Elliot Sampford

A Child al Confino

2012-02-17T18:31:00.001+01:00

I have just finished reading 'A Child al Confino' (Click on the title to learn more) by Eric Lamet. A most enjoyable read about his life and experiences in the run up to the Second World War and his internment with his mother in Italy for the duration. I recommend this book.

Locked out!

2012-02-16T14:17:00.000+01:00

It had been another hard day at workBrian thought, and that is why he had left earlier than usual, as heonce more suffered the uncomfortable journey through the eveningcommuter traffic, with the screeching windscreen wipers struggling toclear the rain away. In fact it had been one stressful week afteranother for the last two months. It has been a nightmare time hethought, with pressure both at work and at home.

He hadn't been sleeping to well withthe result that the tiredness was building up within him. He hopedthis hadn't affected his thinking in making the decisions he had madeto rectify both the problems and subsequent taut atmosphere at homeand at work. The week-end break starting tomorrow would act as abarrier between the old and the new. Or was this a dream scenario andhe was fooling himself. It couldn't get worse between him and Jane!

As he turned into his driveway he wassurprised to see an old shabby transit van, that he didn't recognise,parked there. When his wife Jane had left abruptly for work aftertheir argument, before he did, this morning she hadn't mentioned thatshe would be home before him or that someone was coming to do somework. The lights were on in the house and he could hear music andvoices. He didn't want company, there were bridges to mend.

He parked his car to the left of thevan, close to the front door, so he wouldn't get too wet in the rain.He activated the central locking and alarm as he walked quickly tothe front door of the house. As he put his Yale key into the lock ofthe door he thought the turn of it would unlock the door to thestart of the new better future he had planned. But it wouldn't turn!He tried again but it wouldn't budge. He withdrew it to check it wasthe right one as sometimes he confused the office key with the housekey. He'd got the right one so he tried again; but still it wouldn'tturn.

Not worrying at this time he walkedaround to the rear of the house to go in through the kitchen door. Hepushed the handle down to open it. It didn't open! It must be lockedbut why if Jane was home he thought. He selected the bronze fivelever key, on his key ring and inserted it into the lock and turnedit anti-clockwise. He tried, but like the front door key episode, itdidn't turn.

He was confused, why couldn't he getinto his own home when he could see the lights were on behind thedrawn curtains and the noise from inside showed that Jane was home.He shouted her name loudly after his knocking on the back door hadfailed to attract her attention. With still no Jane at the back doorhe decided to go around to the front of the house and try again.There was a gap in the curtains in the bay window of the lounge so helooked in to see if she was there.

Who was the scruffy stranger in hislounge, sitting on his new leather recliner, in dirty clothes,drinking one of his beers from the bottle, and watching his 52 inchsurround sound television system. He couldn't see Jane, but she mustbe there as the man was talking to someone. Where was she and why wasshe letting this happen. Why was she home at this time, who was thisman? Were his wild suspicions right that she was having an affair andhe had caught her out and this was her lover?

After trying the front door key againwithout success, knocking on the lounge window without a responsefrom inside, Brian shouted “JANE” towards the house as loud as hecould, and waited. No response from Jane, no response from within thehouse at all.

Brian was totally baffled as to whatwas happening. He did know that the rain had trickled from his wethair, his shirt collar was wet and cold, and added to that it wasstarting to snow. He could feel the temperature falling just like theweather lady had predicted. His stress level was rising in contrast.He put his hand in his pocket to fetch out his mobile telephone toring Jane and put an end to this nightmare situation. It wasn'tthere, it must be in his holdall . His hand fumbled amongst thecontents of the bag but no mobile. Bloody hell; he must have left itin the office.

He had had enough of this situation. Hehad realized that Jane had not been happy with him and his attitudein the last few weeks, and that she was angry this morning. But therewas no need to be spiteful, vindictive even, to bring her lover home,lock him out of his own home and ignore him. It was too much and hadgone too far. He was tired, cold and wet.

He stepped back a few paces from thehouse, cupped his hands around his mouth to act as a megaphone, tooka deep breath and shouted “JANE OPEN UP NOW – JANE STOP MUCKINGABOUT – LET ME IN” with all his might, as loud as he could.

He got two results from this, bothtotally unexpected.

The front door was thrown open, thelarge man that he had seen through the lounge curtains sitting in hisfavourite chair stood there blocking the entrance completely, and ina rough southern accent asked Brian “What the bleeding hell do youwant?”. Brian trying to appear calmer than he was and in a mannersuperior to that which he had been subjected to said “I'd like toget into my house. Who are you and what are you doing in my home?”He received the short reply “I fxxxxxg live here now, fxxk off”as the front door was slammed shut in his face.

Almost simultaneously he heard Jane askhim “ Brian what's all the noise about; what are you shoutingabout? You'll disturb the neighbours” as she walked quickly fromthe road into the driveway.

He was shocked to see her. He quicklyexplained what had happened, omitting his thoughts about her having alover.

It was then that he realised everyproperty owners worse nightmare, squatters had taken over his andJane's home. During the last few months they had read and listened totales of problems other householders in the area had had with illegalsquatters and getting them out of their properties. Brian wasn'tgoing to accept this happening to him and Jane.

They quickly agreed their immediateaction was to telephone the police to come and help them get theintruders out. Jane would have to do this on her mobile phone. Whilstshe was telephoning the police Brian decided that another strongerdirect approach was needed; he wasn't going to let the ignorant scumand his friends take over his home that easy. He'd worked hard forthe house and everything in it and no low life was going to beallowed to take it away from him.

His stress level was increasing, theadrenaline was pumping, his temples were throbbing. He startedshoulder barging the front door as hard as he could and continueduntil the door suddenly opened. He was about to go through thedoorway until he saw the two men coming out, one carrying somethingwooden in his hand like a weapon that he intended to use. Brianstepped back quickly from the house suddenly fearful for his safety.

“I fxxxxxg told you we live here nowand you're becoming a bleedin nuisance” said the man Brian had seenbefore, and who was continuing menacingly towards him “Fxxk offnow if you know what's good for you”. With that the unknown bullysaid to his mate “Show him what will happen to him if he don't pxxs off Bill”. Bill swung the baseball bat that he had in hishand slowly in a large circle and brought it down hard on the bonnetof Brian's car.

This shocked Brian to the core and ashe stepped back to get further away from the men he stumbled, slippedon the snow and fell to the ground. The men continued towards him.Bill was twirling the bat like a cheerleader's baton. Brian couldn'tget up. Was he to be next to feel a blow from Bill's bat?

The car's alarm suddenly activated,with the lights flashing and the horn sounding offBEEP..BEEP..BEEP..BEEP ! Brian was suddenly aware that he could feelJane repeatedly tugging strongly on his arm, trying to help pull himaway to safety, but she couldn't and started shouting athim..BRIAN...BRIAN...GET UP BRIAN!...

...Will you turn that dam alarm off…... it's time to get up or you'll be late for work ….and it's myday off!

Garden Rubbish Container Fire

2012-02-15T14:41:00.000+01:00

This morning there was a fire in the garden rubbish container close to our house and next to the boundary wall of the finca. The owner of the property has a water supply close to location and acted quickly as a bombero trying to douse the fire.

His action seemed to have been successful but the embers continued smouldering within the rubbish and the fire re-ignited.

The emergency services having been called, the Policia Local arrived in force, two vehicles and five officers, a little over the top, followed shortly by the members of the Cuerpo de Bomberos, two of who efficiently dealt with the problem,.

You'll notice in the video the gentleman in the white trousers and green cardigan was most concerned that he could continue to dump his garden waste from his wheelbarrow.

On a lighter note; To put the fire out took two bomberos whilst two more and five policia local supervised.

Laboratory chimps caged for 30 years are finally released to a sanctuary

2012-02-10T23:28:00.000+01:00

A very emotive video!

A Slat in time - saves money.

2012-02-09T13:01:00.000+01:00

On Tuesday morning when I tried to pull up one of the external window shutters in the lounge, to let in the Spanish sun, it wouldn't raise more than a few centimetres. Repeated lowering and raising of it came to the same result. It wasn't going up. Further investigation of the problem revealed a broken, split, horizontal slat was acting as a stop. A quick temporary repair was made, my trusty wire clippers to the rescue, so that we didn't have to sit in the dark.

Having not experienced a similar problem in the ten years we have lived in the property, and having no knowledge of the internal workings of the blind system, my second thought after how do I get this repaired was; I suppose this is going to cost a fortune to put right.

Although we are retired, and younger people assume we have nothing to do all day, it wasn't until Wednesday afternoon (yesterday) that we could call into our favourite local ferretería, with some trepidation, to seek a solution, either a spare part or the name of 'a man who can'! Once again the shop had the solution, a ample stock of spare slats of various types. After the little joke by the assistant warning us that we needed a large wallet; we left the Aladdin’s cave with two replacement slats, the extra one in case I made a mistake when carrying out the repair as my DIY history has shown it's better to be prepared, a cash register receipt for just €3, and a smile on my face.

This morning I successfully slatted the repair into our day. It is good to learn how to do something new each day. A good, inexpensive, job done.

I must go and check again if it still goes up and down!

Together we can! - Oh Really!

2012-02-07T17:00:00.002+01:00

Photographed 07.02.2012

I suppose I shouldn't but each time I drive past the sign located next to the closed CLR/CLARO election campaign offices in Cabo Roig, Orihuela Costa, I find myself laughing.

It is the irony of the message, given to the electorate in the run up to the May 2011 elections and the current situation.

At the time of the birth of the CLR/CLARO coalition I expressed my opinion to Pedro Mancebo that I did not believe in it and that it would not be a long lasting partnership.

It was one of convenience, it was a contrived civil marriage, with the only common factor being that both party leaders would do anything to get elected. Certainly as individual parties their chances of obtaining a substantial increase in elected councillors was dubious. In the case of CLARO, they failed to get any Councillors in the 2007 elections and on their own 2011 would have seen the same result. Bob Houliston would not have got elected.

The first indications of a divorce began to show very shortly after the May 2011 elections when the fighting began in June, in the acrimonious war, sorry negotiations, for the allocation of responsibilities of Councillors amongst the three political groups who finally formed the current, insecure, tripartite government.

We have read the press release issued at the beginning of December 2011 by Pedro Mancebo, entitled “ The Municipal Group CLR-CLARO Expel Robert Houliston and Protect The Local Government” in which he confirmed: “the expulsion of Councillor Robert Houliston from the group in order to ensure the stability of the municipal government” along with the reasons behind the expulsion. Pedro went on to say “sadly Councillor Houliston has had a “go it alone policy“ from the beginning which would have been sufficient to agree his expulsion. He did not support his own municipal group, CLR-CLARO, in the negotiations with PSOE and LV to obtain the necessary competences and council departments within the government. He turned his back on them once he had secured his own position on the coast”.

As mentioned in my recent article the January issue of the CLARO Newsletter refers to the recent divorce between the CLR and CLARO: “the continuing differences within the government between the CLR party, our partner in the May election, and C.L.A.R.O. These differences which, for reasons of their perceived political advantage, have led our CLR partners over the past 5 months to seek to divide the management of the coast and to reduce the responsibilities or competences of the C.L.A.R.O Councillor for the Coast. The differences culminated in November in CLR attempts to divide the C.L.A.R.O party prior to our Annual General Meeting and their unilateral exclusion or expulsion of C.L.A.R.O from the joint government group in the council CLR-CLARO”.

It is obvious that current acrimony between the two parties is not a trial separation but a divorce and the decree nisi has been issued.

It's really not funny any more so let's hope the sign and its lie is removed without delay!

What if they cannot agree who is responsible for having it taken down. Will they leave it up and try a reconciliation in time for the 2015 elections or will Monica Lorente succeed as the temptress to Bob Houliston and get in between them for ever?

An early morning wake up by a 3.4 magnitude earthquake

2012-02-05T13:34:00.000+01:00

This morning at 05.43 hrs. we wereawoken by the rumbling and noise of an earth quake. It seemed totravel from the front to the rear of the house. We haven'texperienced any damage to our property.

According to the National GeographicalInstitute here in Spain the epicentrewas approximately 5 kilometres off the coast where we are and some 11kilometres below the surface. Although this is an area thatexperiences small tremors on a regular basis they are not usuallyabove a magnitude of 3 whereas this was registered at 3.4.

It is reported that although thePolicía Local and the Guardia Civil received numerous calls frommembers of the public there were no reports of damage according todata initially collected by the Emergency Coordination Center.

U3A Chairman says 5 days is enough time!

2012-02-01T18:27:00.000+01:00

I attended the Annual General Meetingof the Torrevieja U3A on Monday (30^th January).

The first item on the agenda was theapproval of the Minutes of the 2011 AGM. As a member of theassociation I only received the minutes of 2011, and the accounts for2011 also to be presented for approval at the meeting, late onWednesday 25^th January 2011, less than 5 days before themeeting. I believe that this late despatch of information from theassociation Chairman to the members was unsatisfactory. So I raisedthis matter in the meeting by way of the following questions to theChairman.

"Given that the minutes we are being asked to approve relate to the meetingheld on the 27^th January 2011; why is it that members were only sent copies of the minutes, byemail on the 25^th January 2012, 363 days after the meeting and only 5 days before this AGM? Doyou consider that this is satisfactory in giving sufficient time formembers, considering that some may not access their email accounts ona daily basis, to read and confirm the accuracy of the Minutes?"

The answer from the Chairmanto the two questions was “Yes”. I wish I hadn't asked the second one as a closed question.

Since the meeting I have written to the re-elected Chairman, saying:

"I would like to suggest the following for consideration by the newlyelected committee. Assumingthat Minutes of the AGM are written shortly after the meeting; wouldit not be possible, more efficient, and of greater benefit to themembers, to include the minutes, all be it in draft form, subject toapproval by the members later, in one of the newsletters between themeeting and the next AGM, or send them out earlier than 5 days beforethe meeting at which they are to be voted on, via the cascadeinformation system, or include them within a 'Minutes' section on theassociation website?”

Iawait with interest to hear what the committee decides.

Ex PP Mayor says CLARO leader is an honourable man! - How time changes opinions when it suits!

2012-01-27T15:56:00.000+01:00

Is it coincidence, or perhaps goodforethought on my part, or just luck, that two days after I posted myarticle 'WillCLARO partner the Partido Popular in Orihuela?' that the RTNnewspaper publishes an article entitled 'CoastalIsolation' which begins “Former Mayorof Orihuela Monica Lorente, talking exclusively to RTN this week,said: “The coast is being politically isolated.” and written byLouise Clarke who was the personal press officer for Monica Lorente when shewas Mayor.

Inthe article the Ex-Mayor said: “CLARO Councillor Bob Houliston isbeing ‘humoured’ by the Mayor. Bob is a good person and has theinterests of the coast at heart but is being taken for a ride by theMayor and his colleagues.” andadded “Bob is an honourable man: he doesn’t deserve this.”

Thereseems to be a lot of back tracking from Ms Lorente in relation to herprevious adverse comments about Bob Houliston and the CLARO partywhen she was Mayor.

Iwonder if there isn't a degree of vengeance on the part of both theinterviewee and the interviewer in the writing of this article asthey both lost their positions of power when the Partido Popularparty lead by Monica Lorente was removed from government by thecurrent tripartite government.

Bythis attack on the government and feigned support of Bob Houliston,Monica Lorente, with the aid of her past press officer, I believe islooking to tempt Bob into a new bipartite agreement to bring down thecurrent governing team and reinstate the PP to power in Orihuela andher as Mayor.

Edit: 31^st January 2012.

The CoastRider newspaper has todaypublished an article written by Mireille Toddington entitled 'Boband Mon in talks' in which I am paid the compliment of my weblogbeing mentioned.

Food fried in olive or sunflower oil is not linked to heart disease, Spanish study finds

2012-01-26T11:42:00.000+01:00

Eating food fried in olive or sunflower oil is not linked to heart disease or premature death, a new study finds. The authors stress, however, that their study took place in Spain, a Mediterranean country where olive or sunflower oil is used for frying and their results would probably not be the same in another country where solid and re-used oils were used for frying.

Read more on ScienceDaily: Food fried in olive or sunflower oil is not linked to heart disease, Spanish study finds

Will CLARO partner the Partido Popular in Orihuela?

2012-01-25T20:56:00.001+01:00

When the political parties in the Orihuela Town Council were trying to sort out a governing council following the May 2011 local elections, I made the following comment on Facebook and Twitter:

“A PP led bipartite government with CLR/CLARO in Orihuela isn't what the CLARO party supporters wanted, but will get if the CLR agree it”

followed by this comment a few days later:

“CLARO sold out to the CLR for power! Will their coalition sell out to the PP for more power? Is what I'm asking a joke, - think about it!”.

At the time there were those residents of Orihuela Costa who thought that my comments were ludicrous, as is their right.

The result of the long drawn out discussions and bargaining was that a tripartite government of the PSOE, Los Verdes and CLR/CLARO political groups was agreed, not too amicably.

I read with great interest the following comments in the January 2012 C.L.A.R.O. Newsletter, especially the final paragraph in theextract:

“the continuing differences within the government between the CLR party, our partner in the May election, and C.L.A.R.O. These differences which, for reasons of their perceived political advantage, have led our CLR partners over the past 5 months to seek to divide the management of the coast and to reduce the responsibilities or competences of the C.L.A.R.O Councillor for the Coast. The differences culminated in November in CLR attempts to divide the C.L.A.R.O party prior to our Annual General Meeting and their unilateral exclusion or expulsion of C.L.A.R.O from the joint government group in the council CLR-CLARO. In the November AGM, C.L.A.R.O confirmed that despite its difficulties with CLR, we would continue to support the present government provided we got all means necessary, including finance and competences, to carry out our work on behalf of Orihuela Costa.

