendo International Choir(pictured) and Just Brass.

Entry is free of charge with a collection going to the APANEE Children’s Charity.

There will also be a drop off point available for anyone who wishes to bring food items or warm clothing for distribution to the homeless and hungry of Torrevieja via the Reach Out charity. The Fellowship Centre is on Avenida de las Cortes Valencianas 68, opposite the Maxi Dia store.

BUTTERFLY PRIZE

The Butterfly Children’s Charity was pleased to give out the prizes for their November raffle, with Janine Turner the winner of the Canterbury Rugby shirt. A fresh batch of tickets are on sale for the December raffle which will very much have a Christmas feel about it. The charity shop in Pueblo Bravo, Rojales is selling them, and you can get more details about the Butterfly Children at www.debra.es

TOP OF THE LOT!

77 people had a great time at the HELP MMM Friendship Group Christmas lunch at the Puerto Tres restaurant in Los Alcazares. Not only did they enjoy a 3­course meal but everybody was pre­ sented with a small “Santa” present. There was also a presentation to those with a birthday between the ages of 55 and 85, with Roy Merrett (pictured with his wife Sheila) topping the shop at 85!

Friday, December 6, 2013

31

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Friday, December 6, 2013

Horoscopes Aries March 21 ­ April 19 Today will be lighthearted ­ and just in time, too. Life was getting serious there for a while. Smile and try to go outside your normal routine. What's the point of work­ ing so hard if you only reward yourself by slumping in a chair at home? Go for a ride in the country for an hour or two instead. It would do you good.

Taurus April 20 ­ May 20 It's true that you aren't ten anymore, but who's to say you can't go back to your childhood now and again? Without going so far as to play hopscotch in the street or instigate a food fight in your favorite restaurant, go see some friends for some laughs. You've been working hard for a long time now and deserve a bit of fun.

Don't hesitate.

Gemini May 21 ­ June 20 You may be feeling way too serious at the moment. Whether you know it or not, you're in dire need of cheering up. If some­ one invites you to a comedy club, go. It may take you a while to get into it, but you'll end the evening laughing. It will be the best night of your month. If you can, stop second­guessing yourself.

Cancer June 21 ­ July 22 New winds will begin to blow away the black clouds that have been hovering over you lately. What more could you want? Today will seem like a walk in the park compared to days past! You'll breathe better and come home feeling rested. Try to interact more with the people around you. They will appreciate it if you express genuine interest in their opin­ ions.

By Pandora Leo July 23 ­ August 22 Drop the conclusions you've reached concerning your work at the moment.

Like it or not, life is going to throw you a curveball. Normally, you wouldn't consid­ er the sorts of propositions that people will make to you now. The ideas may seem crazy and out of line with who you are. They may be crazy, yes, but they aren't out of the question!

Virgo August 23 ­ September 22 It looks like you're making headway again. Now that you're planning for the future, you could enroll in an educational program or take a trip. Don't be so daz­ zled by today's bright outlook that you for­ get the business at hand. Accept this day for what it is ­ a brief respite amid the chaos. Tomorrow you'll return to your work refreshed.

Libra September 23 ­ October 22 You can look forward to a bright day.

What a relief it will be after the tension of the past several days. This would be a good time to confide in a close friend. It will help relieve some of the pressure you've been feeling inside. Be careful not to relax completely. If you do, you may not be able to get out of bed!

Scorpio October 23 ­ November 21 It's a relief when the hostilities subside, isn't it? It has seemed like people have repeatedly slammed doors in your face.

But today a visit or encounter will unlock some mysteries for you. Will your prob­ lems finally be solved? If you're committed to unEarthing your originality, you'll be ful­ filled.

Sagittarius November 22 ­ December 21 There's something blossoming inside you today. The heavy pressure of the past sev­ eral days has ebbed, and you're able to go about your business with a lighter heart. It would be a good idea to pay more atten­ tion to your body. Try to schedule more aerobic exercise and cut down on fats and sugars. Start some healthier habits.

Capricorn December 22 ­ January 19 The last several days have been a bit of an ordeal, so you could be surprised by the brightness of the day ahead.

Although you may not be trying to assert yourself any more than usual, you'll receive compliments and congratulations from many sources. Baffling, isn't it? Take advantage of the joys ahead without sub­ jecting them to too much scrutiny.

Aquarius January 20 ­ February 18 You'll enjoy the gentleness and relaxation today offers. You'll be more talkative than usual. This interlude will give you an opportunity to refresh yourself by spend­ ing some quality time with family. You have strong intuition. Listen to it, as it will advise you wisely.

Pisces February 19 ­ March 20 This may be a laid­back day for you, but a period of calm will do you a lot of good.

You could lounge around in a park and let your imagination go. Today's astral config­ uration will make you dream and remem­ ber your childhood. Rather than stressing about all that isn't getting done, why not go with the flow for a change?

33

Friday, December 6, 2013

Saab to resume making cars in Sweden Saab will restart pro­ duction on Monday as the firm's new owners look to get the carmak­ er back on track.

Saab went bankrupt in December 2011 and was bought by a Chinese­Swedish investment group, National Electric Vehicle Sweden (Nevs), last year.

The carmaker will restart production of its 9­3 sedan model at its Trollhattan factory in western Sweden.

The firm will initially make a petrol­pow­ ered version of the car with the aim of launching an electric version later.

"It's very similar, you can't change or develop very much in a year. We acquired the assets in August last year," Mikael Oestlund, a spokesman for Nevs was quoted as saying by the AFP news

agency.

"Our focus has been to get the co­operation up and running with 400 sup­ pliers and ensure the facil­ ities were working."

Slow and steady

Saab has seen mixed for­ tunes over the past few years.

US carmaker General Motors (GM) bought a 50%

stake and management control of the firm in 1989, and gained full ownership in 2000.

The Swedish company's car sales peaked at 133,000 cars in 2006. But then it saw its fortunes dwindle with sales falling to 93,000 cars in 2008 and just 27,000 in 2009.

To make matters worse,

GM itself sought bankruptcy protec­ tion as the global financial crisis unfolded, forcing the US company to dis­ pose of assets.

GM sold Saab to Dutch group Spyker, which in turn eventu­ ally sold the firm to Nevs in June last year. The new owners have said they want to focus on electric cars as they look to revive the brand.

However, Mr Oestlund said that initial pro­ duction would be modest.

"We don't want to make promises or forecasts we don't know we can fulfil," he said.

"We are humble and say we'll start the production volume with low figures and be able to increase over time according to the market's demand."

27% would drive into floodwater A DEVIL­MAY­CARE attitude amongst drivers is common­ place when it comes to flooded roads, according to a survey.

Nearly 2% would ignore a road­closed sign, while 42% would blindly follow the vehicle in front if it managed to cross a flooded road successfully, the poll shows.

Around a quarter of drivers (27%) would attempt to go through moving floodwater nearly 12in (30cm) deep, accord­ ing to the Populus survey conducted for the Environment Agency and the AA. Both the agency and the motoring group strongly advise not entering floodwater that is moving or is more than 4in (10cm) deep.

Those living in the North East are most cavalier about driving through deeply flooded roads, with men and those aged 55­ 64 most likely to attempt to negotiate high water­level routes, the survey suggests.

The poll results are based on responses from 21,165 AA members.

Phil Rothwell, head of flood strategy and engagement at the Environment Agency, said: "Tragically, people die because they've taken risks and attempted to drive through floodwater just to save a few minutes. Floodwater is dangerous, dirty and it can carry disease.

"If there is widespread flooding in your area then don't travel and if a road is closed then turn around and make a detour.

Your journey could take you a little longer but making the right decision could ultimately save your life.

Darron Burness, head of the AA's flood rescue team, said: "The 9,000 vehicles driven into floodwater that the AA attend­ ed last year tell only half the story. There are thousands of other drivers who, perhaps unwittingly, came so close to coming a cropper."

Experience pays with Willem cars

WILLEM CARS: ­ YOUR SECOND HAND CAR DEALER ON THE COSTA BLANCA. WE HAVE OVER 35 YEARS OF EXPERI­ ENCE IN THE TRADE! It’s easy as far as Willem Cars are con­ cerned. Have a look at the rest, and then come to us for the best service that you can trust.

We have over 40 vehicles always in stock, and they have all the necessary documenta­ tion, including warranty and that all important ITV certificate. We’ll pay you in cash for vehi­ cles in good condition, and that includes motorhomes and vans, and we’ll also offer part exchange deals, even on cars with for­ eign plates. We don’t waste your time if you buy a car from us, as we’ll fix all the paper­ work, including the insurance, so that you can legally drive away with your new car!!

We are agents for Linea Directa (the Spanish equivalent of Direct Line), or if want to use another insurance company, then we’ll sort that out for you!

Willem Cars have a good long track record in the area. That means with the help of our sales team, we can do a deal of finding you the car that you want for the price that you want. We have new cars coming into our garage every week, so it’s worth keeping in

touch with us to see what we have and don’t forget that all vehicles are welcome for part­ exchange deals.

Do feel happy to pop in for a free no obli­ gation estimate on your car or anything in part­exchange. And if you need help with getting your car through the ITV test, then we’ll help you with that as well. Ask for Pieter and Hilde, who will give you all the help you need, and a free cup of coffee as well, as we give you a hassle­free experi­ ence.

Please call us on 965­419­508 or you can e­mail us of course: info@willemcars.com Located at the N332, our office is in La Marina: ­ Ctra Alicante­Cartagena KM 80.

Directions: Coming from Alicante: We are on the N­332: you take the exit La Marina Playa (next exit after Santa Pola) You will find us directly at the Petronor Gas station on the left Coming from Torrevieja on the N­332 Follow the N332 towards Alicante. Take the exit La Marina Playa Drive through the village La Marina towards Santa Pola (approx. 5 km).

We are approx. 1km on the right after you leave the village of La Marina. (Sign end la Marina) next to Petronor Gas station.

34

Friday, December 6, 2013

UK’S TOP 10 ‘SILLY’ SHINY HEADLAMPS MOTORING MISTAKES REGAIN YOUR

In stark contrast to recent insurance data that revealed Greater London as the safest place to drive, a new survey of motorists suggests Renault Clio driv­ ers in London are the most careless in the UK. While the previous claim was based on real­world data collated from an insur­ ance company’s driving safety app, this new result comes from VoucherCodesPro.co.uk, which polled 2,831 car owners about their driving habits.

The website was apparently prompted to begin making enquiries when it noticed an increase in searches relating to car repairs over the last 12 months.

The results trace not only the worst drivers – and what kind of car they drive – but also ‘the most common careless motoring mistakes’.

71% of Londoners and 68% of respon­ dents from Kent said they made a care­ less motoring mistake at least once a week, compared to only 9% of those from Newcastle and 5% of drivers from Scotland.

67% of those who admitted to making an error ‘regularly’ (once a week) appar­ ently drive a Renault Clio, which is quite a startling quirk of these statis­ tics.

As for those least likely to admit to making mistakes, they drive Vauxhall Corsas – just 3% confessed to regular failings.

All of the UK car owners surveyed were 18 and over, and had held their licence for at least six months.

