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.

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.

Warning

I got a message this morning from a tello@rscquality.com claiming that it was from UPS.

Unfortunately we were not able to deliver postal package you sent on August the 1st in time
because the recipient’s address is not correct.
Please print out the invoice copy attached and collect the package at our office

Your UPS

No logo, no Dear customer etc. and the attached invoice was a compressed zip file.

I haven't sent anything by UPS so of course I didn't open the file. I'm sure if I did there would be a virus attached or some other nasty.

The general rule is if you don't know where the mail came from delete it which is what I have done. Be careful because this person may be targeting Telefonica addresses.

The great heat continues

A total of 29 provinces in Spain are on alert as the hot air from Africa continues to move over the Iberian Peninsula bringing temperatures of 40 degrees C to many places.

Madrid, Toledo, Ciudad Real, Jaén and Córdoba are on orange alert; whilst Navarra, La Rioja, Zaragoza, Huesca, Teruel, Lleida, Tarragona, Valencia, Alicante, Murcia, Albacete, Cuenca, Guadalajara, Segovia, Ávila, Valladolid, Zamora, Ourense, Salamanca, Cáceres, Badajoz, Huelva, Sevilla and Cádiz are on yellow alert.

The Ministry of Health advises people to drink water or other fluids frequently; to only eat light meals; to protect themselves from the sun when outside; to use blinds to keep the sun out of the house in the middle of the day and to use ventilators or air conditioning to reduce temperatures indoors.

People are also warned to avoid the risk of wild fires especially in the countryside.

CV-95

Work on the controversial replacement for the CV-95 which will link Orihuela with the coast will not begin until 2009. The 19 kilometre road which will run from between Hurchillo and Bigastro to Los Balcones has a budget of 172.4 million euros.

Throughout the planning process, the route has been the subject of hot debate and protest especially amongst agriculturalists. Consequently work, which was supposed to commence in 2007 has been delayed. In the meantime congestion on the existing road builds up, particularly at peak times.

T-shirt update

I've just placed the first order of T-shirts for friends here at Villas Andrea. As it happens, ordering them from the UK in sterling is cheaper than ordering here in Spain is euros. I've also saved a bit by ordering  more than one shirt in a particular size and by sharing the postage.  So I've got them a bit cheaper than my original price and passed the saving on to my friends whilst at the same time ensuring that there will be a contribution to the Fiesta Commission.

If you email me your requirements, I'll let you know the best price I can sell them for.

keith@bigastro.es

My latest toy!

Actually it is a joint Anniversary present that Pam and I have bought for each other.

After looking at digital photo frames for some time and dismissing them as just a gimmick that we might use now and again, I realised that they could actually be useful.

I take lots of digital photos but only print out a selection of them. We already have boxes and boxes of photos from the days when we used film. We don't have room for even more boxes of the digital photos that I take. In any case it takes time and ink to print out loads of photos that we might look at once and then store away. That seems a waste.

It isn't really convenient to view the photos on my computer especially if there are a few of us wanting to look at them at the same time. You have to switch the computer on, wait for Windows to load, navigate to the folder where they before you start viewing. This is where the digital photo frame comes in.

All I have to do now is to transfer the pictures we want to look at to the frame and bingo we can go through an album of photos. Connect the frame to the TV via the HD connection and we can see the photos in high definition the size of the screen. Imagine what it would cost to produce prints the size of a TV.

I've even considered scanning our old pictures to store on memory cards. That way a box full of photos in packets becomes one tiny SD card. If we wanted to relive memories of holidays in the past e.g. all we'd have to do is select the appropriate card and watch them on the TV.

You see, I can talk myself into anything - given enough time!!

Graffiti

You see it everywhere; on waste land it can be almost art but otherwise it makes buildings and shops look ugly.

I would ask the authors of this stuff:- What is it meant to convey? Are those meant to be words or just symbols? Are they messages of hope or despair? Is anybody, other than the originator, meant to understand it?

Where time has been taken, as in these examples it is almost acceptable. In most cases however, graffiti is just a scrawl on a wall that has neither artistic merit nor meaning; well at least not to me.

If it lacks both merit and meaning - then what is the point of it?

Perhaps I am just too old to understand what makes these people tick.

Busy time for the ferries

As one lot of people flock to the province by plane and by car others escape by boat.

Traditionally, the first weekend in August is when north Africans - magrebíes - return to their home countries in what is called Operación Paso del Estrecho. Over the last couple of days these people  have been filling  the Acciona-Transmediterránea ferries bound for Algeria. The wealthier ones have been refuelling their powerboats ready for the crossing.

Pepe Lorente

Every now an again you come across companies that provide excellent service and value for money.

Such is the case with Pepe Lorente here in Bigastro.

A lot of people at Villas Andrea can testify to the quality of their work and to the competitive prices they charge. Unlike some of their competitors, Pepe Lorente doesn't need to advertise - a lot of the business comes via word-of-mouth recommendations.

