A BRIT IN SPAIN

MERRY CHRISTMAS

johnnie1uk@hotmail.com (John and Mary Middleton) — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 11:24:00 +0000

We would like to wish all our readers a very merry Christmas and a happy and Prosperous new year.

Car boot Stories

johnnie1uk@hotmail.com (John and Mary Middleton) — Sat, 19 Dec 2009 16:30:00 +0000

Apparently the car boot sale between Catral and San Isidro was raided last week and all goods impounded until the vendors could prove they are the rightfull owners, some of the items on sale were suspected of being the proceeds of house burglaries, meanwhile another new car boot /flea market has opened up at The Rojojuna in Punta Prima this is on Sundays. Previous Punta Prima car boot sales have been closed down as they came under the jurisdiction of Orihuela Costa town hall, but The Rojojuna is in the part of Punta Prima that is under Torrevieja town hall control, which allows the car boot sale.

Easyjet pull out

johnnie1uk@hotmail.com (John and Mary Middleton) — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 12:40:00 +0000

Sadly Easyjet are stopping flights to and from East Midlands airport from 6th January 2010, this will affect us because it is mainly this airport we use when we fly to the UK, and we have always found Easyjet to be the best with prices and customer service. we actually had a flight booked but in an efficent manner they have already transferred our booking to a flight with BMI Baby which we are quite happy with.
It appears that several of the budget airlines are pulling out of various UK airports and consolidating some of there other bases, I have a feeling .that prices will start to rise as there will be less competition at each individual airport and there will be fewer operators working from each one, Maybe the budget airline operators have come to an agreement with each other to make this possible. BMI baby are certainly cooperating with Easyjet over the East Midlands pull out. Time will tell!

Suzie video star

johnnie1uk@hotmail.com (John and Mary Middleton) — Tue, 15 Dec 2009 13:32:00 +0000

Guardamar calm sea

johnnie1uk@hotmail.com (John and Mary Middleton) — Sat, 12 Dec 2009 09:57:00 +0000

All the time we have visited Guardamar we have found in the summer the sea can be fairly choppy and rough, with very few calm days, since we have been here in the autumn and winter months the sea has been relatively calm on most days, and some times there has barely been a wave lapping on the beach. Surprisingly completely the other way round to the summer, this winter the weather is unbelievably good with fine warm days and little rain, so I wonder if this is the normal pattern.

Non residents tax warning

johnnie1uk@hotmail.com (John and Mary Middleton) — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 07:49:00 +0000

The tax authority is now closing in on non resident property owners who are not presenting there annual tax returns and payments, the tax authority has linked with the land registry system and knows who owns every property, resident and non resident in Spain, every property owned by a non resident is taxable as income even if you don’t rent it out,The tax declaration and payment for 2008 has a deadline of December 2009, late declaration and payment incur a fine, ignorance of the law is not accepted as a reason for non payment, Property and bank accounts can be embargoed until back taxes are payed in full.
It is important to realize this is an income tax on your property, and is separate from and and in addition to the local tax IBI/SUMA which is an annual payment on the actual bricks and mortar, It does not relate to income in terms of your wages and pensions,but only to property ownership.

Guardamar day of activity

johnnie1uk@hotmail.com (John and Mary Middleton) — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 11:34:00 +0000

Sunday was the day of the bicycle at Guardamar, at least a couple of hundred people met up at the bottom of the Reina Sofia park for a long bike ride in and around Guardamar, most of them were children of all ages with their parents, and were escorted by the police (with sirens blaring) local cycle clubs and the Cruz Roja. A draw was held at the end of the ride where one lucky child won a brand new bike.Later in the day it was the turn of the runners in the 7th Guardamar marathon, the main street was blocked off for the start and finishing line which was at the town hall square, with a large crowd attending there was the marathon, and then shorter races for different age groups and sexes.
The event was extremely well sponsored with organizational support from several groups and free refreshments provided.

