Muchas alegre

Whilst the Floral Parade is the most beautiful, the Main Parade is possibly the most popular. All the camparsas make a supreme effort to provide us with an exciting display.

My pictures

I have been asked a couple of questions about the FotoPlayer applications I've used for my photos of the Fiesta.

1. Do I have to go through all the pictures each time I go to your album?
2. Can I alter the delay between slides?
   

In answer to 1. you can scroll to the picture you want to start viewing from by scrolling through the thumbnails at the bottom of the screen. Click on the one you want and the show will start there.

and 2. You can shorten or lengthen the delay by using the left and right arrows on the screen when Foto Player is running (by default the delay is 7 seconds).

Wet T-shirt competition

You may be wondering why there are no pictures from the parade of camparsas on Wednesday night. That is the one where people in the flats along the calles throw buckets of water over them Some even turn hoses onto the passing comparistas. In this hot weather the soaking they get may well be appreciated.

Well this is a blog read by people of all ages and I wouldn't want to offend people by publishing provocative pictures of young ladies in wet T-shirts.

Actually that is a load of b*******. The truth is we didn't go down to watch that parade!

You'll notice also that there are no pictures of Natalia - I'm afraid you'd have to have been there to enjoy that pleasure!

Concierto

No Fiesta would be complete without a concert by Sociedad Unión Musical de Bigastro.

Last night's programme contained several pieces by General Francisco Grau Vegara, Director of the Banda de Musica de la Guardia Real since 1998 and the first musical general in the Spanish army. He is of course a bigastrense.

General Grau took the baton for the first piece which was one of his own compositions - a pasadoble. Susi Gálvez brought tears to the eye with her solo singing. Manuel Gutiérrez Lopez, directed one of the best performances we have heard from the band.

Following the band concert in the town square; there was an altogether different performance in the park. The very foxy Natalia delighted an audience both young and old - especially the men. She was HOT!

Muy bonito

Probably the most beautiful of the Fiesta parades is the one where children and adults offer flowers to San Joaquín. As you can see many dress in traditional costume for the event.

Blame Susana

Have you noticed the change in the weather today? The sun has disappeared and there is a heavy covering of cloud.

You know the weather always changes when Mary Poppins is about to appear.

Susana and her camparsa have the theme of Mary Poppins on Friday for the fancy dress parade. So it could be them that we need to blame!

For NON residents only

The Treasury is moving to embargo the bank accounts of EU citizens who are not residents in Spain. Effectively this will mean that they won't be able to withdraw funds nor will any standing orders be paid from their accounts.

This is only affecting foreigners who opened accounts with either passports instead of NIE numbers or with NIE numbers without paperwork from the National Police declaring that they are not residents in Spain.

In order to have the embargo lifted clients are being asked to provide their banks with an NIE number and a certificate of non residence (un certificado de no residencia).

Non residents all over the Costa Blanca are advised to contact their local town halls to find out where they should apply for their certificate of non residence.

Blank screens

Since we don't subscribe to any UK  TV system, I can't say for sure but I'm told that at least one of the microwave services has been disconnected entirely. People who signed up for it now get a message on the screen which says no signal.

Timing is everything and for this to happen in the middle of the Olympic Games must be very frustrating for many.

I know some were hoping that Rupert Murdoch would set up some sort of deal with the local microwave TV providers here on the Costa Blanca. That now seems highly unlikely. The problem wasn't just with Sky, the system of re-broadcasting was illegal under Spanish law. 

So for those of you desperate to watch UK television, the options are now more limited.

One option for you to explore:-

Freesat was launched this Spring and offers TV, digital radio, interactive, and even high definition ( HD TV ). Originally broadcasting 80 channels, it is set to increase to 200.

To receive this service in Spain you need a small satellite dish, a Spanish freeview digibox and installation. After the initial costs  there are no monthly charges to pay.

The downside is that you won't get the Sky programs that you may have been offered with the microwave system. So no Sky sports.

Did you know?

In Spain there is a bar or restaurant for every 456 inhabitants according to the Economic Yearbook of Spain 2008 produced by la Caixa bank.

In Aragon, Asturias and the Balearics the ratio drops to an average of 350 people to each bar and in the Valencian Comunitat there is one for every435.

Of course some of these places are so small they can only cater for a dozen or so people. Still it does mean that you can truly call the bar you favour your local. Just don't try to get in when the other 434 are there!

Gastronomic journey

This is fast becoming one of the most popular events at the Fiesta. The laden tables were soon cleared by an enthusiastic clientèle.

The British contribution was very well received. As one lady said of the desserts and cakes she tried, "buenisimo" - a true compliment indeed.

PS One of our neighbours, who has been nursing a head cold for two weeks, still managed to make a couple of dozen Chelsea buns which her husband brought down. I understand, from those who tried them, that they were delicious.

A taste of Spain

The new "A Tapear" event has proved to be very popular. For 1.50€ you get a small beer and a portion of tapas.

If you missed it today, there is another chance tomorrow to enjoy some traditional fare.

The bull is the winner

New for this year, they've set up a small arena where young men can test their skills against small bulls. It looked more dangerous than it was because the bulls horns were all taped to prevent them doing any serious damage.

and of course the bulls were unharmed - they just got a bit of good exercise.

