Linda Littlewood and her team of ladies & Gents on RB2 Entre Naranjos pulled off yet another Superb "Ladies Day." This has now become an annual event where 120 ladies dress up, are wined and dined, and have a truly fabulous time.

The event starts off with each lady being escorted to her table by one of two escorts, Sonny or Viv, where they are then served a glass of "Champagne" A little later in the afternoon they tuck in to a buffet Banquet fit for a "Queen". Food over but Champagne still flowing the ladies were then treated to a Fashion Show,

As if that wasn't enough, the afternoon was finished off with the incredible voice of "Mr. Darren Jones" who before very long had all the ladies up on their feet dancing the afternoon away. A truly Fantastic day.

What started out as a suggestion by Freewheelers Team Member Richard Nicholson to Marjal Eco Camping Resort manager Jose Antonio that this location was a perfect setting for a Classic Car Concentration turned into a full blown week-end event.

Opening with entertainment in the main building Friday night followed on Saturday evening by a visit and display from Velocity racing and a "for fun" driving test in the car park.

The main event opened Sunday morning with bright sunshine and the promise of the warmest day of the year to date. Registration started at 9.00am with a steady trickle of car from the various Spanish clubs before the main Freewheelers contingent arrived at 09.30 causing temporary congestion at the entrance before making way for the 2CV's club and others as cars continued to arrive way after the official closing time for registration which in true Spanish style was of no concern to the organisers and the booking-in tent stayed open for most of the morning.

Participants all received a T-shirt, a cap and two sandwiches and two drinks for their 10 Euro fee.

As always at this sort of event the range of vehicles was vast with a Lincoln Coupe (remember Frank Cannon?) parked next to a British Mini which just emphasized the length of the Yank.

Oldest vehicle was the Austin Chummy of 1928 which arrived on the back of the owners 1929 Chevrolet truck which, incidentally was also built in Britain. Did you know that the Austin 7 was the forerunner of BMW building motor cars? They called it the Dixie. There was a good variety of cars in addition to those already mentioned there was a magnificent replica of a 1920s Mercedes Benz which was almost as long as the Lincoln's There was a large marque with chairs, tables and a bar where enthusiasts could shelter from the sun and discus the highs and low of owning a classic car.

About 2.00pm the fire for the giant Paella was lit which soon attracted a crowd waiting to sample what had been cooked before their very eye's.

A 3-course lunch was also available in the camp site main complex.

As the afternoon wore on participants and visitors alike started to drift away a little early due, no doubt to the heat, it was a very warm day. Although not quite as large an event has had been anticipatable it was still deemed to have been a success and it is hoped to repeat it again next year, although not on the same day as the Spanish F1 G.P.

Crescendo had already arranged a menu del dia social lunch at their rehearsal venue for May 16th when they realized that the date picked coincided with the 80th birthday of one of their members, Around forty members and friends of the choir gathered at El Paraiso in Jardin del Mar for a very festive lunch.

GERRY SMITH, the birthday ‘boy' and his wife Rhona sat at the head of the table with a birthday cake made by Jean Wallace and several cards. Gerry is a popular member of the choir, which he joined in Sept 2005, singing bass.

After the meal, John Dunkin played the keyboard for a sing-along session till the rest of the choir arrived for rehearsal. Gerry then produced champagne and small iced cakes for everybody.

MANY HAPPY RETURNS GERRY!

Many people have heard and seen the cave houses in Rojales, but in San Miguel there are also some of these houses in the old part of the village situated between the old water tower and the square, Plaza del Pozo.

Earlier this year a group of artists in San Miguel formed MASM (Movimiento de Artistas de San Miguel de Salinas). For the first time they are displaying their work in four of these caves, Tia Ramblera, La Cueva de Maria, La Cueva de las Gachas and cueva No 4, on the following dates: Saturday 26th May . 18.00 – 21.00 hours,

Sunday 27th May 11.00 – 14.00 hours, Wednesday 30th May 11.00 – 14.00 hours and Friday 1st June 18.00 – 21.00 hours, Saturday 2nd June 18.00 – 21.00 hours and Sunday 3rd June from 11.00 – 14.00 hours

There is a map available at the Tourist Office and at the Town Hall, pick one up and follow the route through the old cave houses of San Miguel and enjoy the art exhibition. A good starting point would be the Plaza del Pozo, opposite Rincon de Paco, walk across the square and to La Cueva Tia Ramblera where tapas and refreshments are available.