There's A Cold Wind from The North

johnnie1uk@hotmail.com (John and Mary Middleton) — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 11:35:00 +0000

blowing bitter to the south, just to cheer up those of you who have emailed to express envy re the November weather here. Our weather, as is common this time of year, is effected by the heavy snow in the north of Spain. Madrid and surrounding areas are having a very chilly time of it. Madrid is said by the Spanish to have 9 months of winter and one of hell (as hot as). It’s not surprising so many people like to come down to Guardamar from the capital.
Today snow with its accompanying high winds which were battering the north of the country begins to move away.

Many roads in the Madrid Sierra are still dangerous because of the ice and snow which has formed earlier this week.
Motorists are advised that chains are needed on many mountain passes and the snow ploughs have been in operation in the Sierra Nevada.
As for us the forecast temperature is 18 degrees but is colder as the wind is quite icy. The sun is out though so find a sheltered sunny spot and it’s not bad at all. What a good excuse for Churros and cups of hot thick chocolate, you know what they say “it’s an ill wind....."

Is There A Point To This?

johnnie1uk@hotmail.com (John and Mary Middleton) — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 09:05:00 +0000

New traffic regulations have now come into force in Spain, effective from Wednesday last. The new regulations reduce the number of offenses which could mean a driver losing points on a license. The new traffic Law was approved by Congress only last month so they did not hang about did they. Its is the changes which are seen as favorable to drivers which come into effect last week, with the remaining changes to the Traffic Law to be brought in at a later date.

These changes will include the removal of seven infractions from the list of points-related offences, although it’s reported in the Spanish Press that each will still carry a fine. They range from driving without lights, parking in a bus lane or on a bend and negligent driving which is seen as a possible danger to other traffic or pedestrians. Also removed is driving on a motorway in a type of vehicle which is banned from motorways and driving with twice or more the maximum permitted number of occupants.

As far as speeding is concerned, points will now only be lost for motorway driving at 130 kph or more.
The other important news for drivers is that those who have appealed against losing points for any of the 7 offensives and have not yet received an answer will automatically keep those points. The DGT Central Traffic Authority is now obliged to archive all such cases.

The penalty of the temporary loss of a license also goes. A license may now only be lost when all the points have been used up.

Other changes, such as the 50% reduction for on-the-spot payment of a fine and the loss of 6 points for using radar inhibitors, are due to come into force in about six months time.

On related point, we had an interesting comment from an American guy we met the other day. He was praising the Spanish police and saying how friendly they were, also that they just did not hassle you. He compared this to their counter parts in the USA who he said where very threatening. So much for the Land of the free and the home of the brave then

Click here for related posting
http://a-brit-in-spain.blogspot.com/search?q=points+on+your+licence

Not turkey!

johnnie1uk@hotmail.com (John and Mary Middleton) — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 13:04:00 +0000

When we go to Guardamar market we always like to walk through the Reina Sofia Park. It’s still looking lovely and the wildlife seems to be enjoying the cooler weather. We never fail to see a red squirrel or two playing chase around the trees and as the children’s playground is quite mid morning the local duck population seem to make good use of it.
The Muscovy ducks are my particular favourite, they look a little like the wild turkeys of America which could be pretty dangerous for them at this time of year.
The Muscovy duck (Cairina moschata) are a large duck which is native to Mexico and Central and South America. They are particularly good at adapting to different weather conditions.
The weather is still warm enough to fill the air with the scent of pine eucalyptus and even Jasmine, unbelievably we are still hearing the odd cicada as well. I must say it does feel like summer goes on and on this year. We have lots of self sowers coming up in pots and containers on the terraces, seem like winter is bursting out all over.

