That's even worse

The prediction for Monday has now got worse. From orange alert we are now on red alert. People are being advised against any form of work outdoors. Look at the second diagram to see the hours when the temperature will rise and fall again. 

 

Hot again

Spain braces itself for another spell of hot weather.

The “extremely high temperatures” will peak in most of mainland Spain on Sunday, then plummet on Monday as an Atlantic trough sweeps a mass of hot air from Africa to the east. 

The trough is set to affect inland areas of Murcia and other parts of the southeastern peninsula, with highs of more than 44ºC forecast for Monday. . 

On Tuesday, the forecast is for a drop to 29 degrees

Hot again

Boy that was hot

It should feel cooler today but then it is forecast to be hot again on Tuesday.

 

Certified

 On the 1st of July, regions in Spain started issuing the so called "green certificates". These are your means to prove you have been vaccinated against Covid, have taken a test for Covid or have recovered from Covid. In other words your passport to travel within the EU and hopefully at some point to Britain.  

To get one, you need to apply on this website. You will need to enter your SIP card details. Then you will be sent an SMS message to the mobile number they have on record with a code you need to validate your application. You can then download your certificate which has a QR code along with details of your vaccination status. 

Climate change

The data shows the truth about the effects of climate change. The sea is warming up, we are having four times as many tropical nights and summers are lasting longer.

 

In a roundabout way

You may have wondered, like we did, what is the work that is going on on the junction of the road to the village and the one to the reservoir. 

It seems that we are to have a roundabout there to control traffic. At the same time, they are building a wall to prevent landslides in the event of heavy rain like we had in 2019.

Hopefully, it will make turning up towards the estate at that corner safer especially when you meet a lorry on its way down. However,  looking at the diagram, there is still a pinch point at the start of the road up to Villas Andrea from the roundabout. The tall bushes make it impossible to see any traffic coming down the road. 

36 is better than 40

 

Mk 2

A few years ago, our next door neighbour suffered from two leaks in the main water pipe. 

Then last October we had a leak which cracked the garden wall between our house and the street and our house and our neighbour's. 

 A few weeks ago we noticed a patch of mould at the bottom of the wall between us and the street which was further down from the previous leak. Gradually, the mould spread and there was a patch of wet on the terracing. 

 As it happens, the same man who repaired the leak last October came out and he remembered us. This time the leak was easier to find and has now been repaired. Fingers crossed we don't have another. 

Out of interest, the man told us that the street where they had experienced the most leaks was Calle Holanda.

 

Hotting up

 

Moving on

Time to rehearse

The claim is that this is the first talent show in Bigastro. I'm not sure if that is strictly true. I recall one in the park some years back where, amongst others, our neighbour Manuel Robles took part and told jokes and funny stories. Even still, it should prove popular and well supported especially since there is 1,000 Euros at stake. It is scheduled to start at 11:30pm but you can take that with a pinch of salt - could be a late night!!!

 

Road works

From Monday, there will be roadworks on Calle Mayor and Calle Moreal as indicated on this map. The blue arrows show the diversions that traffic should take.

 

All together now....

The  DfE is encouraging schools across the UK to celebrate One Britain One Nation Day this Friday as part a long-running campaign founded by former police chief Kash Singh. It is trying to get schools on June 25 to 'encourage every child to clap for a minute to recognise, embrace and pay tribute to all those people who helped during the Covid 19 pandemic crisis' and sing the 'One Britain One Nation' anthem.

The Anthem

The website

The allotments

 With a flurry of intense activity, the Council created 20 allotments on the corner of Calles Alemania and Inglaterra. When we inquired about this, Pam and I were told that 11 people had shown interest in renting an allotment to grow produce on. 

Since then, there has been no activity on the land and the weeds have taken over.

Speaking to one of my neighbours the other day, he said that he'd previously rented an allotment in England and had put his name down for one of the allotments here. His understanding was that there was an issue formalising a contract with the water company. 

Clearly, nothing useful will grow on the allotments without a supply of water. By the time this is sorted out, they will need to clear the land again before planting any crops. 