It was not surprising that in these circumstances, Monica Lorente, the leader of the Popular Party, the largest single party in the Orihuela Council, with 12 seats, one short of a majority, should have requested a meeting with the Councillor for the Coast, Bob Houliston. A meeting did take place in the Playa Flamenco office of the Town Hall on 28 December. The two leaders had a general conversation on questions of political interest in Orihuela and Orihuela Costa”.

Perhaps my comments in 2011 were not that far off of the possible future for the Orihuela Town Council. Is Bob Houliston, Leader of the CLARO party looking for more personal power by making a bipartite power partnership with the PP party in the Council? Will the current tripartite government survive? Will we see a new dynamic duo; Mon & Bob?

Edited 27th January 2012.
See follow-up article 'Ex PP Mayor says CLARO leader is an honourable man! - How time changes opinions when it suits!

Women report feeling pain more intensely than men, says study of electronic medical records

2012-01-24T15:44:00.002+01:00

Women report more intense pain than men in virtually every disease category, according to researchers who mined a huge collection of electronic medical records to establish the broad gender difference to a high level of statistical significance.

Read more in ScienceDaily:Women report feeling pain more intensely than men, says study of electronic medical records

The Lincoln Lawyer

2012-01-21T09:39:00.000+01:00

I have just finished reading 'The Lincoln Lawyer' written by Michael Connelly. Rather than explaining the plot of the book here, click on the title for the full synopsis from the author.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading the book. It is a easy read; a gripping tale with unexpected diversions around the central court trial; that reached a suspense conclusion that brought the tale to a satisfactory end.

Trial of Spanish judge Baltasar Garzón is a 'blow to human rights', says Amnesty

2012-01-20T15:25:00.001+01:00

Hugo Relva, Legal Adviser at Amnesty International, who is in Madrid to observe the trial of pioneering investigative Judge Baltasar Garzón , said: "It seems the search for truth, justice and reparation for past crimes,...committed during the civil war and Franco’s rule,....under international law in Spain is being held hostage to this trial based on outrageous charges".

Read more about the forthcoming trial here:AIUK : Spain: Trial of judge is a 'blow to human rights', says Amnesty and http://www.amnesty.org/en/news/spain-trial-judge-baltasar-garz-n-blow-human-rights-2012-01-20

The day I became an Executioner!

2012-01-17T21:18:00.001+01:00

On the 40th anniversary of the execution, by firing squad, ofPedro Martínez Expósito, who had been judged guilty of the murderof two women, Vicente Torres describes, in an article in the El Paisnewspaper, the day and his feelings when ordered to be a member ofthe military execution squad.

It is a moving article describing his feelings about hisinvoluntary involvement and the action on the dreadful day. He saysof the event "Did something change within us? Were we marked forlife because of this? I suppose so; we certainly could not remainindifferent to it........I am neither ashamed nor proud of it, but Iam hurt by it”.

He makes the further point of the event during Franco'sdictatorship of Spain: "I was not about to help "dojustice." If anything, I felt I was going to add yet one moreinjustice to the list. I have always considered Expósito's executionto be a crime, a public assassination that did not compensate for hiscrimes. I also thought the execution had a strong politicalcomponent".

A very moving story about a barbaric act. One cannot ignore thefact that Pedro Martínez Expósito had ended the lives of two peopleand that justice had to be carried out for this crime. But vengefuland political based retribution is not justice. But that is what onesaw from the Fascist, Roman Catholic Church supported, militarygovernment of Franco.

Vicente's thoughts can be read here: The day I became an executioner · ELPAÍS.com in English

Cheapest Petrol & Diesel prices in Spain

2012-01-17T17:37:00.001+01:00

Where is the cheapest fuel for your car in your area of Spain?

The link to the Webpage of the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Turism will give you the answer.

Click on it and try looking in your area. Ministerio de Industria, Energía y Turismo - Precios Carburantes

We Don't Want a Global Superpower EU, Mr President Schulz

2012-01-17T15:30:00.000+01:00

God is not Great.

2012-01-05T16:04:00.000+01:00

Ihave just finished reading ChristopherHitchens' book entitled 'Godis not Great' (this link is to a chapter by chaptersummary).

Ihave found it a very interesting but difficult book to read.Difficult in that the quality of writing highlighted my inadequaciesin both English language and literature. This is a consequence of thefailings of myself and the state secondary modern education schoolingsystem at the time and not of the writer. There was a constant needfor me to consult the dictionary to gain the full benefit of content.It is a good job that the Kindle for PC programme, via which I readthe book, includes an easily accessed source of word clarification.

Thereading of this book has not brought about a life changing belief buthas added clarification to my long held rejection of the validityand belief in a religious faith. To use a quote of ChristopherHitchens when referring to himself and like thinkers, myselfincluded, “Our belief is not a belief. Our principles are not afaith. We do not rely solely upon science and reason, because theseare necessary rather than sufficient factors, but we distrustanything that contradicts science or outrages reason.”

Itis a book that has a meaningful message for both, those who don'tbelieve in the unproven, and those who believe in the unbelievable,and unsubstantiated. It is worth the time and effort to read it.Perhaps more than once to fully comprehend the full thesis putforward by 'Hitch'.

Ithink now is the time for me to read his autobiography 'Hitch –22'.

Cognitive skills and memory loss of the elderly.

2012-01-04T12:00:00.000+01:00

There are two interesting recent articles on the ScienceDaily website in relation to the cognitive skills of, and causes of memory loss in, the elderly. I prefer the term 'more mature' as it doesn't make me feel so old.

The first entitled 'Elderly can be as fast as young in some brain tasks, study shows' highlights research that has found that both children and the elderly have slower response times when they have to make quick decisions in some settings. But the research suggests that much of that slower response is a conscious choice to emphasize accuracy over speed. In fact, healthy older people can be trained to respond faster in some decision-making tasks without hurting their accuracy -- meaning their cognitive skills in this area aren't so different from younger adults.

The second entitled 'New clues as to why some older people may be losing their memory' refers to new research that links 'silent strokes,' or small spots of dead brain cells, found in about one out of four older adults to memory loss in the elderly.

I've decided that if I am slower answering a question than would be expected it is because I will have made the conscious choice to emphasize accuracy over speed; or will it be that I've forgotten the question. What if I can't remember what I've decided?

Journey across the Millau Viaduct

2012-01-02T18:30:00.000+01:00

Our return route from England to Spain through France on this trip was via the E11/A75 which took us over the impressive Millau Viaduct on the 28th December 2011.

This was not the first occasion that we have travelled over it, but because we were ahead of schedule we had time to stop and take some photographs of this piece of magnificent engineering.

We stopped at the 'Aire du Viaduc de Millau' situated on the north side of the viaduct and climbed the footpath to the viewpoint.

As an experiment we decided to take a video of our drive over the bridge not expecting it to work-out, but here it is.

Edit 06.01.2012: The Baluarte bridge on the Mazatlan-Durango highway in Northern Mexico, standing at 403 metres has now been confirmed as the world's highest cable-stayed bridge, surpassing the Millau Viaduct.

Time for a change? Overhauling the calendar

2011-12-31T11:45:00.000+01:00

It seems a coincidence that on the day that Samoa changes its relative position to the international dateline and loses December 30th 2011, missing it out altogether, that I read the article in the ScienceDaily ' Time for a change? Overhauling the calendar'. According to two calendar reform advocates, time can stand still, or at least look the same from year to year.

Using computer programs and mathematical formulas, Richard Conn Henry, an astrophysicist in the Krieger School of Arts and Sciences and Steve H. Hanke, an applied economist in the Whiting School of Engineering, have created a new calendar in which each new 12-month period is identical to the one which came before, and remains that way from one year to the next in perpetuity.

There certainly seem to be substantial benefits if their calendar was accepted. Will it ever happen?

Read the full article here:...Time for a change? Overhauling the calendar

"Wherever You Are" by the Military Wives Choir

2011-12-25T17:07:00.000+01:00

Prejudice comes from a basic human need and way of thinking, new research suggests.

2011-12-23T20:00:00.000+01:00

Where does prejudice come from? Not from ideology, say the authors of a new article. Instead, prejudice stems from a deeper psychological need, associated with a particular way of thinking. People who aren't comfortable with ambiguity and want to make quick and firm decisions are also prone to making generalizations about others.

Read More:....Prejudice comes from a basic human need and way of thinking, new research suggests

Mediterranean diet gives longer life, Swedish study suggests

2011-12-22T13:00:00.000+01:00

A Mediterranean diet with large amounts of vegetables and fish gives a longer life, according to Swedish research. A number of studies since the 1950s have shown that a Mediterranean diet, based on a high consumption of fish and vegetables and a low consumption of animal-based products such as meat and milk, leads to better health.

Read More......: Mediterranean diet gives longer life, Swedish study suggests

The Bomber by Liza Marklund

2011-12-21T19:35:00.000+01:00

I hadnot heard of Liza Marklund or her novel 'The Bomber' and so had noparticular reason to choose this book to read at this time, exceptthat it was on special offer in ASDA, 2 books for £7.

Theadvertising précis on the back cover was another enticement tellingme that;

“Crimereporter Annika Bengtzon is woken by a phonecall in the early hoursof a wintry December morning. An explosion has ripped apart theOlympic Stadium, and a victim has been blown to pieces. As Annikadelves into the details of the bombing and the background of thevictim, there is a second explosion. When her police source revealsthey are hot on the heels of the bomber, Annika is guaranteed anexclusive with her name on it. But it soon becomes clear the she hasuncovered too much, as she finds herself the target of a derangedserial killer.”

Furthercomments such as “One of the most popular crime writers of ourtime” - Patricia Cornwell, “No one tells a story like LizaMarklund” - Karin Slaughter, “Nail-biting action and excitement”- Daily Express, and more on this theme added to the hype with thefinal catcher on the front cover; “All she wants for Christmas…..is to survive”.

Themarketing departments of the publisher and the retailer had donetheir job.

Havingjust finished reading the novel unfortunately I am disappointed init. It did not match up to my expectations.

It isan easy read and the descriptions are full and enlightening, wherethey needed to be. I liked the way that the dialogue was used toenhance the scene setting and move the story on where it needed tobe. The plot as outlined could have resulted in an interesting andfast moving suspense story but unfortunately I found that the authortook us on too many unnecessary detours. Too much time was spentdescribing the workings and internal politics within the newspaperwhich Annika the central character worked for. It was not directlyrelevant to the main story and I found it distracting. To a lesserextent I found that the time spent on detailing the family life ofthe heroine was more than was required to understand her and thepressures on her work life. This was no more than any other workingmother and wife so was not a unique situation that required the manywords written.

Ithink that the story could have been written a little tighter to the main story and in therefore in fewer words without any loss of emphasis of the central plot. The conclusion ofthe scenario is too weak, almost as if the author reached the pointof thinking she had written enough and needed to finish it as quickly as possiblein order not to go over a limitation of the total number of words tobe published.

Itwas not a book that I found I had to keep reading and thereforedifficult to put down. It was a pleasant read if not enthralling. Iwould neither recommend or dismiss it, if asked I will merely sayI've read it. At some point in the future I may well give anotherLiza Marklund novel a try.

Controlling Condensation and Mould Growth.

2011-12-20T13:19:00.000+01:00

The National Landlords Association has published a very interesting vidoe on YouTube giving information and advice for landlords, tenants and households on how to control condensation and eliminate unpleasant mould in residential properties.

It is well worth the time to view it. It could save a property owner and tenant money. It could help to reduce any health risk to an occupant.

Torrevieja U3A Grants 'Right to Reply' !

2011-12-15T23:00:00.000+01:00

On the 2^nd October 2011 Ipublished an article entitled 'Will the Torrevieja U3A Newsletter change to a Democratic Format?' in which I questioned the fact thatthe association did not offer the facility of the 'Right to Reply' toarticles published in the quarterly newsletter.

I included extracts of mycorrespondence with the Chairman of the Torrevieja U3A in the articleand made the suggestion that “thecommittee being responsible for the editorial policy of thenewsletter give consideration to a democratic format which allows forthird person comments”.

I alsomade the point that having received a reply of “thematter will be discussed at the next Committee meeting. I will informyou of the Committee's decision in due course”,I would wait with hope; but not too much! Would the Committee beprepared to provide a facility for the readership to comment on thewords of the inner clique of the newsletter columnists? I said then that I believed it would be an obvious yesfor complimentary comments, but for questions and criticisms, that'sanother matter. I asked the questions “It can't be one without theother; or can it?” and “Or will the decision be to continue tooffer neither?”

Sincethat time the management committee of the U3A have discussed thismatter during two meetings and on the 28^thNovember 2011 I received the following email from the Chairman of theAssociation.

Inmy last letter to you I indicated that the matter of a ‘Right toReply’ was being considered by the U3A Association’s committee;and that you would be informed of our decision.

OnSaturday 12/11/11 (our last committee meeting) a draft policy of aComplaints Procedure and a Right to Reply procedure were examined. Iam pleased to be able to report that, after considerable discussion,both policies were accepted by the committee and will now form partof our Association’s structures and procedures as from 1^st January 2012.

Acopy of these procedures is now available to members and from today,can be accessed via the link at the foot of the About Page on the U3Awebsite. The original Aims of the Association and the Terms andConditions of Membership are also posted there. Hard copies of thesepolicies and procedures will also be available from the Chair at themonthly meetings. The Association continues to grow and as we do sonew procedures will inevitably be required.

Asa further result of your comments we have also formed a sub committeeto examine the future of the Newsletter, and how it can be changed toimprove communication within the Association. The results of the subcommittee’s deliberations will be promulgated to the members in duecourse.

Onceagain I thank you for your original request that has resulted inimproving the Association’s procedures and structures. It is onlywith the help and support of members like yourself that we canimprove for the benefit of all.

Itis very pleasing to receive such a positive decision from theCommittee in the knowledge that I have perhaps assisted in theimprovement of the Association to the benefit of the membersincluding myself.

Icompliment the members of the Torrevieja U3A Committee for their positiveforward looking decision.

Our Complicated Consumer Minds!

2011-12-15T16:17:00.002+01:00

As retail consumers it seems we are a very complicated lot according to three articles which recently appear in ScienceDaily.com .

In the first; Why does stating your intention lead you to purchase your favorite brand?, it says that if we say we are going to buy something, we are more likely to do it. But why is that? According to a new study, stating an intention leads consumers to action -- and makes us more likely to purchase our preferred brands.

The theme of preferred brands is picked up on in the second article; Do consumers prefer brands that appear on their Facebook pages? which states that we are likely to identify with a brand that advertises alongside our personal information on a Facebook page (especially if you have high self-esteem), according to a new study. The same ad will have less impact if you view it on a stranger's page.

However there is a problem which is highlighted in the third article; Holiday shopping: Why does rubbing elbows turn consumers off?. Although holiday sales and events try to drive as many of us customers to retail stores as possible, a new study shows that the crowding may drive them away as well. The issue arises when crowding results in people actually touching one another. It seems that if another shopper brushes against us whilst we are looking at possible purchases we are liable to leave the shop with an adverse view of both the premises and the product.

Are we really like this?

The Spanish are poorer!

2011-12-14T22:11:00.000+01:00

According to an article by El Pais the Spanish paper "It appears that the per capita income of Spaniards has gone on declining in 2010 in relation to its previous levels; but also, and even more worryingly, with respect to the European average. In 2010, according to the Eurostat data released on Tuesday, it stood eight points below the average of the 17 countries of the euro zone and exactly equal to the average of the 27 EU states".

Read the full article: The Spanish are poorer · ELPAÍS.com in English

Why do people defend unjust, inept, and corrupt systems?

2011-12-14T11:29:00.000+01:00

Why do we stick up for a system or institution we live in -- a government, company, or marriage -- even when anyone else can see it is failing miserably? Why do we resist change even when the system is corrupt or unjust? A new article illuminates the conditions under which we're motivated to defend the status quo -- a process called "system justification.

Read the article here: "Why do people defend unjust, inept, and corrupt systems?

We have moved in!

2011-12-06T18:24:00.000+01:00

We arrived in theUnited Kingdom on Saturday 12^th November 2011 and justthree weeks later, on schedule, on Saturday 3^rd December2011 we moved into our UK based home in Heighington. It had been three weeks ofmental and physical fatigue.

All the time wewere wondering; would the contractors complete their tasks on time;would the suppliers of our new furniture and kitchen equipmentdeliver on the days agreed; would we complete our purchases of linen,bedding and the oh so many other sundry items in time for our movein?

We vacated our temporary accommodation at 07:30 hrs. on 'Occupation Day' as the lastmajor delivery, the fridge/freezer, was due for the second attempt atour new UK base any time after 08:00 hrs. but before 18:00 hrs. It isso good when one receives a definite time in a reasonable time slot!Especially when the reason for this was to correct an error by thesupplier. It arrived mid-morning.


Kitchen Before

During the firstand second weeks the decorator and the kitchen joiner completed theirwork. Early on Monday the 28^th November the plumber andelectrician made the final connections in the kitchen. The rest ofthe day the house was empty to allow the carpet fitters a clear runto lay the new flooring.

Monday for us wasthe second day of the IKEA expedition. On arrival in Nottingham ourfirst task, well second actually after having a coffee, was to orderthe picking and home delivery services shopping list of the larger andheavier items. With this job out of the way our two subsequent tripsin the IKEA maze, interspersed by having our two course lunch in therestaurant, were completed when the kitchen equipment and othersundries had overfilled two trolleys and tiredness was setting in.Time had arrived to head back towards Lincoln and wait inanticipation for the home delivery scheduled for Wednesday.

Tuesday was theday for putting up the curtains on the new fittings, and moving themany odds and ends purchased up till then from the rental property toour house. During the day IKEA surprised us by telephoning to confirmour delivery would be with us within an hour. We pointed out thatthat was a day early but we were very happy to change our plans toreceive our furniture.

