Week 186

Edition 7

(186)

www.thecourier.es

Friday, September 12, 2014

ONE CAREFUL OWNER

Guardia reveal full scale of car scam

By ALEX TRELINSKI

The Guardia Civil says that a Torrevieja car­ dealership may have ripped off at least 200 buyers over the last three years by knock­ ing off up to 246 thou­ sand miles from sec­ ond hand cars.

The doctored vehicles were then sold to mainly eld­ erly people and foreign nationals, including British people in the area. It’s the latest development in a long standing investigation, Operation Masina, which The Courier reported on dur­ ing the summer. Car dealers were raided across Spain, including the one owned by a Romanian man in Torrevieja, which was closed down by the authorities in July.

The Guardia say that locally, they have received around 70 complaints from angry customers, with the Romanian and his son(iden­ tified as IC and CC and aged 58 and 36 respective­ ly) being arrested in Torrevieja along with their

Spanish manager(identified as CMGR and aged 50). 12 other people have been charged nationally under Operation Masina with for­ gery and conspiracy on the charge sheet, including the tampering of car speedome­ ters along with the produc­ tion of fake car documenta­ tion.

The Guardia were brought in to investigate a complaint over a second hand car back in January which had been bought and then sold

on by the accused Torrevieja dealership. After initial investigations, they found there was substance to the complaint over a “rigged” speedometer and the Guardia spread their net fur­ ther to find other clients who suspected that something was up, with serious safety concerns for the “older” vehicles as well as speedometer tampering.

The authorities raided two car dealership premises in Torrrevieja, as well two homes in Quesada and

Torrevieja in addition to industrial buildings in Almoradi, where the vehi­ cles were resprayed with a new colour and “main­ tained”, as well as having their speedometers clocked back. The Guardia say that the facilities in Almoradi were used when the dealer­ ship had bought a vehicle, and the necessary work was done there. By comparing notes with the official ITV inspection records, officers found that the average reduction on the clock for each vehicle was around 140 thousand kilometres, with several cases getting above the 200 thousand kilometre mark. The cars were intended for individual sales after being mainly obtained from rental firms; or from people who used them as company cars or taxis, all of which would have clocked up a high mileage, including from countries outside of Spain.

The Guardia confirmed that Operation Masina is still active, and that more people who have been sold “doc­ tored” cars may well be making contacted with them.

Our latest edition is always online at www.thecourier.es

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Friday, September 12, 2014

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

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

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Publication Published by TKO Media and Entertainment S.L. Printed by Localprint S.L Depósito legal A ­ 188 ­ 2014 The Courier, its publishers, members of staff and its agents do not accept responsibility for any readers letters or claims by advertisers nor can it be held responsible for any errors in advertise­ ments which are reproduced from poor artwork, low quality electronic data or inadequate instructions for text or other layout features. Further no responsibility is accepted for any loss or damage caused by an error, inaccuracy or non­ appearance of any advertisement, although all advertisements produced are checked prior to insertion. We regret that we cannot accept responsibility for more than ONE incorrect insertion and that no re­publication will be granted in the case of typographical or minor changes which do not affect the value of the advertisement. E&OE. NO PART OF THIS NEWSPAPER MAY BE REPRO­ DUCED WITHOUT THE WRITTEN CONSENT OF THE PUBLISHERS.

Picture of the Week

96 692 1003 679 096 309

The square at Almoradi photo by PHILIP ROE

YOU DIRTY RATS

A plague of rats has been snuffed out at Elche General Hospital. The rodents have been exterminated after using air conditioning ducts

to travel around the premis­ es, with sightings close to the staff canteen, and as well as the emergency department and the materni­ ty unit. The Health Department say that pest control experts have used special insecti­ cides as well as blocking off vari­ ous small holes that the vermin was using to make unwanted appear­ ances.

HOUSE BOOST Spanish house prices are on the march as they rose by 0.8 percent in the second quarter of 2014 compared to the same period last year.

It’s the first major sign of a housing market improve­ ment since the recession kicked in at the start of 2008.

According to the National Statistics Institute , new properties saw an increase of 1.9 percent compared to the previous quarter, whilst used property prices rose by 0.2 percent. The INE posted the 0.8 percent rise of Spain’s House Price Index (IPV) on Monday, a figure which has seen the first annual increase since

GREAT BALL OF FIRE

An unidentified fireball was seen soaring across the sky last Sunday night from many areas of Spain, includ­ ing the Costa Blanca. It was visible for several seconds and changed colour con­ stantly, leaving a long trail of smoke behind it before disin­ tegrating. Residents and holidaymakers pho­ tographed and videoed what looked like a massive, multi­ coloured meteorite, with the featured photo taken in Blanes in Catalunya.

According to the Spanish Meteorite Investigation Network, the fireball was travelling at speeds ranging

from 11 to 73 kilometres a second, and may have been a particle of the 20­metre asteroid which came very close to the Earth on Sunday. These fiery parti­ cles rarely cause a meteorite when they penetrate the

Earth's atmosphere, with only about 10 of the 500 or so a year detected impacting the planet. The Investigation Network has 25 comet detector stations which cover at least 95% of Spanish territory.

ACCIDENT PRONE Spain’s housing bubble burst at the start of 2008.

The first quarter of 2014 already reflected the positive change with a price drop of only 8% after the 12.6 per­ cent in 2012 and 14.3 per­ cent in 2013.

The Valencia/Costa Blanca region is showing an overall rise of 3.1 per cent which is one of the highest hikes in the country. The Murcia region had a more modest rise of 1.2 per cent.

Three Romanians have been arrested after running away from the scene of a car crash in Torrevieja last Friday(September 5th). The East Europeans were driv­ ing a car with Bulgarian plates which ploughed into a row of parked vehicles in the northern part of the city at the junction of Calle Fragata and Los Gase, The occu­ pants were chased on foot

by Guardia Civil officers who caught the trio, who appar­

ently had been involved in another car accident the pre­ vious day.

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

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

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

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Friday, September 12, 2014

NO PANKY WITH HANKY

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FLYING HIGH BEACH REPAIRS Alicante­Elche airport has set a new monthly record for passengers during August. The expected record high for last month saw 1.2 million passengers using the facilities at El Altet according to official figures released by the airport owner, AENA, It's a rise of four per cent compared to the same month last year, and was strongly fuelled by a 22 per cent rise in domestic traffic in comparison to August 2013.

An Elche dog breeder has seen his American Staffordshire canine, Korbash Tipitz Hanky, become a junior world cham­ pion. The dog, who belongs to Manuel Torres from the Ngorong Ngorong breeding company, saw off all competition at the recent World Dog Show in Helsinki, Finland.

A quarter of a million euros needs to be spent on stopping landslides on the Orihuela Costa beaches, according to coastal councillor, Martina Scheurer. Though the work is not budgeted for, Scheurer said that phased projects will take place with work planned for Cabo Roig and La Caleta. There have been recent problems at Barranco Rubio during the summer, and a longer running issue at Cala Capitan.

OCEANS SHARP EXIT HIGH GAS HELD British passengers led the international pack with over half a million tourists, with Germany a distant second with 90 thousand tourists, followed by Norway with 64 thousand. The airport handled over eight thousand flights, with over three thousand of them being to and from the UK.

Four Turkish sea­ men accused of drug­running have been brought before a Torrevieja court, after a major opera­ tion by the National Police. Their ship, which was intercept­ ed off the island of Alborán, was carry­ ing half a ton of cocaine which was said to have a mar­ ket value of 13 million euros. The vessel, which was travel­ ling from Morocco under the flag of Tanzania, was taken to Cartagena for a thorough search, with the men being hand­ ed over to the custody of Torrevieja's Number Two court.

The maximum price of a butano gas cylinder is to stay at 17.50 euros after a government announce­ ment in the Official Gazette on Monday. The ruling came into force immediately, which means that the last rise was back in May 2013 of 2.15 per cent.

ONE FOR HATCHET THE ROAD

HIT

A woman is suspect­ ed of ordering a suc­ cessful “hit” on the notorious Irish gangster Gerard “Hatchet” Kavanagh(pictured) who was gunned down by two masked assas­ sins on the Costa del Sol on Saturday as he relaxed in a bar. The 44­year­old was riddled with up to nine bullets by the hitmen, who burst into premises in Elviria, near Marbella, just before 4.00pm. Investigating officers are exploring the theory that a close female associate of a rival gangster, Christopher “Git”Russell may have ordered the hit, after her car was vandalised as part of an ongoing tit­for­tat dispute over money.

Terrified gangster Kavanagh tried to flee after spotting the assassins coming through the door of Harmons Irish Bar, but it was too late for the doomed crime boss, who fell to the ground in a hail of bullets surrounded by a pool of his own blood. A burnt­out BMW X3 was discovered nearby shortly after the shooting.

Kavanagh, from West Dublin, was a senior member of the notorious Kinahan gang, controlled by godfather Christy Kinahan, who is based on the Costa del Sol. The gang is involved in drug debt collection, drug dealing on an interna­ tional scale, as well as being suspected of ordering several executions.

A witness said: “The gunmen were wearing balaclavas and were dressed from head to toe in black and looked like nin­ jas. The shooting had all the hallmarks of a professional hit.

It looks like they picked a time when they knew the bar wasn’t going to be busy. The victim was trying to flee when he was shot because many of the nine bullets he took, hit him in the back.”

A drunk driver got an early morning wakeup call from the Guardia Civil, who found him asleep in the front seat of his car on the road between Yecla and Caudete in Murcia. The man, who was four times over the limit, was lying unconscious with the car engine running and the radio on at full volume at 10.30 am last Saturday. The officers found great difficulty in trying to wake him up, with his eyes totally bloodshot and his attempts at speaking ending up as incom­ prehensible mumbling, as he was carted off to sober up and face charges.

A driver in Madrid panicked and hit her accelerator instead of the brake pedal, causing her car to smash through the sec­ ond­floor wall of a car park and land on its roof in the street below, crushing two other vehicles. The woman, 38, said after the accident that she had stalled her car while parking at lunchtime on Monday in Las Tablas, in the north of Madrid.

She became confused and put her foot on the gas, sending her car shooting through the second­storey wall. It landed roof­down on two vehicles parked in the street. Amazingly, the driver was only slightly injured thanks to her car's airbag and that firefighters despatched to the scene were not need­ ed to free her.

WATER BOOST

Just under 100 thousand euros will be spent in improving drinking water and sewage provision in Almoradi. The main upgrades to drinking supplies will be in the Camino de la Venta and Camino de Los Infantes areas, with sewage proj­ ects on Calles Rafael Alberti and Adrian Viudes.

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Friday, September 12, 2014

HASHTAG BOAT INVADERS ARMLESS TRIP FRUIT Three boats with twenty North African illegal immigrants landed on the coast south of Torrevieja in the early hours of Thursday morning, and were picked up by the Guardia Civil.

The first craft landed in the Playa Flamenca area at 2.30 am, with six occupants, followed by two boats that were intercept­ ed in the following hour off Cabo Roig.

Spanish farmers gave away 10 tonnes of free fruit and veg­ etables to Madrid residents last Friday in protest against the Russian embargo on European farm imports. Spanish fruit exports to Russia usually total 340 million euros a year and loss of access to the market has had "very serious" effects on the sector according to the unions.

Producers across Europe, who exported nine billion euros of food to Russia last year, have been left with a glut of certain foodstuffs as a result of the embargo. Russia's year­long embargo on fruit, vegetables, meat, fish and dairy imports from the European Union kicked in last month, and was imposed as a retaliation for sanctions imposed on Russia because of its support for rebels in Ukraine.

The Madrid protest also featured the strong use of social media like Facebook and Twitter, with recipients of the free fruit being encouraged to post selfies of themselves with the hashtags of "Kiss the Fruit" and "Fight the Russian Embargo".

PONZI FIGHT

A Spanish­based UK pensioner who lost over 110 thou­ sand euros to two so­called ponzi schemes is searching for an estimated 14 thousand fellow victims to join her legal bat­ tle.

Liz Turner, 67, has been coordinating the victim network Axiom Legal Financing Group for more than a year after the Axiom Legal Financing Fund – valued at over 125 million euros – collapsed in December 2011. Turner, originally from Lincolnshire, and now based in Almeria, is now also taking on the same task in fighting the Australian based scheme, LM, valued at over 260 million euros with 12,000 victims world­ wide.

So far the group has 60 members, predominantly from northern Spain, but Turner is convinced that there are more victims on the Costa Blanca and around the country.

She said: “We have started to find people, it has been a slow process, but we will continue to look. We just need to reach out to them, or for them to get in contact with us.

“It is hard to find so many people scattered across the globe. We need all the help we can get.”

More details are available via the website, www.axiomle­ galfinancinggroup.com

LIFE SAVED

Five of those that travelled were said by the Red Cross to be children, who said the immigrants were wet and exhaust­ ed, with one of them having to be taken to Torrevieja hospital.

They claim to have come from Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia and had drifted in the vessels for up to three days.

Last Sunday morning, a small boat carrying 10 refugees from North Africa was intercepted off the coast of Santa Pola, making it now a total of 77 people landing in the area since the start of August.

COUNTING THE COST

Farmers in Alicante Province have been left to count losses of around 80 million euros because of this year’s drought.

Union leaders said they thought it would be a bad year a few months ago, but the problems have been compounded by exceptionally low levels of rainfall. Olive production has dropped by up to 60 per cent, with grape production in a similar poor state of affairs, whilst a high amount of cherries have been grown, but their quality is below normal standards.

SUE’S SHOCKER

A suspected illegal immigrant managed to fold himself behind the front seat of a woman's Fiat Panda before escap­ ing after they reached the UK. Sue Taber, 59, arrived back to the UK on the Eurotunnel last week after a trip to the Costa Blanca.

When boarding, she checked her two six­year­old cocker spaniel dogs, named Pippa and Christa, in at the Pet Reception in Calais, and it is at this time she believes a man gained access to her car and hid for the rest of the journey.

When Ms Taber arrived home to Shepherdswell, near Dover,

Zenia Boulevard’s car park had more than just vehicles in it last week­ end with 40 local crafts­ men showing off their skills in a special Artisan fair. The two day exhibi­ tion had been organised by the Orihuela Costa European Residents department and fea­ tured a wide variety of arts and crafts.

DEAD AND BURIED

Rojales' municipal cemetery expansion will be finished by the end of 2014 with new burial plots and vaults that will deal with demand over the next 20 years. That's the view of Rojales Mayor, Antonio Perez, who personally checked on the progress of the project which is costing over 400 thou­ sand euros.

HEAD ON

A 29 year old driver was seriously injured when his car col­ lided head­on with a bus near Callosa de Segura last Thursday afternoon(September 4th). The accident happened in mid­afternoon on the CV900 road with the driver being trapped in his car, before being released by fire crews from Almoradi and Orihuela. The bus driver escaped unscathed with no passengers on the vehicle at the time of the incident.

ON THE BUSES

Work on building Santa Pola's new bus station is set to begin later this month, after approval was given by the coun­ cil to the construction plans. The long awaited project is expected to be finished before the end of next year.

HOT NIGHT

A 74 year old woman was dragged unconscious out of the water at Villananitos beach at Lo Pagan, San Pedro del Pinatar last Monday lunchtime. Lifeguards and then para­ medics mange to revive the swimmer, before she was moved to Los Arcos hospital in a stable condition.

CRAFTY CARVERS

Guardia Civil officers who stopped a car on Ibiza got the shock of their lives when they discovered one of the back seat passengers had half his arm missing. The driver did not stop until he was pulled over by the Guardia some four kilo­ metres from where his 28­year­old Italian passenger's arm had been torn off at the elbow during a collision with a safety barrier.

The man had been hanging out of the rear right­side win­ dow when the vehicle struck a safety fence, ripping his arm off at the elbow. The driver was given a breathalyser test which revealed that he was over the legal limit. Although the missing limb was recovered next to the safety barrier, sur­ geons in the hospital in Palma, Mallorca where he was flown to, were unable to reattach it due to its condition.

Kent, she said the man got out of the car "in slow motion Ms Taber, who was in Spain visiting her partner, who has a property on the Costa Blanca,, said: "I just feel so daft. I went to Spain and on my way back I was so careful, locking the car whenever I got out, parking under street lights."

The stowaway, who claimed to be an orphan "unfolded himself" from behind the front seat of Sue's car, and jumped up as one of her dogs went "berserk" in the back of the car.

"All he kept saying was 'I'm an orphan, I'm an orphan'. I told him to get lost and he did," Ms Taber said."This boy must have been 18 to 20. I don't know how he managed to fit in the car!"

Police said a man was later detained and passed on to immigration officials.

Worried neigh­ bours in a quiet Barcelona neigh­ bourhood called in the police on Tuesday night after hearing loud screams, only for the police to find it was the sound of a porn movie being watched in an apartment that had its windows open on a steamy night!

Residents in Rubí even recorded the blaring soundtrack being played by the hard­of­hearing porn fan on their mobile phones before calling in the police. Officers arrived at the scene and investigated the source of the saucy ruckus. They interrupted the man's activities and asked him to turn the sound down and behave with more consideration for his community in future.

Friday, September 12, 2014

A HARD LESSON A British couple are fighting for compensation from Bankinter after they claim to have been ‘misled and harassed’ throughout a 10­year­long Spanish mortgage saga. The report in the Costa del Sol English newspaper, The Olive Press, tells the story of Lauren Ottewill, 56, and her husband Martin, 57, who moved into a flat in Los Montesinos in 2004, after paying a 20,000 euros down­pay­ ment on what was then an 121 thousand euros property.

They continued to faithfully pay another 20 thousand euros, just 10 thousand euros short of the flat’s current value, before they ran out of money. When the flat was repossessed in 2009, the couple claim that Bankinter did not tell tell them.

“We only found out when our estate agent went to the property and couldn’t get in with the keys,” Lauren told The Olive Press. “He called up the bank and they told us the flat had been repossessed a while back.”

“Nor had they told us that we had an account still open, until they called to claim their 200 euros of maintenance fees.”

It was only when they tried to close their account five years later that they found out that Spanish law still held them to the remainder of the mortgage on the seized property.

Bankinter agent Alfonso Perez Velazquez told The Olive Press that when a property is repossessed, at whatever value determined

by the government, and if there is still a dif­ ference between the unpaid mortgage and the property value, then it follows the debtor for life.

However, two years ago Bankinter decid­ ed to abolish all debts on repossessed hous­ es, but the change in policy only applies to properties bought in the last two years, meaning the Ottewills are out of luck.

“They are still threatening us and harass­ ing us over unpaid mortgage debts plus penalties,” said the Ottewills, citing phone calls and letters in Spanish demanding that they pay the outstanding mortgage on the repossessed flat.

“If we had been told in 2004 that we if we lose our property and still have to pay the mortgage and lose everything, we would never have bought it and gotten into such a sick situation. No one would.”

DEATH TAX TO FALL

Major changes could be on the way to Spanish property taxation after a European ruling that the country's inheritance tax law is illegal by charging more to foreigners. The Court of Justice of the European Union has said that the current tax violates European legislation when it imposes higher taxes to foreigners and on foreign property.

Regional Spanish laws allow tax advan­ tages in Autonomous Communities if the donor and beneficiary are Spanish resident taxpayers and the inherited property is in Spain. The ruling has important implications, according to solicitor Antonio Berdonces Vivancos from the Murcia regional law firm, Interlaw.

“Both central and regional governments will, unquestionably, have to review the reg­ ulations related to this tax (tax allowances, deductions and applicable tax rates) in order to comply with the judgement passed.

“It might just be that, in the short term, the reaction will be to remove this discrimination by eliminating all tax advantages for resi­ dents. This would represent an increase in tax yields but will not represent any advan­ tage to the potential heirs who can benefit from this ruling.

“The most likely scenario, in the medium term, is that this judgment will call up for a thorough review of the current system which taxes the acquisition and ownership of real

estate in Spain.

“These taxes are the main source of income for the Autonomous Communities in Spain. Both taxes have a huge impact on the property market because the costs associat­ ed with purchasing a property include a tax that goes from 8% to 10 % for resale proper­ ties and 10% VAT plus Stamp duty at 1.5% for newly built properties.”

The court verdict supports a European Commission complaint from 2011 that such tax discrimination was a restriction on free movement of capital.

MOUNTAIN DEATH A 39 year old Guardamar climber died in the Almorchon mountains in the Cieza area of Murcia on Sunday when he fell 200 metres to the ground. The tragedy happened in mid­afternoon when one of the ropes he was using on the south face of the mountain broke.

His girlfriend and another fellow moun­ taineer(both from Murcia City) rang the authorities, who took an hour to get there because of the difficulty of accessing the area. A helicopter ferried the dead man out of the area, followed by his two companions who despite the events, were in good health despite suffering from shock.

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Friday, September 12, 2014

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

All a-bared for charity...

CHARITY 4 Charities have bared all to raise money for the 10 charities they support each and every year.

To celebrate reaching their €140,000 goal, they decided to do something different. And here it is.

Charity 4 Charities members and helpers as you have never seen them before ­ with their kit off at their weekly auction.

One generous supporter of the hard­working charity printed and donated 450 calendars, while anoth­ er paid for their delivery. Both wish to remain anonymous.

The calendars are so impressive that 150 were sold on the first day of delivery. They are simply flying out the window.

The calendars are only €5 each and can be obtained from Treasure Chest and Diamond Florist in Questa high street or by calling 966 712 803.

