Abandoned

This should have been one of the largest stalls serving food in the market. Situated in an open space on a corner though, it was susceptible to the strong winds that were causing havoc and will likely continue over the weekend.

By early afternoon, the owners had abandoned the idea of opening and had taken most of the infrastructure away.

For those who are selling non perishable products, abandoning means a loss of earnings but for this stall, they would have bought in a lot of food especially for the occasion some of which will go to waste.

A late start

We got to Orihuela for 11am only to find that none of the stalls had opened. The wind was the problem, strong gusts forced the delay with some even packing up and leaving after their stalls had been damaged overnight.

No matter, by noon it had calmed down enough for the market to open.

We nearly missed the inaugural parade at about 2pm and had to hot foot it to the town hall to catch them arriving there.

Today the forecast is for strong wind again accompanied by rain which may mean another delay in opening. Tomorrow should be dry and sunny but that wind will still persist. It could well be calmer on Monday but of course the market will be finished then.

Slow, slow, quick, quick, slow

Put on your dancing shoes and get down to the Social Centre for an hour’s tripping the light fantastic. Who knows, you may be good enough to feature on a forthcoming “Strictly come dancing”.

Bah, humbug!

When we first came here, Antonio manned the Post Office and he did so very well. Since he left, we have had a succession of people in there who do not seem to be as efficient particularly when they first arrive – perhaps they are trainees, I can’t say!

The other day Pamela called to collect a parcel and waited over 20 minutes. The new lady behind the counter had to resort to phoning for help several times and that slowed things down. I understand that some of the transactions are a lot more complicated than just weighing a letter and stamping it and they take time but still it is frustrating.

When Pamela eventually got to the front, she was told that she could not have the parcel – why?

Pamela needed to provide identity. In the old days we had identity cards which were just fine but our new Residencia does not include a photo so that is not acceptable. No matter, she had her driving licence which has a photo and also her NIE number on it but apparently that was still not acceptable.

The new lady told Pam that she must have her passport. Of course we do not carry our passports with us, who would?

Damn, blast and sod it, we have to go back down this morning armed with out passports and hope that the queue today is a lot shorter.

The rise of left wing politics

Victory for the far left Syriza party in Greece has been hailed as a triumph by Podemos in Spain. Both parties have an anti-austerity agenda which has appealed to voters.

There are differences though between the two countries. In Greece the socialist government lost control of the financial situation and sought a bailout which only came with conditions of very strict austerity measures. In return the country has received 240bn euros. By contrast Spain did not ask for a bailout but did receive 41bn euros to rescue its banking system.

No matter, Pablo Iglesias’ party still intends to kick out the so called self-serving, established figures in both the PP and the Socialist parties. In January, the fledgling party won 8% of the votes in the European elections and currently are polling 28% of the votes. Voters in Spain will be eagerly watching what happens in Greece before deciding the fate of their own country.

Could this be the reason?

If you ever wondered why the Bigastro band are so good in concert, just look at their calendar of rehearsals over the next month.

At the moment they are rehearsing for a competition that they hope to take part in.

Apart from Thursdays and Sundays, the rest of the days are pretty well filled.

Look at the timings as well. A lot of the band members work so the rehearsals start in the evening during the week with many of the general rehearsals scheduled between 10pm and 11:30pm.

I go along to the concerts and take a hundred or so pictures and they are very grateful. That is nothing in comparison with the work they put in. 

A massive market

Tourism continues to be one of the most important activities on the Costa Blanca.

Figures show that 5,388 million euros was spent by foreign tourists last year, an increase of 3.4% on the previous year. The UK remains the largest spender at 1,537 million euros.

Of the other nationalities, spending  by the French increased by 16.7%, Germans spent 24.1% more, the Italians - 5.4% more and Belgiums – 9% more. The Russian market continues to be strong with a 23.9% increase.

The average spend was 864 euros or 78 euros per day, an increase of 3.1% over 2013.

New York closed down

• The city that never sleeps, fell silent last night as a travel ban came into force at 11pm.
• In New York city, the mayor closed the subway system and vehicles were banned from the roads in 13 counties with fines of $300 dollars imposed on those who dared to set out.
• Around 6,500 flights were cancelled, with most not expected to be rescheduled until Wednesday. Train routes were also cancelled.
• By 1:30am though, some forecasters had downgraded the predicted levels from 3 feet to 1 foot although they still said that levels in Boston could still reach two feet.

Travel conditions are still hazardous because of the lethal combination of heavy snow and strong winds.

