Costa Cálida Chronicle January 2012

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Please tell our customers where you saw their advertisement in the Costa Cálida ChronicleTo place an advertisement with us please see page 5 or contact Teresa 619 199 407

www.costacalidachronicle.com email: [email protected]

Costa Cálida Chronicle

The Longest Established FREE Magazine

in Murcia

hed

Date: January 2012 Issue: 2 Volume: XIIwww.costacalidachronicle.com

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Friday 27th January - Dinosaur Footprint Walk. Meet El Berro car park 10.30am

NEST specialises in very easy short walks for NON-sporty people who want to get out and see spectacular places with a friendly group of similar people, who aren’t gung-ho sporty walkers in a rush to get ahead. NEST is for healthy people of all ages who appreciate stopping to admire the views and being able to talk and walk at the same time in a very sociable, friendly, atmosphere. The ethos of NEST walks is that we are relaxed and wait for the slower people and don’t do terrifying walks! However you do need to be healthy and if you can’t manage a whole morning on your feet for example walking around streets, you won’t magically be able to do an easy

NEST walk. NEST doesn’t cater for people with health problems and everyone comes at their own risk.

On this walk there’s the option to see a fossilized dinosaur’s footprint down a few large steps, and also a very short, small, wooden-slatted rope bridge to cross that anyone can manage. The base is fl at and solid, made of wood and you just walk across it in ten seconds. The nice thing about this bridge too, is it makes you look a bit like an intrepid explorer so friends and family like to photograph each other on it to show other people! So do bring cameras for fun! There are some tarmac slopes on this walk and the rest is pine-clad and rubbly paths. The walk is no more than 2 hours. The scent of pine underfoot is divine and you may even come across some wild thyme. It’s a wonderful way to

spend a morning, in the company of other friendly people of all ages, followed by a scrumptious menu del dia meal in our favourite mountain restaurant where the 4 course meal of salad, starter, main course, dessert and coffee, including a drink, comes to 9€. We often see wild boar too, although it can’t be guaranteed of course! The walk itself is 5€. If you’d like to meet new people and enjoy a friendly morning out, followed by a delicious meal in good company, come alongand we’ll all have a good time together!

You MUST book fi rst with all your full names and await a proper written confi rmation, before you can be properly booked in, and you need to supply a Spanish contact phone number for any last minute changes. You can book by email at [email protected] or phone or send text messages to 679002147. You can’t just turn up without receiving proper confi rmation as places are limited. There is lots more info plus driving directions on http://nestwalks.info and if you join the mailing list you’ll hear about new walks or changes before anyone else. Looking forward to seeing you! Bring some water and some sensible footwear, cameras and a smile!

Page 4Please tell our customers where you saw their advertisement in the Costa Cálida Chronicle

To place an advertisement with us please see page 5 or contact Teresa 619 199 407www.costacalidachronicle.com email: [email protected]

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Firstly we would like to thank all our regular contributors for the brilliant articles they write each month:Jennifer Rahman – Ask JenniferLouisa Livingstone – AstrologyThe Robertson Children – Children’s ChatterboxMark Davies – Classic ArtistesClive Palmer – Explore MurciaDick & Clodagh Handscombe – GardeningDavid Gay – Golf TipsJenny Iredale – Housing UpdateSara Millbank – Ma MillbankLiz Edmiston – Property MattersPhil Jones – QuizTallk Spanish – Spanish NewsJane Cronin – Spanish TipsTina Tait – Spanish InformationRainbow Satellites - TV NewsTogether with all these regular articles and those sent in by local organisations and charities make the Costa Cálida Chronicle the magazine that it is, but we could not produce this free magazine without the support of all of our advertisers, many of whom have been with us for many years. We will continue to help the local communities by giving free space in the magazine for recognised organisations and free editorial for our advertisers on a pro-rata basis.

2012 will hopefully see the start of an upturn in the area with the opening of Corvera Airport and the start of the Paramount

Theme Park. Hopefully businesses trading now will see an improvement and new businesses will start up.

We would like too welcome the following new advertisersADF PeluqueriaCDA Fitness

And welcome back:Lloyds Bank Inside OutAdam Sheraston The Horse WhispererBar La Peña / Restaurant La Marina

If you would like to share some of your days out with our readers, please send in a short article together with photos. There are so many beautiful places to visit here in Spain, but many of us do not get to see them. There are also events happening in the area that are not publicised. If you hear of anything happening in your area that you think may be of interest to others, you can email the details to us at [email protected] and we can put the information in the magazine or if it is too late to be included in that month, we can put it on the Costa Calida Chronicle blog.

We would like to wish all our readers and advertisers a Very Happy New Year and hope that 2012 is all you wish for.

From all at the Chronicle

Contact Us:Camposol Offi ce - 968 970 680Teresa Hicks - Sales & Marketing - 619 199 407Patti Benn - Editor - 646 005 017Jo Wrench - Graphic Design and Publishing - 646 610 080Bob Benn - Finance - 620 582 654Martine Shindler - Customer Services - 968 970 680

To place a business advert please contact Teresa HicksTo discuss editorial content and articles please contact Patti BennTo discuss advert changes please contact Jo Wrench

If you would like to place an advertisement or write an article to be included in the Costa Cálida Chronicle, then please send it to:Costa Cálida Chronicle S.L.28 Calle JaraCentro Commercial Sector BCamposol30875 MurciaEmail: [email protected]: www.costacalidachronicle.comTo our advertisers. Please note we have had some recent issues with email.If you have sent an email to the CCC and NOT received any acknowledgement then you can assume that we have not received it.In line with our customer service policy we always reply to every email even it it is just a short note to say “got it”.

Contents PageSPECIAL PAGESCamposol 38-40Mar Menor 59-65New Year’s Resolutions 68-71 Northwest Murcia 18-21What’s On 80-83 ADVERTORIALBig Breakfast Butcher 63Bolnuevo Cars 32CDA Fitness 68Compusurf 98Getting Fit Safely/Annette 71Healthy H2O 71Phoenix Hypnotherapy 69Telepan 77The Fuschia Clinic 54The Salon 48CHARITIESADAPT 59Age Concern 36 Andrea’s Animal Charity 98Bolnuevo Bear Auction 16Easy Horse Care 74Galgos del Sol 24 GO maD 77HAH Help at Home 60HELP Mar Menor 65 Helping Hands 22JJ Puppies 77 John Kemp 68Kev’s Weightloss 14 MABS Mar Menor 64MABS Mazarrón 26MAB NW 21MAMAS 43 Noah’s ARC 28

PALS 43 Pets In Spain 54RAD Refuge 47CHILDRENChatterbox 76EDUCATIONJane Cronin’s Spanish 6U3A 66ENTERTAINMENTAuthor Review 73Classic Artistes 84FOOD & DRINKMa Millbank 12GROUPSDarwinian Gardeners 14ESAMD 44Spangles 61 Welcome 46HEALTHAlternative Therapy 67EFT 60INFORMATIONAdvertiser’s Directory 96/97Ask Jennifer 78Camposol A Clean-up 39Camposol A Committee 39Camposol Fiesta 38Camposol Sector D 40Cave Paintings 30Classifi ed Ads 90 CRA 38Distribution Points 94Driving Licences 10 Life in Spain 48Louis Braille 26Medical Advice 36

Northwest Murcia 20Planes, Trains & Paramount 42Price List etc 92Spanish News 51Subscriptions 94Teresa’s Travels 48LEISUREAstrology 50Cloud Nine 19Cloud Nine Review 32Gardening News 72Murcia Dance 8NEST 4Puzzle Page 70Puzzle Solutions 92TV News 34WARM 18PROPERTYHousing Update 22Property Matters 58RELIGIONMass in English 98Olive Branch 40St Nicholas Church 7Wellspring Victory Church 44 SPORTCastelar Football 89Costa Cálida Golf 89Fuente Old Guard 87Golf tips 86Hacienda Golf 88Los Amigos Mazarrón 85Mazarrón Bowls 88SAMM 62Spanish Supermoto 86Straight Down the Middle 88

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Just as we saw last month with the letter M, I am happy to tell you that the pronunciation of the letter N is the same in Spanish as in English. If you actually listen to the way

Spaniards speak, you will notice that practically all the consonant sounds are lighter or softer than in English which make them diffi cult for us to hear at times. With a simple phrase like “no pasa nada” it is always the vowel sounds that will come over clearest, while the mouth glides over the consonants. Even though we pronounce the letter the same, the actual sound produced can still be a little hard to pick up. It’s just a question of tuning in to this and getting used to it over a period of time.

As usual there are plenty of words beginning with the letter N that remind us of their equivalents in English. First we will look at a whole group of words which are related to each other. These are interesting because they show us how words are built up and also how we can sometimes guess at the meanings of words from their roots.

We’ll start with these three: “Nación” (Nation), “nacional” (nacional), “nacionalidad” (nationality). Notice particularly that the Spanish ending “-dad” is the equivalent of “-ity” in English and there are scores of words that work in the same way. Then there is “nacionalismo” (nationalism) and “nacionalista” (nationalist). Also related to this group of words is “nativo” (native). In English we usually associate this word with primitive people, but in Spanish it simply means someone born in a particular country.

If you were ever to advertise your services as a native English-speaking English teacher (you could of course be Scottish, Welsh, Irish, American or Australian!) you would use the phrase “profesor nativo” for a man or “profesora nativa” for a woman. Then we have the word “natural” (natural) which in every day speech translates as “fresh” as in “zumo de naranja natural”, (fresh orange juice), but it also refers to the place someone comes from. In slightly more formal speech or writing we come across “Juan García, natural de Murcia”, (Juan Garcia, originally from Murcia, or native of Murcia).

Within the same family, but moving away from words that translate as N words in English, we have “nacer” (to be born). To say “I was born” is “nací” and he or she was born “nació”. Where were you born would be “¿Dónde naciste?” Grammatically speaking we are moving into the realms of irregular past tenses, but the words are useful enough for us to learn them without necessarily understanding the grammar. And fi nally we have word “nato” meaning “born” as in: “es un músico nato” (he is a born musician).

Now going on to other N words which link with English equivalents, we have “necesidad” another “-dad” word meaning “necessity”, “neutral” (neutral) – be careful with the pronunciation, a combination of the Spanish “e” and “u” with the “e” being the stronger sound, “normal” (normal), “nostalgia” (nostalgia), “nutrición” (nutrition), “norteamericano” (North American). This is an interesting one in that the Spanish differentiate clearly between the continent of America and the various countries belonging to it. When we say “American” we usually mean someone from the US, whereas for the Spanish “americano” means someone from any part of North or South America. A Spanish friend might tell you they have a “primo americano” coming to visit, in which case expect him to come from Cuba, Venezuela or another South or Central American country. The word for someone specifi cally from the

US (Estados Unidos) is “estadounidense”.

An interesting “estranged cousin” is the Spanish word “nervioso”. This can mean nervous in the English sense of timid or fearful, but is more often used to mean nervy, agitated or energetic. It is the same as when we say in English “he has a lot of nervous energy”. If a parent says to a teacher: “Mi hijo es muy nervioso”. (My son is very active or energetic) the teacher usually expects the worst!

Now here are two rather picturesque N words which I thought you might like. One is Adam’s apple which is “nuez de Adán” (Adam’s walnut!) and the name of a fl ower “nomeolvides” which translates “don’t forget me” and that’s exactly what it is, a “forget-me-not”.

To fi nish off, here are two saying containing the letter N. “Los niños y los locos dicen las verdades” literally “Children and fools cannot lie.” I’m not sure how true this actually is, but the equivalent phrase in English is “Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings”.

Another short saying which is very common is “perder el norte”, literally “to lose the north”. This comes from the idea of navigation and orientating oneself by the North Star. However, we use it to means someone who loses their way in a more personal sense. The colloquial equivalent in English is simply “to lose it”. When some poor soul is getting everything out of perspective and getting upset for no reason, we say “ha perdido el norte” – he’s lost the north on his compass and his (or her) world is in disarray!

Try learning more N words by going to the Wordsearch on page ?, translating the English words into Spanish.

Jane Cronin, Spanish classes and talks. www.janecronin.eu Tel: 968 18 32 58.

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St Nicholas Ecumenical ChurchCalle Sobrija 2248Sector D20 CamposolBy Rev Len Eaton MBEwww.stnicholaschurchspain.com

As I write this it is mid December and the celebration for the birth of the Christ child has, at least in a religious sense, not yet started. The usual over-indulgence of material and social events are, however, in full swing almost to the point of blanking the real meaning of Christmas. This year in particular there are many families who are homeless, without employment, with no money coming in to feed, let alone buy gifts for children or other family members. Yet through this awful time for those described above I see many very encouraging signs that Christmas in the true sense is still with us and indeed has been particularly highlighted this year.

I have seen many of the local charities who operate in our area working hard night and day to ensure that those deprived people around this area will not be left out. I have seen generous donations of food items given; money handed over to buy food and other goods and many toys and other things so that children will not go without. Many of these gifts have been given to those less fortunate than themselves. Yet many of those donating are not far off the bread line themselves. Thereby lies the true meaning of Christmas; peace and goodwill to all men and I trust that your Christmas just past bears memories, at least, of the true spirit of Christmastide, whether you celebrate it in the Christian tradition or otherwise.

I am delighted to tell you that as from January the German speaking part of our Church are going to hold some of their services at the new Church in Camposol. Previously they have held services at various Churches in Mazarrón and Puerto de Mazarrón and they are now coming home and we are thrilled about this. Services for January 2012Sunday 1st Song s of Praise 10.30amSunday 8th Holy Communion 10.30am German Service 4.pmSunday 15th Morning Prayer 10.30amSunday 22nd Holy Communion 10.30am German Service 4.pmSunday 29th Family Service 10.30am

All services are in English and take place at Calle Sobrija 2248, D20 Camposol, where a warm welcome awaits you. Services offered by the Church are Wedding Blessings, Holy Baptism, Confi rmation and Funerals. We have a Pastoral Service throughout the year, people who listen. Talk and are there to help anyone who is sick or in need. The Pastoral care is absolutely confi dential.

For any of the Church Services offered, or other information, please call Rev Len Eaton on 968 138 952, or Rev Deacon Maureen Kent on 636 099 679



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Murcia Dance was invited to perform in the Mazarrón Fiesta 2011 entertainment programme. The marquee was set out like a theatre space and it was great to be involved in such a fantastic opportunity. The children of Murcia Dance performed a 25 minute slot combining street and theatre dance routines. Murcia Dance winners from Mazarrón Festival de Baile 2011 also performed. The Mayoress of Camposol, Kelly Ensor linked up the dance school with the Mazarrón Council and supported Murcia Dance on the day. Trudy Anne Random Show from Costa Cálida Radio compered the event. Principal Louise Bremner is very proud of all the dancers that were involved. They worked very hard during rehearsals leading up to the performance and gave the estimated audience of around 800 people a fantastic show. Louise would like to thank all the parents for supporting the programme of Murcia Dance and its vibrant community.

Hello I’m Mia Stokes and I am 8 years old. I moved to live in Spain in June 2011 and my Mum and Dad told me it would be exciting, but I did not know how much until last Sunday. My BIG experience was joining Murcia Dance and dancing at the Mazarrón Fiesta last weekend.

It was really good fun putting our costume together. I needed to have a dirty shirt to

look like a chimney sweep so my sister and I were allowed to put our hands into the ash log burner and wipe them down each other’s tops. That was funny! On the day of the Fiesta I was feeling really nervous, but we had practised lots of times and we all remembered the dance. When we walked into the big tent in the market square I saw a HUGE stage with lights and lots of people. I thought ‘WOW’ and got even more nervous! As well as our families and friends watching there was a lot of Spanish people watching. They seemed to enjoy our dancing as at the end they clapped very loudly and for a long time. I think they enjoyed watching as much as we enjoyed dancing.

On the stage when I did the street dance, I fell onto my bum and nearly forgot the dance but I managed to keep going. We all went back on stage to dance to ‘Step In Time’ from Mary Poppins and had a great time, but it all went really fast and I wanted to do it all again! When I came off the stage I was very excited but also very tired. I loved both the dances I did and watching everyone else and I think it was the biggest and best experience I have ever had. I am so glad I go to Murcia Dance with Louise teaching me and I have made lots of new friends and I can’t wait for our next performance!Mia xx

My name is Kian Davies and I am 10 years old. The weekend of 3rd December was special as it was my birthday and the fi rst time that my dance school, Murcia Dance, had performed in Mazarrón town, in front of a mainly Spanish audience!

We only found out about the performance a couple of weeks before, so we had to practice hard – so hard that when I got tired, I said “All my Pants” instead of “All my Pals” as the opening line to one of the songs we performed!

The night was fun but very scary. The marquee seemed bigger than Camposol commercial centre and the stage was huge. When we arrived, there was a local Spanish band rehearsing and they were loud! We couldn’t hear each talk, but we found other ways to play whilst we were waiting. There were not that many people in the audience at this stage but it soon started to fi ll up.Finally, it was time to go on stage at 8.30pm and I was very nervous, but once we got started the nerves went away and we all concentrated hard on our moves.

We performed 5 routines altogether, some group dances, 2 duets and 1 solo. Most of these we had performed before, but we had a few new ones thrown in for good measure. We hadn’t been rehearsing these for that long but they went well considering - it was a lot to remember on the night.It wasn’t long before it was over and I was back with my family who all came to watch and were very proud of me. It was getting late and we all had school the next day so we didn’t hang around for long. The marquee was packed and it looked like the locals were in for a good night.

Murcia Dance is a great way to meet up and have fun with my friends and perform in local events.

KianPhotos by Richard Woods

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Information on who may exchange their for-eign driver’s licence for a Spanish licence. Information applies to European Union citi-zens (UK, EU etc.) as well as people with American, Australian or other non-EU driv-er’s licences.

The rules on whether a foreigner in Spain may legally use their driver’s licence, or whether they must exchange it for a Span-ish one, depend on where their licence was issued. There are three options:1. Some licences may be kept or ex-

changed for a Spanish one2. Some must exchange their licence

(canjes de permisos) for a Spanish one within a set period

3. Some may not be exchanged. The holder must undergo a full driving test (theory and practical) in order to get a Spanish driving licence (licencia de conducción) which will allow them to le-gally drive in Spain.

H olders of an EU Driving LicenceAll valid EU (European Union) Community and EEC (European Economic Area) driving licences are valid in Spain provided that the licence holder is 18 years or older (18 is the minimum driving age in Spain). There is no obligation for the licence to be exchanged for a Spanish one. However a foreign resi-dent in Spain is entitled to exchange the EEA licence if they choose to.Note: The EEC includes all European Union countries, Norway, Iceland and Lichtenstein.

Although exchanging an EU driving licence for a Spanish licence is not required, all Spanish licence conditions apply to the EU licence being used by a foreign resident in Spain. These conditions include:• the period of validity of the licence• requirement for medical checks• payment of taxes• penalties and restrictions, including

suspension, withdrawal and cancella-tion of the licence

If a driving infraction occurs, Spanish au-thorities can require the holder of a licence from an EU country to obtain a new, Spanish licence so that points can be removed.

Foreign drivers from within the EU will still need to register with the traffi c authori-ties within six months of moving to Spain. Details must be registered with the Central Register of Drivers and Minor Offenders (Registro Central de Conductores e Infrac-tores) of the Provincial Traffi c Headquarters (Jefatura Provincial de Tráfi co) of their place of residence.

Once registered, applicants will need to un-dergo a medical examination at an Au-thorised Drivers Check Centre (Centro de Reconocimiento de Conductores Autorizado) to show mental and physical fi tness and the standards that apply to Spanish drivers will apply to them.

Licence AddressesWhile it is completely legal to use the EU-is-sued licence until it expires, it is not possible

to change the address on the EU licence to an address outside of the issuing country. It is generally accepted within the rules that the address on the licence will be from the issuing country and may not be the driv-ers’ actual residential address.

UK licence holders please note this statement from the DVLA: Moving to another countryYou don’t need to notify DVLA of a change of address when moving to live abroad.

Exchanging an EEC licence for a Span-ish licenceThe holder of an EEC driving licence may ex-change it for an equivalent Spanish licence. Application must be made at the Provincial Traffi c Headquarters of the applicant’s prov-ince of residence and an application form is-sued by the Provincial Traffi c Headquarters must be completed.

Documents required:• Proof of identity (passport original and

copy)• Proof of residence (Certifi cate of Reg-

istration in the Central Aliens Register - the NIE number (Número de Identi-fi cación de Extranjer)

• Valid driving licence to be exchanged (original and photocopy)

• Two recent photographs (32 by 25 mm)• Declaration in writing stating that the

applicant has not been banned or sus-pended from driving

• Declaration in writing stating that the applicant does not hold another driv-ing licence of the same class in another country

The licence issued will be credit card sized and include photo identifi cation.

The driving licence will be sent by ordinary post.

The licence will need regular renewal; a stan-dard Spanish driving licence for a private car or bike is valid for ten years when the holder is under 45 years of age, fi ve years between 45 and 70, and two years from 70 on.

Us ing a Non-EU Driving Licence in SpainLicence holders 18 years of age and older, with a valid licence from anywhere other than the EEC countries may legally drive in Spain for up to six months after fi rst acquir-ing Spanish residency.

During that period it is essential that an of-fi cial translation or an International Drivers Permit (IDP) accompany any foreign licence that is not in Spanish.

After six months the foreign licence is no longer valid. Exchange agreements exist between Spain and some countries which allow the licence holder to exchange their licence for an equivalent Spanish one. Spain has a special licence exchange agreement with Switzerland, South Korea, Japan and Andorra.Licences issued in the following countries may also be exchanged by foreigners legally

resident in Spain: Algeria, Argentina, Bo-livia, Chile, Colombia, Croatia, Ecuador, Mo-rocco, Peru, Dominican Republic, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela.

Any person with a licence from any other country will need to take the full Spanish driving test.

Note: the list of countries sharing exchange agreements does change. It is recommend-ed to confi rm with the relevant nation’s Con-sulate in Spain if an exchange agreement exists.Exchanging a non-EU licence for a Span-ish licence

Application must be made at the Provincial Traffi c Headquarters (Jefatura Provincial de Tráfi co).

Necessary documentation:• Completed application form issued by

the Provincial Traffi c Headquarters• Photocopy (and original) of a Spanish

Residence Permit (Tarjeta de Residen-cia) and a copy of the passport along with the NIE number (Número de Iden-tifi cación de Extranjero) as proof of ad-dress in Spain

• Certifi cate of psychological aptitude is-sued by the Authorised Drivers Check Centre (Centro de Reconocimiento de Conductores Autorizado) of the prov-ince of residence of the applicant

• Two recent photographs (32 x 25 mm)• Declaration in writing that there is no

legal process pending nor licence sus-pension that forbids the right to drive

• Declaration in writing that no other equivalent licence from any other coun-try is held

• Declaration in writing (in Spanish) that the licence is authentic and valid. RACE (Real Automóvil Club de España) is able to assist

• The licence being exchanged and a pho-tocopy (It may be necessary to have an offi cial Spanish translation of the li-cence).

The Provincial Traffi c Headquarters may re-quest verifi cation from the country that is-sued the permit that it is real and valid.

Further information (in Spanish) is available from the Provincial Traffi c Headquarters by telephone:• Provincial Traffi c Headquarters

Tel: 902 300 175 (Mon-day to Friday 09:00-16:00)http://www.dgt.es/portal/es/ofi -cina_virtual/conductores/canje_permisos/ (in Spanish)

Not permitted to exchange a licenceAustralia, the USA, Canada, New Zealand and South Africa are included in the list of countries where no agreement exists. Once the licence holder has legal residence in Spain they may drive for up to six months on their licence before taking a Spanish driv-ing text.

Information supplied by Angloinfo



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Christmas is over and it’s time to stop in-dulging and think about healthy eating. January for me always starts with good in-tentions so before I break my New Year’s resolution to lose weight and eat better. Here are some very good low fat recipes to try. We all know that reducing the fat in your diet means losing weight, but we do need some fat. Our brain tissues and bone marrow both need fat to function and we also need fat to protect our organs such as our liver, heart and kidneys. Nutritionists suggest cutting our intake of fat to 30% of our total intake will bring good results. Saturated fats are bad fats which the body has diffi culty breaking down so it tends to store it; these are solid at room tempera-ture. Unsaturated fats are normally liquid and are classed as good fats which the body needs. Another tip is to grill things instead of frying so the fat drains away. Below are several recipes to help with a healthier diet.Buen Apetito

Oat Crusted Chicken Pieces25g rolled oats1 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary4 skinless chicken quarters1 egg white150g natural low fat fromage frais2 tsp wholegrain mustardSalt and pepperMix together the rolled oats, rosemary and salt and pepper. Brush each chicken with egg and then coat with oats mixture. Place the chicken on a baking tray and cook for about 40 minutes 200º C. Test the chicken with a skewer – the juice should run clear if cooked. Mix fromage frais and mustard, add salt and pepper and serve with chicken salad.

Hot Pot Chops4 lean boneless pork chops1 small onion1 medium carrot1 medium potato1 tsp olive oilRosemarySalt and pepperTrim excess fat from the chop, season both sides and place on a baking tray. Alternate layers of sliced onion, carrot and potato on each chop. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with rosemary. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the chop is tender. Serve with peas.

