Not in my dictionary

My friend Fonta has put this list of expressions and colloquialisms on his Facebook page.

Given that many of those words are made up and will not appear in any normal dictionary - what chance do we have of understanding what people say?

Will they or won't they?

There are now almost 150 houses at Villas Andrea*. Even if we discount the holiday homes, that still leaves a substantial number of people eligible to vote in the Municipal Election on May 26th. Probably enough to tip the balance between the parties**.

Although there are more Spanish speaking residents than there were originally, there is still a large caucus of English speakers who are eligible to vote.

The question is, will any of the four parties that are standing produce a manifesto in English and will any of them organise a meeting for us?

If my memory serves me correctly, in 2007 it was just the Socialists and Joaquin Moya who took the trouble to hold a meeting at La Pedrera. In 2011, Raul Medina made a presentation at La Pedrera and Aurelio Murcia called a meeting at the Centro Social Integrado. Then in 2015 the present Mayor invited us to a meeting in Darren's Bar opposite the Health Centre and Aurelio held a meeting in an office on Calle Purisima. To be fair, by 2015 the numbers attending these meetings had dwindled to just a handful defeating their purpose. 

Still, there are a substantial number of votes to be won (or lost) making some form of presentation be it a meeting or a leaflet in English surely worthwhile.

*By my reckoning, there have been 5 new houses occupied since the Urbanisation was completed by Star Sol and three more that are in the process of completion.
** It took just 360 more votes for the PP to gain control in 2015.

It is important to vote

2015

2011

2007

These charts from the last three Municipal Elections show the importance of voting.

You can see that the percentage of people voting dropped from almost 89% in 2007 and just over 86% in 2011 to almost 79% in 2015. At the same time, there was an increase in spoilt papers. The  number of votes needed to gain control of the council was effectively less last time than in previous elections.

Municipal elections should be about the people standing rather than political allegiance. In other words electing the group who you think will best do the job of running the town.

We saw how issues with Brexit affected the results of local elections in the UK and that was a nonsense. Good councillors and well run councils lost out because of something they had no responsibility for.  Hopefully, that will not happen here in Spain this year.

Whichever party you intend to vote for, the important thing is to actually make sure that you go down on May 26th and make your intention known and please don't waste your time writing on the paper or putting an empty envelope in the box because a protest vote is no more use than an abstention.

Try again

If you recall, this had to be cancelled a few weeks ago due to bad weather.

The book boxes

Photos courtesy of the Town Hall.

I was wrong...

..when I suggested it was  Hidraqua who are responsible for our water supply. They are the company that are contracted for supply and for maintenance but in fact ALL of our services are the responsibility of the Ayuntamiento.

So yesterday, I took the opportunity to broach the issue of water pressure with a member of the Town Council.

The councillor told me that all of our water supply comes from the reservoir above the campsite. It is pumped there from the water station at the T junction.

The councillor went on to say that he knew nothing about the problem that some residents are facing and will take the matter up with the relevant people and investigate why it is that the pressure has been reduced. Hopefully then we will see a resolution to the problem.

I proudly present...

My name is Pamela Williamson. I am 72 years old, born in England in 1947.

Together with my husband Keith, I have been resident in Bigastro for nearly 15 years.

My family in England consists of my daughter Jemma, my daughter Laura and son-in-law David plus grandchildren Molly and Rory.

Before retiring to Spain, I worked in Education as a teacher from 1969 – 2004. Previously at College, I studied Education and specialised in English/Drama and French language and Literature.

I believe that I am friendly, enthusiastic and outgoing. I love to chat to the people in Bigastro and attend many of the Cultural Events on offer.

I have also been able to help local students with their English Language Studies. I feel very proud of the progress they made.

It has been an honour for me to be invited to join the Partido Popular.

My life here in Bigastro has been enriched by the friendly people and their Traditions. In return, I would like to offer my help and support to the community as a whole.

And this is my translation of the presentation of Pamela to the public by the Mayor:

I present Pam Williamson , although it is not necessary, because you all know her. 
We have been seeing Pam and Keith Williamson for many years in our town. Always kind and participating. So much so, that Keith, along with Fonta Biagastro, has become our official photographer of the cultural and social activities that take place in # Bigastro .

