Virgen del Carmen

Sailors gathered at the port of Santa Pola to watch the traditional offering of flowers commemorating their missing companions. The thousands of flowers thrown in to the water apparently turned the dock into a "sea of petals".

In Torrevieja there was a service held in church followed by a procession of the Virgin del Carmen to the port. The fishing boat Verónica Ruso then carried the effigy in a marine procession

At the end of the procession, the Musical Union Torrevejense, accompanied by the choirs of the city, played Salve Marinera. The celebration culminated with a fireworks castle.

Fishing, along with the production of salt, were of course the main industries of Torrevieja. Now there are only a few boats fishing from the port but the sailors still honour their patron.

The Song of Summer

Today, between 4:pm and 8pm, RADIO SURESTE (88,3 F.M.) will be broadcasting live from the Pedrera swimming pool.

No doubt there will be the usual free gifts and dedications.

Get your dancing shoes on

There will be a CELEBRATION REMEMBER of + RADIO with BARTUAL on Saturday 21st July from midnight in the Polideportivo.

At the decks will be; Dj Martin (Metro), Dj Justo, Dj Jose Coll, Dj Migue, Dj Charo Campillo, Dj Martin (Vinyl), Dj Adriana Cases (+ Club) and Dj Xufa.

The entrance fee will be 5 €.

Just a reminder

The first meeting for the International Gastronomic Day is to be held at the Social Centre on Thursday the 19th July at 9:30pm.

The deal is that you prepare the food and the Town Hall pay for the ingredients so nobody is out of pocket.

I've haven't spoken to anyone on the Resident's Committee about this. However, I understand they were approached and asked to coordinate our participation.

Unfortunately we won't be able to attend the meeting but would still like to make a contribution.

Moors and Christians in Orihuela

Floral Offering to Saint Justa and Rufina in Orihuela officially opened the celebrations of the Reconquista that will last until the 21st of July.

The 18 comparsas (ten Moors and eight Christians) comprising over a thousand of people participated in the parade of Floral Offering which began last night at 7:30 pm and lasted until 10:00 pm.

After the traditional Offering, Saints Justa and Rufina were taken from the church of Santa Justa to the Cathedral.

The main parades will be on Friday 20th and Saturday 21st at 9:00 pm. This year the Moor groups will parade on Friday and the Christian groups on Saturday.

The route they follow will be C/ Aragón, Plaza San Sebastián, C/ José Antonio, Calderón de la Barca, C/ Loaces, C/ Alfonso XIII, finishing in the Plaza de Alfonso XIII.

Seriously mad

Could this be the reason that there was an edict banning carretillas in Bigastro last year?

Sociedad Unión Musical Bigastro

For those of you wondering how good the local band really are, I found these videos on YouTube posted by "umbigastro". I hope he/she doesn't mind me posting the link to them.

 

Lemons from Bigastro

If you find lemons with the label "La Perdiz" and a picture of a partridge on them you will know that they have come from Bigastro.

Perales & Ferrer have been packing and distributing lemons from the area since 1975. They annually pack about 45,000 metric tonnes of fruit per year which are then sold in shops and supermarkets around the world.

We can highly recommend them for you gin and tonics!

Found them at last

These are the bungalows that Idearco plans to build at the top of our road.

La Pedrera Hotel & Health Spa
Completion Date:12 /2008
Situated in Bigastro
Consisting of 32 bungalows of 3 and 2 bedrooms, located in the superb green area of the Paraje Natural La Pedrera and Paraje Natural de La Loma Ancha.

The Bungalows of La Pedrera also come fully furnished and with white-goods. Pre-Installed Air Conditioning and the Idearco´s best qualities, and everything from 196,500€.

So which ar they going to build first - the health spa or the bungalows?

The folly outside San Miguel

The Castillo de Conesa on the Rebate road from San Miguel de Salinas was once a Yeso factory.

Fifteen years ago Don Antonio Conesa bought the building and surrounding land which includes 300 metres of caves and underground tunnels with a vision to make his new purchase the (El) Alhambra of the area.

The castle itself is still being renovated and will be open to the public as a museum next year. By all accounts it will be well worth a visit because the interior is apparently stunning.

True stories are the best

Imagine the surprise that a couple had when they found a naked intruder in their bed.

The couple were staying in a hotel near Murcia. The man had climbed into the bedroom through an open window and was apparently having his wicked way with the wife who thought it was her husband. When the husband awoke he chased the man out of the bed. The man was last seen running away pulling up his trousers.

Sometimes it is pink

La Salina de Torrevieja can appear very pink on certain days. This is due to the high levels of crustaceans in the water.

As the water evapourates it leaves a salt crust on the banks

People put chairs in the lake so they can sit and
benefit from the healing properties of the salt

A busy Summer

The Summer  cultural programme for Torrevieja totals 150 activities that will be developed for the months of  July, August and September. Included in the programme are theatre, music, courses, exhibitions, galas and workshops. So you can learn how to navigate, listen to international bands or watch a traditional zarzuela. The choice is yours.

Watch out for "el Festival Internacional de Bandas de Música"  and  "el II Festival Latino Cultura del Mediterráneo".  Also recommended is the concert with Fito and Fitipaldis on Saturday 18th August at the Park Antonio Soria.

Informatinon about places, dates and times of all events should be available from the Tourist Information kiosk by the fountain on the front or at the Tourist Information office near the Town Hall.

Flying yorkie

We walked down to the market yesterday because quite frankly we need the exercise and in any case short journeys are never good for the car.

As we passed this house we heard a dog growl. When we turned to see what it was a Yorkshire Terrier flew off the top of the garden wall  in front of me and landed seven foot down on the pavement. 