These are the 10 most common ‘silly’ mistakes they then admitted to making: 10 I often look at my reflection in the

rear view mirror whilst driving, distract­ ing me from the roads (11%) 9 I often pull away at roundabouts when I don’t realistically have enough time to safely drive off (18%) 8 When filling my car up with petrol I forget which side the petrol cap is located on the car (26%) 7 I forget to put the handbrake on before attempting a hill start, and either stall the car or start going backwards before accelerating (32%) 6 I forget to change gear when stopping at traffic lights / junctions, then when I try to accelerate, my car struggles to pull off and / or stalls (36%) 5 I forget to turn on my headlights when starting journeys in the dark, and only remember when prompted by other motorists (46%) 4 I forget which lane I need to be in on a roundabout, and find myself driving around it numerous times before find­ ing my exit (54%) 3 I often speed up when I see an amber traffic light, instead of slowing down as required (59%) 2 When attempting to turn on my wind­ screen wipers, I confuse them with switching on my indicators, and vice versa (68%) 1 When driving in the dark, I forget to turn off my full beam headlights when I see cars driving towards me in the opposite direction (76%) Some of those look more dangerous than silly to us, and as with all surveys of this type we probably need to take the figures with a pinch of salt.

But are you prepared to admit to silly motoring mistakes – and do you drive a Renault Clio?

SPARKLE

It is important to ensure that headlamps conform to Spanish Legal requirements in order for the vehicle to pass its ITV (MOT).

When motorists find out that their vehicle needs new headlamps due to them being yellowed and faded by the hot sun this can be an expensive and unexpected shock.

This is where The Headlamp Exchange comes in. A unique formula has been devel­ oped to renovate dull, dirty, yellowed and faded headlamps like new. This service can be provided at a fraction of the cost of new headlamps. This method is proving extremely popular and saving people the expense if buying new head lamps.

The Headlamp Exchange has been in La Marina Village now for many years ­ in fact we are celebrating our 10 years in business this year! As a motoring business we are happy to help you with your vehicles from

re­registration of your vehicle and all mechanical work, to LHD headlights and of course, our speciality ­ headlight cleaning.

Large stocks of LHD Headlamps in stock, all makes – also RHD lamps available. We can help you, if we can’t do it, then it can’t be done!

With others you will pay every 6 months.

With Shiny Lamps you pay only ONCE and our product lasts for up to 4 years. ''The originals'' established for over 10 years. Call into our offices in La Marina Village for a quote.

Our office is very easy to find on the main street of the Village, next door to Montemar Hotel. Shiny Lamps are now covering the Mar Menor and Pilar Areas in their mobile unit. For further details and information please telephone 965419769 or 646730507.

Friday, December 6, 2013

35

36

Friday, December 6, 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, 1 represents G and 12 represents C, 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 Break into pieces (5) 4 Rely on (6) 9 Flyer (7) 10 Extreme confusion (5) 11 Look for (4) 12 Inspect (7) 13/18 Hallux (3,3) 14 Immense (4) 16 Computer nerd (4) 18 See 13 20 Aged (7) 21 Thought (4) 24 Fear (5) 25 Lift (7) 26 Fails to hit (6) 27 Snares (5)

1 Thinly scattered (6) 2 Similar (5) 3 Dislike (4) 5 Replace (8) 6 Deliberately vague (7) 7 Cloth for cleaning (6) 8 Norwegian composer (5) 13 Be resentful of (8) 15 Strip (7) 17 Rarely (6) 18 Hoops that cover wheels (5) 19 Stroke lightly (6) 22 Play (5) 23 Hit (4)

Last weeks Solution

Across: 1 Swim, 4 Fast, 9 Opinion, 10 Minor, 11 Elect, 12 Terrify, 13 Nephew, 15 Scream, 19 Parable, 21 Roots, 23 Links, 24 Avarice, 25 Pass, 26 None.

Down: 2 Whistle, 3 Minute, 4 Femur, 5 Sunrise, 6 Govern, 7 Dine, 8 Pray, 14 Piranha, 16 Curtain, 17 Master, 18 Remain, 19 Pale, 20 Basis, 22 Omit.

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 They like to be heard in coves I find (6) 5 Will, from the rear, looks dowdy (4) 9 Allow rent (3) 10 Law­breaking flourish (5,4) 11 Guarantee semi­pro organisation (7) 12 Holy man not at home with drink (5) 13 Places church in takeover (6) 15 Found time went quick­ ly (6) 19 Ensemble is of a capital city (5) 21 To reduce consumption is no good (7) 23 Waterproofs from Croatians (9) 24 Goods vehicle seen in the servants’ quarters (3) 25 Arouse feelings in prison (4) 26 Resent change of name (6)

Down 2 Writes about posture in frontier settlement (7) 3 Note start of play involves plants (5) 4 Transparencies of play­ ground structures (6) 5 Actor’s assistant’s bureau (7) 6 Doctor is after a Los Angeles mission (5) 7 Make a mistake with undergarment raised (4,2) 8 Its purpose in sport is to eliminate passion (4) 14 Dachau certainly held a famous poet (7) 16 Chops a hundred pages (7) 17 No digs involved in administering drugs (6) 18 Dog consumed a minis­ ter (6) 19 Angry famous statue is returned (4) 20 A very hard stone to find in Wales (5) 22 Quintessentially in German town (5)

Down STANDARD CLUES 2 Distant settlement (7) Across 1 Articulates (6) 3 Desert growth (5) 4 Moves smoothly (6) 5 Bland (4) 5 Bedroom furniture piece 9 Allow (3) 10 Surge in lawlessness (7) 6 Famous US massacre (5) (5,4) 7 Make a mistake (4,2) 11 Make a pledge (7) 8 Form of energy (4) 12 Full­bodied ale (5) 14 Medieval English poet 13 Coup d'état (6) (7) 15 Copied (6) 16 Splits apart (7) 19 Capital of Bulgaria (5) 17 Medicating (6) 21 Futile (7) 18 Clergyman (6) 23 Wet­weather wear (9) 19 Hurting (4) 24 Cargo carrier (3) 20 Hard quartz (5) 25 Begin to wake (4) 22 German city on the Ruhr 26 Author Hemingway (6) (5) Last weeks Solution Across: 1 Golf, 4 Nash, 9 Heels, 10 Profile, 11 Moo, 12 Over there, 13 Attune, 14 Hassle, 18 Versatile, 21 Cow, 23 Retouch, 24 Guide, 25 Stir, 26 Rank.

Down: 2 Open out, 3 Festoon, 4 Nipper, 5 Sport, 6 Chum, 7 Bite, 8 Severe, 13 Adverb, 15 Avenger, 16 Section, 17 Zither, 19 Rota, 20 Adult, 22 Wren.

FILL IT IN

Complete the crossword grid by using the given words:

3 letter words Alp Dam Dot Ego Etc Eye Fir Lea Nut Ode Opt Yes 4 letter words Ally Aloe Arts

Blue Boat Cash Clue Deed Dive Edge Elms Else Eyes Face Idol Limy Lore Loss Love Pale Pear Quiz

Rise Roes Rote Sage Sand Slop Spit Spot Stem Tire Toes Trod Twee Unit 5 letter words Adieu Alloy Cause

Costs Dealt Deeds Drops Ducat Elect Embed Igloo Inane Silty Solve Souls Spite Trail Traps Tress Vista Yours Zeros

6 letter words Edible Ethics Redact Serial Teacup Triple 7 letter words Antique Distort Sawdust Similar 8 letter words Scruples Spirited

SPANISH-ENGLISH CROSSWORD

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

Across 1 Aceptar (oferta, prop­ uesta, dimisión) (6) 4 Goose (domestic) (5) 9 Waterfall (7) 10 Spy (5) 11 Bears (animals) (4) 12 Mammal (8) 14 Sage (herb) (6) 16 Panaderos (6) 19 Pulsera (8) 20 Expensive (4) 23 Melodías (5) 24 Trapecio (en gimna­ sia, circo) (7) 25 Latón (metal) (5) 26 Skirts (6)

Down 1 Anchovies (salted, tinned) (7) 2 Helmet (5) 3 Pera (4) 5 Estadounidense (8) 6 Blowlamp (7) 7 Ensalada (5) 8 Hand (part of body) (4) 13 Enfermedades (agentes concretos) (8) 15 Principante (aprendiz) (7) 17 Chubascos (7) 18 Deudas (obliga­ ciones) (5) 19 Baño (en bañera) (4) 21 Delante (5) 22 Frog (4)

37

Friday, December 6, 2013 Across 1 Ulmus americana is the botanical name of which large, ornamental tree with graceful gradually spread­ ing branches common in eastern North America?

(4,3) 7 What was the surname of the Italian composer whose operas include Nabucco, Rigoletto, La Traviata, Otello and Aida?

(5) 8 Which form of poetry that does not rhyme or have a regular rhythm is also called vers libre? (4,5) 9 Which type of subma­ chine gun that is designed and manufactured in Israel, is used throughout the world as a police and spe­ cial forces firearm? (3) 10 The biblical ‘garden of God’, as described in the Book of Genesis, is also known as the ‘Garden of (What)? (4)

11 What word meaning ‘a large indefinite number’ is derived from the Greek for ‘10 thousand’? (6) 13 Which verb means ‘to restrict the consumption of a relatively scarce commod­ ity, as during war’? (6) 14 In physics, what name is given to the units of ener­ gy or work? (6) 17 In Roman mythology, what was the name of god­ dess of the dawn (6) 18 What name is given to a raised platform at one end of a hall, usually reserved for officers, dignitaries, or speakers? (4) 19/5 John Simon Ritchie was the real name of which notorious punk rocker?

(3,7) 22 Carthorse is an ana­ gram of which name for a large group of musicians?

(9) 23 What is the name of the fruit of the oak tree? (5)

SUDOKU (Hard)

Quiz Word

24 Which word can pre­ cede: chance, money, out, spacing, handed and song (4)

Down 1 Which type of gun, especially one fired from

shoulder level, has a long spirally grooved barrel intended to make a bullet spin and thereby have greater accuracy over a long distance? (5) 1/4 Which British writer, broadcaster and politician who died in 2009, was the Member of Parliament for North East Cambridgeshire from 1983 to 1987? (7,5) 3 According to philoso­ pher Bertrand Russell, which of the Seven Deadly Sins was ‘one of the most potent causes of unhappi­ ness’? (4) 4 Historically, what name is usually applied to a per­ son who dies for his or her religious faith? (6) 5 See 2 6 See 20 Across 7 What name is given to the edible flesh of a game animal, especially a deer?

(7) 12 Which name is shared

by an American form of whiskey, an important European royal house and a chocolate biscuit? (7) 13 What nationality are the chess grandmasters Anatoly Karpov and Garry Kasparov? (7) 15 What name is given to a small roughly­made build­ ing that is built against the side of a larger building? (4­ 2) 16 In ancient Greece, what name was given to a priest or priestess who made statements about future events? (6) 17 What is the Spanish word for ‘goodbye’? (5) 19 Which word can pre­ cede: age, station, walk, craft, man, ship and suit?