They are amusing, as well as top quality with excellent photography.

Don't miss out. You'll regret it.

SANDRA KNOTT, President

The hammer house of building horror

I THOUGHT your readers might be interest­ ed to see the downside of the building boom!

Please be aware of what is in store if you see the dreaded "TRIVEE Construction starting here soon" We have been subjected to five and a half years of non­stop noise and filth, culminating this morning in clouds of toxic concrete dust blowing across our houses and the valley.

This happened when a lorry came to fill a silo on site.

We can only guess at the damage inflicted on our lungs and bronchial passages. I have attached photos I took at 8.10 this morning.

We have non stop hammering, as all you need to build in Spain is a big hammer.

Then, when the concrete has been poured and set, they spend the next two weeks with pneumatic drills making holes in it!

Every morning we have the dawn chorus of a couple of men beating the sides of a metal trough in which they mix their cement, as it would appear too difficult to rinse the thing every evening to dispose of any unused mix. No, much more fun to beat it out with hammers.

You will be able to save money on electric­ ity though, as watching the news in the morning will be a long lost pleasure.

We have been assured by Trivee that they are trying to finish the site (?) as soon as possible, but we are finding it very difficult to believe, as some times there are only two men (with the obligatory two hammers) on site.

JILL HAYLES, President Pau 1 R6, Residencia Playa Golf 1, Orihuela Costa

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Friday, September 12, 2014

FROM BAIRD TO WORSE...

TELLY VISION: John Logie Baird

60 years on and text maniacs are killing the art of television I CAN still hear my not spinning in his grave around them. father scoffing at the quite as quickly as he would Dad’s fears in the 50s ulti­ impact of television on like to be. mately proved unfounded.

He’ll certainly be horrified When I was 10, he was a the British public.

“It’s killed the art of conver­ sation,’’ he would moan, echoing the verdict of most 1950s geriatrics on John Logie Baird’s vision of the future.

(To my young brain, every grown­up was a geriatric, even though I had no idea what the word meant).

Killing the art of conversa­ tion? I can’t recall discussing ANYTHING significant with Dad over the entire 24 years we were on this earth togeth­ er. I loved him dearly but when it came to meaningful conversation, he had less patience than a struck­off doctor (oops, that pun only works verbally).

Dad would have been 103 this year, so presumably he’s

No Jock-king matter, Alex!

WHILE the Scots burn their bannocks over the independence isssue, Alex Salmond’s ‘Yes’ army seem to think the Sassenachs are in a blind panic over the potential breakup of their precious Union.

Strange logic - I’d have thought it was much more stressful to start tartan oneself up for a date with an unpredictable stranger. Let’s face it, noone has a clue where the Scots will end up if they chuck their Salmond rod in with the Devil they don’t

know. The go-it-alone brigade have no idea what lies ahead - apart from a hell of a lot of hard work to build the infrastructure of a separate nation. And there is every chance they will come a cropper.

All my Scottish friends fear the worst if the breakaway brigade win the day and Scotland floats off into the unknown.

Call it off before it’s too late, Alex.

The whole independence thing is beyond a Jock...

triumvirate of Kenneth Kendall, Richard Baker and Robert Dougall would catch the tube into our living room at the effect of today’s tech­ seemingly ancient 43­year­ and deliver the BBC TV nological jungle on his great old ­ and the goggle box was News in a grainy haze of grandchildren. revolutionising society. grey and white.

My own grandkids seem to If, that is, you were rich The Beeb’s potted pro­ spend every waking moment enough to afford a stake in gramme package was an with their Facebooks buried Baird and the Beeb. in a Google of I­pods, E­ Dad, being a reasonably alliteration of pretty pathetic pads, computers and multi­ affluent businessman, threw pap. But nostalgia plays purpose telephones. good money after Baird and tricks on the memory and I All but the youngest are in paid an astronomical price now accept that The Grove a 24/7 relationship with at for a flimsy Sobel with a 14­ Family was nothing special ­ just an alternative soap least one electronic commu­ inch scene. nication gadget. And I bet lit­ For the equivalent of opera to Dad’s bathtime tle Buddy has programmed £2,000 today, the po­faced impression of Mario Lanza. himself to join them from his third birthday in December.

‘Computers Have Killed the Art of Television’ disease seems to have affected everyone today between the ages of five and 50.

Symptoms are a total loss of eye contact with human beings, plus an inability to speak more than one syllable every ten minutes.

A friend of mine topped it all over dinner the other day when he was so engrossed in online games that he fired off a text mes­ sage asking his other half to pass the salt.

The bizarre behaviour that is blighting 21st century soci­ ety is so reminiscent of my own childhood.

The big difference is that millions of people are now GOOD LICK CHARM: Roxy the German Shepherd living in their own textoxic enjoys a shift at her owner Mark Heyes’ garage ­ and world, cut off from the reality a few hours’ escape from the family’s 21 other pets

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Friday, September 12, 2014

Friday, September 12, 2014

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Friday, September 12, 2014

MY SCHOOL DAZE

My MOTHER’S voice streaked up the stairs, blasted into my bedroom and homed in on my half­ conscious ears like a son­ seeking missile. 'Get up, David, you'll be late for school!'

'Oh, no,' I groaned, pulling the covers over my head.

Where had half the weekend gone? For I remembered going to bed on Saturday night but what had happened to Sunday? I had no memory of what I had done the previ­ ous day. And now it was Monday. Another school week was about to begin.

The voice came again.

'David, if you don't get up in the next five minutes I shall never, ever speak to you again!'

'Promise?' I croaked back.

'Anyway, Mother, what's the rush? School doesn't shut until 3.30 this afternoon so I have plenty of time to get there before hometime.'

I thought again about the weekend. On the Saturday I must have gone to the pic­

tures with Dad. But for the life of me I couldn't remember what we'd seen.

And as a film­lover, I always recalled the movie I'd been to? Which brought me to yesterday.

What had hap­ pened on Sunday?

My mind remained a blank.

It was my turn to fire off a vocal missile?

'Mother!' I shrieked. 'I think I'm losing my mind. I must be suffering from amnesia. I can't remember the last time I had an attack of forgetful­ ness.'

'Can I ask you a question?'

Mother answered me. 'If you insist,' I groaned. 'I might just manage to tell you the square root of the number nine or even the capital of Peru but if it's something per­ sonal, I haven't a clue.'

Mother replied: 'My ques­ tion is: Why are you calling me Mother? I am not your Mother.'

'Then who ARE you?' I cried as I realised that my problem was more compli­ cated than I had first thought.

I heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Opening one very frightened eye, I watched the bedroom door as it loudly creaked open and a figure came into view. 'You need to oil those hinges again,' said my visitor.

'You are indeed not my mother,' I blurted out. 'You are my wife. You are Mrs S.' And then everything fell into place. I wasn't a teenag­ er any more. I'd left school more than 50 years previous­

COLOURS TO BRIGHTEN UP THE AUTUMN

As we now approach the cooler months here in Spain, the UK is already prepared and manufacturers have released all new designs and styles for the 2014/15 Autumn and Winter Collections. This year’s styles are vibrant warm colours which will cheer up any room! Curtain designs remain constant with a wide choice of designs from both British and Spanish manufacturers from flowers or stripes to plain voiles there is something to suit everyone’s taste.

Sarahs Curtain & Bedding Store also sells a wide range of staple bed linen, fabulous soft cotton percale sheets, valances and pil­ lowcases in fantastic colours. Egyptian cot­ ton linen is also available. Pillows, duvets, mattress and pillow protectors are available from just 7 euros and they will shortly be

adding a new range of blankets, bedspreads and throws!

In order to welcome a large selection of brand new ranges from existing and recently acquired manufacturers, Sarah's Curtain & Bedding Stores big end of season sale will start today! With amazing discounts and offers...... this sale is too good to miss!

Curtain prices are cut by up to 50% and there are some amazing duvet set bargains, with Catherine Lansfield duvet sets from just 10 euros!

Sarah's Curtain & Bedding Store is open Monday to Friday 10 am until 5 pm and Saturday 10 am until 2 pm. You will find the shop in CC Los Dolses Villamartin, next to Cardmania near the canal at the top end of the commercial centre.

was petrified.

'But what are you frightened of?' queried Mrs S. 'I'm sure you've achieved just as much in your life as your old school mates have. Not every­ one can say that they've been suc­ cessful in their jobs. Mind you, ly. And the reason I couldn't not even YOU can say that. remember what I had done 'However,' Mrs S went on, the day before was that 'You might well have trawled TODAY was Sunday, not the depths as an anonymous Monday. bottom feeder in the murky I was so relieved that world of hack journalism but everything was back to nor­ that doesn't mean that you mal that I leapt out of bed, are not a loving family man. grabbed hold of Mrs S and Believe me, husband, on the danced a euphoric jig around odd occasion you can be.' the bedroom. 'Blimey,' said a 'Thanks a bunch for that breathless Mrs S. 'This is compliment, dear,' I said as I certainly a change for the struggled into my smart better from the mood you clothes. 'But fancy having a were in last night.' school reunion on a Sunday And why had I been in a which is supposed to be a bad mood last night? day of rest.' Mrs S sighed.

Because today was the day 'Every day is a rest day for of my school reunion ­­ and I you.'

I must confess that I was moderately excited about meeting my former school­ mates again. I tried to con­ ceal my natural expression of permanent bewilderment as I crossed the threshold of my alma mater.

'Hi, guys!' I greeted my ex­ pals. (Blimey, they looked so old.)

'Hi, Dave!' they responded. (Blimey, he looks even older than us.) 'So how has life been treating you?' they chorused.

I had already decided that there was no point in fibbing.

I was determined to be truth­ ful for how else would I be able to hold my head up.

Anyway, by nature I was no liar. I had always taken great comfort in my honesty.

'I'm doing absolutely fine, guys,' I said. 'I'm a rocket sci­ entist, you know.'

By then I'd already had enough. 'Have to go now, fellers,' I said cheerily. 'I need to be at Cape Canaveral by morning. Another day, anoth­ er launch. You know how it is.

Don't you just hate Mondays.'

11

Friday, September 12, 2014

MAKING FRIENDS I’M FREE FOR FUN

A new group is starting in Benijofar to help peo­ ple who have lost their loved ones to take the first step towards making new friends.

FAB (Friends After Bereavement) will have their first meeting on Saturday September 27th from 2.00pm at Bar Catorce on the Plaza Inmaculada.

FAB has been created

by Rosina and Joan, with Rosina saying:­ “When I was bereaved I knew that I wanted to remain in Spain but without the support of family around me I felt very much alone and at a loss. Taking the first steps to living alone is a daunting prospect, let alone doing it in a for­ eign country, and I know that others must be feeling the same way. We are not a dating­ agency, but simply want to provide a non­ threatening space for people to develop new

friendships where, if they wish, they can talk about how they are feeling, or problems they are experiencing, to like­minded people.”

Luis Rodriguez, the mayor of Benijofar, says “This is a good initiative for people who are alone and an opportunity for them to meet new people. I am proud to support this new group which I hope will become suc­ cessful, not only for people in Benijofar, but also in the wider community.”

RAISING A SMILE

It’s getting busy for the Smile Charity Group as they’ve just started work on casting and rehearsals for their end of year pantomime, Pantoloons 2, which was been specially written by John Walker. Meanwhile the team are putting on the hilarious Skool Blazers­Flaming St.Trinians next Tuesday(September 16th) at Casa Ventura, San Luis, Torrevieja, and then at The Club in Quesada the following Friday. Tickets cost just 10 euros for the show and a meal, and can be obtained by calling 692 866 536. Meanwhile, the Smile Charity Group are continu­ ing to organise monthly entertainment nights, which helps them to raise substantial amounts of money for local causes.

Nobody’s quite sure whether there’ll be a sighting of Mrs. Slocombe’s famous pussy, but plenty of laughs and fun are guaranteed with a musical version of the riotous TV comedy, Are You Being Served, which is being staged by the Campoverde Theatre Group in San Miguel next month.

All the familiar characters will be there getting ready for a very special birthday in

I’m Free, with a collection of great double­ meanings mixed in with many well­known songs from the late sixties and early seven­ ties.

I’m Free will be performed at the Casa De Cultura, San Miguel on three successive nights starting on Friday October 10th, with tickets available from Colin on 966 774 127 or from Bargain Books in San Miguel.

Santiago de la Ribera will be full of dogs this Sunday but their owners will be in tow as well, with the Walk on the Bark Side dog walk in aid of Cruz Azul Murcia. The Esplanada de Barnuevo is the place to bring your furry friend for a three kilometre walk between 11.00am and 3.00pm this Sunday September 14th.

Entry is just five euros with some tapas and entertainment provided to enjoy at the end of the walk along the prome­ nade. Entry forms are still available from the Cruz Azul Shop in San

Javier (next to Yorkshire Linen) with the phone number being 693 017 616.

DOG DAY AFTERNOON

KEY BATTLE

Thoughts will turn to 1940 and the Battle of Britain in a special commemorative service that will be held in Torrevieja this Monday (September 15th). The service of thanksgiv­ ing has been organised by the Costa Blanca branch of the Royal Air Forces Association, and will start at 11.00am at the La Siesta Community Church in Torrevieja. Everybody is welcome to attend to remember a vital air conflict led by the RAF with support from European pilots from countries like Poland and France that almost certainly stopped a likely Nazi invasion of the country.

BE POSITIVE

What if it rains tomor­ row,? What if I become ill?

What if I lose my partner/best friend? These are all questions we ask, and the monthly Chatters group organised by Help at

Home Mar Menor gives you a chance to meet people and to be positive especial­ ly if you are feeling poorly, lonely or bereaved. Their next meeting is this Wednesday (September 17th) and it features trained counsellor Jill Sylvester(pic­ tured) talking all about stay­ ing positive. It’s being held

at the Roda Civico in Roda Village at 11.30am, and there’ll be a chance for you to talk to Jill afterwards or even to make an private appointment. For more details about Chatters and HAH Mar Menor, then call Lesley on 968 124 978, or send an e­mail to helpath­ omespain@gmail.com.

12

Friday, September 12, 2014

DOGS ENJOY THE PRESENT Does a dog have a memory? It is a pop­ ular question that I am often asked and the answer is yes, they do. If they didn’t have a memory they wouldn’t remember certain tasks they have been taught. If a dog has been abused, then yes, they do remember that they were abused, but they will not sit there replaying the abuse over and over, which is what some humans do.

just wanted to be by herself. Three weeks on, the Parvo virus has cleared and she follows my wife and I around the garden with her constant little play bows, as she invites us to play with her. She is a complete inspiration.

The final example I will give to you is Betty, who we rescued from appalling conditions and her ail­ ments included, Leishmania, sores, parts of her body including her head were bald, her nails were so long, she could hardly walk, she was covered in ticks and fleas, she had dead skin flaking off her body and her eyes and ears would sometimes release blood and other fluids. Twelve weeks on and she is now a picture of health and her spirit is beautiful to watch.

She has a constant smile on her face and all of my male dogs are lining up to ask her out for a date, such is her beauty!

So yes the memory will always be there, but dogs use memory as a completely different tool as to us. I know I have said it many times in these pages over the last two years, but it is us who need the training and not the dog.

Let your dog start teaching you now, the ability to live in this moment and not the moment of something sad that happened many years ago. www.thedogyouneed.com is a registered charity, where we rehabilitate the most severely abused ani­ mals. Our charity registration number is 1157175. 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.

Thank you.

Thats the clinical difference between a dog and a human, the dog knows something happened, but they choose to live in this moment, rather than some humans who will replay the past in their minds. I have worked with dogs who have been physically abused and also sexually abused by humans, but they do have the ability to move on and start a new and loving life, which is why I will always remind people, that the dog should be our major inspiration in this life.

Given the correct psychological approach, any dog can begin to live a new life, with happiness and peace. Some examples of how this can happen, include first of all, Lima, a Podenco mix dog we res­ cued when she was eight months old. Someone had broken her two front legs as a puppy and when I first collected her from Granada, I cannot begin to tell you how terrified this dog was. She started to show major improvement after being with us for only two days and she now lives the most happiest life any dog could live.

Only a few weeks ago, I drove to Almeria, to collect a blind and deaf, female German Shepherd puppy. To add to her ailments she also had Parvo virus. If you touched her she showed very high levels of fear and

PETS’ CORNER: CAN YOU TAKE IN A HOMELESS DOG OR CAT? Antonio looks like a Basque Shepherd cross, he has such a sweet, gentle nature and is around 3 years old, he is a little nervous of men but once he gets to know someone is a loving companion. Antonio has been neutered and great with other dogs. Call: 645 469 253. www.petsinspain.com

Antonio Born in May 2012 Drake is a small tabby male. He is a lovely cat, but is very unhappy and stressed living in the APAH Cattery with lots of other cats. He would be much happier in a home environment and would make a lovely cat for some­

Drake

one wanting affection. To meet him and the other APAH cats, please call 630 422 563 or 616 210 850.

URGENT PLEA – PLEASE HELP Last Saturday September 7th, two male chocolate Labradors, Benji and Dougi, sneaked out of the gate, and are now lost somewhere in the Roda, Los Alcazares areas. These are adored family pets and not used to being out on their own.

Their canine friends are pin­ ing, and their humans are beside themselves with worry. Can you help find them please, look in garages, outhouses, if you hold keys for neighbours who have recently gone home, check that they haven’t gone in unnoticed.

They are beautiful good natured, chipped, and cas­ trated adult males. We are desperate to find them and a reward will be given when

they are returned, or for information leading to their safe return Please tele­ phone 697 427 119 OR 672 222 535 Molly is a young Podenco pup that was found in the campo when she was only 2 months old, she is adorable and gets on very well with the other cats and dogs that she is being raised with.

Molly Molly is a little lady, very gentle and loving she is not very big medium sized, she needs a good home. For more information about Molly please ring the PEPA helpline on 650 304 746 or Email: p.e.p.a.animalchari­ ty@gmail.com Born in March this year, Emily and her brother George were rescued together by APAH. Lucky George has found a new home, but Emily who misses her brother is hoping it will soon be her turn. To meet her and the other APAH

dogs, please call 630 422

Patch is fully vaccinated, micro chipped and just wait­ ing to go to his forever home. If you think you could give Patch the time and patience he needs then please contact the kennels on 966710047 or email info@satanimalrescue.com Forest is a year old he is

Emily 563 or 616 210 850.

PATCH was brought into us by his owners who said that he was not suitable for their family as he was very timid, although they have had him since he was a very young puppy. Patch is still a young boy at 7 months old and within a very short peri­ od of time his confidence has grown and he has become a very cheeky,

Patch affectionate boy. He is still a little nervous with new peo­ ple but we believe with the right family he will grow into a confident, happy dog.

Forest

very friendly and affection­ ate to all he meets.

Forest would be ideal in a home with children as he has a very soft nature.

Please contact K9 or PHONE 600 84 54 20 for more info www.k9club.es Joshua is 1 of the 11 dogs we rescued from a dog hoarder in Murcia. He is now around 6 months old and weighs 5.5 kilos so will be small when fully grown. He is good with other dogs, cats and is very affectionate and loyal. Call: 645 469 253. www.petsinspain.com

Friday, September 12, 2014

13

14

Friday, September 12, 2014

BEGGARS BELIEF

It seems like you can’t go to any supermarket at the moment without having to pass someone sitting on the floor with a begging bowl being as nice as they can with the hope of a few coins being thrown their way. There are also those who accost motorists waiting at traffic lights, making those of us so inclined to have to shut our win­ dows and lock our doors, avoiding eye contact at all costs.

I do feel for these people. It can´t be easy to have to do this day after day in the searing heat, having to put up with neg­ ative comments, and I can´t imagine that the amount of money they make here in this area can be very much, after all none of us have a lot of disposable income.

It was during a shopping trip that this situation became clearer to me. I have never given money to beggars, as I’ve heard too many stories about them hitting the streets beg­ ging and then going back to their expensive apartments, and so I have been somewhat put off helping. I am not a big giver to charity either, as I feel the big UK charities give too much money to pen pushers and not enough to the charity itself. I do however shop in charity shops and so get something for giving my money. I´m not saying that I have never donated money to charity, nor helped those in need, but I am saying that I am careful about whom I chose to help.

I was shopping recently and, sure enough, there on the floor was a female, sat between two shops. She was on some kind of blanket although I didn´t look at her for too long so I cannot give more of a description of her or her surround­ ings. When I went into the shop, I could hear her trying to talk to me. There was nothing bad just a straight hello, but I didn´t want to talk to her, though I did say hi back as I continued to enter the store. Whilst I was shopping I kept thinking about this woman. I have been through good and bad times here in

Spain and when I was living in the UK, my life was never easy. I never felt part of a family as I´ve written before, because I´ve always had to make my own way in the world and live the life that I have made. I don´t have support either financial or otherwise, and I have been homeless in the past, standing on a London train station platform with everything I own in a black bin bag. I have then worked and fought my

way out of poverty not just once but time and again, until this point of time when I have a quite comfortable life, but it has been worked for and earned and I´ve done it on my own or more recently and, with more difficulty, with a young child.

That is why I don´t understand why people have to sit and beg. In all my darkest moments I have never resorted to sit­ ting in the street with my hands outstretched waiting for cash.