Britain is also on alert for cold weather but the predictions there are only for a few inches of snow to fall.

In the meantime, I am looking out of my window at a beautiful sunny morning here in Bigastro!

Sign up for some training

Bigastro is offering a 20 hour course on bricklaying at the Auditorium on the 24th, 25th, 26th and 27th February (4pm to 10pm).

Having watched the way that some Spanish workmen lay bricks, this could be very useful. To be fair, Spanish brick and concrete block walls are usually rendered so the quality of the finish is not so important. In fact, it is probably better to leave gaps in the cement to provide better adhesion to the render.

Agreement in the meeting

Looking at the agenda for last night’s council meeting, I spotted items 9 and 10 – motions to prevent imputed councillors from appearing on the lists for the forthcoming election. I assumed that the ruling PP would be in favour but would the socialists who have more seats at council?

The answer came in the papers this morning when I read that motion 9 had been passed unanimously by all parties. BIgastro was following the model set out in Alicante where the ex mayor Sonia Castedo, who has also been charged with corruption, agreed not to stand this year. Motion 10, put by the Liberals was in a similar vein.

However, there is a twist to the tale because Raul Valerio Medina claims that he will still be eligible to stand for election on the basis that the alleged offences against him cannot be considered to be corruption.

Tragic accident in Albacete

Two Greek pilots along with eight French citizens were killed and scores of people injured, seven of them seriously, when a Greek F-16 crashed at the Los Llanos air base in Albacete. The Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, confirmed in a television interview that no Spaniards were among the victims.

The incident occurred at about 3:18pm when the aircraft, participating in the Tactical Leadership Programm (TLP) NATO program (also known as School Improvement Pilot), fell to the ground shortly after takeoff.

The aircraft collided into five parked aircraft causing a major fire. The planes affected were French Mirage and Italian Alpha Jets.

The four week  NATO training program includes members from Greece, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Britain, Italy, Spain and the United States

This was the most serious incident involving military aircraft on Spanish soil since a US Hercules crashed in the province of Zaragoza during 1984 killing 18.

And now for something different

It is a long time to wait for San Joaquin in August so the Department of Culture have come up with the idea of a mid-year festival.

Not sure what will be involved but I am certain it will be an entertaining day of fun not to mention great photo opportunities. 

Police thwart a possible attack

Heavily armed police conducted a series of raids in the north African enclave of Ceuta and arrested four men.

The detainees belong to a militant Islamic network which could have been planning an attack on the mainland of Spain.

More about that pine beetle

Tomicus piniperdais; a black or dark brown beetle, 3.5-4.8mm long with a cylindrical body which is rounded at the head and abdomen. It breeds in recently dead or dying trees.

The adults tunnel a breeding gallery in spring which can be up to 25cm long. There the eggs are laid. When the eggs hatch, the larvae chew their way out from the gallery and emerge as adults in late summer. The adults then feed on the shoots of healthy young trees killing them off in the process.

The beetle does not kill the tree as such but it does damage its growth form.
2014 was the warmest year on record in this area for the last forty years, it was also one of the driest. The pine trees only had 40% of the water that they would normally have received.

It is estimated that 85% of the pine trees in the region have been affected in areas like; Orihuela, Hurchillo, Bigastro, Callosa, Benejúzar, Algorfa and the Sierra Escalona-Campoamor

What is the weather doing today?

Readers of my blog will note that I have a link to the AEMET website in the sidebar which tells the weather over the next three days ( six if you click on the word AEMET bottom left in the box). AEMET is the State Agency for weather and as such is usually a reliable source of information. There is however, a more local source of information at MeteOrihuela , a web site maintained by Pedro José Gómez. His Facebook page has over 8,700 followers and is the most popular source for weather information in Spain.

If you want a forecast of the weather, look to the bottom of the web page where you will find this box. Hover your mouse over the weather symbol to find out what the conditions will be for that day. e.g. I have hovered my mouse over today to find that it will be sunny with the humidity at 42%.

Let’s look at the weather

With an eye to the Medieval Market next weekend in particular.

AEMET is usually a fair guide as to what we can expect although, like all forecasting, they do get the timing wrong sometimes.

Today should be sunny and dry with a pleasant high of 19 degrees. There will only be the lightest of breezes to cool things down.

Monday could be a little more chilly as we see more cloud cover. After that, it will warm up nicely towards next weekend.

Friday looks promising with a forecast high of 20 degrees even though there could well be a little more cloud about. However, we may find the wind has picked up  but that should not trouble those who go to the market in the narrow streets of the old town.

