To lose a loose battle in Loos was no loss

My good friend Pete said:

I think to be honest Keith the lose/loose thing is one battle that we're going to lose. Thanks to the internet explosion this spelling error has propagated so quickly and is so prevalent that right or thing I think it's approaching a genuine etymological change.
We have to accept that such change happens (otherwise we'd all still be using Elizabethan spellings) but it still grates my cheddar a bit. I think I decided to give up fighting this one when I saw 'loose' instead of 'lose' in an article on the BBC History Site. When the Beeb can't get it right, it's all over.
Though in fairness I did report it and they did correct it ;)

and then added

Oh dear. I typed 'thing' and meant 'wrong'. Can't you just taste the irony. :)

I can Pete, I can. A loose error like that is easily lost when you are in a hurry and have no time to lose. Actually I think I'm loosing it - it must be time for a glass of wine.

PS Loos was the site of a battle in the First World War which ran from 25 September - 19 October 1915.

Photos for you

I've put the photos that I have taken so far of the Fiesta on line for you to look at.

Follow the link on the left or click here.

You will need Flash player installed to view the slide show - get it as a free download here.

I'll be updating the album as the days go by.

More Fiesta

Last night it was the turn of the Moors and Christians to parade through the calles of Bigastro.

 

 

Well spotted that lady.

Following my message about spelling, one of our friends pointed out a spelling mistake in one of my posts. I'd said "I'd rather get bitten now and then than loose my garden." I did of course mean lose. My spell checker didn't pick it up because the word wasn't misspelt.

For the benefit of my Spanish readers these are two words that sound similar but are very different:-

• loose - can be an adjective or a noun meaning not fixed, confined or firm - e.g. you can talk about a loose fitting dress i.e one that doesn't cling to the figure
  
• lose - is a verb meaning to get rid of - in this case my garden
  

The problem is I am man and as we all know only women are perfect!

Coronation

In a ceremony which ran as smoothly as a Swiss watch, the fiesta queens and king were crowned last night.

There are three sections:

The Third Age King and Queen; the Infantile Queen along with her maids of honour and banner carrier and the Juvenile Queen with her maids of honour and banner carrier.

All of the children, young ladies and men that took part were delightful. and our own representatives, Mel and Lilian looked suitably regal.

Best Wishes

Many thanks to John and Beryl who have represented us as Third Age King and Queen this last year.

Tonight you will be handing over the cane to Mel and the tiara to Lilian.

We hope the ceremony goes well and that all you have a great night.

We'll all be down in the Parque Huerta del Cura to support you when proceedings start at 9:00pm.

Iceland

Not the country - the shop which has opened in Torrevieja - described by one of my neighbours as "paradise".

Another told me they went on the second week the shop was opened to find long queues at the checkouts but it was worth it. He'd already bought food in for the week but couldn't resist stocking up again with all the things he didn't find elsewhere.

Apart from the frozen foods on sale, there are shelves packed with Waitrose branded goods. My friend was delighted to find large jars of Branston pickle at prices that would compare favourably with those in the UK. He was also pleased to be able to buy frozen battered cod fillets, thick oven chips and mushy peas for a home cooked fish and chip supper.

For Londoner's, there was even that Eastend favourite - "pie and mash".

It isn't hard to find; Iceland is on Avda Cortes de la Valenciana, Number 9 - Opposite Bankinter and on the same road as the Eroski Store.

A wet Autumn

The lack of wind and the stagnation of the hot air coming from the Sahara, the so called "barometric marsh", are creating high sea temperatures. The sea temperature has been increasing progressively since mid July. At 28 degrees it is just two degrees short of the temperature it reached in 2003. The tropical sea temperatures of that year brought torrential rain in the Autumn - the gota fria or cold drop.

However, the gota fria is not so predictable. We had one in 2007 when sea temperatures were high but in other years, with similar temperatures, it didn't happen.

One thing for sure, the relative humidity at the moment is high. The poor air circulation is again the cause of that. At Alicante airport yesterday the humidity was 100% at 7am. In Torrevieja it was 75%. The high humidity makes the temperatures feel higher. So although it was 30 degrees it felt more like 42.

Today has started a little cloudy with a light variable wind on the coast. Temperatures will be about the same.

Over my dead body

English spelling is under fire once again. Apparently students at Universities are writing “thier”, “ignor” and “arguement” (and obviously don't know how to use a spell checker to correct their mistakes).

According to Ken Smith, an academic at Bucks New University, we should now tolerate variant spellings. He claims that students are incapable of learning the spellings of “their” and “truly”. His answer is to change our attitudes to spelling to help this deserving minority.