The local museum

The latest project is to  expand the Town Hall creating space for a Museum of Local History.

The  work, which also includes a balcony at the front of the building and extra offices, will be paid for with an investment from the Alicante Provincial Council of 100,000 euros. 

I recall that the town used to have a museum in a building near to the sports centre dedicated to the horticultural connection of the town. There is also a classroom up at La Pedrera which I believe houses information about the fauna and flora of the area. 

Let us hope that the new museum attracts more interest than the library which seems to be mainly used by a handful of pupils doing their homework in the evenings.  

 

Live music

It was great to be out in the fresh air, meet friends and listen to the band playing some good music. 

You will find my photos from yesterday's concert in the park in the sidebar and here is my recording of the music.

Concert sound track

Clouds

Just look at these pictures taken yesterday in Torrevieja and Guardamar del Segura. Have you ever seen clouds like these?

It didn't rain for long here in Bigastro but boy did it pile some brown dust on everything. 

 

Parking spaces on Calle Purisima

The next phase of construction in Bigastro is on Calle Purisima (the main street of the town). Although it will still be pedestrianised, there will be 19 new parking spaces for people wanting to go to the shops, banks etc. 

 

Changing the law regarding masks

The Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez says he is confident  that Spain will soon drop the use of face masks while outside.

He went on to claim that, in just a few weeks time, 50% of the population will have at least one dose of the vaccine.  A record 3.5 million vaccine doses were administered in Spain last week. From a slow start, Spain has caught up and made remarkable progress. 

Spain currently has very strict mask rules in place, including their required use outdoors by everyone aged six and over even when social distancing can be observed. 

I would say that the vast majority are compliant with that rule. However, we see a growing number of people in the street without a mask or with their mask below the nose. Whatever the law says, people are voting with their feet.

I believe it is time to make the change. 

I noticed two elderly ladies taking their constitutional walk up to La Pedrera yesterday and both wore masks. For sure both of them had two doses of vaccine sometime ago and they were outside where there were no other people about. All the masks were doing was making their breathing and conversations more difficult. Things are of course different in towns and cities where people are crowded closer together and social distancing is impossible.  

More strange weather

The wind was quite strong yesterday morning but nothing notable. Suddenly though, it picked up and for half an hour or so it blew a hoolie. You can see the devastation this caused in the following photos. 

The first three show a palm tree that collapsed on the Vista Alegre in Torrevieja. That last one is of a palm tree that came down in nearby Jacarilla.

 

How do avoid the itchy season

 

The changes

Remember though, it is still compulsory to wear a mask in public places and in shops. I inadvertently walked into a supermarket yesterday without my mask and was reminded by an assistant to put it on. 

 

Bigastro, the drug capital of Spain

The Guardia Civil  have broken up a major hashish factory in Bigastro. Six people were arrested for drug production, trafficking and belonging to a criminal organisation.  A massive 8,300 kgms of  narcotic substances were seized. 

Unbeknown to all, this was taking place in a factory unit in the town. 

I think we can safely say this will not be on the list of selling points for the town as a tourist destination!!!

A busy weekend

On Friday, the lady Mayor, the Councillor for the Environment and the Councillor for Culture opened an exhibition in the entrance to the Auditorium entitled "The Limits of Growth"

Then on Sunday, Efren Pamies and Pascual Segura took a group of 20 up to the old Stone Quarry.  

 

On Thursday and Friday of this week, there will be guided tours of the town's archives and then on Friday there will be an exhibition of some of the archival documents.  

Do as I say not as I do

 Boris Johnson says, 'Vaccinating the world by the end of next year would be the single greatest feat in medical history.

'I'm calling on my fellow G7 leaders to join us to end to this terrible pandemic and pledge will we never allow the devastation wreaked by coronavirus to happen again.'

The Prime Minister is expected to call for a stepping up of the manufacture of vaccines, lowering barriers to the international distribution of jabs and sharing surplus doses with developing countries, both bilaterally and through Covax, a World Health Organisation scheme. 

Joe Biden has already announced that the US will send 25 million doses overseas, three-quarters through the Covax aid programme and the rest directly to most-in-need countries.