Cats often make such jumps but rarely dogs. Anyway the scruffy mite looked a little dazed, picked itself up and tried to find a way back into the garden.

Of course all the gates were locked so there was no way back in for the little pooch. I did think of picking it up and throwing it back over the gate. I reasoned that It had survived one fall but it might not survive two. So we left the dog to wonder how it could regain entry to its home.

The dog wasn't there when we walked back so presumably the owners had returned and let it back in. I expect they wondered how the b***** had got out in the first place. Just as well we didn't see them because our Spanish isn't up to that sort of explanation.

Bottle or tap?

Apparently the City of New York is trying to persuade its people to give up bottled drinks and consume tap water instead to help protect the environment.

It has launched an advertising campaign to promote the cause, with local restaurants encouraged to join in.

City officials say their campaign will save people money, and reduce waste.

According to environmental groups, four out of five plastic water bottles end up on landfill sites and the production process contributes to global warming.

The distribution process sometimes involves shipping water halfway around the world.

Here in Spain most people only drink bottled water. Millions of bottles must be sold each week in shops and supermarkets throughout the country, particularly in Summer. Apart from the plastic waste there are the transport costs to consider.

Would it hurt to drink the tap water? 

It can't be July

The weather report for today is sunny.

Either we are having very local weather or they got it wrong because it is actually raining!!

The weather has been mixed for the last few days. We've had clouds and then sunshine and cooler temperatures.

Still it could all change by lunchtime and we could be basking in 30 degrees by then.

The biting season

Some areas are plagued with mosquitoes, particularly those by the salt lakes, so I suppose we are lucky to only get a few. Even still the b****** can inflict nasty bites. I've had two on my back in the last week and got one on my ankle the other night. I wouldn't mind but I had sprayed my legs to stop them. Didn't put this little blighter off though.

Now we know why people who work on the campo wear long sleeve shirts and trousers.

Come on you oldies!!

Well we wanted either Lewis Hamilton or at least Fernando Alonso to win the British Grand Prix. We wanted Rafael Nadal to win at Wimbledon for Spain. At least Robbie McEwen survived to win the first stage of the Tour de France.

Tonight at 10:30pm, the seven-a-side football team from Villas Andrea play their first game at the Polydeportivo. Let's hope that they show that age and experience can outmatch youth and fitness.

League of Nations

Torrevieja now has over 100,000 registered inhabitants of which more than half are foreigners. To be precise there are 52,707 foreigners from a hundred different nationalities living there according to the City Council.

The largest group are from the United Kingdom with 12,352 citizens, the Scandinavian Countries with 5,797, and Germany with 3,638.

Of the other groups there are 2,993 Moroccans; 2,796 Russians; 2,516 Colombians; 2,224 Ukrainians; 1,891 Bulgarians; 1,849 Rumanians; 1,802 Ecuadorians; 1,420 Brazillians; 1,381 Belgiums; 1,045 Argentinians and 1,024 Italians. With less of a thousand of people registered there are from: Ireland (906), China (725), Chile (669), Uruguay (615) Lituania (578), the Netherlands (542), France (524) and Poland (508).

So when you visit the town don't expect the people you meet to be Spanish because the chances are they aren't.

Amazing

From building site

via rough soil

to jungle in 2 and a half years

Damm it

The Tour de France started in London and I missed it.

The prologue time trial was held around the centre of London. Today the first stage runs from London to Canterbury.

Downturn in prices

A report in the Costa Blanca News says that downturns in resale house prices have been recorded in Torrevieja and Orihuela, as well as in the Mar Menor area.

The largest fall – a drop of 3.65 per cent – was recorded in Orihuela, with a less pronounced decrease of 0.44 per cent in Torrevieja. In Murcia reductions of 2.36 per cent and 3.37 per cent have occurred in San Javier and Los Alcázares respectively since January 2007.

The research has been carried out by the specialist internet site Facilisimo.com which receives more than two million visits each month.

The slowdown in the market has also made construction companies cautious about increasing the prices of new homes. Alicante builders’ association Provía revealed this week that 80 per cent of construction companies have said they will not put up prices. And over half of Provía’s members revealed they will not launch any new projects for the time being.

They have cited large investments in current projects, a lack of land for building and an unstable property market as the most important reasons for this.

According to Provía’s report this week, just 15 per cent of builders think that their sales will increase. And Antonio Navarro, president of Vega Baja builders’ association Procosta, admitted that building in the area has been suffering a crisis since 2006.

According to Sr Navarro, the causes are the increase in mortgage interest rates and the bad image of the area in the UK.

“The Costa Blanca was a nice and quiet place to live ten years ago,” he said.

“Now it is an area with many problems because of the thousands of people looking for jobs.”

Procosta’s president also stated that property prices had trebled in the last ten years, though the building companies have seen their profits reduced in the last two years.

And he said town halls in the Vega Baja must come to an agreement to promote the tourism industry.

“The building and the tourism industries have been creating far more job opportunities than any others,” he said at his fortnightly meeting with the media.

This is a major problem for Bigastro where 50% of the workforce are employed in construction. The ruling PSOE party are keen to promote tourism in the town which is why they supported the aparthotel project at the Pedrera.

Vista Alegre

I see they've started work on the paseo Vista Alegre in Torrevieja.

The plan is to rip up the paving and the old street architecture and replace it with new. At a cost of 3.2m € I'm sure it will look wonderful when it is completed. The company concerned estimate that it will take eight months to finish the work.

My question is why did they start now? Why not wait until September when the main holiday season is finished? It would still have been completed before Easter.