(5) 21 What name is given to the part of a cell in a living thing that controls its physi­ cal characteristics, growth, and development? (4)

SALLY’S SIMPLE SPANISH

CARNE Y PESCADO­MEAT AND FISH Match these words with their Spanish translations then find them in the wordsearch.

(Answers below)

general QUIZ

ANSEWRS: 1. Sleuth 2. Gottlieb Daimler 3. Double Bladed Axe 4. Iris Murdoch 5. Yugoslavia and Czechoslovakia 6.

A mushroom 7. Chad and Libya 8. Chamomile 9. Save the Children 10. J.M.W. Turner 11. Protagoras 12. Mona Lisa

Last Week’s Solutions Code Cracker Last weeks Quiz Word Solution Across: 1 Sorrow, 4 Diameter, 9 Rouge, 10 Holy Grail, 11 Peel, 12 Bros, 13 Socks, 15 Estuary, 16 Fore, 19 Rice, 20 Cathode, 23 Rumba, 24 Kiln, 25 Over, 27 Tributary, 28 Banns, 29 Contempt, 30 Debris.

Down: 1 Shrapnel, 2 Roulette, 3 Oder, 5 Isles of Scilly, 6 Magistrate, 7 Thatch, 8 Relish, 10 Harry Redknapp, 14 Caricature, 17 Souvenir, 18 Neurosis, 21 Arctic, 22 Amnion, 26 Oboe.

la carne de res

el cerdo

la carne molida

el conejo

la chuleta

el cordero

la langosta

el jamon

la salchicha

el pato

las almejas

el pavo

los camarones

el pescado

la ternera

el pollo

los mariscos

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

1.asado, 2.el cerdo, 3.el conejo,

15.la salchicha, 16.las almejas,

j.mince, k.the lamb, l.the chop,

4.el cordero, 5.el jamon,

17.los camarones, 18.la ternera,

m.the shellfish, n.the turkey,

6.el pato, 7.el pavo,

19.los mariscos

o.the bacon, p.the clams,

8.el pescado, 9.el pollo,

a.the shrimps, b.the ham,

q.the rabbit, r.the fish, s.veal.

10.el tocino, 11.la carne de res,

c.the sausage, d.the pork,

12.la carne molida,

e.the duck, f.the beef, g.roast,

13.la chuleta, 14.la langosta,

h.the lobster, i.the chicken,

Soduko

Span ­ Eng

Quizword

Answers: 1g, 2d, 3q, 4k, 5b, 6e, 7n, 8r, 9i, 10o, 11f, 12j, 13l, 14h, 15c, 16p, 17a, 18s, 19m.

1. What is the collective noun for 'Bears'?

2. Who designed the first modern petrol­driven internal combustion engine for the car?

3. What type of weapon is a 'Twibill'?

4. Who won the 1978 'Booker Prize' with the novel 'The Sea, The Sea'?

5. Which two new European countries were formed after the First World War? 6. What is a 'hen of the woods'?

7. Name either of the two countries who fought in the 'Toyota War' of 1986­87?

8. Which particular type of tea is especially associated with health benefits regarding anxiety and sleeping problems?

9. Which major British charity was founded by Eglantine Jebb and her sister Dorothy Buxton in 1919?

10. Which artist painted the Fighting Temeraire?

11. Which philosopher was the first proponent of moral relativism, his maxim being "Man is the measure of all things"?

12. 'La Giaconda' is better known as what?

asado

Fill It In

38

Friday, December 6, 2013

TRELI ON THE TELLY SPARE A COPPER

medical dramas at us, we don’t have a cop show that we can get attached to. It’s not rocket science, and the Yanks do it well, along with It baffles me why UK TV most European countries. For bosses can’t seem to come example, back for a fourth up with a long running series on Sky Atlantic is Blue police drama?

Bloods starring Tom Selleck, I’ve bemoaned regularly which is an amiable enough that ITV was wrong to axe hour with a good cast and a The Bill a few years ago, and family­back story running whilst all the channels fling through it. It‘s not Pulitzer

with ALEX TRELINSKI

Prize winning stuff, but a reli­ The Fall. able watch for 20 odd weeks, Likewise in politics, we which makes me wonder why have the same problem. there isn’t a British cop show More 4 last week finished that we can attach ourselves screening the 2nd run of the to for the next decade? It is entertainingly over the top strange that the country that political conspiracy thriller, brought us Dixon, Z Cars, Scandal, which is the most Softly Softly, The Sweeney, popular drama on ABC in and The Bill has nothing in the America. It’s the same coun­ cupboard to bring us, and I try that brought the genius don’t count the excellent short show The West Wing, and dramas like Broadchurch or now on BBC Four, I’m totally hooked on the Saturday night Danish hit, Borgen, which is sadly just over a week from ending for good. For all the British psyche with politics, all we ever got that was truly memorable was the serialisa­ tion of the House of Cards tril­ ogy over two decades ago on BBC1, but perhaps there is some hope? Borgen’s cre­ ator, Adam Price is now work­ ing with the House of Cards author, Michael Dobbs on a new hush­hush project, which I presume is for a British channel. I hope so, because the Europeans and Americans are ruling the roost in two drama areas that UK

q

TV could really do a lot better at these days.

q

Putting politics and gross over­spending aside, it was sad to see the screens go black for the Valencian public regional channels Nou and Nou 24 last Friday. Viewers surely deserve something better across the region than infomercials, tarot card read­ ers, and spinning casino wheels provided by the two remaining bargain basement commercial operators.

q

I much prefer John Michie as the new boss on Holby City compared to his

oily character, Karl on Corrie, with his poor Northern accent.

Michie for me will always be Robbie Ross on Taggart (I miss that cop show as well), but he looks a lot more com­ fortable in the Holby corridors than on the Weatherfield cob­ bles. And a quick passing word on Jimmy Akingbola, who sadly left Holby last week, with his character of Malick going off to start a new life in Sweden. He gave us one of the very few portrayals of a gay character that I’d seen on British TV that was not a stereotyped succession of clichés and limp wrists.

The Courier Friday TV 00:35 This Week 01:20 Skiing Weatherview 01:25 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Heir Hunters 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Caught Red Handed 12:30 Operation Hospital Food 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News; Weather 14:30 Regional News and Weather 14:45 Doctors 15:15 The Doctor Blake Mysteries 16:10 Pressure Pad 16:55 Escape to the Country 17:40 Flog It! 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News 19:30 BBC London News 20:00 The One Show 20:30 A Question of Sport 21:00 Robbie Williams: One Night at the Palladium 22:00 Have I Got News for You 22:30 Live at the Apollo 23:00 BBC News 23:25 National Lottery Update 23:35 The Graham Norton Show

00:20 01:10 02:10 02:40 05:00 05:30 06:00

Snooker: UK Championship Tudor Monastery Farm Panorama This Is BBC Two Schools: How to Build Schools ­ The Imagineers Schools: Your Paintings

06:25 Schools: Your Paintings 06:55 Wonders of Nature: Meerkats ­ Friendship 07:00 Homes Under the Hammer 08:00 Caught Red Handed 08:30 Operation Hospital Food 09:15 Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 10:00 Natural World 11:00 Question Time 12:00 BBC News 12:30 BBC World News 13:00 Daily Politics 14:00 Live Snooker: UK Championship 17:30 Match of the Day 18:45 Priceless Antiques Roadshow 19:00 Eggheads 19:30 Strictly Come Dancing ­ It Takes Two 20:00 Live Snooker: UK Championship 21:00 Mastermind 21:30 Kangaroo Dundee 22:00 Wild Burma: Nature's Lost Kingdom 23:00 QI 23:30 Newsnight

00:40 01:05 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 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 21:30 22:00 Here!

23:30

Wild Britain with Ray Mears Jackpot247 The Jeremy Kyle Show USA ITV Nightscreen The Jeremy Kyle Show Daybreak Lorraine The Jeremy Kyle Show This Morning Loose Women ITV News and Weather ITV News Meridian 60 Minute Makeover Dickinson's Real Deal ITV Meridian Weather Show Me the Telly The Paul O'Grady Show ITV News Meridian ITV News and Weather Emmerdale Coronation Street Off the Beaten Track Coronation Street I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of ITV News and Weather

THE LAST OF THE MOHICANS Period adventure inspired by James Fenimore Cooper's classic novel, starring Daniel Day­Lewis and Madeleine Stowe. Hawkeye and Uncas are the sons of Chingachgook. They fight as mercenaries in the power struggle between the French and British in the New World, but suddenly find them­ selves involved in bitter intrigue and betrayal, where far more than land is at stake.

00:05 Gogglebox 00:50 24 Hours in A&E 01:55 One Born: What Happened Next?

02:50 Random Acts 02:55 Secret History 03:50 SuperScrimpers 04:45 Deal or No Deal 05:40 Countdown 06:25 Baking Mad with Eric Lanlard 06:50 River Cottage Bites 07:10 According to Jim 08:00 Will & Grace 08:55 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 11:00 Ruth Watson Means Business!

12:00 Kirstie's Handmade Christmas 13:00 Channel 4 News Summary 13:05 Come Dine with Me 15:10 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 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 Stephen Hawking in Brief 21:00 Jimmy's Grow Your Own Christmas Dinner 22:00 8 Out of 10 Cats 23:00 Alan Carr: Chatty Man

December 6

00:00 Myra Hindley: The Untold Story 01:00 SuperCasino 04:05 Arctic Icebreakers 04:55 House Doctor 05:45 Divine Designs 06:10 Wildlife SOS 06:35 Michaela's Wild Challenge 07:00 Bananas in Pyjamas 07:10 Igam Ogam 07:20 Fireman Sam 07:35 The WotWots 07:45 Peppa Pig 07:50 Milkshake! Bop Box 07:55 Milkshake! Monkey 08:00 Little Princess 08:10 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 08:20 The Mr Men Show 08:40 Thomas & Friends 08:50 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Little Lodgers 09:05 Fifi and the Flowertots 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:35 Toby's Travelling Circus 09:45 Milkshake! Show Songs 09:50 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 Eddie Stobart: Trucks and Trailers 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 World's 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 NCIS 16:15 The Christmas Pageant 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 NewsTalk Live 20:00 Monster Moves 21:00 Eddie Stobart: Trucks and Trailers 22:00 The Last of the Mohicans

39

The Courier Saturday TV

December 7

03:30 The Paradise 04:30 This Is BBC Two

00:20 Bluestone 42 00:50 Honeymoon in Vegas

07:00 This Is BBC Two 08:10 The Stars Look Down

02:25 Weatherview

09:45 The Captive Heart

02:30 BBC News

11:20 The Sky at Night

07:00 Breakfast 11:00 Saturday Kitchen Live

11:40 Reel History of Britain 12:10 The Life of Birds

12:30 Food & Drink

13:00 Paul Hollywood's Pies & Puds

13:00 Football Focus

13:45 Paul Hollywood's Pies & Puds

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

14:30 The A to Z of TV Cooking 15:15 EastEnders

and Weather 14:15 Live Snooker: UK

17:05 Coast 17:30 Live Snooker: UK

Championship

Championship

17:30 Final Score

18:30 Flog It!