Ginger Beef with Chilli4 lean beef steaks2 tbsp ginger wine2.5 cm piece of root ginger1 garlic crushed1 tsp ground chilli1 tsp vegetable oilSalt and pepperRelish225g pineapple1 small red pepper1 red chilli2 tsp soy sauce1 piece stem ginger in syrup, drained and chopped.Trim all excess off the beef steaks. Using a rolling pin or mallet, pound the steaks to tenderise and season both sides, then place in a shallow dish. Mix the ginger wine, root ginger, garlic and chilli and then pour over the meat. Cover and leave for minimum of 30 minutes. Make the relish by fi nely chopping the pineapple and place in a bowl. Halve and deseed the pepper and chilli and then fi nely chop. Stir into the pineapple together with the soy sauce and stem ginger. Chill until required. Brush a grill pan with oil and heat until very hot. Drain the meat and add to the pan turn-ing the heat down and cook one side for 5 minutes and then turn over. Serve with

noodles and the relish.Leek and Parsnip Bake350g parsnips (cubed)350g leeks (chopped)1tbsp olive oil3 eggs separated2tbsp plain fl our225g low-fat soft cheeseSalt and pepperBoil parsnips in water until tender and drain and mash. Heat the oil and cook leeks until tender. Add half the leeks to the parsnips, stir in the fl our and then the egg yolks. Beat egg whites until stiff and then add to the mixture. Spread the mixture in a tin and bake on 190 degrees for 25 minutes. Stir the remaining leeks into the soft cheese and heat up. Add seasoning to taste. When the bake is cooked, remove from the oven and spread the leek/cheese mixture over the top. Serve either hot or cold.

Sesame Seed Oatcakes200g 7 oz oatmeal1 tbsp sesame seedsPinch of saltPinch of bicarbonate of soda1 tbsp of olive oil2-3 tbsp of hot waterFlour to dustMix all ingredients to form fi rm dough, but add the water a little at a time. The mixture will be very crumbly, but keep pressing together. Roll the mixture out on a fl oury surface as thinly as you can. Cut into triangles or rounds and place on bak-ing tray. Bake on 180C 350 F for about 10 minutes until golden brown.



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Kevin Hicks’ Sponsored Weight Loss for Help For HeroesAfter years of nagging by his wife Teresa and following a recent well being check by Dawn Heron (Calida Care Agency), Kevin Hicks from Camposol Heating & Maintenance (CHM) has fi nally accepted the need to lose some weight, but needed an incentive. (Apparently the nagging was not enough to actually get him to do anything!)

Kevin and some of his friends and colleagues have decided to do a sponsored weight loss starting in January and to give all the proceeds to the wonderful Help For Heroes charity.

By the time this publication hits the streets, more details will be available and the sponsor forms will be ready and can be obtained from the CHM offi ces inside Nicky G Translation Services on Camposol Sector B.

You can either sponsor Kevin and his chums with a one-off donation, or sponsor per kilo lost. Kevin’s sister-in-law Rachel in the UK has already pledged a pound for every pound he loses. This could be a cent or a euro for every kilo for example.

Please help Kevin achieve his goal by buying him a diet coke instead of a beer and give to this wonderful charity. You will be able to follow Kevin’s progress in the Costa Cálida Chronicle and on the blogspot. Thank you.

On Saturday December 10th we met at Cortijo Raja, Morata. A demonstration of bamboo fence-making was followed by a talk about the dreaded palm weevil, complete with an example of the surprisingly large beetle.

Mulled wine and nibbles, together with an olive oil tasting competition helped lubricate the proceedings.

The second part of the programme was a very interesting meeting with a local Spanish vegetable grower who talked to us about his organic farming methods. The day was completed with a most enjoyable lunch in the bar La Ermita in Morata.

Our next event on January 14th is a trip to a large garden centre at Torre Pacheco which specialises in trees and grasses for dry conditions, followed by lunch at Los Alcazares.

We are keen to welcome new members, so please telephone 669 338 885 or email [email protected] forfurther details.

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The Teddy Bear Auction held on Saturday 10th December at Monroe’s Bar in Bolnuevo was an outstanding success! Marina Curtis who lives in Bolnuevo had a large collection of bears including some collectable Harrods and Gund bears and felt it was about time

to do something worthwhile with them; so she decided to sell them to raise money for a charity. Marina met Dawn Heron of CCCA at the Breast Cancer Awareness charity event held at Munroe’s Bar in the autumn. Together they came up with the idea of a Teddy Bear Auction. Word soon got round and the collection of bears grew with contributions from local people to 70 bears, of which 5 were collectable Steiff bears.

Ken Payne of PALS, volunteered to be the Auctioneer and did a great job entertaining the crowd and getting top dollar for the bears so much so that their generosity was abundant.

The mulled wine fl owed, the sun shone, the bears

went to happy homes and everyone had an enjoyable afternoon. At the end of the day the auction achieved a whopping 955€. This was helped by a further auction of some of the bears that PALS bought and then auctioned at their dinner dance on Sunday 11th.

Thanks to all those that contributed bears, and everyone else involved in making it such a successful day. The money raised will buy Christmas food and gifts for the needy families and children and the disabled children of Mazarrón.



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For the fi rst time ever we have no walks to re-port on this month. Al-though we have been enjoying some beauti-ful sunshine recently, on each day of our programmed walks the skies opened and we had to make the deci-sion to cancel. There

are two more walks ar-ranged for December and we are keeping our fi ngers crossed for dry weather. The pro-gramme then continues next year with the fi rst walk being on 11 Janu-ary in the North West of the region.

WARM is a group of peo-ple who enjoy walking in the region of Murcia and the walks can be anything between 6 and 26 kilome-tres. If you are interested in joining us then please contact [email protected] for further in-formation and a copy of the current programme.

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Why is it that the Spanish cannot inform us when they have something on? By chance some friends of ours in Bullas saw a poster advertising Les Miserables. Was it really this fabulous musical, or was it the Spanish version? We turned up at the theatre in Bullas at about 7.30 for an 8pm start. The theatre has recently been refurbished and it is quite luxurious with extremely com-fortable seats (a bit too comfortable for a couple of us who, I hate to admit, did doze a couple of times during the performance!). The whole show was well worth watching and the singing and acting was very pro-fessional. It was just such a pity that it was not well advertised as I think our party of seven was the only English there. For €8 a ticket, it was a good night out.

Most of you will know by now that Patti and Jo have sold Cosas y Cosas in Cehegin. They would both like to thank everyone who has supported them over the last few years and wish everyone a very Happy and Prosperous New Year. Andrea, who lives in Cehegin will be taking over the shop, so we hope that you will all continue to support her. The shop will continue along the same lines so you will still be able to swap your books and greetings cards and buy your English food in Cehegin.

Cuadrillas de Barranda 29th JanuaryEvery year on the last Sunday in January, the town of Barranda near Caravaca de la Cruz celebrates this festivity in which nu-merous bands, known as ‘cuadrillas’, sing and perform in the streets. Around 15 groups from all over Spain take part in the event. Throughout the morning the groups take up their positions around the squares and streets, where they sing and dance in the midst of the crows of onlookers. After

lunch come the ‘choques de cuadrillas’, or battles of the bands, in which pairs of bands simultaneously vie to outdo each other while performing together. At the end of the day, all the bands gather in the town’s Cultural Centre where the festivities continue until the early hours of the morn-ing.

Museum of World MusicThe collection comprises musical instru-ments from 145 countries representing cultures from throughout the world, and was been growing since the 1970’s. The museum is set in an old fl our mill and has a hanging auditorium and stage. It is situat-ed on Calle Pedrera in Caravaca de la Cruz.Opening HoursOct 01-Jun 14 Tuesday to Sunday 10:00am-2:00pm & 4:00pm-6:00pmJun 15 to Sep 30 Tuesday to Sunday 10:00am-2:00pm & 5:00pm-8:00pmPricesNormal: €3Retired persons: €2Groups: €2Tel.:+34 968738491Reservations telephone number: +34 968738715

Santísima Vera Cruz de CaravacaThis Church dates back to the 17th century and has Moorish origins. It has undergone many transformations over the years. In-side you can see the Santísima Vera Cruz de Caravaca. The Vera Cruz Sanctuary is outstanding for its Baroque façade, added in the 18th century and made from local marble. It is located within the walled en-closure of the Real Alcázar, which served as a fortress for the Temple and Santiago Orders alike. It now has 14 towers of dif-ferent shapes and sizes.Opening Hours: Monday to Saturday 8:00am-2:00pm & 4:00pm-7:00pmPublic holidays and Sundays 8:00am-2:00pmAdmission freeTel.:+34 968707743Fax.:+34 968708148

On the last Sunday of every month from October to June in the “Plaza del Castillo” the highest point in the old town of Cehe-gin (Casco Antiguo) there is a craft market known as “El Mesoncico”. There you will

fi nd more than 50 craftsmen of the area with stalls displaying such products as cured meats, hams, pottery, cakes, wines, cheeses, etc. Each of the monthly markets has a different theme showing traditional and local crafts. You will be able to taste and enjoy the foods and products most typical to this area.

On Sunday 29th January we are having the matanza. We will remember the tradi-tional matanza (the preparation of freshly prepared pork) and experience the won-derful fl avours of pork, roast meats and freshly barbecued cured meats and sau-sages, all accompanied by good wine and bread. There will also be handmade tradi-tional Spanish dishes like olla and migas.

Free parking is available at the Marble Technology Centre situated in Carretera Murcia, approached from the West. A free bus service is operated to the market place every 20 minutes

On 5th January Melchor, Gaspar and Baltasar will come in a parade of fl oats with thousands of presents which will bring great delight to the children. The Three Wise Men’s attendants will work very hard to deliver wish letters from the children to the kings.

From the 20th to the 22nd we will cele-brate the local Fiestas of San Sebastian in the Old Town of Cehegin.

Every weekend you can visit the Ecologi-cal Park opened to visitors from 10am-6.00pm at weekends, everybody is wel-come. For visits during the week however, a reservation is required by telephone to 696 775 783.

If there are any further enquiries please contact the Cehegin Tourist Offi ce at 968 723 550 or visit our tourist website www.turismocehegin.es Santiago Leo Cehegin Tourist Offi ce

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Mistletoe and Cheer for MABS Murcia North WestMABS Murcia Northwest has been busy with several fundraising events over the past 2 months, raising almost 1100€. A small team of walkers, runners and dogs travelled down to Los Alcázares to take part in the MABS Race for Life held on November 13th. “A good time was had by all and after the race, several peo-ple leisurely strolled back to the starting point, taking in the gorgeous views of the Mar Menor” commented MABS Co-ordinator, Cecilia Coul-son. Two coffee mornings were held in volun-teers’ houses in Calasparra and Cehegin and these two events raised a total of 113€. Local supporter, ‘Big’ John Vass, very kindly donated his time free and organised a Karaoke night at the Trevol Bar in Calasparra, raising a further 62€.

The main fundraising event was held on Friday, December 9th at the Restaurante Santuario de la Esperanza on the outskirts of Calasparra. MABS volunteers gave the restaurant a very Christmassy theme with Christmas trees, bau-bles and singing Santas in abundance. A mix-ture of 160 Spanish and English guests attend-ed the Christmas Party, including the Deputy Mayor of Calasparra, Pepe Velez and his family. The Christmas crackers were a novelty for the Spanish, most of whom had never seen them before. An excellent four course meal was pro-vided, with a traditional turkey main course. Cava, coffee and mince pies (made by the grandmother of one of the MABS volunteers) fi nished off the meal.

Guests were en-tertained by Bar-rington who sang Blues, Soul and Tamla Motown hits until the early hours of the morn-ing. An excellent raffl e was held and the fi rst prize, a lady’s classic, gold-plated watch, was kindly donated by Jan Nash. The raffl e raised 503€, bring-ing the total raised for the event to

909€. MABS extends special thanks to Paco, the owner of the restaurant, for whom nothing was too much trouble, making everyone feel welcome and treating them like royalty. The guests thoroughly enjoyed the evening with one lady commenting ‘Christmas starts now’.

The MABS Market Stall in Calasparra, which takes place every fi rst and third Friday of the month, (weather permitting) from 9.00-13.00, continues to raise on average 300€ a month. The MABS Book Stall, which is on the last Fri-day of the month between 11.00-13.30 at the Trevol Bar, Urb.Tierra del Sol, Calasparra rais-es approximately 50€ a month. Please come along and support MABS at both these events.

MABS Murcia is a registered charity (No.

7261) offering help and support to local people of all nationalities who have been diagnosed with or are being treated for cancer. If you or someone you know would like some confi dential help or support call our HELPLINE 693 275 779 or visit their website: www.mabsmurcia.com

MABS Race for Life

MABS volunteersBarrington

Deputy Mayor of Calasparra



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Firstly, Sue & I hope everyone had a good Christmas and New Year and not too many hangovers!

Well, the New Year is here and let’s hope it brings more cheer that 2011. Sue and I have a positive outlook for 2012 and we looking forward to a good year – let ’s face it; we can’t have much more doom ‘n gloom than last year!

The housing market is always fairly quiet in December and January, so if you are trying to sell, it’s time to give your property “the once over” and see what needs repairing or painting. Be harsh and look at your property as if you were going to buy it.

At the end of last year, one of the major banks was predicting that house prices will fall even further – up to another 6% until the end of 2013 and will begin to rise at the beginning of 2014 – what was that I wrote about no more doom ‘n gloom! I think this area is fairly fortunate in not having a glut of properties on the market. Many, if not most, of the low priced properties have been sold and this now leaves a good core of properties which are generally a fair price. There will always be over-priced properties on the market but, that’s life!

Another interesting article I read in the Telegraph (not my normal paper - they actually gave me a copy free with a bottle of water at Southampton Airport) reported that people in France, followed by Spain

have the best quality of life in Europe (comparison website uSwitch). Britain came second from bottom, above Ireland, so whatever we all say about Spain, we have to admit, life is pretty good here.

We are always looking for properties on Mazarrón Country Club and Puerto de Mazarrón, so if you have a property to sell, please contact us.

For more information on buying or selling property contactJennie or Sue at Best of Spanish Email [email protected] or telephone (0034) 635 434 651 or 646 692 471

The prestigious Hotel Puerto Juan Montiel, set by the beach at beautiful Aguilas, was the setting for yet another fund-raising event organised by Helping Hands on Saturday 10th December.

Approximately 130 supporters enjoyed a magnifi cent hot and cold buffet and danced the night away to the live music of ABBA-Cadabra.

The fi fth large fundraising event by this Charity Support Organisation since their inception in May of this year, Helping Hands already have a full programme in place for 2012 including regular events at the Hotel Puerto Juan Montiel featuring more popular bands. Other fundraisers will include:Race NightPlay Your Cards Right Night60’s Disco NightMurder Mystery NightIndian Feast and Floor Show NightDedicated Dog ShowBattleships Nightand back by popular demand, for our lst Year Anniversary Party in June, the fabulous SHOWADDYWADDY LEGEND!!

Anyone wanting regular bulletins on future Helping Hands events can do so by calling Linda on 968 482 948 or emailing [email protected]

On behalf of the animals and indeed many people that have been helped during 2011, The Team of Helping Hands would like to thank all their supporters and wish them a very Healthy, Happy & Successful New Year.

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Dogs for adoptionJordan

Jordan is approx 3yrs old and has been vac-cinated and tested negative for fi laria, babe-sia, leishmania and erlichia. He has also been neutered.

Jordan is a gentle soul that will adapt into any family situation. He is also great with other dogs. He is desperate for a loving home.

Beth

Beth is approx 3yrs old, fully vaccinated and negative for leishmania, fi laria and babesia but positive for erlichia. She has had treat-ment and will be re-tested soon. It is possible she will have it long term.Beth is a sweet playful girl but does need time for her confi dence to grow around new people. Once she knows you, you will have a waggy tailed friend for life.With other dogs she is wonderful. Let’s hope Beth gets a wonderful home soon.

Pedro

Pedro is the sweetest little brindle boy. The only boy in a litter of 5 pups, he is looking for a warm, loving home to permanently call his own when he is old enough to leave mummy.

We would like to extend a big thank you to Lynn Pres-ton who raised €355 for Gal-

gos Del Sol with her infectious zumbathon event. It was an extremely fun night and the proceeds will go to helping rescue abused and abandoned Galgos and Podencos all over Mur-cia.

GALGOS DEL SOL WOULD LIKE TO WISH ALL ITS SUPPORTERS, FUNDRAISERS AND Costa Cálida Chronicle READERS A HAPPY NEW YEAR!

If you would like more information on Galgos Del Sol, please contact Tina Solera at [email protected].



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Louis Braille was born on January 4, 1809, in C o u p v r a y , near Paris. His father was a s h o e m a k e r and Louis e n j o y e d

playing in his father’s workshop. One day he accidentally punctured his eye with an awl, a sharp tool used to punch holes in leather. Infection eventually set in and spread to his other eye, leaving Louis completely blind.

With the support of a local priest and schoolteacher, Louis’ parents were determined to allow Louis to develop his demonstrated intelligence. He was enrolled in a regular school where he excelled in his studies. By the age of 10, he earned a scholarship to the Royal Institution for Blind Youth in Paris, where he learned to read letters that were raised on a page. Since these letters were made by pressing shaped copper wire onto a page, it was impossible for people with vision loss to write anything for themselves.

It was at the Institute that Louis was fi rst introduced to the idea of a coded system of raised letters. In 1821, a French army captain, Charles Barbier de la Serre, visited the school to introduce his invention, “Night Writing”, intended for soldiers to communicate at night without speaking. In his system, a series of 12 raised dots were used to represent sounds that, when combined, would form words. It proved to be too complicated, and the army eventually rejected it. Barbier adapted his system for use by people who were blind and people living with vision loss, but the 12-dot phonetic system still proved cumbersome. Recognizing how useful this tactile system could be, Louis set out to experiment with a simplifi ed version. Eventually, he settled on a system based on normal spelling using six dots to represent the standard Braille alphabet. In 1829, Louis Braille published The Method of Writing Words, Music, and Plain Song by Means of Dots, for Use by the Blind and Arranged by Them. Today, Braille is used in virtually every language as the standard form of reading and writing by people who are blind, deaf/blind, or living with vision loss.

Louis Braille went on to become an admired and respected teacher at the Institute. Even though his system allowed for people who were blind and people with vision-loss to write using a simple stylus, Braille was not widely used. Plagued by ill health, Louis died of tuberculosis on January 6, 1852. The Braille code was eventually recognized for its practicality and simplicity and became a worldwide standard.

In 1952, the accomplishments of Louis Braille were fully recognized by the French government. His body was exhumed and reburied in the Pantheon in Paris to lie with the rest of France’s national heroes.

It Looked a Lot Like Christmas

MABS Mazarrón’s Christmas Fayre at the Hotel Sensol got everyone in the mood for the festive season, with a huge variety of stalls, selling everything from Glam Straps and Christmas decorations, to calendars or pottery. Father Christmas was there to make sure that the children behaved themselves this year and to fi nd out just what he needed to load into his sleigh on Christmas Eve.

Some 445 people at-tended the event and with 12 luxury raffl e prizes, many of them walked away with an early Christmas pres-ent, raising an all-time record of 465€ on the raffl e alone. MABS volunteer, Pauline, baked a cake for the cake weight competition, with fel-

low-volunteers, Margaret and Yvonne, selling the weight guesses, raising a further 60€ to add to the fi nal total of 2190€.MABS volunteers were out in force and worked hard to ensure that the whole event went off smoothly. Many of the stallholders commented on how well organised everything had been: “It was a great day and all the hard work put in by the volunteers is greatly ap-preciated. I must say the organisation was great and I think everybody had a good day.” remarked Mal from Potty People.

“We’d like to say a huge thanks to all the stall-holders and everyone who attended for their tremendous support” said MABS Mazarrón Co-ordinator, Zue Burgess. “I’d also like to thank all our lovely volunteers who worked so hard to make this event such a success.”

MABS is keen to recruit more volunteers, so if you have time on your hands and want to fi nd out more about what MABS does, please contact the General Enquiries line: 620 582 418

MABS Mazarrón is a registered charity (No. 7261) offering help and support to local people of all nationalities who have been diagnosed with or are being treated for cancer. If you or someone you know would like some confi dential help or support call our HELPLINE620 422 410 or visit their website: www.mabsmurcia.com

Photographer: Stan Laird



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Mention prehistoric cave paintings and many people’s thoughts would immediately turn to France. However, Spain has an unsurpassed richness of prehistoric art, and nowhere in the country can offer more than the region of Murcia. Not only that, but it is often possible to go and see these ancient paintings which have miraculously survived several thousand years.

One superb example which we visited some two years ago is the Cueva de la Serreta about 10 miles from Cieza. The cave in question is to be found on the side of a magnifi cent gorge carved by the Río Segura, known as the Los Almadenes Canyon. The Río Segura in this part of its course through limestone rocks has created a lengthy canyon which can be well over 100 metres in depth at some points, with almost vertical walls.

Such is the importance of this site, that it is part of the collection of such locations in Spain recognized by UNESCO in its list of World Heritage sites. Access to the Cueva de la Serreta is only through a guided tour organized by the Town Hall in Cieza.

The cave has a quite remarkable modern entrance – through a hole in the ground, quite a way from the vertiginous side of the canyon. The hole, however, is covered by a locked grille. Once opened, the way down was by means of a metal spiral staircase which was very narrow and steep at its very top. Nevertheless, this seemed preferable to the original way which, we were told, would probably have been by some form of rope before trunks of pine trees were used as a primitive ladder! It is this diffi culty of access to the cave which resulted in its late discovery and investigation in the 1970’s.

The fi rst level in the cave to which you descend had been occupied over a lengthy period. Many d e c o r a t e d pots, tools and arrow heads have been found and these can now be seen in the m u s e u m

in Cieza. In addition, archaeologists had discovered here some of the earliest remains of cereals and vegetable plants, showing that

there may have been a primitive agricultural economy in place. A hand grinder was also discovered which had been used in the preparation of the red colourings. In addition, stone bracelets made in situ have also been discovered in the cave. The workshop making these limestone/marble bracelets is regarded as quite exceptional. The bracelets have been dated to the Neolithic (or New Stone Age), suggesting that this may also be around the time the paintings were done. Indeed, the oldest dated remains have been dated to around 4300 BC in the middle Neolithic era when the cave was inhabited by prehistoric man.

Artefacts which had not been removed, and which could be seen on the cave wall at this fi rst level were the very cave paintings we had come to see. There were schematic drawings of people including one quite large one in red and brown hues. In many places, however, the walls had been blackened by fi res. From this level, we were able to descend by constructed steps to a lower level where there was a platform built across a large hole in the rock on the canyon wall. Perhaps this was once also an entrance to the cave, although the sides of the canyon below and above seemed quite sheer. Indeed, the canyon sides at this point must have been 70 metres or so in height. This lower level of the cave possessed many paintings on its side wall in a location which would have protected them from water which, predictably, is regarded as one of the major enemies of preservation. As before, t h e s e p a i n t i n g s were in r e d d i s h b r o w n s , r e f l e c t i n g the metal extracts from the rocks and soil used to produce the paints. It seems that feathers and bones were used for painting as well, no doubt, as fi ngers! Here in the cave, you could clearly see representations of animals (said to be donkeys, deer, goats etc) as well as of individuals. The experts describe these paintings as belonging to what is known as “schematic” art, although they are also sometimes seen as being a hybrid form of schematic and Levantine styles. The Levantine style refers to naturalistic paintings often relating to hunting scenes and depicting human beings. Schematic art is the more modern of the two forms and is more highly abstract and symbolic. It is not unusual to fi nd the two types on the same rock face. In total, the Cueva de la Serreta contains over 50 fi gures blackened by fi res.

This was not all, however, and on the fl oor just before the cave opening into the cavernous chasm beneath, there were the remains of a unique Roman construction. This, we were told, was, in fact, the second of two such buildings. The fi rst appears to

have been a temple over a period of 30 or 40 years, covering about 12 square metres on an irregular sandstone block pavement, before it was dismantled with a second construction then being built on top of the remains some years later and being very much smaller in area. This building had had a wooden roof, but had also been dismantled subsequently with some parts removed and the rest burnt to prevent reoccupation. What was the cave used for at this time? It may well have provided a refuge in troubled periods, although it seems that various instruments had been found here which were of Roman age and suggested some medical activity. Coins and pottery remains found outside the cave suggest occupation or use in Roman times in the second half of the third century and beginning of the fourth. One suggestion is that the cave may have been occupied by a group of hispano-Romans during a period of civil war which was known as the “military anarchy” in the third century.

We did wonder, during our visit, whether prehistoric (and indeed Roman) man had also appreciated the magnifi cent situation of this cave. We were able to look out over the canyon and into it from the rail at the edge of the platform as birds swooped around outside. One Arab ruler who ventured into the canyon in medieval times extolled its beauty. Indeed, it appears that the cave may have been occupied at times during Arab domination of this part of Spain between the 10th and 12th Centuries. On the other side of the canyon there are apparently a number of other caves some of which house prehistoric cave paintings also.

There was one fi nal surprise as we headed back upwards to exit from the cave. At one point, there was a slope which went a short distance further back into the rock until it ended in a domed chamber of modest size. This limestone area was apparently used by the caves’ ancient inhabitants to escape both particularly hot and cold weather. The temperature at this point remained constant at 21 or 22 degrees.