A busy weekend for London

Amid heightened security there are three major events happening in London this weekend.

• Wimbledon finals
• Live Earth concert at Wembley
• The start of the Tour de France at Hyde Park

Let's hope that they all go well and there are no threats to disrupt their smooth running.

George Melly RIP

The son of a wool broker and an actress, George Melly was born in Liverpool in 1926 and educated at Stowe.

He joined the Navy at the end of World War II before joining jazz trumpeter Mick Mulligan's band, travelling the length and breadth of Britain.

"They were terrific times we had. Hard drinking and squalid digs but absolutely no regrets," Melly recalled.

After quitting music in 1962 to concentrate on writing, he resumed his jazz career in the 1970s and went back on the road with John Chilton's Feetwarmers.

He was renowned for his zoot suits, jaunty fedoras and outrageous ties

Away from show business, his main recreation was fly fishing - a passion he indulged at the mile-long stretch of the River Usk he owned beside his holiday home in Wales.

The jazzman continued to perform despite collapsing on stage in January during a concert with his band, Digby Fairweather's Half Dozen.

"I don't fear death," he said recently. "I'm a fatalist, although I would rather death came as a shock to me.

"I've always said I wanted to die either coming off stage with the applause in my ears or of a terminal stroke on a river bank with two trout by my side."

Liverpool's Lord Mayor Paul Clark said: "Liverpool has lost one of its most cherished sons. George Melly was more than just a jazz legend, his contribution to literature, art and journalism ensured his place as one of Britain's cultural greats of the 20th century."

Hear hear. How could you forget "Nuts" and "Son of Nuts"?

Summer has arrived

The San Juan fiestas, which came to a close last Sunday, mark the start of Summer in this region. The week long partying in many towns in the Alicante province culminates with the night of the Crema when huge satirical sculptures made from polystyrene and wood are burnt. It is very similar to the Spring burning of fallas in Valencia but on a  smaller scale.

At midnight in Alicante a spectacular firework display behind the Santa Barbara castle signals the lighting of the first Hogueras in the city. As the crowds watch the fires burning they shout  "impotente" to the firemen who reply by soaking them with water.

The party then moves to the beach where families have built their own bonfires and continues until dawn.

I don't suppose a lot of work got done on the Monday!

Too much concrete will hit tourism

Saturation building on the Costa Blanca has come under criticism again this week with a  Greenpeace report which labels the construction model  as ‘unsustainable’.

The environmental pressure group’s annual investigation into the state of Spain’s coastline – entitled ‘destrucción a toda costa’ – was made public on Tuesday.

In the 48-page section dedicated to the Valencia region, the ecologists denounce that construction is the ‘principal threat for the preservation of the coast’.

Greenpeace’s investigation follows a damning report by MEPs who visited Spain in March, which spoke of  the ‘greed and avarice’, which has led to large-scale environmental destruction.

Environment minister, Cristina Narbona says that hotel owners are worried about the negative affect on tourism produced by excessive building. After all, nobody wants to spend their two weeks on a building site watching cranes operating all day.

Amongst other towns, Torrevieja is criticised for turning farm and rural land into a ‘cement and brick landscape’.

According to the report, the conversion rate in the last two decades is running at a massive 1,600 per cent.

A list has also been produced which charts illegal building in coastal municipalities.

In this Greenpeace states that 8,000 illegal homes are under judicial investigation in Orihuela.

The ecologists also pick out San Miguel de Salinas were they say there are 11 illegal development projects affecting 200 homes.

It also states that the Valencia regional government has formed a partnership with the regional mapping institute to trace illegal building.

By studying aerial photographs taken over a number of years, they will be able to identify properties built without permission.

According to Greenpeace, the regional government has started legal action, which will see bulldozers move in to demolish some of the homes within six months.

What an honour

Each year Bigastro elects various Queens for the August Fiesta.

One of the important selections are the representatives of the "Third Age". I dare say that it is probably the only category we are eligible for! In this case it is a couple who are chosen.

This year we are pleased to say that the chosen couple are Beryl and John from Villas Andrea.

We can't imagine a better choice and hope that they have a fantastic Fiesta. We want them to know that we are proud of them and will give them our full support at all the events they attend.

Calling all cooks

One of the highlights of the Bigastro August Fiesta is the International Gastronomic day when the different nationalities living here produce food which is typical of their respective countries.

The first year we were here there was a strong British contingent offering all sorts of traditional foods from baked beans, sausage and mash to crumble and custard. There was even a delicious scouse which the Spaniards found hard to understand.

Last year there was nothing - not even a pork pie. Frankly it was embarrassing!

So this year we need to make the effort to show what we can do. We need as many people as possible to attend the first meeting at the Social Centre on the 19th July at 9:30pm.

The deal is that you prepare the food and the Town Hall pay for the ingredients so nobody is out of pocket.

I understand that the Residents' Committee have been approached to organise this. When they come round - give them your support.

Let's show Bigastro what good food we British can make.

Alinghi won the America's cup

Alinghi won the America's Cup to become the first European team to defend sailing's most prestigious prize the "Ould Mug".

Yesterday's race was full of drama with the New Zealand boat having to make a penalty turn after they attacked the Swiss boat head on forcing them to swerve to avoid collision.

Alinghi nearly missed the advantage that the penalty gave them though when their boat came to a halt after the spinnaker pole jumped off the mast. However, they still managed to finish two seconds ahead to win the cup by 5 races to 2.

Hopefully that means that the America's Cup will return to Valencia in four years time.

Mackerel sky

In July we usually just have small white cumulus clouds appear but on Sunday we had this perfect mackerel sky.