18:10 My Family 19:00 BBC News; Regional News

19:30 Dad's Army 20:00 Live Snooker: UK

and Weather 19:20 Pointless Celebrities 20:10 Strictly Come Dancing

Championship 23:00 QI XL 23:45 AI: Artificial Intelligence

21:15 Atlantis

00:00 ITV News Meridian 00:10 The Grudge 2 02:00 Jackpot247 04:00 Columbo: Undercover 05:35 ITV Nightscreen 07:00 Babar and the Adventures of Badou 07:10 The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That 07:35 Dino Dan 08:00 Canimals 08:15 Text Santa: Help with Hattitude 08:25 Sooty 08:35 Horrid Henry 08:45 Text Santa: Help with Hattitude 08:50 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 09:15 Bottom Knocker Street 09:30 Munch Box 10:25 ITV News 10:30 The Home of Fabulous Cakes 11:30 Murder, She Wrote 12:30 ITV News and Weather 12:39 ITV Meridian Weather 12:40 Surprise Surprise 13:40 Doc Martin 14:45 Babe 16:25 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 19:20 ITV Meridian Weather 19:30 ITV News and Weather 19:45 New You've Been Framed!

20:15 The Chase 21:15 The X Factor 22:45 I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!

23:45 The Jonathan Ross Show

00:10 Stand Up for the Week 00:55 Gogglebox 01:40 Random Acts 01:45 The Joneses 03:20 The Ricky Gervais Show 03:45 The Big C 04:15 2 Broke Girls 04:35 Don't Trust the B**** in Apartment 23 05:00 90210 05:40 Deal or No Deal 06:35 Baking Mad with Eric Lanlard 07:00 The Treacle People 07:10 The Hoobs 07:35 Triathlon 08:05 The Great Ethiopian Run 09:00 The Morning Line 10:00 The American Football Show 11:00 Frasier 12:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 12:30 The Big Bang Theory 13:30 The Simpsons 14:30 Channel 4 Racing 17:10 Come Dine with Me 17:40 Come Dine with Me 18:10 Come Dine with Me 18:40 Come Dine with Me 19:15 Come Dine with Me 19:45 Channel 4 News 20:15 Stephen Hawking: a Brief History of Mine 22:00 Unknown

UNKNOWN

22:00 Casualty 22:50 The National Lottery Live 23:00 BBC News; Weather 23:20 National Lottery Update

00:05 Snooker: UK Championship

Thriller starring Liam Neeson. While in Berlin for a biotechnology conference, scientist Dr Martin Harris is involved in a car accident that leaves him in a coma. He wakes up four days later with gaps in his memory and no identification, but then when he returns to his hotel, his wife Elizabeth says she's never met him before.

00:55 Darkness 02:30 Question Time

00:15 Revealed 01:15 SuperCasino 04:05 Monty Halls and 04:50 Motorsport Mundial 05:20 House Doctor 05:45 Divine Designs 06:10 Wildlife SOS 06:35 Michaela's Wild Challenge 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 09:15 The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill and His Best Friend Corky 09:30 Angelina Ballerina 09:45 Rupert Bear 10:00 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 10:15 Jelly Jamm 10:30 LazyTown 10:55 Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures 11:05 Power Rangers: Megaforce 11:40 Slugterra 12:05 Eddie Stobart: Trucks and Trailers 13:05 Stop! Police Interceptors 14:00 World's 15:00 It's Christmas, Carol!

16:45 Christmas Song 18:35 Matchmaker Santa 20:10 Road to Christmas 21:55 5 News Weekend 22:00 The Bible 23:55 A Perfect Christmas

The Courier Sunday TV

December 8

00:45 The Football League Show 01:20 Shank

02:00 Racing for Time 03:25 This Is BBC Two

02:50 Weatherview 02:55 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 08:30 Match of the Day 10:00 The Andrew Marr Show 11:00 Fern Britton Meets

07:00 This Is BBC Two 07:40 The Mouse That Roared 09:00 Life in a Cottage Garden with Carol Klein 09:30 Life in a Cottage Garden with

12:00 Sunday Politics

Carol Klein

13:15 MOTD2 Extra

10:00 Saturday Kitchen Best Bites

14:00 BBC News

11:30 Paul Hollywood's Pies & Puds

14:10 Weather for the Week Ahead 12:15 Paul Hollywood's Pies & Puds 14:15 Bargain Hunt

13:00 Live Athletics

15:15 Homes Under the Hammer

14:55 Live Snooker: UK

16:15 Escape to the Country

Championship

17:15 Nigel Slater's 12 Tastes of

19:00 Flog It!

Christmas

20:00 Live Snooker: UK

18:15 Songs of Praise

Championship

18:50 BBC News; Regional News and Weather 19:20 Countryfile 20:20 Strictly Come Dancing 21:00 The Paradise 22:00 Britain and the Sea 23:00 BBC News; Regional News and Weather 23:25 Match of the Day 2

00:50 ITV News and Weather 01:04 ITV Meridian Weather 01:05 FA Cup Football Highlights 02:00 Jackpot247 04:00 The Jeremy Kyle Show USA 04:45 ITV Nightscreen 07:00 Babar and the Adventures of Badou 07:10 The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That 07:35 Dino Dan 08:00 Canimals 08:15 Text Santa: Help with Hattitude 08:25 Sooty 08:35 Horrid Henry 08:45 Text Santa: Help with Hattitude 08:50 Victorious 09:15 Bottom Knocker Street 09:30 Fort Boyard Ultimate Challenge 10:25 ITV News 10:30 Storage Hoarders 11:30 Sunday Side Up 12:30 Sunday Scoop 13:30 ITV News and Weather 13:34 ITV Meridian Weather 13:35 Inside the National Trust 14:30 Live FA Cup Football 17:30 The X Factor 19:00 You've Been Framed!

19:30 ITV Meridian Weather 19:30 ITV News Meridian 19:45 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Coronation Street 21:00 The X Factor 22:00 I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!

23:05 ITV News and Weather 23:19 ITV Meridian Weather 23:20 FA Cup Football Highlights

HANNA Action thriller starring Cate Blanchett, Eric Bana and Saoirse Ronan. Teenager Hanna has never left her home in the Finnish wilderness and has spent years in isolation being trained to be the perfect assassin by her ex­CIA father Erik. But Erik has unfinished business with the Agency and so he leaves Hanna, who is soon forced to put her skills into practice to elude the murderous attentions of a ruthless intelligence officer.

00:20 02:40 03:25 05:35 06:15 07:10 07:35 08:30 09:00 09:30 10:00 10:30 13:30 14:00 14:30 15:00 15:35 16:05 16:40 18:25 20:30 21:00 22:00 23:00

Neds Stand Up for the Week Hollyoaks 90210 Deal or No Deal The Hoobs The American Football Show Triathlon Everybody Loves Raymond Frasier Frasier Sunday Brunch The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory The Simpsons The Simpsons The Simpsons Gadget Man City of Ember Home Alone Channel 4 News Secret History Homeland Hanna

01:35 SuperCasino 04:05 Blackbeard's Last Stand ­ Revealed 04:55 Wildlife SOS 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 07:40 The Mr Men Show 07:50 Chloe's Closet 08:00 Roobarb and Custard Too 08:10 Bananas in Pyjamas 08:20 Make Way for Noddy 08:35 Bert and Ernie's Great Adventures 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 09:40 Rupert Bear 09:55 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 10:15 Jelly Jamm 10:30 LazyTown 11:00 Power Rangers Samurai 11:35 Slugterra 12:00 Inside Hollywood 12:05 Cowboy Builders 13:00 Help for the Holidays 14:45 Secret Santa 16:30 The Goonies 18:50 Pearl Harbor 21:55 5 News Weekend 22:00 Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

40

The Courier Monday TV

December 9

00:30 The Good Shepherd 03:05 Weatherview 03:10 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Heir Hunters 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Caught Red Handed 12:30 Helicopter Heroes 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 Christmas Kitchen with James Martin 17:30 Flog It! 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News 19:30 BBC London News 20:00 The One Show 20:30 Fightback Britain 21:00 EastEnders 21:30 Panorama 22:00 Ripper Street 23:00 BBC News 23:25 Regional News and Weather 23:35 Have I Got a Bit More News for You

00:00 00:30 01:00 02:15 03:10 04:10 07:00 07:05 08:05

Hebburn Never Mind the Buzzcocks Donkeys Countryfile Holby City This Is BBC Two This Is BBC Two Homes Under the Hammer Caught Red Handed

08:35 Operation Hospital Food 09:20 Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 10:05 The House That £100K Built 11:05 Swansea Market 11:35 Click 12:00 BBC News 12:30 BBC World News 13:00 Daily Politics 14:00 One Man and His Campervan 14:30 Fred Dibnah's World of Steam, Steel and Stone 15:00 Cash in the Attic 15:45 Expedition Borneo 16:15 Orangutan Diary 16:45 Cagney & Lacey 17:30 Are You Being Served?

18:05 'Allo 'Allo!

18:30 Priceless Antiques Roadshow 19:00 Celebrity Eggheads 19:30 Strictly Come Dancing ­ It Takes Two 20:00 Great British Garden Revival 21:00 University Challenge 21:30 MasterChef: The Professionals 22:00 The Choir: Sing While You Work 23:00 Never Mind the Buzzcocks 23:30 Newsnight

00:05 Red Heat 02:00 The Store 04:00 Motorsport UK 04:50 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 60 Minute Makeover 16:00 Dickinson's Real Deal 16:59 ITV Meridian Weather 17:00 Show Me the Telly 18:00 The Paul O'Grady Show 19:00 ITV News Meridian 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 The Royal Variety Performance 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 ITV Meridian Weather 23:35 The Agenda

01:05 Fresh Meat 01:55 American Football Live 05:45 KOTV Boxing Weekly 06:15 Countdown 07:10 According to Jim 08:05 Will & Grace 08:55 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 11:00 Ruth Watson Means Business!

12:00 The Big Bang Theory 12:30 The Big Bang Theory 13:00 Channel 4 News Summary 13:05 Come Dine with Me 13:35 Come Dine with Me 14:05 Come Dine with Me 14:40 Come Dine with Me 15:10 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 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 Dispatches 21:30 Food Unwrapped 22:00 Liberty of London 23:00 Fresh Meat 23:50 Cardinal Burns

FRESH MEAT The housemates take part in a university protest organised by Oregon to demonstrate against the deportation of an attractive Tunisian man.

Meanwhile, Josie is taken hostage by Sabine during a PhD crisis, Vod has an unusually illuminating ther­ apy session that goes well beyond its designated duration, and JP's attempts to impress Sam begin to backfire.