Emmanuel Macron also said France would send 500,000 shots, with some already on their way to West Africa.

The UK has secured access to around 400 million jabs – far more than it is likely to need. So it surely must have more surplus vaccine to donate than a country like France. 

It its defence, the UK argues it has provided global leadership, by funding the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine and making it available at cost – rather than at a much higher price, with huge profits made. 

Health Secretary Matt Hancock last week said the UK would look to donate spare doses, in line with a Government pledge made in February, but added: 'At the moment we don't have any excess doses. We're just getting them into arms as quickly as possible.'

The vaccination success of  the UK has been attributed to the continued support for the Conservative Party. It has also lead the government to making promises of complete freedom from lockdown measures, possibly on the 21st June. However, the premise that nobody is safe until we are all safe still applies. That has been amply illustrated by the rapid spread of  the Delta variant in the UK. The UK will not be safe whilst new variants pop up in other parts of the world. 

It is understandable that Hancock would want to vaccinate everyone in the UK before donating excess doses to the world but it is hardly a good example of statecraft and world leadership. It also doesn't tie in with the statements that his boss is making. 

Is this going to be a classic case of 'do as I say not do as I do.'

Useful to know

These are the chemists open 24 hours in June.

  

Fancy a walk?

 A two hour walk starting from the Auditorium this Sunday at 9am and it looks like it will be sunny and warm. 

Efren Pamies will tell you about the fauna and flora en route and Pascual Segura will tell you some of the history of the town on the way. 

Since places will be limited, you need to register at the Town Hall. 

Don't get caught

With summer coming up and more people on the roads, here is a reminder of things not to do. 

1. Drive in your flip flops - 80 euros
2. Drive barefoot or without a shirt - 80 euros
3. Drink water whilst driving - 100 euros
4. Drive with your hand, elbow or arm out of the window - 80 euros
5. Drive with a hat that covers your ears - 80 euros
6. Eat an ice cream whilst driving - 100 euros
7. Drive with unsecured articles on the rear parcel shelf - 200 euros
8. Wash your vehicle in the road - 30 - 3,000 euros
9. Be a front seat passenger with your feet on the dashboard -100 euros
10. Throw a cigarette out of the window - 200 euros and 4 points
11. Drive without your licence - 10 euros
12. Drive with 6 or 7 people in the car - 80 euros

As some have pointed out, no mention of using your mobile phone but then we all understand that is a no-no don't we. 

 

 

Our wonderful neighbours

 As I have said here many times before, we have the most wonderful neighbours here in Bigastro. Time and again they have proved to be caring, generous, thoughtful and helpful. 

Two weeks ago, I fell in the garden badly grazing my head, elbows and knee. Pamela thought I should have the graze on my head seen to and so she called Eladia and Pepe from across the road for help. Straight away Pepe came over, got his car out and took me down to the Emergency Service in Bigastro, He then took us to the nearest chemist that was open to get some pain killers. 

Yesterday, Pamela had a severe nose bleed and was struggling to breathe with her mouth full of blood. I had to stop her for fainting from the shock. Again I called Eladia and Pepe for help and this time, Eladia (the daughter) took us to the Emergency Service. 

I cannot begin to tell you how grateful we are to have such caring neighbours who are willing to come to our aid without a moments hesitation.  

A huge thanks to Pepe, Eladia and family for you great kindness. It is very much appreciated.

PS It isn't just Pepe and Eladia who have proven to be good friends. So many from the town have shown us a great deal of kindness and assistance throughout the time we have been here. 

A miserable old day

 I don't need to tell those who live here that it rained pretty much all day yesterday. It wasn't too intense, certainly nothing like the rain we had September 2019. In fact the hardest rain was at midnight. From then it started to dry up. 

The decorators were due to start painting our garden walls and balustrades this morning but obviously haven't turned up. We would not want them trying to put paint on wet walls!

Have you been called?

 If you have had a telephone call or a message on your mobile phone giving you an appointment for a Covid vaccination today, this is where you are to go. 