San Fulgencio municipality receives the most denuncias against bars than any other municipality in the Valencian Community. The shocking claim came in a phone call from Valencia to the Mayor of San Fulgencio, Carlos Ramirez. In respect to other areas by comparing the population and number of bars, the number of denuncias is considerably higher than other areas for example, Rojales and Quesada, where few complaints are received. As a result, last Tuesday, the Mayor called a meeting last Tuesday between the bar owners of San Fulgencio and the urbanisations to address the situation.

“We want this to be positive, do not look at the Town Hall as an enemy, but as a friend.” The Mayor continued, “We are very conscious that times are difficult and we want you to earn money but it is also important to respect and have balance with your neighbours.”

It is the age old debate of the right of bar's to have live music and the residents' right to live in peaceful surrounding that has prompted the majority of denuncias in the province. Bar owners are battling for their livelihoods and fought for the need to be able to offer live entertainment, karaoke and quiz nights to keep the customer's happy, continually complaining about 'harassment' from the police who patrol the urbanisations' commercial areas checking licenses and stopping music. One owner said there were 3 policemen outside her premises for an hour and as she began to close and stop the entertainment, they slapped her with a denuncia against the noise. At the same time this was happening a customer in her bar was having her property broken in to and her possessions stolen. “That was the equivalent of 3 hours of man power wasted listening to my music when someone was having her home destroyed.” “The police are simply doing their job” explained councillor for the urbanisations Jeff Wiszniewski, “If they receive a complaint they have to investigate it, if they do not respond they are breaking the law themselves.”

The councillor told the heated congregation that there were 45 establishments in San Fulgencio and the urbanisations. Of these, just 15 have their opening license with the others having applied or awaiting the paperwork to come through. In theory, if the Town Hall was to impose the law literally these premises technically should not be open and the Valencian authorities could come along and close them down. The Mayor and his team at Tuesday's meeting stressed they did not want this to happen, they want to help the businesses as much as possible to help the area strive and grow. Of these 45 establishments, only 3 had licenses under the categories 'I' and 'B' being classed as discos and dance halls and therefore allowed live music until 1.30am. This means that the majority of bars in urbanisation La Marina are not legally licensed to have live music which Jeff explains to be “as soon as you pick up a microphone to sing or even do a quiz it becomes live music.” As a result, if the police receive a complaint they have little option but to uphold the law and the license status that the establishment holds.

However, in a show of support the Mayor and his team made it clear that they will accommodate the bars in most cases and pleaded with the bar owners to regulate themselves and show common sense. “So can we do karaoke until midnight?” asked one, “Technically and legally no,” replied Jeff. “But, if the noise is kept at a decent level and cannot be heard from around 20m away that is a decent level. Keep speakers inside and close windows and doors. It is up to you to check the sound levels of any entertainers you have.”

The Town Hall said they have no objections at all to music or entertainment for 'fiestas' or special events such as charity fundraisers or celebrations as long as the correct requests and paperwork is filled in and done in plenty of time. One such event did receive a visit from the police on Sunday after a complaint about the outside live entertainment was made, but the councillor for urbanisations explained that the denuncia will be nullified as this was a mistake on their behalf and an administrative error resulting in the papers not going to the right department.

In practice it would seem that the Town Hall are allowing as much leeway as possible extending courtesy to the bars to allow them reasonable music to help them continue with their businesses but the only way the situation will be eased is if the denuncias stop. However, it came to light that shockingly, in many cases it is not neighbours complaining but other bars making the denuncias, plotting against the competition or rivals, effectively killing business for everyone. “You cannot fight against each other. We are recommending you form a Bar Owners Association so there is no counter-talk but representatives of you all who can bring problems and issues to us here at the Town Hall. This type of meeting only degrades in to a slanging match, you need to be unified in what you are doing and without people co-operating and coming together this place will die.”

The meeting on Tuesday was for bar owners in certain areas with other's being addressed with the same issues at differing times to make it easier for the Town Hall to speak with all owners. The Mayor has made it clear that if the bar's do not help themselves Valencia could send Policia Nacional officers to the municipality who will close the premises if the law is found to be breached and it will be out of the hands of the Ayuntamiento. However, he has promised to speak with the Valencian Government asking them not to come saying they will deal and address the issue.

As the meeting came to a close it seems the final say as to the future of the night life of La Marina lies in the hands of the bar owner's themselves, the very people who face losing and gaining the most.