01:00 Wrong Turn 02:35 SuperCasino 04:05 The Gadget Show 04:55 Wildlife SOS 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 Bananas in Pyjamas 07:10 Igam Ogam 07:20 Fireman Sam 07:35 The WotWots 07:45 Peppa Pig 07:50 Milkshake! Bop Box 07:55 Milkshake! Monkey 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 Little Lodgers 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:30 Toby's Travelling Circus 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 09:55 Olly the Little White Van 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 Eddie Stobart: Trucks and Trailers 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Wild Things with Dominic Monaghan 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 NCIS 16:15 Christmas Dance 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 NewsTalk Live 20:00 Tutankhamun: The Mystery Revealed 21:00 The Gadget Show 22:00 Monty Halls and 23:00 Hatfields & McCoys

The Courier Tuesday TV

December 10

00:20 01:05 01:10 07:00 10:15 11:00 12:00 12:30 13:15 14:00 14:30 14:45 15:15 16:00 16:45 Martin 17:30 18:15 19:00 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 22:00 23:00 23:25 23:35

The Graham Norton Show Weatherview BBC News Breakfast Heir Hunters Homes Under the Hammer Caught Red Handed Helicopter Heroes Bargain Hunt BBC News; Weather Regional News and Weather Doctors Perfection Escape to the Country Christmas Kitchen with James Flog It! Pointless BBC News BBC London News The One Show EastEnders Holby City Last Tango in Halifax BBC News Regional News and Weather Imagine

01:50 A Very English Education 02:50 This Is BBC Two 05:00 Schools ­ The Strange Case of the Law 06:00 Schools ­ Roman Voices 06:25 Schools ­ Seeking Refuge 06:50 Schools ­ William Whiskerson: Bee Farm 07:00 This Is BBC Two 07:35 Homes Under the Hammer

08:35 Helicopter Heroes 09:20 Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 10:05 Antiques Roadshow 11:05 Britain's Empty Homes 11:35 HARDtalk 12:00 BBC News 12:30 BBC World News 13:00 Daily Politics 14:00 One Man and His Campervan 14:30 Fred Dibnah's World of Steam, Steel and Stone 15:00 Cash in the Attic 15:45 Expedition Borneo 16:15 Orangutan Diary 16:45 Cagney & Lacey 17:30 Are You Being Served?

18:05 'Allo 'Allo!

18:30 Priceless Antiques Roadshow 19:00 Celebrity Eggheads 19:30 Strictly Come Dancing ­ It Takes Two 20:00 Great British Garden Revival 21:00 MasterChef: The Professionals 22:00 Pilgrimage with Simon Reeve 23:00 Hebburn 23:30 Weather

00:10 Public Enemies 02:40 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 Meridian Weather 15:00 60 Minute Makeover 16:00 Dickinson's Real Deal 16:59 ITV Meridian Weather 17:00 Show Me the Telly 18:00 The Paul O'Grady Show 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 Meridian Weather 23:35 UEFA Champions League: Extra Time

HESTON’S GREAT BRITISH FOOD Heston Blumenthal celebrates Britain's iconic dishes, from roast beef and Yorkshires to pie and steamed puddings. He begins with fish and chips, discovering how the industrial age fuelled the pro­ liferation of chip shops and setting out to create imaginative meals. Inspired by Henry VIII's chefs, he prepares fake fish skin from truffle, madeira gel and sea urchin to rest on top of a piece of turbot, and also attempts to blend and batter an entire chippy menu down to just one bite.

00:25 Man Down 00:55 Alan Carr: Chatty Man 01:55 Random Acts 02:00 Monsieur Lazhar 03:40 Nashville 04:25 90210 05:05 Deal or No Deal 06:00 Countdown 06:45 Hugh's 3 Good Things: Best Bites 07:10 According to Jim 08:00 Will & Grace 08:50 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:55 Frasier 11:00 Ruth Watson Means Business!

12:00 The Big Bang Theory 12:35 The Big Bang Theory 13:00 Channel 4 News Summary 13:05 Celebrity Come Dine with Me 15:10 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 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 Obsessive Compulsive Cleaners 22:00 Heston's Great British Food 23:00 Masters of Sex

01:00 Criminals: Caught on Camera 02:00 SuperCasino 04:05 Surviving ­ with Chris Terrill 04:55 House Doctor 05:20 House Doctor 05:45 Divine Designs 06:10 Wildlife SOS 06:35 Michaela's Wild Challenge 07:00 Bananas in Pyjamas 07:10 Igam Ogam 07:20 Fireman Sam 07:35 The WotWots 07:45 Peppa Pig 07:50 Milkshake! Bop Box 07:55 Milkshake! Monkey 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 Little Lodgers 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:20 Peppa Pig 09:25 Peppa Pig 09:30 Toby's Travelling Circus 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 09:55 Olly the Little White Van 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 Eddie Stobart: Trucks and Trailers 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Stop! Police Interceptors 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:20 NCIS 16:15 Love's Christmas Journey 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 NewsTalk Live 20:00 The Great Christmas Toy Giveaway 22:00 The Mentalist 23:00 Castle 23:55 NCIS

41

The Courier Wednesday TV

December 11

00:40 The Painted Veil 02:35 Weatherview 02:40 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Heir Hunters 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Caught Red Handed 12:30 Helicopter Heroes 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 Christmas Kitchen with James Martin 17:30 Flog It! 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News 19:30 BBC London News 20:00 The One Show 21:00 Nigel and Adam's Farm Kitchen 22:00 Sports Personality of the Year at 60 23:00 BBC News 23:25 Regional News and Weather 23:35 A Question of Sport

00:20 Work 01:20 02:20 05:00 06:15 06:30 06:45

The Choir: Sing While You The Midwives This Is BBC Two Tales from the Old Bailey The Little Promise Schools ­ The Big Wheel Schools ­ Lilly the Magnificent

07:00 This Is BBC Two 07:30 Homes Under the Hammer 08:30 Helicopter Heroes 09:15 Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 10:00 Horizon 11:00 Ronnie's Animal Crackers 11:30 See Hear 12:00 BBC News 12:30 Daily Politics 14:00 One Man and His Campervan 14:30 Fred Dibnah's World of Steam, Steel and Stone 15:00 Cash in the Attic 15:45 Expedition Borneo 16:15 Orangutan Diary 16:45 Cagney & Lacey 17:30 Are You Being Served?

18:05 'Allo 'Allo!

18:30 Priceless Antiques Roadshow 19:00 Celebrity Eggheads 19:30 Strictly Come Dancing ­ It Takes Two 20:00 Great British Garden Revival 21:00 MasterChef: The Professionals 22:00 Tudor Monastery Farm 23:00 Mock the Week ­ Again 23:30 Weather

00:35 01:30 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 19:30 20:00 20:30 21:00 Here!

22:00 23:30

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 News Meridian 60 Minute Makeover Dickinson's Real Deal ITV Meridian Weather Show Me the Telly The Paul O'Grady Show ITV News Meridian ITV News and Weather Emmerdale Coronation Street I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Lucan ITV News and Weather

00:10 Tyrannosaur 01:55 Random Acts 02:00 Poker 02:55 KOTV Boxing Weekly 03:25 Beach Volleyball 04:20 Triathlon 04:50 Triathlon 05:20 The Great Ethiopian Run 06:15 Deal or No Deal 07:10 According to Jim 08:00 Will & Grace 08:55 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:55 Frasier 11:00 Ruth Watson Means Business!

12:00 The Big Bang Theory 13:00 Channel 4 News Summary 13:05 Come Dine with Me 13:35 Come Dine with Me 14:05 Come Dine with Me 14:35 Come Dine with Me 15:10 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 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 SuperScrimpers 22:00 24 Hours in A&E 23:00 Gogglebox 23:45 Jon Richardson: Funny Magnet

SPORTS PERSONALITY OF THE YEAR

Gary Lineker presents a look at the history of the ceremony, which has become a sports and broadcasting institution since first being held in 1954. Former winners including Steve Redgrave, Princess Anne and Sebastian Coe recall their memories of the show, Des Lynam discusses his years presenting the awards and Sue Barker is among the contributors remembering the special awards given to the likes of Muhammad Ali and Bobby Robson.

00:50 Born to Kill?

01:45 True Crimes: The First 72 Hours 02:15 SuperCasino 04:05 Charley Boorman's Extreme Frontiers 04:55 House Doctor 05:20 HouseBusters 05:45 Divine Designs 06:10 Wildlife SOS 06:35 Michaela's Wild Challenge 07:00 Bananas in Pyjamas 07:10 Igam Ogam 07:20 Fireman Sam 07:35 The WotWots 07:45 Peppa Pig 07:50 Milkshake! Bop Box 07:55 Milkshake! Monkey 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 Little Lodgers 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:30 Toby's Travelling Circus 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 09:55 Olly the Little White Van 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 Eddie Stobart: Trucks and Trailers 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Surviving ­ with Chris Terrill 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:20 NCIS 16:15 Love's Christmas Journey 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 NewsTalk Live 20:00 Tutankhamun: The Mystery Revealed 21:00 Stop! Police Interceptors 22:00 Criminals: Caught on Camera 23:00 16 Blocks

The Courier Thursday TV

December 12

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

Film 2013 Oranges and Sunshine Weatherview BBC News Breakfast Heir Hunters Homes Under the Hammer Caught Red Handed Helicopter Heroes Bargain Hunt BBC News; Weather Regional News and Weather Doctors Perfection Escape to the Country Christmas Kitchen with James

00:20 01:20 01:50 05:00 06:00 Out 06:55 Play 07:00

The Silent War See Hear This Is BBC Two Schools ­ Empire Schools ­ Labrinth's Speak

Flog It! Pointless BBC News BBC London News The One Show EastEnders Keeping Britain Safe 24/7 Supermarket Secrets BBC News Regional News and Weather Question Time

Wonders of Nature: Stoat ­ This Is BBC Two

07:35 Homes Under the Hammer 08:35 Helicopter Heroes 09:20 Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 10:05 The Crane Gang 11:05 Ronnie's Animal Crackers 11:35 HARDtalk 12:00 BBC News 12:30 BBC World News 13:00 Daily Politics 14:00 One Man and His Campervan 14:30 Fred Dibnah's Age of Steam 15:00 Cash in the Attic 15:45 Expedition Borneo 16:15 Orangutan Diary 16:45 Cagney & Lacey 17:30 Are You Being Served?

18:05 'Allo 'Allo!

18:30 Priceless Antiques Roadshow 19:00 Celebrity Eggheads 19:30 Strictly Come Dancing ­ It Takes Two 20:00 Great British Garden Revival 21:00 MasterChef: The Professionals 22:00 The Silent War 23:00 The Sarah Millican Television Programme 23:30 Weather

00:00 ITV News Meridian 00:10 The Kingdom 02:05 Jackpot247 04:00 Columbo Cries Wolf 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 News Meridian 15:00 60 Minute Makeover 16:00 Dickinson's Real Deal 16:59 ITV Meridian Weather 17:00 Show Me the Telly 18:00 The Paul O'Grady Show 19:00 ITV News Meridian 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Tonight 21:00 Emmerdale 21:30 You've Been Framed!

22:00 There's Something About Susan 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 ITV Meridian Weather 23:35 The Jonathan Ross Show

BRITISH COMEDY AWARDS 2013 Jonathan Ross hosts the annual ceremony hon­ ouring the best comedy actors, actresses, enter­ tainment personalities and newcomers, along with the pick of the year's TV and film comedies.

Nominees include Miranda Hart, James Corden, Jo Brand, Ant and Dec, Alan Carr, David Mitchell, Graham Norton, Jack Whitehall, Lee Mack and Sarah Millican.