By Saturday there could well be more cloud about, temperatures should still be pleasant and the wind may well have dropped to give way to perhaps a light shower or two.

There is no forecast for Sunday yet but I imagine it will still be pleasant. Let’s hope I am right for the benefit of those Spaniards out in their expensive clothing. The last thing they will want to do is cover up with an old coat!

Medieval Market

The fifteenth edition of the Medieval Market in Orihuela will take place between Friday 30th January and Sunday 1st February. That is a week earlier than it has been so the organisers have their fingers crossed for fine weather.

The plan is to have more street entertainment than in previous years and to have the various shows and performances distributed throughout the three days.

Seventeen out of the eighteen Moors and Christian groups will be present as of course will the Armengola for this year, Almudena Meseguer.

I prefer to go on Friday when it is less busy because that is a better time for photographs. Saturday and even more so Sunday, it will be packed with hardly any room to move in the narrow streets of the old town. I am told that it is more atmospheric at night.  To be honest,  I have never stayed until after dark because it can get really cold.

Those of you who go will notice a lot of well dressed Spaniards about because this is very much an occasion to show off their Sunday best. You may also notice the well heeled walking past the stalls without giving them a glance because there is nothing on offer that they would want to buy or, more to the point be seen to be buying.

They may stop at one of the various places to eat and partake in some food washed down with a drink. Mostly though they will be promenading, passing greetings to their friends as they move slowly along, hoping that they are seen by those they most wish to impress.

For avid people watchers the Medieval Market is pure heaven.  I shall be there with a more discreet camera than before hoping to get some interesting pictures for you. 

Double standards

Over 100 ex footballers in the UK face financial ruin according to the Guardian.

Whilst they were playing, they earned up to six figure and even million pound salaries and sought to gain tax relief through a scheme that involved investing in the British film industry. Their financial advisers sold them the schemes operated by Ingenious Media and the players bought into them thinking that this was a good investment and even more important a way of avoiding paying tax.

Unfortunately, Inland Revenue have challenged the validity of the two schemes, Ingenious Games LLP and Ingenious Film Partners 2 LLP, saying that they did not operate in a way that really qualified. and are now demanding repayment of the tax relief which of course in most cases has already been spent.

Interestingly, the schemes date back to 2000 - 14 years ago.  I say that because, this year we became aware that we should not have been paying tax on our state pensions in the UK.

We filled in the appropriate forms showing we were tax residents in Spain in 2006 and sent them to HMRC. Once we were in receipt of our state pensions they should have been acted upon but weren't. We simply assumed, because we have government pensions that have to be taxed in the UK, we were not eligible.

Once it became clear that we should NOT have been taxed on our “old age” pensions we applied to claim the tax back; in my case two years (plus this tax year) and in Pamela’s seven (plus this year). In reply to my letter, HMRC told Pamela that she could only claim back four years because they only have records going back so far.

It seems if you owe HMRC back tax they can go back as far as needs be but if they owe you tax that should not have been paid in the first place then four years is the limit. The word “crooks” comes to mind.  

Bárcenas speaks out

Having left jail, the ex-treasurer of the PP, Luis Bárcenas, has spoken out and revealed that the prime minister DID know of the B account right from the beginning.

 He also says that the accounting was real , every last payment detailed in the accounts was made in the form of envelopes delivered by Alvaro Lapuerta.

 Bárcenas takes full responsibility for what went on but adds that it was the party that benefited not him.

According to his statement, the B account dates back to the time when José María Aznar was chief executive of the party and Rosendo Naseiro  was the treasurer.

 Regarding the notion that he has personal accounts in places like the Cayman Islands. Bermuda and Singapore, Bárcenas says it is not true. The only money he has is in Switzerland which he claims he earned.

 Is it any wonder that the Gürtel case is taking so long to investigate with so many twists and turns to the story and so many high ranking politicians implicated.

Good news for the Vega Baja lemons

As you are all aware, lemons are one of the most important crops in the Vega Baja. For a number of years the price at market has been so low that some farmers have given up growing them and others have simply left the fruit on the trees rather than waste money picking them.

2015 could be different though.

Turkey is the main competitor for lemons and that country has had bad weather. Even at the beginning of the growing season it was clear that the crop there was going to be down by 14% and then there was snow late 2014/early 2015 to make matters worse.

It is not only lemons that have suffered in Turkey,  a heavy frost in the Maalatya region will reduce the production of apricots.