Mackerel sky, mackerel sky. Never long wet and never long dry. In this case it was dry.

Entertainment for July

Throughout July Bigastro is offering a festival to its neighbors based on concerts and cinema.

On Saturdays, locals and visitors will be able to enjoy different types of music including reggae, roots, Latin-jazz and pop-rock in the Calle Acequia and on Thursdays films will be screened in the various parks of Bigastro.

Concert for Diana

What a mixed bag that was; lots of old timers mixed in with some younger talent and a spell of ballet for good measure.

Duran Duran still look and sound good. Bryan Ferry looks better than he has for a while but sounds awful. Status quo both look and sound shot at. As for Will Young - well best not say anything.

Of the newer acts Nelly Furtado, Lily Allen and Joss Stone showed how good female solo artists can be and the Feeling and Orson showcased their unique styles well. Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas should cover those knees up though!

Rod Stewart was a popular choice as were Take That.

Best of all though was P Diddy who sang "I'll be missing you" with the lines; "ten years ago Princess Diana went to a better place" and "today we celebrate her life and I dedicate this song to her". He is the man.

Of course Sir Elton opened and closed the show as only someone of his standing can.

So a good night's viewing. We can now look forward to the Live Earth concert next Saturday.

No good news

Following the severe flooding of last week, the forecast is for more heavy rain this weekend.

England is also coping with the threat of car bombs. Thankfully the two in London were found and defused. Goodness knows how much carnage there would have been if the perpetrators had been successful.

It must be very unsettling for people living in Britain at the moment. We hope that all our friends and relatives are safe and well.

The tall ships at Alicante

The Russian vessel Mir

Following on from the spectacular America's Cup final in Valencia, the Sail Training International Tall Ships Races begins on Wednesday, 4th July. Thirty nine vessels from around the world will be participating in the event; the oldest being the Gaff rigged Schooner Isla Ebusitana built in Spain in 1856.

One of the key rules of the event is that 50 per cent of each vessel's crew must be aged between 15 and 25, many of whom will never have sailed before.

Throughout next week, all of the ships will be alongside in the harbour with many welcoming visitors on board for a visit. There will be a colourful and noisy crew parade through the streets, fireworks plus many other activities for the public.

At noon on Saturday (July 7) the ships will leave Alicante in a magnificent Parade of Sail before a 16.00 start to the race to Barcelona.

An expensive day at the beach

We've probably all witnessed guests putting towels on sunbeds before breakfast to secure a good sunbathing spot in hotels. Apparently the same thing applies to beaches where ardent sun worshipers go down to the beach early to stake their claim with an umbrella.

Not any more if the Valencian Federation of Municipalities and Provinces (FVMP) has its way. In the new bylaws they have drawn up, people can be fined up to 750€ for trying to secure a good spot on the beach by this method.

Many councils will not adopt such extreme measures though.

The suggestion in hotels was to throw the towels from vacant beds into the pool but I never saw anybody do it. It would be risky to suggest throwing someone's sun umbrella into the sea. Perhaps just taking it down and placing it further back on the beach might be safer. If the people question what you have done, just tell them you've saved them a 750€ fine.

Even the 3 year olds

The pre-infant school Bigastrin said goodbye to the "little fish", the "bees" and the "butterflies" who will be moving on to La Paz.

Don't they look cute with their mortar boards and sashes?

More entertainment

We've listened to the musicians; now it is the turn of the dancers on Friday at 9:00pm to show us what they can do.



Or if you are into magic perhaps Domingo Artés and Mayi will appeal to you on Sunday 1st July at 8:00pm.

Flooding near Sheffield

It is estimated that the cost of the flooding in England could exceed £1m and there is still the risk that the Ulley dam could burst flooding the area with a further 150m gallons of water.

Until my marriage, I had lived most of my life in South Yorkshire. I hope the people that my family knew are all OK.

Freak weather

It seems that Britain has been hit by very heavy rain particularly in the Sheffield Leeds area. Both the Don and the Aire burst their banks causing widespread flooding.

In the meantime temperatures rose to 35 degrees on our thermometer outside as we basked in weather that feels more like August than late June.

In truth neither is desirable. Meteorologists cannot definitely attribute these freaks of weather to global warming but say that we can expect more abnormal weather if the pattern of temperature rises continues.

That's what it is used for

The Torrevieja salt works published their figures for the year 2006 – 2007.
In twelve months they have produced 750,000 tonnes of salt which is a similar figure to previous years and includes the Torrevieja salt works and the La Mata salt lake.

The majority of the salt is destined for Scandinavian roads with the remainder being cleaned and packaged on site for table salt and a small amount is finely ground and used to make artist’s paint.

No change there then

What a shame that the Glastonbury festival is so often spoiled by heavy downpours of rain. Apparently over 1,000 people have had to be treated for minor injuries caused by negotiating the four inch thick mud at this year's festival.

The saving grace is that the flood defence worked and no tents were washed away as they were in 2005.

PIPI-CANS

Bigastro now has PIPI-CANS in the following parks for dog owners to use.

- Parque "Maestro José Nieto"
- Parque "La Cruz"
- Parque "Las Culturas" (C/ País Valenciano esq. C/ Velázquez)
- Parque "Huerto del Cura"
- Parque "Miguel Hernández" (next to the I.E.S. Miguel Hernández)

Getting in on the act

The five year olds from the infant school La Paz had their graduation ceremony this week. To an appreciative audience of parents and grandparents they recited poems by Miguel Hernández, Federico García Lorca and Rafael Alberti. As you can see this was another occasion to get out the best clothes.