00:50 I'm Spazticus 01:20 Random Acts 01:25 What Happens in Kavos 02:20 Incendiary 04:00 Coming Up 04:30 A Place in the Sun 05:30 Deal or No Deal 06:25 Countdown 07:10 According to Jim 08:00 Will & Grace 08:55 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 11:00 Ruth Watson Means Business!

12:00 The Big Bang Theory 12:35 The Big Bang Theory 13:00 Channel 4 News Summary 13:05 Come Dine with Me 13:35 Come Dine with Me 14:05 Come Dine with Me 14:35 Come Dine with Me 15:10 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 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 George Clarke's Amazing Spaces 22:00 British Comedy Awards 2013

01:00 Poker 01:55 SuperCasino 04:05 Myra Hindley: The Untold Story 04:55 HouseBusters 05:45 Divine Designs 06:10 Wildlife SOS 06:35 Michaela's Wild Challenge 07:00 Bananas in Pyjamas 07:10 Igam Ogam 07:20 Fireman Sam 07:35 The WotWots 07:45 Peppa Pig 07:50 Milkshake! Bop Box 07:55 Milkshake! Monkey 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 Little Lodgers 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 Eddie Stobart: Trucks and Trailers 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Eddie Stobart: Trucks and Trailers 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:20 NCIS 16:20 Matchmaker Santa 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 NewsTalk Live 20:00 Tutankhamun: The Mystery Revealed 21:00 Charley Boorman's Extreme Frontiers 22:00 Mummy's Little Murderer 23:00 Person of Interest

42

Friday, December 6, 2013

AUCTIONS

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.

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

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

BOATS FOR SALE GC15: 16m Guy Couach motor cruiser, 3 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, kitchen, lounge/dining area, and fly­ bridge. 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 .

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

Evangelical non­denomina­ tional church. Sunday serv­ ices 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 nation­ alities 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 Prayer and Praise and Worship Home groups meet during the week. All wel­ come from any church back­ ground or none. For further information contact PilarChristian.CommunityC hurch@gmail.com 968 575 417 or 966 848 806. Reg No:2009­SG/A Carol Service 12th December at 7pm, all welcome to join in with us.

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

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES Unlimited earnings for ambi­ tious people; low cost, money back guaranteed, phone Suzanne on 627 371 731 Hair & Beauty Salon for sale.

Visit www.torrysun.co.uk

PROPERTY FOR RENT Viva Villa and Vacation Services, For Short or Long Term Rentals visit: www.vil­ laandvacation.com or Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 2 or 3 bed / 2 bath apart­ ments in San Miguel. Lift, communal rooftop pool & solarium, video entry sys­ tem. Available for short or long term rent from 350 pcm. Tel 966723437 or 616 493 487. (148) Ref: 61, A lovely two bed­ roomed ground floor apart­ ment, located in the centre of the small Spanish town of Los Montesinos, With a pleasant communal swim­ ming pool adjacent & all amenities in walking dis­ tance. Long and short term rental available. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref: 104, 2 Bedroom apart­ ment in Torrevieja, (near gypsy lane), small balcony, near all amenities and Friday market. €350pcm Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref: 112, Spacious 3 bed­ room detached villa with its private pool is located on the

ALARMS

El Raso urbanisation near Guardamar. Convenient for all amenities, shops, super­ market, restaurants and bars. Short term rental avail­ able. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref 702: Beautiful 2 bed­ room apartment, located near los Locos beach, beau­ tifully furnished. Short term rentals from 175€ per week.

Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Ref: 63, Two bedroom 1st floor apartment situated in Monino Blanco. The proper­ ty overlooks a superb com­ munal 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 Ref 114 This upstairs apart­ ment is situated just out of the town centre on a lovely urbanisation with a good communal pool. It has two bedrooms with an open plan kitchen, diner and lounge and kitchen. €350 per month plus bills. 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 CBR35 : Townhouse with garage, 3 bedrooms, 2 bath­ rooms, communal pool, near San Jaime Hospital in Aguas Nuevas area, 450 € pcm, call 966 923 963 CBR37 : Smart & modern 1 bedroom ground floor apartment with seaviews inc.private gated parking.

Ideal for a retired couple; located in quiet residential area, shops nearby. La Mata, 325 € pcm, call 966 923 963.

CBR38 : Detached villa 5 minutes from San Miguel, 3 Beds, 2 Baths, with garage, 175 m plot, furnished. 500 € pcm, call 966 923 963 .

KGVM1 : Quad house in

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

RS116 – 3 bedroom, 2 bath­ room towncentre apartment in Los Montesinos, beauti­

fully furnished/decorated, pool on solarium, 85.000€, call 966 923 963 Rare opportunity to pur­ chase on Mediterrania III, Gran Alacant. 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, Private Parking, F/Furnished, Large communal pools & Tennis courts S/W facing, Dramatically reduced for quick sale to 126.000 euros.

Ref No. K58 Call 627 711 155 for immediate viewing RS80 : Spanish style town­ house in Algorfa, totally reformed and redecorated, 110m2, 3 lrg.bedrooms, 1 bathroom, many extras, absolute bargain at 99,500€, call now on 966 923 963 for no obligation viewing.

Ref: 510, €70,000.

Bungalow located in San Luis. It is close to the super­ markets, bars and restau­ rants 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 com­ munal pool. Walking dis­ tance to beach. 139.000 Euros, Call 627 711 155 and quote Ref No. K10 Don Pueblo, Gran Alacant. 3 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms, Large Kitchen with Galleria, Secure underground park­ ing, Gas Central Heating, Glazed in Porch, Solarium with stunning views.

Viewings absolutely essen­ tial. Very large property at reduced price of 190.000 euros. Ref No. K38 Call 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.com

CARPENTER

CAR HIRE

Villamartin, 4 beds, 2 baths, fireplace, garden & balcony, communal Pool.

Close to all shops, etc. 650 € pcm. Call to us to view on 966 923 963.

CBR36 : Torrevieja town­ centre, 2 bed top floor apartment with all ameni­ ties nearby, communal swimming pool. Private bal­ cony, furnished, ideal for liv­ ing in all year round. 300€ pcm, call 966 923 963 Horse Riding Stables For Rent in Catral: 14,000 m2 land, 10 individual stables and five paddocks. Includes a 3 bedroom house, Long term rent only. 16,800 euro for the year. 966 923 963 Horse riding Stables for Rent in Algorfa : 3,000 m2, 22 individual stables and 2 paddocks.

Long Term Rental only. 11,200 euro for the year. 966 923 963 CBR21 : Frontline apart­ ment on the ground floor, right on the beach! Consists of 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, lovely terrace just off the sandy beach, 400€ pcm, call to view on 966 923 963.

CBR20: Beachfront apart­ ment 4th floor with fantastic sea views! 3 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, good sized bal­ cony, 400€ pcm, call now on 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 terrace outside with views to the sea. Short or long term rental available. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397

PROPERTY FOR SALE

BLINDS

CARS FOR SALE Car insurance quotes – new extra discount on fully com­ prehensive policies at the price of third party!

Excellent prices for expats, all policies and call centre staff in English. We will call

CATERING

CLEANERS

43

Friday, December 6, 2013 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 refur­ bished apartment in a good central location.

Conveniently situated for all the facilities of this modern vibrant town, and only a few blocks away from Torreviejas excellent sea front with its abundant 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. 45.000€. Tel. 966 923 963 Immaculate ground floor Duplex, 2 beds, 2 bath, Private Parking, Situated in Novamar, Gran Alacant.

Price includes very tasteful furniture and white goods.

Walking distance to all local amenities and beach. Now only 129,750 euros. Ref No K24. 627 711 155 KBJ3 : 3 bed penthouse in Guardamar, furnished, fan­ tastic sea views, communal pool and parking, 155.000€, call 966 923 963

GARDENER

CAR BREAKERS

Opportunity to purchase at the off plan price of 195.000 euros. Large 4 Bed, 3 Bath Brand new property. Secure underground parking for 2 cars and communal pool.

Situated opposite Gran Alacant and over looks pro­ jected golf course. Ref No. K52. 627 711 155 RS1 : 3 bed large villa in Torrevieja on 950m2 plot, private pool, Jacuzzi / sauna, parking, 289.000€, call 966 923 963 Ref: 78, €120,000. Three bedroom Quad in Jardin Del Mar VII. There is off­road parking and small storage shed in the enclosed garden area, communal pool near­ by. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 2 Bed, 1 Bath Ground floor duplex. Central heating, Grills, Fully furnished, Glazed in Galleria, 2 com­ munal pools, private parking and walking distance to the Gran Alacant commercial centre. Situated in the popu­ lar urbanisation 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 furnished, Private Parking, Communal pool Ref. GA0094 NOw only 83.000e Tel. 680333242 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 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), Lounge­Diner, fully equipped Kitchen, Porch and Solarium with Alicante & Sea Views. ref.L81. €258,000 neg.

Tel. 680333242

Ref: KP3100, €183,000.

Three bedroom, two bath­ room 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: 709, €60,000 A lovely 1 bedroom apartment 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 available.

Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 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 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

MAN AND A VAN

DRAINAGE PETS

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Friday, December 6, 2013

Gran Alacant immaculate villa, 3 bedroomed, 3 bath­ roomed property maintained to a very high standard inside and out and the interi­ or furnishings are top quali­ ty, offering a feeling of luxury and good taste. The plot size is 400m2 and has been beautifully tiles, and grav­ eled 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 show­ er units, instant hot water, water purifier, free English TV, phone & internet lines, fitted double hanging

POOLS

wardrobes, safe, glazed in front porch, vanity units and much more. The pool is an 8 X 4 m2 salt water pool, meaning maintenance 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: 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: 520, €85,000. Two bed­ room apartment in Dream Hills, with a fully equipped kitchen, large lounge, glazed­in terrace and a large solarium. This property comes with a large commu­ nal swimming pool. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397 Lovely clean detached Villa just as you enter Gran Alacant. Very central loca­ tion, 3 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms, Glazed in

RAG AND BONE

PERSONAL

Porch, Garden Shed, Private Parking, Attractive Gardens, Private pool Ref: K59 240.000e Tel. 627711155 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 different to the other properties in Gran Alacant and is disabled friendly Ref: L80 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

REMOVALS

Porch, Solarium, Under build. Quiet sought after area. Very tastefully fur­ nished and all included 370.000e Ref. K52 Tel. 627711155 Gran Alacant, detached villa in desirable road close to all amenities, comprising of 3 double bedrooms, 3 baths, lounge diner with working fire place, brand new kitchen with all appliances and black granite work tops, private pool, plot of 550m2, established irrigated gar­ dens 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 Gran Alacant south­facing, very private villa, with wood­ land and Alicante views.

Situated at the end of a small cul­de­sac which means this villa enjoys a very peaceful location.3 Bedrooms with fitted wardrobes, 3 Bathrooms, lounge­diner with working fireplace, fully fitted kitchen with including white goods, large front porch,

solarium,workshop and stor­ age in under build, central heating, air con H/C, ceiling fans, grills, UK T.V, off road parking and plenty of out­ side parking also. Due to its orientation of this property enjoys full sun, all day, something very important in the winter months. Ref.K24. €237,000 Tel 680333242

QUIZZES Experienced quiz­ master/question setter with personality available to host quiz nights in local bars.