The Centro Social Integrado on Calle Jubilados in Bigastro is where people from Bigastro, Jacarilla and Benejuzar will receive their vaccines.  

For those coming by car, parking is available the other side of the bypass on Calle Gabriel Miro. NB parking on Calle Acequia is only for those who have difficulty walking.. 

 

. 

We're expecting rain

 

Bigastro at Fitur

Every year, the Fitur international tourist fair is held in Madrid and each year the towns of the Vega Baja are invited to attend. This is the marketplace to sell what your town has to offer. 

According to the provincial deputy Eduardo Dolón and the mayor of the Bigastro, Teresa Belmonte, Bigastro offers the tourist; gastronomy, culture, leisure and natural heritage.

 

The horse had bolted

On the 9th April,  Bangladesh had the South Africa but not the Brazil variant and Pakistan had neither and both were added to the UK's red list.

India had both, as well as a new variant, but was not added for another two weeks. Hancock justifies this by saying there was more testing taking place in India ignoring the fact that there were four times as many cases there. 

When Britain did finally add India to the red list they gave travellers four days' notice to rush back. There were reports and pictures in the newspapers of thousands rushing to return to Britain. N.B. I recall that people were only given a few hours notice to return from Portugal when cases in that country were on the rise. 

According to latest Public Health England data, around 20,000 people travelled between India and the UK before the red list ban and around 122 of them arriving from Delhi and Mumbai between late March and April 26 were detected with the variant of concern.

There are reportedly many multigenerational families living in poor conditions in the new Covid hotspots. 

Even if those who returned from India did isolate for the ten days, it is likely that they passed on the virus to other members of  their families who in turn passed the virus to others in the community. 

Matt Hancock  says that the rapid spread of the variant in largely Indian communities is because so many have refused the vaccines they were offered. Stories in social media about the vaccine containing meat products have clearly not helped. Maybe the government should have made a more concerted effort to dispel these myths. 

Mass testing and a rapid rollout of vaccines are now being used to try and contain the spread. Apparently, they are also shortening the delay between first and second doses of vaccines. 

However, my understanding is that the vaccines take three weeks to become effective from the first dose. It was also claimed that waiting 12 weeks rather than 3 improved the efficiency of the Astra Zeneca vaccine. There are also some reports that the much touted Astra Zeneca vaccine has proved to be less effective against variants from e.g. South Africa and possibly India. 

Our concern is that Spain is likely to allow visitors from Britain to enter the country with just a vaccine certificate. 

This is not necessarily a problem at the moment because Spain is on Britain's amber list. Even still, there is confusion amongst ministers about whether that means Brits can travel to Spain or not - some say they can and others say they cannot. 

Some like it hot

As is usually the case, it was hotter inland than it was on the coast and hotter in the town and city centres. 

The good news is that, tomorrow the wind will change direction and with it  we will experience much cooler temperatures. A drop of nine degrees will make it feel more Spring like. 

 

Another warning

So far this year we've had lots of warnings for rain and wind. Now for something different, we have a warning for high temperatures. According to AEMET though, it won't last. The forecast for Monday onwards is for temperatures in the mid 20s. 

Egyptian grammar

You have to put your eye after the beetle. Only if it is a past participle should it come after the snake,

Good advice

 The Town Hall in Bigastro puts the message clearly, "the state of alarm may have ended but the virus is still out there".

Lowering our guard at this point could easily cause another rise in infections. 

Just to make the point, there have been two more deaths in this area due to coronavirus in recent days.

One of the deaths was recorded in the Orihuela Health Department and the other in Torrevieja. 

That makes a total of 449 deaths since the pandemic began - 198 in Orihuela and 251 in Torrevieja. 

Stay safe! 

Hands, face and space. 

A move towards normality

 This lunchtime, Pamela and I returned to the Sports Centre in Orihuela for our second doses of Pfizer vaccine. I don't have data about how many doses they are administering at the centre but, judging by the speed at which they are getting through injecting folks, I would guess it is in the thousands each day they are open. 

