Note the change

 

That's cold

Who can say we don't need the winter heating allowance now?

 

Very sad news

 I've mentioned our very good neighbour and friend Eladia many times before on this blog. 

Eladia and her husband Pepe came to live opposite us not long after we moved in. We took them a bottle of champagne to welcome them to the street. We struck up a great friendship straight away which has strengthened over the eighteen years we have lived here. 

Pam and I have had many happy times with Eladia and her family. Whenever we needed help, they were there to help us. We owe them a great debt of gratitude. 

We will sorely miss Eladia's company, her keen and often wicked sense of humour not to mention the wonderful desserts she made for us. 

This is heart-breaking news.

Not true

Not that long ago, an event only became news once it was endorsed by a traditional source such as CNN, ABC, the BBC or Reuters. But times have changed. News is now available instantly online and a fair amount of it is unsubstantiated in other words possibly fake. 

On Thursday afternoon  the Manchester Evening News ran the following headline on its website: “Zara founder Amancio Ortega registers interest in buying Manchester United.” The story went on to claim that “it is understood he has informed senior executives of his interest in United.” The article did not cite any sources to back up such an exclusive.

The “exclusive” was quickly picked up by the British tabloids – which have millions of readers – and from there, it appeared in Spain’s four most important sports publications: Marca, As, Mundo Deportivo and Sport, as well as general news outlets.

Judging by the number of website clicks and likes on Twitter and Instagram, on Thursday it certainly looked like Manchester United was about to be acquired by Spain’s Amancio Ortega, founder of the Inditex group (which includes the fashion brand Zara) and one of the wealthiest men in the world.

It was fake news. There is no such interest and never was, as Inditex sources later confirmed. It is even questionable whether the founder of Inditex is even a fan of soccer in the first place. Despite his billionaire status, Ortega, 86, is more readily associated with games of domino played in humble taverns with local residents in Sanxenxo, in his native northwestern Spanish region of Galicia.

In truth, it is not even certain that the Glazers, who own Manchester United, want to sell the club. Again there is speculation that the club is for sale, fueled by online social media outlets. 

Crazy money

Many of us would like a bit more in our pockets to buy the things we might want but there must surely be a limit to the amount anyone would need to live even the most luxurious of lifestyles. 

Whilst there are millions of people starving in the world, there are a few that I believe earn more than they should. I include footballers in that group. 

I read this morning that Manchester United will save about £15.5m in wages after coming to a mutual agreement with Ronaldo to end his contract before it runs out in the summer. I understand Ronaldo is payed £500,000 a week for sitting on the bench for most matches. 

According to the Daily Mail,  Ronaldo's goals during his second spell at Manchester United have cost the club £1.2m each.

Although Ronaldo has donated vast sums of money to charity, his net worth is still estimated to be around $115 million according to Forbes. 

AFC Crewe of the 14th tier Crewe and District League Premier Division have made an audacious bid to sign Cristiano Ronaldo for £35-a-week after he agreed to terminate his Manchester United contract Apparently, on that salary,  he would be the highest paid player at the club.

Is Ronaldo 14,286 times a better player than those at Crewe? Not when he spends most of the time sitting on the subs bench!

 

What he said

 This is the editorial I referred to in which Pascual said:

"Pages full of good intentions, alternated with bits of our history and marvelous photographs taken by Keith Williamson, whom we thank in an outstanding way for his commitment to our musical society, a magnificent photographic work that year after year bears witness to musical activity, making it visible and close. "

That was good

 The concerts for Santa Cecilia are a highlight of the year. Last night's was no exception. 

First off the new musicians joining the band were presented with their pins. 

Then the President presented a gold pin to a musician who has dedicated fifty years to the band.

Miguel Saez watched with pride as his son played his first cello solo in front of the band.

The music was uplifting and warming to the soul on a chilly November night.  

I was delighted to read the very kind words that the Chronister of the band had written about my photographs in his editorial at the front of the book he produces each year. 

As usual, you will find my album of photos in the sidebar. 

is it just my house?

 Since the thunderstorm, the electricity in my house has been stable. Today though, it has started fluctuating again. The symptoms are the same each time it happens. 

• The halogen lights in the kitchen fluctuate between dim and bright.
• The central heating boiler comes on for a brief second even when the heating is switched off.
• The UPS that is the backup battery for my desktop computer signals a drop in voltage below the threshold that is set. 

It doesn't prevent most electrical items from working but it is annoying all the same. 

I asked one of our neighbours when he came to clean the windows if he experienced the same problems in his house  and he said, "no". 

This leads me to wonder if it is an issue with just my house or perhaps this particular street. 

Santa Cecilia 2022

 

New Year at La Pedrera

 New Year's Eve is the night for celebration here in Spain. Prices for a night out with a meal can easily top 100 Euros but not at Camping La Pedrera. 

Pam and I have been with our neighbours, Pepe and Eladia and can vouch for the quality. 

It seems unfair to me

Our friends in Norfolk tell us that they will be getting a subsidy for their fuel this year under the Government scheme outlined by Liz Truss whilst she was Prime Minister. They've been told this amounts to £60 per month. 

On top of that, they will get a Winter Fuel Payment of £500 (£250 each). 

Now we would not expect to get the Government subsidy but we did used to get the Winter Fuel Payment for a few years. That was until they decided that we lived in a warm country and did not need  financial assistance.

The Gov.Uk website says: " You can get a Winter Fuel Payment if you live in an EEA country", however it explains further, "You cannot get a Winter Fuel Payment if you live in Cyprus, France, Gibraltar, Greece, Malta, Portugal or Spain."

We don't know what this winter is going to be like but if it is like last year, it will be almost as cold here as  in some parts of the UK. Our gas bills for last winter were 342.91 and 341.118 that's 684.09 Euros to heat our house during the winter months. We then had similar electricity  bills to cool our house during the summer. 

Who's voting for him?

 Forgive me for going back to Strictly Come Dancing. 

I don't want to spoil it for those of you who prefer to wait until Sunday night for the results. However, I will tell you that Tony Adams has escaped yet again the dreaded dance off. 

Let's look at his record so far with the judges:

Week 1 & 2 combined placed bottom with 37 points (22 +15)

Week 3 placed bottom again with 18 points

Week 4 an improvement, he was 11th out of 13 with 26 points

Week 5 saw a return to previous form, bottom with 19 points

Week 6 was a golden week, he came 9th out of 11 with 31 points

This week bottom  with 21 points

So just who is keeping Tony Adams in the competition? 

Definitely not those who regard this as a dancing competition. And surely not those looking for entertainment - Ed Balls was entertaining, Ann Widdecombe being dragged around the floor was  hilarious. Apart from ripping his trousers off, Adams has not been so amusing with his routines. 

I can only surmise that there are droves of football fans who are voting for him on the basis of his careers with Arsenal and England.