I remember the day that they were proposed to participate as Kings of the Third Age of the Patron Saint Festivities of San Joaquín 2017. 

They did not hesitate for a moment. They reacted how any of the retirees born in Bigastro would have done because they won our hearts and we won theirs.

I asked Pam to be part of the political project of Populares Bigastro because she loyally represents her British compatriots who both live in Bigastro and enrich it culturally. The British are a community very active and committed to the town and their neighbours. They deserve to be represented in our town hall in the figure of Pam.

I invite all the host bigastrenses to participate in the political life of our municipality, if they wish, as Pam has done. 
As many times I have expressed in my speeches, "Bigastrense is not only the one who was born in Bigastro, but everyone who comes to live with us in peace and harmony."

Pick up a book to read

Bigastro City Council has joined the international initiative to promote reading called "Book Crossing", with the aim of taking the books to the street so that the municipality becomes a large library.

The mayor, Teresa Belmonte, visited different public places where "little houses" of books have been installed.

The places where you can find them are the Health Centre, EI La Paz, CEP San Jose de Calasanz, IES Miguel Hernandez and there is a "little house" outdoors, in the Huerto del Cura Park.

The boxes that have been installed have been decorated by the students of the centres and in the case of the Health Centre box it has been covered with a unique design of the Bigastro hook group, as well as the Reading Club that uses the design of the Association of People with Disabilities "La Pedrera".

The idea is that bigastrenses have available books of all kinds of narratives so that they can pick them up, read them and even take them to other cities where they travel, because this project is of an international nature.

NB Photos and text taken from Activa Orihuela.

May help someone

If like Pam, you have not received your bill for car tax this year, then there is an online solution.

Go to  SUMA website and type in your NIE number in the top box and the registration number of your car in the box below(Unique tax reference/N Fijo). What you should then get are the tax bills for 2018 and 2019. Click on the one you want to pay and follow the instructions to pay online.

Worse that I thought

Speaking to a neighbour who lives on Calle Alemania, it seems that the issue with low water pressure is more extensive that I originally understood it to be.

There have been many visits by the water company to Calle Alemania to repair leaking pipes and as a result, the pressure is now lower than before. I'm told that the pressure drop is not sufficient to cause a problem with showers but definitely is lower than it was.

Another neighbour, who I believe lives on Canada de Andrea,  told Pam that the pressure in their house was variable, some days it would be just a trickle and other day it would be really high.

No doubt, there will be meetings before the local elections for us to have our say. I am sure that those affected by issues with water pressure will take the opportunity to make their concerns known. Hopefully, the political parties will then take note and pass on the grievances to the water company. 

This will test you!

You'll need to listen carefully to follow the numbers in Spanish.

Get your binoculars out

If the sky is clear, you should be able to see this clearly. 

Something different

On May 12th at 7pm in the Francisco Grau Auditorium, the band will be presenting, "PARTY IN CONCERT".  It promises to be a lively affair where you will have difficulty keeping your feet and your hands still.The last time they tried this, their music brought the house down.

The band will take to the stage with 3 singers, an electric guitar, an electric bass and a dance group. All of which will be accompanied by a great light show .

Tickets for this concert cost €3 and will be available from the  Auditorium Francisco Grau and Estanco Álvaro.

The PSOE list

Mª Carmen Medina, Socialist candidate to the Mayor of Bigastro, announced last week the PSOE list of people who will accompany her during the local elections on May 26th.

Medina said that the candidates have "a high commitment to start change in Bigastro in a meaningful and qualitative way". A candidacy formed mainly by "young, trained members, with great enthusiasm to work for the municipality and its neighbours."

The list is composed of:
1. Mª Carmen Medina Oltra
2. Raúl Martínez Campos
3. Olga Soto Pardo
4. Joaquin Sáez López
5. Nora Taj Lidón
6. Rubén González Costa
7. Quina Navarrete Rebollo
8. Joaquin García Elizalde
9. Ruth Molera Valero
10. Álvaro Pastor Terrés
11. Eva Moya Melgarejo
12. Gloria Gras Romero
13. Ángela García García
14. Jose Antonio Martínez Sánchez
15. Mª José Martínez Rodríguez
16. Fran Rodríguez Nortes

St Vincente Ferrer

In case you were wondering, the 29th April is a holiday peculiar to Bigastro.