For those who haven't been yet, the system is very efficient. You get a text message to your phone giving you your appointment, you turn up at the right time and are directed to an administrator who records your details and gives you a red card that shows which version of the vaccine you had along with the dates when you had your first and second shots. 

The other good news is that you can now book an appointment with your doctor which can either be by telephone or face to face. 

Telephone appointments are convenient when you just want to do something simple like renewing a prescription but are pretty useless when you have symptoms that you need to discuss. For example, if you need your blood pressure checking or a sounding of your chest, a telephone appointment will not help.  

Foolish, foolish people

When the official state of alarm in Spain ended on Saturday, revellers were quick to get out on the streets to celebrate. After six months of confinement, they were determined to party like Christmas, New Year and their birthdays had all come together.

The problem is that, whilst the number of cases of coronavirus here have dropped over the last week, the average is still very high particularly in Madrid, Catalonia, Navarre, Aragón and the Basque Country

Pictures in El Pais from the Puerta del Sol, Madrid show that it was packed in spite of the case rate of 198 per 100,000 for the city. Several squares in Barcelona were apparently also crowded with revellers as they were in Palma de Mallorca.

Perhaps these people should take note of what has happened in India. The case rate there had dropped to what the government thought were safe levels; restrictions were lifted, people flocked to election rallies, religious festivals and large weddings. The consequences have been awful; a rapid rise in cases, lack of hospital beds, limited oxygen supplies and even scenes of cremations out in the street. 

If Spain had managed to vaccinate the large numbers that countries like the UK has, then it might just have been safe to gradually ease restrictions. To abandon them altogether, as happened on Saturday, must surely risk a further rise in cases especially when you consider that the majority of the revellers out on streets were probably from  age groups that have not yet been vaccinated.

Boris Johnson has been criticised by some for being too slow to lift restrictions in England. Whilst I am no fan of his, I think on this occasion, he is right to be cautious. As Jim Ryder, who recently moved back to Liverpool will testify, I was taught to be cautious.  

Why do they do it?

 Why do some Royals think they are qualified to write children's books?

I understand their reasoning.  You don't have to write too many words, the story can be simple and as long as you commission someone good to illustrate it, the book could look appealing. Add on your royal connection and you should have a best seller. 

Prince Charles wrote "The Old Man of Lochnagar" based on stories that he told his younger brothers. By all accounts it is an amusing tale. Sarah Furguson has also written a few books which are apparently passable. 

Now, the Duchess of Sussex has thrown her hat into the ring with "The Bench". 

In my opinion, it takes just as much or even more skill to write for children as it does for adults. Many have tried and failed.

There are some really good books written for children some of which have stood the test of time and are now being read to  grandchildren and possibly even great grandchildren. 

Among my favourites from my youth are "Wind in the Willows" and "Treasure Island".  I also enjoyed The Famous Five and Biggles books. Among those that I enjoyed with my own children are "The Tiger That Came To Tea",  "The Hungry Caterpillar" and almost anything written by Roald Dahl. 

I haven't read "The Bench" but from comments already made, it is not destined to be a classic. No doubt it will make the Duchess a lot of money at the expense of those who will buy it out of curiosity. 

Garden makeover

When we first came here, we had ambitious plans for the garden area on one side of the house. We planted climbers on the fence, palm trees at the front and lemon trees in the large area at the back along with a cycad. We then proceeded to fill the spaces around with annual and perennial flowers. It all looked good for the first year or so. 

With an abundance of sun and a watering system in place, everything grew rapidly and soon became out of control. I have pictures that show how overgrown it was.  

Age took its toll and I could no longer maintain the garden by myself so we have Los Rubes, who ran the Garden Centre in Bigastro, come every two weeks to look after it for us.

Even they found it difficult. The soil is mostly heavy clay which is hard to cultivate and in which many plants struggle to survive. 

Plan C. Cover the garden with gravel just as they did with the show houses and just have feature plants. 

We are near to completion now with the addition of a couple of planters that are filled with flowering plants to give us some colour.  

 

Holiday in the South Sandwich Islands anyone?

 Britain has announced the countries on the "green list", those that Brits can visit and return from without the need to quarantine. They would still need to take tests before and after though. 