This really is a superb visit and you will be able to fi nd out when any are planned from the Tourist Offi ce in Cieza. Not only do you get a view of these remarkable early representations of man and his environment but you also do it in magnifi cent scenery which is itself a protected landscape on account of its natural features. The descent into the cave is quite an experience as well! Recently, a new site with prehistoric cave paintings has also been opened up for public visits in the Cieza area – the Barranco de los Grajos.

Part taken from “Exploring Murcia – A Guide to Totana, Alhama de Murcia, Aledo, Pliego and the Sierra Espuña”, by Clive and Rosie Palmer which is available from www.lulu.com or contact [email protected] and Rosie Palmer have written several guide books on towns and regions in Murcia. Copies of some of the books may also be available from Cosas y Cosas, Cehegin and Best Wishes, Camposol Urbanización.



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A refl ection on Cloud Nine Drama’s “Revue” performed at La Molata in November.Just a short drive along the motorway and I was at La Molata Social Club looking forward to an evening of Revue entertainment performed by Cloud Nine Drama. I enjoyed a quick drink at the bar before taking my seat to enjoy the show.

Variety is the spice of life and we had plenty of that in the fi rst half of the Show. In fact it seems as though it was a show within a show and we were the audience within an audience - an interesting start. I enjoyed the Headmaster’s speech; is there a St. Lucifer’s school in Bradford? Maybe there is, maybe there isn’t,

Then an amusing sketch about vegetarians and carnivores searching for the cat, oh yes it

was to eat it! Some stunning poems followed, read with feeling, about relationships, and a spirited version of ‘Anything You Can Do’ sung with relish. Could anyone do it better? But beware if your Doris puts on your slippers after your hard day’s work. You never know what she has been up to!

The interval arrived with me still wondering if one of our versatile entertainers really did become a teacher.

With the applause still ringing out, those of us who had ordered supper were soon served some absolutely delicious fi sh & chips and the vegetarians who did not fancy the cat were presented with a sumptuous looking vegetable pie.

Back to the Show suitably refreshed and the mixture, as before, yo-yoed our feelings from

hilarious laughter to nostalgic thoughts. The audience certainly empathised with the joys of travelling with Bryan-Air, and were more than concerned that one of the Players would have their throat cut at the local Barber. They were more than relieved that no blood was spilt, but some of the cast were very suggestive when they agreed to ‘Let’s Do It’.

We were treated to some nostalgic poems of holidays past, and with the majority of the audience in their more senior years, poems on ageing probably struck a chord, but the scene of Heaven & Hell so brilliantly performed left us wondering whether to laugh or cry.

Beware of leaving your home empty, our two West Country schemers may fi nd many more lucrative ways of putting your property to use. Is that why the TV cameras go to Camposol?

Well done ‘Cloud Nine’ - a great mixed revue catering for all tastes, come and tempt us again. A satisfi ed spectator.

B o l n u e v o Cars SL, is a local family run hire car busi-ness. Paul and Jan have been running the company since 2006. Over the past 6 years the company has gone from strength to strength, with many of their cus-tomers returning year after year.

Bolnuevo Cars offer a reliable friendly service and are very pleased to announce the opening of their new offi ce in Bolnuevo, hoping to give a more professional service. The new offi ce is situated on the right past the Pharmacia, be-tween Jane’s Salon and Café Colonia.

Bolnuevo Cars have a good variety of cars, ranging from Ford Fiestas, Fusions and Focus-es. We also have a seven seater and a soft top cabriolet. Many of the cars are diesel.

Car sharing is an option. You can have up to 3 shared drivers, at no extra cost, making rent-ing more economical.

The fuel policy is very simple - just return the vehicle with the same amount of fuel as when taken.

Opening times are Monday to Saturday 10am-2pm. If you are unable to come to the offi ce, we can arrange to collect you from local areas and bring you to the offi ce to complete your contract and collect the car. If the car is re-quired out of offi ce hours we can arrange this for you 7 days a week.

You can contact Paul or Jan on 968 150 979/616018742 or call in and see us at the of-fi ce.Email address: [email protected]

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It will be January 2012 when you read this, although online readers may get it a bit before and all the celebrations will be over. We hope you all had a great festive season and we wish you a very happy 2012, however remember that the Spanish will still have their main festivities to come on January 6th for 3 Kings Day when the gifts are traditionally given to family and friends. We are from a different culture with different traditions from our host Spanish nation and we must accept those differences. Having said that, a traditional English festive day is planned at home with Mum Monk and sister Bobbie attending, then Matt and I are off to Benidorm for the New Year!

TV NEWSWell most of you FREESAT watchers should have noted that the extra 5’s have at last come onboard 5*, 5USA, both their +1’s and 5+1 are available on all FREESAT boxes. We have been promising them to clients since FREESAT’S inception some years ago as on their website they were listed as joining FREESAT imminently – well perhaps FIVE management have just redefi ned “imminently”!!! Anyway they are there – just look in your boxes listings – if not perform a rescan and they should appear. Channel additions like these will appear automatically in offi cial FREESAT

boxes as will all software updates. It really is a big advantage in having offi cial boxes rather than general purpose satellite boxes. However, if you do have one you should perform a channel scan every few weeks and software update twice a year, even though this may mean connecting your box to a computer and downloading the new software, or realigning your dish to a different satellite and downloading before going back to the UK ASTRA 28.2 satellite. “SKY NEWS” is not part of FREESAT, although it is on “FREEVIEW” in the UK, but we can programme this into any box on request as it is a “free” channel though in some boxes problems can arise.

Recently we have had many calls about remote controls not or partially working – must be the winter cold! You need to have good quality batteries in them – the HUMAX is particularly susceptible to battery condition. If that doesn’t correct the problem, try taking the batteries out of the unit for at least 10 minutes and retry. The only exception to this is the SKY remotes which will lose the TV control code after 10 minuets if no battery - that’s if you have it programmed in – however even then the code can easily be reprogrammed in.

All Digiboxes these days are just mini computers (or sometimes maxi!) and will often correct a fault by just unplugging them from the mains, leaving for 10 minutes and then restarting. This will reload the software which often gets corrupted by “dirty” Spanish electricity! Any faulty computer equipment will often correct after a power restart and this includes just about all modern appliances, from TV’s to washing machines.Many of you will know that we sponsored the evening “Trudy Ann’s Random Show” on Costa Cálida Radio. We still sponsor her, but have moved to the new Sunday “Heartbeat” afternoon show (4.15-6.30pm) with a good mixture of easy listening and chat – well worth a listen. Trudy breathes a new air into broadcasting. 90.00 or 100.00 FM in the Mazarrón area, or online at www.costacalidaradio.com . Matt runs a short Q and A session on TV problems on the show once a month.

Article sponsored by RAINBOW SATELLITES, the company for all your TV needs in the Murcia Region of Southern Spain. Contact Alan or Matt for free friendly advise – email [email protected] or call (0034) 686 358 475. Our website www.rainbowsats.org has some good basic information on TV in Spain, especially for new comers to the area.



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Medical Advice In The Palm Of Your Handby Tina Tait

The iPhone, Blackberry and other smart phones are now being regularly used to give medical advice and this trend is on the rise. A recent study on the relationship between medicine and new technologies was conduct-ed by Juniper Research Firm, and this has predicted that the number of downloads of electronic applications related to the health-care industry in 2012 will exceed 44 million worldwide, a fi gure that will, according to the study, triple by 2016. Some profession-als criticize the medical mobile applications, claiming their authors, in many cases, are completely unknown and are under-qualifi ed

to make such claims, while others sing their praises, claiming that the consumer can now access information with better accuracy then ever before.

Do you need advice on the best medicine to take for a head ache? Just search for the perfect application on your mobile and it will recommend the right drug.Do you need help calculating recom-mended doses for your child? Download ‘Fever Children Plus’ at a very small cost.

‘Cry Translator’ another application, for ex-ample, helps explain why a baby cries and offers tips on how to help, while ‘iHeart’ can be used to measure heart rates. Health & Fit-

ness’ downloads are also beginning to sweep the market. Find help on anything from how to eat properly, to what exercises are appro-priate for abdominal muscles, to getting a proper night’s sleep. These are among many thousands of examples made available. Technological advances are not only benefi t-ing consumers, but also health-care practitio-ners. Applications are being used as portable diagnostic tools and to quickly access medical records and historical data of patients. These recent developments could have an impact on lowering health care costs and stream lin-ing the industry, which is good news in a de-pressed economy where technology seems to have no bounds.

Age Concern has its Christmas functions

55 people packed into the Avenida Restau-rant on the Paseo in Puerto de Mazarrón for a Menu del Dia on 30th November - salad, a choice of chicken or sea bass for main course, with a selection of sweets and coffee. Zoe Barnes provided a tuneful cabaret, enter-tainment which hit all the right notes! These monthly outings on the last Wednesday of the month are rapidly becoming booked out, which at 10€ is understandable.. The next one is on the 25th January at the Da fu Hau in Puerto de Mazarrón with Christine providing the entertainment.

Saturday 3rd December saw an excellent Christmas Fair in Puerto de Mazarrón. For the second year it was at Lagarto Verde on the Via Axial. Nearly 400 visitors piled through the doors to be greeted by Santa and 36 stalls full of goodies. The choir of St Nich-olas Church provided a highlight for an hour at noon, with a mixture of Christmas carols and songs. It certainly proved that there is

room at the inn, or rather room in Mazarrón for more than one fair.

A raffl e prize of 75€ worth of meat from Peter the English Butcher on Camposol A proved a popular prize draw and was won by a couple from Puerto de Mazarrón. There was a great selection of merchandise, even including next year’s calendars by Mark Stocks! The weather was cold but bright, which considering the downpour the previous night was nothing short of miraculous.

A bus full of passengers on Monday 12th De-cember visited Murcia for Christmas shopping at the two big condominiums in the city. Given how cheap this can be, 10€ a ticket, perhaps the charities could get together and turn this into a regular event. Certainly the sales after Christmas beckon here and in Cartagena.

Age Concern runs a free monthly social at the Cultural Centre, Los Palacios, Camposol B 1.30-3.30pm on the fi rst Wednesday in the month. The Christmas one was held on the

14th December and started at noon. It was a highly successful venture, with Age Con-cern’s own Land Girls, Maggie and Co, hit-ting the high spots in a short, defi nitely ever so slightly risqué panto, all in the best taste of course. Everyone brought some food, and with wine and hot drinks on tap, a conviv-ial atmosphere was soon very apparent. A Christmas Quiz was followed by the new choir which has recently formed, singing Christmas carols and songs, including many old favourites. Unless you are a bar person, there are few opportunities to socialize on Camposol and these socials are proving in-creasingly popular.

Tickets are available on a Wednesday morn-ing at the Cultural Centre, Los Palocios, Cam-posol B, or Friday mornings outside Salud Bar on Sector B. In the New Year it is hoped to introduce further sales points including one in Puerto de Mazarrón.

Rod Sawyer

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Entorno Graphico

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Camposol Residents AssociationEvery so often the subject of sector names on Camposol raises its head and the present unappealing and unimaginative Sector A, B, C and D labels bring criticism from owners on the lines that they give impressions more associated with military zones or custodial establishments rather than that of a residential utopia.

When raised on the CRA website a few months ago, the topic generated a large number of responses and subsequently chairman Bob Owen contacted Camposol‘s Mayoress Kelly Ensor with a request that she enquire whether the council would allow a change to the sector names. Mayor Gines Campillo has replied via Kelly stating that it should not be a problem, although this would best left until after the handover of each sector to the council takes place.

Further to that, he recommended that in the meantime the CRA start to consult residents with a view to compiling a list of preferred names.

Some residents of Sector A have for some time expressed their preference of name for their sector to be to be Los Palacios, an area depicted on some maps within in the location of the present Camposol. However, the previous administration has seemingly extinguished that idea by including the name within the offi cial title of the new community centre situated on B Sector.

Somewhat curiously, the position now occupied by Sector D is signifi ed on Google Maps as being Urbanization Todosol, which assumingly could be translated into English as Allsun. To add to the confusion, Committee member Jose Navarro has

informed us that the original name for the area now containing the very same sector is Los Aznares.

Some of the names already suggested include, Los Tollus, Los Montana, Camposol Golf, El Valle, Los Mendez, and Los Lopez. One of our more knowledgeable members has pointed out that the common term Barrio which denotes the “neighbourhood of” could precede any chosen name, as for instance Barro Los Aznares.

If you have any additional ideas or preferences please submit them to ether [email protected] or to the CRA cabin on B Sector Commercial Centre. The CRA www.cracamposol.com [email protected]

Firstly, a very Happy and Healthy New Year to you all. It hardly seems possible that 2011 is in the past and the fi esta is only just over fi ve months away.

The committee has been working very hard preparing the fi esta and I can assure you that once again we will have new acts to entertain you along with some of the more popular ones from last year. We have now gained permission from the council to have a small table at the Thursday market on Camposol. We will be there every market day, weather permitting, to give out information on future events, sell tickets, and to collect any loose change that you may have decided to part with. Funding remains our top priority and to support this we have some great events for you to

consider.

January the 27th we have one of our ever popular RACE NIGHT with Colin and his Play Your Cards Right, at only 5€. This is a must on a cold winter’s night.

Due to popular demand we also have another MURDER MYSTERY NIGHT with a completely new plot and a new production. This will take place on February 24th and at only 10€, including a meal, offers fantastic value for money. Both events take place at TREVI bar on Camposol B

Now for something new for us. FED UP WITH DIETS? We have the answer. On Monday 26th March we are taking a coach trip to the

Valor Chocolate Factory where, yes, you can sample the goods, on for a fi sh and chip lunch with wine and then to the show caves at Busot. To round the day off we will call in at the Turron Factory just in case you are still peckish you can also sample the products here. The cost for this fantastic full day out will be 26€ including all entrances, 2 course lunch with wine and return coach travel. BOOK EARLY places are limited.

We look forward to seeing you at one or all of our events and you will get a warm welcome (even though we might be freezing) at our stall on the Camposol market.

Best regardsDickie DaviesChairman Fiestas Camposol 2012



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Happy New Year - I hope! At the time of writing this, with the news full of stories of the Euro crisis, and banks in trouble, it is hard to remain positive, but quite selfi shly, it does look like things are looking up for Camposol A. The new council have been out working as promised, trimming back the tall palm trees that our group could not reach, plus trimming a lot more, helping us to concentrate on the improvements we had planned for our area. More plants have been planted in the park, and also in the area opposite the Centro Salud, and more gravel is being placed in both areas to keep them looking good.

Council street cleaners have been seen on Camposol A! As yet I do not know if this is a one off visit, or if it is planned to be a regular event, which will really help to

keep our village clean and tidy, because I am still waiting for a meeting with the council, when hopefully everything will be explained. Our jubilation of last week, after witnessing the mechanical sweeper, has paled somewhat this week, when we were left with lots of rubbish from the market to clear up, but we do understand that it was a bank holiday, and the cleaners were also involved in lots of extra work in Mazarrón for the fi esta, so it is back to the brushes and shovels for us this week.

A special thank you to Pauline, who continues to maintain the funding which keep us supplied with bin bags, etc. by running the Friday morning book club. Despite celebrating her 70th birthday this month, she is only having one week off over Christmas and the books will be available

as usual on Friday, 6th January. Pauline held a special day recently, in which the proceeds went to help control the problem of the wild cats living in the car park. 162€ was donated to MAMAS towards having these cats spayed. I understand that 8 cats have been treated so far. Well done!

I hope to have a meeting with the council before my next report, which should help us in planning how we can continue to work (hopefully together) towards making Camposol A an even better place to live in 2012. Feliz Año Nuevo!

Dave Senior Peake

During the last few weeks there has been quite a lot of activity on Sector A. We have men clearing the green areas, and painting a lot of white lines on the streets, and the electrician is working very hard to get our street lighting restored.

There is still a lot of work needs doing, including all the road repairs. It does seem like we are working back to front, but who knows, we shall wait and see what happens next.

The committee at last had a meeting with the mayor of Mazarrón on 20th December, where a lot of questions were to put to him. We need to know how the situation on RE·3 is to be resolved for the many people still without escrituras and the Cedula de Habitacion for a lot of residents. We must make sure Masa are not allowed to leave Sector A UNTIL all of our problems are solved. We are also going to be pressing for the name of the Sector to be changed. We are aware that most people on Sector A wish it to be changed to Los Palacios, so we will ask the Mayor if this can be done at the council take-over.

The committee would like to say a Big Thank You to the Clean-Up Group on Sector A for raising €162 to go towards neutering the feral cats. Well done to you all.

Let us hope in the New Year we have a lot of positive news for you all after the meeting with the Mayor.

We wish you all a Very Happy New Year.



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THE 2011 REPORT OF CAMPOSOL ‘D’ COMMUNITY AND GARDENING GROUP’S YEARLY MEETINGThe Chairman introduced the Committee and thanked those attending and gave the warmest thanks for the donations received allowing the Group to continue improving the look of Camposol D.

The Group is now registered with Mazarrón Town Hall as a Neighbour’s Association, so can provide insurance against accidents of our own volunteers, employ workers to carry our gardening. The Articles of our Neighbour Association will be published asap. Two main areas always considered our “responsibilities” are Gardening and Social and the registration of the group does not change this in any way.Website progresses positively and provides members both here and abroad with information of the activities that are occurring on D and Camposol. Links to other useful sites are invaluable. The etiquette provides the members with the site desired, free from argumentative debate, personal comments or unwanted discussions.

• The Burning Pits for garden waste

have continued to be a huge success. 5 pits are fi lled to capacity.

• The potholing team successfully repaired many holes and drain covers through the main roads of D. A number of projects were completed: the concrete drainage ditches on the dual carriageway, walkway to the D location Map, concreting off road bin areas. Gardening volunteers carried out weeding, gravelling and project completion tasks such as our wonderful garden areas.

• We now have a number of very nice gardens in areas such as D9, D25, D11, and D26 and a peaceful Memorial Garden at D25 with seating. The Olive Tree garden opposite the triangular roundabout is very popular.

• Our “Bucket collectors” and money counters have continued throughout the whole year. The main achievement has been the Community Spirit maintained through all the activities. No better example of this is the proceeds of our Disco raffl e (400€) donated to PALS for onward

transmission to the Lorca Earthquake Fund. The Sept BBQ proceeds were presented to Camposol’s FAST team.

• Treasurer gave his report. No queries were raised.

• The Fundraiser gave his report. Resounding success with all the events. Several events are booked for 2012.

• Neighbourhood Watch member stated that disappointment that many poligonos were not now doing patrols.

• Combined Projects with B and C Gardening Groups have been successfully completed.

A Christmas Carol Service was held on Monday 19th Dec. Our Christmas Dance in the Golf Club was on 16th Dec.

The Chairman fi nished with a plea for our prodigal workers to return and for new workers.

“CAMPOSOL ‘D’, THE COMMUNITY DETERMINED TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE”.

An Evangelical, lively and friendly place to discover the love of Jesus.

The New Year is traditionally a time for refl ection. We have done the Present thing and the Peace and Joy salutations. The extra pounds

or kilos need to be worked-off and we have to wait now until Easter to get a few more holidays. The New Year stretches before us. What will it hold? …You know …it doesn’t matter. Jesus tells us to live for today and not presume on the future or mope over the past. In Luke 12 v 22-

31 Jesus said to his disciples “So I tell you don’t worry about everyday life – whether you have enough food to eat or clothes to wear. For life consists of far more than food or clothing……He (God) will give you all you need if you make the Kingdom of God your primary concern.”

I have said it before that now is called the present because it is a gift. What are we going to do with it? Here is a challenge for you during 2012… read the Bible. Easy to read versions in modern English make this straightforward. If you don’t have a Bible email or phone us at the OBCF and we will give you one free! We will even supply you with a Bible reading plan which will make this task easier to manage and more interesting than say reading from Genesis to Revelation …again free! A good way to start the New Year is to do something new without spending any euros. What could be better than that?

Our Sunday morning service is at the Community Centre on Camposol ‘B’ starts at 10.30am each week and offers a variety of music and styles, both traditional and modern. You are invited to join us.

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Putting Murcia On The Mapby Tina TaitPicture credit: Paramount Studios.

Hopefully, some good news for Spain’s economy and in particular, the Murcia re-gion. Despite the criticism, scrutiny, change of government, and lack of funding, Span-ish offi cials and private investors alike, seem to have been successful in navigating through the infamous red tape and numer-ous hurdles which should now result in a much needed boost to the economy and secure the future for the region. As several phases of infrastructure are moving a step closer to completion. Investors are expect-ed to start buying. Growth of the economy will largely depend on three main factors coming together:

1: CORVERA INTERNATIONAL AIR-PORT: Offi cials have said that the Corvera Airport will be fully operational as early as spring 2012. Over 500 workers are work-ing day and night shifts to meet the sched-uled opening deadline. Corvera’s runway is 3,000m by 45m and is capable of handling any type of aircraft including international fl ights. Many features of the airport are now completed, such as the passenger termi-nals and the 32m high control tower. Near-ing completion now are the runways, and boarding gate areas. The Airport’s initial capacity is set to accommodate three mil-lion passengers a year, including absorbing the travellers who are currently landing in Alicante, because there is no other alterna-tive. According to a study by the Univer-sity of Murcia, 40% of passengers taking scheduled fl ights from Alicante’s El Altet airport are, in fact, from the Region of Mur-cia. Details regarding which airlines will be operating from Corvera have not yet been released. José Ballesta, the Minister for Public Works, has stated that most of the airlines interested in operating at the air-port are subject to a confi dentiality agree-ment. However, as of last month, directors of the low cost airline Jet2.com have con-fi rmed that the airline will transfer over to Murcia’s new international airport, but that fl ights will not commence until November 2012. Jet2.com currently fl ies directly into San Javier, Murcia, from Belfast, Blackpool, East Midlands, Edinburgh, Leeds, Manches-ter and Newcastle. The nearby San Javier Airport is set to close for commercial travel use and will return to military use, so there is no competition with Corvera. Last year, government agency, AENA invested some 70 million euros in the completion of the new runway and upgrade of the parking facilities at San Javier, which only opened in March 2011. Critics are now question-ing whether tax payers will now have to foot the bill for the improvements made to San Javier that will no longer be used for commercial purposes. AENA has stat-ed the staff from San Javier will be trans-ferred to the new facilities at Corvera. AVE FAST TRAIN: In the spring of 2012, construction work will

commence on the AVE railway link in the region. The ADIF rail infrastructure compa-ny has guaranteed that the AVE high speed train link to Alicante will be completed in 2012 and reach Murcia by 2014. Lorca sta-tion has also been confi rmed, but the ex-tension on to Cartagena currently remains without a completion date. The European Investment Bank is fi nancing the project to the tune of 500 million euros which will transport passengers from Madrid to Mur-cia via Alicante. The project is designed to eventually link from the French border to Algeciras in southern Spain. The AVE (Alta Velocidad Espana, an acronym for the word ‘bird’ in Spanish) will stop at Corvera Air-port and will then connect from the Airport, directly to the Paramount Theme Park in Alhama de Murcia. This will be the fi rst air-port in Spain to have its own high-speed train station. The AVE project began in the 1990’s with the intention of connecting railway links from all major cities in Spain. When it is completed, passengers will, for example, be able to travel to Madrid in less than 4 hours from Barcelona travelling up to speeds of 350 km/h. The project, part of Spain’s strategic transport plan (PEIT), is entering into its second phase, adding an-other 3,000 km of track by the year 2020. The AVE train system looks likely to be the envy of Europe and the world when it is completed.

PARAMOUNT STUDIOS THEME PARK: The Paramount theme park is to be based in Alhama de Murcia and is scheduled to open by Easter 2015, although there are rumours circulating that the theme park might open a year ahead of schedule. Works are expected to begin on the theme park as early as March 2012. This, it is hoped, will generate some 22,000 jobs, and is projected to attract over 2.7 million visitors in its fi rst year. It will be built over an area of 36.5 hectares (365,000 square metres).

The planned theme park is located just a 10 minute drive from the Condado de Al-hama resort, 30 minutes from Mar Menor and 40 minutes from Hacienda Riquelme. These have been considered the three best selling holiday resorts for Polaris World this year. This has regenerated interest in the area and therefore, an increase demand, due to the half price bargains being offered by the banks. Some banks are now even

offering 90% mortgages. Theme Park ZonesCity Adventure: This will include three major attractions: “Titanic” (a huge repro-duction of the ocean liner form based on the movie), a roller coaster ride based on the movie “The Italian Job” and a virtual reality adventure from the movie, “Mission Impossible”. Lost Valley: Featuring a water ride trip down the Congo River, a re-creation of the crypt from “Tomb Raider”, and a roller coaster ride from the legendary thriller, “Beowulf”. Woodland Fantasy: This is an area cre-ated predominantly for young children. It will feature a large tree, magic workshops and interactive adventures from the movie “Spiderwick Chronicles”. Plaza Futura: This will feature a “Star Trek” theme, a spectacular recreation of “War of the Worlds” and a tunnel trip of ter-ror, based on the fi lm ‘Paranormal Activity”. Main Street: This will be an avenue of hotels, restaurants and a shopping cen-tre with a pavilion exhibiting the attrac-tions available in the region of Murcia and throughout Spain.

Auditorium: This will have the capacity to hold 15,000 people and will be the largest convention centre in the region of Murcia.