I have an inbuilt idealism that in order to gain anything you have to work for it, therefore for me to get money for doing nothing goes against the grain. It was with this in mind that thoughts of speaking to this woman went through my mind, as I speak Spanish, the language wouldn´t have been a problem. I felt like saying to her, “How can you ask me for money? How can you sit there with your hands held out wanting hand outs from me when I spend twelve hours a day working hard to provide for me and my son? From me, some­ one who was left by her son’s father after years of abuse, a father that doesn´t provide one cent for his son” I felt the anger building up inside me; just the sheer cheek of this woman, looking at me almost as though I owe her something. She doesn´t know my story and I don´t know hers. I´m also not interested in her tale as much as my life history would bore her. But I do find it kind of insulting that she would sit there and ask me for money. I guess there will always be these people. I have no idea why she was sat there and so I decided not to say anything, as well as not wanting to upset her. I simply don´t know her story and also because I couldn´t be bothered to listen to any reply.

Therefore I let my anger simmer down and just got back into my car and left, not giving her a second glance. I hope this situation in Spain can be fixed soon, as I have no idea how those without work survive here but then I look back on my history and sometimes wonder how I ever got here.

15

Friday, September 12, 2014

SCOTLAND THE BRAVE?

It does say something about the jitters in the pro­ union camp ahead of next week’s historic Scottish Independence vote that unnamed Buckingham Palace aides have been conveniently quoted as saying that the Queen is very worried about the “yes” camp winning on Thursday.

It may all be true or a pure piece of made­up bunkum trying to frighten people into voting “no”, but should Scotland go it alone, then the monarch would remain as head of state of north of the border anyway, so we are talking red herrings here. But something certainly does seem to have happened over the last fortnight to make it all appear to be a much closer contest than most experts believed, even resulting in one opinion poll giving the “yes” camp the lead last weekend. It may have been a rogue poll, but the apparent closeness of the contest may still further increase the turnout, which is no bad thing

for democracy.

I’m still very much in the belief that Scotland will stay part of the United Kingdom, but when you are getting the UK government rushing out details of an action plan for more Scottish powers and ex­PM Gordon Brown redis­ covering what TV studios look like, you get the sense and smell of some panic in the air from the “no” team. I

think the big problem for them has been the negative appearance of their cam­ paign and the production of threats of what might hap­ pen if Scotland votes for independence, like not being able to continue with sterling as the currency. Put those factors together with a view of an inevitable (until recently) “no” vote, and the pro­unionists have been

caught with their kilts down.

The best chance for the “yes” campaign was to take advantage of their oppo­ nent’s negativity and also for the voters to get upset over a bunch of Westminster politicians telling them what they should be doing once they get to the polling booth.

And that’s exactly what has happened.

Labour voters and young

voters (including the first time teenage voters at 16 upwards) seem to be the ones that have been making up their minds to go for “yes”, but there are still a significant number of unde­ cided people, so there is all still to play for, and that’s a brilliant position for the “yes” team, who a month ago would have killed to have reached this particular

point. By the way, there is a frightening prospect for Labour, as the Tories quietly snigger, whilst publicly backing the “no” vote. Take away Labour’s 41 Scottish seats from Westminster, and they will never have a realistic chance of getting an overall majority at a General Election. With Scottish Independence Day proposed for March 2016, nearly a year after the scheduled Westminster election, there is actual seri­ ous talk of some MPs want­ ing the General Election delayed until 2016 because of the constitutional crisis that would be caused by having Scottish MPs elect­ ed to a body that would not govern them! You can’t make it up, can you? A spe­ cial law would have to be passed delaying the vote, something that was last done during the war in 1940. What is it in me that secretly hopes there is a “yes” result just to see the fun and games that will then happen?

WHAT TO DO IF YOU’VE BEEN BURGLED. Statistics in Spain Crime rates in Spain remain among the lowest in the EU according to the latest Interior Ministry crime report. However, since the economic crisis began in 2008, there has been a steep increase in domestic burglaries and theft as a result. In 2012 the number of bur­ glaries in homes rose by 25.4%. The message to expat residents is not to panic. There are some simple precautions to take, as you would back in the UK, such as fitting security grills, installing exterior lights and alarms, being careful about what content is posted on social networks, especially anything to do with trips and holidays away from home. It also helps to take out a quality home insurance policy that will cover your home and its con­ tents should any unfortunate incident occur.

When you discover you’ve been burgled As soon as you discover you’ve been burgled, whether it’s a break­in or theft at your home, first call the police. Don’t touch anything until they arrive. A police report will be needed to process your claim.

Then secure your home to avoid further damage, board up any broken windows, make a list of damaged or missing belongings, detail the damage to your home resulting from the burglary, taking photographs of damaged windows or door.

At this point, you can call the claims department of your home insurance company. We advise you to have your policy on hand when you call.

Peace-of-mind with Linea Directa We understand that your peace­of­mind is important, especially in your home. Our claims department will take a full statement of the circumstances of the incident. We will check the insurance coverage with you explaining all the procedures. If emergency repairs are required from locksmiths to glaziers, we will help you swiftly handle your claim and get things back to normal as soon as possible. Fortunately, incidents of theft in Spain are rel­ atively small compared to other EU countries, however should you be burgled, your home­ owner’s insurance policy will cover the loss or destruction of personal property if it’s stolen from your home.

Hold-up outside the home In many cases, your home insurance policy may cover you for any incidents that occur outside your home. Should you be the victim of a hold­up outside your premises your per­ sonal belongings are covered. We will ensure replacement documents are quickly and efficiently dealt with, and if required, arrange the locks on your home to be changed.

We hope the information provided in this article is of interest.

If you would like to contact Linea Directa please call 902 123 161 More information on Linea Directa online at www.lineadirecta.com

16

THERE are some moments when I wish I was the British Prime Minister. I´m sure many of you have had those same thoughts too, when you feel that your personal intervention could make a real differ­ ence.

I had these highly emotion­ al feelings last week over the heart­wrenching rollercoast­ er over five­year­old Ashya King, suffering from a brain tumour.

Through the appalling insensitivity of offi­ cialdom, this seriously ill boy was without the love and care of his family for days in a Malaga hospital, while his parents were banged up in a Madrid prison. Previously they had been arrested and handcuffed, having commit­ ted no offence, and they had not been arrested or charged with anything! This is not the 18th century, it´s the 21st, and nothing like this should have happened.

If I had been Cameron, I would have summoned the head of the Crown Prosecution Service, the chief constable of Hampshire and the doctor in charge at Southampton General Hospital, and together we would have boarded a plane to Spain and personally taken over the situation for this distraught family. It would have resulted in the boy and his parents being quickly flown to a hospital in Europe for him to undergo the spe­ cialist proton ray treatment which the family had been fighting for so long, to zap the tumour he had. That treat­ ment might have worked, it might not, but either way, Cameron would have been seen by the world to be actu­ ally doing his utmost to help a desperately ill child and resolve an appalling situation for this family. This was Cameron´s golden opportu­ nity to demonstrate to every­ one around the world that human life matters; that there is something unique in Britain which nurtures the philosophy that life is pre­ cious and has to be protect­

Friday, September 12, 2014

CAM WASTES A GOLDEN CHANCE ed. An example that needs to be demonstrated right across the Middle East and in so many other places around the world. This is what being a prime minister is all about ­ to lead by an example and by so doing win the hearts and minds of the people, not just once, but all the time.

Perhaps, one day, leaders around the world will all be blessed with the touch of humanity which will make them great and push the world to be a better place. I wish I could be alive to see it.

If Cameron had done such a wonderful thing, the 2015 election would have been assured for him. He would have the vote of virtually every parent and would go down in history as a leader with a real heart. Sadly, he missed the opportunity of his political lifetime.

PERHAPS not every­ thing is lost when it comes to British justice. A soft, soppy judge handed out yet another suspended sen­ tence to a dreadful mother who unbelievably took her daughter to school on a dog lead. This crazy woman, 48, from Leicester, carried out a "campaign of cruelty" against her daughter, while aged five to 10. She would drag her daughter by the hair, punch, kick and scratch her, and force her to take cold show­ ers while rubbing shampoo and soap into her eyes. The wretched mother apparently took pleasure in hurting her daughter, who suffered appalling psychological cru­ elty; her mother blaming the girl for her own problems.

"The impact of this campaign of relentless insults was to destroy the victim's self­ esteem and to blight her childhood," an Appeal judge

q

said. The original soppy judge was influenced because the mother suffered from diabetes, failing eye sight and some mental health problems. Come on judge! Most criminals suffer mental health problems ­ if they were the full shilling they would, or should, realise crime doesn´t pay and this woman knew what she was doing.

Appeal judges replaced the suspended sen­ tence with one of a two­year jail sentence. Thank good­ ness some judges (too few) have got some common sense.

q

WHETHER we agree with some laws or not, and whether we think some judges are soft or not, one thing that is vitally important is that we all must respect the law. Without that respect the danger is of a breakdown in law and order and a spiral to anarchy. There´s one group of people who you would expect to be at the forefront of defending the law and treating it, judges and the courts with respect, and that is the very people who appear in them, judges, bar­ risters and solicitors. And it appalled me to hear of one numbskull in the shape of long­haired Alan Blacker, who appeared in Cardiff

Crown Court with St John Ambulance medals and rib­ bons on his breast during a trial. No, he wasn´t a defen­ dant, juror or witness:­he was a solicitor, who, quite rightly was rebuked by the judge for appearing in court looking like "something out of Harry Potter". Judge David Wynn Morgan also questioned Mr Blacker's right as a solicitor advocate to wear the robes and wig of a barrister. OK, some practices in the courts may be old fashioned and stuffy, but it´s designed to encourage a respect for the law and hats off to the judge for upholding that. The solici­ tor´s antics didn´t do the defendant much good either, because he was jailed for five years for causing the death of a cyclist.

Over the years we have seen a continual lowering of personal standards of appearance and behaviour.

Gone are the days of men dressing up to go to a restau­ rant or the theatre, and although women are end­ lessly buying dresses, how often do we see them in restaurants in jeans and a tee­shirt? Still on the subject of law and order, it frightened me to hear how the stan­ dards of policing are being ever lowered. It seems

British immigration policy made the UK appear as "an Eldorado" by immigrants.

Hear, hear. The British have complained about this for years, seeing the country systematically taken over.

Perhaps it´s about time the French rounded up the eco­ nomic migrants, put them on there´s a postcode lottery in planes and send them back the UK whether a reported to where they came from. crime will be investigated or These migrants should be not. Reports of lesser crimes, made to understand that such as thefts from cars, every time one of them criminal damage and the like leaves their own country it is are simply being pigeonholed one person less trying to in some places, and victims make that country a better are even being told to "inves­ place. Don´t run from it, fix it, tigate the crime and if you get should be the message. And more evidence we will look Britain should make it clear into it further". This brought a once and for all that illegal real shudder to me ­ it´s the immigrants are not welcome start of a slippery slope in the UK. They have man­ towards vigilantism if we´re aged to get to France and not very careful. Not only that it´s France´s problem ­ and ­ an inexperienced person they should deal with it deci­ probing a crime might end up sively. And a final message committing an offence, and, for the French:­ your charita­ no doubt, the police will be all ble institutions feeding the over them then! Enough is migrants at the ports isn´t enough. This lowering of helping the situation. standards in society has CYCLISTS have been gone on for too long and too in the firing line yet far and needs to be again ­ this time for plough­ redressed. ing into or scaring guide THERE´S a huge army dogs and/or their owners. A in northern France just survey involving a fifth of itching to cross the Channel guide dog owners in London to "invade" Britain. Calais, reported that 80% had suf­ just 15 miles from Dover, has fered a near miss with been inundated with cyclists on pavements, or migrants from the Middle when the bikers jumped red East, Asia and Africa for lights. The situation was get­ years, many willing to risk ting so bad many blind or their lives to board lorries to partially blind people are get over the Channel to a frightened of going out "better life" in Britain. Of because of out of control course there´s a better life in cyclists. There are 41,060 Britain ­ Brits still have a people registered blind or sense of fair play and justice partially sighted in London which is the envy of the alone, with just over 320 world, and our lives are using guide dogs in the city. many, many times better Major international cycling than in so many places. We events such as the Tour de should remember that some­ France encourage even times and be thankful for it. more people to buy and use However, the French have cycles. That would be fine if had enough of the nonsense Britain was a safe and of all and sundry trying to secure place to use cycles, cross the Channel to get to but sadly it isn´t. The vast the UK (currently around majority of roads have no 1,300 in Calais alone), and I cycle lanes, and those which have every sympathy with do, have only small sections, them. To have your home quickly leading back onto town taken over by immi­ roads with heavy traffic. grants is something many Britain needs to do more to Brits know about only too take bad cyclists to court. well. Last week we saw on And cyclists need to under­ the news, pictures from take lessons and tests and inside the port as hundreds be insured. And they need to of immigrants tried to storm observe the Highway Code onto a ferry. The mayor of and not take short cuts over Calais, who is threatening to pavements and dart in front order a blockade of ferries of vehicles. It’s a nightmare from Britain as a gesture in the UK and also in Spain against the UK over the mat­ where cyclists appear to ter, is complaining that think they are immortal.

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SAY IT IN SPANISH Learn the lingo - with a little help from JEANETTE ERATH Spanish 139 ¡Hola! Bienvenido a aprender el español conmigo.

Espero que hayas pasado una semana genial y estés preparado por más del verbo dar.

I´m going to start with one of my favourites, when I first came to learn Spanish I thought this phrase was one of the rudest things I had ever heard, however as I became more familiar with the language I began to accept it as something that is said, and how the language is, I still don’t like it but tend to use it because it´s the common phrase, the Spanish is me da lo mismo or, in my experience, more commonly me da igual which basically means ´It´s all the same to me´ or ´I couldn´t care less´ which sounds quite strong to us Brits used to saying things like ´I don´t mind´ but if you use it as I don´t mind then you will be getting into the Spanish mindset. The phrase no me importa is used in the same way and is just as common as me da igual.

Dar la razón means to admit some­ one is right: tuve que darle la razón – I had to admit that he was right. I hope you remember that tener razón means to be right, so this comes from the same word.

Me da hambre – it makes me feel hungry: after me da…. many expres­ sions are used, for example: me da envidia it makes me envious. When using me da we are usually saying something makes us feel a certain way, so if we were looking at someone preparing food we could say me da hambre as our mouths are watering!

Me da pena / lástima means to make sad / to upset / to feel sorry. It´s another very common one, as the

Spanish are very expressive with their language, something that seems a bit over the top to us is common in Spanish. Me da pena ver a esas personas – it makes me sad to see those people. A mí los que me dan pena son los niños – it´s the children I feel sorry for.

Dar buena / mala suerte means to bring good or bad luck.

Dar marcha atrás (sobre algo) means to go back (on something), we are used to it from the politicians of all coun­ tries: el gobierno dio marcha atrás – the government make a ´u ´ turn.

Dar fe de algo means to testify to something, if you have ever seen a legal document I hope you noticed the words doy fe before the signature, which comes from this phrase to

Dar saltos de alegria

mean testify or attest.

Dar la lata this is not a very common phrase but one you may find useful, as it means ´to be a nuisance´ or ´to bother someone´ Siempre está dando la lata he is always being a nuisance.

Dar voces means to shout or scream, which if you think about it logically makes a bit of sense.

Dar a luz anyone who has had a baby here in Spain is hopefully familiar with this saying as it means ´to give birth´ Dar cosa means ´to feel awkward or uncomfortable about something´: Me da cosa preguntarle de nuevo ­ I feel awk­ ward about asking him again En un momento dado means at a given moment / time.

Dar saltos de alegría I hope all of you reading this are doing these every time you complete your home­ work from here as it means ´to jump for joy´ Dar señal / señales de means ´to show signs of´ So there are a few times when this little three letter verb can be used in a variety of contexts, I hope you have heard a few of these and can now understand what was being said and I hope you continue to listen to Spanish whenever you can. If any of you are near Almoradí I have a group of English and Spanish students that meet to chat in both languages over a cup of coffee. Contact me if you´re interested in going along to meet some new friends, and if you´re a bit further away then feel free to contact me and let´s see if we can get some groups in other areas.

For now, have a great week and see you next week!

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THE MANY HEALTH BENEFITS OF GARLIC Various records exist today that document the use of gar­ lic as medicine throughout history. So many cultures are steeped in folklore and old wives’ tales about the plant and its properties. There are, in fact, few ailments for which garlic has not been prescribed at one time or another. Because it is easy to cultivate and grows prolifically, garlic has also retained an image as the miracle cure that even the poor can afford.

Ancient Roman physicians used it as an antiseptic dress­ ing for wounds. The Indian system of medicine known as Ayurveda still recognizes its effectiveness against digestive disorders. The Egyptian Book of the Dead contains refer­ ences to 22 garlic remedies; and the plant has always found favour in Oriental medicine as well.

Diuretic, laxative, cough suppressant, giver of strength and disease preventative: garlic has been employed for all of these uses and more. But do the healing powers ascribed to it by old, natural traditions of medicine have any real basis in fact? Actually, though some aspects of the action of garlic and what it can cure remain unclear, modern science has confirmed many of the benefits that people have attributed to the plant since ancient times.

The chief source of garlic’s therapeutic power lies in its volatile oil. This oil contains a substance known as alliin that

transforms into allicin when the garlic is crushed or cut.

Allicin, in turn becomes diallydisulphide after it’s exposed to air, and it is this final substance that acts as a strong antibacterial agent. Garlic actually helps to destroy the kinds of bacteria that attack the body whilst encouraging beneficial bacteria to form in the digestive tract. Its antiseptic properties are even effective against respiratory infections like coughs and common colds because the natural oil is excreted through the lungs. In addition, garlic can be applied topically because the oil can be absorbed through the skin and then carried by blood to the lungs.

In addition to the work of its volatile oils, the alkaline salts and sulphur compo­

nents within garlic act as blood purifiers. Its juice can be applied as an antiseptic on wounds.

Regular eating of garlic — at least a clove a day — will aid in the production of healthy white blood cells that fight infections, contribute to good digestion and the maintenance of optimum blood pressure, help rid the body of parasites, and act overall as a good disease preventative.

Unfortunately, roasting, grilling and steaming garlic will alter its chemical composition and squander many of these beneficial attributes.

Many countries now have garlic capsules available that are filled with oil extracted, by steam, from crushed bulbs. There is some debate concerning the strength of this form as opposed to raw garlic. Another option is simply to blend a clove in with other foods — for example, crush it and mix it into salad dressing. The purer the form of garlic that you can bear to take, the more health benefits you will reap from it.

CARING FOR YOUR BACK People over 40 suffer more from back pain than from any other health prob­ lem. But if you stop a moment and think about it, you quickly realize that the back is confined to very few positions, and in many cases is actually frozen in one position for long peri­ ods of time. Of course such rigid positions will result in stress, creating pressure on delicate areas of the back and spine. This pressure leads to tension, causing nervousness, strain, irrita­ tion, fatigue and weakness, in general affecting us physically, emotionally and mentally. There is a saying ‘’

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

you are as young as your spine is flexible’’. The spine acts as a communications system and controls many functions of the body and mind. It is able to release energy within the body and promote alertness and clari­ ty of the brain. It has been known for many centuries that the spine must remain supple and flexible through­ out life if you are to experi­ ence true health. A stiffening spine is a sign of approach­ ing old age, regardless of years, whereas a flexible supple spine is a major fea­ ture of youth. The leg pull exercise is a simple stretch­ ing exercise that loosens the tension of the legs and spine. It releases endor­ phins, the feel good hor­ mones, into the body.

Sit on a mat, with your legs out­stretched, and feet together. Sit erect and place hands on your knees. Slowly raise your arms in front of you, bring them up and lean backwards. Bring arms up and lean backwards. Take a firm hold on your knees and calves. Gently pull your trunk downward as far as you can without strain, with your elbows bending out­ ward. Let your neck go limp.

Hold this position for a count of 5 and then slide your

hands down your legs, and attempt to hold your ankles firmly. Gently pull your trunk downward as before, bend­ ing the elbows outward.

Rest your forehead close to your knees if possible. Relax and hold for 5 seconds.

Then slowly straighten up into start position.

Friday, September 12, 2014

THE OUTER EAR Written by Michael Burke RHAD MSHAA of Digital Hearing, Quesada This is the part of the ear we can see.

What we traditionally call the ear is in fact only a small part of our hearing system. On the face of it, this flap of cartilage known as the pinna surrounding a hole in the side of our head may seem to be very simple and designed without a great deal of thought but this – the most basic part of our hearing sys­ tem – is the result of thousands upon thou­ sands of years of evolution.

In most animals the pinna’s role in hearing is fourfold: 1. to collect sounds and send them into the hearing canal; 2. to tell the hearer where the sound is coming from (localization); 3. to increase the power of the sound it has detected; 4. to protect the ear canal.

The human pinna has the same four func­ tions but slightly modified.

We may think of the shape of the pinna as somewhat random, but we would be very wrong. Animals wiggle their ears around to best detect sounds. Humans have evolved beyond that (although we still have the nec­ essary muscles behind the ears and some people can still actually wiggle their ears around). A prominent feature of the pinna is a bowl­ or shell­shaped depression known as the concha. This collects sounds and bounces them into the ear canal. Because of Mother Nature’s wondrous design of our pinna a sound from above will hit the floor of the concha, produce an echo and delay it by 100 miliseconds before sending it to the brain. A sound from below will hit the roof of the concha and the echo delay is 300 miliseconds, so the brain instantly knows which direction the sound is coming from.