Not So Mean Streets

johnnie1uk@hotmail.com (John and Mary Middleton) — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:39:00 +0000

There has been a lot of digging up of streets and new pavements being laid in many of our local towns and villages, indeed Rojales had major disruption during a lot of the summer due to such works. Torrevieja Council has just received more money for public works to help ease unemployment in the town. It’s good to see central government money getting into circulation in the area. Also good to see what a splendid job has been made of the little area out sides the bars and lotteria in Rojales. Its now got some new seating and has had a general tidy up with Bollards now in place, ideal for watching the world go by on this busy little corner. I must nip down to the other end of Formentera and see what it’s like now the pavements have been widened and improved there. Now the weather has cooled it’s a lot easier to stroll around and see what’s been done, though it’s by no means cold during the day it’s the early morning and evening which are chilly. I would tell you about having lunch sitting on the beach yesterday but I don’t want to upset our UK readers who are somewhat under black cloud weather wise. Lets just say it would be no problem spending sometime resting on that new bench..

Now heres a thought

johnnie1uk@hotmail.com (John and Mary Middleton) — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 15:27:00 +0000

We were just having an interesting conversation on language usage ( well what do you do on a saturday afternoon) in particular the terms expat (expatriate) and immigrant. So what are you? A number of years ago when we were queuing for our residencia I had a few sharp words with a lady(?) from London who commented to us as she joined the queue that she had been standing in the wrong place earlier, in the immigrants queue, in fact it was the non EU applicants queue. I felt obliged to point out that we were in fact all immigrants; this did not go down to well. I was correct of course, those of us who have chosen to move here are all immigrants whether we like the term or not, personally I have no objection. An immigrant is after all defined as a newcomer to a country who has settled there. So what’s an expat I hear you ask got big ears me. Well the origin of the term is actually based on economics. They can be a citizen who has left his or her own country to live in another, usually for a prolonged period. In original common usage, the term is often used in the context of professionals sent abroad by their companies, as opposed to locally hired staff (who can also be foreigners). The differentiation found in common usage usually comes down to socio-economic factors, so skilled professionals working in another country are described as expatriates.
In some countries the term "expat" is not used for all foreigners living and working there but refers to those on "expat" contracts. In Switzerland for example expats will be living in housing provided by the employer, with most other expenses such as children's (English) education also paid by the employer. In theory, this is because they are still maintaining a home in their original country. This is in strong contrast with those on "local" contracts who are treated and paid like other locals. The "expats" have a reputation of being flush with money, and raising the prices for others who are not subsidised in this way. Expat contracts are usually time limited, so the expats either move on to another assignment, or are given a local contract without expat subsidies.
So here’s a thought how many of those in our "expat communities" fit the above description, not a lot is my guess .Quite a number I guess where "flush" with money when they got here, given the exchange rate and the lower cost of living, my how times have changed. Question is has there title now changed, I would say there is a good argument for it to do so, in fact for most they never were and never will be an expat in the true sense of the word. No problem for us we always saw ourselves as very lucky immigrants to this country. Oh yes by the way there is another definition of the term expatriate its a citizen who has renounced his or her citizenship or whose citizenship has been repealed.Makes you glad your just a less well healed immigrant.

Day trip To Cartagena

johnnie1uk@hotmail.com (John and Mary Middleton) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 11:32:00 +0000