The resort is projected to be the centre of the Paramount fi lm studio empire in Eu-rope. The Vice President of Paramount Pic-tures Corporation has stated in a recent press conference: ‘The tourism infrastruc-ture offered within the region of Murcia provides ideal conditions to bring world-class entertainment to the people of Spain, and its growing number of visitors.’ Jesus Samper who is head of the Spanish devel-opment company hopes to build a theme park to compete with Disneyland Paris and one that will become a “European destina-tion in itself.”

Investment funds and business groups have already expressed an interest in the project, including Russian billion-aire and casino operator Oleg Boyko who made a surprise personal visit to Murcia. However, even at 3 million visitors a year the Paramount Park would operate on a much smaller scale than Disney’s resort, which attracted 15.3 million guests in 2009.

This news will please property investors who expect to see signifi cant growth over the next few years. Prospective property investors, property owners and holiday rentals located in the surrounding areas of Alhama de Murcia, including the Polaris World resorts such as Condado de Alhama, El Valle, Mar Menor and La Torre Golf Re-sort are set to benefi t from the predicted increase of tourists and holiday makers.

Architectural drawings From Paramount Studios, Los Angeles,



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A Little Help For SharonMany readers will know of Sharon Bruce and her years of hard work and assistance to people while working for the RTN newspaper. She has suffered from ill health for the past few years, so when we were recently asked to help reunite her with her dog Sam and we were happy to contribute towards this and in some small way help bring a little happiness to her.By way of thanks we received the following letter.

Dear Mamas,We are writing to you on behalf of Sharon. I would like to thank “ Mamas “ for your donation to help with the transporting of Sam over to Scotland to be with his devoted owners.

We delivered him safe and sound after a good check over by the vet (which was essential for a dog of his age and size) Sam is an adorable golden Labrador (rather on the tubby side as he has enjoyed all the tempting gubbins of the Spanish life for a lot of years), however he was given a good bill of health from the vet and away we went.

The look on Sharon’s face and the wagging of Sam’s tail when they met again after nearly 2 years apart was well worth the journey and she can’t thank you enough for your contribution.

Sadly however Sharon lost her beloved husband Phil only 2 weeks after she was reunited with Sam, so Sam is very good for her to have him around. On a less serious note, she did say that she had Sam’’s bed moved into her bedroom and awoke in the night thinking Phil was still with her and his snoring, to fi nd with astonishment it was Sam pushing zzzzz’s out with all his might.

They really are good for each other and Sam has a good life with lots of walks by a friendly neighbour.

Thank you once again on behalf of Sharon and Sam. We salute you on the rewarding work you do for the animals of this regionRegards Graham and Liz

Mazarron Animal Medi-AidCan we help you and your petHave you provided a home for an animal from a rescue centre or shelter for a stray dog or cat? Are you worried about the patter of tiny paws in the future (if not at your house maybe at your neighbours?) Well we are here to help you; we can provide fi nancial assistance towards the cost of spaying or castrating your new pet and also with those unexpected vet bills, if funds are available.

Please contact us if you need help:-

Tel 666 186 037 or call at the shopEmail [email protected]

To do this we need your donations and would be grateful for any items such as clothes, bric-a-brac, furniture and white goods. You can donate at the shop, Mon-Sat 10.00-2.00. (Take the third left after Barclays Bank on your way into Puerto de Mazarrón)

Don’t Forget our Drop-Off PointEvery Tuesday we are on Camposol B Sector car park 10.00-1.00 opposite the petrol station. We will take any saleable items no matter how large or small. You might not need it, but we can sell it to raise money in order to help other people with the medical expenses for their cats and dogs.

Turn Your Unwanted Furniture Into CashIf you have large items of furniture that are no longer needed, why not try selling them on our 50/50 scheme? We will collect the items from your house (free of charge) and display them in the shop until sold. You will then receive 50% of the selling price with the remainder going to the charity.Helping You Helping AnimalsEmail [email protected]

LORCA EARTHQUAKE PRESENTATION OF EQUIPMENT

Following the Earthquake that so tragically affected Lorca on May 11th a concert to raise funds was organised by the expatriate community in neighbouring Mazarrón on May 21st. Some 14 different acts gave their time freely and the concert raised some 4400€. Other fund raising and donations added a further1984€, thus providing a fund of 6384€. Discussions were held with the Ayuntamiento in Lorca and various needs were considered. The idea was that the monies be used in a permanent fashion by all those living in and around Lorca and it was decided that the funds be utilised for the purchase of medical equipment to be held in a centrally located emergency centre for any future problem. It was then discussed that there was a need locally for a mobile emergency hospital of 30 beds. There obviously were insuffi cient funds in this particular account and therefore

specialist equipment for this tent were identifi ed and purchased.

The equipment is:For the Centre.Emergency stretcherPortable oxygen bottle and maskSemi Automatic Defi brillator A PulsiometreA Blood Pressure SystemAn Infusion Bomb.

For the Mobile HospitalA manual resuscitator for adultA manual resuscitator for childrenAn Oxigennote parapia4 Throat masksA Botiquin Rescue BagTotal price 6384€.

PALS (Protection and Life Saving) were a lead player in the raising of the money

and in the negotiations with Lorca, and have been instrumental in the past 11 years of donating equipment to the value of 171552€ to the emergency and health services in and around Mazarrón. A mobile trauma tent that was purchased last year and presented to the 112 service in Mazarrón, was utilised after the earthquake when the Hospital Raphael Mendez was evacuated. PALS are also at the head of CAFÉ (Community Ambulance Fund España) which is raising money for an additional ambulance in Mazarrón. 40,000€ has been raised towards target of 60,000€.

The Honorary British Counsel Antonio Berdonces is making the presentation to his Excellency Francisco Jodar Alonso the Alcalde of Lorca on behalf of the British expats and his presence and attendance is much appreciated.Any questions call Ken Payne 626 460 465Email [email protected]

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Well, 2011 seemed to pass by very quickly and here we are at the start of another year. Is it really twelve years since we all waited in anticipation to see if the world, as we knew it, would end as we saw in the Millennium?… Time seems to race away; my mother told me that this would be so as I got older. My ques-tion is, as we dash into this New Year, will 2012 be a year of opportunity or a year of missed chances?

Life is based on choices that we make daily and my challenge to you and to myself is will we make some choices this year that will make 2012 the best year ever for us here on the Costa Cálida. This New Year has started… that is a defi nite, and it will fi nish next Decem-ber 31st. What will you do differently between these two dates that will make this year very special, full of opportunity and meaningful to both yourself and to those whose lives you

touch? If 2011 was a rotten year for you, 2012 need not be the same. I read once that if we continue to do the same things we have always done, we will keep getting the same results that we have always got! That means to get different results we need to do things differently; we do this by making different choices, to do different things, but changing the way we live our lives can be hard.

I have met some amazing people over the past year who have made diffi cult choices that have meant giving up on how they would normally deal or respond to life situations. In doing so, they have experienced wonderful changes in their lives and are on a new path-ways of great opportunity. Joy has replaced sorrow and the old fears have been replaced by new hope and strength… this is their year to write history and they are doing just that.

So as 2012 starts, I would encourage you not to just make New Year’s resolutions, make a choice to fi nd out what really matters in life. I am not touting religion which is manmade, I am speaking about relationships, which is a loving heavenly Father reaching out to his very precious creation… that’s you and me and He wants this year to be the best year of our lives.

Wellspring Victory Church, Puerto de Maz-arrón is a different kind of Church. Our mis-sion fi eld is outside the walls of our building and we love serving our community at every opportunity… that is why you will see us doing all kinds of different things during the year. If you do not have a Church that you call home, or are new to the area, we would love to see you one Sunday morning… come along and check us out…. Make a choice… it could com-pletely change your life.

ESAMD raise over 3500€ for RBL 2011 Poppy Appeal.The Ex-Servicemen’s Association of Mazarrón District (ESAMD) raised the grand sum of 3857.00€ (smashing last year’s total by over 1000€) for the Roy-al British Legion’s (RBL) 2011 Poppy Appeal.

The money was raised during the offi cial collecting period and ‘all-year-round’ box-es with restaurants and bars throughout the area selling poppies. Special mention must go to the Sara Lara’s Bar who raised 500.43€. The photos below show Sara with members of the committee and along with her many supporters.

It is also worth mentioning that all the mon-ey raised here in Spain goes towards helping our Benefi ciaries living here in Spain.

The photograph shows members of ESAMD Committee with a presentation cheque.L to R: Bill Roberts, Deputy Treasurer, Gerry Downes, Chairman, Ian Wilson, President, founder member of ESAMD and Poppy Ap-peal Co-ordinator, Mags Downes, Social Secretary.

Our grateful thanks and best wishes to all those who collected and donated so freely.

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Happy New Year from Bob and all at Welcome Group. I hope you had a good Christmas and are looking forward to 2012. Isn’t time going so fast! It seems only fi ve minutes ago that it was New Year 2011! Soon it will be summer again, and when that’s over, it won’t be long to next Christmas! They say that as you get older the time goes by quicker, and it certainly seems to be true.

Our November Dance saw for the fi rst time in this area the delectable Samantha Curtis, and from Benidorm, Rob Sweeney; two fi rst-class singers who soon had everybody dancing and singing along.

December 7th was Ladies’ Day; two coach loads of ladies off to Benidorm for their annual day out. Some went to the open market, some to the shops in the town, others just mooched around. There was the Rich Bitch show in the afternoon or more shopping for those that didn’t go. Well done to Marj Drummond who won the Christmas Quiz on Pat’s coach, and to Fran who won on Rosemary’s coach, and, no, it was nothing to do with me, promise

While at the Rich Bitch, Rosemary persuaded Gary to take the show on tour outside Benidorm for the fi rst time. They will be appearing at Mariano’s Restaurant, Camposol, on March 27th. At just 10€ this promises to be a good night for men and women. Tickets available from January meeting.

December 14th was the Christmas Party Night with the ladies’ favourite, the big man with the big voice, Nick Gold, and the ever-popular Showaddywaddy Legends. Mince pies, party hats, crackers, everyone dancing and getting into the mood for the big day itself. Another cracking night and well done to all involved. Rosemary thanked her army of helpers, not just for their efforts on the day, but for all the hard work they’ve put in throughout the year. Without this help, these events could not take place.

Tickets available are for the Games Night on January 11th at just €3. Beetle drive, bingo and quiz – it’s always good fun, so why not come along.

The January Dance on 18th features The Saviours Of Soul; 3 very talented artistes. Not just soul music, but the usual mix of the

songs we all enjoy. Tickets are €9 and €5 for pork escalope and chips.

Tickets for St Valentine’s Night on February 14th are just €10 and €5 for food. Artistes that night are, new to Welcome; the talented Dan Davy and the lovely Lorna Michelle, so it promises to be another great night out.

Two coaches are going to the Races at Mijas from February 25th to 27th, staying at the 4-star Hotel Triton in Benalmadena on half-board basis. The cost is €145 per person. Just 3 rooms left.

The next Welcome Meeting is on January 7th when tickets will be on sale for the Ladies’ Evening on 7th March at €3, March Dance on 14th at €9, the Annual Treasure Hunt on March 25th at €7, and previously advertised events where available.

The Book/Jigsaw Swap Club starts again on January 10th and then as normal every two weeks. It is held at the ICA Clinic on Sector B along the dual-carriageway leading to the rambla. Further details from Jo on 669457985.

Fun Petanca is held at Mariano’s, Camposol on the last Wednesday of each month at 1.00pm, or the following Wednesday in the case of bad weather. Call Les on 968131880 for more details.

Welcome is open to everybody. There is no membership – just come along and meet friends old and new. For more details and tickets sales, call Rosemary on 620105179, or email [email protected], or visit www.welcomegroupspain.com.



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New Year’s Resolution: Clean out your closets and donate your items to a good cause! Recently opened in Alcantarilla, our shop, ‘Verde’ needs your support. We will collect your items from anywhere in Alicante, Murcia or the Mar Menor. Are you moving? We will help you dissolve your household and clean your house, in exchange for your donations to our charity. We currently have 24 animals in our care and help is needed to pay for even the basics, ie: food and veterinary costs. Even just a bag full of clothes or bric-a-brac makes a big difference. Our volunteers work tirelessly for a cause that they all passionately believe in. We want to make a difference in the treatment of animals in Spain which at times seems barbaric to say the least. Please help us to help them.

Fact: EU has no common law to protect Pets. Spain does not adhere to any EU laws regarding animal welfare and laws that are in place are rarely enforced.

Fact: NOTE: HUNTING SEASON BEGINS IN JANUARY. Spain, considered a modernised country, retains antiquated and cruel traditions. Greyhounds or Galgos, are brutally murdered at the end of hunting season. Thousands of them are abandoned, hung from trees or set on fi re, thrown down wells, shot, and poisoned. Hunters over-breed these dogs in atrocious conditions, starving them under the belief that they hunt better, feeding them only mouldy bread, and keeping them in dark, cold surroundings. The European Union still allows these practices to take place because Spanish offi cials claim that they are, “traditions”, “customs” and “centuries old culture”.

Fact: Thus far, the Spanish government has turned a blind eye as to the plight of ‘Galgos’ and other abandoned dog breeds.

Fact: Miofl ex, a muscle-paralyzing agent that causes a very long drawn death with great suffering is still being used to put down thousands of dogs in shelters each year.

Each of our r e s c u e d animals has their own horror story to tell. What we do may seem at times, just a drop in the ocean to the e n o r m o u s problem at hand, but it doesn’t stop us, or other dedicated animal associations we work with from to make a difference. Please help us be a part of the solution. Your donation means a lot to us. For more information please visit our website at www.verdemurcia.com Thank you, Woof Woof!

Meet Dobby he was saved from being thrown

down a well.

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The New Year can leave many of us a lit-tle bit sad after all the festivities are over. What better to way to make you feel good but a little pampering? The Salon has al-ways had a wide range of superb beauty treatments, but now have added even more treatments to their range.

The beauty section of The Salon is man-aged by Shannon who has been a quali-fi ed beautician for 10 years and previously worked in a top beauty salon in London be-fore moving to Spain 3 years ago. Some of Shannon’s previous clients also included some top celebrities. The Salon, under Shannon’s expertise can now offer the fol-lowing exciting new treatments in addition to the wide range of treatments already available and just look at their prices!

The revolutionary Priadara digestive Detox

This gentle treatment combines invigorat-ing colonic massage with rejuvenating na-vel candling in order to stimulate the lym-phatic system. This removes blockages, improves menstrual cramps and decon-gests the body of any impurities.

Priadara navel candles are made from natural ingredients including beeswax and Chinese herbs and a 30-40 minute treat-ment costs only 20€

The new Botox Facial - the gentle al-ternative to Botox This anti-ageing facial visibly stimulates the regeneration of cells at the skins deep-est levels. When having this gentle alter-native” Botox” facial on a regular basis, fi ne lines become less evident and the active ingredients achieve these improve-ments on facial muscles and the skin cells structure.

Botox Facial 20€, Botox Facial using the non-surgical Derma-lift machine 25€

So, what are you waiting for? Give The Salon a call now and be the one of the fi rst to sample something really different!

I seem to have been far too busy to do much at all in the last month, but one thing I did achieve was a visit to Dawn Heron at the Calida Care Agency. As far as I know I was in good health so never visit the doctors as a rule, but I also like to have peace of mind in knowing that in general, things are ok. Dawn runs regular well-being clinics in the area and she checked my cholesterol, blood pressure, sugar levels, body mass index etc and all is fi ne (except perhaps I could shed a few pounds) but then I already knew that. Dawn will also check for any moles and keeps a record to see if they have changed between visits. I would thoroughly recommend Dawn’s clinic to anyone who just needs confi rmation on any of the above. I also sent Kev, but that

is another story!

Whether it is the horse riding or picking up full boxes of Chronicles, I am not sure, but I have had a few issues with my back lately so decided to take a rest from any sports for a few days and then have a back massage. This time I decided to give Drew Ryder a try. I have to say that it was probably the best massage I have ever had. It was not pain free, but as the session progressed I could really feel the tension slipping away and I will defi nitely be going back for more. Drew clearly has a wealth of knowledge and expertise of both the mind and the body and I really felt I was in safe hands.

As a resident of Sector C, Camposol I have also joined the community maintenance programme where we pay just €5 per month into the Green Fingers Gardening Group. It is in all our interests to make Camposol as attractive as possible, whether we want to stay or leave, as improving the area can only increase the value of our properties, so please do support this scheme.I am looking forward to a break over Christmas with not much planned at all. The luxury of a few days at home is very appealing, but I am sure I will see many of you for a small celebration or 2! Happy New Year everyone.More next month Teresa

Nativity

For the last few years, my boys have hankered after a traditional Spanish Belén after a trip to the Murcia Christmas market showed them the huge variety of fi gures and items available; some of which cost a King’s ransom!

When we fi rst arrived in Spain, they had a wooden nativity scene to play with and this proved to be enough for the early years until one of the dogs chewed it up, shepherds, angel and all. This year for the fi rst time they went shopping for their own fi rst Belén, with pocket money clutched in their hands and spent what seemed like hours deliberating which animals, buildings and accessories met both their demanding

specifi cation and limited budget.

Finally, the Belén was set up on the end of the large dining table, and very nice it looked too. The base had been decorated with plants and sand, the painted river had a lovely bridge over the top and the kids had arranged the stable and all the fi gures to great effect.

Coming to lay the table for dinner, I cast a quick glance over the scene and had to smile. All was peaceful in the stable, but I guess that was only to be expected with several plastic soldiers hiding in the grass, rifl es poised to take down any unwelcome visitors. Baby Jesus lay in the crib, watched over by the Three Kings, his proud parents and ..er.. several Pokémon.

Well, it could be worse; so far we have managed to avoid the traditional fi gure of the “caganer” – the little man with his trousers down who hides away doing something unmentionable in most nativity scenes in this area. Pokémon – you have my permission to stay!

Liz Edmiston runs OwnersAway Property Rentals & Management offering a full range of services to property owners on the Costa Calída. Contact Liz on 691977107 or [email protected] for more information or visit the website www.ownersaway.com to view the full range of properties and services.



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Over 70€ a head spent on the Christmas lotteryThe average Spaniard spent 71€ on the lottery this Christmas, with northerners splashing out the most, statistics reveal..In the small Pyrenéen region of La Rioja, this rises to 106€, and in the central region of Castilla y León, 102€. People in Asturias, Aragón, Madrid and the Basque Country are predicted to spend 96, 91, 86 and 85 euros on tickets respectively.Residents in the Comunidad Valenciana spent 80€ – four décimos – a head, with those in Cantabria, Castilla-La Mancha, Murcia, Galicia and Catalunya spending 77, 74, 72 and 70 euros respectively. People liv-ing on Spain’s islands – the Balearics and Canaries – only spent around 40€ or 45€ a head, but this is still two décimos per per-son. Andalucía, Extremadura and Navarra will fall somewhere in the middle.The largest lottery of the year, the El Gordo draw at Christmas saw multi-million-euro prizes handed out across the country. With one décimo, or tenth of a ticket, costing 20€ and worth a record 400,000€ in prize mon-ey this year, the recession and the chances of netting big money are expected to push people into ploughing more money than ever into the lottery this Christmas.

Protest over foreign offi ce ‘abuse and discrimination’Thousands of charities, unions, solicitors and political groups will staged a protest march in front of the foreign offi ce in Alm-ería over the ‘mass’ refusal to issue permits.With a high percentage of residents in the province being from outside Spain, those affected call foreign offi ce staff’s attitude ‘abusive, unjust and chaotic’. Non-EU citi-zens can, by law, obtain permanent resi-dence rights if they are able to provide a ‘social report’, proof that they are settled in the country – such as a mortgage – together with a job contract, census certifi cate, and the absence of any criminal record.Around 30 different associations in the prov-ince say that nearly every application is put on the ‘suspicious pile’ before being turned down ‘for any tiny motive’ and that the small percentage of permits issued are then can-celled three days later by the foreign offi ce. They say this behaviour means companies and employers are forced to break the law by employing foreign citizens without resi-dence rights, ‘despite their desire, in most cases, to comply with the rules’. This, they say, is harmful to the economy, since there are thousands of residents in the province who cannot pay their taxes, and numerous employers who have no choice but to pay workers ‘on the black’ and are unable to give them job contracts. It also means that each time a person is denied a residence permit, they have to go to the expense and time of applying for another one, which will probably also be rejected.

Spain lags behind the rest of the EU in Technology use Spain is way behind the remainder of Eu-

rope in terms of technology, with only a third of the population, on average, having embraced the digital age. Only just over four in 10 people have their own computer – or 43.4 per cent of the country’s head-count – and less than three in 10, or 29.5 per cent, use social networks such as Face-book. On average, throughout the EU, eight in 10 people have a computer and 32.6 per cent use social networking sites.Buying online is still a relatively foreign con-cept in Spain, claims the survey, which was carried out by the University of Navarra busi-ness school and the Latin American Busi-ness Centre. The average person in Spain spends 342€ a year in internet purchases, whilst the European average is 431€. Spain leads growth in Europe for mobile phone use, with an average of 1.13 hand-sets per person, only slightly lower than the EU average of 1.23, but representing a rise of 1.4 per cent compared to the overall fi g-ure for the continent of a decrease of 0.4 per cent.Surprisingly, the same study found that over 100 million people in Europe – the equiva-lent of more than double the population of Spain – has never used the internet.

Public holidays to fall on Mondays only Spain’s president-to-be has announced that he will move bank holidays to a Monday in Spain and cut out the traditional puente, whereby some workers get the day off in between where a holiday falls mid-week.Mariano Rajoy believes it will increase pro-ductivity without reducing the number of days workers in Spain get a rest. The only ones he will leave on the day they fall are those that are ‘the most socially deep-root-ed’, such as Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. He states that any proposed labour reform should encourage out-of-court set-tlement of disputes and ‘fl uid’ working re-lations, as well as promoting the ‘right to permanent training’.

Valencia-Madrid high-speed train is ‘great for business’ but ‘too expensive for tourists’A year on from the opening of the high-speed train route from Valencia to Madrid has been ‘great for business’ but ‘no good for tourism’ says Valencia’s main hostelry federation, the FEHV.Its spokesman, Vicente Pizcueta, says the RENFE needs to make more of an effort to get passengers on seats, starting with its price structure and timetables. Between 10.00 and 12.40, there are no trains, whereas in the morn-ing they leave on the hour. An economy seat is 79€ one-way, or 143€ in fi rst class. For businesspeople travellling to confer-ences or meetings, the ability to get to

the capital in the morning and be home by lunchtime is invaluable, and they can claim the cost of their ticket on expenses. For a family of four going out for the day or for a weekend, the ticket cost is a minimum of 320€ each way.The RENFE website does not make it clear that the Joaquín Sorolla RENFE station in Valencia – from which the trains leave – is not the same as the Joaquín Sorolla metro station. The metro is a 10- or 15-minute walk from the RENFE station, and there are no signposts.FEHV admits that its profi ts have gone up by between fi ve and 10 per cent since more people from Madrid – nearly all on business – are spending a night in a hotel in Valencia.

Dad-of-two pays traf-fi c fi ne in one-cent coins A 35 year old father of two has paid a recent traffi c fi ne in coins of one, two and fi ve cents in protest over the way he was treated by civil servants.Daniel Hidalgo, from Murcia, who has been unable to fi nd a job for months but carries out part-time freelance work for Vega Me-dia Press, received a 200€ fi ne for allegedly jumping a red light. If the money was paid before December 1, the amount would have been reduced to 100€, but he missed the deadline due to ill health.Daniel took two 50€ notes to the ministry of traffi c in Murcia, together with a note from his doctor to prove he had been unwell and unable to pay the fi ne before December 1. However, the employee dismissed this and told him ‘the law is the law’ and ordered him to pay 200€. Furious, Daniel went to the bank and had 200€ changed into ‘shrapnel’ totalling 15,000 coins and weighing nearly seven ki-los, presenting them at the traffi c depart-ment just minutes before closing time at 15.00hrs. When employees told him they would have to take the money to the bank to be counted and would contact him with a payment demand if the amount was insuf-fi cient, Daniel refused to hand over the cash and insisted they count it in front of him, saying he did not trust them.“I understand that they’re a load of job-sworths, but I know perfectly well that if one of their friends or family members had been in an identical situation, they’d have let them off with the 100€ fi ne,” Daniel stated.



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My name is Vivienne O’Neill and I have been in the Beauty Industry now for 13 years. I am a fully Qualifi ed Therapist, Sk-incare Specialist, Nail Technician and Mas-seuse.

The Fuschia Beauty Clinic is just for you, totally devoted to improving and maintain-ing the beauty of your skin and nails. I offer the most advanced aesthetic thera-pies to indulge, rejuvenate and nourish your skin, as well as researching the latest and most effective treatments to bring ra-diance, hydration and glow back into your life.

Conveniently situated in Camposol and To-tana, my focus is to offer my clients the highest quality treatments in the most re-laxing surroundings possible.

One of my popular treatments is CND Shellac Nails… What is CND Shellac?

CND Shellac is a polish that wears like a gel, causes no damage to the natural nail, has zero dry time and lasts up to 3 weeks.

CND Shellac is the No1 leading company in the world for Shellac. Do not settle for any other substitute.