Our schedulechanged for Wednesday as the early arrival on Tuesday enabled me tostart the flat pack assembly experience a day earlier. Oh what joy!In the afternoon, between 13:15 hrs. and 17:00 hrs. we were expectingthe delivery of our Dream machine. As if trying not to be out done bythe IKEA delivery service by mid-morning our bed had been deliveredearly.

Thursday saw twomore deliveries, our three major white goods from Comet and foursmall furniture items from Argos. These should have been our finalarrivals but as I have already mentioned we had to wait untilSaturday for a pristine fridge/freezer as the Thursday arrival wasdamaged and had to be returned. This caused some concern as itinitially seemed that we would have to move in without afridge/freezer, therefore the chilled and frozen food we had in therental cottage would be ruined. However the result of a telephonecall to Comet customer services to persuade them, well actually toplead with them, to deliver a replacement before the following Mondaywas successful with delivery made on Saturday as I've mentioned.

Friday, like theprevious two days, involved assembling more flat-pack wonders.Another day of aggravating my flat-packer's knee and back syndrome!By late afternoon we had a bed to sleep in, furniture to sit on, akitchen to cook and eat in so it was time to go to the rental cottageand pack our suitcases for the Saturday early morning move in.

If it hadn't beenfor the effort and flexibility of work times of Roger Fletcher andhis team of decorators, Jonathan Frecklington of Baytree Joinery,Steven Mark of S M Electrical Services, Len Lembo of LincolnshireFlooring Ltd and the prompt deliveries by the retailers , Dreams,IKEA, Comet and Argos we wouldn't have achieved our three weekproperty refurbishment time-scale.

We are certainlynot one hundred percent Shipshape and Bristol fashion yet, this willprobably take another week or two, but we have moved in.

Stable Cottage – Not a Thoroughbred.

2011-12-04T19:12:00.000+01:00

During the three weeks needed to refurbish our UK base we stayed in the holiday rental Stable Cottage of Watermill Farm, Kirkby Green, Lincoln, LN4 3PE.

When we entered the cottage, based on the website advertising, we were expecting to find a well groomed thoroughbred. Initial impressions were that perhaps we had, but as in the case of buying such an animal it is the close inspection that defines the truth. Regrettably what we found was an unkempt hack.

Directly opposite the main entrance, in fact the only entrance, is the kitchen, a very important room. On our first brief look around it appeared satisfactory except that there is only a fridge, no freezer, not even a fridge freezer. It was pointed out to us that there is a cabinet freezer in an out house. There is a washing machine but no tumble drying facilities in the property. It was pointed out that there is a tumble dryer available in the garage of the main house. Both locations are in different directions.

On arrival we didn't look any further into the kitchen facilities as we had to get to 'Sainsburys in Lincoln for provisions' However on our return it became apparent that there was insufficient cupboard space to store non-refrigerated food items. As a result these items had to be left on the worktops. It was at this time that we became aware that the kitchen had not been cleaned properly by either the owners or the previous occupiers. There were food crumbs lying in the corners and edges of both cupboards and worktops, and as experience has shown in other holiday rental properties, crumbs were left in the electric toaster. The stainless steel sink wasn't. The cure for this was a newly purchased green sink scourer, cream cleanser, bleach, and freely available elbow grease.

When we started to cook it soon became obvious that the equipment was limited and basic, below the standard we expected. The cleanliness of the oven of the cooker and the extractor fan above was unsatisfactory. The housing of the latter being covered in a film of grease with the disposable filter obviously way past its useful life, clearly indicated by the prominence of the visible bright red strip markings.

The time came to put the frozen food in the freezer in the outbuilding that houses three grass cutting machines, situated approximately 30 metres behind the cottage. The location is totally unacceptable. It is dirty, there is no where to deal with food other than in the cottage, necessitating multiple journeys to and fro, and insufficient lighting. In the autumn and winter months of the year when the dark nights arrive very early this is far from satisfactory.

A further problem that we experienced every morning in the kitchen was the sweet sickly smell of oil (diesel) from the, hot water and central heating, boiler situated in there. The first task when preparing breakfast was to turn on the greasy extractor fan to remove the burnt oil fumes. The kitchen is far too small to have the boiler in. An alternative location for it should have been sought so the property didn't contain the smell of burning oil.

At the time for bed one could not help but be impressed by the main bedroom with its high beamed ceiling and large window. First impressions are misleading. One can only look at the ceiling but the most important item in the room is the bed. This was far from satisfactory. The mattresses that made up the super king size double bed (two single beds combined) are shot, being way past their best, with large central sunken areas of ineffective springs. Several of the pillows were badly stained and none had pillow protectors or covers between inferior pillow and pillow slip.

Duvets are provided, rather than blankets, and for the first few nights we found we were cold in bed and as there were no spare blankets we used the duvet from the second bedroom as extra bedding. On checking we found that the owners had only provided a low tog value, summer, duvet and this being November was totally inadequate. On pointing their error to the owners a winter replacement was provided. There should not have been a need to ask. At the end of a week when it was time to change the bedding for clean duvet cover, sheet and pillow slips there were not enough of these provided and the wrong size sheet was given. The clean bedding was made up of a mishmash of items, not what one would expect. The poor quality bedding complimented the poor quality bed!

Wash day soon arrived and it was time to use the washing machine to clean our clothes. It is an easy model to understand the programmes to use, and the first hurdle was covered leaving just the detergent powder and fabric softener dispenser tray to negotiate. What greeted us can only be described as appalling. The tray and surrounding area was dirty with mould and slim, obviously totally omitted from any cleaning schedule.

The damp, misty, dull, and short winter days require the use of a tumble dryer to complete the drying and airing of the clothes and as mentioned before this is located in the garage of the main house, some 30 yards from the cottage. A shopping bag is needed to carry the washing as no laundry basket is provided. One has to hope the dryer is not in use when needed, otherwise there is the 'toing and froing' similar to the journeys to the freezer.

Not only did we use the washing machine for the clothes but also to try and clean the safety non-slip mat for the shower which was trying not to be outdone by the washing machine drawer. Despite attempts of both hand and machine washing we were unable to remove all the dirt and mould from the underside of the mat. It should have replaced by the owners before our rental.

Returning to the main bedroom with its high beamed ceiling this picturesque feature presents two problems to users.

Because of the height and volume of the ceiling area any heat supplied by the underfloor heating in the room is convected up into the void leaving the lower area cold, even with the thermostat set in the high twenties. Because of the design of the roof it acts as an acoustic sound resonator of the traffic using the road which is less than 25 metres away. Despite it being a countryside road there is a considerably larger volume of traffic than expected especially between 05:30 to 08:30 hrs. This resulted in a disturbed morning sleep. Despite not wanting to get up into a cold bedroom there was not point in lying in bed. High volumes of traffic noise were experience again from 16:00 to 18:00 hrs.

Our stay at Stable Cottage was less than satisfactory and not value for money despite paying a discounted rental. We believe that the property was not prepared properly and a review of the quality of facilities, furniture, and equipment needs to be undertaken if it wants to be considered as a thoroughbred, as the advertising suggests it is.

Click on any photograph to see an enlargement.

Mechanism of wine swirling explained

2011-11-26T12:17:00.000+01:00

Wine drinkers know that swirling a good vintage around in a glass aerates the wine and releases its bouquet. Just how the process -- known as "orbital shaking" -- works, however, has been something of a mystery.

Read more: Mechanism of wine swirling explained

Green Monday.

2011-11-22T18:54:00.001+01:00

Too often in history there have beenincidents which refer to a Monday as being 'BlackMonday'.

For us Monday 21^st has beena 'Green Monday', a day for good results, purchases and movementforward towards completing the refurbishment of the house.

Since our expeditionto IKEA on Thursday we spent our time on Friday and the twoWeek-End days divided between research, elimination, confirmation,and household chores.

Friday was a time to reduce theselection of possible white appliances for the kitchen, make thefinal choice of the kitchen design, and begin the search for curtainsand blinds.

Saturday morning was a trip toSainsbury's in Lincoln for the weekly shop of groceries including theall important two jam doughnuts. This took most of the morningbecause of the distance to drive and the enormous size of the shopand the range of goods. Arriving back at the cottage we unloaded andput away the shopping, had an early and quick lunch, and then headedback to Lincoln. The afternoon was spent on the selection andpurchase of curtains. We couldn't take too long as we had to get backto watch 'Strictly Come Dancing' and 'Merlin'. Doesn't everyone watchthem?

Sunday was housework in the morning andsearching on the 'World Wide Web' and agreeing the final choice ofwashing machine, tumble dryer, and fridge/freezer in the afternoon,and of course watching the 'Strictly Come Dancing' results show. Whata shame Russell Grant was eliminated!

Monday started off well. The kitchenfitter started the refit as scheduled, the skip hire firm delivered the skip on time. Having called at the house to confirm these therest of the day was spent in Lincoln shopping. By the end of themorning we had purchased and arranged delivery of the kitchen's larger whitegoods and the all important television, and managed to negotiatedsome additional discount. The afternoon was spent buying bedding andtowels. As the last visit of the day we managed to squeeze in a visitto get the tiles for the kitchen walls.

At the end of the day we were tired andweary, with a considerably reduced bank balance and an enormouslyincreased credit card balance. We certainly did our bit to stimulatethe UK's retail economy, an early 'GreenMonday'. It was a day when the green light was shown to theprogress towards the metamorphosis of the house to a home. We feelwe've broken the back of the shopping list of the larger items. Thatleaves our return trip to IKEA as the next major shop and that willbe another story I'm sure.

Expedition IKEA – A potential mixture of dreams and nightmares!

2011-11-20T19:50:00.001+01:00

We have decided that IKEA is to be oneof the sources of furniture for the house. The nearest store toLincoln is in the City of Nottingham. Thursday 17^th wasthe day we had planned to undertake an expedition through theNottinghamshire countryside, and suburbs of the city to themysterious land of IKEA. A day for reconnoitring the possibilities.

Our route took us close to Newarkand through the town of Southwell The cooks amongst my readers probably know that the Bramley cookingapple variety originates from there.

The distance from Lincoln to Nottinghamrequired an early start to ensure a full tiring day navigating themany pathways in IKEA.

However no sooner had we started thanwe received a telephone call from Dreams central customer services totell us that our new bed could not be delivered until the 16^thDecember, two weeks after our deadline date. Our hopes for sweetdreams were turning into nightmares. The news necessitated animmediate change of route to take us to the Lincoln store to seek asolution to save us sleeping on floorboards. Once again we had towait for the pedestrian automatic doors to allow entry. After muchdiscussion, with the branch manager, and computer keyboard operationand problem solving by him we arrived at an agreeable solution. We will have our dreams on an improved quality bed, at no extra cost tous, with delivery on the 30^th November.

We resumed our expedition, all be it anhour later.

Satnavratilova didn't fail us, takingus safely through the picturesque countryside and the complicated,depressing, suburbs of Nottingham, “arriving at destination on theleft”.

After some five hours of exploration weheaded back here to our temporary home. We had negotiated the IKEA store maze,without the help of 'Satnav', several times. We were physically andmentally fatigued. Legs and feet hurting and brain whirling. Notebookfull of information for discussion later at our leisure. We survivedreasonably unscathed, helped of course by the obligatory lunch, inthe IKEA restaurant, of Swedish meat balls, chips and peas, followedby a fattening dessert, and accompanied by the multi-refill drink. Wewill return for round two in a few days time, once we have rebuiltour energy levels, to make our purchases. We will certainly needanother lunch on that day.

Sweet Dreams we hope.

2011-11-17T22:18:00.001+01:00

After seeing and cheering on Matt Baker on Wednesday it was time to move on into Lincoln.

Our two main tasks for the day were topurchase a UK mobile telephone and a double bed for the house.

For the past few days we have had torely on using our Spanish phone but this is expensive for both makingand receiving calls for us, and for our UK contacts. The array ofhandsets and tariffs is totally confusing! Much to the shopassistant's disappointment we only wanted a handset that makes andreceives calls and texts, and on a PAYG basis. Despite his strenuousefforts that is all we purchased.

Out of the telephone shop and straightinto the bed shop. We needed a lay down, the telephone encyclopediahad worn us out.

No sooner had we walked into the store,after being allowed in by what must be the slowest automatic openingdoor, than the voice behind us said, “How can we help you today”.The implication by this that we are regular purchasers of beds fromthis establishment.

We informed the very eager salesman ofour needs to purchase a standard double divan bed with mattress andheadboard, and that delivery has to be made in two weeks time. Nottoo much to ask for we thought!

“Delivery is normally at least threeto four weeks on most mattresses” he informed us.

Not to be deterred we moved furtherinto the shop. His next move was to suggest that what we needed was aking size double, “that is the popular size at the moment”, witha television that pops up out of the foot of the bed. We kept on themove through the displays asking questions about the type of bed wereally wanted. Natalie and I were leaping on and off beds, fasterthan a honeymoon couple, I can remember that far back, testingbounce, comfort, and roll over qualities of the various mattresses.As time went on it seemed that some of those that we preferred werepossibly available within our delivery time period as they wereusually stock items in the central warehouse. If they were not thesalesman's bonus would slip from his grasp.

An hour and a quarter had slept by andat last we had made our selection and were prepared to part withmoney, subject to a delivery on time. On receiving the assurance wewanted, and of course some discount, we placed the order and hit theplastic again.

We are looking forward to sweet Dreams!

Matt Baker's 'Children in Need' Rickshaw Ride

2011-11-16T23:31:00.001+01:00

On Wednesday 16th, as part of his route for his 'Children in Need' rickshaw cycle ride, Matt Baker rode from Lincoln to Peterborough.

He was due to leave Lincoln very early in the morning, at around 06:00 hrs., but due to circumstances beyond his control he left approximately 4 hours late.

His route would take him close by to where we are staying at the moment. We didn't expect to see him as it would have been before our wake up time.

We were pleasantly surprised as we drove towards Lincoln about mid-morning to be able to see Matt cycling through the village of Branston on his journey south. We managed to find a parking place to enable us to cheer him on, along with many roadside supporters, and contribute to the his sponsorship funds.

Many congratulations to Matt Baker for his magnificent effort.

Choice of Carpets

2011-11-16T22:33:00.001+01:00

Tuesday (15^th) morning wastaken up by housekeeping and shopping chores, well we have to keep cleanand eat!

In the afternoon it was time to choosethe new floor coverings; carpets for the lounge, bedrooms and stairs,and vinyl cushion floor for the kitchen/diner and bathroom. We metthe salesman at the house and made our choice of colour after he hadtaken the necessary measurements.

The decorating team had started today,as planned, and this helped in the selection of the shade of carpetneeded as we were able to compare the wall paint colour to carpet samples.

The day for the carpet fitters wasconfirmed. We now know the date after which deliveries of furnitureand white goods can be planned for.

Preparation for the Decorator.

2011-11-15T22:32:00.001+01:00

Sunday 13^th was a rest dayafter the previous busydays travelling. The only task I needed to do was to purchasesome tools, screwdrivers, pliers, and a small electric drill, fromB&Q to enable me to work on Monday.

Monday's main task was to prepare thehouse for the decorator before his start day on Tuesday. We need histeam to have a clear run at the job in hand to meet our deadline.This meant me taking down all the curtains and tracks, andlampshades, along with the lifting and removal of all the carpets.

During the morning the electriciancalled to discuss his involvement in replacing some of the storageheaters and installation of new power sockets for the new kitchen.The afternoon was rounded off by the preliminary visit of the kitchenfitter to agree the new layout and selection of the style,appliances, sink and taps.

The house was ready for painting tostart in the morning so we finished reasonably early at approximately17:00 hrs.

Orihuela Costa to Heighington

2011-11-15T00:03:00.000+01:00

The suitcases,five to be precise, and an assortment of other bags and packages werestored in our faithful Hyundai Getz. 'Operation Hibernation' wascomplete with the result of our Spanish home resting in asemi-comatose state until our return in the New Year. Our departureat 08:08 hrs. on Thursday 10^th November was the beginningof our three day journey to the United Kingdom. As usual on suchexcursions we normally have two nights stopovers in France.

Our targetdestination for Thursday night was the Ibis Hotel in Beziers. We havestopped there before as it is one of our three choices of hotels forfirst night accommodation in France; the other two being Perpignanand Narbonne. The days travelling went as planned, with us stopping,as usual on this route, for coffee at the services on the A7 Valenciaring-road, lunch at the L' Hospitalet services on the AP7, andafternoon tea at La Jonquera, before the final stage to Beziers,arriving at the hotel at 18:25 hrs. We always call into thegasolinera at La Jonquera, on the Spain/France border, to fill up the petrol tank with sin plomo95 before entering France. The price increase of a litre of fuel fromSpain to France is enormous. We paid €1.334 p/litre and then notedthat just 20 kilometres into France the price was €1.625 p/litre.The saving we made by filling up in Spain paid for our afternoon tea!

The aim of ourtravel on day two is to get to within approximately three hoursdriving of 'Le tunnel sous la Manche' at Coquelles, Calais. This tripwe decided, in consultation with Satnavratilova, to go the easternroute via Montpellier, Nimes, Lyon, Dijon, and Troyes, with ourovernight stop at Reims in the Ibis Tinqueux. Having stopped for ourthree break periods during the day we arrived at 17:45 hrs.