Keeping the beaches safe

Dog owners who take their pets onto beaches in Torrevieja face a 1,500-euro fine following the introduction of a tough new law. The town hall stated that the measure has been brought in for ‘health and safety’ reasons.

The dog fine is part of a wide-reaching municipal by-law designed to improve hygiene in public bathing areas.

The by-law also prohibits barbecues and fires on the beaches – except for the weekend of San Juan (this weekend) when residents can apply in writing to the town hall for permission.

Lucky-lucky salesmen also risk a 90-euro fine and fishermen have been told they cannot practice their sport within 100 metres of an area frequented by bathers. Fishermen who contravene will be fined between 60 and 1,202 euros.

Beach goers are also asked not to play ball games in areas where there are groups of sunbathers

Common sense really

The Medical Centre in Bigastro offers the following advice to enable people to cope with the hot weather.

The people at most risk are; children under 5, older people, people who are obese, those who are engaged in physical activity or those who are infirm.

The recommendations are:-

• drink a lot of liquid but avoid too much alcohol or caffeine.
• eat little and often especially fruit and vegetables.
  
• wear light coloured thin clothing which covers as much as possible.
• use sun cream
  
• plan activities for times when the day is cooler.
• make sure that children and old people drink plenty.
• use your air conditioning to reduce both the temperature and the humidity.
  
• don't leave young and old people or animals in a parked car.
  

Latest version of the Nigerian scam

I got this email today:-

David Crown & Associates
David Crown (Esq.)
Tel #:+353-16572573
Fax #:+353-16572576
Confidential Email account: dcrown4ego@yahoo.com.hk

Greetings,

It is with Heavy Heart I am reaching you regarding the death of my late
client. I am David Crown, of David Crown & Associate the legal adviser to
late MR. MIKE & CAROL HALL, a very Wealthy Couple that lived here in
Dublin, Ireland, before their Death on the 26th of December during the
Tsunami disaster last year (2004).
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bristol/4153821.stm) these couple
served God as very dedicated Christians, they so dedicated their life to
God but they had no child till they died. They acquired a lot of
Assets/properties, like lands, Stocks/Bond, house properties, etc. As
their legal adviser, before their death, the husband Mr. Mike & Carol Hall
instructed me to write his WILL because they had no child; they dedicated
their wealth to God.

According to the WILL, their assets should be given out to a ministry or
an Individual for the work of God. As their legal adviser, all the
documents for the assets/Estate that are deposited with the security
company are in my Care. He gave me the authority to give out the funds to
the Individual/Ministries for the work of God. As instructed by MR.MIKE
HALL before his death. As a matter of fact the total amount of money that
is contained in the two Trunk Boxes is US$16,500,000.00, they did not want
the management of the Security Company to know the content of the
consignments, and therefore they registered the content of the
consignments as Family Personal treasures. Now, the security company
believes that what they deposited with them were Family Personal
treasures/Valuables.

As a born again Christian, I have been reading my bible and I have to do
what is lawful and right in the sight of God by giving out the fund to the
chosen Individual/ministry for the purpose of God's work as instructed by
the owner before his death. After my fasting and prayers Today, I asked
God to make his choice and direct me to an honest Christian /individual or
the chosen ministry that deserves this fund by his Grace. I have contacted
you to assist in Repatriating his chattels and Capital value amounting to
US$16,500,000.00 (Sixteen Million, Five Hundred Thousand United States
Dollars Only) deposited with this Security Company, the Consignment left
behind by my client is Five (2) Trunk Boxes of Family Personal Treasures
content unidentified to the Security Company.

Note that for your assistance, you will be entitled to share 30% of the
total Inheritance while 5% will be set aside for any unexpected
expenditure and 50% for any Christian or charity organization in your
country, while 15% will come to me. However, the Security Company has
issued me a Final Notice to present his Next of Kin /beneficiary for claim
or have the Consignment confiscated. Therefore, on receipt of your
encouraging response, we shall discuss the compulsory modalities. I have
all permissible indispensable instruments for claim

I appeal to you for the fund to be distributed as stated above. I have
just notified the Security Company where they deposited the consignments
that contained the fund, that I am moving the consignment abroad, and the
security company is awaiting my authority to move the consignment out of
the shores of my country.

If you know that you will use this fund honestly and wisely for things
that will glorify God's name, also distribute as stated above, then do
contact me with the below required information:

1. Full names and address
2. Home, Office, Mobile/cell phone number.
3. Marital Status
4. Age & Nationality
5. Occupation

You can write to my Confidential Email account: dcrown4ego@yahoo.com.hk,
and call me on +353-16572573

Yours truly,

David Crown (Esq.)

It has been carefully done but note that bogus email and web site address. How long would it be before Mr. Crown needs my bank details to send me the money?

They will be packed

I imagine that all the parents, grandparents, sisters and brothers will be there to support the students.

It is hard to believe that such a small town has so many talented musicians.

Rabies vaccinations

It looks like you can take your dog down to the Town Hall for a rabies vaccination. Although the notice is in the name of the mayor, I don't suppose he is the one with the needle.

Rules of the road

There is a Spanish equivalent of the Highway Code which nobody seems to follow. These are the rules that actually apply.

1. You can use your mobile phone when driving if you want to make an important call to a friend, a relative or for business.
   
2. You drive on the right, the left or the middle of the road depending which suits you best.
3. You must overtake any car or lorry that is in front of you regardless of what speed that vehicle is doing.
4. Speed limits are advisory and do not apply to drivers of Mercedes Benz, BMW or Audi cars.
5. Turn signals are confusing and should therefore not be used.
6. The most suitable clothing for a moped is shorts, a T-shirt and flip flops.
7. Helmets are only necessary on main roads.
8. The baffles in a moped's silencer only reduce the flow of gases and should therefore be removed.
9. As long as the moped will still move, it is permissible to carry passengers and anything else behind or in front of the rider.
   