Although the Valencian region would qualify because of the low rate of infection here*, Spain as a whole doesn't. So, as things stand, we will not be expecting friends and family over just yet and we will not be planning to visit them either. 

The countries on the list are Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Brunei, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Gibraltar, the Falkland Islands, Israel, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, and Portugal, including the Azores and Madeira. 

You can imagine a take up for holidays to some of those destinations however, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands are only accessible by sea and there is no visitor accommodation on them. 

* 41 per 100,000 - Spain average 202 with a high of 463 in the Basque Country. 

That was hot

It should be a little cooler today.  

Holy Cross

 This will be the second year that the neighbours of the Barrio de la Cruz have not been able to celebrate the traditional fiesta.

Latest data

The Covid-19 vaccination drive in Spain has at last got off the blocks. According to El Pais, more than 8.33 million doses were administered in the month of April, outstripping the 8.04 million administered in the first quarter of 2021. 

On the 30th April 504,823 shots were injected in a single day.

A total of 100% of the over-80s have received the first dose and 78% have received the two shots needed for full protection. Some 67% of people in the 70-79 age group have also received at least one dose. 

Nearly half of the 60-69 age group – 47% – have received at least one dose of the Covid-19 vaccine – a total of 2.5 million people.

In Valencia, 26.1% of the population have received one dose of vaccine and 9.3% two doses.  

The 14-day cumulative number of cases per 100,000 inhabitants now stands at 232. While the national incidence rate in Spain has been stable for a few days, it is on the rise in several regions. The data point rose in Madrid, from 393 to 395 cases; La Rioja, from 271 to 276 cases; Aragón, from 266 to 273, and in the Basque Country it jumped six points and is now at 529.

Valencia is the only region where the 14-day cumulative number of cases per 100,000 inhabitants is below 50. NB the corresponding figure for the UK is 22.6. In total there have been 671 cases in Bigastro and 9 deaths. 

Clamping down on dirty dogs

 For years, dog fouling on the pavements and in roads was a major problem for Bigastro. 

I am happy to say my perception is that it is much less of a problem these days. 

A new ordinance will make it compulsory for dog owners to take a bottle of water and poo bags with them when they exercise their pets in the street. The water is to clean up urine and the bag to remove crap. 

Owners who are found guilty of allowing their dogs to foul the street and not cleaning the mess up face fines of up to 3,000 Euros. 

The town has also opened a dog park with all sorts of apparatus to exercise your pet on. 

New paving

 Most bigastrenses seem to avoid using the pavements, preferring to walk in the road. I can remember a lady explaining to us that the pavements were dangerous when they were wet and she was right. 

Throughout the town you find scenes like this where the old pavement is being dug up and replaced by new non-slip paving. Hopefully, when the work is complete, people will have the confidence to use the pavement rather than the road. 

The house of cards

 Al Capone was deemed "public enemy number 1". He had a long list of crimes that he could have been prosecuted for. In the end though he was jailed on 5 counts of tax evasion. 

I am not suggesting that Boris Johnson is anywhere near being a criminal in the sense that Capone was but he does have a history of breaking rules which don't suit him. He also has a reputation for being colourful with the truth, for indulging in vanity projects, being cavalier with public money and showing favouritism to those that support him. 

His answer to the current round of allegations against him is that the public don't care about these irrelevant matters, what concerns them is that Britain is doing well in the battle against Covid. 

He may be right and his personal ratings and those of the party did seem to agree with him. However, things are changing. Element of the press and public, who have largely supported him, are finding it difficult to ignore the evidence against him. 

The Electoral Commission has now announced that  they will be look into whether any transactions related to the work on Johnson's  flat, above 11 Downing Street, were properly reported. Like tax evasion did for Capone, Wallpapergate could prove the undoing for Johnson. 

It isn't the first time Johnson has been warned for failing to make declarations of interest. 

In 2019, Boris Johnson breached House of Commons rules by failing to declare a financial interest in a property within the required time limit. He failed to register his 20 per cent share of the Somerset property within the 28-day timetable of acquiring it.