Saturday the 12^thNovember, the third day, saw our arrival in the UK. An early start at07:30 hrs. was needed to arrive at the Channel Tunnel in time tocatch our pre-booked train. We couldn't afford to miss that one as wehad a busy schedule to deal with in the afternoon. Our satisfactionat reaching the terminal in good time was soon reduced when we readthe notice, as we waited to register our arrival and pass through theFrench and British passport control, “Due to a stopped train in thetunnel there is a delay on some departure times”. With all theadministration procedures completed, including the printing of ourtrain allocation alphabetical ticket displaying the letter 'H', weproceeded to the terminal building to await to be called to board the'H' train at some unknown time. But as luck would have it; no soonerhad we purchased our latte coffees than the announcement we hoped forwas displayed on the notice screens. Our train was to depart on thescheduled time with those travellers delayed from the 'F' and 'G'trains joining us. The thought came to mind, what if three into onewon't go! A second thought came into mind. If a power failure was thecause of the delays, what if it happened again when we were in thetunnel.

The what ifsdidn't happen and we arrived at the Folkestone terminal on time at10:55 hrs.

Our next objectivewas to be at Heighington, near Lincoln, at 15:30 hrs. to check outour outgoing tenant from our future UK base home. The two majorhurdles that had to be negotiated as we drove north were the DartfordCrossing and the M25.

The approaches tothe Dartford toll booths were surprisingly clear. We chose anon-change lane and as we approached the urinal coin collectorNatalie made sure she had the £1.50 toll ready and practised herthrowing action. Window down, we crept towards the receptor at asteady very slow speed, she took aim and threw the two coins in withsome force, both of us looking for the red stop light to change togreen before we reached it, to confirm receipt of the correct fee.Why wasn't it changing? Had Natalie thrown the two coins with suchforce that they were still going round the urinal like twomotorcyclists riding the wall of death, or like two balls bouncinground a roulette wheel, seemingly determined not to fall to thebottom of the shoot to be counted. At last we had green.

Our short journeyon the M25 from the tunnel to the M11 was bliss. In fact I haddifficulty in not getting too excited and keeping below the 50 mphlimit through the variable speed control section.

We arrived atHeighington on time and within twenty minutes the check-out wascompleted satisfactorily and the tenant had departed. As we arerefurbishing the house before we furnish it we then moved on to ourholiday rental cottage for three weeks as we were due there for 16:30hrs. A quick unload of the car and then off to Sainsburys in Lincolnfor provisions, returning to the cottage at 19:10 hrs. Having been onthe move for nearly thirteen hours we had completed all our aims forthe day. If you are thinking my calculation of the total time iswrong don't forget we put our watches back one hour when we enteredthe UK.

When we finally got to bed and turned the lights out I thought "What a day this has been"!

Satnavratilova Nuvi de Garmin is ready.

2011-11-06T14:56:00.001+01:00

Only 4 days to go before we (Natalieand I) start our journey to the UK, to refurbish our new home there,but we haven't started the difficult, and very important for a lady,selection of what clothes to take with us. Of course there are theother necessary items a lady needs to consider; cosmetics, jewellery,perfumes, handbags, and multitudes of shoes that might be worn, ornot; in the next few days. As departure day draws nearer the sparebedroom will look more and more like a boutique as the necessaryitems are displayed.

I mentioned before our regular travelcompanion on our expeditions, and the only other lady in my life, ofcourse I'm referring to Satnavratilova Nuvi de Garmin. Our travellingdays would not be the same if we didn't have her regularinterjections of her opinion into our conversations. Sometimes it canbe many minutes, even up to an hour, before she utters her thoughts,whilst at other times, especially when I am trying to concentrate onmy driving through complicated street systems she never seems to stop to take breath between uttering her many pearls of wisdom. Wewouldn't want to be without her though and even turn off the radio orcd player in deference to her greater knowledge than ours.

Now she is much more organised than weare as she has already completed her arrangements for the trip. Sheis ready, we are not!

Not for her any fashion decisions as she isalways in her gothlike attire.

She has her priorities right and has been on thecomputer and used the internet to download the most up-to-date maps,and has even thought to update her mini notepad computer with thelatest operating software. She takes pride in being a modernsophisticated lady who uses the latest technology to full advantagein helping her friends.

So as not to get in the way in the final daysof Natalie's and my preparations Satnav (our pet name for her) iskeeping out of the way, secure in her small, perfectly fashioned, room, safe in theknowledge that we will make sure we do not forget such an importantperson.

Millions of birds migrating to Spain face painful deaths in glue-filled traps

2011-11-04T15:42:00.000+01:00

Photograph: David Levene for the Guardian

Giles Tremlett reports in The Guardian that up to 4 million migrating birds will be killed by illegal Spanish hunters this year, with many dying a slow, sticky death in traps that literally glue the animals to the ground, according to campaigners.

Read his disturbing article here: Millions of birds migrating to Spain face painful deaths in glue-filled traps | World news | The Guardian

Another example of a Spanish tradition of torturing living creatures. But it is alright because it is part of the country's culture and heritage claim the torturers.

Experts recommend the inclusion of rainwater-collection systems in cities

2011-11-04T14:39:00.000+01:00

Researchers from the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) in Spain carried out a study into the collection of rainwater from roofs of buildings and the effectiveness of different roof surfaces.

Ramon Farreny, co-author of different projects developed by the UAB, said "It is important to consider the collection of rainwater when planning and designing cities, as this is an alternative water source with many different uses, it can even be used to save drinking water."

In urban areas the use of the roofs of buildings for collection of rainwater has to be the first option. However the pitch of the roof and the surface covering it will determine the efficiency of collection of water and the quality of the water collected. The conclusions of the study are that plain sloping roofs covered with metal or plastic will collect 50% more water than those that are flat and covered in a gravelled surface. It was also found that the quality of the water collected would be better.

Ramon Farreny also went on to explain that: "The inclusion of criteria related to the slope and roughness of roofs in urban planning may be useful in promoting the harvesting of rainwater as an alternative water source. This could also contribute to preventing flooding and water shortages."It is good to see such research being carried out and especially in Spain where water availability is an ongoing problem, environmentally, economically and politically.

Read more on the research in ScienceDaily. Experts recommend the inclusion of rainwater-collection systems in cities

Preparations for our home in the UK.

2011-10-31T17:17:00.000+01:00

I said in my article 'Change of LifeJourney – Epilogue' that ourplans for our future direction of life were being collated, costed,and converted into a more conclusive basis.

Oursummer visit to the United Kingdom confirmed that it would suit usbest to have a home there, as well as in Spain, to give theflexibility in lifestyle we need for the future.

Inorder to have this base we decided to use one of our rentalproperties, where we had lived prior to moving out to Spain, as theeasiest and least costly option. Unfortunately this meant that wehad to give notice to our tenant in the property; but you can't makean omelette without breaking eggs.

Thetime is almost upon us to begin the new phase of our life.

Thedate when the tenant leaves the house has finally been agreed.

Ourjourney to the UK has been organised. The Channel Tunnel crossing, theroute to Calais, and the two hotel stopovers in France have all beenarranged.

Therefurbishment of our second home has been programmed. The decorators, thekitchen fitters, and the carpet fitters are under starting orders; they're listening for the jangling of the house keys as the starter gun. Theyknow when the race must end!

Wehave a few days left to make ready our Spanish home for a period ofwinter hibernation until our anticipated return in the New Year. Theclosure of 2011 will see our preparation for a new and better 2012and our ongoing years.

Sparrow's Wash & Brush-up

2011-10-21T17:53:00.000+02:00

This little fellow decided to use our window sill for a spot of preening.

Another attempt to move the refuse bins is thwarted!

2011-10-21T14:54:00.000+02:00

This morning at approximately 08:30hrs. the Council refuse lorry arrived on one of its irregular visitsto empty the steel garden rubbish container of its goodies.

The bin is situated on a public roadclose and to the side to our house, as is the household rubbish bin.Unfortunately the bins have to be somewhere near to houses and thecurrent location is the best of a bad situation. They are notsituated directly in front of any properties so there is the leastamount of intrusion into householders lives under the current systemof refuse collection.

Having said this there is an ongoingproblem with the owners of the property who's garden boundary wall isnext to the location of the bins. They do not believe the bins shouldbe any where near their property. When one looks at how far theirhouse and the entrance to their property is away from the containersto me their attitude is ridiculous!

I have written previously, includingvideos, about the strange behaviour of the lady of the household andher desire to move all rubbish away from near to her boundary wall toin front of our, and neighbours properties. Unfortunately there is a history between us of disagreement over politics.

This morning we experience anotherexample of the lady's, what I believe is, irrational and vindictivebehaviour. Whilst the steel bin was being emptied, the lady of thehouse, Ulla Perret, was seen talking, over her garden wall, to thecouncil workers as they operated the lorry's skip lifting machinery.It transpires that she was giving them instructions to not return thecontainer to its usual position, near her boundary wall, but to moveit to in front of our, and adjacent properties, alongside the smallwhite water meter box on the other side of the road. The logic ofplacing the bin there is without doubt questionable!

The workers, one has to wonder at theirintelligence in this instance, acted on her irrational instructions,orders, commands, and repositioned the skip where she desired.Fortunately I spotted their actions just as they were preparing todrive away and questioned their actions. They confirmed that UllaPerret had been the instigator of the move.

Having pointed out to them, firmly andpolitely I hope, my dissatisfaction with the new location and theillogical reason for it they returned the steel garden rubbishcontainer to its more suitable home.

Once again the desire of the Sra Perretto move the bins from near her boundary wall, some seventy fivemetres from her home, to ten metres in front of our homes hasbeen thwarted. I have no doubt this will not be her final attempt.

One in six mobile phones in the UK is contaminated with fecal bacteria, researchers found

2011-10-16T12:31:00.002+02:00

One in six mobile phones in Britain is contaminated with fecal matter, according to new research. Experts say the most likely reason for the potentially harmful bacteria festering on so many gadgets is people failing to wash their hands properly with soap after going to the toilet.

The study also revealed a tendency among Britons to lie about their hygiene habits. Although 95% of people said they washed their hands with soap where possible, 92% of phones and 82% of hands had bacteria on them. Worryingly, 16% of hands and 16% of phones were found to harbour E. coli - bacteria of a faecal origin. Harmful E. coli (Escherichia coli) is associated with stomach upsets and has been implicated in serious cases of food poisoning such as the fatal O157 outbreak in Germany in June.

How clean is your mobile phone?

Read more in Science Daily One in six mobile phones in the UK is contaminated with fecal bacteria, researchers found

The Two Desperate Women Failed.

2011-10-10T17:56:00.001+02:00

“Itseems to me that two desperate women, one for more power and one formore money, have made a pact, an alliance” were the opening wordsof the final sentence of my article entitled OppositionParties Shocked by Mayor Lorente's New Press Officer Appointment inOrihuela Costa! which I published on this weblog on the 7^thDecember 2010, about the appointment of Louise Clarke as the personalpress officer of Monica Lorente.

Ten months have passed and it isinteresting to see how the two desperate women have faired with theirliaison.

They both failed in their ambitions!

In the local elections in May of thisyear Monica Lorente failed to be re-elected as Mayor of Orihuela. Shewas desperate for four more years of power but she and her PartidoPopular colleagues failed to get the number of votes necessary to getsufficient Councillors elected to hold a majority in the CouncilChamber.

In December 2010 when I discussed withLouise Clarke her new appointment she said “My job is to get MonicaLorente more votes on the coast,..... I will be the voice of the PPwithin the Town Hall in Orihuela Costa”. It would seem by theelection results in May 2011, She failed in her role, as MonicaLorente and the PP lost their power. When Louise left her previousemployment with the local 'Round Town Newspaper' it was to benefitfrom a substantial increase in salary, for more money. As a resultof the departure of Monica Lorente from the position of Mayor, Louiselost her very well paid employment as press officer. Her secondfailure.

Where are they now?

Well Monica Lorente is still aCouncillor in Orihuela but leading the Opposition, not theGovernment.

Louise Clarke has now returned to herold job, presumably with a much lower salary than with the PP, beinga reporter with the Round Town News newspaper. In a recent article inthe paper she wrote “Iam a great believer in fate and after having spent the first sixmonths of this year at the Orihuela Costa Town Hall as Press Officer(and unofficial British Residents Officer) it was fate that I wouldbe invited, during my first official week back at RTN, to meet DeniseWesserling, the new Coastal Residents Officer in Orihuela Costa. Iam happy that I had the opportunity to experience working at the TownHall, but I am glad that my ‘sabbatical’ (as I am calling it) isover and that I am back to doing what I do best, where I belong: atRTN”. In December 2010 shedidn't feel that she belonged at RTN! She felt that she belonged withMonica Lorente and the PP, and where the substantially increasedsalary was!

Will the Torrevieja U3A Newsletter change to a Democratic Format?

2011-10-02T12:28:00.000+02:00

The TorreviejaU3A (University of the Third Age), of which I am member, likemany of the other groups and similar organisations publishes a'Newsletter' to pass on information about past and future events andgroup meetings. Like many of the publishers the U3A provides both ahard copy and an electronic copy on its Website.

Unlike many of the other contemporariesit does not offer the opportunity for readers to comment aboutarticles.

In the recent summeredition there is an article in which a statement is made that Iwished clarification of. I wrote directly to the author to seek theanswer to my question but so far have not received any reply. I amaware that my email was delivered and read.

So I wrote to the Editor of thenewsletter pointing out that I would like to know whether thepublication offers the right to reply to comments in an article andif so what the procedure is. I was surprised to receive the reply“This is the first time I have been asked this question. I wouldthink that if it is an article from a member or Group leader that youwish to comment on, then it is better you contact the author”.I have pointed out that I have taken that line of action withoutsuccess.

It surprised me to be informed that Iam the first to ask the question. Does it mean that all other readersaccept everything that is included is without question? Do they readit as a notification, proclamation, or even an edict, from on highthat must not be challenged or commented on? Or is it that there isan apathy to it and so few read it? Or is it that never before has itcontained any contentious writings.

I decided to raise this omission of'Letters to the Editor' or 'Readers Comments' facility with the Chairman of the Torrevieja U3A inwriting as follows.

“The currenteditorial format of the newsletter does not offer any reader, be thatfrom hard copy or the pages on the world wide web, the facilities tocomment, or the right of reply, about an article through thepublication. The current situation means that any contributor, in themajority of cases a committee member or group leader, of an articlecan make a statement of believed fact, or an expression of opinion,to the reading public unchallenged.

Without the facilities ofreplying through the publication, in its varying available sources,an alternative contributor has no way of expressing an opinion aboutthe contents of an article to the initial readership. Any suchalternative contribution may be either complimentary orcontradictory. The status quosituation does not allow an option.

I would suggest that thecommittee being responsible for the editorial policy of thenewsletter give consideration to a democratic format which allows forthird person comments”.

Having received a reply of “thematter will be discussed at the next Committee meeting. I will informyou of the Committee's decision in due course”, I will waitwith hope; but not too much! Will the Committee be prepared toprovide a facility for the readership to comment on the words of theinner clique of the newsletter columnists? For compliments, I believean obvious yes. For questions and criticisms, that's another matter.It can't be one without the other; or can it? Or will the decision be to continue to offerneither?

Saw palmetto no benefit as prostate remedy

2011-09-28T17:43:00.000+02:00

Approximately a half of men over the age of 50 suffer to some degree with 'Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia' (BPH).

The taking of a herbal supplement made from the fruit of the Saw Palmetto tree has for many years been considered beneficial in the relief of the the symptons and effects of BPH, often being recommended by doctors as a alternative to conventional drug treatment.

There has been considerable debate as to the effectiveness of taking a regular dose of Saw Palmetto.The results of a new study may well begin to bring to an end the debate, or intensify it.

The results of a study led by Michael Barry, MD, at Massachusetts General Hospital, indicate that Saw Palmetto had no greater effect than taking a placebo on the symptoms of BPH.Co-author of the report of the study, Gerald Andriole, MD, the Robert K. Royce Distinguished Professor and chief of urologic surgery at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, said. "Men should not spend their money on this herbal supplement as a way to reduce symptoms of enlarged prostate because it clearly does not work any better than a sugar pill."

Read more detail of the study in ScienceDaily Saw palmetto no benefit as prostate remedy.

New Democratic Revolution Rising Against Euro-(Supra)Nationalism - Nigel Farage

2011-09-28T14:58:00.000+02:00

An interesting and direct speech by Nigel Farage, well worth the few minutes needed to watch it.

Two new cost-effective ways to predict prostate cancer

2011-09-25T17:03:00.000+02:00

Two related studies reveal new risk indicators for prostate cancer. The first study shows that men diagnosed with benign prostate enlargement have an increased risk of developing and dying from prostate cancer. The second study shows that monitoring prostate-specific antigen levels can be used to predict the long-term risk of healthy men developing and dying from prostate cancer. Both could lead to more efficient and cost-effective screening for prostate cancer, with reductions in over-diagnosis and unnecessary treatment.

Read more detail in ScienceDaily:- Two new cost-effective ways to predict prostate cancer

Living in damp river valleys leads to lung problems!

2011-09-25T14:54:00.000+02:00

The results of a new study, the firstof its kind, by researchers in the UK has shown that living in ariver valley at low altitude can increase the risk of developing lungproblems. It was carried out by a team from the Worcestershire AcuteHospitals NHS Trust to assess the impact of weather, pollution andgeography on the symptoms of people with chronic obstructivepulmonary disease (COPD).

The study has collated the firstevidence to find a link between increased respiratory symptoms andlower altitude areas of river valleys. These are typically damp areasin which cool layers of air get trapped below layers of warmer air.Known as a temperature inversion, this leads to mists and fogs whichkeep suspended droplets of water in the air, causing humidconditions.

Prof Richard Lewis, one of the lead authors from theWorcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "Our study isthe first to assess the impact that living in a river valley has onthe symptoms of COPD patients. As a result of this unique combinationof weather and climate, toxic particles and pollutants -- which wouldotherwise be small enough to be inhaled but subsequently exhaled --become attached to droplets and are then retained within the lungcausing exacerbation of symptoms."