Best of all they have very good ideas. Visit their website to see some examples of the excellent work they have produced.

PS don't try to contact them before September though - they are enjoying a well earned holiday this month!

Getting hotter

The interior of the Peninsula will be affected for the next few days by a mass of warm air coming from Africa . Starting in the south, the warm air will move northwards reaching the Ebro valley by Wednesday or Thursday. It will bring temperatures of 38 to 40 C to most regions.

Temperatures will then start to drop by the end of next week in the south.

We're all going on a summer holiday!

Some of you may remember the title track of Cliff Richard's film. Cliff and the Shadows travelled by London bus - the people yesterday chose a faster way to get to the sun.

Yesterday was the busiest day of the year for El Altet airport in Alicante. More than 50,000 people on 297 flights passed through Terminal 1 during the course of the day which started at 7am. Many of the passengers arriving were British - all looking forward to a few weeks in the Spanish sun.

The taxi drivers were still complaining however that there wasn't enough trade for them.

Los toros at San Miguel

Having watched bullfighting in Madrid on television, we took the opportunity to visit a corrida last night. As part of the fiesta in San Miguel, they set up a temporary ring just outside the town by the road to Campamor.

Some regard fighting bulls on horseback as a lesser form of the real thing. They argue that there is little risk for the man because he is on top of a horse and there is little risk for the horse because he bull will always be slower. However, there is no denying the skill on a horse that these people exhibit.

Of the four bulls, the first was barely interested in the horse and made it difficult for the torero to put on a good show. The other three were much better, especially the second which provided a a good spectacle.

The President of the Corrida rather generously awarded five ears (one for the second, two each for the third and fourth bulls) which was probably four too many.

Don't get caught

Ten new speed cameras have been located in the Province.

The sites chosen are the A-70 at the Villafranqueza exit, the A-70 18.5 kilometre mark in Alicante, the N-332 through Guardamar, Santa Pola and El Verger, the CV-91 in San Fulgencio, the CV-83 in Monóvar and the CV-734 in Jávea.

The deployment of the speed radars brings the total number now in use in Alicante Province to 23. The exact location of the cameras throughout Spain can be consulted on the DGT website (www.dgt.es) in Spanish only.

A further nine new cameras will be installed along roads in Valencia Province, six in Murcia and eight in Castellón. Altogether 190 new traffic radars have been installed throughout the country.

The announcement comes as 6.25 million vehicle movements are expected this weekend when millions of tourists hit the roads either returning home from their July holidays or setting out on their August vacations.

Analysts say speeding was the direct or indirect cause of a third of all traffic accidents in Spain last year. No surprise there then! I imagine overtaking was also a major cause.

Pamela was right

Pamela has maintained throughout that Barry George was not the killer of Jill Dando. She believed  that he was just a scapegoat; conveniently committed in an attempt to clear up the case.

There were many theories about who could have committed the crime.

• Was the killing done by a vengeful underworld Mr Big, jailed after one of her Crimewatch programmes?
• Was she killed by a Serbian hitman on the orders of a warlord because she had recently made an appeal for Kosovan refugees? Or was it a jealous ex-lover?

All were dismissed by police, who decided George was the main suspect after his name cropped up several times.

Now, nine years after the shooting of the TV presenter on her own doorstep, and seven years after George was convicted of the crime, an Old Bailey jury took less than two days to acquit him.

Sadly, Miss Dando's family have to face the grim probability that her murder will never be solved.

Plenty of muck waiting to fly

Following the suspension of the previous meeting,  the  session of the Bigastro Town Council  to finalise the business passed without incident yesterday.

I think we can expect some fallout as a result of the decision to require councillors to declare their patrimony and personal interests.

Already the PP party have raised question about the husband of the first lieutenant to the Mayor. They claim that he made 316,153€ profit by selling premises he'd  bought in February 2004 to the Federation of Economic Promotion of Vega Baja (MPE) in May 2007. That was just days before the elections.

New commercial centre on the coast

Approval has been given to build the “Parque Comercial Las Playa" . This new commercial centre will be located on the Orihuela Costa on a plot of land of about 245,000 square metres next to to the main connection between the AP-7, and theN332 at La Zenia.

The “Parque Comercial Las Playa", which has been designed by the North American company RTKL, will create 2,466 jobs. The company consider that the axis between Orihuela-Torrevieja-Murcia and Alicante is a suitable site for a new commercial centre of this type. They believe it will re-generate the area. They are in negotiations with Alcampo, Decathlon, Leroy Merlin along with other multinationals.

Once approval is given by the City council of Orihuela for re- parcelling the land, work can begin. It is expected that approval will be granted by the end of this year and that work will then start on construction at the beginning of 2009.

Let's hope this is a greater success than some other commercial centres which are struggling to keep customers interested. Whilst the Habaneras appears to be thriving, Ociopia in Orihuela, which is admittedly much smaller has fewer shops open each time we visit.