It followed Mr Johnson’s previous apology to the committee just four months before after breaching rules on declared earnings for his book royalties.

To Johnson these issues are a "pyramid of piffle" but to voters they could  point to someone they should no longer put their trust in. Perhaps more important, politicians in his party must be weighing up whether it is safe for them to continue to show support for a PM who may lead to their undoing. 

Pity the pool man

 

After years of cleaning our pool myself, a few years ago we chose to use The Pool People to undertake this task for us.

Last night, the rain brought down all of the Saharan dust that had turned the sky a mucky brown colour.* 
 

Whereas the continued rain has washed a lot of the dust from the terracing away, that which fell on the pool is now starting to settle and will eventually form a thick brown film on the bottom.  

I have faced the task of cleaning a layer of dust like this from the pool before and it is a pain in the butt. You can only go so far before the filter clogs and you have to backwash it. You then carry on until the filter clogs again. It can take several of these cycles even with a small pool like ours.

To make matters worse, cleaning stirs up the dust and so the whole process needs to be repeated once that dust has resettled. It can take a couple of weeks to get the pool back to clean. 

Of course, there is an alternative; empty the pool, pressure wash the tiles and refill it but that process is just as tedious and more expensive. 

* The rain was hardest between 9pm and midnight. In total there was probably less than 3mm but that was sufficient to carry all that dust down. There is further rain predicted for today and tomorrow but I'm not sure whether that will be "mucky" rain or not. 

The pool man is due to come on Wednesday. For sure it will take him longer than the usual 20 minutes he spends on our pool this week. 

An issue of timing

 These are the changed rules for the period between the 26th April and the 9th of May. 

As you can see, bars and restaurants can now be fully open outside and 30% inside. Like shops they can now be open until 10pm but therein lies the problem because there will still be a 10 o'clock curfew in place. 

In order to comply, customers could leave before 10pm giving themselves enough time to get home but what about the staff? They can't work until 10 and be home by 10. Either the curfew needs to be extended to say 11pm or the closing times have to remain at 9pm. 

RIP RP-J

When we lived in Greasby, our closest neighbours were the Parry-Jones family, Hugh, Angela and their children, Richard, Catherine and Andrew. 

Through them we got to meet Hugh's brother, Richard Parry-Jones and then his family. 

When Richard bought the Clock House at Barmouth, we were invited to stay there. We also stayed there for the Millenium celebrations. Richard was a wonderful host and a very accomplished cook. 

Richard and Hugh used to rally a Ford Escort RS which they would bring to the house from time to time. It was then that we realised how important Richard was to the Ford Motor Company.

Indeed, Richard was the engineer responsible more than any other for the driving excellence of 21st-century Fords.

This week we learnt that Richard, who had survived a heart attack and stroke, had been involved in a fatal accident on farmland near his home in Wales. 

Top Gear Magazine, along with local newspapers have paid tribute to Richard. 

"The man known to all as RP-J was a Ford lifer, having joined as an apprentice. His first big project was as chief engineer on the Mondeo, launched in 1992. 

RP-J was a brilliant dynamics engineer, a superb communicator, a motorsports fan and an early advocate for the need for the car industry to reduce CO2. His working life was a demonstration of how one individual really can have an influence over this whole colossal industry.

Previous to the Mondeo, Ford’s engineering effort was all about saving money. If in consequence the car’s ride was lumpy and the engine rough and the steering slack, well that was tough luck: they were profitable cars to manufacture and sell.

With the Mondeo, Parry-Jones shifted Ford’s course. He reckoned there would be more money to be made by building better cars that would sell in higher numbers at higher prices and he was right. The success of the Mondeo was followed by work on cars like the Fiesta, the Ka and of course the Focus." 

In his retirement, Uncle Richard as we knew him, virtually rebuilt the Clock House and developed the buildings across the road into a highly successful bed and breakfast business. 

Coes Faen has received many awards and before Covid had a full list of bookings, many of them return visits. No wonder, it boasts innovative technology along with the highest quality of fittings and service.