Hola Ramón

I've received this email from Ramón Grau Martinez

I have tried to send a comment, but I`m not sure if it has been done succesfully. Therefore I send you an e-mail to make sure that you receive my impressions of your web.

First of all I want to congratulate you for the great web that you have regarding my beloved town, Bigastro.

I´m a bigastrense, currently living for job, in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. I like to be informed about what happens in Bigastro and chat with family, friends, etc.

I was quite surprised when I saw the very fresh photos of the last weekend; you updated information even before the official web of Bigastro, which is perfect.

I love so much my town and I miss everything there. I used to participate in the San Joaquín party with the “Ya Estamos Aquí” group.

I feel very proud of been bigastrense and I speak when I have the opportunity, doesn´t matter where I am, about my town. I know many foreign people from many countries and every one who knows me, knows that before Spanish, I´m from Bigastro.

You are doing with your web site a very big job to let the people know our pretty town.

I hope to watch more pictures of the current San Joaquín local party. Also I hope you enjoy every day.

I think the next time I visit Bigastro it will be by Christmas time, I hope to meet you there and to have a nice cup of tea.

Well Ramón, I think you have already gathered that we are thoroughly enjoying the Fiesta this year.

We'd be delighted to have a nice cup of tea with you. You'll find we serve Tetley's tea here at Casa El Willo. Whilst we are generally converts to Spanish food and drink we still need a good cup of English tea each morning to start the day.

I'd rather be hot than wet

Whilst we bake in glorious sunshine, parts of Britain are on flood alert. Some areas had more than half the average monthly rainfall in just two hours yesterday. The Met Office said that in Norfolk 36mm of rain fell in 120 minutes and some southern coastal areas faced gusts of up to 60mph.

London and Cardiff are also edging closer to their monthly average and seven rivers were put on flood alert. The capital has already had 32.8mm of rainfall in the last 12 days — just under 10mm short of the monthly average of 42.6mm.

For Orihuela, the forecast is for the sunshine to continue until at least next Monday with temperatures hovering around the low 30s. People asked us why did we want to live here!

Night creatures

When Tony Blair tried to introduce a "cafe society" to Britain and extended licensing hours to 24 hours per day, he might well have had Bigastro in mind.

Last night we went down to see the barracas that the camparsas have set up in the park. Each camparsa or group has its own barraca or area which they fence off and decorate. In the centre of the park is the disco and main bar.

We were particularly keen to visit the barracas of "los que no perdonan" and "¡¿pero yo por que?!". Susana and Consuelo had invited us to go for a drink at the first and Raquel, the daughter of our hairdresser had invited us to the second.

Susana tells me that the name, "los que no perdonan" is the Spanish title of the movie "The Unforgiven" by John Huston starring Burt Lancaster and Audrey Hepburn ; "pero yo por que" literally means "but I for what".

Apart from the activity in the park, all the bars in the town were in full swing serving food and drink outside until the early hours of the morning.

We met some of our Spanish neighbours and friends who, like us, were out to paseo. The town had a fabulous party atmosphere about it just like Tony had envisaged for towns like Barnsley in England!

Consuelo and Susana

Their theme is boxing. The guy on the right looks set to beat his opponent.

Snow in Spain at this time of year!

Cool bears

Forty degrees C is punishing enough for we humans. Just imagine being a Siberian bear in this weather.

The zoo in Elche has a novel solution to the problem. They freeze large blocks of ice that contain the bear's favourite treat - strawberries. The bears lick away at the ice ,which can last up to six hours, to get to the fruit. The keepers also spray the bears with cold water to cool them down.

The tropical birds and animals are of course delighted. They relish the hot weather.

Comments

I welcome comments to my posts. Your thoughts help me to keep a focus on my writing. Most of the comments I receive are very complementary with just the odd criticism thrown in now and again. I don't mind criticism. Many of my posts reflect my own views on life here in Spain which you may not agree with. However, the information I use is carefully researched from articles in Spanish and English newspapers and periodicals.

This blog was originally set to allow  anonymous comments to be posted without moderation. That allowed people to write what they wanted without identifying themselves. I've now changed that. Your comments will still be posted without moderation but only by those of you with a Google account.

Getting an account is simple and free and so poses no problem for you. By taking this step at least I will now who you are.

Fresh water at last

The Confederación Hidrográfica del Segura(CHS) has given approval to provide 3,500 litres of water per second from the marsh of La Pedrera to irrigate the Vega Baja del Segura.

This supply of water will be carried out over a period of 21 days and has been made possible by the savings in the Vegas Media and Alta.

The fresh water will improve the quality of that which is been drawn from the emergency drought wells by agriculturalists. The water in the wells is high in salt which harms the crops. Only plants like tomatoes can tolerant salt water which is why they are grown widely in the Canary Islands.

The Road Show

Not content with holding a Fiesta, Bigastro is also participating in the Valencian Network of Rural Development (Fevader) road show this month. The show is touring the coast promoting the municipalities which are inland from it.

The turn of the horses

Last night it was the horses and their riders that showed off.

Have you ever seen a horse with a more beautiful mane than this?

As usual you will find more pictures in my gallery by clicking on the link at the left.