(Danger more likely to come from above than below – sounds detected faster.) The pinna also serves as an amplifier to increase

the energy of the sound collected. It does this most efficiently at 7 KHz, when it can add 20 decibels to a sound just because of its shape. (7 KHz ­ same frequencies as a snapping twig, rustling leaves, or a human scream.)

Having an ear on each side of the head tells the brain which side the sound is com­ ing from, and the forward­facing shape of the pinna enables the brain to differentiate between front and back.

Finally, in our primitive days man could close his ears by moving the flaps of skin known as the tragus and antitragus together to protect the ear canal. Some tribes of South Seas pearl divers can still do it to this day to protect their ears on deep dives. Far from being a random design, our pinna is a highly sophisticated instrument. The results of messing with this delicate set­up can be seen in boxers or rugby players, who end up with deformed (cauliflower ears) pinnae that affect their hearing ability.

The final part of the outer ear is the ear canal – a 1 inch long, dog­legged, skin­cov­ ered tunnel, designed to protect the eardrum which is situated at its inner end. Because of its shape the canal gives energy boosts of 10­20 decibels to sounds at 3.5 KHz. The development of our language is not a chance occurrence: it is significant that many of the information­carrying compo­ nents of speech – the consonants – are formed at or around this frequency. Just another example of the wonders of how we hear!

If you have any questions about this week's topic, you can e­mail digitalhear­ ing@hotmail.co.uk, contact Michael Burke at Digital Hearing, Quesada Business Centre, Calle los Arcos 7, Ciudad Quesada – Tel 698 418 642, or visit us on­line at www.digital­ hearingspain.com.

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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 it a few times in a year now. I will be glad for your advice on what else I can do to help manage it.

A

Gout is a common cause of arthritic pain due to increased uric acid levels in bodily fluids. The elevated uric acid precipitates into crystals that are deposited around the joints of the toes, cartilage, subcutaneous tissue and bone leading to inflammation and damage to the surround­ ing 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 has been linked to gene defects. The remaining 10% (secondary gout) occurs when the raised uric acid is caused by some other factor such as kidney dis­ ease, 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 produces. 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, depres­ sion, and liver damage.

Uric acid is produced when a compound known as purine is broken down in the liver. High levels of purine is 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 initiates 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 lev­ els and reduce associated symptoms. Refined carbohy­ drates such as flour and sugar and saturated fats are also known to increase uric acid production.

An ideal diet for anyone suffering from gout is a diet low in animal and plant protein, low in saturated 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 1.5 – 2 litres of water need­ ed to excrete waste products from the body. Drinking ade­ quate amounts of water promotes the excretion of uric acid, and prevents the formation of kidney stones. Cherries and red­blue berries are very effective in lowering uric acid lev­ els. 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, work­ ing 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.

Q

I went to see the doctor for a yearly check­up, and after a blood test he noticed some problems with my thyroid gland and sent me for an Ultrasound Scan.

They found 3 small nodules, but did not tell me very much about it. I feel very healthy, and from what I read from the internet, I do not think I have any problems with my thyroid. I will be glad for your opinion.

A

The thyroid gland is located in front of the neck just below the Adam’s apple. It is shaped like a butterfly, and wraps around the trachea or windpipes. Thyroid hormone abnormalities like those detected by your doctor are usually due to a problem with the thyroid gland itself. Normally, the pituitary gland located in the brain produces a protein called thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) which stimulates the thy­ roid gland to produce thyroid hormones­Thyroxine (T4) and Triiodothyronine (T3). Thyroid nodules are lumps that com­ monly occur in any part of the thyroid gland. Some can be large and felt quite easily, while others like yours can be hid­ den deep inside the thyroid tissue. Most thyroid nodules, up to 90% are benign, and do not cause any physical symp­ toms. In 10% of cases, nodules can be malignant and cause cancer. Since you mentioned that you feel healthy, it is most likely that the nodules detected in your case are benign tumours, which are commonly found in women. Even though benign thyroid nodules may not cause physical symptoms such as difficulty swallowing or shortness of breath, they nevertheless cause disruptions in the production of thyroid hormones. Thyroid nodules have been linked to a deficiency of iodine in the diet, and this problem can easily be remedied by using iodized cooking salt available from health shops.

The most common way of determining the type of nodule you have is by fine needle aspiration, and your GP may have to perform this procedure in order to collect cell samples for the lab. It is performed by the insertion of very fine needles into the thyroid gland in the neck usually under anaesthesia.

I presume you have another appointment with your doctor, and if not, make an appointment to see him, and discuss the scan report. Visit www.medb.es for cutting edge health infor­ mation.

Email your questions to : contact@medb.es

Edition 13

YOUR HOME IN...

ALBATERA

When we move to Spain, at first most of us want to be near the beaches and we want to enjoy the busy lifestyle that living on the coast brings. Then, some足 times after a couple of years, we start to think about the other things that this beautiful country has to offer and we venture inland and explore the towns and vil足 lages of the real Spain. There are many towns and vil足 lages worth a visit, full of culture and tradition which will only help us understand more about the country we have chosen to live in.

Albatera is one of these areas, a traditional Spanish town with all the amenities you could wish for, including a 24 hour health centre, supermarkets, several bars and schools for all ages.

It has a good sporting community with cycling clubs, run足 ning clubs, a gym, an indoor pool, a preferente football club and many walking clubs which explore the many mountain treks close by.

The location is also very convenient, being close to both motorways, 25 minutes to Alicante airport, 25 minutes to Murcia city and 30 minutes to the beautiful beaches of the Costa Blanca. If you don't want to drive there is a good bus service through the town.

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SPANISH NEWS

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ROBERTO RAGES COPPER BOTTOM FIND

A firefighter who was fined for refusing to evict an 85­ year­old lady who had fallen behind with her rent, has been in court to appeal against his conviction.

Roberto Rivas, head of the fire brigade in A Coruña in the north­western region of Galicia, was sent along with other members of the force to break down the door of Aurelia Rey's home so the police could bodily remove her from the property. But once there, he refused to have anything to do with the eviction, and joined a crowd of several hundred people from the anti­repossession pressure group Stop Desahucios who had gath­ ered round the door.

Rivas was fined 600 euros for 'disobedience' and 'pub­ lic disorder', but says he would do it all again and that the fire brigade 'should not be carrying out this type of work'. Whilst the chief fire­ fighter says his refusal to help evict the elderly lady was 'not premeditated', he insisted it is 'not the fire brigade's job' and that his refusal to cut the chain and

remove the 'Stop Desahucios' sticker placed on the door by protesters could not be considered 'dis­ obedience', since he had not been given specific instruc­ tions to do so.

“There is no law obliging us to take part in evictions or repossessions, and the day there is one, we will refuse to comply with it. Then and only then can we be accused of disobedience, but I would refuse to follow these instructions anyway,” stressed Rivas.

The attempted eviction was 18 months ago, and Aurelia Rey, now 86, man­

aged to reach an agreement with her landlords with the help of Stop Desahucios, allowing her to continue liv­ ing in her apartment.

Roberto Rivas immediately appealed against his 600­ euro fine, but the hearing only came last week, with the appeal verdict still to be announced. Rivas added that he would refuse to take part in any evictions in the future however much he was fined and disciplined for his stance. He was fully backed by several political parties at local and regional level, with the exception of the reigning Partido Popular.

to the fertile coastal regions in the south of the Iberian Peninsula,” says Felicitas Schmitt, a PhD student in the Resource Cultures col­ laborative research center in the university of Alcala de Henares.

The researchers plan to trace the ancient trade routes across Spain via landscape surveys. Even today, the site is close to major roads along the river valley, and running across them are paths into the hills used by shepherds; such routes have crossed the Meseta since time immemorial.

GAME OF THRONGS

Eager fans of the interna­ tional TV hit, Game of Thrones, have queued for hours in the Sevillian town of Osuna, hoping to be picked to appear in the new series of the popular show. Most of the background artists who will be used in the forthcom­ ing filming will be from Osuna, where the first part of a casting session took place to choose the 2,500 people who may end up por­ traying the inhabitants of Dorne on screen. The fic­ tional kingdom is painted as a sweltering land in the been repaired. He said that he George R. R. Martin books told his colleague, the local upon which the series is priest of Pontenova, that he based, making this ancient had found it broken and Iberian town the perfect offered to glue it back togeth­ backdrop for some of the er. action in the fifth season.

The statue was gone from Of the 2,500 people to be its habitual place for two days preselected, 500 will end up and when it returned, the sac­ appearing as extras in the ristan of the church went to show. The successful extras villagers with his suspicions. will be paid 50 euros a day Rúa gave his version of for their work, and will have events to churchgoers after to be at the beck and call of mass but many apparently did the producers during the not believe him with the priest shoot – which will run from having to report some of them October 10th to 29th – and to the Guardia Civil for their aggressive will not be paid either to trav­ behaviour. The villagers then refused to el to Seville or for their stay carry the 'new' statue in the local parade and there, when scenes planned it will now remain on the altar until at least for the Real Alcázar palace next year. will be shot.

VIRGIN SWAPPED

Residents in the hamlet of Pontenova in the north­west of Spain have refused to carry a statue of the Virgin Mary in their annual parade because they say that a local priest has swapped the original for a fake and pocketed all the dec­ orative jewels.

Some 200 residents filed a complaint that the priest of the parish of Riotorto, Antonio Rúa, had replaced a 15th Century statue of the Virgin of Comfort with a fake copy. The 'new' statue is around 40cm tall like the original but, according to the vil­ lagers, is dressed in different clothes which lack the jewels and donated decorations that had been added over the years. Rúa, how­ ever, claimed that the statue had merely

Yet another important archaeological site has been unearthed in Spain, with the latest find being a Copper Age settlement near Toledo which dates back some five thousand years. Shards and stone tools made of bronze have been found; adding tin to copper produced much harder bronze, and was a major breakthrough in tool making.

“With the new finds at Azután, we can confirm that there was intensive copper working and a settlement also in central Spain. Until now, it was thought that such activity was mostly limited

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TASTY THAI RECIPES PAD THAI Ingredients 125g (half a 250g pack) rice noodles 3 tbsp lime juice about 2 limes ½ tsp cayenne pep­ per 2 tsp light muscova­ do sugar 2 tbsp fish sauce (nam pla) 2 tbsp vegetable oil 200g cooked and peeled tiger prawns, tails left on 4 spring onions, sliced 140g beansprouts 25g salted peanuts, finely chopped a small handful of coriander leaves To serve 1 or 2 lime, cut into wedges sweet chilli sauce

Method

1. Put the noodles in a large heatproof bowl, pour boiling water over them and leave for 4 minutes, then drain and refresh under cold running water.

2. Put the lime juice, cayenne, sugar and fish sauce in a bowl and mix well. Have all the other ingredients ready by the cooker.

3. Heat the oil and fry the prawns until warmed through. Add the spring onions and noodles and toss around. Tip in the lime juice mixture, then stir in the beansprouts and half the peanuts and coriander. Cook for 1 minute until everything is heated through.

4. Pile into a large dish, scatter with the rest of the peanuts and coriander, and serve with lime wedges and sweet chilli sauce.

THAI CHICKEN AND SWEET POTATO SOUP Ingredients 1 tsp olive or rapeseed oil 2 garlic cloves, chopped 1 red chilli, deseeded and chopped 2cm chunk root ginger, chopped 1 stalk lemongrass, bashed 1 x 25g pack coriander, leaves and stalks chopped sepa­ rately 2 tbsp red Thai curry paste 750ml chicken stock (made with 2 stock cubes) 1 small can (160ml) coconut cream 500g sweet potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped 2 skinless chicken breasts, sliced 1 lime, juice only 1 tsp sugar

frozen: thoroughly defrost, then heat in a pan on the hob until curry is hot all the way through. Serve scattered with the coriander leaves and rice.

½ tsp fish sauce crusty bread, to serve (optional)

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the garlic, chilli, ginger, lemongrass, coriander stalks and curry paste and cook for 2 ­ 3 min­ utes until the aromas are released.

2. Add the chicken stock, coconut cream and sweet potatoes and cook for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are soft.

Remove the lemongrass and discard. Carefully transfer to a blender and blitz until smooth. If freezing, for best results freeze at this point, otherwise as an easier option freeze complete recipe.

3. Return to the saucepan, add the chicken and cook gently for 5 ­ 10 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Stir through the lime juice, sugar and fish sauce, scatter with the coriander leaves and serve.

THAI PORK & PEANUT CURRY Ingredients 1 tbsp vegetable oil bunch spring onions, sliced small bunch corian­ der, stalks finely chopped, leaves picked 400g pork tenderloin, sliced 4 tbsp Thai red curry paste 4 tbsp peanut butter 1 tbsp soft brown sugar 1 tbsp soy sauce 400ml can light coconut milk 175g pack baby corn juice 1 lime steamed jasmine rice, to serve

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan or flameproof casserole.

Add the spring onions and coriander stalks and cook for 1 min. Add the pork slices and cook for 5 mins until starting to brown.

2. Stir in the curry paste and peanut butter. After 30 secs, add the sugar, soy and coconut milk, plus ½ can of water.

Mix well, put a lid on and leave to simmer for 15 mins, stir­ ring occasionally.

3. Remove the lid, add the baby corn and increase the heat.

Bubble for 3 mins until the corn is cooked and the sauce has thickened a little. Stir in the lime juice and check the season­ ing. Can now be frozen for up to 2 months. To cook from

THAI FRIED RICE WITH PRAWNS & PEAS Ingredients 2 tbsp vegetable oil 1 red onion, halved and sliced 2 garlic cloves, sliced 1 red chilli, sliced 250g raw large peeled prawns 300g cooked brown rice (about 140g uncooked rice) 75g frozen peas 1 tbsp dark soy sauce 1 tbsp fish sauce small bunch coriander, roughly chopped, plus a few leaves to serve 4 large eggs chilli sauce, to serve (optional­ we used sriracha)

Method

1. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a wok, add the onion, garlic and chilli, and cook for 2­3 mins until golden. Add the prawns and cook for 1 min. Tip in the rice and peas, and keep tossing until very hot. Add the soy and fish sauce, then stir through the chopped coriander. Keep warm while you fry the eggs.

2. Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan and fry the eggs with some seasoning. Divide the fried rice mix between 4 bowls

Friday, September 12, 2014 and top each with a fried egg. Serve scat­ tered with coriander, with chilli sauce, if you like.

THAI BEEF STIR-FRY Ingredients 2 tbsp vegetable oil 400g beef strips, or steak cut into thin strips 1 red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced 2 tbsp oyster sauce handful basil leaves

Method

1. Heat a wok or large frying pan until smoking hot. Pour in the oil and swirl around the pan, then tip in the beef strips and chilli. Cook, stir­ ring all the time, until the meat is lightly browned, about 3 mins, then pour over the oyster sauce. Cook until heated through and the sauce coats the meat. stir in the basil leaves and serve with plain rice.

THAI MINCED CHICKEN SALAD Ingredients 2 lemongrass 4 lime leaves, stalks removed 2 red chillies, deseeded 3 garlic cloves fingertip­length piece fresh root ginger 4 skinless chicken breasts 1 tbsp vegetable oil 1 tbsp sesame oil 1 tsp chilli powder 50ml fish sauce 1 red onion, chopped 3 tbsp lime juice handful each mint, basil and coriander leaves, roughly chopped To serve 3 Baby Gem lettuces, leaves separated 1 cucumber, seeds removed and cut into strips lengthways 200g beansprouts lime wedges, to serve

Method

1. Roughly chop the lemongrass, lime leaves, red chillies, garlic and ginger, then throw them all into a processor and blitz until

everything is very finely chopped together.

Mince the chicken breasts into tiny pieces.

2. Heat a wok over a high heat and add the vegetable oil and the sesame oil. Throw in the lemongrass mixture and fry briefly before adding the minced chicken and the chilli powder. Stir­fry the chicken for 4 mins then splash in the fish sauce. Turn down the heat a little and allow the chicken and fish sauce to bubble together for another 4 mins, stir­ ring, then add the chopped red onion and cook for another min.

3. Remove from the heat, pour over the lime juice and toss in the herbs. Serve with the salad veg and a lime wedge on the side.

THAI-STYLE STEAMED FISH Ingredients 2 trout fillets, each weighing about 140g/5oz a small knob of fresh root ginger, peeled and chopped 1 small garlic clove, chopped 1 small red chilli (not bird's eye), seeded and finely chopped grated zest and juice of 1 lime 3 baby pak choi, each quartered lengthways 2 tbsp soy sauce

Method

1. Nestle the fish fillets side by side on a large square of foil and scatter the ginger, garlic, chilli and lime zest over them. Drizzle the lime juice on top and then scatter the pieces of pak choi around and on top of the fish. Pour the soy sauce over the pak choi and loosely seal the foil to make a package, making sure you leave space at the top for the steam to circulate as the fish cooks.

2. Steam for 15 minutes. (If you haven’t got a steamer, put the parcel on a heatproof plate over a pan of gently simmering water, cover with a lid and steam.)

The Courier wishes to apologise to the owner of Mustangs Bar and take responsibility for the error made regarding the Mustangs Bar advert in the paper last Friday.

25

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Friday, September 12, 2014

thediscountcard.es

CUT OUT YOUR CARD BELOW, OR DOWNLOAD AND PRINT ONE FROM THEDISCOUNTCARD.ES AND START SAVING TODAY! Restaurants & Bars

27

Friday, September 12, 2014

Lifestyle

Services

Property

28

Friday, September 12, 2014

Horoscopes Aries March 21 ­ April 19 Some new information could come your way that causes you to focus on a new inter­ est, Aries. It'll set your mind traveling to far­ away places and times. You may also meet some new people who are highly educated, from foreign lands, or both. They might have fascinating stories to tell! Whatever hap­ pens, today promises to excite your curiosity and stimulate your intellect.

Taurus April 20 ­ May 20 You could have some intense dreams tonight, Taurus. You might find that they bring inspiration for creative projects, per­ haps for redecorating or otherwise beau­ tifying your home. You could feel ener­ getic now and want to charge ahead and work on your project until you drop. Take care to pace yourself. You might tire to the point of feeling ill.

Gemini May 21 ­ June 20 A welcome communication from a busi­ ness or romantic partner could arrive today, Gemini. This could generate a lot of enthusiasm on both your parts and do wonders for your relationship or for what­ ever business you do together. Be honest with your partner. Don't conceal your con­ cerns. It's better to get things out in the open. Don't worry. Everything will be OK!

Cancer June 21 ­ July 22 Today is a good day to ask for a raise or con­ sider other ways to increase your income, Cancer. Superiors will be in a receptive mood and likely feeling more benevolent than usual. This is a good time to study and consider investment possibilities, but it isn't a good time to make investments. The facts may differ from what you read or hear. Wait about a week before deciding.

By Pandora Leo July 23 ­ August 22 You should be feeling especially romantic and sensual now, Leo, and you might draw admiring glances from those around you ­ even strangers. Your passion is high, so this is an excellent day to plan a romantic evening. You could also feel especially creative and want to spend your day in some sort of artistic activity.

Go to it!

Virgo August 23 ­ September 22 Strange, passionate stirrings could find you wanting to escape from civilization with a lover, Virgo. This is a great day for it. At least plan a quiet evening at home with your special someone. You might also want to satisfy other sensual crav­ ings, such as a desire for delicious food, drink, or comfortable chairs or beds.

Libra September 23 ­ October 22 Interesting communications from friends could center on possible world develop­ ments or maybe some juicy gossip about people you know, Libra. Enjoy yourself, but don't take everything you hear at face value.

Much of it is less actual fact than the product of someone's fertile imagination. Short jour­ neys in your area could bring news of upcoming changes in your community.

Scorpio October 23 ­ November 21 Today you might earn corporate kudos, Scorpio, for all signs indicate that your imagination is flying high and can be put to work to increase your job effectiveness.

You might even earn a promotion or increase in salary. However, it's important to curb the impulse to hide the downside of whatever you're doing from those in power. Be honest! It will benefit you more in the long run.

Sagittarius November 22 ­ December 21 Your mind is likely to be going a thousand miles an hour. Ideas for imaginative and innovative projects may come faster than you can possibly turn them into reality.

Write them down. You may not have time to work on them now, but you will later.

You could decide to attend a lecture, sign up for a class, or make plans to join friends and attend another kind of group activity.

Capricorn December 22 ­ January 19 You may have strange dreams and vivid premonitions today, Capricorn. Your intu­ ition and telepathic faculties are operat­ ing at a high level. You could think of someone who later phones or drops by.

There's also a tendency to be too para­ noid. Don't panic if some of the mes­ sages you receive seem disturbing.

Check out the facts first. You're likely to find that all is better than you thought

Aquarius January 20 ­ February 18 Today you could be feeling warm and friendly toward everyone. You might be involved in social events or receive invita­ tions to future parties. You'll probably have a great time and make some new friends. Take care to take lots of vitamin C. There could be colds or other bugs fly­ ing around and you could be more sus­ ceptible to such infections at this time.

Pisces February 19 ­ March 20 Relations with people on the job should be warm, Pisces, and this could do wonders for your career. Take nothing at face value.

All may not be as it seems. Someone has issues with you that render him or her untrustworthy. Take care to avoid getting too close to anyone who seems a little under the weather. Your immune system is a bit weak and you could catch a bug.