IF YOU WANT THE BEST, THEN MAKE SURE IT SAYS CND ON THE BOTTLE

The Pets In Spain team are here to help abandoned animals in Spain and others in need of re-homing. If you are looking to adopt a dog or cat, or need to fi nd a home for one, or if you simply want to know more about taking care of your pet in Spain, this is the web site for you.

Purzel was born in November 2010. This gorgeous boy needs a new home as his owners are leaving the country and cannot take him with them. He needs an owner who knows how to handle dogs and

how to be the leader. He is a lovely, lively boy! Call: 679 631 458

Tess is about 3 years old and is fully vaccinated, passported and chipped. She is very friendly and gets on well with other dogs and cats. She weighs about 8kgs so is not a big girl. Call: 659 274 573

These 2 beauti-ful white cats are now 8 months old and in need of new homes. They are a boy and girl and both are vaccinat-ed and neutered. They are good around dogs, very friendly and litter

trained. Call: 646 645 035To view more animals for adoption go to: www.petsinspain.infoIf you would like to advertise an animal email: [email protected]



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Make Your Marketing Count!

Happy New Year to all our clients, new and old! January is here and so is peak booking sea-son for the UK holiday market. Barely have we sung “Auld Lang Syne” than thoughts turn to the summer holiday destination for those who live in the chillier climes of Brit-ain.

It is time to make sure that your villa is vis-ible for those looking to book a holiday in the sun. As ever, here is our advice to help you maximise your letting potential.

• The old saying “don´t put all your eggs in one basket” is very true. Use a variety of websites for effec-tive marketing. Many sites have low cost or even free listings that you can use, although these will not al-ways rank highly on search engines.

• Make sure that your professional rental agent´s site has good Google rankings for YOUR specifi c search terms. Each year at Ownersaway we spend money on projects to en-sure we come at the top of Google rankings for search terms relating to this area. Google “villa rental Mazarrón” and we are currently on page 1.. not bad when there are al-most 12500 results to be found!

• Ask what other marketing tools your agent uses. For example do they use social networking sites to promote the business too? (A. yes we do, you can follow us on both Facebook and twitter if the urge arises!)

• Be prepared to spend money on a marketing budget, however limited. If your property is not “out there”, how do you expect to let it??

• Get the property listed sooner, rath-er than later. Don´t expect to ad-vertise in June and be fully booked in July! Now is the time to get your property on the internet!

Make it one of your New Year´s resolutions to give your villa and income a boost, and this year develop a proper marketing strat-egy for your holiday home before it´s too late.

Liz Edmiston runs OwnersAway Prop-erty Rentals & Management offering a full range of rental management services to property owners on the Costa Cálída. Contact Liz on 691977107 or [email protected] for more information or visit the website www.ownersaway.com to view the full range of properties and ser-vices.

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ADAPT’S CINDERELLAThe fi rst ever Panto production from the ADAPT Theatre Group was a rip-roaring success. The performance took place at the Casa de Cultura in San Pedro and the total amount raised was 1.552€ which will be donated in full to Vacaciones en Paz. Initially we were set to present one performance, but due to overwhelming demand we did three shows which were sold out.

Our pantomime, Cinderella, was a little different from the traditional version in that our Cinderella, rather than having to fi t into the slipper, had to be able to speak Spanish!!One of the reasons for this was that ADAPT Association has very strong links with the people of San Pedro, so we had a Spanish and English speaking audience and the cast included Spanish children from the local school, Los Pinos CEIP. We were also entertained by students of Aidemar who attended an ADAPT Theatre Workshop entitled ´An Evening at the Circus´.Pantomime is new to Spain, but with explanations before the show began, everyone

joined in with gusto and lots of laughter. The atmosphere was fantastic. Everyone left with smiles on their faces and with tickets priced at only 2€ were more than happy to give extra donations on the night. The Singles friendship Group of ADAPT Association rounded off their year with a Christmas day trip to Benidorm.As our group is expanding and a lot of us would not be around for the festivities, we decided to have an early Christmas outing. We went by coach to Benidorm where some of us went off to do a little pre-Christmas shopping and others strolled along the promenade, taking in the sunshine and the holiday atmosphere with an occasional Lamumba or coffee and brandy.

We lunched at Monroe’s where we donned a variety of silly headwear, Santa hats, antlers etc. and even a full Santa outfi t in the case of one of our braver men members!! We had a

wonderful time, let our hair down and got into the Christmas spirit with what we are sure will become an annual event. The next meeting of ADAPT will be on Saturday 4th February at 10:30am in the Pensionista Club, San Pedro.See our website www.adaptsanpedro.euEnid Winskill. Information and publicity.

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LA DIVA RESTAURANT SUPPORT HAH HELP AT HOME

Good news for HAH Help at Home (Mar Menor) as La Diva International Restaurant, Av. Rio Nalon, Los Alcazares announced that 10% of all food bills were donated to them between 1st and 18th December 2011. HAH founder, Lesley Eburne, says “This is a very generous offer

from Pritpal and Neelam Darar, owners of La Diva. The choice of international cuisine at La Diva is fantastic, and for HAH to benefi t from people enjoying this dining experience was great news for us. We are delighted that LA Diva are supporting us, and they will be hosting a ‘special’ night for us on January 31st January 2012. Watch local media for details, as this will be one

not to be missed!” She added “HAH, to date have helped 168 clients who were struggling to cope following illness, and this has been made possible, not only by our wonderful volunteers, but so many people who have supported us during this time. Thanks also go to all the local media including the Costa Cálida Chronicle, who have publicised our events. Where would we be without you! We wish you all a Healthy, Happy and prosperous New Year”.

The next Volunteer’s Meeting will be at The Arches on Tuesday 10th January at 11.45, but if you would like information about HAH, visit the website on www.helpathome.es. If you would like to become a volunteer, tel; Angela on 603 517 770 or email [email protected]

Time to de-clutter your mind, body and spirit!We are all guilty of making ridiculous New Year’s resolutions that we don’t keep, yet every year, we continue to make them out of habit. Many soothsayers say that 2012 is the Year of Transformation, so why not make the only resolution you will ever need to make and that is to de-clutter your mind, body and spirit. Easier said than done, you might say, but as a James Allen, the famed British philosopher once said,”Change your thoughts, change your life!”

Many of us may have had fi nancial woes, family issues and work pressures that have taken a toll on our sanity, weight, health and pockets recently and we pray that 2012 will bring us better tidings. Take time to refl ect on what you want to change, draw up a plan of action and set some timescales and don’t forget to include a list of rewards. It makes the whole process more attainable, measureable and fun.

Whether you sign up to gym sessions,

slimming clubs or do more for your community, embrace change rather than fear it. However, if you continue to do the same as you have always done then you will continue to get the same results as before. Don’t feel afraid to ask for help from the many motivational and complementary therapists that offer professional services in your area.

If you have tried the rest and would like to explore something new then let me introduce you to Emotional Freedom Techniques, which is Meridian Tapping. It is a procedure that uses light tapping actions to massage specifi c meridian acupressure points on your body that are known to “hold” negative energy and emotional blockages. If unchecked, these negative emotions can give rise to allergies, anxieties, depression, illness, stress and addictive behaviour. No needles or drugs are used in the self-help procedure and many clients fi nd relief after the fi rst session.EFT, as it is affectionately called, has astounded the medical profession with its

success and now it has fi nally found its place in the treatment of various illnesses, in post-operative recuperation and pain management worldwide.

“For 2012, I will be adding to the range of current holistic EFT programmes on offer to include; Chakra cleansing and balancing; colour therapy and crystal therapy. These are complementary therapies that support positive well being, energy balancing and emotional freedom. If you have to make one change this year, then let it be with EFT. I am offering all Costa Cálida Chronicle readers a FREE consultation PLUS a 20% discount on any of my EFT programmes”.

Jennifer Rahman is an accredited EFT Advanced Therapist, life coach and neuro-linguistic practitioner in Murcia. Home visits can be arranged and distance healing by SKYPE is also available. Contact Jennifer on: Mobile 63 4358 310 or visit www.lifemaxxinternational.com for more information.



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It Looked a Lot Like ChristmasSpangles kicked off a busy Christ-mas season with their traditional ‘Christmas with Spangles’ con-cert in Los Alcázares on 2 December, featuring guest singer, Barrington. The concert was a complete sell-out, starting with some old and new favourite songs from Spangles, in-cluding the two contest songs that won them the 2011 title of champi-on barbershop chorus of Spain and Portugal. Fénix and Viva Quar-tets followed Spangles, with Bar-rington acting as MC. After the in-terval, Barrington entertained the audience with some great hit songs from the Tamla Motown era, including tributes to Stevie Wonder, Lionel Richie and Marvin Gaye. Spangles returned for a fi nale of Christmas songs, featuring ‘CampanaSo-breCampana’ in Spanish for the very fi rst time, and taking the opportunity to reveal their new Harlequin-style costumes. The evening was rounded off by mince pies, mulled wine and more singing at the bar La Zona.

On Sunday, 4 December, Spangles starred at the EuroNavidad celebrations at Centro Las Claras in Los Alcázares, ending the festivities by singing for the Scandinavian Feast of Santa Lucia (Saint Lucy). In tra-

ditional celebrations, Saint Lucy comes as a young woman with lights and sweets. It is one of the few saint days observed in Scandinavia. At Las Claras, the lights were turned off and Spangles sang ‘Santa Lu-cia’ whilst the procession, headed by one girl wearing a crown of lights andaccompa-nied by others holding a single light each, circumnavigated the room. Then Span-gles sang ‘Silent Night’ as the procession left, making it a magical experience for the many Scandinavians who attended Euro-Navidad.

Spangles had many more Christmas bookings. “This is always a very busy time of year for us” said Chorus Manager, Anthea Prentice “On Sunday, 11 Decem-

ber, we sang at Dos Mares shop-ping centre, from 1.15pm and at the Novo CarthagoRestaurante in Los Urrutias from 4.00pm. We were also honoured to be appearing at La Iglesiade Santo Domingo in Carta-gena on 16 December, alongside three Spanish choirs”.

If you would like to fi nd out more, please visit their website: www.spangleschorus.com

Following on from their gold medal success, Spangles has released a CD called ‘Pure Gold’, which in-

cludes their two winning contest songs and many audience favourites. ‘Pure Gold’ is on sale at 8€. Call 968 432 525 or 968 334 527 to order your copy.

Spangles welcomes new members, so if you’re looking to make new friends and en-joy singing, why not visit Spangles when they rehearse at Las Claras? They meet every Thursday from 10.30am to 1.00pm.

Please call Lyn on 968432525 or Anthea on 968334527 to book Span-gles or to fi nd out how to join, or visit the website: www.spangleschorus.com.Photographers: Kristoff and PeGe Skog

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Sailing Association Mar MenorAnnual Christmas Dinner Dance and Prize Presentation

This year the Christmas Dinner Dance of SAMM was held at the Restaurante Camping Lo Monti in San Pedro. This was the opportunity for the Race Organisers of the SAMM Autumn Race Series to present three cups donate by Bankia to the winning crews. In spite of the unfortunate illness which kept John Clarke and Doreen Squires land-bound for the fi nal race day, they had a suffi cient number of point to win the 1st Prize Cup. The crew of the Hamoor Catamaran, represented by Derek English and Mike Harding won the 2nd Prize Cup. Coming in very closely third was the Shoestring Tres boat, the Laser 2000. Their cup was collected by two of the

members of Shoestring who had competed most frequently, in the laser 2000, Vernon O’Byrne and John Down.

During rest of the evening the 60 members and friends of SAMM enjoyed a lovely meal.

They were entertained by Curtis Senors on his electronic guitar and rounded off the evening with an exciting raffl e draw.

Sixth and Final Race Day of the SAMM Autumn SeriesSunday 9th November 2011

The races take place from the CAR Infanta Cristina Sailing Centre at Los Narejos on the Mar Menor and are run under the RYA Portsmouth Yardstick handicap system.

1st Race In the morning race, which started at 11.30am, with a north easterly wind speed of 12 knots, 7 boats competed over three laps. Unfortunately, due to ill health, John Clarke and Doreen Squires in their Miracle were not able to take part in the fi nal race of the series. This left the race wide open to the rest of the competitors to pit their skills against the Catamaran and its crew. The fi rst three boats on the corrected times were:-

1st Gamba, John Down – Tony Ray, Les Dawson2nd Catamaran, Robert Hudson - M Harding, D English, E Penning 3rd Laser 2000, Vernon O’Byrne – Ingo Wilson

2nd Race B y 2 . 3 0 p m the wind h a d increased to 15 k n o t s . Six boats s t a r t e d t h e s e c o n d r a c e , but the Laser 13 capsized at the f o u r t h buoy on the second lap. The Pastanaca retired and just before the fi nish, the Laser 2000 capsized. The wind had increased in strength during the race and was gusting at 20 knots. The results on the corrected times were:-

1st Catamaran, Robert Hudson – M Harding, D English, E Penning2nd Gamba, Vernon O’Byrne - Ingo Wilson, Les Dawson3rd Deltania Gemini Uno, Iain Hamilton - Peter and Lyn Ewers, B Norris

The Cups, which have been donated by Bankia were presented at the SAMM Annual Christmas Dinner Dance in December. All SAMM members wish all the readers of the Costa Cálida Chronicle a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. They are looking forward to another successful Race Series starting in April. If anyone would like more information about SAMM or the racing programme go to www.sailingmarmenor.com or [email protected] Photos by Mike Penning



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Notice To customers old and newBig Breakfast Butchers had a very diffi cult year during 2010. For the previous nine years we had a good trade growing greatly especially over the last few years. One of our main businesses was producing wholesale quality meats delivered to the bars and restaurants between Gran Alicant and Mazarrón.

In October 2010 this side of the business was closed down as I was required to have a loading bay built on to shop and a separate offi ce. Unfortunately none of this was possible. This left me with no choice but to close the whole shop down, putting all the staff out of work and me with no

option but to return to the UK.

I got an offer within a few days to give the wholesale trade to a Spanish meat company Anros in La Union. In return it would give jobs to my staff and me. I had NO choice, so over a few weeks I transferred the business to Anros, including the sausage manufacturing for which Big Breakfast are so famous. To cut a long story short, this didn’t work out too well in the end as a large company like that is only looking to its bottom line. It lowered some of the quality that Big Breakfast is known for, not least, the sausage manufacturing, adding more fat, more water and using less lean meat. We have now gone our separate ways; or at least I have. Some of my old staff still work there, but I would like to stress that this business is not Big Breakfast Butchers. They will still supply my old wholesale customers with English cuts of meat and I wish them all well.

How ever, *David Smith from Arundel Butcher* is back with my son James and Sean, working part-time in the shop and with help from a local pork farmer ”Alberto”, who supplies free range pork to the shop, lending me a sausage-making machine we can again make the “Joyce Pork Sausages”

from the fi fty year old Arundel recipe.

I will now concentrate on the retail b u s i n e s s and with only a push bike for t ranspor t there is no longer a need for a loading bay!

The shop is open and I will to give the best service and quality meats from a butcher that has been the trade for over thirty years.

Thank you for your time and custom. DavidTel. 968 170 553

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MABS Celebrates Centre’s First Year

It’s a year since the MABS Cancer Centre was offi cially opened by the British Con-sul, Paul Rodwell, on 26 November 2010 and MABS Murcia celebrated its birthday in style. MABS Centre volunteers worked hard to provide an excellent buffet of can-apés and Cava, alongside some delicious hand-made truffl es and petits fours, doing the Centre proud. Val of Torrevieja-based Cake Magic provided a superb cake to commemorate the fi rst anniversary, Joan-neof La Zona Bar created beautiful balloon decorations in MABS’ colours and Juan, owner of Vintage, allowed MABS to use the gardens for the event. MABS Presi-dent, Jacquelyne Phillips, MBE, attended with MABS Murcia Director, Lyn Baines, MABS Centre Manager, Sue Thomason and several people from Social Services in

San Javier and San Pedro del Pinatar.

Martin Ross Lawford was on hand to deliver some lively en t e r t a i n -ment, to-gether with S p a n g l e s Ladies’ Har-mony Cho-rus, creating a true party atmosphere. MABS vol-u n t e e r , Manu, arrived with his American Ford Galaxy, festooned with the American and Spanish fl ags, much to the fascination of passers-by.

Tickets were sold for the celebra-tory Prize Draw and, much to her surprise, Lyn Ba-ines was the lucky winner of the one hour limousine ride, kindly donated by Tuxedo Limousines of Mazarrón. “I’m shocked because normally I never win anything in raffl es or draws,” remarked Lyn “and I am really looking forward to taking some of our patients out for a luxury ride,with the odd glass of Cava. It’s a fabulous lim-ousine and I’m sure they will enjoy it.” Sue Savage won a sumptuous meal for two with wine at the Vintage restau-rant, which is next door to the Centre. Jill Sylvester won free therapy treat-ment with Meson Wellness, which is based at the Centre and Clare Lloyd won the 25€ voucher to spend at the MABS Centre.

Centre Manager, Sue Thomason, is de-lighted with the past year. “We have a great team of volunteers who work hard to make the Centre a pleasant place for those affected by cancer to come and get advice, information, counselling and therapy and the shop is particularly popular with ex-pats and Spanish alike” she commented. “In just one year we have built up an ex-cellent reputation for high end, new and nearly new clothes and accessories and a service to match.”

The MABS Centre is open Monday to Sat-urday, 10.00-2.00 pm each week and is situated near the Centro Comercial in San Javier and can be contacted on 615 016 035.

It was a busy weekend for MABS with two Christmas Fayres being held in Los Urrutias; the fi rst organised by the Novo Carthago/Paddy Singh’s, where MABS vol-unteers provided aTombola, sold MABS’ goods, and hel d a ‘Guess the Name of the Dog’ competition. The restaurant owner’s wife won the cuddly dog and named it after her husband, Allen. The second fayre was organised by the Bar Delfi n, and MABS volunteers sold tickets for a magnifi cent MABS’ hamper, raising 450€ at the two events.

MABS Murcia is a registered charity (No. 7261) offering help and support to local people of all nationalities who have been diagnosed with or are being treated for cancer. If you or someone you know would like some confi dential help or support call our HELPLINE693 275 779 or visit their website: www.mabsmurcia.comPhotographer:Alfonso Fernandez



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Another fun event took place on 23rd November at the Novo Carthago, when HELP Murcia Mar Menor raised €223.80.

We offer a “Big Thank You” to Alan at Novo Carthago (Paddy Singh’s Sports Bar) for donating the stall money to us and for hosting the event. Also thanks to Fred and Wendy Williams, who put so much work into arranging the stalls. Our tireless fundraisers worked hard during the afternoon to raise the money.

HELP MMM aims to HELP people of all ages by providing mobility equipment, hospital visiting, information on living in Spain, interpreting, support groups and assisting other charities.

BUSY TIMES FOR HAH HELP AT HOMEA busy time for the HAH f u n d r a i s e r s with stalls at three separate C h r i s t m a s markets, which netted almost 700€. A Horse Racing night at

Henry’s Bar in Los Alcazares, brought in almost 300€, and raffl e for a ‘drinks’ hamper was also run. Our thanks to all who helped, donated and supported HAH

We have taken on 7 new clients, bringing the total number of people helped to

date to almost 200, which proves what a valuable service is offered.

The volunteers had a well-earned break when they held their Christmas Lunch at Campbells Restaurant in Roda. 46 people sat down to a superb 3 course lunch, and were then festively entertained by 2 of HAH’s own volunteers, Celia Ryan (fundraising) and Angela Coady (Caring Services.)

HAH would like to wish all their clients, sponsors and supporters a very PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR.

Tricia offering clothes

David with “Name The TEDDY”

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The Torrevieja Branch of the U3A held their monthly meeting at La Rustica Restau-rant on Thursday November 24th. The meet-ing room was, as usual, packed to capacity.

The guest speaker was Nik Morton, the edi-tor of Solstice Publishing who gave an in-formative and very amusing talk on ‘writing and editing the novel’. Quotes from such famous novelist as H G Wells, Kipling and George Bernard were repeated to much amusement.

The highlight of the meeting was the news of the Association’s change of meeting venue to the new CMO (Centro Municipal de Ocio) building. Permission has been kindly granted by Torrevieja Ayuntamiento for the Associa-tion to use this beautiful new Municipal Lei-sure & Cultural Centre. The news was re-

ceived with great pleasure by the members. The fi rst meeting at the CMO will be on Mon-day 30th January 2012. This meeting will be the Association’s AGM.

On Tuesday 29th November the Torre-vieja Branch of the U3A embarked on their German Christmas Market holiday. Planes, coaches, horse & carts, a gold mine, narrow gauge steam railway, and a mountain rescue (almost). It could be the plot from an Agatha Christie thriller, but no, just a most successful holiday to Gwrmany, organized by Pat & Rolf Buerger.

Intrepid travellers visited the beautiful town of Hildesheim, where some members took up the invitation to climb the hundreds of steps to reach the top of the spire of the church near the Market Square. Cof-fee and cakes were enjoyed in a Telly Tubby house in Bad Harzburg! The Coun-cil Chamber at the Neues Rathaus in Han-nover was thrown open to welcome U3A members, where the Burgermeister re-ceived both an address from Chairman Bob Hill, and the gift of a Torrevieja Salt Boat. The Harz Mountains, so beautiful in all seasons of the year, decided to welcome U3A mem-bers with winds of 70mph, creating a wind chill of minus 10 degrees; and a snow storm! December is an interesting month! But yes, we survived The Brocken! Later, to recover, a Medieval Banquet was attended. Do the

Germans have big appetites? Yes they do. Help was needed to get us back to the hotel. Members visited a Schnaps distillery at Norten-Hardenberg, purely for research reasons you understand. The nearby me-dieval town of Goslar, offered members the chance to go underground at a gold / iron mine (Nice and warm in the work-ings) and to ride a covered wagon and horses around the town’s narrow streets. Christmas markets were visited, with a glass or three of hot Gluhwein en-joyed, between visiting the many beau-tifully decorated stalls and shops. A lovely hotel, most splendid lunches and evening dinners, and delightful company, all made for a memorable trip.

At the Christmas meeting on Tuesday 13th December at La Rustica, Nigel Hopkins and his choir, In Harmony, sang and got the members into the Christmas spirit. Word-play also entertained the group with poetry, comment and humour.

The members are reminded of the Asso-ciations move from La Rustica to the CMO building in Torrevieja, and of the change of day for monthly meetings starting with the AGM on Monday 30th January 2012.

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This article has been written and compiled by Body and Mind Therapist, Drew Ryder BSc. Psychol. Hons, IIHHT, MICHT, ThATFew people pay much attention to their feet; that is of course unless they experience pain in one or both feet. Feet take a severe beating and walk many, many miles in a lifetime. It is said that by the time we reach the age of 70 years, our feet have covered on average 70,000 miles!! That´s a lot of pounding!! By comparison how much attention is paid to our feet, other than how good the latest pair of shoes, trainers or boots look? The answer quite simply is not enough.

Feet, especially to a refl exologist, tell a myriad of stories. As explained in previous article, feet represent the body – inside and out. Problem areas on the feet relate to problem areas within the body. Feet therefore, are the key to revealing where imbalances lie within the body and as a result, play an essential role in the enhancement of general health and well-being.

Feet come in all shapes and sizes. People often have strange attitudes with regard to their feet and are embarrassed about `the state of them´. Perhaps this is one reason why people fail to use refl exology to attain and maintain a balanced healthy body and mind. To a trained refl exologist, feet are simply maps of the body! And those come in all shapes and sizes as well as colours!

As we begin a New Year, it is common practice to make New Year’s resolutions. How many of you have resolved to have a healthier lifestyle in 2012? How many of you have resolved to use refl exology as away of attaining that healthier lifestyle?

A trained refl exologist can help you to attain a state of well being and balance in your life by reading “your maps” to help you get to your destination, - that of good health. How do they do this?

They do this by “interpreting your feet”. For example, tense feet indicate tension within the body. Dry skin could indicate poor circulation, as do bluish or reddish feet. The fi rst treatment always begins with a full health check by means of a health questionnaire. This is carried out in a relaxing environment, as relaxation is of prime importance in enabling the body to heal. Following that, the client is seated comfortably in a soft supportive chair enabling the refl exologist to access your feet whilst maintaining eye contact. Your feet are examined and interpreted and treatment then begins. What does this entail?

It entails the gentle application of the refl exologist’s hands on your feet and, by applying a light pressure he `works´ every system within the body such as the endocrine system, the skeletal system, respiratory system and so on. It is done using a series of movements to include `walking movements´ using the thumb to gently massage. Light, gentle pressure is applied to refl ex points which can produce a variety of sensations like something sharp being pressed into the foot, to a dull ache, tightness or

discomfort. This indicates to the refl exologist that there is an energy blockage that needs to be freed.

This blockage weakens as treatment progresses with the object of completely removing the blockage to restore balance in the area indicated. The whole process is always effective and should leave a person feeling relaxed, with the body either back in balance. It can be thought of as a fi ne tuning process similar to that of tuning a car. The difference being a car can easily be replaced; your body cannot. (Although with today´s medical advancements some parts can be!!). Better to look after the body you have been provided with, rather than undergo surgery. So, if you have resolved to have a healthier lifestyle in 2012, consider refl exology as a way of attaining and maintaining just that.

For more information or an informal chat to see how refl exology may benefi t you, please call 660326194. Let 2012 be the year your fi ne tune your body!