For more detail the full article in ScienceDaily can be read here: Living in damp river valleys leads to lung problems, study suggests

Yellow patches around eyelids predict risk of heart problems, study finds

2011-09-18T12:42:00.000+02:00

Research published online in the British Medical Journal as a result of a study, led by Professor Anne Tybjærg-Hansen at the University of Copenhagen, finds that raised yellow patches of skin (xanthelasmata) around the upper or lower eyelids are markers of an individual's increased risk of having a heart attack or suffering from heart disease.

Read more in the ScienceDaily: Yellow patches around eyelids predict risk of heart problems, study finds

Change of Life Journey 16 - Epilogue

2011-09-16T21:59:00.000+02:00

Istarted my short series of 'Change of Life Journey' articles in theknowledge that our 6 to 7 week journey to the United Kingdom wouldalmost certainly change the remainder of our lives; it would probablychange how we live and possibly where we live in the future.

Havingbeen back at our current home base in Orihuela Costa for a few dayswe have had time to reflect and evaluate. Our decision has been made.Our new plans for the future direction are being collated,co-ordinated, costed, and converted towards a more conclusive basisfor a compatible future for us.

Ourdecision, like a pebble dropped in a pond, will cause ripples ofreactions around us, decreasing in strength as time and distance goesby; the majority strong and good and a few not so good.

Therecent short journey has now been drawn to a close as has this series of articles.

Our new extending futurejourney begins.

CoLJ 15 - A Day's Driving Not to be Forgotten!

2011-09-14T15:53:00.000+02:00

We, Natalie and I,left The Conifers, our final holiday cottage on this trip, onSaturday 3^rd September for the drive through SouthernEngland, France and Spain, in our trusty 2007 Hyundai Getz, andarrived home, in Orihuela Costa, on Monday 5^th September. The second and thirddays driving went without any problems and on schedule, cruising themotorways south through Europe. The same cannot be said for day one,which was predominantly in England, with a little section in NorthernFrance to get from the Channel Tunnel to the south western suburbs ofParis.

Our aim was to getto our hotel for the first night at 20:00 hrs. including stopping 30minutes for morning coffee, 60 minutes for lunch, 35 minutes throughthe tunnel, and a further 30 for afternoon tea. A stress free day wasthe plan.

It all started togo wrong after just an hour into our driving when we were delayed fora half an hour near Stamford in Lincolnshire by the multitude ofvehicles clogging the A1, trying to enter the Burghley Horse Trials.The drivers didn't seem to understand the instruction “For Burghleykeep in left-hand lane”.Once past this problem the traffic began toflow freely; that is until ten minutes later when we reached thebeginning of the A1M section near Peterborough.

The motorwaysection was completely closed in both directions. Having taken 20minutes to exit the slip road, as directed by the diversion signs,there was a distinct lack of any more assistance from the highways authority as to which way to go to continue south towards the A14 andM11, our route for the morning. It seemed to be a case of 'we've gotyou off the motorway – now you are on your own'. At firstSatNavratilova was of no use either as she kept insisting ondirecting us towards the closed A1M. Out came the historical road mapfrom the boot of the car, below the suitcases of course, a diversion route was determined, and weproceeded for some considerable amount of time along countryside Aand B roads until we rejoined our initial route. Having put up withSatNavratilova telling me she was “recalculating” for some 15minutes she eventually agreed with my old fashioned planned route anddecided to take over the navigation again.

By the time wejoined the A14, had had a very quick toilet break at some services,well can't ask a lady to go behind a hedge, we had lost almost twohours of our time. Never-the-less she, who doesn't like to have torecalculate, was telling us that we could still, if we didn't haveany rest breaks, just make the channel tunnel before the departuregate closed at 14:12 hrs. and catch our planned for train departureat 14:42 hrs. When we left the M11 and joined the clockwisecarriageway of the M25, heading towards the Dartford Crossing she wasstill confident, with our arrival time of 13:55 hrs. glowing in thebottom right-hand corner of her screen.

Having negotiatedthe many slip lanes to get into the flow of traffic, I was feelingconfident, thinking to myself that the traffic on the dreaded M25 wasflowing quite well and did the road really deserve its bad reputationon everyday. This was a Murray Walker 'Murrayism' moment. A fewnano-seconds later Sally Traffic's week-end colleague announced onBBC radio 2 that traffic proceeding clockwise on the M25 in theregion of the Dartford Crossing was not! There were delays of 45minutes being experienced. It was an interesting time watching thelane swappers in their unsuccessful attempts to regain seconds oftheir time.

Eventually we hadcrossed the Thames over the impressive Queen Elizabeth 11 bridge,Natalie had accurately thrown our £1.50p toll fee into the urinallookalike chute, to catch the pennies, at the toll booth, and we were heading for Folkestoneour gateway to France, and freedom on the motorways. Of course therewas just one problem. Our train would be halfway through the ChannelTunnel without us when we were now scheduled to arrive at theterminal!

As we neared theslip road from the M20 into the tunnel terminal I once more glanced alook at the fuel gauge which was registering that the tank wasapproaching only a quarter capacity left. Remembering theextortionate price of unleaded, sans plomo 95, sin plomo 95 petrol inFrance, and that there is not a petrol station on the entrance to thetunnel, because Euro tunnel prefer vehicles not to have a full tankof fuel on the trains, I decided to take 10 minutes to divert andcall into the local Tesco garage to top up with fuel at the bestpossible prices. A saving of approximately £4.00p on 30litres was worth a diversion of less than 3 miles. Time didn't matteras much now as we were already late. Mission accomplished we arrivedat the check-in booths 1 hour and fifty minutes later than planned,having had no lunch, and only 7 minutes before our pre-booked trainwas to arrive in Calais.

Arriving at thedeserted booths, and selecting one with the ticket dispenser on theleft of the car, so much easier for a left-hand drive, I input ourreservation number. I was asked to confirm I was me via the consoletouch screen, which after checking myself in the internal mirror, Idid. I was then informed that we had missed our train! As if wehadn't realized! As I pointed out to the inanimate touch screen, in apolite verbal manner of voice, I knew this fact, true to itsadvertised policy this wonderful computerised component offered a newselection of alternative train departures to choose from. We chosethe train just one hour after our original reservation. At no extracost. Take note Ryan Air of good customer service.

So, after all theproblems of the journey to the Folkestone terminal we would arrive inFrance just one hour late. The rest of the day's, sunny earlyevening, travel on the French motorways and the Paris Western andSouthern Périphérique to our hotel would be easy! There wouldn'tbe any need to stop for petrol, and as we ate our late packed lunchwhilst travelling through the tunnel, there wouldn't be any need tostop for tea. We could be at the evening hotel by 20.30 hrs. just 30minutes later than planned; so I thought!

Two hours of easydriving on a motorway and we began to notice the ash grey cloudsbuilding ahead of us. A quarter of an hour further they had changedto battleship grey with hints of lightning flashing across the sky.Five minutes later the clouds are a dark slate grey verging on a crowblack, coal black, the lightning is forking to the ground, and theheavy rain is drumming deafeningly on the roof of the car. Thewindscreen wipers are on at the fastest speed and not coping withclearing the water. The drains on the motorway surface are notemptying the water away quick enough. The motorway has become acanal. We passed a road sign reminding us that when it's raining themaximum speed limit drops from 130 kph. to 110 kph. I looked at thespeedometer; we were travelling at 65 kph., keeping pace with the red tail lights ahead, and struggling to seewhere we were going. We wondered at the kamikaze captains of thespeedboats in the outside lane. For an eternity, probably almost 30minutes, we drove into the unrelenting waterfall longing for the exitfrom the motorway. We wondered if we would be able to read theroad-signs, through the deluge, telling of the right slip road, whenSatNavratilova reassured us with her instructions of “exit right in1 kilometre” then “exit right in 500 metres” and finally “exitright”. I wasn't going to doubt or argue with her. In aminor way I was like a pilot landing his aircraft under IFR(Instrument Flight Rules) conditions. Unfortunately though shedidn't see the lake on the slip road, neither did the drivers of thetwo vehicles in front us. Asthey both hit the water it was like a water main had burst throughthe tarmac. The 5 metre scarlet fountains either side of them visiblein my headlights and the red brake lights of the cars, a warning tome.

It seemed asthough the rain weakened shortly after we left the motorway, helpingdrastically with visibility on the roads through the Paris suburbsmaking it easier to follow the calm, clear instructions fromSatNavratilova, leaving me only to concentrate on the black wet shinyroads, the multitude of bright traffic lights, and the erratic lanechanges of the Paris drivers.

At last at 21:30 hrs. her confidentvoice assured us that we were “arriving at destination on right”.The hotel sign a glowing beacon of safety from the coal black wetnight.

We had had a day'sdriving not to be forgotten and hopefully never repeated!

CoLJ 14 - The Conifers is O.T.T.

2011-09-08T18:30:00.000+02:00

During our trip tothe United Kingdom we stayed in TheConifers, in Broadholme, near Lincoln for two one week periods,interspersed by our visits to Herefordshireand the YorkshireDales. We needed to visit Lincoln twice for business reasons.

As a **** ratedaccommodation the property was clean, except for the crumbs left inthe electric toaster, and contained all the facilities that one wouldexpect. In fact it contained far more equipment than needed for aholiday rental cottage and I doubt if much of the excess was actuallyused.

The interior spacewas smaller than anticipated to the point of giving the feeling ofbeing cramped. Although the cottage website makes reference to thesteep stairs to the upper floor nothing can prepare visitors forexactly how steep the staircase is and how narrow the step treadsare. Parts of the fabric of the building are looking tired and inneed of attention. There is a considerable sign of the effects ofdamp to the paintwork on one of the walls in the bedroom, and a smallamount in the lounge.

Not only is therethe unnecessary amount of kitchen equipment but there is anunnecessary quantity of instructions of dos and do nots in each ofthe rooms. So many in our (Natalie and I) opinion to the point ofbeing non-user friendly in so much as it felt we were aninconvenience by using the property.

I've mentioned thebread crumbs left in the electric toaster which is ironic becausethere is an instruction that after using the toaster the tea towel found on top of it is to be replaced after each time the toaster isused. It seems it doesn't matter if it is full of old crumbs as longas the tea towel is in position when the toaster is not in use.

When we firstentered the cottage the blinds on the lounge and kitchen windows werepulled down, and the curtains in the bedroom and the bathroom weredrawn making the interior even dark than it already is with themopen, to protect the furnishings from the sun. As can be seen in the notice on the lounge window sill it is permissible to open the blindswhen inside the cottage, that's good to know

In the lounge there are several other 'Polite Notice' including one referring to the use of the dinning table. Perhaps it would be better not to have put a "William Bartlett Strongbow mahogany dining table (retailing in excess of £600)" in a holiday rental property. It would save having another laminated notice.

On a similar line of thought perhaps it might have been better not to haveinstalled an antique looking and fragile “classy Frenchstyle console hand basin”, thatthe owners are so concerned may get damaged, that yet another noticeis printed, laminated and prominently displayed. Only our desire tomaintain our personal hygiene persuaded us to tempt fate and use thesink. Unfortunately the glass fibre bath alongside doesn't quitematch the image created by the delicate basin.

Too much of the limited storage space in the cramped cottage was taken up by items of the owners for ongoing storage. In the bedroom the result being thatwe could not unpack the majority of our clothes from our suitcases. There was no drawer space in the bedroom and of the two wardrobe spaces one was completely full of owners items.

Overall ourexperience at 'The Conifers' was not satisfactory. This was becauseof the lack of space and we felt the owners, with the deluge numberof polite notices throughout the property made the atmosphere feelnon-user friendly. We felt uncomfortable in the cottage. Had we notalready reserved and paid for our second week stay, and needed to bein the vicinity of Lincoln, we would have chosen an alternativelocation for the last week of our UK visit.

In my opinion the ownersof 'The Conifers'have gone over the top, with the amount of polite notices and theunnecessary excess of equipment and owner storage in the cottage, tothe detriment of customer comfort. The continual use of the expression "Thank you in anticipation of your co-operation" becomes galling!

Simple blood test at optician's office could help to diagnose diabetes

2011-08-31T16:35:00.000+02:00

A simple finger prick test during routine eye examinations at high street opticians could help to identify millions of people with previously undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes, according to new research. The researchers suggest earlier diagnosis could set people on the road to better management of the disease, which is the leading cause of blindness in the working age population, and that this could ultimately result in cost-savings for the NHS.

Read more in ScienceDaily: Simple blood test at optician's office could help to diagnose diabetes

CoLJ 13 - Owl Cottage is not a flight of fancy.

2011-08-26T18:35:00.005+02:00

Our week in Owl Cottage, in Thoralby in the Yorkshire Dales has come to an end. It is a week we have thoroughly enjoyed.

There has been so much written about the beauty of the Yorkshire Dales, by 'proper' writers unlike myself, and even that cannot do justice to the scenery, that I need not try to add my bit. Only a visit shows the reality.

Having written about our unfortunate experience in Camp Cottage it was with some considerable trepidation last Saturday (20th) that we negotiated the rough roller coaster bridle track, entered the drive and approached the front door of Owl Cottage. Remembering the description “Luxury Converted Dairy in the Heart of the Yorkshire Dales National Park with Spectacular Views' Beautiful Scenery and the Perfect Place to Get Away from it All” about the cottage from the website we were fearful our hopes for the week would be shattered, as they were last week.

The spectacular views and beautiful scenery statement was already proven but what of the inside of the cottage we wondered. As we pushed the door open our apprehensions immediately left us and smiles beamed across faces. I was relieved that I hadn't reserved another duff cottage. A quick tour around, well it's only a one bedroom cottage, showed that the inside exceeded our expectations created by the website information.

Our week long stay has confirmed Owl Cottage as a clean, comfortable, cosy, homely, tastefully renovated cottage from what was originally a dairy. Within the property there is almost everything that visitors need. It is an idyllic place to stay in, with the fantastic location and complimentary facilities making it a pleasure to rest here. The excellent value for money is an added bonus. The owners, Jeanette and David, should be proud of the holiday cottage they have created.

Should the opportunity offer itself we most certainly would stay here again.

The anticipation of the ambience of Owl Cottage as “ the perfect place to get away from it all” is not a flight of fancy; it is a reality.

Kettlewell Scarecrow Festival 2011

2011-08-24T21:00:00.001+02:00

I mentioned in my previous article, about our journey to the Yorkshire Dales, that our route passed through the village of Kettlewell. As we approached the village there was a higher level of traffic congestion than we expected. As we passed over the bridge over the River Wharfe to enter the village the sign above gave the answer to our speculations as to the cause of the slow moving traffic.

Not having the time on Saturday to stop and view the festivities we decided to return Sunday the final day of the event. We remembered that we had seen an article on a past BBC Country File about the annual Kettlewell Scarecrow Festival when the residents make their many excellent creations and then display them throughout the streets, gardens, and nooks and crannies of the village.

Natalie and I had an enjoyable afternoon strolling along the viewing trail through the entire village. The many photographs I have taken of the creations we saw can be viewed here.

CoLJ 12 - Camp Cottage to Owl Cottage.

2011-08-23T23:12:00.005+02:00

On Saturday ( 20^th August ) we moved again, this time from Camp Cottage to Owl Cottage at Swinacote Farm, in Thoralby in the Yorkshire Dales.


Owl Cottage - the righthand part of the farm house

The journey was uneventful and quite boring for the majority of the time being on the M50, M5 & M6 motorways. However everything changed in the final hour from just south of Skipton, Yorkshire, to our new location for the week. We travelled along the B6265 and the B6160 going north through Wharfedale and Bishopdale in the Yorkshire Dales National Park, passing close to Grassington and through the pretty village of Kettlewell and smaller quaint hamlets. The road twisted and turned along the valley bottom and edges, following the course of the riverbeds, climbing to get over the moorland separating the two dales and descending into Bishopdale. At many locations it becomes nothing more than a single track road with a lot of stopping and manoeuvring to pass oncoming traffic. Interesting driving. The scenery through these dales is fabulous, with Natalie constantly commenting on and saying "look at that view", but I declined from looking for the vast majority of the time, instead concentrating on the next twist and climb of the road.


Northern end of Bishopdale

Once we arrived in the village of Thoralby my faithful SatNavratilova couldn't guide me any more, as the final half a mile access track to the cottage is along a public bridleway, which the cottage owners advise “is not suitable for low bottomed or sports type cars”. They are not wrong with that statement but the bumpy, tyre juddering, car swaying last half mile is worth it.

Click here to see the exact location of the farm, shown to the South West of the village centre, and the off road section.

CoLJ 11 - Camp Cottage builds up your hopes and then lets you down!

2011-08-21T00:28:00.012+02:00


Camp Cottage, Brockhampton, Herefordshire

Having passed through the less than elegant gate to the driveway to Camp Cottage, and made sure it was closed properly behind us, to keep the sheep in the field, I drove slowly and steadily along the gravelled track for the last 100 metres across the pasture to the cottage.


Cottage is behind trees in the centre

At last I could recognise a hint of the image that I remembered from the internet website when the reservation was made. It was not until Natalie and I walked round to the front of the cottage that it was confirmed that we had arrived.

We were anxious to get ourselves, luggage and recently purchased groceries into the cottage, and get the kettle on for a well deserved cup of tea.

Having viewed the cottage website we had a reasonably good idea of what to expect, with regards to layout and furnishings, when we entered. If first impressions count, from the outside it was looking good, but was it to be a case of not judging a book by its cover.

There cannot be any doubt that from the outside it has a good 'pavement' appeal; it has a high degree of location appeal; the views of the surrounding countryside from the cottage are very picturesque, verging almost on beautiful; it has a sense of tranquillity; but you cannot live outside.

On opening the bright red front, stable, door our first impressions of the inside were not too favourable, entering the hall come dining area was dark, cold and uninviting.