On Thursday the Javea Town Hall received the visit of a production team from the German television programme "Heute in Europe", that airs daily on ZDF, the only German channel that can be viewed throughout the entire country. The purpose of this visit was to film a story on the German courses for the unemployed organised by the Town Hall of Javea through Creama and the Foreign Residents Department.

Representatives from the HelpDesk explained that in the framework of the active German policies to recruit professionals from southern Europe and the growing concern of the population, the programme "Heute in Europe" wanted to bring to the screens of German households the lives of these people willing to emigrate to their country. To this end, the television producers researched the Spanish Television audiovisual archives in search of stories about training experiences in Spain aimed at preparing people for the German job market, “and this is how they came across our municipality and specifically, the German and English courses for unemployed taught by native volunteer teachers coordinated jointly by the Creama and HelpDesk at the Foreign Residents Department.” But for this production team, the pioneer experience in Javea was doubly interesting, since these courses “not only benefit the unemployed, but also the volunteer teachers themselves, who feel more useful and more integrated in the town that they have made their home.”

The German crew filmed in the Public Attention Office in the Portal del Clot and the EPA, or Adult School, where the German teacher and star of the story, Margit Petarus, awaited them. Also receiving the reporters in the EPA was Councillor Foreign Resident, Oscar Anton, who thanked them on behalf of the Local Council for taking an interest in this initiative between foreign residents and Spaniards in Javea, as well as indirectly promoting Javea as a tourist destination.

They then filmed part of the class and interviewed several of the students, and since it was a Thursday morning in Javea, they took the opportunity to film Margit shopping in the outdoor market and strolling through the streets of the Old Town. They later visited the Arenal Beach and the urbanisations in Balcon al Mar, where they learned about the volunteer fire fighters who they may possibly feature in a future story.

The report will air next week on the programme “Heute in Europe”, which can also be seen on the ZDF website,

The Cirne Foundation and the Javea Town Hall have presented what is sure to be this year's biggest exhibition. "Art and death in the Montgo, the cave in the Migdia ravine" (Art i mort al Montgó; la Cova del barranc de Migdia) captures the intense excavation and cataloguing work done in this important burial site found in a remote cave located 375 meters from the sunny slopes of the Montgo. This is a "singular and unique necropolis" , indicated the Town Hall archaeologist, Ximo Bolufer, which preserves graves that carbon dating dates back to the Chalcolithic period (4,683 years ago), as well as a series of stick-figure-style cave paintings.

Cirne President, Enric Martinez, gave details of the exhibition, which will open on Friday, 25th May 25 at 8.00pm at the foundation headquarters (Avenida de Alicante 18) and will stay open to the public until 30th June. The exhibition consists of 12 display panels that give information on the characteristics of the cave, the remains found, its historical context and the entire process of excavation and subsequent cataloguing using state-of-the-art methods. There are also display cases containing some of the findings and a reproduction of the most representative paintings of the cave. Martinez indicated that the objective of Cirne was to "bring down the cave" - which is located in a very inaccessible area - so it could be easily accessible to all. The exhibition will also be complimented with an educational workshop aimed at the schools to show students the remains, as well as teach them how to make pottery using the techniques available several thousands of years ago. The exhibition, funded by a 69,504-euro grant from the Ministry of Culture, will be itinerant and will move to the Archaeological Museum after its run at the foundation, where it will be located in a small room that recreates the atmosphere of the Cova de Migdia. They are also preparing a documentary reviewing the entire work process carried out in the three excavation campaigns funded by Cirne, with the participation of several experts such as the archaeologists Marco Aurelio Esquembre and Juan de Dios Boronat, or IT researcher at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, Daniel Tejerina, who was responsible for all the digital and 3D scanning and is preparing an audiovisual presentation that will simulate a virtual tour of the cave with a video game look.

For his part, Mayor Jose Chulvi, acknowledge the wonderful work being done by Cirne in Javea and said that this project is a perfect example of how coordination between different authorities such as the Ministry of Culture, the Provincial Council, the Town Hall, the direction of the park or the MARQ, is a guarantee of success. Chulvi highlighted the global impact of the findings in the cave, convinced that it will become an important reference on the prehistory of our town, as well as a cultural attraction for locals and visitors.

Cirne's project in the Cova del barranc de Migdia is not over yet. As they await the results of the DNA studies being conducted in the University of Mainz in Germany (which will specify the type of burial, if it was something like a family vault or for important people of the time), the foundation is preparing for new excavations, convinced of the "power" of the cave.