English spelling does have a system. The silent “e” in “tone” shows that the preceding “o” is long; the lack of “e” in “ton” show the “o” is short. And so on with all the other vowels: “Dane/Dan”, “pin/pine” etc. In order to understand , children need to be taught the rules of English spelling, not folk myths about “i” before “e”, which at best affects 11 common words.

Of course there are anomalies, like the 11 ways of pronouncing the letter “a” - “age”, “bad”, “bath” (note for my southern readers the "a" here is short as in "bat"), “about”, “beat”, “many”, “aisle”, “coat”, “ball”, “beauty” and “cauliflower”. The most common problem for many though is the consonant doubling rules of English - “embarrass”, “accommodate”, “desiccate”. I'm afraid you just have to learn those.

If we followed the latest suggestion and made, for example, the spelling of “they're”, “there” and “their” interchangeable then reading would be impossible. The three forms have different meanings which help us to see the structure of the sentences they are contained in. Also spelling makes distinctions that are impossible in speech, such as “whole” versus “hole” or “beech” versus “beach”.

Learning to spell in English is hard but not impossible. Constructing meaningful sentences is far more difficult!

New Todo

When you have a diverse list of things that you need to buy, the place to go is a Todo. These shops, run by Chinese, sell almost everything except food.

Most, like the ones in Bigastro, are in small shops crammed from floor to ceiling with goods. Some though are "Super Todos" (todos on steroids) housed in premises the size of a supermarket. There is one already in Guadarmar and now another has opened next to Mercadona on the Crevillente road.

We visited there yesterday and browsed up and down the various aisles. You could have stocked up a whole house in there at prices so cheap they were almost unbelievable.

We did wonder, as we came out, just where do they buy all that stuff from and more to the point how do they perform a stock take? Just imagine how many pricing guns they wore out filling the shelves ready for opening.

The crisis bites deeper

PROCOSTA, the  association of constructors and promoters in the Vega Baja region, have issued an official notice denouncing the attitude of the financial organisations with respect to their refusal  to provide further credit to the real estate companies.

The President of the organisation, Navarrese Antonio, says it is impossible  to understand why these institutions are refusing to finance companies that haven't  stopped taking care of their economic commitments. These are companies that offer guaranties which exceed the loans that they ask for, companies with important patrimonies in real estate and that provide work for hundreds of families.

Construction companies form a vital part of the economy of the Vega Baja region. They have helped create its wealth and provided employment for its people.

PROCOSTA will be appealing to the Catalan Autonomous Government and the Central Government for assistance with the issues this region faces.

Damn again!

I told you on the 28th July that we had been bitten by mosquitos and said we won't make that mistake again. Well I was bitten last night!

In my defence I wasn't eating outside, I simply went out to collect the towels and lock the shed. Five minutes - that was all it took for the little b****** to find me and inflict their damage. I reckon they have been waiting since last time, starved of blood, ready to pounce at a moments notice. I hope that all the alcohol from the red wine and brandy poisons them.

The annoying thing is that some of our neighbours have never been bitten in the four or five years they've lived here. Mosquitoes will avoid some people for reasons that nobody seems to understand. One friend reckons its the garlic he eats that puts them off. I don't know about that. I have read that eating Marmite will repel them but I haven't tried it.

Pam reckons it is the jungle of a garden that provides them with somewhere to live. She could be right. If that is the case then it's a problem we'll have to live with. I'd rather get bitten now and then than lose my garden.

Thank goodness for the Alergical Crema. Much to my regret, I have another opportunity to put it to the test.

Susana

Susana, who reads my blog each day,  came with her friend Consuelo to our house last night to pay for the T-shirt I've ordered for her.

Susana is obviously not familiar with the layout of the estate and found herself at the birthday party of one of our neighbours. We'd been there earlier to help celebrate this special event.

Although nobody at the party seemed to know where Calle Irlanda was, they all knew where Keith and Pam lived. Calle Irlanda is on the edge of the estate and only has six houses on it of which five are owned by Spanish families. Not surprising then that people have difficulty finding it

I was delighted to be able to tell Susana that, not only had the order for her shirt been placed but it had been shipped. So her T-shirt will arrive any day now. I've also got a surprise present for her which I hope she will like.

You will see Susana and her friends in the parade on Friday 15th. Their theme for this year is Mary Poppins. Coor blimey mate, I hope their kites don't get caught in the lights.

A reminder

Just to remind you. On July 26th I posted a message about the "Gastronomic Journey" which will be held at the Plaza de la Concordia on Wednesday 13th August at 2pm.