Our first task having brought everything from the car was to put the groceries away in the kitchen and have that cup of tea. This task did not lift our level of disappointment. The kitchen is a darker area than the hall. The cleanliness of the kitchen was unsatisfactory, cobwebs, some inhabited, hanging from the walls and below the kitchen cupboards, concrete dust on the work tops from the uncovered stone walls. The tiled floor seemed to be sticky even though it had been moped prior to our arrival. The floor was still wet and the sodden smelly mop was in the kitchen cupboard.


Cobwebs on the wall by the cooker

The groceries that needed to be were put in the refrigerator, not as clean as it should be, but our dry goods could not be put away in a cupboard, remaining on the worktop surface, because the food shelve within the cupboards was full with other peoples leftovers, probably the owner's and previous renters, so no space for the current paying guests. Why does anyone assume that we would want to use their food leavings, that have been there for an indeterminable period of time.


Dust from the walls.

The wall and base cupboards are in a very poor state. The kitchen utensils are basic. I have found that a litmus test of how clean a kitchen is in holiday rentals is the condition of the electric toaster. It failed the test, containing a very large quantity of old and almost mouldy bread crumbs. Another area to consider is the kitchen sink and this lets the property down. The chrome around the drainage hole has almost gone, there is a broken hanging plug chain with the plug missing from the end of it, and there was not a plug to be found anywhere. A badly scratched plastic bowl was provided as a substitute for the missing plug. Would it have taken much to fit a new chain with plug?


Example of cobwebs under kitchen wall cupboards

It is important that a kitchen should be clean and hygienic as food is prepared in it but we did not feel this in the property. It is important that all surfaces should be suitable to be wiped clean but this is not possible because of the exposed brickwork walls, with crumbly pointing, above all the worktops. Would it have taken much to have had a few rows of tiles and a splash back behind the cooker?

concrete dust continually falling on the work tops from the uncovered stone walls

The studio lounge offers a contrast of light, to the hall and kitchen, having two large windows and a pair of patio doors leading to the garden. The furniture is basic, drab, tired, stained and ready for replacement. The views of the garden and countryside beyond do not make up for the lack of comfort.

The bedroom is basic. It has a lack of storage space for clothes with a very small built in wardrobe outside on the landing at the top of the stairs. Given the small window in the room there is insufficient and poorly located lighting.

The final room is the bathroom. This is small and functional with surprisingly a bidet. There is a walk-in shower which completely eliminates any plus points for the room. It is a disgrace for a rental property. The whole installation is very poor. Some of the floor tiles are cracked, the silicon sealant and grouting is dirty and marked with mould, the shower head is heavily scaled up. The taps, shower connection, and water temperature control were dirty and need considerable attention or replacement. The hanging shelve for shampoos and shower gels was filthy.

On a health and safety matter, we noted that the portable appliances within the property such as kettle, toaster, oil filled radiators, television etc. do not carry a 'Portable Appliance Test' certificate to confirm they are save to be used by the public renting the property.

The design of the property seems to have the objective of creating a chic rustic appearance and atmosphere with comfort. In our opinion it fails drastically in its current state. We get the feeling of run-down, rough, and ready for a well needed refurbishment, to bring it up to standard for a holiday rental cottage. Unfortunately our conclusions, as the week has gone past, are that the inside of the property does not come up to the level of quality that we expected for the rental we have paid. It had not been cleaned properly, it was dirty!

We do not find a multitude of cobwebs, fluff and dust in every room an appealing feature. We left them in-situ for future renters as we did not rent the cottage to be cleaners. Having said this, those items that we used were cleaner when we left, where possible.

Our week long stay in the cottage was a great disappointment. Camp Cottage builds up your hopes with the location and views and then lets you down with a very hard bump when you go inside.

In case any reader might think that we are are exaggerating about the lack of cleanliness, when on our departure we removed the bed linen provided, to help the housekeeper, this is the condition of at least one of the pillows we were supplied with to sleep on; disgusting!

Note: Click on the photos to enlarge.

No lunch at Talgarth Mill

2011-08-15T19:32:00.003+02:00

Having seen the Talgarth Mill featured in the BBC 1 series 'Village SOS' on the 10^th August 2011 Natalie and I decided to visit the mill today (Monday 15^th August 2011) with the intention of having lunch in the “Riverside Café serving local seasonal food and drink” and then a tour of the mill.

We would have had lunch, sampling the local produce, except that the Riverside Café is closed on Mondays. During the months of May to September the mill is open daily from 10am to 4pm, according to their publicity leaflet, and we thought, foolishly it turns out, that the café would have been open during these times. Nowhere on the leaflet did it indicate otherwise!

The mill markets itself as a tourist attraction. August is a major tourist month in the United Kingdom. Where is the logic in not having the café open on a Monday when the mill is open? What about bank holidays, is it closed on these days?

We couldn't have lunch in the Riverside Café so we didn't bother to waste any more time or money paying to tour the mill. They not only lost two entrance fees but also payment for two lunches. We were not the only ones to be caught by the closure of the café as we saw other visitors turn and walk away in apparent disappointment.

Note:

Having checked the mill's website on our return to our holiday base it is mentioned that the café is closed on Mondays, but how many people have internet access when on holiday to check on details given in publicity leaflets. I only checked after the event because of my annoyance of having our time wasted.

CoLJ 10 - Lincoln to Camp Cottage.

2011-08-15T11:07:00.001+02:00

Last Saturday our first week in Lincoln was over so it was time to travel to the next holiday cottage.

During the week we had checked out a tenant from one of our rental properties, because he had now purchased his own home. We have given a set of keys of the property to our decorator to repaint both the external and internal painted surfaces. Inside it is the usual silk sheen beige for the walls, white for the ceilings and of course brilliant white for all the wood surfaces, except the wood stained window frames. These are to be re-stained both inside and outside. The sun really does play havoc with the external window sills. We always use the same regular reliable suppliers so a set of keys has been given to the flooring suppliers so they can renew all the floor coverings throughout, once the decorator has completed another masterpiece. A total spruce up, including new curtains and lampshades, which we will sort out during our second week in Lincoln at the end of the month, for the next tenant. It is comforting to be able to rely on regular reliable suppliers to carry out the work whilst we're away from Lincoln.

We also visited our other tenanted rental properties to check for any maintenance that is needed.

We vacated the holiday rental by the required 10:00 hrs. The journey to Camp Cottage, our location this week, was, I'm very pleased to say, as hoped for, with only one slight delay, of no major consequence, on the A46 west of Newark where the road is being upgraded to a dual carriageway. A very much needed improvement. No delays on the A42, M42, M5 and M50. There was a large quantity of traffic but this get moving at a reasonable pace. Having called into a local supermarket for fresh provisions we arrived at Camp Cottage in the region of 16:00hrs. Because of the secluded location of the cottage the owner had emailed a hand drawn map to take over from SatNavratilova when the tarmac roads turned to gravel farm lanes and ultimately a field track. It was a good to have my laptop with me to be able to check with the downloaded map. We would not have found the cottage otherwise.


The ornate gates to the drive to the cottage, peeking through the trees in the centre of the photo.

CoLJ 9 - Roman Way to The Conifers

2011-08-06T23:30:00.005+02:00

After two weeks at Roman Way, Friday was time to move on to a new holiday cottage location, The Conifers, in Broadholme, near Lincoln.

We left Roman Way at approximately 10:00 hrs. in, we believe, a cleaner state than when we arrived. During our stay we became aware of a few more incidents where the level of cleanliness was not what we had expected. A few more percentage points off the satisfaction scale. Having said that overall it was comfortable and cosy though.

SatNavratilova told us that it should take us about 4 hours driving, and allowing for two, 30 minute, driving breaks be in Lincoln in the region of 15:00 hrs. We finally arrived at 17:15hrs. What she didn't take into consideration was a 30 minute wait to get through the Dartford Tunnel , and she couldn't have foreseen the 90 minutes that we were delayed on the notorious A14 road north of Cambridge due to a serious road accident which caused massive tailbacks of traffic. What was surprising was that our anti-clockwise journey on the dreaded M25, apart from the Dartford section , went far better than we expected. At one time on the A14 we were only 10 miles from the Cambridge services area and 25 minutes later we were still 5 miles from the area. Not a problem in itself except that the Costa coffee medium size café latte we drank earlier was having its affect! What would come first a visit to the services or to a farmers field?

CoLJ 8 - Cup of Coffee

2011-07-30T17:39:00.004+02:00

We have been in the UK for one week and have tried to purchase a decent cup of white coffee on several occasions without success! We have tried in coffee shops, cafés and public houses.

The first problem we experienced is that we seem to speak a different language to the local restaurateurs. They do not seem to understand what a cup is. It is not a half litre mug, it is not a small gazunder, it is not a small pottery flower vase with a handle, or a paper popcorn bucket for one with a plastic lid and a straw. A cup, to us, is usually a small crockery drinking vessel that holds approximately 250 ml of liquid and is generally found with a saucer as a partner.

The second problem is the quality of the coffee supplied. We do not want a teaspoon of the cheapest Colombian instant freeze dried coffee dissolved in tepid water, or even worse powdered coffee, with added cold or lukewarm milk, that is beginning its metamorphosis into cheese. What we want is reasonable quality fresh ground coffee brewed fresh when we order it with hot fresh milk added. It doesn't have to be made from Jamaica Blue Mountain beans, a good quality arabica bean will suffice. What is the point of establishments making a show of having a Gaggia or Brasilia or similar coffee maker if they don't know how to use it properly?

The third problem is the extortionate price we are asked to pay and the lack of value for money. We do not want to have to have a mortgage to pay for a cup of substandard coffee. In fact we probably wouldn't get one as financial lenders will not lend for something of non-standard construction!

Our search goes on.

CoLJ 7 - Ashford Apartment.

2011-07-28T19:25:00.003+02:00

Wednesday involved a trip to Ashford in Kent to look at some apartments as possible permanent UK accommodation as alternative to Spain for several months of the year, including the three hottest summer months. In 2005 it was voted the fourth best place to live in the United Kingdom.

We visited a site entitled 'Evolution' by Fairview Homes. Unfortunately the site and properties failed to impress. The location and access were very disappointing. The houses and apartment blocks were of a modern concept that reminded us of a Lego model town. The apartments were in our opinion too small.

The trip was not the failure it might seem. It has given us an actual, physical, appreciation of the modern concept of design and size of new build apartments; something that cannot be truly appreciated from on-line property searches. That's one site crossed off the list.

On the journey back to Roman Way we stopped at Tenterden for lunch, as in the morning we had passed through the town and thought it picturesque.

CoLJ 6 - Lewes.

2011-07-28T13:33:00.001+02:00

Tuesday needed a return to normality with a visit to nearby Lewes to buy more groceries. Whilst there we had a meander around part of the historic town. We only had a glimpse of the town's heritage with more to be seen on our next visit in a few days time, but must mention the pretty Southover Grange gardens.


Southover Grange garden

CoLJ 5 - Brighton to Eastbourne.

2011-07-28T13:13:00.004+02:00

Monday was a day for being a holiday tourist. Starting with a brief visit to see nearby Brighton seafront we then drove along the coast road to Eastbourne, the older persons capital city, where we sat on the beach in the Sovereign Harbour area, along with other older, presumably retired couples, and ate our lunch. I kept my eye open for the Age UK representative in case we were approached for a 'Pay as you Laze' ticket or a signed donation direct debit mandate.


Seven Sisters

In the afternoon we headed back across the South Downs to the cottage via Birling Gap and Alfriston. We stopped at the Birling Gap to view the Seven Sisters white cliffs. If truth be known, actually the main reason was to buy an ice cream at the café there. However we very nearly didn't stop because the National Trust, who own the land here, wanted us to pay to park the car to buy our tub from them! An alternative parking space was found and a toffee and hazelnut ice cream tub was devoured sitting on the cliff top before continuing our tour.

CoLJ 4 - Roman Way.

2011-07-26T23:46:00.006+02:00

Having arrived at Roman Way cottage at 16:00 hrs. been given a quick tour and explanation of the facilities in the accommodation, taken possession of the key, unloaded the suitcases from the car, it was time get some essential shopping for our first evening meal and breakfast in the UK for nearly one year. The easiest solution was to find the nearest supermarket in Lewes. Our first choice was to look for a Tesco, the UK equivalent of Carrefour in Spain and France, as, like them or not, there is always one not too far away.

The next two days, being a week-end, we used for relaxing after the drive from Spain, to stock up with groceries for the week to come, and get the clothes washing done.


The Downs from Roman Way

We were pleased to find that Roman Way is almost “exactly what it says on the tin”. There is always the concern that holiday rental properties do not match up to expectations.

At the end of the week-end we have had to knock off a few satisfaction percentage points as a result of the level of cleanliness that we found. What a pity that previous renters had not cleaned up properly after themselves, and that the owners had not noticed their (renters) failings. The kitchen food cupboard contained old opened and used products, some of which had spilled out. Why do people think others after them would want to use their leavings. There was dried food spillage on the refrigerator shelves. The bread toaster had not been emptied of a considerable quantity of crumbs, possibly a week's worth of toasting. The bread bin was in a slightly similar state. Some of the crockery was dirty with dried food on plates; unfortunately this made us feel it necessary to wash each item of kitchen equipment before use. Long hair strands of previous occupants left in the bathroom. Minor but irritating problems that take the cherries off the top of a four **** cake.

CoLJ 3 - Folkestone to Kingston.

2011-07-25T23:33:00.002+02:00

The Folkestone area has memories for me, as I lived in the town and in close by Hythe for most of my primary school years. It is not the town I remember. It is not the vibrant seaside town I enjoyed living in. It is tired and run down, with much of it in a state of dereliction. The harbour area is a disgrace compared to the busy cross channel ferry port I knew. It was a disappointment when last year I decided to re-visit my old playground.

For me once again this year, as in most previous years, and like the vast majority of those arriving at the channel tunnel terminal, it is just the point of arrival into the UK and a point to be quickly left behind on the ongoing journey.

But first, as usual, I needed to call in to the local Tesco garage to fill up the petrol tank. I usually run the petrol level as low as possible approaching the tunnel in France. There is a considerable cost saving in waiting to purchase petrol until entering the UK. There is a further saving by bypassing the petrol station on the terminal and popping into the outskirts of Folkestone. A 10 minute and 2 mile diversion is worth it.

Having given SatNavratilova the address of our holiday cottage for the next two weeks, received her instructions, we turned our back on the town.

After a short distance on the M20 our journey was a cross country route through the Kent and East Sussex countryside. It was very pleasant to pass through the picturesque hamlets, villages and small towns. The intense, lush, multi hew, green foliage of the countryside being an immense contrast to that of the Costa coast of Spain. What was not pleasant though was the condition of the roads, the aggressive attitude of other drivers, and the overall driving experience. The surface of the majority of the main roads was appalling with broken patches of the driving surface and potholes. I do not remember the roadside vegetation being allowed to grow so close to the edge of the road, making it very dangerous when negotiating the many obscured twists, hidden bends and blind corners in the single carriageway roads. As bad driving habits go, the Spanish driver can learn from the British drivers we encountered. They could learn; how close a tailgating vehicle can get to another without actually touching it; how to ignore lane discipline; how to ignore road markings and overtake on blind bends. I will think again about criticising too quickly the roads and the drivers in Spain.

Never-the-less we arrived at Roman Way, Kingston safe and sound despite the efforts of the southern counties kamikaze drivers.

CoLJ 2 - Drive to the UK

2011-07-24T13:43:00.009+02:00

The two days of the drive to the Channel Tunnel went as planned. A daily start at approximately 08:30 hrs. and a completion by 19:00 hrs. As usual the actual driving time was split into around two hour sections interspersed with breaks of twenty to thirty minutes for drinks and use of services.

Day one saw the completion of our journey north through Spain with our evening stop at Beziers in France. This was a change from our normal stop-over in Narbonne.

Day two had the aim of getting to within two to two and a half hours from 'Le Tunnel sous la Manche' at Calais, with the night stop at Senlis some forty minutes north east of Paris. The days driving was uneventful except for going over the impressive 'Millau Viaduct' and the southern circulation of the 'Boulevard Périphérique' of Paris. That was a time not to doubt the ability of SatNavratilova Garmin. I had to trust that the latest maps she had were up-to-date and she knew the easiest and quickest route in her mind. She didn't let me down. Her instructions were clear and she didn't need to shout “Recalculating!” The only thing that was a little concerning was the number of death wish motorcyclists in Paris weaving in and out of the traffic, hazard lights flashing, still seeming oblivious of their vulnerability, honking their horns and gesturing at car and van drivers that did not clear out of their way or leave a big enough space between the traffic lanes. There seemed to be many motorcyclists on the type of bikes that had two front wheels.

On day three arrival at the tunnel terminal was as planned, giving us time to use the facilities and get a coffee for the journey through the tunnel. The layout of the access roads from the check-in, to the customs checks, to the refreshment terminal, to the train have altered since last year. We arrived at Folkestone on time.

Change of Life Journey 1 - Prologue.

2011-07-24T12:35:00.002+02:00

A few days ago Natalie, my wife, and I started a journey that will almost certainly change the remainder of our lives. It will probably change how we live. It will possibly change where we live. Who knows how it will change our lives, we don't!

It had a simple start, a visit to the United Kingdom, to get away from the intense heat of July and August in Spain. A respite for Natalie from the unbearable heavy heat and the continual attention of biting insects. A holiday from Spain.

Will the holiday journey have a simple completion with a return to our Spanish way of life, or will it have a complex finale? Will it be a replay reversal of our journey to Spain in July 2001?

Time will tell.

Advice to drink eight glasses of water a day 'nonsense,' argues doctor

2011-07-13T13:05:00.000+02:00

The recommendation to drink six to eight glasses of water a day to prevent dehydration "is not only nonsense, but is thoroughly debunked nonsense," an expert argues in a new article.

Read more in ScienceDaily

There is a dead wasp in the swimming pool; - what should I do?