10. In towns, one way systems are meant for visitors and do not apply to local people.
11. Double or even treble parking is OK as long as you have your hazard warning lights flashing.
12. Parking on corners in towns is fine as long as the local police recognise your car.
    
13. Bumping the car in front and the one behind is the acceptable way to get out of a tight parking situation.
14. In supermarket car parks it is normal to park at an angle across two bays.
15. Protecting the environment is for other people. The largest 4x4 or a big Merc. is what you really need in Spain.
16. Walking on the road is a lot safer than using the pavement especially if you are pushing a pram. Any car that wants to pass will swerve round you.
17. If it isn't bright and sunny you should put your headlights on. It is better to dazzle than risk not being seen.
18. If you need to stop to "speak" to one of the ladies on the side of the road the drivers of the cars behind you will understand.
    

Just testing

I'm trying out a new feature which will enable me to add a lot more content to my blog.

It's a free download from Microsoft called "Windows Live Writer". The program allows me to compose posts offline and then publish them to my blog.

Using this program I can add maps. pictures, tables and (via a set of Windows plug ins) and a whole load of other content from videos to bible quotes.

Just don't expect too many bible quotes!

Catch it quick

One of our neighbours gave me a young datura plant which has now started to flower. The infuriating thing is that the flowers open at night and then by the morning they wilt and drop off. Still there are plenty of flowers to come and I understand that the plants grow to between 1 and 3m high. I hope mine doesn't get to 3m because it will drown the rest of the garden!

Class of 06/07

Yesterday we had the last session of Spanish when we were presented with our certificates, report cards and photographs of our group.

We also watched part of the video they had made of Blanca Nieves. The guy who had put it together had taken clips - rendered them in black and white and then speeded them up. It was so funny and really clever. We're going to get copies next week.

Learning Spanish

For those of you who want to learn or just brush up your Spanish, the "Español para Extranjeros" course at the IES Miguel Hernadez would be an excellent choice.

Ana, who has been teaching us, is a first class teacher and at 20€ (price for 2006/07) for three terms of tuition you can't beat the value of the course.

We attend twice a week for two hour sessions during school term times. The lessons blend speaking, listening, writing and reading in Spanish using the "Nuevo Ven" course which was especially developed for foreigners.



To register you need to call in to the school any day up to the 29th of June after 15:30.

IES Miguel Hernadez is on Calle La Paz at the far end of the town.

Still going strong at the Isle of Wight

I have been a fan of the Rolling Stones since I saw them at Bradford back in 1964. It is good to hear that at their first festival appearance in 30 years they can still cut the mustard.

They apparently kicked off with the classic "Start Me Up".

Later in the set, Amy Winehouse joined them on stage for a brilliant rendition of "Ain't Too Proud To Beg", and Paulo Nutini sang the bluesy classic "Love in Vain" with Jagger.

Both worked brilliantly - alongside Stones classics "Satisfaction" and "Honky Tonk Woman" sang on a moving walkway.

Apparently they were only eclipsed by Muse, another of my favourite bands.

There are very few bands in the world who can beat The Rolling Stones at their own game, but at the Isle Of Wight Muse were one of them.

They had the lights, the smoke, the cool graphics on the big screen and, most importantly of all, amazing songs played with pure passion and conviction.

Let's just hope that the Who are just as good at Glastonbury.

Not everybody's cup of tea but there you go.

Do you have any spare?

The Valencian Community are collecting blood donations on Friday, 22nd of June between 17:30 and 20:30 at the Centro de Salud located on C / Tomás Villanueva, Bigastro.

Wind surfing

Free windsurfing lessons are being offered Saturdays and Sundays during July and August on the Gran Playa at Santa Pola.

The course lasts for 16 hours: 4 hours in the morning and 4 in the evening on both Saturday and Sunday.

Since this is for people aged between 18 - 35 that kind of rules me out!

Keep trying girls

I got this email yesterday from Alina

Hi thecre lovely,
This kind of opportbunity comes ones in a life. I don't want
tbo miss it. Dao you? I am coming to your place in few days
and I though may be we can meet each other. aIf you don't mind
I can send you my picture. I am a girl.
You can correspondc with me using my email .....

Then I got this email today from someone called Mollie:-

Hi,
i am here sitting in the internet caffe. Found your email and decided to write. I am 25 y.o.girl.

I have a picture if you want. No need to reply here as
this is not may email. Write me at .....

Well Alina, sadly for you, the opportunity has gone and Mollie, I hope your coffee doesn't go cold waiting for me to reply!!

Free lemons

As you will probably be aware, this year there has been a bumper lemon crop in the Vega Baja.

Our own trees were weighed down with fruit so last night we picked them. As a result we have eleven carrier bags and a crate full of lemons.

So if you want a few lemons for your G & Ts or your lemon tea please call round to our house.

Notificación de Decreto por Infracción Urbanística

We British seem to have a thing about making alterations to our homes by adding some bits and altering others. I suppose it is partly because we want our houses to be different from everyone else's. The laws here in Spain seem to be a lot stricter about alterations though and the consequences of getting it wrong are harsher. Alterations from simply raising a wall to installing a pool all require planning permission. In some towns even painting your house a different colour requires permission!