Yesterday on the spur of the moment we decided to go down to Cartagena on the Costa Calida. Its one of those places we have been meaning to visit ever since we moved to the area. It’s about 60 KM from here and a nice little run either by the motorway or the 332.
Cartagena has been a major sea port for centuries and has a fascinating history. It is a walled town and has a fine harbour defended by forts. In the time of Philip II of Spain, it was a major naval seaport of Spain. It is still an important naval seaport, the main military haven of Spain, and there is a big naval shipyard. Cartagena had a population of 211,286 in 2007, making it the second largest city in the Region, the 6th among the non-province capitals of Spain, and the 24th overall.
For all that it has a charming old quarter and many free to enter museums. So much to see in fact we are already planning another day there.
We were quite astonished by the style of the buildings and the fact that there seems to be a concerted effort to save the facades where the building is beyond repair. There is also an abundance of cafes and restaurants with menus at very reasonable prices. We had a lovely meal, real home style cooking and regional dishes and only 8 euros for 3 courses salad and a drink.
On the way back we called in at Mar Menor, another place we have always meant to visit. Mar Menor is a salty lagoon separated from the Mediterranean Sea by a sand bar 22km in length and with a variable width from 100 to 1200m. It belongs to four municipalities including Cartagena. In 1994 it was included on the list of the Ramsar Convention for the conservation and sustainable utilization of wetlands. It is also a one of the Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance (SPAMI) by the United Nations.
If you take a drive down do look out for the remains of the windmills, they are all over the place with a very few still intact. Can you imagine what it must have looked like in past times, very Don Quixote. Before the arrival of modern technology the turning sails of the windmills could be seen at almost every place where a small hill rose in the flat plain. With the arrival of electricity and new machinery, the old windmills were allowed to decay and many now are not much more than circular heaps of stones. However, the picture is not completely black and there plenty of enthusiasts who love the windmills and are working to restore them. Interest in the history of the windmills is very high amongst local people.

Lets hope it starts trend

johnnie1uk@hotmail.com (John and Mary Middleton) — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 09:40:00 +0000

Airline approaches to Spanish airports will change in 2010 when airlines will have to adopt the ‘green landing’ system at Spanish airports.

What does this mean well for one thing an end to those twists and turns and rapid changes in altitude ahead of landing. Also a longer and gentler approach to the runway will be taken. Planes will in effect glide down to land and start the approach from as far as 180 kilometres away.
Those on board will probably only notice that it seems to be taking a long time to land. The good news is that between 300 and 480 kilos of carbon emissions along with 100 to 160 kilos of aviation fuel will be saved on every flight. These changes will mean the plane is in the air for a full two minutes more than before.

Those who live below the flight paths may notice a 4-6 decibel reduction in noise if they live more than 18 kilometres from the runway.

France and Sweden are testing similar systems, but José Blanco and his Development Ministry in Spain are to be congratulated for making the move now and re-arranging the flight paths as needed. In some cases airspace previously reserved for the military will have to be used.
On a practical note aside from greener flights I wonder if those of us that suffer ear pain at landing will find it different, I do hope so.

Guess Who's Coming To Dinner?

johnnie1uk@hotmail.com (John and Mary Middleton) — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 08:52:00 +0000

We had a lovely morning in Torrevieja last Sunday along with quite a lot of other people. It was such a nice sunny, warm day we decided to have a walk along the front, out on the harbor wall and a look around the marina. Although there are signs of the economic crisis hitting business it was still very lively, especially for the time of year. Would be nicer if the local council and police got to grips with the graffiti issue though so many buildings are defaced in the town.
As we drove out of the town along the 332 we had a real surprise sighting, we are quite keen bird watches so were alerted at once to some thing a bit unusual in the skies. In fact it was a Griffin Vulture, birds of prey are classified as an endangered species here in Spain but we do not normally see them in this area.
The Griffon Vulture is 93–110 cm (37–43 in) long with a 230–269 cm (91–106 in) wingspan, and it weighs between 6 and 13 kg (13.2 and 29 lb). Hatched naked, it is a typical Old World vulture in appearance, with a white bald head, very broad wings and short tail feathers. It has a white neck ruff and yellow bill. Believe me if you see one you cannot mistake it.
Five griffon vultures have been rescued in Orihuela Costa over the weekend. They are most likely to come from a feeding station in Alcoy, where there is a colony of 70 to 100 of the birds. We just hope the one we saw was one of them.