Tel:­ 664 838 581

SITUATIONS VACANT CHEF/COOK REQUIRED. MUST HAVE AT LEAST 5 YEARS EXPERIENCE IN A KITCHEN, ALL ENGLISH FOOD. MUST BE CRE­ ATIVE AND HAVE FLAIR FOR NEW MENUS. HYGIENE CERTIFICATE REQUIRED. PLEASE RING 672929585 FOR MORE INFO.

WANTED

SURVEYOR VAN HIRE

PLUMBERS

POOL TABLES

RADIO COSTA INTERNA­ TIONAL needs motivated 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 email info@radicocostainterna­ tional.com Medaesthetics require a Beautician. Must have NVQ Level 3 and working self employed email cv to sabinebrooks@hotmail.com

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

WIG SPECIALIST SALON MARGARETHAS, 23 years in Torrevieja Hair/Wig specialist for Medical illness and Hair Loss problems. We offer dif­ ferent Hair Replacements, top fillers, Hair prostheses, Toupees and Wigs, Natural and Artificial hair and much more. Also fashion/festival accessories TV/TS are wel­ come to our service. Please call our salon reception for an appointment with Margaretha on Tel no 966 921 846 Torrevieja (90)

45

Friday, December 6, 2013

Greenside Gossip DEAR SANTA: - CAN YOU QUICKEN THEM UP? IVIE DAVIES takes a weekly look at the golf scene - golfdavies@gmail.com

It’s getting to that time of the year when you sit down and write to Santa for all those things you want in your stocking, like cheaper green fees or a promise that they will stop going up!

Or a book that you can give to greenkeepers that says how to really treat grass (NO not the smoking type, silly). You may want Santa to wave a magic wand and eliminate slow play, but it could quite easily be, for all that new distance breaking balls clubs or whatever. It’s not just here that slow play has become a time wasting disease as it seems to be happening everywhere, so much so that even the PGA have had meetings and conferences about it.

Last spring a symposium was held at St Andrews, who have sent their findings to golf courses, the designers, tournament organisers, committees and proprietors of golf courses in an effort to do something about it. Surprisingly enough at the end of the two day gathering, the message from 60 leading figures in both the amateur and professional game, was that the main reasons for slow play are bound up in the way com­ petitions are run and courses set up. Interestingly, individu­ als playing slowly is regarded only as a contributory reason for the five and six hour rounds.

One of the greatest problems and one I personally subscribe to, is that concerning sending out groups with too little time between them, thus causing tailbacks in pretty much the same way that happens on a busy road with heavy traffic. So the more vehicles that bunch up together, the slower the traffic moves. In golfing terms, by trying to get an excessive number of players around on a tight schedule, obviously for financial reasons, the course becomes log­jammed with groups too close together. The R&A discovered the truth of this syndrome in the Open Championship, when they extended the gap between starting times up to eleven min­ utes. The pace of play picked up to the point there were no 5 hour rounds at recent Open’s.

I know of only one course that has a sensible 10 minute gap between start times and the last time I played there, we had no hold ups and it was like millionaires golf, being able to walk on the tee and drive off without waiting. This is in con­ trast with resort courses which book in groups at 7 minute

TITTER ON THE TEE There was this exclusive Golf Club and the Secretary and green keeper did not get on too well, in fact they despised each other. One Christmas, the course was covered in snow. Everywhere you looked, it was white, but outside the Secretary’s window someone had written his name in the snow. Not with a stick or such but in urine.

Knowing the green keeper like he did, he called him into the office, and accused him of the act. To which the green keeper readily admitted.

But he said, “If you look closely you will see it’s in your daughters hand writing”.

intervals in order to increase volume. This system becomes counter­productive as hold ups occur and play gets slower and slower.

Other important reasons that were pointed out as rea­ sons for slow play: Deep rough being allowed to form in areas where golf balls are likely to get lost.

The newer length of course, often with a considerable walk between green and the next tee.

KNOW YOUR RULES QUESTION A player hits his tee shot on a par 4 to the right. His ball heads toward trees near a water hazard. Immediately next to the hazard is a fence marking OB. One of our group said that he saw the ball drop and "thinks" that the ball went into the hazard. The player was going to hit a provisional ball in case his ball was lost. The player who "thinks" it dropped into the hazard talked him out of that and said that he should play his next shot as if the ball was in the hazard. We never found the ball and the player played as though he was in the hazard.

What is the ruling?

ANSWER A player can’t assume his ball is in a hazard. The term used in the rules is “virtual certainty”. If it is not known the ball is in the hazard as an absolute fact, then in order to use the hazard rule, there can be no other place the ball could be = virtual certainty.

In the situation outlined, the ball was lost, as it could have been somewhere other than the hazard. The player did not proceed correctly

New technology.

There are now golfers who can hit the ball further than ever before, because of trampoline effect clubs and hi­tec balls, the shorter Par 4’s, which means they are almost reachable off the tee, which means having to wait for the group in front to get on the green, before teeing off. And in other cases, Par 5’s are almost Par 4’s, which can be the cause of hold­ ups, and long Par 3’s are played by some like a Par 4 or 5 which slows play.

So my Christmas present to golf is a 5 point Plan to avoid delays: 1. MANAGEMENT POLICIES: Overcrowding the golf course should be avoided with starting intervals increased.

2. PLAYER ABILITY: Play from the most appropriate tee, and play “ready” golf, that is if it is safe to play and you are ready to play, then do so.

3. MAINTENANCE: Ensure that the length and location of the rough avoids numerous lost balls.

4. COURSE DESIGN: Adopt favourable sequences of holes to avoid bottlenecks (an opening Par 5 followed by a difficult Par 3 is a recipe for slow play).

5. PLAYER BEHAVIOUR: Communicate with the players; tell them what is expected of them, like their starting times.

To exercise good etiquette at all times, and be ready to play when required.

Finally, when players start off with good habits in terms of keeping the match moving along, they never lose their awareness of the pace of play.

GOLF TIP PRESENT FOR THE FESTIVE SEASON

Short Game Tip ­ Escape Every Bunker Common Fault It often takes you two shots to escape bunkers. Your dis­ tance control and range of shots from bunkers are letting you down Tip Fix One of the most regu­ lar faults sees players who try to dig their ball out of the bunker, taking far too much sand. Take a moment to watch the best players in the world and you'll notice how shallow the angle of club head attack is. They might hit the sand half an inch before the ball, but they only take a thin sliver of sand through impact.

You will find that your ball position helps this. Make sure that it is forward in your stance at address, in line with your left heel. This will promote the ideal shallow angle of attack and will help you find the perfect contact more regularly.

FOR ME THE CHRISTMAS PRESENT IS NOT THE LAT­ EST TAYLOR MADE OR NIKE DRIVER. IT IS TO CONTIN­ UE MEETING ALL THE GOOD PEOPLE THAT MAKE THIS GAME SO GREAT.

Piroska and Zoe do their best Piroska Rideg and Zoe Connolly were amongst the star performers for Club Natacion Torrevieja as they competed in last weekend’s regional Time Control meeting at the Muncipal Pool Petrer.

Some 291 swimmers from across the Alicante region came together for the competition, with Pirsoka Rideg (pic­ tured) getting a new personal best in the 100m Backstroke, and getting a regional qualifying time into the bargain. Zoe Connolly also got that qualifying time, and on the 2nd day of the meeting, she sliced 9 seconds off her personal best in the 200m Backstroke.

46

Friday, December 6, 2013

BARCA TOPPLED HAT TRICK BOYO ATHLETIC BILBAO 1 BARCELONA 0

Barcelona saw their unbeaten start in the Primera Division brought to an end as Athletic Bilbao claimed a deserved 1­0 victory at San Mames Barria on Sunday night. Iker Muniain steered home the only goal of the contest 20 minutes from full­time as Barca slipped to a sec­ ond loss in five days following their disjointed defeat to Ajax in the Champions League last week. While the loss in Europe can be absorbed, defeat in La Liga is much more damaging with Gerardo Martino's men now level with Atletico Madrid at the summit on 40 points, three clear of a Real Madrid side who appear to finally be hit­ ting their straps. The one goal came in the 70th minute when Athletic broke away down the right, the ball eventually coming to Susaeta whose low ball into the area was tucked home first­time by the inrushing Muniain. Barcelona are in the Copa del Rey tonight (Friday) as they travel to Murcia for their tie at Cartagena with a 10.00pm kick off.

REAL MADRID 4

REAL VALLADOLID 0

Gareth Bale scored his first hat­trick as a Real Madrid player and provided an assist as Carlo Ancelotti's side brushed aside Real Valladolid 4­0 at the Bernabeu last Saturday night. With Cristiano Ronaldo still out nursing a thigh strain, it was left to the world's most expensive player to spearhead Madrid's attack. And the Welsh forward proved he was more than up to the task, scoring a header and with both feet to net his hat­trick. He also provided a fine cross for Karim Benzema to go 2­nil up. When the final whistle went, Bale col­ lected the match ball and took it to the centre cir­ cle, holding it aloft to salute the appreciative pub­ lic. He has now scored eight goals in the last seven matches, with the victory being Madrid's fifth straight win in the Primera Division. They now go away to Olimpic in the Copa del Rey tomorrow night (Saturday).

BRAVE ELCHE FALL ELCHE 0 ATLETICO MADRID 2

Home woe for Saints CF SAN FULGENCIO 1 BAHIA SANTA POLA 2

It may have been a victory for Atletico Madrid last Saturday afternoon, and they may have gone joint top of the table with Barcelona, but Elche offered a disciplined performance against a side that had destroyed Getafe the previous weekend. Although Atletico were in control for large parts of the game, they struggled to create many openings. Koke broke the deadlock for the visitors on 62 minutes, and Diego Costa(pic­ tured), who had assisted the opening goal by apparently fouling Elche’s Alberto Botia, made sure of the three points 11 minutes later.

Although Elche had been more timid than their opponents, they had two decent chances before the interval, Richmond Boakye shooting over the bar with just Thibaut Courtois to beat, and Ferran Coro

firing narrowly wide of the far post from the edge of the area. Fifteen minutes into the second half, Carlos Gil went for goal from outside the area, forcing Courtois to stretch across his goal to tip the ball out for a corner.

Elche are away to Villarreal in the Copa del Rey this afternoon (Friday) with a 4.00pm kick­off.

High noon for Monte ORIHUELA COSTA 2 CD MONTESINOS 0

San Fulgencio lost their 2nd successive match, after their 3­nil setback the previ­ ous weekend at Saladar. The Saints though had the perfect start as they took the lead on the 7 minute mark, as Aitor net­ ted. San Fulgencio ran the whole show, and Bernie should have doubled the advantage as his well struck volley hit the cross bar. The visitors though slowly

clawed their way back into the game, and levelled things up on the hour, and then the Saints suffered a body blow as Hector was given his marching orders for a 2nd yellow card. Santa Pola then had a man red­carded as well, but they seemed to give them an extra boost as they scored the winning goal to give them all three points.