Under pressure

I understand that there is a major issue with water pressure on part of our estate. I'm told that the water company have installed pressure limiting valves to stop the problems with leaking pipes in parts of the urbanisation. However, I'm told that the pressure is now so low that having a shower is nearly impossible because the central heating boilers cut out. There is also an issue with domestic appliances that rely on a constant water feed like washing machines.

This is having a serious impact on people's lives. 

Why there are so many leaks is being put down to the quality of the pipework in the original installation but there may be other factors.

We do know that there was a stream that ran down the estate which has been blamed for subsidence of gardens to the right of Canada de Andrea. There is clear evidence of this in the pavements and roads and we know that the tubing that was supposed to be used for telephone cables was so badly crushed that it was impossible to thread the cable through.

Also, when they attempted to build houses on the land between Calle Escocia and Calle Holanda, they had to dig down so far that Calle Escocia collapsed into the void.

Could it be that all this movement is the cause of water pipes fractures? And if there is a problem with the water pipes, what about the sewer pipes?

I know that those affected have been to the Town Hall to complain and that people from the water company have visited some homes and made unhelpful suggestions about removing inlet filters from washing machines. Clearly, that is not the solution and in any case that would not alleviate the issues with boilers cutting out.

I do not believe this is an issue that the Town Hall can resolve because they are not responsible for the water supply but hopefully they will take note of the complaints and put pressure upon the water company to sort it out.

Yesterday's election results

As predicted,  the Socialist Party (PSOE)  won the highest number of seats but still fell short of an absolute majority. With around 95% of the vote counted, the PSOE has 123 seats while Unidas Podemos – a coalition of United Left and anti-austerity group Podemos – picked up 42. Together, these two parties account for 165 seats, which is still below the 176 needed for an absolute majority, meaning Pedro Sánchez will need the support of regional parties if he is to govern.

 The conservative Popular Party (PP) suffered a crushing defeat, losing around 70 seats in Congress to be left with just 66. The centre-right party Ciudadanos (Citizens) performed better, winning 57 deputies in Congress. Meanwhile the far-right party Vox took 24 seats in its debut national election. Since Blas Piñar, a far-right politician linked to former dictator Francisco Franco, lost his seat in Congress in 1982, no political party with a similar ideology has set foot in any of the country’s parliaments.

The change in the Senate looks even more drastic: Whilst the PSOE increased their number from 43 to 121, the PP dropped from 130 to 56.

High turnout

Voter turnout was around 75% – 8.5 percentage points more than the 2016 polls. In Bigastro, the turnout was even better at over 80% according to the data collected.

Locally

In the Vega Baja the towns were mainly split between PSOE and PP.

The PSOE and the PP won in 13 municipalities of the region each, leaving Ciudadanos the majority in the town of Daya Vieja.

With one hundred percent of the votes counted, the socialist map extends to the municipalities of Algorfa, Almoradí, Benejúzar, Benferri, Bigastro, Dolores, Guardamar, Los Montesinos, Rafal, Rojales, San Isidro, San Miguel de Salinas and Torrevieja.

On the other hand, the Popular Party has managed to take first place in the number of votes in Albatera, Benijófar, Callosa de Segura, Catral, Cox, Daya Nueva, Formentera del Segura, Granja de Rocamora, Jacarilla, Orihuela, Pilar de la Horadada, Redován and San Fulgencio.

Voices in harmony

The Manuel Moya Choir are taking part - we wish them all the luck in the world and hope they enjoy themselves.

Cat out of bag

The PP candidates for this year

Pam being presented on stage

When you pick up your voting paper for the PP, you'll notice Pam's name at number nine.

Remember this?

Those of you who knew John and Jean on Avenida Europa will recall being invited to join them for the Saturday night show and then on the Sunday for paella.

Apart from the paella, local people would give us beans, cakes and water melon. Traditionally, the paella was rabbit and snails. The snails from others would end up on my plate when I wasn't looking. 

Apart from decoration the main cross with flowers, neighbours would put crosses outside their houses - they even ran a competition for the best.

For those who haven't seen them, Los Jubars are a local group of musicians,  probably formed in the 60s and still playing today.