To avoid trouble when starting minor works or even major ones, firstly you need to apply for the appropriate legal permission and pay the corresponding fees at the Planning Authority Department of the Ayuntamiento. It is also probably best to check with the builder whether the work you plan can be safely carried out anyway. Some people on our estate have ignored the builder's advice and paid the price with collapsed pools, walls and terracing.

I personally wouldn't trust any builder who tells you that you don't need permission for even minor work and if you are carrying out the work yourself it is best to check first anyway. It is probably easiest to go and see a lawyer and ask him or her to do this because then you will get professional and accurate advice about the works you expect to do in your house. With appropriate permission you can to start the works without any worries.

However, in case you do get a Notificación de Denuncia from the Ayuntamiento, which is the Sanction enacted by the Local Developing Authorities, I understand the first thing you must do is to make a Recurso de Reposición (appeal for reversal), which must be submitted within 30 days from the date you officially get the letter. In this Appeal you must show as much evidence as you can in order to turn the situation into legality. It goes without saying that your Spanish must be pretty good to accomplish this.

Having made your appeal, you apparently get another letter with the resolution, positive or negative. If it’s negative you’ll get the Propuesta de Resolución within a few days that you can also appeal against within 15 days, asking formally for a copy of all the issued file against you.

Apart from this Appeal you can also submit the Permission to legalize the situation within 60 days, otherwise the works will be considered as illegal and a Demolition File can be issued and started from the Local Developing Authorities against you. This is the point of no return! You are then faced with demolishing the work yourself or paying the hefty fee for the Council to do it.

Fancy a swim?

Just in case the weather gets too cold, or if you prefer to swim and sauna at the same time; the new indoor pool at the Polydeportiva is open.

At the pool the Council offer courses; for pregnant women, for babies, for infants, for adults, for older people, along with courses; in therapeutic swimming, in aqua fitness, for people with physical deficiencies, for anyone not covered in the other categories and of course there is free swimming. Phew!!!

For details of times and prices click here.

Good job it was sunny

Cyclists taking part in the 2007 naked bike ride in London.

Whilst we were waiting for the bride and groom to come out of the church yesterday a man did cycle past in his underpants. We figured he was either miles off course or he was making his own one man protest in Bigastro.

A first for Bigastro

Yesterday the Iglesia Ntra. Sra. de Belén. hosted its first British wedding.



The happy couple, who were married in a service conducted in English, came out of the church to the accompaniment of a piper.



They were then taken in a horse drawn carriage back to the communal pool area where a buffet for 200 people had been prepared.



A Spanish lady down in the square described it as "guapisimo" which we took to mean "guapa" plus some.

Getting along with Vista

Microsoft Vista has a a few fancy tools under the belt; one of which is the Reliability Monitor.

This charts problems that are detected with software and hardware and produces an index from 0 - 10 based on how your computer is performing.

As you can see, from a rocky start where applications would crash almost daily, my computer now has a rating close to a perfect 10. I'm pleased with that because the computer that this one replaced had Windows XP installed which rarely caused me a problem.

If my PC and Vista continue like this I'll know that I made the right choice.

A real privilege

Last night the Auditorium was packed to overflowing for the concert to celebrate Corpus Christi. The programme was aimed at the large number of children in the audience many of whom were participating in one way or another.

The band opened with a rousing pasadoble. They then delighted us with Edward Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstance" march. Following on was Edvard Grieg's incidental music for Ibsen's "Peer Gynt". Then we had Ketèlbey's "In a Persian Market" followed by Henri Mancini's "Pink Panther" theme tune. Finally another stirring march with percussive accompaniment by the children from the Music School.

I can tell you that it took all our will power to stop ourselves standing up to sing "Land of Hope and Glory". If we'd had union jacks we would have waived them.

Many thanks to la Sociedad Unión Musical de Bigastro and the children from la Escuela de Musica for a magnificent performance which we thoroughly enjoyed.

PS Joaquin - you would have been proud of your band's perfomanace last night.

Don't get caught

The Spanish Traffic Authority, the DGT, started a new two week breathalyser campaign on Monday 4 June.

They anticipate breathalysing 15,000 motorists at 800 check points all over the country. Each check point will also have paraplegic victims of traffic collisions there to talk to drivers. The DGT maintain that this is not a shock tactic but works well with the campaign’s slogan, “Don’t speed, don’t drink, don’t change your wheels”, referring to their wheelchair bound ambassadors.

Age Concern

Last week we took another boot load of items to Age Concern in La Siesta in preparation for their Summer Fair last Saturday.

Age Concern hold two events every year: one in the summer and one at Christmas time.
They raised just over €2,000 last summer and were hoping to top that figure this year.

Age Concern Costa Blanca Sur has no government funding and can only continue to do its essential work with older people thanks to donations from the public and business. The money raised from the summer fair goes straight back into the charity.

We hope that our donations helped to swell their coffers after all we never know when we might need their help!

Have you got yours yet?

The Commercial Association of Bigastro have organised a points card system which they call "Nuestro Comercio".

When you spend money at any of the shops and services that are participating you get points on your card which you can redeem for gifts. It seems that you get 1 point for every euro spent.

To get a card you need to visit one of the places in the scheme and fill out a registration form. Then each time you spend money in one of the listed companies present the card to claim your points.

One way to escape the heat

On 21st June; Aniceto Navarrete Gutierrez, David Gómez Sanchez, Raimon Martinez Aliaga and Javier García Elizalde of the Club Acnabig in Bigastro will set off on "Expedition McKinley 07".

McKinley is the highest summit in North America at 6,194m.

During the expedition they will conduct a scientific study verifying the changes to the human body at those latitudes and heights.

I can tell them before they start is that their bodies will get very cold!!

