Garden Rubbish Container Fire

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.

Edit: 22.02.2012. It seems our little fire was one of the four mentioned in this article:  New mini-fire engine blazes a trail to the coast .

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

A very emotive video!

A Slat in time - saves money.

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!

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

This morning at 05.43 hrs. we were awoken by the rumbling and noise of an earth quake. It seemed to travel from the front to the rear of the house. We haven't experienced any damage to our property.

According to the National Geographical Institute here in Spain the epicentre was approximately 5 kilometres off the coast where we are and some 11 kilometres below the surface. Although this is an area that experiences small tremors on a regular basis they are not usually above a magnitude of 3 whereas this was registered at 3.4.

It is reported that although the Policía Local and the Guardia Civil received numerous calls from members of the public there were no reports of damage according to data initially collected by the Emergency Coordination Center.

U3A Chairman says 5 days is enough time!

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

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

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

The answer from the Chairman to 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 newly elected committee. Assuming that Minutes of the AGM are written shortly after the meeting; would it not be possible, more efficient, and of greater benefit to the members, to include the minutes, all be it in draft form, subject to approval by the members later, in one of the newsletters between the meeting and the next AGM, or send them out earlier than 5 days before the meeting at which they are to be voted on, via the cascade information system, or include them within a 'Minutes' section on the association website?”

I await 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!

Is it coincidence, or perhaps good forethought on my part, or just luck, that two days after I posted my article 'Will CLARO partner the Partido Popular in Orihuela?' that the RTN newspaper publishes an article entitled 'Coastal Isolation' which begins “Former Mayor of Orihuela Monica Lorente, talking exclusively to RTN this week, said: “The coast is being politically isolated.” and written by Louise Clarke who was the personal press officer for Monica Lorente when she was Mayor.

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

There seems to be a lot of back tracking from Ms Lorente in relation to her previous adverse comments about Bob Houliston and the CLARO party when she was Mayor.

I wonder if there isn't a degree of vengeance on the part of both the interviewee and the interviewer in the writing of this article as they both lost their positions of power when the Partido Popular party lead by Monica Lorente was removed from government by the current tripartite government.

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

Edit: 31^st January 2012.

The CoastRider newspaper has today published an article written by Mireille Toddington entitled 'Bob and Mon in talks' in which I am paid the compliment of my weblog being mentioned.

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

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?

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 the extract:

“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

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