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Friday, September 12, 2014

RICHARD CAVENDER

Bluemoon Solutions www.bluemoonsolutions.es

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

Richard moved to Spain eight years ago having 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 prob­ lems. 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 expe­ rience 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: Chris was having issues with his Yahoo email ADVICE: Mark wanted to know if it was possible to take coming up in Spanish an entire copy of his laptops hard drive.

Q

Hi There. Hope you can find time to answer this query. For the past couple of weeks when I go to sign in to my yahoo mail it is all coming up in Spanish. My yahoo address is .co.uk and my web address is Google.ie so I am at a loss to know why this is hap­ pening. I have done full security scans and got the all clear and by the way my laptop is an Acer with windows 7. So I am hoping you may be able to tell me what the problem might be. Thank you so much.

Hello, I have wiped the hard drive using DBAN and restored back to factory default image using recovery discs, everything was restored except for the hidden recovery partition which now means that I have no means to restore the computer back to default settings without using recovery discs or a clean install every time. It also means that i have no way to create new recovery discs if my present ones become lost or damaged. I have an Acer Extensa 5235 and have been in touch with Acer but all they can do is sell me a set of recovery discs (at around 70 Euros!) that according to them may or may not restore the hidden partition. Is there any way you know of that would restore or com­ pletely reimage the hard drive including all hidden partitions? Any advice you can give will be appreciated. Thank you Mark

Q

Hi Mark, yes recovery disks can be expensive to buy can’t they!

Of course if you want to protect your recovery disks Hi Chris, you can set your preferred language settings from within the options then you can always copy them to keep them safe, but screen, just login to your email and then click on the “cog” icon in the top right hand as you suggest this means that you will need to rebuild your of the screen and choose “account info” then choose “Set Language, site and time computer again from scratch if you needed to recover it. zone” and from here you can choose your default language.

I have used a piece of software called Acronis TrueImage a Hope that helps. number of times and would recommend it to you. You can find out more at their website at www.acronis.co.uk but it will be ADVICE: Peter is not the first to struggle with the new cheaper than buying a recovery disk set from Acer and at the email client at outlook.com moment they have a 40% discount offer on!

Their software allows you to take a full image of your whole Richard, how does one group forward an email on Outlook? Is there a way of view­ computer (to a set of DVD’s or an external drive or stick) and I ing your contacts, and click adding them, as you could on Hotmail?? If Outlook was highly recommend it. supposed to be an improvement, they've failed!! Dismally!! Many thanks, Peter.

Hope that helps?

A

Q A

A

Hi Peter, you can forward an email on Outlook.Com by clicking on the little arrow ADVICE: James was having some problems with printing next to the “reply” button.

Hi Richard hope you are both well? I am In order to send a single email to a number of people you can either just select the having a problem printing from Outlook. I people and place them in the “to” or “cc” or “bcc” field, if however you want to create get my document from Open Office that I a group so that you can send further emails to the same group of people then you should want to print I press print as normal a sign create a new group, you can do this by going into your contacts – now called “people” in out­ look.com and clicking on the arrow next to “new”, you can then choose “group” and populate now comes up with " PDF Complete Document Creations Options" as a heading. I cannot find a it with the people you want to be in that group.

You can find your contacts by clicking on the arrow next to “Outlook” in the top left of the way to print from this sign. Help Please. James screen and then selecting “people”.

Hi James, it sounds to me like you have You are not alone in struggling with the new version. some sort of PDF creator set as the default printer, you can change this by clicking Don’t forget you can follow me on twit­ start > control panel > hardware and sound > devices and printers and then in the printers sec­ ter @bluemoonspain tion just right hand click your printer and select the option “set as default printer”.

Alternately why don’t you sign up for my This should sort out the problem.

Q 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

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Friday, September 12, 2014

Renault working on 141mpg plug-in hybrid concept

Renault is working on a 141mpg plug­in hybrid con­ cept car to be shown at the 2014 Paris Motor Show, according to Renault head of research, advanced studies and materials, Remi Bastien.

Speaking to at Renault’s ‘Innovations’ event last year – showcasing the French manufacturer’s new technol­ ogy that will underpin its next­generation models – Bastien revealed the new car will make its debut in 2014.

This means the ‘2l/100km’ concept car will likely make its first public appearance at Renault’s home Paris Motor Show in October, debuting experimental technology that could later filter down to other models in the Renault range.

Speaking about the proj­ ect in more detail, Bastien also outlined that Renault is “investigating petrol plug­in

hybrid power” for the new concept and that keeping costs down for an eventual production version is a high priority.

Unlike other highly effi­ cient vehicles, such as the 313mpg Volkswagen XL1 – priced at around £100,000 in the UK – Bastien says a road­going version of the Renault prototype would be much more affordable: “The concept is a B­seg­ ment car with Clio­type fea­ tures in terms of practicality and space. If we were to make a production version it would be affordable.” It is thought the new car will be underpinned by a bespoke platform in order to achieve incredible efficiency of 141mpg.

Bastien also outlined that the main focus of Renault’s research and development budget is currently aimed at reducing CO2 emissions and further developing envi­

ronmentally friendly technol­ ogy, with the company’s EV strategy well placed to help with calibrating a hybrid powertrain.

It’s also continuing to explore zero emissions elec­ tric vehicle technology to improve efficiency, range and practicality, as well as reducing cost.

However, unlike with com­ bustion­engined cars, Bastien believes that weight is not the key driver here: “Aerodynamics is more important than reducing weight to increase an elec­ tric vehicle’s range – we can use the weight to harvest more kinetic energy when slowing down.

“The main reason BMW decided to use lightweight carbon fibre for the i3 is for handling and performance, because of what the brand stands for. At Renault our challenge is to reduce cost.”

Another reason why we won’t see expensive carbon fibre used on a production Renault in the short­ to medium­term, then.

What will heighten the appeal of Renault’s EV range, however, is advances in battery technol­ ogy, believes Bastien: “We are currently only at 50% of what we know about batteries. By 2020 the range of an EV car like the Zoe will double, getting close to 250 miles on one charge.

“It will be helped by improvements in infrastruc­ ture and maybe even induc­ tive wireless charging.

“For now we are continu­ ing to focus on our electric vehicles to devise an overall approach to energy man­ agement. If we can reduce ‘energy users’ in our cars – things like air conditioning and heaters – we will improve our range.

“Transferring this knowl­ edge to combustion­ engined cars, we could even see a 50g/km CO2 vehicle by the end of the decade.”

Peugeot reveals 308 GT warm hatch Peugeot had revealed a new GT version of the 308, offering a step­up in performance while buyers await the hotly­anticipated new GTi version.

The 308 GT range is offered in both hatchback and SW estate models, with a choice of petrol and diesel versions. The firm has lowered the suspension, enhanced the styling and even introduced a new colour called Magnetic Blue.

Inside, there’s lots of aluminium trim and red stitching, while the roof has been fin­ ished in GTi­style dark anthracite for a moodier feel. Sticklers for detail, the Peugeot engineers have also designed a new red and black colour scheme for the 308’s central infotainment touchscreen.

This packs a new range of sports displays, including the amount of power and torque being delivered, turbo pressure plus longitu­ dinal and transverse acceleration.

The petrol 308 GT uses a 1.6­litre THP 205 engine, which Peugeot says will do 50.4mpg and emit 130g/km CO2, but which it hasn’t released any performance stats for.

Similarly, the 2.0­litre BlueHDi 180 turbo

diesel can do 50­ 70mph in fifth gear in just 5.5 seconds, and a v e r a g e 70.6mpg… but Peugeot hasn’t revealed the benchmark 0­ 62mph dash for this engine yet, either.

Just as odd, while the petrol car has a six­ speed manual gearbox, Peugeot’s selling the diesel as an automatic. At least it has paddle shifters as standard.

The 308 GT range should handle well, though. Peugeot’s stiffened it by up to 20% depending on version, and fitted Michelin Pilot Sport 3 tyres to the 18­inch alloys as standard.

Peugeot 308 GT models also feature some advanced lighting technology. Not only do they get LED headlights as standard, they also get a new ‘dynamic’ indicator, which sweep from the inside to the outside, thus pointing in the direction of travel.

The Peugeot 308 GT will be officially launched at the Paris Motor Show 2014 in October; ordering will open when prices are announced in November, with first deliveries starting in early January 2015.

Friday, September 12, 2014

31

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Friday, September 12, 2014

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, 9 represents K and 15 represents Z, when these letters have been entered throughout the puzzle, you should have enough information to start guessing words and discovering other letters.

QUICKIE

Across 1 Inexpensive (5) 4 Utilises (4) 9 Organise (7) 10 Expel (5) 11 Regret (3) 12 African country (5) 14 Outdoor sitting area (5) 15 Pivotal (5) 16 Go wrong (4) 18 Simple (4) 20 Egg­shaped fruits (5) 22 Japanese port (5) 23 Turnip­like vegetable (5) 25 Fasten (3) 26 Japanese dish (5) 27 Trap (7)

29 Get rid of (4) 30 Sediment (5) Down 1 Place of Christian wor­ ship (6) 2 Ahead of schedule (5) 3 Cooking vessel (3) 5 Wide­awake (9) 6 Detectives (7) 7 Fairground ride (6,5) 8 Crouch (5) 13 Garrulous (9) 17 Collects (7) 19 Brag (5) 21 Postpones (6) 24 Avoid (5) 28 Unhappy (3)

Last weeks Solution Across: 1/6 Put off, 3 Basic, 8 Tbilisi, 9 Clean, 10 Lends, 11 Explain, 12 Pardon, 14 Stable, 17 Replica, 19 Singe, 21 Hello, 22 Applied, 23/25 Sea god, 24 Scary.

Down: 1 Petal, 2 Thinner, 3 Bliss, 4 Shiver, 5 Cockpit, 6 Omega, 7 Finance, 12 Perches, 13 Ominous, 15 Bunting, 16 Sahara, 18 Polka, 19 Soppy, 20 Ended.

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 7 Right, for example, I'm the key to the government (6) 8 I enter the rearranged salon to find the girl (6) 9 Global institution's taken over this island (4) 10 Conclusive argument from a wrestler? (8) 11 Fate badly needs it (7) 13 Hotel next to the river is home (5) 15 Sap died an unknown character (5) 17 English paella is cooked with beer (4,3) 20 Take unawares and dis­ miss (5,3) 21 Ethereal but confusing year (4) 22 Diggers are children, it's said (6) 23 Fungus spoilt a cigar (6)

Down 1 Watch out for second­ rate merchandise (6) 2 New Zealander seen in a khaki windcheater (4) 3 Iced gin mixture before take­off helps the plane fly better in winter! (2­5) 4 Silent diplomacy includes Italy (5) 5 Reveal the princess's near (8) 6 Ron and Les mix, being people who don't mix (6) 12 Excavator's plate (8) 14 Showing favouritism, section one has a likely leader (7) 16 Arkansas sailor in charge of language (6) 18 English poet not quite frolicking (6) 19 English composer pos­ sibly lost by the hospital (5) 21 Sad to say, a young girl never finishes (4) Down 1 Word of warning (6) 2 Chinese gooseberry (4) 3 Becoming free of frost (2­ 5) 4 Unspoken but implied (5) 5 Make known (8) 6 Individualists (6) 12 Wooden platter on which food is served (8) 14 Incomplete (7) 16 Semitic language (6) 18 English poet (6) 19 British composer (5) 21 By bad luck (4)

STANDARD CLUES Across 7 Government (6) 8 Elvis Costello 1977 hit (6) 9 Indonesian island (4) 10 Conclusive argument (8) 11 Designate beforehand (7) 13 Dwelling place (5) 15 Rubber material (5) 17 Amber­coloured beer (4,3) 20 Trap (5,3) 21 Eagle's nest (4) 22 Coal workers (6) 23 Edible fungus (6) Last weeks Solution Across:1 Winged, 5 Butter, 8 Goya, 9 Shameful, 10 Lipstick, 11 Trek, 12 Dear me, 14 Depict, 16 Snow, 18 Spurious, 20 Incident, 21 Shoe, 22 Assess, 23 Dressy.

Down: 2 Idolise, 3 Gnats, 4 Dislike, 5 Black, 6 Treetop, 7 Educe, 13 Rawhide, 14 Doubted, 15 Coupons, 17 Nones, 18 Smees, 19 Issue.

Wordsearch

The aim of our Word Search puzzle is to find all the 33 words listed below hidden within the puzzle.

Armagh

Dundee

Liverpool

St Davids

Bangor

Durham

Newry

Sunderland

Bath

Ely

Norwich

Swansea

Belfast

Exeter

Oxford

Truro

Bristol

Glasgow

Ripon

Wells

Cardiff

Leeds

Salford

Worcester

Chester

Lichfield

Salisbury

York

Derby

Lincoln

St Albans

SPANISH-ENGLISH CROSSWORD

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

Across 1 Mitos (5) 4 Bald (person, head) (5) 8 Rosary (7) 9 Sombra (zona sin sol) (5) 10 Ear (anatomical) (5) 11 Overcoats (garments) (7) 12 Sagrado (lugar, libro) (6) 14 Risk (6) 18 Zanahorias (7) 20 They (f) (5) 22 Delante (5) 23 Wire (metal) (7) 24 Fright (sudden fear) (5)

25 Puertas (5) Down 1 Espejos (7) 2 Gusto (sentido) (5) 3 Apellido (7) 4 To crash (cars, trains) (6) 5 Perdedor (5) 6 Naranjas (7) 7 Camas (muebles) (4) 13 Alfombras (7) 15 Islandia (7) 16 Ostras (7) 17 Tin (ore) (6) 18 Carbón (4) 19 Waves (in sea, lake) (5) 21 Book (5)

33

Friday, September 12, 2014 Across 1 In the northern hemi­ sphere usually considered the second month of autumn (7) 5 1988 American action film that follows off­duty NYPD officer John McClane (Bruce Willis) as he takes on a group of highly organ­ ised criminals led by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman) (3,4) 9 Very large hairy spider found chiefly in tropical and subtropical America, some kinds of which are able to catch small lizards, frogs and birds (9) 10 Long running British children's comic that has featured icon characters like: Dennis the Menace, Minnie the Minx, the Bash Street Kids, the Numskulls, Roger the Dodger, Billy Whizz and Ball Boy (5) 11 Pasta in short tubes with diagonally cut ends (5) 12 1980s American med­ ical drama television series starring Ed Flanders, Norman Lloyd and William Daniels as teaching doctors at an aging, underrated Boston hospital who gave

interns a promising future in making critical medical and life decisions: St ­­­­­­­­­ (9) 13 British instrumental rock group and former back­ ing band for Cliff Richard (7) 15 Collectable object such as a piece of furniture or work of art that has a high value because of its age and quality (7) 17 Largest of the world's oceans, lying between America to the east and Asia and Australasia to the west (7) 19 French mime artist best known for appearing as the white­faced Bip, a char­ acter he developed from the French Pierrot character: Marcel ­­­­­­­ (7) 21 Citadel or fortified part of an ancient Greek city, typically one built on a hill (9) 23 Capital and largest city of Bulgaria (5) 25 Russian pancake of buckwheat flour and yeast, usually served with caviar and sour cream (5) 26 Thrown into a state of intense fear or desperation (9) 27 Longest river of Asia

SUDOKU (V Easy)

Quiz Word

that flows eastward from Tibet into the East China Sea near Shanghai (7) 28 Posted a short mes­ sage on Twitter (7)

Down 1 Cephalopod mollusc with eight sucker­bearing arms, a soft sac­like body, strong beak­like jaws and

no internal shell (7) 2 Capital city of the Piemonte region of north­ western Italy (5) 3 Played truant from work or school (6,3) 4 International news agency founded in London in 1851. The agency pio­ neered the use of telegra­ phy, building up a service used today by newspapers and radio and television sta­ tions in most countries (7) 5 Salt lake or inland sea in the Jordan valley, on the Israel–Jordan border. Its surface is 400 m (1,300 ft) below sea level (4,3) 6 English alternative rock band consisting of Guy Garvey, Richard Jupp, Craig Potter, Mark Potter and Pete Turner (5) 7 Ballet posture in which one leg is extended back­ wards at right angles, the torso bent forwards, and the arms outstretched, one for­ wards and one backwards (9) 8 District under the pas­ toral care of a bishop in the Christian Church (7) 14 Musical instrument played by stretching and

squeezing with the hands to work a central bellows that blows air over metal reeds, the melody and chords being sounded by buttons or keys (9) 16 Mechanical gate con­ sisting of revolving horizon­ tal arms fixed to a vertical post, allowing only one per­ son at a time to pass through (9) men's 17 American lifestyle magazine that was founded in Chicago in 1953

by Hugh Hefner (7) 18 Pen name of French novelist whose works include Gigi (1944), Chéri (1920) and La Fin de Chéri (1926) (7) 19 Beaver­like aquatic rodent of North America with dark glossy brown fur (7) 20 Needing or having no assistance (7) 22 Coloured substance that is spread over a surface and dries to leave a thin decorative or protective coating (5) 24 Deceptive or pretend­ ed blow, thrust or other movement, especially in boxing or fencing (5)

SALLY’S SIMPLE SPANISH

Terrorismo y Guerras Match these words with their Spanish translations then find them in the wordsearch.

(Answers below)

general QUIZ

ANSEWRS 1. Venezuela 2. A Spider 3. Tongue 4. vitamin b 5. Michael Farraday 6. A Rhombus 7. The First Micro Processor 8.

Black 9. Electroencephalograph 10. The Knee Cap 11. scut 12. Rabies 13. Lightning 14. Radioactivity 15. Porcine

Last Week’s Solutions Code Cracker Last weeks Quiz Word Solution Across: 7 Titanic, 8 Capitol, 10 Scouse, 11 Tea Party, 12 Newt, 13 North Korea, 14 Belly dancer, 19 Dreadlocks, 22 Roan, 23 Majority, 24 Rasher, 25 Wipeout, 26 Manacle.

Down: 1 Pitcher, 2 Baguette, 3 Pigeon, 4 Marathon, 5 Mikado, 6 Poitier, 9 Pterodactyl, 15 Lilliput, 16 Eurostar, 17 Croatia, 18 Gazelle, 20 Azores, 21 Scream.

una bandera

el rehén

un acto bélico

estallar

un artificiero

herido

un ataque aéreo

la guerra

un atentado

las armas

un piloto suicida

secuestrar

un rescate

una amenaza

un soldado

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

1.el ejército, 2.el rehén,

14.un piloto suicida,

k.a bomb disposal expert,

3.estallar, 4.herido, 5.la guerra,

15.un rescate, 16.un soldado

l.an air attack, m.to kidnap,

6.las armas, 7.secuestrar,

a.a flag, b.a kamakaze,

n.the weapons, o.the war,

8.una amenaza, 9.una bandera,

c.to explode, d.an act of war,

p.a soldier.

10.un acto bélico,

e.injured, f.the army, g.a rescue,

11.un artificiero, 12.un ataque

h.the hostage,

aéreo, 13.un atentado,

i.a terrorist attack, j.a threat,

Suduko

Span ­ Eng

Quizword

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

1. In what country does the cow tree, whose sap looks and tastes like milk, grow ?

2. What Frightened Miss Muffet Away?

3. With which organ does a snake hear?

4. What vitamin complex includes thiamine, niacin and riboflavin?

5. Whose Job As A Book Binder On An Edition Of The Encyclopedia Britannica Led To The Discovery Of Electricity?

6. What Figure Has Four Sides All The Same Length But No Right Angles?

7. What Was The Intel 4004?

8. What color spots has the common ladybird?

9. What Do The Initials E.E.G Stand For? 10. What Is The More Common Name For The Patella?

11. What is the name given to the short tail of a rabbit?

12. For What Illness Did Louis Pasteur Develop A Cure?

13. What Can Be Ball, Forked Or Sheet?

14. What does a Geiger counter measure?

15. Horse Is To Equine As Pig Is To What?

el ejército

Word Search

34

Friday, September 12, 2014

TRELI ON THE TELLY with ALEX TRELINSKI I’ve never understood the hysterical trailing and pro­ motion of sure­fire popular TV shows that people are going to watch in their mil­ lions anyway!

ITV is the worst offender with countless plugs for The

ANOTHER TRAILER COMING SOON

X Factor coupled with non­ stop reminders of the immi­ nent return next weekend of Downton Abbey, along with a cinema­length trailer. This is a terrible trait pinched from the US TV networks and treats viewers as simpletons, especially with irritating cap­

tions appearing during actual programmes telling us what is coming later on, because the companies know that you are fast­forwarding through the ad breaks! You are going to be trapped come hell or high water on ITV and the rest of the UK commercial

channels into being told what they have in store for you, and I hate it. The only conso­ lation is that Spanish TV is far worse, with one of the worst offenders being the ad­ free public TVE channels who should have no reason for indulging in such stupidity

q

Don’t get me wrong.

Trailing (like drinking) is a good thing, when done in moderation, and the key pro­ mos are the ones that give you a sneak peek into a brand new show and those are the crucial ones for drag­ ging in the viewers, along with careful scheduling. With that in mind, I’m thinking of sending a wreath to the pro­ duction team of the new BBC 1 drama series, Our Girl, which has been dumped against Downton a week on Sunday. The promos look interesting and the show, starring Lacey Turner as an army medic, is a spin­off from

an acclaimed one­off drama last year. So, why spend a packet on a premium show to throw it away against killer opposition? It’s a waste of money and surely (unless it is rubbish) a repeat of some­ thing like Death in Paradise would have been a shrewder move? Last autumn, BBC1 screened an enjoyable caper called By Any Means which thoroughly deserved a sec­ ond season, but because it was destroyed by Downton, it was not renewed.