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Choose Your New Year’s Resolution Carefully!

As we approach the time when Big Ben gets his big moment, you’ve probably al-ready given some thought to what your New Year’s resolution might be this time around.

Top of the Pops resolutions-wise, is personal wellbeing, changing the way we eat, making promises to exercise more. Normally both are related to someone’s desire to lose weight. Fast forward a few months and the motivation has gone AWOL. Sound familiar?

How do you stick to your weight loss goal long enough to achieve it? Well, there’s no simple answer. Change is diffi cult. We all want quick and easy with little effort. When we don’t see results quickly enough, we get discour-aged and we lose the motivation to continue.

Don’t be fooled by those diet plans and weight loss products that claim to deliver IMMEDIATE RESULTS. They’re actually often the most dan-gerous to your health, plus, those fast-results usually mean super strict rules that a Sergeant Major would be proud of. Once you go off those rules, you’ll gain the weight right back!

At CDA Fitness, we know you get frustrated if you don’t see instant results. That’s why we’ve prepared some handy hints to help you be more patient and stay motivated to con-tinue:1. Write down your goal and make it vis-ible to you every day. If your focus tends to fade over time, writing down your goal (and seeing it in front of you each day) will help re-motivate you and keep your eye on the target. Stick a note on your fridge, or if you spend a lot of time in your car - sticking a motivational message on your steering wheel is one of our favourites.

2. Be realistic with your goal and how soon you want to achieve it. It’s impor-tant to be realistic. When you reach your next goal, set yourself another. Aiming for a series of small goals and reaching them gradually will keep you motivated if you’re in it for the long haul.

3. Make a plan and think step by step, how will you achieve your goal? If you’re trying to lose weight properly, you need a plan that’s right for you. Try hir-ing a personal trainer or nutritionist. A few sessions with an expert and you’ll get a structured programme for you to follow.

4. Mental Preparation. A weight loss goal might mean lifestyle change. It’ll take hard work, preparation, persistence and determi-nation. Know that your journey isn’t going to be perfect and that you will probably have setbacks. You’ll probably even ‘fall off the wagon’ for a day or two, but instead of call-ing it quits - be ready for the hard times and keep moving towards your goal. Remember, persistence is key!

Ian at CDA Fitness is a REPS & EREPs Cer-tifi ed Personal Trainer and specialises in personal training, golf fi tness, weight loss and nutrition. His great value cours-es can help you understand how to get healthy at your own pace. What’s more, he’s based here in Spain at Condado de Alhama (covering Mazarrón, Camposol and surrounding areas) - so personal consultations are hassle free. Find out more online at www.cdafi tness.co.uk

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Firstly I would like to take this opportunity to thank all my clients, past and future for making the Phoenix Hypnotherapy clinics the LEADING permanently based clinics on the Costas Blanca, Cálida and Almeria and to wish everybody a very prosperous New Year for 2012.

Recent research shows that while 52% of participants in a resolution study were confi dent of success with their goals, only 12% actually achieved their goals

Most people’s New Year resolutions are to lose weight, kick the habit of smoking, change their lives for the better, either through fi nances, or becoming more positive, maybe they would like to rid themselves of a phobia or to take control of negative thoughts and feelings.

That is where Phoenix Hypnotherapy can help you.I can help you stop smoking easily in only one 30 minute session. I use a technique called the Rob Kelly Method, and have been using the same method since 2003. It has a success rate of 92.5% *. It has such a high success rate simply because I do not take every prospective client on; they may not be truly ready, so every single client has a completely FREE 30 minute consultation immediately prior to the

hypnotherapy session. This is to assess your suitability. Until the end of January, I will give you a incentive to stop smoking…I am offering you the chance to become a non-smoker using this method for only 100€ (usually 140€) and together we can help you become a non-smoker.

Maybe you would like to lose weight and then control it once you have reached your target. The HypnoBand has featured on many programmes such as Channel 4´s Embarrassing Bodies. It has also featured in countless news articles worldwide. Phoenix Hypnotherapy pioneered the Hypnoband Programme in Spain in 2009, and most readers are intelligent enough to realise this type of treatment, the leading Virtual Gastric Band, is not just a simple one off session, but a PROGRAMME of 4 carefully designed sessions spread out over a period of time. Again until the end of January, I will offer this unique treatment for 275€ for the whole treatment. Please do not be confused with any other treatment. I am the only Registered HypnoBand™ practitioner on the Costa Blanca, Cálida and Almeria Maybe you only need to lose a small amount of weight and just want that extra boost, well at Phoenix Hypnotherapy I also still continue to offer a one off Weight Control session at a

special price of 75€ (normally 85€).

If you are unfortunate to suffer from depression, phobias, anxiety, sexual problems, panic attacks or any other negative obstacles in your mind, why not book in for a free consultation, to discuss your problems in a confi dential and safe environment. I only work from registered clinics and for your peace of mind I am registered here I Spain and have a Spanish Governing Body.

At Phoenix Hypnotherapy we can even help with your blood pressure problems using the new HypnoTension™ Programme.So make that resolution to yourself today…. to change for the better...pick up the phone today and call Mark directly on 654202996 or visit www.HypnoSpain.com * See website for details

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WordsearchTranslate the English words below into Spanish

NOTHINGPLAYING CARDS

ORANGENOSECREAM

CUSTARDMIST

BLACKTYRE

SNOWSTORMFRIDGE

CONNECTIONNEITHER

NEST

GRANDSONSNOWNONEGIRL

MEDLARNIGHT

HARMFULWALNUTNUMBERPAYSLIP

GIRLFRIENDNEVEROTTERKNOT

Answers on page 92

SudukoDo-Able

Diffi cult

January Quiz QuestionsQuiz Questions on the December 2011 edition

1. Who wrote the Inspector Morse novels?

2. Who offers just new doors or a complete new kitchen?

3. Who moved 6 doors higher up the street?

4. Who is offering a “9 Acre

Estate” and claims it is “Su-perb Value Villa”?

5. Name the authentic Span-ish restaurant in Tallante

6. Who is “The expats favou-rite insurer”?

7. Where would you fi nd the Laundry Shop?

8. What does Louisa Living-stone forecast?

9. Where would you fi nd TJ Electricals?

10. Who gave Spanish Gift Ideas?

Monthly Quiz

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Time to Detox?Now that the festivities are over for another year, most of us have indulged in too much food and drink leaving us feeling bloated and lethargic. Promising ourselves, ‘never again’. We make the usual New Year’s resolutions ie, lose weight and take more exercise; you know the usual things which at the time sound brilliant, but most of us won’t or can’t keep for whatever reason.

However, one resolution which you may be able to keep, even if only for a short period of time and can be very benefi cial is to Detox. One way to achieve this is by drinking more water.

Water is important for our bodies, to help

us function. The human body is made up of approximately 50-70% water. Most Detox regimes recommend fl ooding the body with purifi ed or fi ltered water. Infusing the body with water will immediately stimulate your kidneys, liver and digestive systems (the primary Detox organs) functions. It will boost your metabolism, which in turn accelerates toxin and fat elimination.

It is no secret that drinking two litres of water a day can dramatically improve your health, and the signs will be obvious: glowing complexion, clear skin, better immunity, better digestion, less aches and pains, weight loss, less cellulite, better concentration, renewed vitality and energy. If this sounds good to you, it’s time to drink up.

Don’t just think about how much water you drink, but also consider its source. Tap water is your cheapest and easiest option, but quality can be poor. Impurities and toxins often found in tap water range from chlorine to pesticides and bottled water can be expensive and inconvenient.

Why not call Healthy H2o (see their advert below) who will come and install one of their water fi lter systems? By fi ltering your tap water you’ll notice a taste difference straight away, making drinking water more of a pleasure than a chore!

Sue Newman, BA (Hons), Dip HE, RN.

by Annette RyderWith the New Year here, some of you may be thinking about shifting some of those extra Christmas kilos! The dreaded diet is the fi rst thing that springs to mind, swiftly followed by a spot of exercise. Now I love my food, but thankfully I also like my exercise, otherwise I would be the size of a small elephant! There is quite a lot on offer out there in the way of exercise and dance fi tness classes, but do you know what your class should deliver to keep you safe and healthy? As an experienced teacher, I have put together a check list.

If your class falls short in any of the areas, then perhaps you should be asking questions, especially if you are unfi t when you start.

1. Have you been asked to fi ll in a form asking about your state of health? Your instructor needs

to be aware of medical problems as they may impact on your ability to participate.

2. Is your instructor qualifi ed to teach the class? I would consider it necessary for them to have at least a basic knowledge of anato-my, fi rst aid and safe practices as part of their training.

3. Does the class start with an adequate warm-up? This should consist of gradually increasing ac-tivity to warm up the muscles, fol-lowed by preparatory stretches. This readies the body for more in-tense activity in the main part of the class.

4. The instructor should take ac-count of safety and student´s weaknesses should be catered

for with alternative moves being available for certain individuals.

5. Does the class end with a cool-down and is there a balanced programme of held stretches to aid fl exibility and eliminate muscle soreness?

6. Do you enjoy the experience and are you feeling the bene-fi ts? There are many reasons why people attend classes, so benefi ts may be physical or emotional.

Annette teaches dance/exercise classes twice a week on Camposol (see Dance Zone advert) and is happy to chat with anyone who is unsure about participating in an exercise regime or who requires clarifi cation of any of the information above.

Annette can be contacted on 649 647 467.

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Winter cut-back and c l e a n - u p timeBy Clodagh and Dick Handscombe

Practical gardeners and authors living in Spain for 25 years

As soon as there is a sunny January day we get out into the garden to start our winter cutback and clean up, even between the New Year and Los Reyes. It gives good post New Year celebrations exercise and it could rain later in the month.

As highlighted in our book Your Garden in Spain – From planning to planting and maintenance the main garden cut back is done in the winter in Spain rather than in the autumn in northern Europe. There are several reasons for this:

• Many shrubs can be encouraged to fl ower through the autumn, even right through to Christmas.

• Most plants and trees – except for ev-ergreens- are dormant and the sap is down.

• If plants are allowed to fl ower beyond Christmas they tend to go leggy and if not cut back now they will be late to fl ower in the spring or early summer.

• Plants have a good clean up and shap-ing before they start to bud and grow in earnest.

• The soil is cleared of rubbish and weeds while there is maximum space

between plants.• Obviously winter fl owering plants are

not pruned back until they have fi n-ished fl owering.

The fi ve main tasks:1. Cut back and shape all perennials,

shrubs and trees appropriate to their age, format and size in relation to the size of your garden.

2. Clear all accumulated leaves and weeds from planted areas terraces and paths.

3. Divide up and replant large clumps of perennials.

4. Loosen the surface of the soil and mulch as many plants as possible to reduce summer water losses by evap-oration.

5. Shred and compost as much as pos-sible of the prunings and rubbish.

Plant by plant guidelines.This a selection from the plant b plant guide-lines included in Chapter 6.9 of Your Garden in Spain.

• Hibiscus – Shorten branches by 20 to 50 centimetres. Propagate new plants from the longer cuttings.

• Begonias – the rampant pink fl owered Podranea variety needs a heavy cut back but just train others to shape.

• Bougainvilleas – prune young plants gently to shape but cut back well es-tablished plants hard taking out the long non-fl owering water shoots.

• Hedges – close cut and reduce height of established hedges if need be.

• Autumn fl owering bulbs – remove dead leaves.

• Evergreen trees – trim to shape and size appropriate to your garden. Start or trim topiary features.

• Pond plants – cut back and thin reeds and irises and every couple of years lift out clumps of plants in the water and thin.

• Cordylines – pull off dead leaves and cut off dead fl ower heads.

• Lantanas – cut back trailing varieties to half, hard prune others.

Remember that the more you prune and shape now the better the spring and summer garden will look.

Clodagh and Dick’s booksIf you do not have them yet they can be obtained from high street and internet shops plus www.gar-deninginspain.com. Autographed books can be obtained from the latter which also has a free offer of Living Well from Our Mediterranean Gar-den when you buy a copy of Your Garden in Spain, Apartment Gardening Mediterranean Style, Growing Healthy Fruit in Spain and Growing Healthy Vegetables in Spain.

(c) Clodagh and Dick Handscombe January 2011.



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Nicholas Evans was born on 26 July 1950. He is an English journalist, screenwriter tele-vision and fi lm producer and novelist. Evans was born at in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, and educated at Bromsgrove School, but be-fore studying at Oxford University, he served in Africa with the charity Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO). He then studied journal-ism and worked as a newspaper reporter and television screenwriter. He lives in Devon and has a son called Max Evans and a daughter, Lauren. He also has another son Harry, from a relationship he had with Jane Hewland, the TV producer. Evans is now married to sing-er/songwriter Charlotte Gordon Cumming. Evans, Cumming, and several of their rela-tives were poisoned in September 2008 after consuming deadly webcap mushrooms that they gathered on holiday. The poisoning was non-fatal, though Evans and the others had to undergo kidney dialysis and he underwent a transplant in 2011 using a kidney donated by his daughter.

His novel, The Horse Whisperer sold 15 million copies and it is on the list of the best-selling books of all time. In the UK, The Horse Whisperer was listed on the BBC’s Big Read, a 2003 survey with the goal of fi nd-ing the “nation’s best-loved book”. The book was made into a motion picture in 1998, with Robert Redford directing and starring in the fi lm version opposite Kristin Scott Thomas, along with Scarlett Johansson and Sam Neill.

Evans, has agreed an option to make a movie of his third novel, The Smoke Jumper.

The Horse Whis-perer (1995) After her daugh-ter is injured in a horseback riding accident, a sophis-ticated New York woman desperate-ly seeks the help of a Montana horse whisperer to help her daughter and the horse recover from the trauma.

The Smoke Jumper (2001) His name is Con-nor Ford and he falls like an angel of mercy from the sky, braving the fl ames to save the woman he loves but knows he can-not have. For Ju-lia Bishop is the partner of his best friend and fellow “smoke jumper,” Ed Tully. Julia loves

them both until a fi ery tragedy on Montana’s Snake Mountain forces her to choose between them, and burns a brand on all their hearts.

The Brave (2010) The motto of the boarding school to which Tommy Bedford is dis-patched is ‘For-tune Favours the Brave’. It’s 1959 and the school bristles with bullies and sadistic staff. Tommy, a quirky loner, obsessed with cowboys and Indians, needs all the bravery he can summon. Salva-

tion comes when his glamorous actress sister is swept off to Hollywood by one of his he-roes, TV cowboy Ray Montane. With the Cold War looming, the sinister side of Tinseltown seeps through and Tommy and Diane soon fi nd themselves in jeopardy. Forty years on, Tommy has to confront his boyhood ghosts when his own son fi nds himself charged with murder.

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New Charity Shop for Easy Horse Care

Following the phenomenal support for the fi rst Easy Horse Care Rescue Centre charity shop in Quesada, situated behind the arches petrol station, one month later the second one has opened.

Situated in Washington Square in La Siesta, it has been a quick expansion for the charity and the store and is helping to provide much needed funds for the Rescue Centre as co-founder Sue Weeding explains, “Following some very expensive times at the Rescue Centre and an ever-increasing number of horses that need our help, the charity shops have come to our rescue. These are proving to be the way forward for us, helping to bring in the necessary funds to ensure the future of the Rescue Centre so we can continue our

work.”

Manager of the Quesada store, Maureen Gee, spearheaded the campaign to get a charity shop for Easy Horse Care, which rescues and supports horses, ponies and donkeys and it was a very short campaign. “It was all last minute really. It all happened in one week. I spotted the shop was for sale, rang the guy and asked if he would consider renting it...and in one week we have all this.” The opening of the new La Siesta store was almost as quick. “I kept thinking what can I do with all this excess stock and I woke up with this idea of an overspill shop where everything would be 1€ and quickly wrote it down.”

Maureen’s idea is of an expanding ‘DAIS1€ Chain’ with the word daisy standing for ‘Don’t Ask It’s Solo 1 €uro.’ Due to the immense success of the Quesada branch, the volunteers found themselves getting inundated with donated stock and whilst some shot out the doors, other items just sat there and Maureen came up with the idea of opening a second, overspill shop to accommodate this. “Anything that is in the Quesada store for a month and hasn’t sold will be sent to La Siesta where everything is just 1€. We had a ‘3 for 1€’ bin, but it was overfl owing and some items were too good for that, so they have now gone to La Siesta as well as maybe items of clothing that are a little distressed but still useful to someone.”

The La Siesta store is full of much needed bargains. “We thought that with the economy as it is, the 1€ shop would be a good idea and it’s working out absolutely fantastically.” Maureen already has plans to expand her DAIS1€ Chain and by next April hopes to have shops up and running in Playa Flamenca and La Zenia, but it doesn’t stop there, “I want to do this all over Spain and have people interested in opening more DAIS1€ Chains.”

If you have any unwanted, quality items you may wish to donate to the Easy Horse Care Rescue Centre, you can take them to either of the charity shops in Quesada or La Siesta, or to the Rescue Centre itself where they can be sorted. Both shops are open Monday to Friday from 10am-4pm and on Saturdays from 10am-2pm. If you are interested in volunteering in any way call Maureen on 682 288 304.

The EHCRC relies only on charitable donations. It is open to the public all year round every day from 1-4pm. On Sundays and Wednesdays there are guided tours, where visitors can meet the horses and donkeys and hear their stories. Visitors can also enjoy a light lunch or light refreshments available in the café garden, and all proceeds go towards the support of the centre. For more information visit our website www.easyhorsecare.net or call Sue on 652 021 980.

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Hi all, it’s Shannon again and I am going to tell you about my Spanish Mock exam. I was so scared! I am in year 11 now for Spanish at school and I am only 13 years old. Everyone else in my class is 15 or 16 years old. Jorge, my teacher said we had to print the exam paper off as we have our lessons on the internet with him, and then when we had fi nished it we needed to scan it back to him so he could mark it for us. I spent the weeks before the exam revising really hard. I was aiming for an ‘A’ so I needed to put all my effort into it. Mum had the boys sit in another room to keep them quiet. Jorge told us what to do and when it was time to start I had to go in a room on my own in total silence and start the exam in proper exam conditions. Jorge had said that

we should spend 30 minutes on each section and there were three sections. These got harder as they went along; none of them were very hard, but section ‘C’ was a bit of a challenge. The fi rst section was ticking boxes and the second section was comprehension. I

had to write a paragraph on being ill for the third section. I fi nished in just over an hour so I read over it all to make sure I hadn’t made any mistakes. Mum said she would scan my paper from her computer as it is faster than mine and easier. I sent my answers into Jorge and told him that I had fi nished. I was glad the exam was over but then I was nervous about my result. Three days later I got the result. I had passed! Jorge gave me the answers, so I could see where I had gone wrong. The tension was over. Now I have to take my Spanish GCSE exam in May 2012. Wish me luck!

Hello there, Connor here with yet more exciting news for you about what I have done this past month. The one particular part I want to tell you about is when we spent an afternoon with Brian and Maureen. It was a normal school day and it started like every other day with breakfast and lessons. Mum said we had to have an early lunch and then Brian rang to say it was time to go to their house. We didn’t know we were going to do that, so it really was a great surprise. Brian said we had to bring coats or jumpers. When we got there Mum and Dad left us because they had a lot of work to do on the cattery. We then climbed into Brian’s car with Maureen and we all drove down the

coast to a lovely beach. We played in the park, walked along the beach and had ice creams in the bar. After we had fi nished our ice creams we got back into the car and went for a long

drive around the area. Once back at Brian and Maureen’s home, Brian gave Nathan and I a couple of jobs to do. We had to get some wood in for their fi re and Shannon planted some plants in pots with Maureen. Then we all sat down for a well earned drink and a chat until it was time for us to go back home. Mum and Dad were just fi nishing their afternoon of hard work on the cattery. It was a great day and all that there is left for me to say now is Happy New Year!

Hello Nathan here, and this month I am going to tell you all about my birthday. We went out for the day a bit before the actual birthday because my birthday as on a Tuesday and I have to work in school then. Harry, my friend joined us and Brian and Maureen came too. The waiting for Harry to come was terrible, we had to hang around for the Rainbow TV man to come and fi x the channels for us so we could get BBC 1 again. He said it was his birthday present to me! Finally Harry arrived. I haven’t seen Harry for months so it would be really good to be able to chat away with him all day. We went golfi ng near San Javier airport. There is a really good golf course there, not a full size one. It is a bit like crazy golf, but all on the greens and putting with bridges and

streams. We decided to do the 18 hole course. Brian said we should split into two teams and make it a competition. Harry and I went with Mum and Dad and Connor and Shannon went round with Brian and Mo. It was such good fun. Brian and his team cheated a

bit because if they put a ball into the stream they didn’t add an extra shot on the total. We did, so even though they got better scores than us, we still think we did better. Not that it mattered. After we had fi nished the 18 holes Harry and I went into the café there and had Nachos and a drink. It all looked so good that Shannon and Connor had some as well. Then Harry and I just walked around the place and chatted. To end the day out we had a quick game of normal crazy golf and came home for pizza and birthday cake. It was a good day made even better by the friends and the company. I must wish you all a Happy New Year now, until next month.



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Telepan Lorca – Fresh bread delivered to your door.An excellent new service has been started in the area which is called “Telepan”.

Telepan Lorca will install a secure breadbox at your premises where you can place your order either by phone, by email or by internet. They have a range of bread and cakes which they will deliver, freshly baked to your door 7 days a week. In addition to bread you can order, pasties, mini pizzas, croissants and a selection of delicious tarts, both sweet and savoury. Not only does this service save you a trip to the shops, but it does not cost you any more. For example a brown loaf or “integral” is only €0.70 and simply wonderful. Everything is baked freshly and deliveries are guaranteed to be before 1pm.

Payment can be made either by bank transfer

(direct debit) or as most prefer, you can simply leave the loose change in the breadbox. It is totally secure as you have a key and they have a key, so what could be simpler? This is a very fl exible service also as there is no minimum order or need to have deliveries every day.

This new service is already available in Totana, Alhama, Lorca, Camposol, Mazarrón Country Club, Mazarrón Town and Puerto de Mazarrón and will expand where necessary. The more customers they gain the more regular the service.

Further services are now also becoming available as the demand grows for newspapers, milk and eggs.

Telepan offer a free trial, so you have nothing to lose; just give them a call. They also speak some English. Telephone 968 076 051.

Christian Humanitarian Aid Charity in the Mazarron & Surrounding area

This is the prompting that Started our MAD Journey….Matthew 25 v 35-36

“When I was Hungry you fed me, when I was Thirsty you gave me a drink, when I needed Clothes you clothed me, when I was a Stranger you invited me in,

when I ……….……” God fi lls in the missing gaps.

GO maD declares that In God we Trust For the evidence of God’s presence far

outweighs the proof of His absence.

After two years of being in existence, still people ask “Who / What is Making A Dif-ference”?A Charity that wants to Make A Difference to Lives, by sharing the Love of Christ.• A Charity that cares for mankind regard-

less of race or creed • A Charity that cares for the poor and less

fortunate • A Charity that cares for those that soci-

ety has cast aside • A Charity that reaches out regardless of

circumstances• A Charity that will lift the heads of those

downcast• A Charity that values life regardless of its

social standing• A Charity that mops up tears and calms

fears• A Charity that knows a GOD who loves

them• A Charity that speaks for the voiceless• A Charity that feeds the hungry• A Charity that clothes the unclothed• A Charity that provides home comforts

(furniture/blankets) • A Charity that will one day house the

homeless• A Charity that knows the Fathers Heart-

beat for HIS People• A Charity that will not judge individual

circumstances• A Charity that hugs no matter of appear-

ance or abode

• A Charity that wants all to know uncon-ditional LOVE

• A Charity that wants to spread the knowledge that no one is alone

• A Charity that Cares enough to Make A Difference – Do YOU??

If the answer is YES and you would like to be part of a Charity that then come & Help us fi ll in the Gap. Together we can share that Love – so don’t delay call today on 634 357 137 and see how you can be Making A Difference.

John 15 v 13 “No greater LOVE than this, that He lay down His life for his friend” Many of us at GO maD have experienced that unconditional LOVE & because of that we are;

A Charity that will continue to share His LOVE with others ‘Regardless’!

Change of VenueThe Blues Brothers Tribute Night and special appearance of ‘Tina Turner’ will now be held at Mariano’s, Camposol A on 20th January. This special fund-raising night at €10 a ticket will include a basket meal.

For more information and tickets, please call at JJ’s charity shop in Puerto de Mazarrón, or call Mike on 634 143 242 or Christine on 603 127 984

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Dear Jennifer,Money is scarce, but we manage to get by somehow. Recently, our only son was made redundant in the UK and he approached us for a loan. He gave us his word that he would make monthly repayments by taking any job at the Job Centre.However, I have since learnt from our relatives in the UK that our grandson is getting married in February and our son is paying for the entire wedding reception! Where he got the money from, we can only guess. My husband and I have tried to discuss repayment of the loan, but he just says that he will sort this out after the wedding.

We don’t want to by spoil our grandson’s wedding plans, but are concerned about our own fi nancial situation. We plan to

boycott the wedding in protest. We really don’t want to do this, but feel we have no option but to make our disappointment known.SharonDear Sharon,I empathise with your situation and can understand your reasons for wanting to boycott the wedding. However, I feel that your actions will affect your grandson and his bride to be, who will be disappointed by your absence on such an important occasion. They are innocent victims and may not understand your reasons to boycott the wedding and may take this personally, which could cause a family rift.