2011-07-11T21:49:00.004+02:00

I was sitting at home one afternoon recently with some friends who had called round for a chat and a cup of tea. There was an unexpected knock on the front door. I broke off from the interesting conversation we were having to see who was at the front door in the middle of the very hot afternoon.

“There is a dead wasp in the pool” said the young lady standing on the door step in her swim suit! She was on holiday, with her equally young beau, staying with a relative who has a property in the community.

I ought to clarify at this point that not only do I live next to the communal swimming pool but I am also the Chairman of the Community in which the pool is situated.

Her statement threw me for moment and before I could think of the appropriate response she enquired as to what she should do to remove the offending insect from the water.

Refraining from the urge to make a satirical, or verging on sarcastic, comment I suggest that perhaps the solution was to scoop the invader out of the water with the aid of a handful of water as a propellant. If that failed she might try the alternative of using her swimming goggles as a scoop. I suggested that her 'Sir Galahad', who remained in the pool, possibly as a rearguard defence and lookout, might assist her in the quest to remove the Hymenoptera.

It is good to be able to assist the youth of today with their education!

Having made my constructive suggestions, I refrained from leaving my guests and undertaking an act of chivalry by despatching the 'beastie', thereby enabling her 'Knight in Armour' to save the señorita from the Spanish invader. With what I perceived as a look of disappointment, that I was not to accompany her, she returned to the swimming pool. Whether or not she, or her 'Superman' hero, or neither of them extracted the wasp from water I'll never know, and to be honest, even though they felt it necessary to disturb my afternoon, I don't need to know.

On returning to my guests I found them chuckling amongst themselves about the episode they had just overheard. Wondering if it was real life or a trailer for a comedy sketch. I put their minds at rest.

It is another one of the joys, or is that peculiarities, of being Chairman of a Community!

Moronic Mother puts swimming pool users health at risk.

2011-07-05T11:08:00.000+02:00

I supposed it shouldn't surprise me, having been the Chairman of our Community for five years, but it still does, how stupid and inconsiderate some of the owners, and their visitors in some cases, of the properties within the community can be in relation to communal areas! In this case, and probably in the majority of cases, for the majority of Community Chairman it relates to the use of the communal swimming pool.

In order to maintain the quality of the water within the swimming pool, and therefore directly the health of users of the pool, our Community has an agreed, and issued to all households, set of rules governing the correct use of the facility. Included is the rule that; 'No child using and/or wearing nappies, or not considered as satisfactorily toilet trained, is to be allowed in the water at any time, unless wearing a specially designed, leak proof, swimming nappy'; not an unreasonable rule to try to reduce or eliminate health risks.

Recently I had to speak to an owner, of some long standing, of a property within the community who was using the swimming pool with her very young child. The lady in question brought her child into the swimming pool area, where upon she removed the nappy the child was wearing, leaving the used, soiled, nappy on the perimeter concrete edge of the pool, close to the water, and where other swimmers sit before entering the water; then took the naked child with her under the shower, as required before entering the water, making a little effort to wash herself and the baby, paying little attention to it's now nappy free bottom area; then took the child into the water without any sanitation protection, as required, on the child!

Not only did she leave a soiled nappy on the edge of the pool; she had the child in the water without protection, for other users of the pool, after her visit, from the possible urination or defecation by the very young child in the water.

In the latter case I wonder what she would have done if an incident had occurred resulting in faeces in the water? Would she have informed someone, or myself as Chairman, so remedial water treatment could have been initiated to protect other pool users, or would she have said nothing, done nothing to rectify a problem, and just left the pool area?

On observing her actions I of course immediately spoke to the lady; pointing out that they were unacceptable; that the child be removed from the water immediately; that the soiled nappy be removed from the pool edge and disposed of correctly. Taking into consideration that I am aware that she has had medical training, including rules of hygiene I assume, I was surprised, or was I, by the look she gave me of what I take to be indignation that I should say anything to her about her action! Why can't she do what she wants irrespective of the potential effect it may have on others. Who was I to reprimand her. Who was I to point out to her the unacceptability of her unhygienic actions.

Oh well; another one of those experiences of human nature that comes with the role of being Chairman of a Community.

Is Cala de la Mosca Safe Now?

2011-06-29T17:00:00.006+02:00

During the last 4 years, since 2007, of the Partido Popular government of the Orihuela Town Council, the official opposition parties, namely the Los Verdes, PSOE and CLR, and the then unelected CLARO party have campaigned to save the area of land known as Cala de la Mosca from development for housing. It is the last section of the coastal strip within the Orihuela Costa area that remains undeveloped at this time, although planning permission had originally been given by the PP government in 1992 for a housing development.

Whilst all the opposition parties have voiced their objection to the development, the two parties that would seem to have been most vociferous in the campaign to 'Save Cala de la Mosca' are Los Verdes (Green Party) and CLARO, with many articles on their websites on this matter. The later organising a petition containing a quoted 7000 signatures that was presented to the then PP Alcaldesa of Orihuela, Monica Lorente.

Now that the Orihuela municipality has a tripartite government of PSOE, Los Verdes and CLARO; is Cala de la Mosca safe now from total destruction by the housing developer? Will the current government retract the planning permission given by the previous PP government.

As Orihuela has a Los Verdes party Alcalde (Mayor), Monserrate Guillén, and he appointed Robert Houliston of CLARO, as his right-hand man in the coastal area, as Councillor for Orihuela Costa; how long will we have to wait for the official announcement the Cala de la Mosca development has been stopped? Surely there cannot be any doubt about it as both parties included the question of the future of Cala de la Mosca in their election manifestos promising to save it.

I, and other residents of Orihuela Costa I'm sure, will wait with great anticipation to hear whether or not Cala de la Mosca is to be saved by the new tripartite Orihuela Town Council.

Edit: 18th July.
The Leader newspaper has paid me the compliment of publishing this article on the front page of this week's edition.

Does driving a Porsche make a man more desirable to women?

2011-06-17T12:48:00.000+02:00

New research finds that men's conspicuous spending is driven by the desire to have uncommitted romantic flings. And, gentlemen, women can see right through it.

According to the researchers, women found a man who chose to purchase a flashy luxury Porsche more desirable for a date than the same man who purchased a non-luxury economy car such as a Honda Civic. However although women found the flashy guys more desirable for a date, the man with the Porsche was not preferred as a marriage partner. Women inferred from a man's flashy spending that he was interested in uncommitted sex.

What about a Hyundai Getz, what does that signal? It could be a subliminal Porsche!

Read the full article in Science Daily

Pat Condell says - Don't pray for me

2011-06-16T14:20:00.000+02:00

Ex-Alcaldesa of Orihuela to start new profession as a ´Lifestyle Guru`

2011-06-14T10:24:00.007+02:00

Following her recent failure in her attempt to continue as the, Partido Popular, Alcaldesa (Mayoress) of Orihuela, for the next four years, it has been suggested to me by a source of some provenance, although personally unsubstantiated at this time, that Monica Lorente is to open a new consultancy business in Orihuela Costa.

If what I understand is correct then she intends to offer her services as a 'Lifestyle Guru`, to all the residents of Orihuela Costa. Initially her main potential market will be those United Kingdom Expat residents who supported CLARO in the recent local election and who feel that their lives need a change of direction and ambition.

Monica's reasoning behind her decision, is thought to be that, she believes that with her exceptional qualities of compassion for other people, her honesty in all matters, and her ability to listen to the residents, as they tell her about their fears and worries about the quality of their lives, the residents will need and benefit tremendously from her ideas on achieving the highest possible level of quality Lifestyle. Even though the public services and facilities in Orihuela Costa are sub-standard, as a result of her previous government colleagues excellent work, it is thought she believes, with her expertise, that these minor irritations can be overcome by following her philosophy on life. During their consultations her clients will be expected to recite her mantra, as were her PP government colleagues each time they met her; “a little bit of Monica in my life” .

Whilst considering several possible names for her new venture the local bookies are offering short odds on her final choice being ´Perfect People`. It is felt that this will be chosen as a comfort element for her as she could continue to be associated with a ´PP` logo, but also that the residents of Orihuela Costa would get withdrawal symptoms if they didn't regularly see, and hear about, the PP initials they have loved and trusted over the last 25 years.

I'm also informed, by reliable sources within the Orihuela Town Hall this time, that two of Ms. Lorente's personally appointed employees, namely her press officer, LouiseClarke, and Liaison Officer to the Expats, Stefan Pokroppa, in the Orihuela Costa town hall annex, have as a result of Monica's failure to keep her job as Mayor, lost their positions as well. Now putting 2 plus 2 together and making 10, similar to the accounting system used by the Ex-Alcaldesa and her government with the council's finances, it would seem probable that they will be employed by Monica in 'Perfect People', in marketing and customer liaison. Even though they did not seem to get it quite right in their past positions, as a sign of her benevolence, Monica will be offering them another chance. Not only will they be employees but also amongst the first of Ms. Lorente's guinea pig clients, for a large fee deducted from their wages of course, as they need a new, and unexpected, lifestyle.

The Orihuela Costa residents I'm sure will wish Monica Lorente all that she deserves in her titanic voyage into the icy seas of reality aboard her new vessel 'Perfect People'.

Enlarged prostate: Study demonstrates immediate and long-term benefits of laser treatment

2011-05-23T14:34:00.000+02:00

Hey you guys of a more mature age there is some new research which demonstrates that holmium laser therapy is a safe and durable treatment option for benign prostatic hyperplasia, an enlargement of the prostate to us none medical type, that affects most men as they age.

It is worth a quick read of the article Enlarged prostate: Study demonstrates immediate and long-term benefits of laser treatment in ScienceDaily.

Acting rudely leads people to see power!

2011-05-22T16:11:00.000+02:00

NOW LISTEN UP YOU LOT STOP WHAT YOU´RE DOING AND READ THIS; according to the research team lead by Gerben Van Kleef of the University of Amsterdam when people have power, they act the part. Powerful people smile less, interrupt others and speak in a LOUDER voice. When people do not respect the basic rules of social behavior, they lead others to believe that they have power.

Right; now click on the link and read more details in the article in ScienceDaily Breaking rules makes you seem powerful, come on hurry up!

Please.

Obesity linked to higher risk of prostate cancer progression

2011-05-17T12:29:00.000+02:00

Now come on you guys, that are a little portlier than you should be, here is another good reason to slim down.

Researchers have found that even when treated with hormone therapy to suppress tumor growth, obese men face an elevated risk of their prostate cancer worsening.

Read more in the ScienceDaily article:- Obesity linked to higher risk of prostate cancer progression

Narcissistic or Sycophantic?

2011-05-16T21:09:00.002+02:00

The Leader newspaper, here on the Costa Blanca, published this week, includes the following article:

Making Indiviuals Matter.

When party politics take over the news, it´s often a time we forget the individuals. Individuals like Stefan Pokroppa, who has served out community for 4 years now, being the single point of liaison between the international community and the Orihuela council.

Having been instrumental in arranging many events for local people, as well as helping lots of individual cases where people have sought help, sometimes desperate, Stefan has always been there, often without credit and never seeking praise, just a man, doing his best, for the sake of everyone he comes across.

Not forgetting that Stefan is in fact German, capable of speaking numerous languages, it is no mean feat what he has achieved. So, as well as thinking party politics, let us also remember that behind every political group are individuals like Stefan, without doubt, one of the most instrumental figures of the PP on the Orihuela Costa.

Once I stopped laughing; I wondered who wrote this. I know it is accredited to Mark Nolan but I have to wonder if in fact it is a case of narcissistic creative writing by Stefan P issued as a press release! If this is not the case, and was originated by Mark N, then, it seems to me to be a sycophantic semi-fictional synopsis.

Let us not forget that Stefan Pokroppa has been doing such a wonderful job in his very well paid position, appointed on the personal whim of the PP Mayoress, Monica Lorente, and paid for from Council funds; that she felt the need to create a new appointment of a press officer, Louise Clarke, in the Orihuela Costa Town Hall to inform the residents about the PP. It seems to me that the Mayoress didn´t think Stefan was, and isn´t, very good at liaising with the international community of Orihuela Costa.

There isn´t any mention in the article that having first been included in the PP electoral list as a potential for Councillor, after the May 22nd elections, he was ommitted from the final list. It seems the PP don´t think he has done such a wonderful job. Surely the PP would think that such a fantastic person as he would be ideal for the potential role of Councillor for Orihuela Costa; as he is so liked by the international community for the work he (hasn´t) done. It is a pity for him that the majority of the community are not aware of their admiration for him.

I wonder if the article might not be a premonition of an obituary for his career with the PP after May 22nd.

You´ll turn to God

2011-05-14T21:44:00.000+02:00

Pat Condell´s latest video entitled "You´ll turn to God". I can´t agree with all his points of view in his many videos, but in the majority of times he is on the button.

He refers to "Pascal´s Wager" so if like me you need clarification on this here is a link to an explaination on Wikipedia.

Irritable bowel syndrome: Common gastrointestinal disorder linked to bacterial overgrowth, food poisoning

2011-05-13T22:36:00.001+02:00

Researchers have reported two advances in the understanding of irritable bowel syndrome, the most common gastrointestinal disorder in the United States, affecting an estimated 30 million people. One study provides further evidence that IBS is linked to an overgrowth of bacteria in the gut. In a separate study, a mathematical model reveals the disease's link to food poisoning and shows that military personnel are at a much higher risk for the disorder than the rest of the population.

Although the research is US based it´s interesting for all those affected by IBS.

Read the full article: Irritable bowel syndrome: Common gastrointestinal disorder linked to bacterial overgrowth, food poisoning

Nigel Farage: EU's star-tangled banner will disappear

2011-05-13T22:31:00.000+02:00

A Message from Nigel Farage on Europe Day

2011-05-11T17:18:00.000+02:00

New marker offers hope for more reliable detection of prostate cancer

2011-05-11T14:16:00.000+02:00

A new, promising marker for diagnosing prostate cancer has been discovered by researchers in Sweden with the aid of a unique method. The study may lead to more reliable diagnoses and fewer unnecessary operations.

Read more details in ScienceDaily

Common medicine used to combat osteoporosis can cause fractures, study finds

2011-05-09T15:48:00.000+02:00

Bisphosphonates are a common medication used to combat osteoporosis. But they can also cause fractures, according to new research.

Read more:- ScienceDaily (2011-05-05)

Spanish civil war victims' bodies finally removed from mass grave | World news | The Guardian

2011-05-06T15:38:00.000+02:00

Spain's government publishes first country-wide map of locations of more than 2,000 mass graves from the civil war.

Spanish civil war victims' bodies finally removed from mass grave | World news | The Guardian

Spain has the highest March unemployment level in the European Union!

2011-04-29T16:51:00.000+02:00

Eurostat, the statistical office of the European Union has today published the seasonally adjusted unemployment figures for the month of March for the Euro Area 17 countries and the European Union 27 as a whole.

For the EA 17 countries the figure is 9.9% and for the EU 27 it is 9.5%.

In the case of Spain the figure is 20.7%. This is the highest rate of unemployment in the EU 27 countries. Compared with March 2010 this is an increase of 1.1% over the year on year figures. When looking at the last three months there has been an increase of 0.1% for each month eliminating the reductions seen in the last two months of 2010.

Whilst these figures are alarming they pale a little compared with those for the under 25 year old´s, in Spain where we see a staggering level of 44.6%, the highest level in the EU27. This is a 4.2% increase in the year and includes an upward movement of 0.3% per month over the last three months. For the EU27 we see an average of 20.7% which is a decrease of 0.4%.

For men we see an increase from 19.4% in March 2010 to a current figure of 20.1%, whilst for women the figures are 19.7% to 21.5%. For the EU27 we see the opposite situation with a decrease for men from 9.8% to 9.4% and for women a slight increase from 9.5% to 9.6%.

What effect will the release of these figures have on the way the Spanish electorate votes in the local elections on the 22^nd May?

Will the PSOE party be punished in the ballot box for these figures?

Eurostat

Higher levels of social activity decrease the risk of cognitive decline

2011-04-27T22:28:00.000+02:00

If you want to keep your brain healthy, it turns out that visiting friends, attending parties, and even going to church might be just as good for you as crossword puzzles. According to new research, frequent social activity may help to prevent or delay cognitive decline in old age.

Read more details about the research and results in ScienceDaily:

Lost Friends found each other through my Weblog

2011-04-27T12:46:00.001+02:00

I wrote in an earlier article that as the author of a weblog there is a degree of anticipation waiting to be notified of any comment to a post. When the notification arrives there is an element of satisfaction, joy, elation and trepidation.

I was totally surprised on the 17th April 2011 to be notified of the following comment that had been posted to my article entitled Louise Clarke, "Please don´t compromise your talent and your reputation" which included a letter written by Sarah Hill, a UK Expat resident in the Orihuela Costa area of the Costa Blanca, Spain.

“Hi, I am emailing from Sydney Australia. My partner George and I were very good friends with Sarah and Dave and colleagues in the UK for many years. We came across your blog by accident and would love to be put in contact with them again. Trish Rymer and George Davidson”

It was fortunate that I knew how to contact Sarah Hill and suggested she read the comment from Australia. At the same time I posted a reply comment on the article.

“Trish: I have been in touch with Sarah by email, I will not give the address here for obvious security reasons as the world can read this, and she said, "Elliot this is fantastic. I have tried everywhere to find them". Next step is to get you all in contact. Keep watching this space.”

Later the same day a message was posted by Sarah Hill.

“Hi Trish and George. You can find me on Facebook as Sarah Hill and also on Orihuela Costa PSOE website. Dave and I are well and very involved in things on the Costa Blanca. If this doesn’t work leave a comment and I will put our email address on here.
Lots of love Sarah and Dave xxx”


Sarah & Dave Hill

They and I waited for a reply contact, but after almost two days nothing.