Not good

The Basque separatist group Eta says its ceasefire with the Spanish government will end at midnight.

Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero condemned Eta's move. "Eta's decision goes totally in the opposite direction of the path that Basque and Spanish society want, the path of peace," he said.

Eta declared a "permanent" ceasefire in March 2006, and had insisted it still held despite a bomb that killed two people at Madrid airport in December. But in a message printed by the Basque newspaper Berria on Tuesday, the banned group said "minimum conditions for continuing a process of negotiations do not exist".

After the Madrid airport attack Spain's Socialist government broke off peace talks. Eta said that from Wednesday it would defend the Basque country "with weapons and on all fronts". The announcement suggests that another big attack could be imminent, observers say.

The group has killed more than 800 people in its four-decade campaign to set up an independent state in northern Spain and south-western France. Despite last December's attack, Eta's activities have been waning, with the number of bombings falling in recent years.

In the past few days, Eta has sent letters to Basque businesses urging them to help finance "the liberation and construction of Euskal Herria (the Greater Basque Country)", Spanish media report.

Los toros

Sunday it was the turn of the horsemen to fight the bulls at Las Ventas. Of the three contestants, Andy Cartegena received an ear from the Infanta Elena for his first bull and petitioned for an ear from his second bull.

To see how skillful these riders are click on this link and then click on Videoresumen

Camarón de la Isla

Like most extranjeros we assumed that flamenco was simply a Spanish form of dance but in fact it is more about music and song than dance.

Last night we watched the 2005 biopic "Camarón" about the famous flamenco singer Camarón de la Isla on Canal+ 1.

El Camarón de la Isla was born in 1950 and died at the age of 42 of lung cancer.

His uncle José nicknamed him Camarón which is Spanish for "Shrimp" because he was blonde haired and fair skinned.

At the age of eight he began to sing at inns and bus stops with Rancapino to earn money. At sixteen he won first prize in the Festival del Cante Jondo in Mairena de Alcor.

El Camarón then went to Madrid with Miguel de los Reyes and in 1968 became a resident artist at the Torres Bermejas Tablao where he remained for twelve years.There he met Paco de Lucía with whom he recorded nine albums between 1969 and 1977. The two toured extensively together during this period. As Paco de Lucía became more occupied with solo concert commitments, El Camarón worked with one of Paco's students, Tomatito.

At the age of 23, Camarón married Dolores Montoya, a gypsy girl from La Linea de La Concepcion who he nicknamed "La Chispa" (The Spark). At the time La Chispa was only fourteen. Shortly afterwards the couple had two children, and were eventually to have a total of four.

Many consider El Camarón to be the single most popular and influential flamenco "cantaor" of the modern period. Although his work brought criticism from some traditionalists, he was one of the first to feature an electric bass in his songs. This was a turning point in the history of Flamenco music that helped distinguish Nuevo Flamenco.

Years ago We bought a CD from Marks and Spencer entitled "Memories of Spain" which features several tunes by Camaron de la Isla, Paco de Lucia and Tomatito. At last we know a bit more about some of the artists on the CD.

PS For those who want to see flamenco at its best, apparently the taberna "El Toro y la Luna" at the Pza. Mestre Ripoll in Valencia is the place to go.

Thick black smoke

At 2pm yesterday we heard an explosion followed by a cloud of thick black smoke coming from the other side of the lomo. Apparently the cause was a fire in a warehouse at Correntias on the Cv95 to Orihuela.

The fire devastated the warehouse which stores irrigation pipes and forced the evacuation of adjacent houses. Fortunately all 40 workers were out of the factory for their lunch break at the time the explosion took place so nobody was injured.

The neighbours did fear for their houses though as the flames which rose above them were being fanned by the wind. The greatest risk was from the toxic smoke as plastics and solvents burnt.

The next fiesta

The programme for Corpus Christi is as follows:

FRIDAY, 8th JUNE
22:00 hours
Concert by the Society Musical Union of Bigastro in the Municipal Auditorium.

SATURDAY, 9th JUNE
17:00 hours
Fair for children in the Parque Huerto del Cura

24:00 hours
Performance by KING AFRICA in the Parque Huerto del Cura.
Then, Discoteca Móvil until the dawn.

SUNDAY, 10th JUNE
19:30 hours
Solemn mass for Corpus Christi
Followed by a SOLEMN PROCESSION with candles
and to conclude the celebration; a magnificent fireworks castle.

Footnote

For those who haven't read Pete's comment

King Africa (stage name of Alan Duffy) is an Argentinian recording artist of American descent. He is well known in Latin America for his dance music and unique, intense voice.

You can watch him on You Tube Just check out those dancing girls!

Election results

So the majority was increased from 85 to 770 which means that the PSOE now have 8 council members. Turn out was 88.86%. Surprisingly there were 52 empty envelopes and 39 spoilt papers.

This is the Council for the next four years.

1. José Joaquín Moya Esquiva (PSOE)
2. Mª Carmen Grau Espinosa (PSOE)
3. Raúl Valerio Medina Lorente (PSOE)
4. Inmaculada Martínez García (PSOE)
5. José Espinosa Espinosa (PSOE)
6. Mª Dolores Andreu Marcos (PSOE)
7. Mª Carmen Alonso Juárez (PSOE)
8. Raúl Ortuño Moya (PSOE)
9. Aurelio Murcia González (PP)
10. José Antonio Ricart Esquiva (PP)
11. Mª del Rosario Bañuls Rodríguez (PP)
12. José Manuel Sánchez Delgado (PP)
13. Mercedes Hidalgo Pomares (PP)

The particular roles that each member of the PSOE will carry out will be determined on the 16th June.