May I suggest instead, that you make an appointment to sit down and discuss your concerns with your son and take the opportunity to highlight your own fi nancial diffi culties, which are a priority. You might consider offering part of the outstanding loan as a wedding gift to your grandson, thus reducing the amount of the outstanding loan. However, it is important to get some kind of commitment from your son to repay the balance. Discuss an affordable repayment plan with your son, especially as he is looking for a job. We all know that if you allow the situation to continue, without any commitment on his part, then he may use other circumstances or excuses not to repay the loan.Jennifer

Dear Jennifer,I have had a long-standing feud with my cousin and we have not contacted each other for nearly 20 years. I have since learnt that he has terminal cancer and would like to re-establish contact. However, I don’t know how to approach the subject with him and am afraid that he will ignore my requests because of our silly feud. I can’t even remember what started the feud and it seems silly to continue to let it fester anymore. Should I make the fi rst move?Babs

Dear Babs,Skip the past and focus on the present. Your cousin will need all the support and comfort he can get in his time of need and may not even be thinking of the feud. Make contact and let him know that you care. It doesn’t matter whose fault it was or how it started. Time does heal wounds. What is more important is that you let him know that you are thinking of him, which I am sure he will appreciate. You may even decide to pay him a visit, but if you do, reminiscence on the good times, not the bad. There is no better medicine than laughter. Remember, that little misunderstandings should not matter in life and death situations, only love and friendship.Jennifer

Dear readers,I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Happy New Year.With best wishes and positive thoughts for a brighter future,Jennifer Rahman



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Every Mon Wellbeing Clinic/Calida Caring Agency @ Jane’s Salon, Bolnuevo @ Watch Your Weight Club, 2€ to MABS @ Jane’s Salon, Bolnuevo, 10.30am Yoga with Marí Carmen @ Bolnuevo, 10.00am Slimming Club @ Cat’s Bar, Camposol A, 11.00am Andrea’s Animal Rescue, Collection @ Car Park, Camposol B, 11.30-1.30pm GO maD Donations @ Cultural Centre, Camposol B Costa Calida Radio (Pto), 3-5pm Zumba with Louise @ Sensol Hotel, Camposol C, 7.30pm Fun Music Quiz @ Trevi Bar, Camposol B, 8.00pm Bingo @ Bar La Manchica, La Manchica Every Tue Pensionista Day 1€ discount @ Cat’s Bar, Camposol A Weekly “B” Clean Working Party Camposol B, 9.00am MAMAS Collection/Book Stall 10-1pm Camposol B Car Park, opp garage Dance Fitness to Music/Annette @ Classes re-commence 24 January Hotel Sensol, Camposol C, 11.00am Poker Night @ Alley Palais, Camposol B Every Wed Gardening Group Clean Up Camposol C, 9.00am Bridge, New Players Welcome @ Trevi Bar, Camposol B, 9.45am Yoga with Marí Carmen @

Bolnuevo, 10.00am Age Concern booking events etc @ Cultural Centre, Camposol B, 10.00-

12.00pm Zumba with Louise @ Hotel Sensol, Camposol C, 11.30am PALS for booking events etc @ Saralara’s, Pto de Mazarron, 1.00-3.00pm Creative Writing Group/Annette @ Classes re-commence 25 January Camposol, 2.00-3.30pm Book/DVD Club with HAH @ La Zona Bar, Los Narejos. 2.30-4.30pm Zumba with Louise @ Tara’s Casa, 5.00pm Fish and Chip Night @ Cat’s Bar, Camposol A, 6.50€ Quiz with Kev @ Trevi Bar, Camposol B, 8.30pm Mens’ Darts In the Evening @ Cat’s Bar, Camposol A Pool and Darts Night @ Bar La Manchica, La Mancica Karaoke/Disco with Lisa B @ Alley Palais, Camposol B, 9.00pm

Every Thu Camposol Market @ Camposol A Wellbeing Clinic/Calida Caring Agency @ Dental Care, Camposol B, 10.00-4.00pm Alternative Thursdays Slimming Club @ Cat’s Bar, Camposol A, 11.00am PALS for booking events etc @ Tel´s Bar, Camposol B, from 11-1.30pm Zumba(Louise @ Hotel Sensol, Camposol C, 11.30am “Latin Beats”/Annette @ Classes re-commence 19 January Trevi Bar, Camposol B, 11.30-12.30pm Andrea’s Animal Rescue Collection @ Mazarrón Country Club Bar, 11.30-1.00pm Mini Movers/Dance/Drama/Louise @ Cultural Centre, Camposol B, 3.00pm Modern Movers Dance/Louise @ Cultural Centre, Camposol B, 4.00pm Street Dance/Louise @ Cultural Centre, Camposol B, 5.00pm Adult Beginner Salsa/Louise @ Cultural Centre, Camposol B, 7.30pm Karaoke with Bernie Mac @ Cat’s Bar, Camposol A, 9.00pm



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Ladies’ Darts in the evening @ Cat’s Bar, Camposol A Music Quiz with John @ Alley Palais, Camposol B Fun Quiz Night @ Bar La Manchica, La Manchica

Every Fri Bridge, New Players Welcome Trevi Bar, Camposol B, 9.45am Book Sale & Bric-a-Brac/Noah’s ARC Camposol B, 10.00-2.00pm Book Stall. Camposol A Gardening Group Car Park Camposol A. 10.30-12.30pm Lions Bahia Mazarrón booking events Kennelly’s, Camposol B, 11.00-1.00pm Age Concern booking events Trevi Bar, Camposol B 11.00-1.00pm GoMad Available Donations @ Cultural Centre, Camposol B Costa Calida Radio (Pto), 12.30-2.00pm 10 Pin Bowling, Camposol C Garden Group Totana, 4.00pm Mark Phoenix Hypnotheraphy @ Dental Care, Camposol B Fish & Chips 5€ @ The New Royal, Pto de Mazarrón Fish & Chips & Live Music @ Hacienda del Álamo Clubhouse, 12€ Bingo @ Cat’s Bar, Camposol A, 7.30pm Steak Night, 19.95€ for 2 @ The Spaniard, Hacienda del Alamo Fish and Chip Night @ Bar La Manchica, La Mancica Cod and Chips @ The New Royal, Pto de Mazarrón, 6€ Disco @ Alley Palais, Camposol B, 9.00pm-3.00am Every Sat Book Sale/MABS Murcia Mar Menor Outside The Arches Bar, 10.00-1.00pm PALS for booking events etc Outside Trevi Bar, Camposol B, from 11-

1.30pm Dance and Drama with Louise @ Cultural Centre, Camposol B, 11.30am Karaoke/Disco with Bernie Mac @ Trevi Bar, Camposol B. 9.00pm–late

Every Sun Car Boot Sale, 8.30am Cañadas del Romero Social Centre Car Boot Sale, 9.00-2.00pm El Romero, Cuevas de Reyllo HELP MMM Car Boot Autocine, Los Narejos Sunday Lunch @ Cat’s Bar, Camposol A, from 4.50€ Buffet Lunch & Music @ Hacienda del Alamo Clubhouse Sunday Lunch from 6.95€ @ The Spaniard, Hacienda de Alamo Sunday Roast @ Trevi Bar, Camposol B Sunday Roast @ La Vista, Los Alcázares, from 7.95€ Karaoke/Disco with Bernie Mac @ Trevi Bar, Camposol B, From 7.00pm Fun Quiz @ Cat’s Bar, Camposol A, 8.30pm

JANUARYSunday 1 New Year’s Day New Year’s Day Lunch @ Chez Zoe, Pto de Mazarrón Sponsored Swim with PALS

Bahia Beach

Monday 2 Painting/Photograhy Exhibition (until 13 January) Cultural Exhibition Hall, Town Hall,

Mazarrón

Tuesday 3 Friends’ & Buddies’ Evening @ Cat’s Bar, Camposol A, 8.00pm

Wednesday 4 World Braille Day (see article page 26) Ladies’ Fair, Handbags/shoes @ Jane’s Salon, Bolnuevo, 11.00-3.00pm Volunteers Meeting/MABS Murcia MM Las Claras, Los Alcázares, 11.00am “Social” with Age Concern @ Cultural Centre, Camposol B, 1.30-3.30pm Lions Meeting @ Cultural Centre, Camposol B, 5.00pm

Thursday 5 Arrival of “3 Wise Men” Cehegin, with gifts for the children

Friday 6 National Holiday, Dia de Reyes Outdoor Market Stall/MABS Murcia NW Calle Segura, Calasparra, 9.00am-1.00pm 3 Course “3 Kings Lunch Menu” @ Don Ricardo’s, Pto de Mazarrón, 15€ Lenny Mitchell @ The Yachtsman, San Pedro 3 Course “3 Kings Evening Menu” @



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Don Ricardo’s, Pto de Mazarrón, 20€ Cálida Country Music Club Night (CAFÉ) @ La Molata, Cañadas de Alhama, 8.00pm

Saturday 7 Romería del 7 de Enero Totana “Welcome” Meeting @ Mariano’s, Camposol A, 2.00pm Sunday 8 3 Course Sunday Special @ Don Ricardo’s, Pto de Mazarrón, 10€ Tuesday 10 Super Sales Shopping/Dragontours 3 x 1 Centres in Murcia, 15€ Book & Jigsaw Swap with “Welcome” @ ICA Medical Centre, Camposol B, 10.00-12.00pm Volunteer Meeting/HAH @ The Arches, Los Narejos, 11.45am

Wednesday 11 Walk with WARM North West Murcia Region Volunteer Meeting/MABS Murcia NW @ Hotel Argos (between Calasparra/

Cehegin) 5.00pm Fun Games Night with “Welcome” @ Mariano’s, Camposol A, 7.45pm, 3€ Friday 13 Indoor Market with fashion/bling/dvd’s @ Alley Palais, Camposol B

Saturday 14 Visit to Torre Pacheco Nursery with Darwinian Gardeners Blues Brothers Tribute@ New Royal, Pto de Mazarrón, 9.00pm Tuesday 17 San Antón Bullas and Torre Pacheco & Buddies Evening @ Cat’s Bar, Camposol A, 8.00pm Ebony/Ivory Ladies Lunch Club/MABS

Murcia MM Diamantes Restaurant, El Mojon, 1.30pm, 10€

Wednesday 18 “Chatters” with HAH 11am @ The Garden, behind Euromrina Alcazares, Andrea’s Animal Rescue, Collection @ Car Park, Camposol B, 11.30-1.30pm January Show with “Welcome” @ Mariano’s, Camposol A, 7.45pm, 9€ (food 5€)

Friday 20 San Sebastian (until 20th) Cegehin (Old Town) San Sebastian Ricote Outdoor Market Stall/MABS Murcia NW Calle Segura, Calasparra, 9.00am-1.00pm Share & Care Group/MABS Murcia MM MABS Cancer Centre, San Javier, 11.00am Blues Brothers Tribute & ‘Tina Turner’ @ Mariano’s, Camposol A/JJ’s Puppies

7.30pm Lenny Mitchell @ The Yachtsman, San Pedro Calida Country Music Club Night (CAFÉ) The Prospectors @ La Molata, Cañadas de Alhama, 8.00pm

Saturday 21 Party Night with “Obsession”@ Hacienda del Alamo Clubhouse Free Golf Lessons with David Gay @ Rhoda Golf & Beach Resort 10-3pm

Sunday 22 Demonstration with Horse Whisperer Alhama de Murcia 11-5pm Tuesday 24 Book & Jigsaw Swap/“Welcome” @ ICA Medical Centre, Camposol B, 10.00-12.00pm Friends & Buddies Evening @ Cat’s Bar, Camposol A, 8.00pm Wednesday 25 Burn’s Night Petanca with “Welcome” @ Mariano’s, Camposol A, 1.00pm Menu del Dia/Entertainment/ Age Concern @ Da Fu Hau, Pto de Mazarrón, 10€, 1.30-6.00pm



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Fun Night with MABS Mazarrón, 3€ @ Alley Palais, Camposol B, 7.30pm, Food Available “Burns Night”, Music by Bernie Mac @ Trevi Bar, Camposol B, 5€ inc. Haggis Thursday 26 Monthly “B” Clean Meeting @ Trevi Bar, Camposol B, 4.00pm

Friday 27 Indoor Market with fashion/bling/dvd’s Alley Palais, Camposol B Booksale/MABS Mazarrón @

Trevi Bar, Camposol B, 9.00am-1.00pm

Table Top Sale/GO maD @ Camposol B, 10.00am-2.00pm Walk with NEST with optional meal Meet 10.30am El Berro Car Park, Sierra

Espuña Booksale/MABS Murcia NW @ Trevol Bar, Urb Tierra del Sol, Calasparra,

11-2pm Meeting for Bereaved Families/MABS

Mazarrón @ Cat’s Bar, Camposol A, 2.00pm 3 Course Fresh Fish and Chips Night @ Don Ricardo’s, Pto de Mazarrón, 10€ Lenny Mitchell @ New Royal, Pto de Mazarrón Race Night/“Camposol Fiestas” @ Trevi Bar, Camposol B, 5€ Saturday 28 Fiesta de las Cuadrillas Barranda, Caravaca del la Cruz Sunday 29 Artisan Market

Plaza del Castillo, Cehegin, 10.00am 3 Course Sunday Special @ Don Ricardo’s, Pto de Mazarrón, 10€

Sevillana’s Social Meeting @ Asturias Restaurant

Tuesday 31 MABS Mazarrón Volunteer Meeting @ Trevi, Camposol B, 11.30am Monthly “B” Clean Meeting @ Trevi Bar, Camposol B, 4.00pm Entertainment Night/Help at Home @ La Diva, Los Alcázares

FEBRUARYWednesday 1 Ladies’ Fair, Handbags/shoes @ Jane’s Salon, Bolnuevo, 11-3.00pm Lions Meeting @ Cultural Centre, Camposol B, 5.00pm

Friday 3 Grand Auction with Age Concern, Mariano´s, Camposol A, from 10.00am

Saturday 4 Adapt Meeting @ Pensionista Club, San Pedro, 10.30am “Welcome” Meeting @ Mariano’s, Camposol A, 2.00pm Steve Dale @ New Royal, Pto de Mazarrón

Colour coding guide:Entertainment and special menu nights are RedMarkets,exhibitions,leisure,activities and meetings arepurpleCharity and non profi t making organisations are greenNational events are orangeFiestas are pinkImportant dates are blue



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George Michael (Born Georgios Kyri-acos Panayiotou on 25 June 1963) is a British musician, singer, songwriter and re-cord producer who rose to fame and world-wide acclaim in the 1980s.

Michael fi rst found success after forming the duo Wham! with old school friend An-

drew Ridgeley in 1981. The band’s fi rst al-bum Fantastic reached no. 1 in the UK and produced a series of top 10 singles includ-ing “Young Guns (Go for It!)”, “Wham Rap! (Enjoy What You Do)” and “Club Tropicana”. Their second album, Make It Big, was the breakthrough that made the duo international superstars, reaching No. 1 on the charts. Singles from that al-bum included “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go”, “Freedom”, “Everything She Wants”, and “Careless Whisper”, the latter of which was Michael’s fi rst solo ef-fort as a single.

Michael sang on the original Band Aid re-cording of “Do They Know It’s Christ-mas?” and donated the profi ts from “Last Christmas/Everything She Wants” to charity. In addition, he contributed back-ground vocals to David Cassidy’s 1985 hit “The Last Kiss”, as well as Elton John’s 1985 successes “Nikita” and “Wrap her Up”.

Wham’s tour of China in April 1985, the fi rst visit to China by a Western popular music act, generated enormous world-wide media coverage, much of it centered on Michael. The tour was documented by celebrated fi lm director Lindsay Ander-son and producer Martin Lewis in their fi lm Foreign Skies: Wham! In China and contributed to Michael’s ever-increasing fame. With the success of Michael’s solo singles, “Careless Whisper” (1984) and “A Different Corner” (1986), rumours of an impending break up of Wham intensi-fi ed. The duo offi cially separated during the summer of 1986, after releasing a farewell single, “The Edge of Heaven” and a sin-gles compilation, The Final, plus a sell-out concert at Wembley Stadium that included the world premiere of the China fi lm. The Wham! Partnership ended offi cially with the commercially successful single “The Edge of Heaven”, which reached no.1 on

the UK chart in June 1986.

The beginning of his solo career, during early 1987, was a duet with soul music icon Aretha Franklin. “I Knew You Were Waiting (For Me)” was a one-off project that helped Michael achieve an ambition by singing with one of his favourite artistes, and it scored number one on both the UK Singles Chart and the Billboard Hot 100 upon its release.The strangest thing about the track was that it was made with Michael recording his part of the song in the UK and Franklin doing hers in the USA. The two recordings were then mixed, pro-duced then released so they never actually sang together on the song.

For Michael, it became his third consecu-tive solo number one in the UK from three releases, after 1984’s “Careless Whisper” (though the single was actually from the Wham! album Make It Big) and 1986’s “A Different Corner”. The single was also the fi rst Michael had recorded as a solo art-ist which he had not written himself. The co-writer, Simon Climie, was unknown at the time, although he would have success as a performer with the band Climie Fish-er in 1988

Michael and Aretha Franklin won a Grammy Award in 1988 for Best R&B Performance – Duo or Group with Vocal for the song. Michael has won numerous music awards throughout his 30 year ca-reer, including three Brit Awards—win-ning Best British Male twice, four MTV Video Music Awards, four Ivor Novello Awards, three American Music Awards, and two Grammy Awards from eight nominations. In 2004, the Radio Acad-emy named Michael as the most played artiste on British radio between the periods of 1984–2004. The documentary A Differ-ent Story was released in 2005; it covered his personal life and professional career. In 2006, George Michael announced his fi rst tour in 15 years. The 25 Live Tour was a massive, worldwide undertaking by Mi-chael, spanning three individual tours over the course of three years (2006, 2007 and 2008).

George Michael has made only 5 stu-dio albums in his solo career, but over the decades has become one of the most prolifi c singer songwriters in British music although his many problems, personal as well as chemical, has put a tarnish on him, he remains a supremely talented though tormented man whose music will be lis-tened to and enjoyed by people for many years to come

I would like to thank Nicola Marlowe for re-questing this article.

You can listen to Mark Davies on Costa Cálida International Radio on Mon, Wed and Fri evenings 7.00-9.00pm and Thurs-day afternoon 4.15-6.30pm.Mark Davies.

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We still have a handful of tickets left for the 3rd Annual Gala Evening and Dinner organised by Los Amigos de Mazarrón FC, in support of Mazarrón Football Club. It will be held at the Hotel La Cumbre, Puerto de Mazarrón on Wednesday 8 February and is being jointly sponsored by New Images, the No. 1 Unisex Hair & Beauty Salon and Nail Bar of Centro Commercial, Sector B, Camposol, and Ibex Insurance of C.C. Upper Local 2, Avda Doctor Mesa S/N, Puerto de Mazarron.

The guest speaker is the former Nottingham Forest, Leeds United, Everton, Chelsea and Blackburn Rovers striker, Duncan McKenzie and former Sheffi eld United, Leeds, Queens Park Rangers and England international. Tony Currie will also be in attendance. Tickets are €40 and include a four course meal with coffee and local beer, house wine and soft drinks during the serving of dinner, and can be reserved by telephoning Andy on 634 040990.

Performances on the fi eld have not improved and Mazarrón are rooted to the foot of the league table having scored the fewest number of goals and conceded the most of all teams in the Preferente Autonomica. The situation has not been helped by lengthy suspensions served by Rollon and Robert, both of which were for petulant and foolhardy behaviour.

The number of yellow cards rose to well over 50 after just 15 games and for one game we were without four key players through suspension. The system of playing a lone striker upfront with little or no support has undoubtedly contributed to the lack of goals scored and, unfortunately, last year’s top scorer Jose Ruben has not been replaced.

Mazarrón games are normally played on Sundays with varying kick off times. Full details of all games, both home and away, are announced on the Tuesday before the weekend on which the game is to be played and displayed on the Costa Cálida Chronicle blogspot, our website www.losamigosdemazarron.es and on posters at various points throughout Camposol and

Mazarrón.

Provisional fi xtures for January 2012:-Sunday 8th January Ceuti Athletic (HOME) Sunday 15th January CD Beniel (HOME)Sunday 22nd January Olimpico de Totana (AWAY)Sunday 29th January Muleno (HOME)

Admission to home games is just €5. Los Amigos de Mazarrón FC organise coaches to all away games and the cost of a coach ticket is €7. Coach tickets can be purchased at our weekly meetings which are held at the Trevi Bar, Camposol, every Thursday at 4 pm.

At the home game on Sunday 4th December, the last home game before Christmas, Los Amigos members distributed their traditional Christmas gift of sausage rolls, mince pies and cider to all supporters who attended the game. This gesture was very much appreciated and thanks go to Los Amigos de Mazarrón FC President, Dave Marks and his team of helpers who worked so hard to organise this on our behalf.

If you are interested in football and would like to take part in Los Amigos de Mazarrón FC activities, please join us for our weekly meetings, every Thursday at the Trevi Bar, Sector B Camposol at 4 pm. Membership of Los Amigos is just €10 and all funds raised

are in support of Mazarrón Football Club. You can also take part in our very successful Key in the Box Competition with the cash prize often rising to over €1000 - a great gamble for just €1.

Los Amigos de Mazarrón FC would like to thank all its supporters and sponsors for their tremendous support during 2011 with a special mention to New Images, the No 1 Unisex Hair & Beauty Salon & Nail Bar, of Sector B Camposol, Ibex Insurance of Puerto de Mazarron, Richard Daibell from Don Ricardo’s Bar & Restaurant, Puerto de Mazarron, the Trevi Bar & Restaurant, TJ’s Bar and Bistro Bulgaria of Sector B Camposol, Paul Higgins, Steve Tucker of Costa Calida FM, Costa Cálida Chronicle and Camposol District Journal, photographer Mark Stocks and all the other local media publications.



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Putt well for better scores By David Gay PGA professional

In terms of scoring, putting is the most important part of the game. To be a good putter takes a good technique, concentration and lots of practice. Many players lack confi dence in putting. In some cases they actually fear this part of the game taking away all the enjoyment. Positive thinking certainly helps your confi dence, but good technique and a lot of practice is a must. You’d be surprised how confi dent you can get when you know what you are doing.

The reverse overlap grip is the most common grip. In the address it is best to line up your feet and shoulders as squarely as possible keeping your head over the ball. The ball

should be positioned between the left heel and the centre of your stance with your hands also over the ball.

There are different techniques in putting. The most important thing is to feel the stroke in your shoulders and arms. In doing so

you should subsequently avoid “fl ipping” your hands and wrists. Keep your head, body and knees absolutely still. The only thing that moves is the arms and shoulders.

I can give you a good putting technique, but I cannot tell you how hard to hit the ball. That comes with practice. The longer

the stroke, or the faster the stroke, the harder the ball will be hit. Three important things to remember in distance is to control your tempo, follow through at least the same distance as you take the club back and always accelerate through the ball.

This is a very positive approach to putting. Try it, you may surprise yourself.

For more information on golf lessons you can fi nd David at Roda Golf Academy or contact on 6700 83939 email:[email protected]

Supermoto Brothers end the season in style

Britain’s Anthony and Mathew Ford-Dunn wrapped their 2011 racing season up with a fantastic double podium at the fi nal round of the Valencian Championship. The two brothers were racing together in the Elite class at the Chicharra circuit in Villena, Valencia.

With the sky overcast and ground temperatures low, the action got under way with the timed qualifying session. Anthony qualifi ed in second position on the front row of the grid with Mat tucked in behind on the second row. Both brothers were really enjoying the circuit with the off-road section of the track being made of sand and having a high speed entry, that made spectacular viewing for the enthusiastic crowd.

As the red lights went out for the fi rst of two races, it was Anthony that was fi ghting for the lead with the Kawasaki mounted Israel Escalera. Israel opened up a small lead before Anthony focused his efforts on chasing him down. Lap by lap the gap was closing until Israel made a mistake coming off the dirt section and slid from his bike. Anthony grabbed the opportunity and fl ew past to take the lead on his supermotoland.com Honda. Israel remounted, but could only follow Anthony home to take second place with Anthony’s brother Mat having a career best fi nish in the elite class with third.

The combined scores of the two races gave the overall win to Israel with Anthony and Mat on the second and third steps of the podium respectively.

‘That was a great way to end this season, It’s the fi rst time that we have both stood on the same podium together and it’s a great reward for all the hard work we have put into this year’ said Anthony after the rostrum

ceremony. The www.supermotoland.com team now have a busy few months ahead as they have received backing for the 2012 season from Honda Spain, and their existing sponsors Stratton Motorsport and Advance Moves, the expat Removals Company based in Murcia.

In the next couple of weeks the new 2012 Honda race bikes will arrive and then the development and testing of the bikes will begin so that the 2012 season starts with the same results that 2011 ended with!



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On Friday 26 November the annual Gerry Clarke Memorial Rose Bowl was again held at Hacienda Del Alamo and what a super day it turned out to be for the 28 players who came along. Well done to Ron Smart, Roger Grainger, Lee Grainger and John Downie who had come out to Spain specifi cally to play in this event.