Driving your other Half up the Wall

johnnie1uk@hotmail.com (John and Mary Middleton) — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:19:00 +0000

As you can see its Johns who’s making his way towards the ceiling. I will be following him with a bit of luck and a lot more effort and practise. Ok Ok what the heck am I talking about, in word Yoga. We are trying to ward of old age and have started to get to grips with this ancient practise. Novices still we will get better meanwhile as you might have guessed Johns further up the wall than me

Stop Press.................

johnnie1uk@hotmail.com (John and Mary Middleton) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:25:00 +0000

The Government has granted a six month grace period in Spain's mobile phone switch off. It gives users of pre-paid lines the chance to recover their number if they register after the phone has been deactivated.
Ah so thats why its was so manic in the phone shop!

Stone Me Man

johnnie1uk@hotmail.com (John and Mary Middleton) — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:32:00 +0000

News is in the Spanish papers that 12 tons of Cannabis were seized in Santa Pola. The haul was found at a local industrial estate
This is one of the largest hauls of cannabis ever made in Alicante province: The estimated 12 tons were seized in a Civil Guard swoop on Monday.

The smugglers network had been under surveillance for some time and is reported to have brought over regular consignments of cannabis into the country by sea, hidden in containers of fish. The papers note that 10,000 kilos of fish were confiscated as part of the Civil Guard operation.

This is the latest haul of cannabis in Alicante province in the past 5 years. There have been no details as yet on how many suspects face charges in the case.
I wonder if any local "smokers" noticed anything fishy about the stuff they’ve been buying recently.

I've got one with Wheels on

johnnie1uk@hotmail.com (John and Mary Middleton) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:54:00 +0000

If there’s one everyday sight, other than you've average housewife out and about in her dressing gown, that tells you your in Spain it is the lady with shopping trolley. I know you see them in other countries but here in Spain they really are an essential item. They range from the tatty, well loved, well used, years old ones to the brand spanking new fashion item. The range of colours and designs they can be seen in seems endless. You also see smaller version used by schoolchildren to carry books etc. to and from school. I have to admit to having one myself, bought at a bargain price from a local charity shop, not a very exciting colour but serviceable. I tend to pull mine along but I noticed the other day while having a coffee in Guardamar Street market that the local ladies push there’s. I think they may have something, its a lot less strain on the arms that way. Incidentally it’s not only the women who use "shoppers" older chaps can increasingly be seen making use of these practical items. I wonder will the manufacturers catch on and start producing more butch, manly looking trolleys?

The Phones With No Name

johnnie1uk@hotmail.com (John and Mary Middleton) — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:27:00 +0000

If you have not registered your prepaid Spanish phone then you had better get cracking because all unregistered pre-paid mobile phone lines in Spain will be permanently disconnected at midnight Sunday night. Despite the objection made by the phone companies the Spanish government insists that all pre-paid mobile phones numbers which have not been registered by midnight on Sunday night will disappear forever. The phone companies wanted to delay the switch off of what they say will be some three million lines. Its seems to me the date of the action has been in the public arena for some time. The measure comes as a result of the Madrid train bombings in 2004 where anonymous pre-paid phones were used to set off the explosives. The Law for the Conservation of Data in Electronic Communications came into effect in Spain two years ago and obliges the phone companies to keep all the data on the destination and origin of calls, as well as the identity of all the people implicated in the communication. Any one who has not registered there phone will find it no longer works and that any credit they have is lost. For some time now any one who purchased a phone or new sim had to give details and show prove of who they are and where they live.
What we need now is for other countries to do likewise for the actions to be fully effective.