Our contribution is to be a table full of cakes and desserts.

Sylvia, who has agreed to coordinate our efforts, tells me that only a handful of people have volunteered their efforts so far.

I'm sure there are many more of you scouring your recipe books to find that quintessential British dessert that will have visitors to our table dribbling with anticipation. However, it isn't a competition - there are no prizes for producing the most elaborate creation. Apply the KISS principle (keep it simple stupid) and you won't go far wrong. Whatever you make it will be greatly appreciated and make our efforts look worthwhile.

Update on the quake

I am reliably informed that it wasn't just one earthquake that we suffered yesterday morning but four.

The first (3.4 on the Richter scale) was at 41 minutes past midnight centred on Los Montesinos. The other three (2.2, 2.7 and 1.7 on the Richter scale) were centered at Algorfa.

People we've spoken to have related their reactions to the quakes. Many thought their houses had been hit by a large vehicle. Others described how their dogs reacted even before they heard the rumbling noise that proceeded the movement. Some went outside their houses to see what was happening. Others took a more pragmatic approach and made a cup of tea. One neighbour told us he slept through it. Fortunately, nobody has reported any injuries or damage to property.

In March 1829 there were a series of earthquakes which lasted a week and destroyed many of the towns in the area between Orihuela and Torrevieja. The one which struck Torrievieja on the 21st March destroyed 534 homes and killed 192 people. Let's hope we don't have quakes of that magnitude again.

Hiperber in Bigastro

Yesterday the Hiperber chain inaugurated a new supermarket located in Calle Generalitat Valenciana here in Bigastro.

Hiperber opened its first supermarket in Elche 30 years ago. Since then they have expanded and opened a further 33. Hiperber's mission is to offer their services to as many people as possible by opening supermarkets in areas with populations between 6 and 10,000.

When we first came to Bigastro we were told that Mercadona had plans to build a supermarket at the bottom of our estate. That would not have made commercial sense. A Hiperber to rival Masymas is nearer the mark.

Social club

Last night a meeting was called for residents. The purpose was to ascertain what Jose could do to encourage people to visit his bar at La Pedrera more often.

A questionnaire was handed out to allow residents to express their desires about e.g. the music they would like Jose to put on and other events he could organise to attract folks.

Everyone who attended was given the chance to enter a free draw with an initial prize of 200€. You chose your own three figure number for the draw which will take place each Saturday starting on the 23rd August. In order to win though you must be up at the Albergue to claim your prize.

PS My number is 666! If it gets drawn please let me know.

Shopping - good for you?

A survey in England has concluded that shopping is good for your health. The survey, which was carried out by a shopping centre, claims that women burn up 12,000 calories a year trailing round from shop to shop. The calculation is based on an average of five trips per month where the shopper will walk 2.02 miles each time.

With a stop for a coffee and a cake, the ladies probably consume more calories that they burn on their shopping trips.

The survey also found that the average Brit spends £4,321.20 on these trips. So it costs 36p to burn off one calorie. I can think of a lot cheaper ways to burn calories girls!!

Ladies' football

The Vega Baja Summer 7 a side football trophy was won last Thursday night by the Torrevieja Ladies' football team in a very exciting final played at the sports centre in Bigastro.

Six teams from; Torrevieja, Redovan, Los Montesinos, Guardamar, Orihuela and hosts Bigastro have competed over the past three weeks.

Starting with a league format, Torrevieja won all of their league games gaining 15 points from their closely fought five games.

In the semi finals Torrevieja beat Los Montesinos and Bigastro beat Guardamar. The final kicked off at 10 o’clock under floodlights in slightly cooler temperatures. Soon after the start Bigastro broke through to score giving them a lead which they held until just before half time when Torre equalized.

The second half started fast and furious with lots of substitutions being made due to the heat. Midway through the second half Torrevieja had a good shot fumbled by the Bigastro keeper to give them a 2-1 lead. In spite of strong play by the Bigastro girls. the solid Torrevieja defence held firm to give them victory and the superb trophy.

Shaken and disturbed

At forty one minutes past midnight the earth moved for us. The cause was an earthquake of magnitude 3.5 on the Richter scale which could be felt from Crevillent down to Torrevieja and across to  Rojales.

The epicentre was in Algorfa, just down the road from  Bigastro. The quake, which was accompanied by a roar,  could be felt for several seconds and rattled the pots on the roof of the house.

Hours before, Algeria was subjected to a quake of magnitude 4 on the Richter scale.