After three days of miserable weather the day of the competition was glorious. Hacienda del Alamo had just played host to the Hi5 pro competition and the course was set up beautifully. Some of the pin positions were cruel and the tees on some holes had been brought forward to bring more bunkers into play. The course was well maintained and presented. Fairways were lush and still green and the greens were perfect and running very true. Testimony to this was the fact that four people shared the ‘Twos’ competition.

Overall Winner and Winner of Division One was Bob Rowe scoring 32 Stapleford points. With 30 points just beating Bob Daffon on count back, Overall Runner-Up was new member Neil Macfarlane.

John Downie’s trip to Spain was rewarded by winning the Division Two Trophy with a score of 28 points. Howard Wright put an

end to his recent poor form by winning the Division Three to receive a society engraved tankard.

Peter Court and new member Paul Weston won the Nearest the Pin Competitions at the par three holes 12 and 5. Guest Lee Grainger won the wine for getting Nearest the Pin 2nd Shot at the short par four third. The coveted Plonker Trophy was claimed by Paul Weston.

John Downie, Jack Stockdale, Jeff Brain and Ron Smart shared the ‘twos’ money.

After the competition, many of the players’ wives joined them in the restaurant for the presentations and a snack meal. Jean Clarke (Gerry’s widow) was also on hand to make an emotional presentation of the Rose Bowl to Bob Rowe.

A big thank you to golf manager Isobel Garcia for the great green fee deal and golf vouchers; to Chief Marshall Lee Harrington for sorting out the buggies so smoothly and to the restaurant staff for their quick and effi cient service.

Thanks to all for making this a truly memorable day. It was a fi tting tribute to our old golfi ng mate Gerry and how he would have loved it!

Our next competition is to be held at Club de Golf La Peraleja. This is a Seve Ballesteros designed course near Balsicas. Green fee to members is €35 including buggy.

If anyone is interested (lady members always welcome) in joining the Golf Society (newly introduced attractive membership fees) or just wants to fi nd out more about us please contact the secretary Bob Daffon tel: 968598540 or e-mail: [email protected]

Some of the players posing on the putting green.

Bob Rowe receiving the Winner’s Rose Bowl.

John Downie is presented with the Division Two Trophy by Captain Barry Martin.

What a sunset to close the day’s proceedings. How did JD get in the picture??

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Friday 9th Dec Mazarrón Bowls Club were delighted to add a new competition to their repertoire, “The La Caixa Bank Challenge Trophy”. This competition as the name suggests was sponsored by The La Caixa Bank, Camposol, proposed by the Caixa Bank Manager- Miguel Ataz Ruiz.

A brilliant time was had by all and organized to perfection by Jim Tarrant (Competition Secretary) which was no easy task with 32 players to guide through the rounds. The event started on the sound of a claxon at 10am sharp. 16 pairs placed into 4 groups played matches over 7 ends on all of the 8 greens. Gradually, with winners playing losers of each group the fi nal 8 pairs were sorted. After some very exciting bowls, the players were then whittled down to a nail biting semi fi nal and then the ultimate fi nal.

Congratulations and well played to the winners Sue Hatteral & Ken Alton who each received €50 and an excellent trophy supplied by the bank. In 2nd place were Barbara Tottey & Ron Potts who equally played some brilliant bowls, winning €25 each. 3rd place went to Alan Benton & Janet Tarrant receiving €10 each.

A big thank you also to Sergio at Hacienda who prepared and served the wonderful Paella and kept everyone supplied with drinks during the whole day. Report by Wendy Reynolds

SUCCESS FOR THE LADY GOLFERSFor the third year running, Hacienda del Alamo hosted their Ladies’ Christmas Golf Competition on December 7th. The day was attended by some 60 plus ladies for golf and lunch. All dressed in red and black and a Christmas hat and all enjoyed a fun day. It was a great success with plenty of golf prizes and a Charity Raffl e took place to raise 140€ for MABS Mar Menor Cancer Charity.

The main results were as follows: Category 1 – Handicap 0 – 19 1st Sue Smith – 40 pts2nd Heidi Wiss – 39 pts3rd Linda Rodda – 37 pts4th Helen Holland – 36 pts Category 2 – Handicap 19.1 – 36 1st Carol Foster – 39 pts

2nd Jackie McVicar – 38 pts3rd Laurence Perrier – 34 pts4th Hazel Crance 34 pts Photo attached of Sue Smith, Carole Martin, Joe Fish and Dot Thompson.

Our pre Christmas event at Torre-Pacheco Municipal Golf Course was enjoyed to the full by all. Good weather, Good golf practice, Good food, Good drink and Good fellowship (especially for the 2 injured members who though unable to play, helped to entertain for about 3 hours at the bar our guest Barry Caplin, the late president Dave Guntrip’s brother-in-law, while the game was in progress). The whole event was organised at an excellent price which meant that all the members taking part did so free of charge thanks to the great husbanding of funds by our Treasurer, Ian Dalley who was unfortunately unable to be there to enjoy the fruits of his labours, being in the UK for yet more medical treatment. Get well soon Ian.

The committee would like to thank all the staff at Torre Pacheco Golf for the way they helped make this such a memorable day. A

very special thank you must go to Dawn & Barry Caplin who came over from England to present the prizes to the winners.

The fi rst 2 prizes awarded were played for at Roda Golf in November:The Dave Guntrip Memorial Cup was awarded to a very happy John Dowgill, and the Pairs Cup was won by Pete Smithson & Mike Hodgson.

On the day, the prestigious Dave Guntrip Trophy, along with a bottle of Christmas cheer was presented to our captain & handicap secretary Paul Bruce by Dave’s sister Dawn. The ever popular Nigel Chadderton was next to the table to receive his prize for the lowest gross score.

Finally Paul Bruce, with his son Matt, Pete Smithson and Roy Turner were each presented with a bottle of Christmas spirit to ward of the cold for winning the Christmas Fun Day Team Competition.

To fi nish on a sad note, Peter Preston who donated the Memorial Cup, was unable to attend because he is in intensive care at Murcia Hospital. We wish him a full and speedy recovery.Joe Chalk (Sec)

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On Monday November 28th we awoke to heavy rain which was disappointing for the fi nal event of our 2011 calendar. However as we all arrived at the fantastic Las Colinas Golf & Country Club the rain cleared and we had our 11th dry golf day of the season....lucky or good planning! Many thanks to Martin Eastgate and all his team for ensuring the day went smoothly. A full show of 40 players and 20 buggies (arranged by Costa Cálida Golf Tours www.ccgt.co.uk) lined up to play a course that was in superb condition with lightening fast greens all ready for the European Q school to begin later in the week. We even had our fi rst hole in one which came at the short 7th...Well done to Joe Flanagan!

Results:Winner Keith Morrison 39 pointsBest Lady Shona Farnes 34 points - countbackLongest drive Men Keith Morrison Longest drive Lady Corinne JonesNP in 1 shots Joe Flanagan (Hole in 1)NP in 2 shots Neil CockingsNP in 3 shots Shona Farnes The 2’s pot of € 180 was shared by 4 people; Tony Davies, Ritchie Heaton, Joe Flanagan, Keith Morrison The end of season party and presentation evening will take place at La Rosa Bar in San Cayetano.

For all the 2011 results and the dates for the 2012 programme (coming soon), please see the website www.ccgt.co.uk Winner Photo

Castelar College in San Pedro del Pinatar have every right to be celebrating their recent success, after taking part in not one, but two football tournaments held at Kings College on 29th Nov & the 12th Dec 2011.

In the fi rst tournament the under 10’s competed against various teams from the region of Murcia, including Mar Azul, Kings College & two British schools from Alicante. Josh Grocutt (Castelar Coach) said “The boys are a real credit to the school & have worked hard together” resulting in the team winning every one of their initial games, with the tournament culminating in a thrilling fi nal against “British School Alicante United” The game ended in a nail biting 3-1 win for Castelar when after a 0-0 draw the game was decided on penalties….this was the only goal scored against Castelar throughout the whole tournament.

“Castelar United” & the newly formed “Castelar City” were both represented on 12th Dec at the second tournament with United continuing their winning streak beating all other teams to get through to the fi nal against Kings College Murcia with a 1-0 win after an excellent team effort & ultimate goal scored by Antonio Perez.

Well done all!!



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FOR SALEMan´s overcoat. Black, wool/cashmere, single breasted (Cecil Gee), very light and warm. Very good quality, hardly worn. Size 44” chest. €75.00Man´s black leather jacket. Very good quality, hardly worn. Size Medium. €80.Ladies’ motorcycle jacket. Black, size medium. Usual arm and back protectors. New never worn. €80. Cost €150Tel: 968 956 146

Terrapin tank large with pump area great price worth €100 want €30Electric small oven €30Tel 660 618 977

WANTEDTwo matching 2 seater sofas or similar. Upholstery condition not so important but must be good quality frames. Can collectTel 649207376

All machines and tools cash paid. Diggers, Bob Cats.Tel 628 505 733

Wanted large upright fridge/freezer. Also, Spanish neighbour looking for cheap log burner fi re. Calasparra area.Jim Cregeen. Tel. 626 022 014Email [email protected]

BUSINESS

GROUP INFORMATION

CLASSIFIED ARE AVAILABLE FREE FOR ITEMS UNDER 500€ OR FOR WANTED/LOST ITEMS, FOR NON-COMMERCIAL ENTERPRISES ONLY AND EXCLUDING VEHICLES AND BOATS. Maximum 20 words and 3 classifi eds per customer.

How to Place a Classifi ed AdvertPlease go to www.costacalidachronicle.com and click on classifi ed or email [email protected] or call 968 970 680 between 10.2pm Mon-Fri

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DISCLAIMERWhilst the CCC are happy to accept monthly reports from the various organizations in the area, the articles printed are not necessarily the opinions of the editor or publisher and the contents should be viewed as a guideline only. Professional advice should be sought to cover any information printed therein. Advertisements and reports are not formally endorsed by the CCC. We cannot accept responsibility for advertisers’ works, service or goods. The publishers endeavour to ensure the contents are correct, but cannot accept responsibility for the effects of errors or omissions.

Please limit all reports to 300 words. We reserve the right to amend all articles for publication.

CLASSIFIEDS ARE AVAILABLE FREE FOR ITEMS UP TO THE VALUE OF 500€ OR FOR WANTED/LOST ITEMS, FOR NON-COMMERCIAL ENTERPRISES ONLY. CARS AND BOATS ARE NOT INCLUDED FOR FREE. Max 20 words. Max 3 classifi edsHow to Place a Classifi ed AdPlease go to www.costacalidachronicle.com and click on classifi ed, or email [email protected] or phone 968 970 680 between 10-2pm

We will include inserts and fl yers provided by you at a cost of 10 cents per fl yer, max size A5.

All adverts must be paid for before 15th of the month prior to publication. Please make cheques payable to Costa Calída Chronicle S.L. (Minimum amount for cheques is 50€). The closing date for adverts is the 15th of the month prior to publication. If you would like to meet someone to discuss your advert then please contact Teresa on 619 199 407 to arrange an appointment, or visit Teresa in the mornings in CHM / Costa Cálida Chronicle Offi ce (inside Nicky G Translation Services), Camposol Sector B.

If you wish to design your own advert, please send through a hard copy and a copy on disk (please label the disk with your name and telephone number), if possible. Please use Microsoft Word or save advert as JPEG fi le (300 dpi). Please do NOT send in adverts in Powerpoint as they are not good enough quality for printing.

DUE TO PROBLEMS OPENING FILES ON FLOPPY DISK, WE WOULD ASK THAT ALL ADVERTS ARE EITHER EMAILED OR SENT IN ON CDS. WE ACCEPT NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ADVERTS THAT HAVE TO BE SCANNED IN.

December 2011 quiz answers1. What can you do with 900g of

mussels?Make cream of mussel soup2. Who wrote ”You Belong to me”?Mary Higgins Clarke 3. Where would you fi nd Restaurante

Buen Descanso?Tallante

4. Who claims to free your mind and improve your life?

Phoenix Hypnotherapy.5. What has Curtain Call been doing

since 2002?Serving the Murcia Region 6. Who fi ts quality Doulton water fi l-

ter systems?Healthy H20

7. What does Mark Davis present?The Thursday afternoon show Costa Cal-

ida Radio8. The letter L is the subject of what ?Jane Cronin’s Spanish Language on the

alphabet9. Who claims everything is right?Luz Del Sol10. Who would you fi nd on 670847305?The Laundry Shop

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All our advertisers have current copies of Costa Cálida Chronicle,and other outlets are planned.

If you have any problems obtaining a copy, please call Patti on 646 005 017.

If you would like to buy a subscription for the Costa Cálida Chron-icle to guarantee your monthly copy of the magazine, please fi ll in the form below and hand it in to the Costa Cálida Chronicle of-fi ce on Camposol or Cosas y Cosas in Cehegin, or send it to Costa Cálida Chronicle SL, 28 Calle Jara, Centro Commercial Sector B, Camposol, 30875, Murcia, or go to the website www.costacalida-chronicle.com

Name: ............................................................

Address: ............................................................

............................................................ ............................................................

Email: ............................................................

Telephone: ............................................................

Price for 6 months to UK: €36Price for 6 months in Spain: €18Other countries: POAReserved copies (per month) €1In Costa Cálida Offi ce, Camposol or Cosas y Cosas, Cehegin Method of PaymentPaypal (€3 extra) - [email protected] Transfer: 3058 0206 91 2720017764

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Accommodation:Hotel La Mariposa - 968 631 008

Accountants:Silvente - 968 332 058

Airport Parking:Seguro Parking - 622 062 115

Banking & FinanceKennedy Financial Services - 678 035 992Lloyds Bank International - 902 024 365

Bars, Cafés & Restaurants:Alley Palais - 968 978 869Bar La Manchica - 685 869 324Cafeteria Plaza - 968 705 406Cat’s Bar - 666 188 353Chez Zoe - 676 691 324Don Ricardo’s - 968 155 887Hacienda del Alamo Golf ResortClubhouse - 968 070 066Hotel La Mariposa - 968 631 008La Vista Café Bar - 868 186 727Las Torres - 607 013 423Leonardo’s - 628 682 303Liz’s Cafe - 696 724 123Restaurant La Marina - 619 500 555The New Royal - 968 595 864The Spaniard - 608 963 052Trevi Bar & Restaurant - 669 026 544

Builders:Amigos - 619 025 160CM Constructions - 659 159 948Fuente Building Services - 696 744 982 JD Construction - 630 269 994

Building Services:Inside Out - 608 716 111Kano Building Design - 963 141 082P&P Services - 659 732 962Sallu Plastics (Salglaze) - 968 978 836Woodworks Direct - 649 540 016

Butchers:Big Breakfast Butchers - 968 170 553

Carpentry:Philip Carpenter / Joiner - 680 443 219

Car Hire:Bolnuevo Cars - 968 150 979F&C Rent a Car - 968 199 156

Cars & Transport:P&P Services - 659 732 962Specialist Vehicles SL - 968 146 158

Chimney Sweeps:Home from Home Chimney Sweep - 660 478 881Tony Chimney Sweep - 646 438 694

Chiropodists:Chiropody - Philip Dawe - 968 150 244

Cleaning Services:Limpieza Rosa - 619 199 407

Clothes Shops:Legs & Co. - 660 792 513

Computer Accessories:Beep - 968 155 710Dot Com World - 968 199 154Shop at Camposol Computers - 968 154 477

Computer Repairs & Sales:Beep - 968 155 710Camposol Computers - 968 199 191Dot Com World - 968 199 154LocoPC - 968 971 893Shop at Camposol Computers - 968 154 477Dentist:British Dental Clinic - 628 115 554Dental Care - 968 199 111Olivier Houdusse - 968 153 645

Education:Creative Writing - 649 647 467Let’s Talk Spanish - 630 939 626

Electricians:Amigos - 619 025 160CHM Meters - 646 965 082Louis Harris - 619 712 821Sparks Electrical Services - 626 693 440

Entertainment:Lenny Mitchell - 658 321 891Retro Disco Services - 608 893 944

Funeral Plans:ASSSA - 968 153 396The Funeral Director – 650 631 719

Furniture:DFS - 968 334 194Furniture Plus - Purias - 968 482 456D&G Garden Leisure - 968 334 773

Garden CentresJardilar 2003 - 669 565 402The Tree Surgeon - 650 911 755

Hairdressing:ADF Peluqueria - 968 152 082Jane’s Salon - 968 158 433The Beauty Palace -968 971 828The Salon – Melissa & Tanya - 691 916 717The Salon 2 - 686 354 232

Health & Beauty:Anti-Ageing Clinic - 691 916 717The Beauty Palace - 968 971 828CDA Fitness - 634 304 087Calida Care Agency - 968 150 658Drew Ryder Therapist - 660 326 194EFT Therapist Jennifer - 634 358 310 Freedom Mobility - 638 893 357The Fuschia Beauty Clinic - 630 439 480Jane’s Salon - 968 158 433Mark Phoenix - 654 202 996Rosies Toesies - 639 171 835The Salon - 691 916 717

Heating and Aircon:Camposol Heating & Maintenance - 968 199 184Calida Gas & Oil - 659 761 771LLamas Chimeneas - 968 591 030Louis Harris - 619 712 821

Home Furnishings:Curtain Call - 616 240 171Yorkshire Linen - 968 595 946

Insurance:ASSSA - 968 153 396Ibex Insurance - 968 595 945MSC Insure - 968 429 129Nash Warren - 968 156 583

Internet CafésAlley Palais - 968 978 869Camposol Computers - 968 199 191Dot Com World - 968 199 154

Kennels and Catteries:Casa Abril - 617 417 189Catatonic - 646 705 403Colina Kennels - 639 012 342El Carro Kennels - 620 582 654

Laundrettes:Rainbow Laundrette - 634 309 603



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The Laundry Shop - 670 847 305

Legal Services:Nicky G Translation Services - 968 199 245P&P Services - 659 732 962Professional and Legal Solutions - 968 595 826Silvente Accountant/lawyer - 968 332 058

Locksmiths:ADS Locksmith - 600 255 250

Mechanics:Colair - 626 796 149Dec klid Auto Services - 626 678 840English Garage Services - 968 743 350Eurotyre - 968 424 605Ford Marcosta - 968 424 636López Milan - 968 429 216Ken Sherwood-Mechanic - 679 646 859Mobile Car Mechanic - 666 161 129Neumáticos El Ceña - 968 422 015

Metalwork:Eriks - 636 050 008

Mobility Products:Freedom Mobility - 638 893 357

Outdoor Catering:The Roving Diner - 699 223 112

Outdoor Living:D&G Garden Leisure Products - 968 334 773Furniture Plus - Purias - 968 482 456Pergola Covers - 667 879 399

Painting and Decorating:Decor8 - 646 324 669Interior Elegance - 968 482 456RJB Décor Painting - 699 044 742Trevor Smith - 968 163 298

Plumbers:Apache 24/7 Plumbing Services - 968 970 614Camposol Heating & Maintenance

- 968 199 184Calida Gas & Oil - 659 761 771

Printing & Design:Insignia Graphics - 618 615 903Mister Print - 638 893 357

Property Maintenance:Trevor Smith - 968 163 298Property Management:Harris Property Management - 619 726 014La Manga 4 U - 0044 7921 351298Owners Away - 691 977 107Sensol Golf Villa Rentals - 968 970 614

Property Sales:Another World Properties - 968 592 679Best of Spanish - 635 434 651Fuente Alamo Real Estate - 968 598 173Old Farmhouses - 968 159 264Sensol Golf Sales - 968 970 614

Removals:Advance Moves - 968 654 667Go Direct - 634 347 914Lord’s Removals and Storage - 608 061 872Mar Menor Removals - 968 564 298

Retail Outlets: Kitchens Plus 1 - 968 184 235UK Supplies Direct - 661 173 269

Services:B P Oil - 626 091 885Compusurf - 968 970 666Healthy H20 - 968 437 270No More Mould - 672 795 574Petroalhama Oil - 968 632 320Telepan Lorca - 968 076 051

Solar Power:Freesol - 659 232 507Solar Directa - 659 315 130

Spas & Hottubs:Eurospas - 650 722 905

Sport & leisure:Alley Palais - 968 978 869Costa Cálida Radio - 902 903 783Dance Zone - 649 647 467Horse riding META - 636 172 198Horse Whisperer - Hotel La Mariposa - 968 631 008Murcia Dance - Zumba Classes - 655 421 120Yogamayga - 968 150 755

Swimming Pool Cleaning &Maintenance:Alpha Pools - 968 971 824Daisy Pool Covers - 968 638 583Jorge Pools - 674 168 000Köhn Pool Service - 968 138 638Watermaid - 646 705 088

Translation:Carlos’ Interpreting Services - 630 187 041Nicky G Translation Services - 968 199 245P&P Services - 659 732 962

Travel Agents:Viajes Dragontours - 968 199 021 TV & Satellite:CTV Aerial & Satellite Systems - 600 218 046ISS - 655 480 543LocoSat - 968 971 893Rainbow Satellites - 686 358 475YPM Satellites - 628 234 045 Veterinary Clinics:Veterinary Clinic Maskota - 968 597 929 Emerg - 619 378 473



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Another fi rst in the IT world and again Camposol is leading the way

Compusurf has now completed the overhaul of its telephone system, replacing the old system based on standard VOIP protocols with the next generation of IP based communication. Subscribers now

have a telephone that meets all the strict conditions of a standard PSTN telephone line and more, including the ability to call the 112 service, Faxing with standard Fax machines, Caller ID and Voicemail with email relay. Subscribers now have a free built in virtual fax machine. Any fax sent to their telephone number is collected and forwarded to the client in an email as a PDF fi le.

Subscribers can choose the destination of their phone number on the fl y with a personal control panel and even set up IVR messages to give callers options like Dial 1 to call’ Fred’s’ mobile, dial 2 to call ‘Janet’s’ mobile, dial 3 to leave a message and so on. Until now there has not been a true PSTN alternative for subscribers served by a community wireless network like Compusurf on Camposol. The technology has been co-developed by Telco Digital Mania and Compusurf and is attracting a lot of attention on the IT world. Similar wireless providers all over the world have been crying out for such a system, especially with the 112 compliance, as this is soon to become a legal requirement for all telephone providers in EU member countries.

Compusurf & Digital Mania plans to market the technology with Camposol as its Flagship for demonstration to the world.

We hope that you have had a great Christmas and that your New Year went off with a bang. We had our Christmas Lunch on the 13 December in Bali Hi. We had a tremendous meal, cooked by Drew, helped we understand by Bali Hi chefs and served by Bali Hi staff, under the supervision of Sam. Mr and Mrs Santa Claus visited half way through the meal. Everyone that attended had a good afternoon.

Whilst Kevin was driving along a country road close to home he came across a Pug. She was lying in the centre of the road. When he stopped the dog got up, walked around to the driver’s door and climbed in onto Kev’s knee. As she was in the middle of nowhere he brought her home. A scan found a microchip and a check showed that she was stolen in 2009. A quick phone call and it was found that she was returned to the owner, but they did not want her, gave her away to friends and they would call us to get her back. Nearly a week later she is still here settled with our pack with her feet well and truly under the table.

We have a small problem with the website, if anyone has been looking at it recently. Kevin has been extremely busy at home these past few months and has not been on top of it, but on the contact page there is a box for a question. This box does not work. Our webmaster is on the job and it will be fi xed shortly. Anyone wishing to contact us should email [email protected]

Take a look at a couple of our dogs; the rest are on the website. Don’t forget that I am at Camposol every Monday between 11.30 and 1.30 for the collection of your unwanted goods.Until next time. Take care, Andrea

Mass in English is celebrated every Saturday at the Catholic chapel at Pastrana, approximately 10km from MazarrónSchedule of Masses:Saturday at 4:30pmSchedule of Confession: Saturday from 3:45-4:25pm also on requestBible Study:1st and 3rd Sunday at 4:30pm Fr. Carlos Prats mobile 628 824 555Fr. Octavio Carpena mobile 676 219 445 www.pastranaonline.com

THE BIRTH OF DIVINE MERCY

The fi rst prophecy of the birth of Jesus was foretold by Isaiah (7-14) “look the Young woman (virgin) is with child and shall bear a son and shall name him Immanuel”. Isaiah lived in the era of 700 BC. The Incarnation of Jesus (Divine Mercy) is described in Luke. “In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.….. Mary, for you have found favour with God. And now you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus” (Luke 1:26-31)

Life is a gift and a journey encapsulated with a purpose. All of us are part of an individual decision made by God the Creator, to be brought forth from non-existence, through a conception in our mother’s womb.

Let us be increasingly aware that in Mary’s womb, Jesus took the authentic fl esh of our humanity and our weakness, but without the stain of sin. Though he was rich beyond measure, of his own will, he chose to live in poverty along with his blessed Mother.

Jesus arrival relied on the charity of others. Jesus, allowed himself to lie in a manger, as a helpless Baby, totally relying on Mary and Joseph. He came to us in poverty and died on the cross for us so we could be saved. All he asked of us was to love one another and to pray for the conversion of the poor sinners.

One should pray to Mary (Mother of Divine Mercy) fervently and imitate her virtues, especially that virtue which was Hers beneath the cross, when her Son proclaimed her the Mother of Divine Mercy. This is why we should love Mary and honour Her as the Mother of Divine Mercy.

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Date post:	29-Nov-2014
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