It is only a few weeks since Richard's first wife died. Following the funeral, Hugh and Richard met up for lunch and a brotherly chat. They made plans for further adventures on their electric mountain bikes. 

Our thoughts are with the family and especially with Hugh who has taken the news badly.  

What to expect

 Following the mass vaccination sessions in Valencia the questions are, "now that we have had our first dose of Pfizer Covid vaccine, are we safe?" and "what can we expect as possible side effects?"

The answer to the first is emphatically, no. 

In fact, there is some evidence  that suggests we could be more vulnerable to infection in the first 8 days as our bodies gradually build up the antibodies necessary to combat the disease. That is partly because some people wrongly believe they are protected as soon as they have their first shot and drop their guard - not wearing masks, neglecting social distancing and mixing more freely with others.   

After those first 8 days our immunity should slowly increase until, by 21 days, the vaccine should be 90% effective.

At 21 days we will have a second dose that tops up and lengthens the effect of the first dose. 

Of course, nobody knows how long the protection will last and whether or not we will need booster shots later in the year to prolong the protection or protect us from new variants.  

Possible Side Effects of the vaccine

It is important to note that not everyone will have side effects. Having them is a sign that the vaccine is working, not having them though does not mean that the vaccine is ineffective.  

In the arm where you got the shot:

• Pain
• Redness
• Swelling

Throughout the rest of your body:

• Tiredness
• Headache
• Muscle pain
• Chills
• Fever
• Nausea

These side effects usually start within a day or two of getting the vaccine. Side effects might affect your ability to do daily activities, but they should go away in a few days.

Keep your umbrella handy!

Rain will return and will continue for the rest of the week. It won't rain all day though and the amount will not be sufficient to cause any problems. 

Meeting neighbours

 A strange way to meet your neighbours - at the Pabellon Bernardo Ruiz just outside of Orihuela. 

It obviously was the time for bigastrenses of our age to receive their first dose of Covid vaccine. And so we gathered inside the Sports Hall as one by one we were stabbed in the arm. We then sat for the obligatory 15 minutes to make sure we were OK.  More bigastreneses joined us and, just as they do in the Medical Centre, they found time for a chat.

The operation was very slick and well organised. The only minor issue was finding somewhere to park the car.  

The passage to freedom

 In Britain

At present, people who have had a Covid jab in the UK  receive a vaccination card, and the details go on their medical records. However, the government is now looking at how to allow people to more easily show their Covid status, as "a temporary measure". This could mean a record of whether people have been vaccinated, recently tested negative or have natural immunity after being ill with Covid. In other words a vaccine passport. 

In order to be useful for travel , this would have to be recognised by other countries e.g. the EU. 

Concern has been shown by various groups, including church leaders, who claim that a passport would create a "surveillance state" and a "medical apartheid". So, it is not yet clear whether the UK will issue some form of document that would allow people to demonstrate their Covid status.

We know that the UK has been reluctant to issue any form of national identify card like we have in Spain.  Here, we also carry SIP cards that are used to access our medical records. 

I believe that the cards we carry increase rather than restrict our freedom because they are simple way to prove who we are, our rights of access to services and travel. 

The European position 

Spain, along with other European countries, will forge ahead with Covid-19 vaccine passports, which the European Union is officially calling “Digital Green Certificates”.  These will allow citizens of Europe to enter the country without having to quarantine or take a coronavirus test.  The document will come in the form of a free QR code, will be available by the end of June, and will allow for more people to arrive in the country in a safer manner..

The tourism sector and major companies in the country have voiced some concerns about the new certificate. Each EU state will be able to include its own additional measures. If individual countries opt to add restrictions to mobility – for example, obligatory quarantines after a trip – the usefulness of the Green Digital Certificate will be greatly reduced.

Like in the UK, another of the arguments against this type of certificate is the possible discrimination that could result between people who have been vaccinated and those who haven’t. 

Those who would be at a disadvantage in this way fall into two groups, the ones whose turn has not yet come and the ones who have refused the vaccine. I assume there would be more sympathy for the former than the latter. 

Presumably, both of these groups would still be able to travel but they would have to follow current restrictions regarding testing and quarantining.