ROJALES WIN

Rojales Netball Club grabbed a 24­9 win at Kings College, Murcia last week. It was a closely fought match early on as the newly formed Kings side had their mettle tested, with the expe­ rienced Rojales side pushing on in the later stages. Rojales are always looking for new members, and to find out more, call Tracey on 679 539 995.

A chilly lunchtime encounter saw an injury­hit Montesinos side taking on the league leaders last Sunday, and the home side justified their current status. The visitors battled bravely though and it took a quality strike for Orihuela Costa to take the lead just before the interval, after they had controlled the game, though buttressed by a strong

Monte defence. The home side doubled their advantage shortly into the 2nd half, but Montesinos continued to be determined, even though the result was a foregone conclusion. With the weekend break coming up, Montesinos are back at home on Sunday December 15th when they entertain Formentera.

Poor Torry lose again CD ACERO 2

FC TORREVIEJA 1

FC Torrevieja have now gone a month without a win as their slide down the 3rd divi­ sion group 6 table continued last Sunday with their defeat at struggling Acero.

Torrevieja were up against it early on when Carrion was beaten by a low drive from Bielsa after just 5 minutes, after the Torry defence failed to clear the ball. The visitors were on the rack for the rest of the first half, but an Obele (pictured) header on 35 min­ utes gave them hope and an equaliser that they didn’t really deserve. Things didn’t real­ ly change in the 2nd half, though Torry carved up a couple of late chances to win, only for a Joan free­kick to net Acero all three points after 85 minutes. Torrevieja are now 5 points adrift of the play­off zone, but at least have two successive home matches coming up after this weekend’s league break, starting off with Atletico Saguntino on Sunday December 15th.

47

Friday, December 6, 2013

WHAT’S THE MATA, MOU? GET LUCKY!

When Samson had his hair cut off, he lost all his strength. Jose Mourinho borrowed Fernando Torres’ clippers and shaved his head himself, shrewdly/stupidly (delete where applicable) sav­ ing himself £100 down the King’s Road coiffeurs.

But perhaps at last giving him one flash of sensible reasoning at least, although still aligned with anoth­

er obstinate obsession. The master of self­contradiction’s post­match comments after beating Southampton bor­

dered on the bizarre (as usual), at last praising Juan Mata , describing the Spaniard as the ‘fake winger who gave Southampton problems they could not solve’.

It seems to have taken the Portuguese plotter a third of the season to twig what we all have known in England and Spain for a few years now: Juan Mata is world class and should start every game. He was one of the main reasons Chelsea won the Champions League and the Europa Cup in succes­ sive seasons. It’s a wonder the little Spaniard hasn’t got splinters in his bum, he’s spent so long on the bench. In mid­ field, Mourinho meanders about with Mikel and o t h e r mediocre midfield­ ers; his has­been m a t e Michael Essien was taken off at half­ time for his howling error

­ stewing steak when Jose should have Spanish sirloin in his side. Fortunately Chelsea recovered, mainly thanks to the scoring centre­ back partnership of Gary Cahill and John Terry (hmm, memo to Roy H – should big JT be recalled alongside GC?).

Another Mou master­ stroke came in a BBC inter­ view: ‘The team with more responsibility to win it [the title] because the squad is quite unique is Manchester City’. Que? What­you­say, Jose? The Mancunian side are not top though, Arsenal are – and they’re just as unique as City, Jose.

OK, Bridgers, yer prodi­ gal’s got yer currently second in the Prem ­ but hey, he inherited nine­elevenths of a good side. You don’t win those recent trophies, includ­ ing the Prem in 2009/10 for nothing ­ and don’t start me off about the disgusting way that rabid Russian who rules Chelski treated the men who won the trophies for him, like

Roberto Matteo, Rafa Benitez and Carlo Ancelotti.

Jose’s problem this year is just up the road in North London, where a rejuvenated Arsenal are the team to beat – and Jose’ll get a chance to ruin them with a Christmas cracker at the Emirates in two weeks time. Mou’s very good at the mind games in crucial ties – let’s face it he’s had plenty of practice in Spain, Italy and England.

But Mighty Mou is unique himself in having two Achilles heels – if the right foot Mata one is at last ‘healing’ over (!), his other one left is Romelu Lukaku. The big Belgian striker is a real sore point with the Chelsea jefe.

When pressed about ‘Lucky’ last weekend, the Portuguese Prince’s eyes flared when asked how come the 20 year­old is banging ‘em in (seven so far) on loan for close rivals Everton (he also did it all last season for West Brom), so why isn’t he doing it for Chelsea, who actually own him? Mourinho

smashed the question straight back to the interview­ er with ‘Why don’t you ask him?’ Lukaku is the heir apparent in almost every way to Mourinho’s striking prob­ lem, a near­identical replace­ ment for his previous talis­ man Didier Drogba ­ and yet Lucky is apparently unwant­ ed/unloved/unfairly­treated it seems by Mourinho at Stamford Bridge ­ who are actually his employers. When asked about it nicely, Lukaku himself, a lovely, refreshing, intelligent young man who speaks five languages looked embarrassed, and perhaps a little hurt, stum­ bling with his unconvincing and unsure answer.

So Lukaku is good old Goodison’s lucky gain, givin’ em goals galore, from both the Belgian’s golden feet and his hairy head, making the Merseysiders mean movers towards the peak of the Prem. But for Chelsea, Lukaku looks a massive Mourinho management mis­ take.

Get closer to the stock car racing action… for free!

Sharks bite Cartagena LOS SQUALOS 13 CARTAGENA 7

This League 2 clash lived up the billing for being a tough challenge for the San Javier Sharks, with the young attack­orientated team showing a lot of positive play right from the start. San Javier took a slender lead into the interval, and then two minutes into the second half had Samuel go over for a try

after an excellent team move. That lead was stretched further with an uncoverted try from Oso that gave the home side some extra breathing space, which they needed as Cartagena scored a late try to put some severe pressure on San Javier. Elsewhere in league 2, ITV Orihuela beat Totana 32­16.

To end the season with a ‘bang’, Velocity Racing is pleased to announce the introduc­ tion of a new Annual Trophy and this year it is being sponsored by CEF. The overall winner of each of the Lighting Rod and Rookie Rod categories will be pho­ tographed with the trophy and it will remain on display at the Circuito Cartagena for the next 12 months. A reminder to all of who they will have to beat next year!

Before that however, they will need to bat­ tle it out over two heats and a final – the first heat positions being selected at random to ensure that everyone has a fair chance of winning … and with some drivers from the UK having a go too, it really will be anyone’s race! There will be smaller trophies for the 1st,2nd and 3rd placed drivers to take home with them as well.

And that’s not all….

Velocity Racing will also be showcasing

their all new Formula Focus – 10 identical cars waiting to show what they can do on the track and a commemorative plaque for any­ one who drives them. The perfect opportu­ nity to try your hand at stock car racing – please visit www.facebook.com/velocityrac­ ingspain and message us if you are interest­ ed in having a go.

As if that wasn’t enough action for one night – we will also be offering a trophy to the 1st placed driver to win the ‘Leftie’ race.

Again, this will be fought out over 2 heats and a final.

The action begins at 7pm and will run until 9.30pm with gates opening from 6pm. Entry is completely FREE for all and we will be running a raffle for a chance to get out on the track with our winning Rookie and Lightning Rod drivers.

For directions to the track please visit www.velocityracing.eu/directions

48

Friday, December 6, 2013

PREM’S TOP WEEK (And it aint over yet!)

Phew! Due to the international breaks we now have wizard weeks like this, with all the Premiership teams playing three thrillers in ten days. Following last weekend’s marvellous match­ es, it was either Wonderful or Woeful Wednesday this week, depending on your colours – and with Super Saturday and Sunday still to come, see below.

Table toppers Arsenal visited and vanquished the Hull Tigers (oh no they’re pantomiming not, they’re Hull City!). Saturday’s Humberside conquerors of Liverpool were put in their place by a rare Nicklas Bendtner belter followed by an Ozil opener to the sec­ ond half, keeping the Gunners four in the lead, and who can now look forward to Match of the Day on Sunday hosting exuberant Everton.

Where Wednesday’s child was full of woe, poor David Moyes’ new Man United somehow lost a terrific tussle with his old Everton, but only just by a late goal from Leighton Baines’ super sub, Costa Rican Bryan Oviedo who had a superb game. N.B – Naughty Boy Red Rooney was booked again, and will now miss Saturday’s early doors home clash with Newcastle, who remain sixth after being well­beaten away at

John McGregor reports

resurgent Swansea.

A sensational seven­goal­glut saw Chelsea get the better of Sunderland 4 ­3 at the re­illuminated Stadium of Light to keep Mourinho’s men second ­ hardly worth going home as they face another north­ ern trip to sterile Stoke (drew goallessly with Cardiff) on Saturday. The Blues hero was Hazard, superbly making the first and then scoring two more himself against Gus’s gutsy guys, who keep it Capital again at home on Saturday to Londoners Tottenham , 2 ­1 con­ querors of Fulham where Trojan Horse new boss Rene Meulensteen saw his side fight hard (for once?) only to lose, but it’s Villa at Craven Cottage on Super Sunday. Somehow the Villains mugged suffering Southampton 3 ­ 2 at St Mary’s with only 23% of the play, Saints third defeat in a row. Ooh­er Pochettino’s proud players, look out, Man City are coming on Saturday, where super­skipper Vincent Kompany is now back after six weeks out, inspiring Man City to win 3 – 2 Wednesday at West Brom. That was surpris­ ingly only City’s second away win when comparing it to their awesome home record and scoring more goals than anyone (40), due in no small part to Sergio Aguero’s amazing antics again. But hey ­ one man can even better that.

‘Fourmidable’/fearsome/frightening ­ that man alone is setting the Prem alight goalwise, and how they must fear him in Norwich. Luis Suarez terrifies the

Canaries. He now has a hat­trick of hat­tricks against them, scoring 11 in 4 games. The hopefully­reformed Uruguayan scored a stunning first­half hat trick in the 5 – 1 rout, by the end Super­Suarez signing off with four, plus one from returned Raheem Sterling as Daniel Sturridge looks to be out for up to six weeks.

West Ham must be quaking; they’re next to face the firing squad at Anfield on Saturday, with Norwich away to West Brom.

Down in the Dreaded Drop Department, it seems new blood is necessary to kick­start the Crystal Palaces and Sunderlands, and it’s working… Tony Pulis’ Palace are pointing towards progress: ‘I’ve never been relegated’ proclaims Napoleon­neophyte Pulis who has given the Eagles fans reasons to really raise the roof – and royally they did on Tuesday night in the six­pointer slamming of West Ham, where Big Sam’s feeling the draught blowing over the city from West London. Here another big ‘un, Martin Jol bit the dust earlier this wacky week. Palace have worried­of­ Wales Cardiff coming Saturday, nervously looking over their shoulders at Stoke and Norwich on equal points, but one above West Ham with Fulham, Palace and Sunderland down in the DDD. Another great weekend coming!

NB World Cup Draw is on this late afternoon – don’t miss it (Celts uninvited…) – ENGLAND!