Somebody in the BBC clearly has not learned the lesson from last year’s sad schedul­ ing screw­up, especially after enduring a summer of garbage that would have been brightened up by some new drama (The Honourable Woman excepted).

q

The best possible trailer for the second series of Peaky Blinders hits BBC 2

next week, as the channel kicks in with a late evening repeat of the first season. It’s a must view if you missed it first time round, though the language is fruity and the vio­ lence is somewhat on the graphic side. Perfect!

q

Piers Morgan may not be the most likeable of people, but I really rate him as a TV interviewer, and I actually thought he was good when he worked for CNN in the States, before they scrapped his nightly show earlier this year. His Life Stories interviews for ITV are always revealing, and it was good tabloid TV last week when Alesha Dixon opened up over her private life, and those tears were not far away! I’ll eat my hat if we get any being shed by Freddie Flintoff tonight!

Friday September 12 00:35 This Week 01:20 Holiday Weatherview 01:25 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 The Housing Enforcers 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Street Patrol UK 12:45 Caught Red Handed 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News; Weather 14:30 BBC Regional News and Weather 14:45 Doctors 15:15 Pressure Pad 16:00 Escape to the Country 16:45 A Taste of Britain 17:30 Flog It! 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News 19:30 Weather 19:30 BBC London News 20:00 The One Show 20:30 BBC News; Regional News 20:30 A Question of Sport 21:00 EastEnders 21:30 Would I Lie to You? 22:00 Boomers 22:30 Big School 23:00 BBC News 23:25 National Lottery Update 23:35 The Secrets

00:20 Horizon 01:20 Panorama 01:50 This Is BBC Two 05:00 Schools ­ Children of The Holocaust 05:45 Schools ­ WW1 A­Z 06:45 The Little Promise 07:05 Homes Under the Hammer 08:05 Street Patrol UK

08:50 Caught Red Handed 09:20 Animal Saints and Sinners 10:05 Super Senses: The Secret Power of Animals 11:05 First Time on the Front Line 11:35 The Travel Show 12:00 BBC News 12:30 BBC World News 13:00 Daily Politics 14:00 The Fred Dibnah Story 14:30 Fred Dibnah's World of Steam, Steel and Stone 15:00 Cash in the Attic 15:30 The Chef's Protege 16:00 Celebrity MasterChef 16:45 Wild Wales 17:45 Great British Railway Journeys 18:15 Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 19:00 Two Tribes 19:30 Eggheads 20:00 Mastermind 20:30 The Invictus Games 21:30 Lorraine Pascale: How to Be a Better Cook 22:00 The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice 22:30 Gardeners' World 23:00 The Perfect Morecambe & Wise 23:30 Newsnight

00:40 Mears 01:05 04:00 04:25 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 23:00 23:30 23:40

Wilderness Walks with Ray Jackpot247 Tonight ITV Nightscreen The Jeremy Kyle Show Good Morning Britain Lorraine The Jeremy Kyle Show This Morning Loose Women ITV News and Weather ITV Meridian Weather Dickinson's Real Deal The Alan Titchmarsh Show ITV Meridian Weather Who's Doing the Dishes?

The Chase ITV News Meridian ITV News and Weather Emmerdale Coronation Street Gino's Italian Escape Coronation Street Piers Morgan's Life Stories ITV News at Ten and Weather ITV Meridian Weather The 40 Year Old Virgin

THE 40 YEAR OLD VIRIGIN Comedy directed by Judd Apatow, starring Steve Carell and Catherine Keener. When Andy Stitzer makes the mistake of admitting to his workmates that he is less than experienced in sexual matters, they set about helping him to remedy the situation.

But for Andy the path to true manhood proves to be a bumpy one.

00:05 First Time Farmers 01:05 Mercury Prize Sessions 01:40 Worst Place to Be a Pilot 02:35 Time Team Specials 03:30 Don't Stop the Music 04:25 Sarah Beeny's Selling Houses 05:25 Gordon Ramsay's Home Cooking 05:50 Deal or No Deal 06:45 Deal or No Deal 07:40 Will & Grace 08:05 The King of Queens 08:30 The King of Queens 08:55 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:25 Everybody Loves Raymond 09:55 Frasier 10:25 Frasier 10:55 Undercover Boss 11:55 Location, Location, Location 12:55 Channel 4 News Summary 13:00 Celebrity Coach Trip 13:25 Come Dine with Me 14:30 Channel 4 Racing 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 21:00 The Million Pound Drop 22:00 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown 23:00 Alan Carr: Chatty Man

00:00 Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side 01:00 SuperCasino 04:05 Once Upon a Time 04:55 Michaela's Wild Challenge 05:20 HouseBusters 05:45 House Doctor 07:00 Bananas in Pyjamas 07:10 Igam Ogam 07:20 Fireman Sam 07:35 The WotWots 07:45 Peppa Pig 08:00 Pip Ahoy!

08:10 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 08:20 The Mr Men Show 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:50 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Little Princess 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:35 Toby's Travelling Circus 09:45 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 The Dog Rescuers 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Celebrity Big Brother 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 NCIS 16:15 Amish Grace 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 5 News Tonight 20:00 World War II in Colour 21:00 Marston's Brewery: One Ale of a Job! 22:00 Celebrity Big Brother 23:45 Celebrity Big Brother's Bit on the Side

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Saturday September 13 Streets 00:05 Outnumbered 00:35 EastEnders 02:30 Weather for the Week Ahead 02:35 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 11:00 Saturday Kitchen Live 12:30 The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice

02:55 This Is BBC Two 07:00 The Falcon in Danger 08:10 The Falcon in Mexico 09:20 Home on the Range 10:30 The Trials of Life 11:20 The Trials of Life 12:10 The Trials of Life 13:00 Rick Stein's German Bite 14:00 Talking Pictures

13:00 BBC News; Weather

14:35 The Importance of Being

13:10 Football Focus

Earnest

13:50 Saturday Sportsday

16:05 Escape to the Country

14:00 Live Invictus Games

17:05 Tropic of Capricorn

17:30 Final Score

18:05 Alex Polizzi: The Fixer

18:10 Celebrity Mastermind

19:05 Flog It!

18:40 BBC News; Regional News

20:00 Dad's Army

and Weather

20:30 BBC Proms 2014

19:00 Tumble

22:00 The Invictus Games

20:30 Doctor Who

23:00 QI XL

21:20 The National Lottery: In It to

23:45 TOTP2

Win It 22:10 BBC Proms 2014 23:35 BBC News; Weather 23:50 National Lottery Update 23:50 Match of the Day

00:00 Weather 00:05 Moonlight Mile

01:50 Jackpot247 04:00 The Jeremy Kyle Show USA 04:40 ITV Nightscreen 06:05 The Jeremy Kyle Show 07:00 Fort Boyard Ultimate Challenge 07:25 Pat & Stan 07:40 Dino Dan 08:05 Canimals 08:20 Om Nom Stories 08:25 Sooty 08:40 Mr Bean: The Animated Series 08:55 Matt Hatter Chronicles 09:20 Nerds & Monsters 09:30 Chowder 10:00 The Aquabats Super Show 10:25 ITV News 10:30 The Hungry Sailors 11:25 Murder, She Wrote 12:20 ITV News and Weather 12:30 Columbo: Now You See Him 14:15 Catchphrase 15:00 All Star Family Fortunes 16:00 The X Factor 17:00 The Queen 19:05 ITV News Meridian 19:15 ITV News and Weather 19:30 You've Been Framed!

20:00 The Chase 21:00 The X Factor 22:20 Through the Keyhole 23:20 ITV News and Weather 23:39 ITV Meridian Weather 23:40 United 93

00:05 Virtually Famous 00:55 The Raid 02:40 Anna & Katy 03:05 The Inbetweeners USA 03:30 Desperate Housewives 04:15 Revenge 04:55 Sarah Beeny's Selling Houses 05:50 Deal or No Deal 06:45 NFL: Rush Zone 07:40 Trans World Sport 08:35 The Grid 09:00 The Morning Line 10:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:55 Frasier 11:55 The Big Bang Theory 13:15 The Simpsons 14:10 Gadget Man 14:40 Channel 4 Racing 17:10 Come Dine with Me 19:45 Channel 4 News 20:05 Sarah Beeny's Double Your House for Half the Money 21:00 Grand Designs 22:00 Peter Kay: Live & Back on Nights!

23:00 Sleepy Hollow

SLEEPY HOLLOW Gothic horror fantasy starring Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci. Unorthodox detective Ichabod Crane is sent to the village of Sleepy Hollow follow­ ing a series of decapitations. However, his investi­ gation is hampered by the locals' belief that the murders are being committed by the ghost of a headless horseman, and by his growing infatuation with the beautiful Katrina Van Tassel.

01:55 The Secret History of Our

00:45 Ultimate Police Interceptors 01:15 SuperCasino 04:05 Celebrity Big Brother 05:20 HouseBusters 05:45 House Doctor 06:10 House Doctor 06:35 House Doctor 07:00 Peppa Pig 07:05 Roary the Racing Car 07:15 Angelina Ballerina 07:30 Bubble Guppies 07:45 The Mr Men Show 07:55 Chloe's Closet 08:15 Olly the Little White Van 08:20 Bananas in Pyjamas 08:40 Make Way for Noddy 08:55 Little Princess 09:10 The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill and His Best Friend Corky 09:30 Wanda and the Alien 09:45 Rupert Bear 10:00 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 10:15 Jelly Jamm 10:30 LazyTown 11:00 Access 11:05 The Secret Life of Pets 11:30 Police Interceptors 12:25 Ultimate Police Interceptors 13:25 Police Interceptors 14:25 The Big Country 17:40 Wyatt Earp 21:10 World War II in Colour 22:15 5 News Weekend 22:20 Most Shocking Reality TV Moments

Sunday September 14 03:55 This Is BBC Two 07:05 Countryfile 01:25 The Football League Show 02:45 Weather for the Week Ahead 02:50 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 08:25 Match of the Day 10:00 The Andrew Marr Show 11:00 Sunday Morning Live 12:00 Sunday Politics 13:15 MOTD2 Extra 14:00 BBC News 14:10 Weather for the Week Ahead 14:15 Live Invictus Games 17:15 Points of View 17:30 The Great British Bake Off 18:30 Songs of Praise 19:05 Deadly 60 on a Mission 19:35 BBC News; Regional News and Weather 20:00 Countryfile 21:00 Antiques Roadshow

08:00 Monty Don's Italian Gardens 09:00 Gardeners' World 09:30 The Beechgrove Garden 10:00 The Football League Show 11:20 Saturday Kitchen Best Bites 12:50 Lorraine Pascale: How to Be a Better Cook 13:20 Paul Hollywood's Pies & Puds 13:50 Tycoon 15:55 Escape to the Country 16:40 Flog It! 17:40 Equator 18:40 Penguins on a Plane: Great Animal Moves 19:40 StreetDance 2 21:00 The Invictus Games 23:15 Mock the Week 23:45 Blade Runner

01:35 Jackpot247 04:00 The Jeremy Kyle Show USA 04:40 ITV Nightscreen 07:00 Fort Boyard Ultimate Challenge 07:25 Pat & Stan 07:40 Dino Dan 08:05 Canimals 08:20 Om Nom Stories 08:25 Sooty 08:40 Mr Bean: The Animated Series 08:55 Ultimate Spider­Man 09:20 Nerds & Monsters 09:30 Big Time Rush 10:00 The Aquabats Super Show 10:25 Dickinson's Real Deal 11:25 Murder, She Wrote 12:25 ITV News and Weather 12:29 ITV Meridian Weather 12:30 Carry On ­ Don't Lose Your Head 14:15 The X Factor 15:30 Always 17:45 Midsomer Murders 19:35 ITV News Meridian 19:45 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Sunday Night at the Palladium 21:00 The X Factor 22:00 The Suspicions of Mr Whicher

THE ROCK

22:00 The Village 23:00 BBC News; Regional News and Weather 23:30 Match of the Day 2

00:45 Summer 02:05 Female Agents

Action thriller starring Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage and Ed Harris. When a disaffected war hero takes hold of the island of Alcatraz and threatens to use chemical warfare to destroy San Francisco, a mild­ mannered FBI biochemist and an ex­British spy ­ notorious for escaping from the maximum­security facility ­ are called in to tackle the threat.

01:05 Alan Carr: Chatty Man 02:05 The Darjeeling Limited 03:40 Homeland 04:35 Hollyoaks 06:40 Street Velodrome 07:35 NFL: The American Football Show 08:30 British F3 International Series 09:00 FIM World Superbikes 09:30 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 10:30 Sunday Brunch 13:30 George Clarke's Amazing Spaces 14:30 The Big Bang Theory 15:00 The Big Bang Theory 15:30 The Big Bang Theory 15:55 The Simpsons 16:30 Star Trek: Generations 18:45 Deal or No Deal 19:40 Channel 4 News 20:00 Richard Attenborough: A Life 21:00 Secret History 22:00 Houdini 23:50 Jennifer's Body

01:15 SuperCasino 04:10 Once Upon a Time 05:00 House Doctor 05:25 Make It Big 06:15 Angels of Jarm 06:40 Roary the Racing Car 06:50 Roary the Racing Car 07:00 Peppa Pig 07:05 Roary the Racing Car 07:15 Angelina Ballerina: The Next Steps 07:30 Bubble Guppies 07:45 The Mr Men Show 08:00 Chloe's Closet 08:15 Olly the Little White Van 08:20 Bananas in Pyjamas 08:35 Make Way for Noddy 08:55 Little Princess 09:10 The Adventures of Bottle Top Bill and His Best Friend Corky 09:25 Wanda and the Alien 09:45 Rupert Bear 10:00 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 10:15 Jelly Jamm 10:30 LazyTown 11:00 Access 11:05 Police Interceptors 12:05 Police Interceptors 13:05 Police Interceptors 14:05 The Journey of Natty Gann 16:00 What a Girl Wants 18:00 Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory 20:05 5 News Weekend 20:10 The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen 22:00 The Rock

36

Monday September 15 00:20 She's out of My League 02:00 Weather for the Week Ahead 02:05 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Rip Off Britain 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Street Patrol UK 12:45 Caught Red Handed 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News; Weather 14:30 BBC Regional News and Weather 14:45 Doctors 15:15 Pressure Pad 16:00 Escape to the Country 16:45 A Taste of Britain 17:30 Flog It! 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News 19:30 Weather 20:00 The One Show 20:30 Inside Out 21:00 EastEnders 21:30 Panorama 22:00 New Tricks 23:00 BBC News 23:25 BBC Regional News and Weather 23:35 Kevin Bridges ­ What's the Story: Referendum Special

01:40 Blade 03:20 04:10 05:10 07:05 08:05

Dangerous Days: Making Runner Countryfile Holby City This Is BBC Two Homes Under the Hammer Street Patrol UK

08:50 Caught Red Handed 09:20 Animal Saints and Sinners 10:05 Egypt's Lost Queens 11:05 Animal SOS 11:35 Click 12:00 BBC News 12:30 BBC World News 13:00 Daily Politics 14:00 Fred Dibnah's World of Steam, Steel and Stone 14:30 Fred Dibnah's World of Steam, Steel and Stone 15:00 Cash in the Attic 15:30 The Chef's Protege 16:00 Celebrity MasterChef 16:45 Wild Wales 17:45 Great British Railway Journeys 18:15 Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 19:00 Two Tribes 19:30 Eggheads 20:00 Celebrity Antiques Road Trip 21:00 University Challenge 21:30 Only Connect 22:00 Traders: Millions by the Minute 23:00 Him & Her 23:30 Weather

00:00 ITV News and Weather 00:19 ITV Meridian Weather 00:20 Premiership Rugby Union 01:20 The Store 03:55 Motorsport UK 04:40 British Superbike Championship Highlights 05:35 ITV Nightscreen 06:05 The Jeremy Kyle Show 07:00 Good Morning Britain 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 14:55 ITV News Meridian 15:00 Dickinson's Real Deal 16:00 The Alan Titchmarsh Show 16:59 ITV Meridian Weather 17:00 Who's Doing the Dishes?

18:00 The Chase 19:00 ITV News Meridian 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Coronation Street 21:00 The Undriveables 21:30 Coronation Street 22:00 Cilla 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 ITV Meridian Weather 23:40 The Beatles: The Night That Changed America ­ A Grammy Salute

01:45 American Football Live 06:00 British F3 International Series 06:30 Kirstie's Vintage Gems 06:35 Hugh's 3 Good Things: Best Bites 06:45 Deal or No Deal 07:40 Will & Grace 08:05 The King of Queens 09:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 11:30 Undercover Boss 12:30 Four in a Bed 13:00 Channel 4 News Summary 13:05 Four in a Bed 13:35 Four in a Bed 14:05 Four in a Bed 14:40 Four in a Bed 15:10 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 21:00 Jamie's Comfort Food 21:30 Gadget Man 22:00 Cops and Robbers 23:00 Jon Richardson Grows Up

CILLA New series. Sheridan Smith takes the lead role in Jeff Pope's three­part drama charting Cilla Black's rise to fame in the 1960s. As the series opens, Priscilla White is a Liverpool typist with dreams of escaping the office and becoming a singer. It looks like her chance has come when she meets songwriter Bobby Willis, who claims to be in the music industry ­ so she's less than impressed to later discover his flash car is hired and he actually works in a bakery.

00:45 Lord of War 02:50 SuperCasino 04:10 Once Upon a Time 05:00 House Doctor 05:25 Make It Big 06:15 Angels of Jarm 06:40 Roary the Racing Car 06:50 Roary the Racing Car 07:00 Bananas in Pyjamas 07:10 Igam Ogam 07:25 Fireman Sam 07:35 The WotWots 07:45 Peppa Pig 07:50 Pip Ahoy!

08:05 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 08:15 The Mr Men Show 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:50 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Little Princess 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:25 Peppa Pig 09:35 Toby's Travelling Circus 09:50 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 The Dog Rescuers 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 World's Worst Journeys from Hell 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 NCIS 16:15 Accidental Friendship 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 5 News Tonight 20:00 The Gadget Show 21:00 Ultimate Police Interceptors 22:00 Age Gap Love 23:00 Under the Dome 23:55 The River Wild

Tuesday September 16 00:35 Live at the Apollo 01:20 Weather for the Week Ahead 01:25 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Rip Off Britain 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Street Patrol UK 12:45 Caught Red Handed 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News; Weather 14:30 BBC Regional News and Weather 14:45 Doctors 15:15 Pressure Pad 16:00 Escape to the Country 16:45 A Taste of Britain 17:30 Flog It! 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News 19:30 Weather 19:30 BBC London News 20:00 The One Show 20:30 BBC News; Regional News 20:30 EastEnders 21:00 Holby City 22:00 Crimewatch 23:00 BBC News 23:25 National Lottery Update 23:35 Crimewatch Update 23:45 Boomers

00:20 Peaky Blinders 01:20 Operation Stonehenge: What Lies Beneath 02:20 Scrappers 02:50 This Is BBC Two 05:00 Schools ­ The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night­time: From Page to Stage 06:00 Schools ­ Bringing Books to

Life 2 07:05 Homes Under the Hammer 08:05 Street Patrol UK 08:50 Caught Red Handed 09:20 Animal Saints and Sinners 10:05 Natural World 11:05 Food & Drink 11:35 HARDtalk 12:00 BBC News 12:30 BBC World News 13:00 Daily Politics 14:00 The Super League Show 14:45 Cash in the Attic 15:15 Ready Steady Cook 16:00 Celebrity MasterChef 16:45 Wild Wales 17:45 Great British Railway Journeys 18:15 Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 19:00 Two Tribes 19:30 Eggheads 20:00 Celebrity Antiques Road Trip 21:00 The £100K House: Tricks of the Trade 22:00 The Motorway: Life in the Fast Lane 23:00 Later Live ­ with Jools Holland 23:30 Weather

01:45 Jackpot247 04:00 UEFA Champions League Weekly 04:25 ITV Nightscreen 06:05 The Jeremy Kyle Show 07:00 Good Morning Britain 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 14:55 ITV News Meridian 15:00 Dickinson's Real Deal 16:00 The Alan Titchmarsh Show 16:59 ITV Meridian Weather 17:00 Who's Doing the Dishes?

18:00 The Chase 19:00 ITV News Meridian 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Live UEFA Champions League 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 ITV Meridian Weather 23:40 UEFA Champions League Highlights

CRIMEWATCH A special edition to mark 30 years of the crime­ solving show, which since its first broadcast in June 1984 has appealed for help with many of the major crimes of the past three decades. These include the bombing of the Grand Hotel in Brighton in 1984, the death of James Bulger in 1993, the murders of Lin and Megan Russell in 1996, and the disappearance of Madeleine McCann in 2007.

00:00 NFL: The American Football Show 01:05 9/11 Firehouse 02:00 First Time Farmers 02:55 Le Havre 04:35 Mammon 05:35 Gordon Ramsay's Home Cooking 06:00 Hugh's 3 Good Things: Best Bites 06:05 Deal or No Deal 07:00 Countdown 07:45 Will & Grace 08:10 The King of Queens 09:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 11:30 Undercover Boss 12:30 Four in a Bed 13:00 Channel 4 News Summary 13:05 Four in a Bed 15:10 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 21:00 Posh Pawn 22:00 Don't Stop the Music 23:00 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown

01:55 SuperCasino 04:10 Once Upon a Time 05:00 Michaela's Wild Challenge 05:20 HouseBusters 05:45 House Doctor 07:00 Bananas in Pyjamas 07:10 Igam Ogam 07:25 Fireman Sam 07:35 The WotWots 07:45 Peppa Pig 07:50 Pip Ahoy!