In Sheeps clothing

johnnie1uk@hotmail.com (John and Mary Middleton) — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:46:00 +0000

If you spend any time in Spain you may well notice the habit of keeping your dressing gown on. What do I mean? Well its very commonplace to see your average Spanish housewife in her dressing gown until lunch time. No they are not all late getting out of bed. It’s a habit that’s easy to get into and this time of year, when the mornings can be chilly indoors, it’s a perfect way of being cosy. So you wear you nice snugly housecoat while you do the housework, water the plants, see the kids off to school,take out the rubbish, walk the dog even. Its one of those things that brings a smile to your face and makes you think it could only be Spain. If you want to join the club try your local market for a bargain in the housecoat/dressing gown line. Me I've got three!
PS:: My merino wool is the Fav

Charity begins at Home

johnnie1uk@hotmail.com (John and Mary Middleton) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:24:00 +0000

and if you’re reading this in Spain then you may like to help a very worthwhile charity here. Caritas is the charity arm of the Catholic Church, indeed the word caritas translates as CHARITY.
It was created in 1971, Caritas Europe bringing together over 45 organisations that work in 44 European countries. It is one of the seven regions of Caritas Internationalis, a confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development and social service organisations working to build a better world, especially for the poor and oppressed, in over 200 countries and territories.
Caritas Europe focuses its activities on issues related to poverty and social inequality, migration and asylum within all countries of Europe, humanitarian assistance and international development throughout the world.
What this means at a grass roots level is people get fed. Many people in this area have received food parcels in these difficult times. So what can those who are more fortunate do to help? Its simple really, donate non perishable food stuffs to you local branch. You can be sure that everything you give will be passed on to a family who have fallen on hard times.
With the jobless total in Spain going up by almost 99,000 it seems likely more and more families will need help, so if you can give please please do.

http://www.caritas.es/

Did you miss us?

johnnie1uk@hotmail.com (John and Mary Middleton) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 21:42:00 +0000

I expect someone out there must have wondered where we were, as you can see from the posting below we had a little holiday. For more pics of our trip look on the Photo gallery.
http://a-brit-in-spain-gallery.blogspot.com/

Here we are again

johnnie1uk@hotmail.com (John and Mary Middleton) — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 19:13:00 +0000

HAPPY as can be. So nice to be back home in Spain after the grey and frantic UK, we do choose some funny places for our hols! I mean every road seems to be a slow moving car park. Nice trip up to the ferry though, France is so tidy and so expensive, though the diesel is less than in UK. All the places we saw on our trip, with hardwood trees, looked lovely though. The heart of England does have some lovely pastoral countryside and charming little towns and villages. So does France for that matter with quieter roads, it was really very cold in France though. The SATNAV was a great help though I do like to have a map too, it gives you useful and interesting info of what you are seeing. Two memorable stopover where Rouen in France and Cariñena in Spain. The architecture of Rouen is breathtaking; we also had the best meal we have had in France since we where in Briar a few years ago. Call me bias but we have consistently had far better food in Spain than France though the French cheeses are legendary it’s true, they also seem to be sold at just the correct ripeness. In Cariñena we stayed at the El Vino hotel that is part of a local winery, well appointed rooms but lacking any Spanish character I thought. The tapas in the town lacked nothing tasty fresh and large amounts plus a price that did not give you indigestion. As I said good to be back though, we are still able to swim in the sea here its that warm. even the nights are not really cooling down. Now if only the flies would disappear, still you can't have everything can you

Get your fish

johnnie1uk@hotmail.com (John and Mary Middleton) — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 07:59:00 +0000

Most days of the week when you are in Guardamar you will see the women with their wheelbarrows selling fresh fish, the Species depends on what the local fishing boats have caught, Today is was mainly Lubena, Mullet and a kind of horse mackerel, you select your fish and it is weighed on a primitive hand held balance scale, and a near enough! price is charged, this is a age old traditional that we hope will carry on for a long while.
Also at Guardamar marina the Cofriadas de Pescadors have a Sale of fish every day of the week except weekends, the sale starts at 10:30, they have a good variety of fish including squid, octopus, and some of the deep sea fish species, if there are quite a few people at opening time, the fish are auctioned in lots suitable for a family size meal, the fish that are left because there are too few bidders, are sold at very good prices.(much cheaper than the supermarket) An ideal way to stock up the freezer.