Knowing from what she had told me I knew Sarah had not been able to locate her lost friend so I decided to carry out a little investigation to see if I could.

Finding the contact details for the most probable candidate for being Trish from Sydney, Australia I sent the following email.

"Dear Patricia,
Are you the Trish that left the following comment on my weblog?
“Hi, I am emailing from Sydney Australia. My partner George and I were very good friends with Sarah and Dave and colleagues in the UK for many years. We came across your blog by accident and would love to be put in contact with them again. Trish Rymer and George Davidson”
If you are, read the comment from Sarah on the article http://elliotsampford.blogspot.com/2011/03/louise-clarke-please-dont-compromise.html where you left your comment. Or reply to me and I will forward your email to Sarah".

I received the reply I was hoping for.

“Hello Elliot,
Thank you. ….(modesty and embarrassment requires that I omit this bit).................... . We have read Sarah and Dave's reply and George and I are very grateful for acting as our intermediaries.
It was also very clever of you to find me by email. Our home email address is …................. could you please pass both my email addresses to Sarah and Dave. Once again, thank you.
Best wishes from Trish and George”.

Trish also posted another comment on the weblog article.

“Hello Elliot and Sarah,
how wonderful to be back in touch. George and I are really excited to be able to make contact again, after all this time. Elliot thank you very much for this. I will respond to your email now and provide our home email address. Trish”

With my role completed I sent them all an email with each other´s email addresses with the subject title of,

Sarah, Dave, Trish and George – Get chatting !!!!

Having been good friends and work colleagues for over 20 years, they lost contact following Trish and George´s move to Australia in 2006 and Sarah and Dave´s move in 2007 to here in Orihuela, Spain, and email addresses were mislaid in the moves. Sarah told me “Since then I have been trying to find ways of finding them”. Well the lost friends found each through my Weblog and are busy chatting and catching up on all each other´s news. Trish told me, “Sarah and I have emailed each other now. It is just wonderful. So many thanks to you”, and Sarah has added, “Your blog has been fantastic. Thank you so much”.

I'm pleased to know that my weblog containing my ramblings and rants and a little bit of being a super sleuth have brought them together again, with the result of four happy friends!

Orihuela Town Council uses my photographs in propaganda video without permission!

2011-04-24T17:58:00.005+02:00

On the 13th April 2011 the Orihuela Town Council via Viva TV published a propaganda video for the governing Partido Popular party entitled ´Orihuela Town Hall Environment´ on to YouTube. Not a surprising move at this time with the local elections due soon on the 22nd May 2011. Perhaps it is actually just a coincidence!

Imagine my complete surprise when I viewed the video to find that it included three photographs that I had taken and therefore have the copyright over them. They have been used in the context of the Town Hall assisting residents in cleaning up their local environment and appear between 11:30 and 11:50 minutes of the run time of the video.

I object to this use of my photographs in this way for two reasons; firstly that the use of them is without my permission and therefore infringes upon my copyright; secondly that they are of the ´Clean up the Costa´campaign which was coordinated by the Los Verdes (Green) Opposition party, not an initiative by the PP governing party within the Town Hall as stated in the video. As an aside point the campaign was run as a result of an idea I put to the Los Verdes party.

I sent the following email to Viva TV:

I have just watched your video by Simon Baldock for the Orihuela Town Hall http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OZJzaHLr5Hk in which you have used three photographs as attached here which I believe I have the copyright of as the photographer. I’m sure you will correct me if I am wrong, but I would have thought you should have asked my permission, or given an acknowledgement to myself as the originator. They were taken as part of the Los Verdes ‘Clean up the Costa’ campaign, not as part of an initiative by the Town Hall, so your inclusion of them in the video I believe is misleading.
I would appreciate your comments on this. I have added a comment to your video.

And received the following reply from Richard Hayward of Viva TV:

Hi Elliot,
The photographs were supplied to me with the understanding that permissions had been given. If the photographs are, as you say, it is indeed misleading and I will take action on this as soon as possible. Thank you for pointing this out to me.
Kind regards

In order to assist to clarify my claim about the photographs I replied:

Thank you for your reply.
Perhaps the following information will help to clarify my ownership.
The photographs were taken between 11:11 and 11:31 am on the 12th November 2008 on my Kodak Easyshare M763 digital camera and the location was the underpass on the N332 at Cabo Roig. I can supply details of 32 photographs taken that morning. You could cheek with the Los Verdes Councillors in Orihuela about the 'Clean up the Costa' campaign, as I no longer have any connection with the party.

As at the time of posting this article I am still awaiting to see some action from Viva TV the producers of the video, as it is still published on YouTube in its original format and length of 14:41 minutes. I would have thought that it would have been easily possible to have removed it from public view on the website as a temporary measure until a solution to this matter is resolved.

The solution that I require, and will continue to strive for, to satisfy my first objection is that none of my photographs are used within this video. I do not want to be associated in any way with this Partido Popular electioneering propaganda tale of fiction.

In the case of my second objection I will leave it up to the Los Verdes party to challenge the misrepresentaion of their ´Clean up the Costa´ campaign as they see fit.

Edit 25.04.11:
I have today sent the following email to Viva TV:
Further to my previous reply I would like to direct you to an article entitled ´More success for Los Verdes Grand Clean up Campaign´. which appeared in the Round Town News on the 21st November 2008. This I believe further supports my points raised about the use of my photographs and the context they were used in. The photograph used in the article, and others, were supplied by me to the paper for use in this article only.
I request that as the production company you delete any use of my photographs in the video as I have not given permission for their use.
I am very interested to hear what the response is from the the Mayor´s press officer in Orihuela Costa when you discuss this matter with her.

It is interesting to note that the writer of the article in the Round Town News, from a Los Verdes press release, and the current Mayor´s press officer is one and the same person.

Edit 26.04.11 :
Today I received the following email from Viva TV.

Hi Elliot
I now have no doubt that the photographs are indeed yours, I apologise for their misuse and any embarrassment that this may have caused you and I am taking immediate action to replace them in the programme.
Kind regards
Richard Haywood

Now that´s what I call a success, thank you Viva TV. But the point remains that the Town Council´s representative supplied the company with material that they had no right to use to mislead the public!

'Alternative vote' electoral system could lock out extremist candidates, UK researcher says

2011-04-14T10:13:00.000+02:00

Moving to an alternative vote (AV) electoral system could lock extremist candidates out of office and ensue that the least popular politician has the least chance of winning according to an analysis by University of Warwick researcher Professor Dennis Leech. He says: "AV would undoubtedly be an improvement on First Past The Post (FPTP) -- which is just about the worst election method ever devised, because it does not require that the winner gain a majority.

Read more on ScienceDaily:-
'Alternative vote' electoral system could lock out extremist candidates, UK researcher says

Partido Popular Mayoress in Orihuela Municipality says; "ignore these type of people they are not worth bothering with".

2011-04-13T17:44:00.000+02:00

Let me first explain that the Mayoress in question is Gill Reynolds, the wife of the Partido Popular appointed, but not elected, quasi-Mayor of Entre Naranjas, a suburb of the Orihuela Municipality, and not Monica Lorente the PP Mayor and leader of the Orihuela Town Council. However it was Ms. Lorente who made the appointment, without any ballot of the residents of Entre Naranjas, of John Reynolds as quasi-Mayor in the manner of a favour.

In my previous article about the political status of the Orihuela Costa Neighbourhood Watch I added a comment on the 5th April which read: 'There is an interesting letter in this weeks CoastRider paper asking the question about the political status of the OCNW from a diferent view point. http://www.coastrider.net/lifestyle/letters/11879-letters-to-the-editor '. The author was Edith Wood of La Florida in Orihuela Costa. The letter had also been published in the Round Town News the previous week.

The Editor of the Orihuela Costa Vc Facebook page posted an article entitled ‘Letter to the RTN’ which opened with the wording of a letter in reply to that of Edith Wood.

(I would have normally just put the link to the page and relevant quotes, but because, as you will have noted from my previous weblog article, comments that I and others made on the OCVc Facebook page that were uncomplimentary to the PP party were deleted, I believe there might be a possibility of the ‘letter to the RTN’ post and comments being deleted from the page at some point. So I believe it is necessary to duplicate it here for the circumstances to be fully appreciated.)

The opening post was:-

I WAS incensed to read such an attack in the letters last week, about the Orihuela Costa Neighborhood Watch and the volunteer leader Chris Poole.
I have been actively involved for more than the past eight years with many organisations in Torrevieja and OC and although less active now I can assure the concerned person that there are no political leanings by the OCNW or the leader.
Any registered NGO in Spain wishing to achieve their objectives need to co-operate alongside the Ayuntamiento and ruling party: it’s a two way partnership, especially as they control the purse strings and policies. If invited any leader would be proud to re-present his organisation as a way of communicating requirements and shortcomings.
Opposition parties and their supporters need to stir it up, but the NGOs avoid confrontation preferring a more subtle approach to achieve objectives.
John Kadwell Los Balcones

Gill Reynolds posted the first comment to this:

what a disgusting thing to do, how dare they attack someone like Chris Poole who has done so much to help everyone regardless of nationality, religion or politics, Chris...ignore these type of people they are not worth bothering with.

On reading the initial entry I posted the comment:

It is interesting that the link is included to the wording of the letter by John Kadwell in the RTN newspaper in reply to a letter criticising the political status of the OCNW but no link appears to be included to the original letter. Perhaps that is because it does not seem to be on the RTN website, so here is a link to the same letter in the CoastRider http://www.coastrider.net/lifestyle/letters/11879-letters-to-the-editor so everyone knows what was said. It is also interesting that in an email I received from JK today he said “Did check with Chris before writing”.

This I followed with a further posting:

Gill Reynolds:- The questions being asked about the OCNW are about its political status and its relationship with the PP political party.
Your comment is definitely thought provoking!
So in order for me to more fully understand the context of your comment; I am wondering are you making it as an individual, or as the Mayoress to your husband John the PP appointed, unelected, Mayor of Entre Naranjos. Appointed personally by Monica Lorente PP Mayor of Orihuela who, along with other PP party members, has been indicted for malpractice and corruption.
Perhaps you would care to define ‘these type of people’. Are they those that criticise the PP and anyone who has very close links to them? Are they those that criticise the OCNW? Am I one of those people as I asked questions in my article ‘Is Orihuela Costa Neighbourhood Watch a Non-Non-Political Group?’ on my weblog about the political status of OCVC?

I was not expecting the venomous reply comment from Gill Reynolds:

"you just don't understand do you?? there are some good people in this world however you can't grasp the fact that not everyone is like you, something must have happened in your past life (if you ever had one) to make you so bitter and twisted, I was always raised by my parents to think that if I couldn't find something good to say about people, then say nothing. As for my husband being an unelected Mayor, how many times in the UK were you asked to vote for who you wanted to be your Mayor? why would you think it would be different in Spain?"

Having laughed at the baseness of her reply I responded with:

Gill Reynolds:- Thank you for taking the time to construct your well thoughtful, meaningful, constructive and polite reply, although you didn’t clarify the questions I raised, it does justice to yourself.
I take it from your reply then you think of me as one of “these type of people they are not worth bothering with” in your advice to Chris; except that you bothered to reply in your fashion.
This is getting off the subject of the political status of the OCNW but I’ll pick up on the question of your husband being an unelected Mayor and your opinion that the same applies in the UK. The Parish Council Chairman, the Town Mayor, and the County Council Chairman, that is the leader of the different levels of governing councils are all elected to their positions by their peers, who are themselves elected Councillors having been chosen through the ballot box in local, town and county democratic elections. So yes my vote in local elections has counted towards the selection of Mayor. I’m not aware that your husband’s appointment was made on a similar basis. It was made as a favour by Monica Lorente.
Finally I would thank you for giving me the theme for a new article on my weblog.

Gill Reynolds made a further comment:

so in the UK the people elect who they want to represent them and they in turn choose a Mayor. In Spain the people elect who they want to represent them and they in turn choose a Mayor so your point is??? . My husband is one of 23 Mayors ELECTED by the town hall, how come he is the only one you target? perhaps because the Spanish wouldn't put up with your nonsense and your language skills are not sufficient. Anyway end of conversation as I will not have access to a computer for a while so no good replying.

My reply to her comment was:

Gill Reynolds: It is disappointing that you will not be able to read my reply but your absence is not sufficient reason for me not to reply as there are other readers of this Facebook page beside yourself.

The Mayor is the leader of the Town Council which is made up of Councillors who have been elected as a result of a local democratic election system. The so called ‘quasi-Mayors of the Pedanias within the Orihuela Municipality are usually members of the governing party, in this case the Partido Popular, who are personally appointed by the incumbent Mayor, Monica Lorente at this time, as a favour for work done for the party. I am not aware that the Town Council Pleno or any subcommittees discussed or voted on the selection of the Pedania quasi-Mayors, so they weren’t elected. Please correct me if I am wrong on this by giving me a copy of the minutes of any meeting of the council which the vote was taken. Some of them may also be an elected Councillor but that is not a criteria to selection, neither is the requirement to have been on the party’s electoral list. It is an honoury appointment ‘without portfolio’.

I raised the question of your husband's appointment, and therefore yours as his quasi-Mayoress, as you have previously commented on this Facebook page “we have attended a lot of events, not all the photos are put on by John but as Mayor he should let people know what he is doing to promote Entre Naranjos”, in order to understand your initial comment on this article and the position you were coming from when making it. It is a pity you did not feel able to answer the original questions I put to you in my second comment on this article.

Your husband like all the Pedania quasi-Mayors were selected, by the PP party, not elected, by the citizens. I object to all the appointments of the quasi-Mayors as they are a result of nepotism by the governing party leadership and not through democracy.

I would like to suggest that any further comments on this theme would be better made on my weblog article. Adiós hasta entonces.

So what are the points that I’m making you may be asking.

Within the boundaries of the Orihuela Municipality there are hamets, suburbs and large urbanisations that are referred to as the Pedanias . In these the Mayor (Alcalde) of the Town Council will designate a headman (Mayor) to be the eyes, ears and voice of the government in the individual Pedania. The person nominated with this quasi-Mayor title is normally someone in the confidence or trust of the borough Mayor. It is normally given to a member of the governing political party of which the Town Council Mayor is leader. This would be someone who the leader of the party can trust to project the image of the party. It is a position ‘without portfolio’ as it carries with it no legal authority over the residents of the suburb. It is an appointment in which the residents were neither consulted or given the chance to vote on.

The urbanisation of Entre Naranjas, within the Orihuela Costa area of Orihuela, has such a quasi-Mayor, namely John Reynolds, with his wife by definition being the quasi-Mayoress. They are by default the Partido Popular party’s officially nominated representatives and spokespersons in their Pedania.

It was bearing this in mind that on reading Mrs Reynolds’ initial comment of “ignore these type of people they are not worth bothering with” that I sought to clarify two points. Firstly, if the view expressed was her personal view or that of the PP party whom she represents. Secondly what type of people were being referred to in her comment. Hence my second posting on the article where I asked the questions of her.

They were questions that required only a simple reply. Not the venomous attack against myself that she returned with. Is the quality of her response that which one would expect to receive from a governing political party representative? I think not!

Considering the fact that on the 22nd May 2011, only some 6 weeks away, the local council elections are to held, without doubt I think not!

Unless of course, if she was replying as the quasi-Mayoress, that it is the policy of the PP party to dismiss and not bother with “these type of people”, those who disagree with, or question, the party’s point of view and policies. And then if those same type of people ask probing questions then ignore the questions but reply with unsubstantiated personal attacks upon their character!

To the residents of the Orihuela Municipality, and in particular the residents of Orihuela Costa this would come as no shock really, because they have experienced this daily from the Partido Popular party for all the time it has been in government over the last 20 or more years. Its level of contempt towards the electorate, and degree of avoidance of answering questions knows no limits!

If the comments made by Gill Reynolds were her personal opinion, and possibly not that of the party, although I doubt it because the PP party will have educated her in their ways, then it raises the question in my mind as to her suitability for the position of quasi-Mayoress of Entre Naranjas.

I have also noted that despite being registered in his own right as a ‘Friend’ on the OCVc Facebook page, and therefore capable of adding a comment, quasi-Mayor John Reynolds has not made a comment to contradict anything I have said. It leads me to the assumption that he is in agreement with everything his wife, his quasi-Mayoress has said!

Which ever option is the reality it raises the question in my mind as to the quality of judgement of Monica Lorente, current leader of the PP, and her suitability as the future Mayor of Orihuela after the forthcoming elections. It was she who appointed the quasi-Mayor and consequent quasi-Mayoress to be the representatives of her party in Entre Naranjas and project the attitude, policy and opinions of the Partido Popular party to the citizens.

An attitude of “ignore these type of people they are not worth bothering with”, and an opinion that the correct way to answer polite and probing questions is to say "you just don't understand do you?? there are some good people in this world however you can't grasp the fact that not everyone is like you, something must have happened in your past life (if you ever had one) to make you so bitter and twisted”.

New prostate cancer test gives more accurate diagnosis

2011-04-07T14:53:00.001+02:00

A new PSA test to screen for prostate cancer more accurately identified men with prostate cancer -- particularly the aggressive form of the disease -- and substantially reduced false positives compared to the two currently available commercial PSA tests, according to new research. The currently available screening tests result in a high number of false positives and lead to unnecessary biopsies and possible over-detection and over-treatment of indolent cancer that never would have caused suffering or death.

Read more in ScienceDaily: New prostate cancer test gives more accurate diagnosis

Brave girl beats bureaucracy!

2011-04-05T11:40:00.002+02:00

Any Expat in Spain who has attempted to beat the Spanish administration system should watch this! Funny but so true!

NotodoFilmFest.com / Home / Ficha / 29817

Launch of the 'YES to Fairer Votes' campaign

2011-04-02T21:03:00.000+02:00