08:05 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 08:15 The Mr Men Show 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:50 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Little Princess 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:25 Peppa Pig 09:35 Toby's Travelling Circus 09:50 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 The Dog Rescuers 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 The Railway: First Great Western 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 NCIS 16:15 Mystery Woman: In the Shadows 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 5 News Tonight 20:00 Meerkat Manor 20:30 5 News Update 20:30 The Secret Life of Pets 21:00 Cowboy Builders 22:00 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation 23:00 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

37

Wednesday September 17 00:15 Kevin Bridges Live at the Referendum 01:00 Weather for the Week Ahead 01:05 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Rip Off Britain 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Street Patrol UK 12:45 Caught Red Handed 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News; Weather 14:30 BBC Regional News and Weather 14:45 Doctors 15:15 Pressure Pad 16:00 Escape to the Country 16:45 A Taste of Britain 17:30 Flog It! 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News 19:30 Weather 19:30 BBC London News 20:00 The One Show 20:30 Fake Britain 21:00 The Great British Bake Off 22:00 Our Zoo 23:00 BBC News 23:25 National Lottery Update 23:35 A Question of Sport

00:20 Peaky Blinders 01:20 Hotel India 02:20 The Two Amigos: A Gaucho Adventure 03:20 This Is BBC Two 05:00 The Women of World War One

05:30 The Plantagenets 06:00 Schools ­ The Modern Monarchy 07:00 Homes Under the Hammer 08:00 Street Patrol UK 08:45 Caught Red Handed 09:15 Animal Saints and Sinners 10:00 Coast 11:00 Horizon 12:00 BBC News 12:30 BBC World News 13:00 Daily Politics 14:00 Fred Dibnah's World of Steam, Steel and Stone 14:30 Cash in the Attic 15:15 Ready Steady Cook 16:00 Celebrity MasterChef 16:45 A Year in the Wild 17:45 Great British Railway Journeys 18:15 Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 19:00 Two Tribes 19:30 Eggheads 20:00 Celebrity Antiques Road Trip 21:00 Hotel India 22:00 This World 23:00 Some People with Jokes 23:30 Weather

00:40 01:35 04:00 04:50 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 22:00 23:00 23:30 23:40

The Cube Jackpot247 Loose Women ITV Nightscreen The Jeremy Kyle Show Good Morning Britain Lorraine The Jeremy Kyle Show This Morning Loose Women ITV News and Weather ITV Meridian Weather Dickinson's Real Deal The Alan Titchmarsh Show ITV Meridian Weather Who's Doing the Dishes?

The Chase ITV News Meridian ITV News and Weather Emmerdale Coronation Street Celebrity Squares Scott & Bailey ITV News at Ten and Weather ITV Meridian Weather Through the Keyhole

00:00 Educating the East End 01:00 Poker 01:55 Hard Knocks 02:55 Cage Warriors 03:50 KOTV Boxing Weekly 04:20 Street Velodrome 05:10 Trans World Sport 06:05 The Grid 06:35 FIM World Superbikes 07:00 Countdown 07:45 Will & Grace 08:10 The King of Queens 09:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 11:30 Undercover Boss 12:30 Four in a Bed 13:00 Channel 4 News Summary 13:05 Four in a Bed 15:10 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 21:00 Sarah Beeny's Double Your House for Half the Money 22:00 Grand Designs 23:00 Cops and Robbers

CAN’T PAY? WE’LL TAKE IT AWAY! The documentary giving an insight into cash­ strapped Britain from the perspectives of debtors, High Court enforcement bailiffs and repossession teams returns. Sheriff Paul Bohill tackles the case of a small debt owed by Neil `Razor' Ruddock to a kennel owner, before being forced to evict a school dinner lady in south London.

00:00 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit 01:50 SuperCasino 04:10 Once Upon a Time 05:00 Michaela's Wild Challenge 05:20 HouseBusters 05:45 House Doctor 07:00 Bananas in Pyjamas 07:10 Igam Ogam 07:25 Fireman Sam 07:35 The WotWots 07:45 Peppa Pig 07:50 Pip Ahoy!

08:05 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 08:15 The Mr Men Show 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:50 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Little Princess 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:25 Peppa Pig 09:35 Toby's Travelling Circus 09:50 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 Cowboy Builders 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Ultimate Police Interceptors 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 NCIS 16:15 Torn Apart 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 5 News Tonight 20:00 Police Interceptors 21:00 Britain's Deadliest Roads 22:00 Can't Pay? We'll Take It Away!

23:00 Wentworth Prison

Thursday September 18 00:05 Room 101 ­ Extra Storage 00:50 Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!

02:20 Weather for the Week Ahead 02:25 BBC News 07:00 Breakfast 10:15 Rip Off Britain 11:00 Homes Under the Hammer 12:00 Street Patrol UK 12:45 Caught Red Handed 13:15 Bargain Hunt 14:00 BBC News; Weather 14:30 BBC Regional News and Weather 14:45 Doctors 15:15 Pressure Pad 16:00 Escape to the Country 16:45 A Taste of Britain 17:30 Flog It! 18:15 Pointless 19:00 BBC News 19:30 Weather 20:00 The One Show 20:30 EastEnders 21:00 DIY SOS 22:00 Who Do You Think You Are? 23:00 BBC News 23:25 BBC Regional News and Weather 23:35 Scotland Decides

00:20 Peaky Blinders 01:20 The Motorway: Life in the Fast Lane 02:20 Who Do You Think You Are? 03:20 Doctor Who 04:05 This Is BBC Two 05:00 Now's the Hour 06:00 Schools ­ Pantocracy

07:05 Homes Under the Hammer 08:05 Street Patrol UK 08:50 Caught Red Handed 09:20 Animal Saints and Sinners 10:05 Escape to the Continent 11:05 Gardeners' World 11:35 HARDtalk 12:00 BBC News 12:30 BBC World News 13:00 Daily Politics 14:00 Fred Dibnah's World of Steam, Steel and Stone 14:30 Cash in the Attic 15:15 Ready Steady Cook 16:00 Celebrity MasterChef 16:45 A Year in the Wild 17:45 Great British Railway Journeys 18:15 Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is 19:00 Two Tribes 19:30 Eggheads 20:00 Celebrity Antiques Road Trip 21:00 Operation Stonehenge: What Lies Beneath 22:00 Penguins on a Plane: Great Animal Moves 23:00 Mock the Week 23:30 Weather

00:40 The Undriveables 01:10 Jackpot247 03:30 British Touring Car Championship Highlights 04:45 ITV Nightscreen 06:05 The Jeremy Kyle Show 07:00 Good Morning Britain 09:30 Lorraine 10:25 The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30 This Morning 13:30 Loose Women 14:30 ITV News and Weather 14:55 ITV Meridian Weather 15:00 Dickinson's Real Deal 16:00 The Alan Titchmarsh Show 16:59 ITV Meridian Weather 17:00 Who's Doing the Dishes?

18:00 The Chase 19:00 ITV News Meridian 19:30 ITV News and Weather 20:00 Emmerdale 20:30 Tonight 21:00 Emmerdale 21:30 Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs 22:00 Chasing Shadows 23:00 ITV News at Ten and Weather 23:30 ITV Meridian Weather 23:40 Scotland Decides

BRITAIN’S CRAZIEST COMMUTES The average commuter spends 10,000 hours bat­ tling extreme weather, gridlock, overcrowding, sig­ nalling problems and traffic accidents throughout their lifetime. This documentary follows journeys made by some of the 17 million people driving to work every day in the UK and the extraordinary efforts of a few workers to get to the office on time.

00:05 999: What's Your Emergency?

01:00 Bestival 2014 02:00 Michael 03:35 The Big Trees 05:10 Sarah Beeny's Selling Houses 06:05 Deal or No Deal 07:00 Countdown 07:45 Will & Grace 08:10 The King of Queens 09:00 Everybody Loves Raymond 10:00 Frasier 11:30 Undercover Boss 12:30 Four in a Bed 13:00 Channel 4 News Summary 13:05 Four in a Bed 15:10 Phil Spencer: Secret Agent 16:10 Countdown 17:00 Deal or No Deal 18:00 Come Dine with Me 19:00 The Simpsons 19:30 Hollyoaks 20:00 Channel 4 News 21:00 Location, Location, Location 22:00 Educating the East End 23:00 Scotland in a Day 23:35 Bouncers

00:00 Body of Proof 01:35 True Crimes: The First 72 Hours 02:00 SuperCasino 04:10 Once Upon a Time 05:00 Michaela's Wild Challenge 05:20 HouseBusters 05:45 House Doctor 07:00 Bananas in Pyjamas 07:10 Igam Ogam 07:25 Fireman Sam 07:35 The WotWots 07:45 Peppa Pig 07:50 Pip Ahoy!

08:05 Ben and Holly's Little Kingdom 08:15 The Mr Men Show 08:35 Thomas & Friends 08:50 Noddy in Toyland 09:00 Little Princess 09:15 Peppa Pig 09:35 Toby's Travelling Circus 09:50 Bananas in Pyjamas 10:00 Tickety Toc 10:15 The Wright Stuff 12:10 The Dog Rescuers 13:10 5 News Lunchtime 13:15 Marston's Brewery: One Ale of a Job! 14:15 Home and Away 14:45 Neighbours 15:15 NCIS 16:15 Goodnight for Justice 18:00 5 News at 5 18:30 Neighbours 19:00 Home and Away 19:30 5 News Tonight 20:00 The Gadget Show 21:00 Britain's Craziest Commutes 22:00 Asbo & Proud 23:00 Dallas

38

Friday, September 12, 2014

AUCTIONS

ACCOUNTANTS Pro Business Support – for all your accountancy needs in English; bookkeep­ ing, taxes, wage slips and more. We cater for compa­ nies and self­employed peo­ ple; we can deal with every­ thing for you. Call us on 966 923 963 for first consultation free of charge.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES Ref. DB6460L 85,000€ Restaurant in enviable loca­ tion with no local competi­ tion and regular clientele.

This profitable, established

leasehold restaurant has a fully fitted modern kitchen, disabled facilities and a fresh recently painted interi­ or. directbusinessbrokers .com Tel 966 44 33 81 Ref. DB6435L 97,000€ Large successfully run leasehold Beauty Salon near Quesada. Spacious salon with 7 rooms and rental income from separate hair salon. All fitness machines, treatment beds and tables included in the sale. directbusinessbro­ kers.com Tel 966 44 33 81 Ref. DB6457L 42,000€ Excellent opportunity to pur­ chase a well established and thriving leasehold Bar/Cafeteria in a central location in Torrevieja.

Beautiful established garden and south west facing ter­ race with BBQ and all year round trade. directbusiness­ brokers.com Tel 966 44 33 81 Ref. DB6456L 20,000€ Lively, popular leasehold Bar & Restaurant in a lovely position on La Manga over­ looking the port. Fully fitted kitchen and extensive sunny terraces. Freehold also available for purchase and

CATERING

BUSINESS OPPORTUNITY

flat above the premises. directbusinessbrokers.com Tel 966 44 33 81 Ref. DB6455L 150,000€ Profitable leasehold Café Bar, competitively priced for quick sale. Air conditioned interior with stylish decor and large terraces. Multiple income streams: food, drink, internet facilities, games and ice cream. Offering great potential for further growth. directbusinessbrokers.com Tel 966 44 33 81 Ref. DB6446L 74,950€ Beautifully presented lease­ hold Garden Furniture Business, recently reduced in price. A successful and easy to run business with established website, signifi­ cant internet sales, cus­ tomer database and excel­ lent reputation locally. direct­ businessbrokers.com Tel 966 44 33 81

CHOIR Casa Tom Community Choir: From 8 September 2014, Casa Tom Community

Choir meets every Monday at 2.00pm for 2.30pm. It is a mixed choir and all levels are welcome. No auditions, no solos. Make new friends and have a good time.

Location: Casa Tom, Avenida JACA 31, San Luis, Torrevieja. Phone or email Terry for details. Phone: 647­189­135.

Email: casatomsanluis@gmail.com

CHURCH SERVICES Torrevieja Christian Fellowship at Avenida de las Cortes Valencianas 68, Torrevieja 03183, welcome residents and visitors alike,

AUTO ENGINEERING

to their friendly and lively 10.30 am. Service each Sunday morning.

During the month of August they will not be holding the Wednesday night meeting at 6.00 pm. For further infor­ mation and/or directions please telephone 966700391 or visit our web­ site on www.tcf­spain.org."

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

CARPENTER

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 welcome from any church background or none. For further information contact PilarChristian.CommunityC hurch@gmail.com 968575417 or 966848806.

Reg No:2009­SG/A 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.

The rainbow centre for spiri­ tual awareness We meet in the function room at sacos bar el leiminar just of the CV 905 Rojales to torrievieja road We have a divine serv­ ice on Sundays at 11am and on Wednesdays we hold an evening of clairvoyance at 7.30 pm Also on Wednesdays there is an open circle at 5.30 for those

BARBER

CONSTRUCTION

ALARMS

CLEANERS

39

Friday, September 12, 2014 who are interested in clair­ voyance Healing is always available by certified healers after each meeting A warm welcome to friends old and new The mediums for the month of July 2014 are Wednesdays 2nd Debbie Blevins 9th Belinda & Jill 16th Trish and Shirley 23rd Sammy Fitzsimons 30th Paul & jennet. Closed until august 31st then Belinda & Sandra. Sundays 6th Paul & jennet 13th Belinda Bradley 20th ray bailey 27th Trish.

For further information call Trish on 966 844 795 or

GARDENER

Email the rainbowcentre­ costablana@gmail.com

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

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

INSURANCE CASER SEGUROS ­ for all your insurance needs, home, car, health, funeral.

Policies available in English and German.

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

GUITAR LESSONS Guitar lessons for beginners and improvers. Provide an insight into most styles.

CAR BREAKERS

From 10€ per hour. Call Peter on 966789612 or 629975378. Torrvieja

LONG TERM RENTALS

PROPERTY FOR RENT

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

Call us on 96 692 3963 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. (184) BPP­1808 230,000€ ­ 3 BEDROOM DETACHED HOUSE FOR SALE in LOS MONTISINOS, ALICANTE, SPAIN TEL: 966443381 BPP1804 3 bedroom detached villa a spacious family Villa Torrevieja For Sale fully furnished 240,000€ Tel: 966 44 33 81 BPP2896 Old style spanish 4 bedroom detached Monte Zenia property reasonably priced 175,000€ Tel: 966 44 33 81

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 Santiago de la Ribera 2 bed­ room townhouse close to beach and shops with com­ munal pool €350 monthly short or long term lease Call 0044 7890996330 ­ 968570645 (162) 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

BPP2897 3 BEDROOM SEMI­DETACHED HOUSE FOR SALE Aguas Nuevas 193,000€ Tel: 966 44 33 81 BPP2898 2 BEDROOM BUNGALOW FOR SALE Aguas Nuevas 125,000€ Tel: 966 44 33 81 BPP2901 2 Bedroom apart­ ment Aguas Nuevas 73,000€ Tel: 966 44 33 81 BPP2906 Large 3 BED­ ROOM BUNGALOW FOR SALE Aguas Nuevas 135,000€ Tel: 966 44 33 81 BPP 2907 Exceptional value

2 BEDROOM APARTMENT FOR SALE €49,950 Tel: 966 44 33 81 BPP2908 Excellent location 3 BEDROOM DETACHED HOUSE FOR SALE Villamartin €269,000 Tel: 966 44 33 81 BPP2903 Huge Executive 3 BEDROOM APARTMENT FOR SALE Los Montesinos €165,000 Tel: 966 44 33 81 BPP2899 2 BEDROOM BUNGALOW FOR SALE Torrevieja 59,000€ Tel: 966 44 33 81

UPHOLSTERY CLEANING

DRAINAGE PETS

40

Friday, September 12, 2014

Del Este, Santa Pola ­ 4 bedroom Duplex within a Secure Small Private Community. It has an inte­ gral large garage with sink, washing machine, large storage area. Independent large bedroom and full bath­ room.

American style kitchen, three bathrooms and cloakroom, front and back terraces, large solari­ um with bbq and shower, well maintained with a/c, ceiling fans. Communal Pool and third line from the beach. Sold with all white goods and furnished for 210,000 euros. 699613155 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 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 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 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 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 2 Bedroom, 2 Bathroom, Unfurnished Mid Terraced Townhouse in GA. Recently decorated throughout means this property is a very clean black canvass.

Has Air­Con & Security Grills and the use of a Communal Pool. Price recently reduced to 110.000e Ref.K12 Tel. 627711155 Reduced for a quick sale to 95.000 e 2 Bedroom, 1 bath­ room, Top Floor Duplex in Gran Alacant. Very Modern Property with Many extras.

Glazed in Porch, Roof Top Solarium, Wooden Flooring.

Immaculate condition and ready to move in. Ref. K15 Tel. 627711155.

Gran Alacant, Situated in the "Alto" part of Gran Alacant, this 3 bedroomed, 4th floor apartment, offers luxury accommodation, with absolutely stunning sea

PLUMBERS

POOL TABLES

PROPERTY FOR SALE

views, as well as views of Alicante bay and the famous Santa Barbara Castle.The apartment is 89 square meters with open plan kitchen / living room and includes all electrical appli­ ances & furniture also there is a utility room, open ter­ race, and private parking.

The urbanisation also offers many communal pools, ten­ nis courts, restaurants and bars. Ref. K20 €109,000 Tel 680333242 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 Gran Alacant villa located in a very quiet area , situated at the end of a cul­de­sac

means there is no through traffic.3 bed, 3 bath, 330m2 plot, established large gar­ dens, working fireplace, solar panel for hot water,pri­ vate parking, south facing great views, fully furnished, fantastic opportunity. ref.

L85. €215,000 Tel 680333242 Beach front Line property, over looks Carabassi Beach, Gran Alacant. 2 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, Secure Underground Parking, Fully furnished, Roof Top Solarium. 3 Large Communal Pools, Fantastic communal Gardens, Tennis Courts and much more.

125.000 Euros Ref No. K23.

Tel. 627 711 155 Lovely clean detached Villa just as you enter Gran Alacant. Very central loca­ tion, 3 Bedrooms, 3 Bathrooms, Glazed in Porch, Garden Shed, Private Parking, Attractive Gardens, Private pool Ref: K59 240.000e Tel. 627711155 Offers Invited on a mid Terraced Town house in Gran Alacant. Comprising of 3 Bedrooms, 2 Bathrooms, Lounge Diner, Galleria,

Solarium, Under build.

Communal Pool and Gardens, and with Exceptional Views of Alicante. Being Sold Fully Furnished including White Goods. Ref. K42 Tel. 627711155 (reasonable offers only) Gran Alacant, Situated on the very first urbanisation as you enter Gran Alacant, this 2nd floor duplex offers taste and quality. Comprising of 2 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, lounge­diner, independent kitchen, full roof­top solari­ um with superb views and recently glazed in porch offering extra living area as well as extra privacy as the glass is mirrored. Ref.K44 €108,000 Tel 680333242 Gran Alacant 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

STONE CRAFT

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 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 BUSY HAIR & BEAUTY SALON IN THE PLAYA FLA­ MENCA AREA REQUIRES A PART­TIME FULLY QUALIFED BEAUTICIAN TO JOIN THEIR FRIENDLY & PROFESSIONAL TEAM. TEL: 648111779 FOR DETAILS. Fully qualified confident friendly hair stylist with at least 5 years experience needed for immediate start in a well established salon in the Orihuela Costa area.

Full time + part time work available. Please call Roxie on 635 071 879

SITUATIONS WANTED Gardening, property mainte­ nance, translations, cheap rates call David 722521654.

REMOVALS

SOLICITORS

WANTED

Need English speaking solicitors in Torrevieja?

Let us help to solve your problems with debt recov­ ery, 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)

POOLS

SURVEYOR

VAN HIRE

41

Friday, September 12, 2014

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

The subject of the pace of playing a round of golf is a very contentious one, and one that have written about here on a regular basis. All golfers have an opinion, with differing views about what should be done to get things moving. So, thought it would be a good idea to put forward some of my thoughts.

1: What course would be the most fun to play today? Is it typically in good or great condition?

2: Is the course typically full up at cer­ tain times of the day? What time of the day are they hoping to play? Will the course be full up and slow at that time? How much time can you actual­ ly spare today for my game?

3: Is this course too pricey for today’s game?

I’m betting this is pretty much how you process your “go/no go” decision, and it probably takes you less than 30 sec­ onds. That’s because you know from past experience exactly what your last purchase cost you in terms of all three currencies. And you also know which currency is the most important to you, as shown by the order of your ques­ tions. The emotional investment? The lack of frustration! Followed by time, then price.

There are four factors that impact on the pace­of­play and the overall time it takes to play any given golf course:­ 1. Course Design/Layout 2. Course Maintenance and Set­up 3. Marshalling 4. Slow Players

Course Design/Layout The time required to play any particular golf course is determined by the design and layout. If a course has long dis­ tances between green and tee boxes, it will take longer to play all other things being equal. A course designed with well­protected greens, undulating greens, and numerous obstacles will, by nature, be difficult and take longer to play. The time to complete a round of golf is baked in at the start. Some courses simply take longer to play than others and therefore this factor is not in the control of course management.

The Pace of Play Equation

A course that is well staffed with course marshalls monitor­ ing the pace­of­play can maintain a satisfactory pace of action. The keys to a successful marshalling programme are clear communication with golfers as to the expectations and following through with consistent enforcement by well­ trained people. Implementing an effective marshalling pro­ gramme is a real challenge. First is the cost of staffing and training. Second, an aggressive marshalling programme runs the risk of upsetting customers. These two issues result in many courses either abandoning the whole idea of mar­ shalling the course or just not putting a lot effort into the pro­ gramme, and of course the pace­of­play as a result suffers.

pace” has little or no effect. Why, because it is the equiva­ lent of telling someone to speak English that only knows Spanish. They don’t know the language. They don’t know how to play at an acceptable pace. They must be taught the fundamentals. But let’s look at other areas of overcoming the slow play syndrome from the customer’s point of view.

I don’t know any golf course owner who doesn’t want to increase revenue. Usually they fall back on strategies such as shortening starting intervals to get more groups on the course, discounting green fees with early “twilight” rates, creating incentive programmes, etc. etc. These measures might generate a very short­lived revenue increase, but rarely have a lasting impact on the bottom line. That’s why course owners keep searching for the secret remedy to raise their profits. So let’s walk in a potential customer’s shoes for a moment.

Here we are…a player looking for a hassle­free, backup­ free, fun, challenging, affordable round on a course in excel­ lent condition. And there are three currencies to spend in purchasing all that fun: 1: The Euro price of the round.

2: The time commitment to play.

3: The emotional investment in the experience.

If the cost of any of these three currencies becomes too high, we are not playing and you’ll never be converted from a potential customer to a regular or loyal customer. Check out the order I have used above in listing the currencies.

Does it seem right? Well actually, after talking with and observing of golfers, I can say pretty definitively that this order is probably backwards.

Simply stated, many golfers are slow, and they don’t know or believe they are slow! They are without doubt the primary cause of long rounds. Telling a slow golfer to “pick up the

Consider the questions that we– the potential customer – who are asking themselves before setting out to play golf with their clubs in the boot of the car.

Course Maintenance and Set-up

A course can control how the actual course is maintained and set­up. Hazard markings, drop areas, length of rough, and local rules of play are areas that course operators can manage to improve the overall pace­of­play. There are sim­ ple things that can be done like keeping the banks around water hazards not too closely mown so that golfers will not spend time looking for balls in the water. Or creating drop areas for certain difficult hazards rather than requiring golfers to re­tee or hit provisional shots. These are deci­ sions that require management to balance course difficulty versus the pace­of­play.

Marshalling

Slow Players

How Players Really Decide

KNOW YOUR RULES QUESTION In stroke play, a competitor in replacing his ball on the putting green inadvertently put the ball in a wrong place nearby and holed out. The error was then discovered and the competitor put his ball in the right place and holed out. The player is not considered to have committed a serious breach. What is the ruling?

A: The score with the ball played from the wrong place counts and the competitor must add two penalty strokes to that score.

B: The score with the ball played from the correct place counts and the competitor must add two penalty strokes to that score.

C The score with the ball played from the correct place counts and the competitor must add one penalty stroke to that score.

ANSWER A:

The reason we focus on pace of play with courses is that when they attack their slow play problems, they turn every round into a high­ value, fun experience, affordable by any currency. It’s like this: ► Improved pace of play = A better experience! (Emotional investment currency) ► Improved pace of play = Shorter round times! (Time com­ mitment currency) ► Improved pace of play = More value for price paid! (Actual cost of the round currency) Again as the potential player: If you choose a course with a slow play problem that includes the typical waiting and delays throughout the round, you know you are going to overspend both my emotional and time currencies. The course may have an exemplary design and be beautifully maintained, but even these positives will crumble under the weight of slow pace and the frustration of constantly inter­ rupted play. Even famous courses in perfect condition can deliver low­quality playing experiences. And in these cases, no matter what you paid for the round, it was too much.

Guess what – that’s another currency overspent.

The Real Secret

Delivering lower, consistently free­flowing rounds of golf, every starting time in the day becomes as valuable as the coveted early morning times. High and low season tee times aren’t needed. The utilisation of the course grows. The course’s reputation builds. And revenue steadily increases, this is what actually happens.

TITTER ON THE TEE A golfer used regularly to slice his drive into a bunker on the right of the green at the short sixteenth. When he died, they found that in his will he had asked that his ashes should be scattered right in the middle of the six­ teenth green ­ something he had never been able to achieve with his ball.

So his widow carried the casket up on to the course and stood on the edge of the sixteenth green. She took the lid off the casket and threw her husband's ashes towards the hole in the middle of the green. But it was a windy day and the ashes were blown off to the right, straight into the bunker.

42

Friday, September 12, 2014

HAPPY TYTON CLASH OF THE WEEK

Elche’s Polish goalkeeper says that he’s delighted to be playing first team football again, after moving to the club during the summer on a loan deal from PSV Eindhoven. Przemyslaw Tyton made only 24 appearances for the Dutch club in just over three seasons, after making his name in an impressive Euro 2012 campaign with Poland, but his career failed to take off as he expected.

“I’m happy because it’s given me the opportunity to start enjoying my football again. If we can continue as we are, we’ll achieve our objectives this season. The team is very united here and that’s a truly essential thing for a successful team.”

The club were recently boosted by the news that manager Fran Escríba was happy to undertake a salary cut, in order to fund the club’s objectives in terms of player contracts and recruitment.

“It just shows what a great team this is, from the bottom to the top, from the board to the players. Everyone here wants the best for Elche, there’s no doubt about that. Now it’s time for us to focus purely on training and playing, nothing else.”

Elche’s third La Liga match of the season is at Rayo Vallecano this Sunday lunchtime, with the Illicitanos lying second bottom in the table, with one point from their first two matches.

The big La Liga showdown is this Saturday night with Real Madrid (pictured in training) looking for quick revenge as they entertain their city rivals and league champi­ ons Atletico, who they lost to in the recent Spanish Supercup. Real’s start to the sea­

son has been patchy with an embarrassing four­two defeat at Sociedad nearly a fort­ night ago before the international break.

Earlier this Saturday, Barcelona look to make it three wins on the trot as they take on Athletic Bilbao.

DOUBLE RED FOR TORRY RIBARROJA CF 2

CD TORREVIEJA 1

WIND HITS THE SAILS

A lack of wind made a nervous start for the racers at the start of the Sailing Association Mar Menor’s

Autumn series. Fortunately after a bit of morning nail­bit­ ing, a light breeze appeared to the get the racing going

with nine boats taking part.

The five dinghies were away first in a seven knot breeze but five minutes later when the four bigger boats started; it had dropped to four knots which gave the dinghies a distinct advan­ tage. All finished their four laps in less than two hours against the two hours plus for all the bigger boats.

As these are handicap races, the result on correct­ ed time saw the relatively inexperienced couple of David and Louise Belcher come first in their Faversham 14, with the faster winds of the afternoon race seeing the times cut down to around 75 minutes, with the winner being the Laser 2000 of Tug Wilson and Vernon O’Byrne.

The next race day is on Sunday September 21st and the monthly SAMM meeting will take place on Wednesday October 8th both at the Spanish sports academy CTD Infanta Christina on the beach front at Los Najeros, near Los Alcazares, where new com­ petitors and members will be made more than welcome.

An early Torry strike, followed by two goals in two minutes for the home side, saw Torrevieja come away pointless, plus two of their players being shown red cards shown into the bargain.

It had started so well for the visitors with Steve Ekedi (pictured) getting his first league goal for Torry in the 11th minute. He won the ball, shielding it well before playing it to Cesar, who returned the ball into the box, where Steve accelerated and then smashed a left foot drive that crashed in off the under­ side of the bar, giving Ribarroja keeper Ismael absolutely no chance. Ribarroja looked pretty ordinary as they were looking for their first win of the season, with the visi­ tors producing a high work rate and asking all the questions of the home side. But the game turned on the half­hour mark with two quick goals.

In the 33rd minute, Torry’s defenders failed to clear the ball properly and it was picked up 30 yards out, and passed to unmarked Fran who with great control, smashed in a 25 yard screamer, which though Oscar managed to get a hand to, was still parked into the back of the net. A shell­shocked Torry were then hit just a cou­ ple of minutes later by an excellent worked

Ribarroja goal, which ended in a fine flying header from Capsi that gave keeper Oscar no chance. Torry’s problems were com­ pounded still further when Steve Ekedi was sent off for a second yellow card after what appeared to be a fairly innocuous aerial challenge, and with Cesar as the main strik­ er, he nearly managed to level the scores before half­time with a fine individual effort which was him nipping in­between two defenders and lobbing the ball over Ismael’s head, only to see it just go wide.

Torry’s afternoon was complete on the hour when Jorgi got his marching orders after kicking out at a Ribarroja player that he thought had fouled him in the penalty box after a free klck. Despite their handicap, the visitors still looked like getting something out of the match, and appeared unlucky not to get a penalty when Burguillos was held back in the box when he looked a good bet to make the ball and to beat the keeper.

So a defeat for Torry, and manager Galliana will have to make changes with Steve and Jorge suspended for this Sunday’s home match with second­placed Torre Levante, which kicks­off at 6.30pm.

Torrevieja now lie in 10th place in the table with five points on the board.

Friday, September 12, 2014

43

TWO NIL BY MOUTH!

England Manager Swore It’d Be Alright On The Night…

Come on now, who Baked Off to the BBC TV cooking show last week, along with many other AWOL England supporters? Apathy­ruled OK on ITV as well as the poor 40,000 at Wembley for the goal­starved England friendly against Norway. A sole Wayne Rooney penalty won it, but just to pep things up post­match, normally mild­ mannered England manager Roy Hodgson snapped and swore when asked yet another tediously­impertinent question. Good for you, Roy, let ‘em have it ­ cheeky bar­stewards…

But smiles and normal civil service were resumed by last Monday evening. Hodgson had recovered his composure and Roy’s boys found their scoring touch against Switzerland in the highly­satisfactory 2 – 0 win, this the first qualifier for Euro 2016. The Swiss are no roll­overs and also have points to prove after a disappointing World Cup. Know how you feel, lads: bin there, dun that, had the urine extract­ ed from the Independence­minded Scots…

Sterling stuff: lively little Raheem is getting better all the time, and when he finds where the foreign net is, he’ll be even better. Man United reject Danny Welbeck was only starting for England because t’other Danny, Sturridge was injured (bet he plays for Liverpool this weekend against Villa, they always do… ). Arsenal newboy Welbeck’s opener was superb, one­touch training ground stuff between Rooney and Sterling a la England/Italy in Brazil, though that time Sturridge was on the end of it – more of that please, lads. We like that…

Why do they do that? Play sound club players out of posi­ tion when playing for their country? Young John Stones looks a great bet for the future in the centre of defence but looked highly vulnerable at full back. Surely there’s more young English right backs out there gagging to start an inter­ national career (btw, what’s happened to Luke Shaw, Louis; that fitness/injury bit’s dragging isn’t it?). Or does your badg­ er­type cull include the ex­Saints man, now that problemat­ ic­already Argentinian Marcos Rojo’s here – well, nearly… Had to laugh, did you see Red Rojo’s in trouble back in Argentina for a ‘neighbourly dispute’?

That bodes badly for posh Prestbury

CYCLOGICAL’S TRIP TIP Every once in a while, the team from the Cyclogical Hire Shop in Quesada offer Courier readers an idea for a cycle trip for you to enjoy, and this time, using Quesada as a start­ ing point, there’s an enjoyable and scenic trip inland to the town of Fortuna that you can do, and which was recently done by the Cyclogical team, with an overnight stay into the bargain!

Leaving Quesada at 2.00pm, the riders set off for Catral where they picked up the CV90 by passing El Realengo and over the bridge over the AP7. They then turned left at the first roundabout and followed the camino road into Albatera where the cyclists stopped for some light refreshments. They then continued through Albatera until they hit the traffic lights where they turned right and headed up towards Hondon De Las Frailes for 5kms until they came to the canal. They took a left turn onto the canal and followed it for about another 5kms crossing over the first road and turning right on the second road just past La Murada .This is the CV870 which you follow all the way into Abanilla. At Abanilla you follow the signs for Banos de Fortuna and head for the campsite La Fuente. The total distance to the banos was 65kms, with the journey taking two and a half hours, before they stayed at La Fuente campsite where there are many chalets in addition to a hotel and a spa/ swimming pool .

Los Banos de Fortuna is famous for the thermal waters, dating back to Roman and Arab times. The waters arise from the earth at a temperature of 53 degrees Celcius and are ideal for people with rheumatic illnesses and chronic res­

where all the wealthy Mancunian players live. Nasty neigh­ bour already?

Stones could soon be regularly Rolling alongside Gary Cahill, who should be the first name on the England defen­ sive sheet. How good ol’ Gary got back to stop that certain­ but­offside Swiss effort was amazing. Another Hartfelt goal­ keeping performance from big Joe was welcomed, but City’s rock breathed a sigh of relief as another dodgily offside (hon­ est!) shot cannoned off his bar, phew.

Wilshere? Dragging up Savage criticism, pundit Robbie says Smokin’ Jack needs to regularly start more games (ask Arsene to explain). Finishing a few of ‘em might help as well, anyone notice England scored both goals after the Arsenal man went off? Just coincidence, surely…

Armed with his new band, Cap’n Wayne slotted in his penalty, that Norwegian strike would move him into fourth place in the greatest England goal scorers list behind such illustrious company as (reverse order): Gary Lineker, Jimmy Greaves and Bobby Charlton. Only eight more successful strikes to go before rampant Rooney eclipses Sir Bobby for ever ­ and at 28 it surely must happen…

I nominate already­wet Glenn Hoddle for the Ice Bucket challenge, and can it be done pitchside next time Adrian Chiles asks him a(nother) stupid question? I was a fan when Glenda played but these days he’s so boring and whiney I can’t stand him – and that goes for funny­not Ian Wright­ Wright too. Like Lee Dixon though, especially when helping with the commentating, he’s very amusing.

I blame the Independence referendum, Strachaning Scotland suddenly so full of their own international impor­ tance the Jocks only narrowly lost 2 – 1 to World Cup win­ ners Germany. Shades of 1967 when Scotland beat England and claimed they were then World Champions…

Irish Republican boss Martin O’Neill was hovering above the round spherical night­sky object with Aiden McGeady’s ‘wonderful’ winner in the 2 – 1 qualifier against Georgia. That grey­bearded geezer from Villa was there too, Roy Keane doing his second­in­command bit: cool, lads.

Quiz question? What’s the population of Andorra? Answer 78k + some sheep and goats. Now there’s 3m in Wales (+ lots more sheep and goats), but boyo, the Welsh were only just Baa­led out after the Andorrans led, only for galloping Gareth to strike twice on a ploughed field to start the Welsh campaign to win Euro 2016. Hey, no laughing, Swansea are joint top as we speak, so who knows? This is planet football see, look you bach…

The last word goes to the press from rounded Roy: B*******S!

EL CLASICO BITE

Barcelona’s controver­ sial new striker Luis Suarez will be able to make his league debut in the big match at Real Madrid on Saturday October 25th. The game takes place a day after the Uruguay internation­ al's four­month ban for biting Giorgio Chiellini at the World Cup comes to piratory problems as well for a leisurely swim after a long an end. ride. In the morning we headed for Fortuna, and then cycled Spain's professional past the beautiful Embalsa de Santomera where there are league (LFP) confirmed many good mountain bike routes and headed for the date of El Clasico on Monteagudo ( where the angel on the rock statue is ). After Wednesday, whilst The a coffee break, we then by­passed Murcia on the RM303 via Court of Arbitration for Alquerias, and then we picked up the RM301 and followed Sport (Cas) also told this road to Canadas de San Pedro where we turned left and Barcelona that summer followed the signs for Torremendo and Embalsa de la signing Suarez, 27, is free to play.

Pedrera. We went left round the reservoir, and after lunch we "Cas has confirmed to FC Barcelona that the Uruguayan's followed the canal all the way back to Quesada and arrived suspension will end at midnight on Friday October 24th," back home at 6.00pm, having enjoyed a total ride of 137kms according to a statement on the Barcelona website. “Those and some great scenery. The choice is yours:­ a full day trip, allows him to appear in his first official fixture for his new club, or a more leisurely effort with a pleasant overnight stay. against none other than Real Madrid, should (coach) Luis Happy cycling from Cyclogical!

Enrique opt to play him."

Friday, September 12, 2014

44

ROASTED SWAN?

Something’s Got To Give At The Top!

Never mind the Badger cull, will the Swans of Swales become an endangered species come tomor­ row afternoon at the Bridge? Can equal­top max points Swansea survive at the Bridge without being mauled amid Chelsea’s also­ unbeaten challenging charge this season? Top Blues scorer, four­in­ three Diego Costa missed Spain’s 5 – 1 midweek rout of Macedonia, no doubt he’ll be back to lead the line. Both teams have a 100% record after three games ­ some­ thing’s got to give, and I fear the Swans could sub­ merge…

By the time we watch ‘The X Factor’ on Saturday night, we’ll all know a bit more about the early shape of the Premier League this season, as including Chelsea & Swansea, four of the top seven are playing each other.

The early doors Match of the Day is at the Emirates where Arsenal take on Man City. Will two­good­goals England sharpshooter Danny Welbeck make his home debut and fire up the Gunners? Which City will turn up ­ surely not the Stoke­savaged side last time out ­ will the City Super Stars be back strutting their stuff?

Astoundingly Aston Villa are third: whether that will last depends on visitors Liverpool, who lately have an abundance of talent to offer, mostly bought with the Suarez spondulicks. Is it Roy Keane’s bearded expert­ ise advising Paul Lambert that has got Villa off to a good start for once, two wins and a draw equals seven points. Villa will need all Keano’s combative skills to fight off the formidable Reds attack, bristling with internationals and class. Are Liverpool really back at the top, or was last year’s second place an unfair Kop?

John McGregor reports

In the battle for North London supremacy, Spurs are at Sunderland: was the Liverpool home defeat a mere blip for an ambitious Tottenham side going places under new manager Mauriccio Pochettino? At the flickering Stadium of Light two exciting draws have only yielded two points for Gus’s gung­ho guys. Surely not another seasonal struggle for survival after last year’s Houdini­ style escapology act?

Strangely enough, the Saints have marched in to eighth place, exactly where they finished last season, but now have sold off the family jewels and bought cheap replicas with the lolly – folly or shrewd manage­ ment ? At St Mary’s, Newcastle are the kamikaze visi­ tors with only two points from three games. The Magpies veer from the sublime to the ridiculous with little in­between for the long­suffering Toon army.

Are Crystal Palace back together again after old boss Neil Warnock’s return? The 3 – 3 draw last time out at St James Park showed the Eagles have ability plus spirit in spades, but will newbies Burnley clip their wings and ground them? Both teams are desperate for points. A keen Midlands derby puts lively Leicester at Stoke, the Potters pulled off a great surprise win over mighty Man City last week. Many pundits (including me) tipped Everton for success this year, but the Toffees have not started too well despite playing some pulsating football. Visiting stuttering West Brom looks easy on paper, but on grass anything can and does happen…

Tee­hee, I hope Louis van Gaal was watching and duti­ fully squirming on Monday as ex­Man United youth product Danny Welbeck proved his class and ability with both coolly­taken England goals. Right on the transfer window cusp, LVG let the classy striker go to rivals Arsenal for a modest £16m, having splashed out over four times that for Angel Di Maria, plus £6m in HP

for a year’s service from the mercenary Radamel Falcao. That should nicely de­stabilise the Old Trafford wage wodge system, step up Rooney and van Persie for more. And so much for the once­vaunted United youth system, eh Louis?

There’s only one game on Sunday, but it’s now a focus of immense interest and importance. Happyish Harry Redknapp takes his hooped heroes to the Theatre of Dreams, lately aka the Nest of Nightmares. Money­no­ object Man United simply must win against Quaintly Pursuing Reality, no other result will stem an ava­ lanche of abuse aimed at LVG and the Man U manage­ ment. P’raps LVG’s clipboard can be used to protect him if it all gets nasty?

To more modestly complete the first Prem week after the International break, its Hull v West Ham on Monday.

Both are sitting comfortingly mid­table, so it’s a six­ pointer which bodes well for the winners.

Championship: Sunday sees Nottingham’s City Ground as the East Midlands battlefield where Forest (did I mention we’re top) take on nasty neighbours Derby in seventh. Without doubt the visitors boss Steve McLaren will receive a warm, nay hot (surely not hostile) welcome back from frenzied Forest fans.

Second­placed Watford entertain Charlton in sixth, with Wolves in third­place off to the seaside to visit rock­bottom, nil­points, in­trouble Blackpool.

Interesting game at Cardiff who are ninth entertaining fourth­placed Norwich: good game to win. Is Ole Solskjaer Gunnar get Cardiff back up there? Shh… Tan’s ominously quiet.

Only one point from five games looks desperate for second­bottom Fulham and Felix Magath. Will ze proud German with ze decent Fatherland record become anuzzer Chumpionship (sic) casualty? A quick visit to Reading along the M4 could be dangerous…