RTN Newspaper - Costa Blanca North 4 - 10 May 2018 Issue 967

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COSTA BLANCA NORTH

4th - 10th May

Benidorm cycle service still unavailable By Darren Parmenter

City Council has written to the company asking why the service has been stopped and what plans they have to reactivate the popular service. Photo credit: JoanBanjo Wikimedia

JUST over one month ago, the bicycle rental service in Benidorm was suspended. Now, the service known as and operated by Bicidorm has no more bikes left to use and nobody knows when they are likely to be replaced. Both regular and new users of the public bicycle service have taken to walking around the city in an attempt to find one of bikes to use as all the usual locations are empty. The company running the service with the concession until October has said it’s trying to obtain a further 200 bicycles.

Bicidorm originally stated that the service would be reactivated by around April 20 but failed to materialise. Now May has arrived, the

WALKING: Benidorm sightseers unable to use Bicidorm bikes

According to a report in the Spanish media, the company say it will be making a further evaluation of the scheme and the future financial investment needed. Thus, the closure of the Bicidorm service will continue for a few more weeks. Without specifying when, Bicidorm said their objective is

to replace the current rental lock-up points, as well as renewing and expanding the fleet of cycles. A major spoke in the wheel to the way forward is with the concession due to be awarded in less than six months, would the company be prepared to invest further sums of money?

Issue 967

INSIDE THIS WEEK ... OVERCOMING THE PAIN

P7 OLD TOWN LOSING ITS IDENTITY

P11 MEET A MULTITALENTED IRISH MUSICIAN

P33

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Residents living with a squatters ‘nightmare’ Photo credit: Lucalicante Wikimedia

A COMMUNITY of owners living in Campello have complained about the general state of a local building caused by a number of squatters. The building is alleged to be full of accumulated rubbish which has attracted a plague of rats in recent times. Since 2015, residents of Vicario Samuel Riquelme have been living what they describe as a ‘nightmare’ due to the health and safety issues at a house on the corner of Calle Fray Juan Tensa in the centre of Campello. According to a report in the Spanish media, locals say the amount of rubbish that has built up is ‘brutal’ and a danger to public health. This has been confirmed by the town council who say that the judicial process has begun in order to expel the squatters. A recent anti-drug raid undertaken by the Guardia Civil showed just how much rubbish had built up both inside and outside the property. A significant amount was also found in the swimming pool, which looks more like a

landfill site full of bottles. In making their formal complaint to the Campello Town Council, the residents state the squatters continually gather in large groups on the pavements, shouting, singing and playing loud music at all hours, as well as throwing rubbish directly from their balcony. It is also alleged that the children in the house, as well as going around ringing doorbells at all hours of the day and night, are responsible for graffiti and other damage to nearby buildings and cars. Many of the neighbours live in fear and don’t dare to confront them due to potential reprisals; a number of the older residents are also afraid to go out into their own street late at night. Campello Town Council say that it has opened a file on the problem and has asked the owners of the property to take charge of the situation. BRUTAL: Beautiful Campello... but not so in one area.

Now cats are found in tank of death FOLLOWING on from the deeply distressing report in last week’s RTN about missing dogs being found dead and mutilated in an open water tank in Muchamiel, the SEPRONA (animal and environment) branch of the Guardia Civil has completed the gruesome task of emptying the pools. Initially, there were three dogs found floating in the green and stagnant water in a farm in Les Penyetes. They had been reported missing by their owner and it was only as a result of a thorough search that they were discovered. The subsequent dredging of the tanks uncovered four cats and half of a dog (one of the four originally reported missing) all in a decomposed state. More than a dozen tubs of rotten,

stinking water, full of algae, was removed in the process and according to a report in the Spanish media, a thick layer of mud is still to be removed from the bottom. The distressed owner of the final missing dog found could only identify her because of the blonde hair and shape of the face. He said that he’ll do whatever it takes to find the culprit(s) behind this and to see them behind bars. However, the Guardia Civil has asked for legal authorisation to take the dog to the University of Murcia to perform a DNA test to prove that it really is their pet. To add to the owner’s misery and upset, the remains of this dog have to remain at the farm in a sealed bag until the judge gives his consent to the request.

Abandoned orange groves destroyed FIREFIGHTERS were called to put out a fire that broke out in a neglected field in Pego. The alarm was raised after flames were spotted at around 5.20pm on Sunday afternoon in the Parque Marjal and three fire engines from Denia were dispatched to the scene. The blaze was eventually extinguished after about 90 minutes and burned a 1,500m2 area of abandoned orange groves.

4th - 10th May

Recycling proposals for train stations Photo credit: Cortes Valencianas

THE Ciudadanos (Cs) political group in the Valencian Government has proposed that recycling locations are installed throughout the train networks. These would include the Metrovalencia in Valencia and the TRAM that operates along the coast between Alicante and Denia. They have asked for the cooperation of the Ministry of Environment and the Valencian Railways authority (FGV) to install similar initiatives to those operating since March in other Spanish cities such as Madrid and Barcelona. The plan is for all stations to have separate collecting bins for paper, cardboard, plastic and cans... the most popular rubbish that currently accumulates in these locations. It is understood that there are currently only two stations with such recycling facilities, both in Valencia City, at Xativa

INITIATIVE: Cs spokesperson Rosa Garcia announces recycling plan. and Plaza de España, and none in the entire railway network of Alicante. The Cs have also included in their proposal the possibility of placing containers for used batteries in the stations should there be enough space to do so.

With more than 74 million passengers using the FGV system during one year alone, the Cs see this as the perfect opportunity of promoting recycling to a wider audience and making them aware of their responsibilities.

Javea death driver asks for release THE car driver from Javea who killed three cyclists almost one year ago, has asked the court if she can leave prison pending her trial which is understood to begin in the autumn. The 29-year-old hit a total of six people on their bikes when she was both drunk and suffering from the effects of drugs; two of them died instantly while a third died in hospital five days later. She had been coming home from a late night out on the N-332 in Oliva, crossed the carriageway and killed the oncoming cyclists. The girl’s legal representative argues in the appeal made to the courts in Valencia that there is no risk that the accused woman will leave the area, and in fact agrees to go every week to the court in Gandia to sign in. He also maintains that the young woman, who lives in La Safor, won’t cause any harm if she is released.

As a result of the incident, Luis Alberto Contreras, 53, and Eduardo Monfort Gasent, 28, died. José Albi, also 28 years old, was transferred by helicopter to the Hospital

Fe de València, but died five days later. The three injured riders were Andres Conteras, Briton Scott Gordon, and Jaime Escortell.

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4th - 10th May

‘Fatal’ painkiller investigated

TWO Romanian men have been arrested in Benidorm and in Socuellamos (Ciudad Real) in connection with a violent robbery. The pair - aged 21 and 43 - are suspected of robbing a woman on Polop de la Marina of £27,000 and €3,000 in cash at the point of what eventually turned out to be a fake gun. The incident took place back in January when the 36-year-old woman was returning home after an afternoon shift in her Benidorm shop. As soon as she got out of her car after parking in her urbanisation and was about to open her garage door she was assaulted by two hooded men at gunpoint. The woman fought back and managed to snatch the gun and throw it away. However, this only caused the robbers to become more violent as they pushed the woman into the back of the car where they attacked and robbed her of the day’s takings that she had in a bag. Officers from the Guardia Civil in Altea began their investigations after the woman gave evidence from her bed in

Photo credit: Guardia Civil

A COSTA BLANCA hospital has urgently requested four years worth of data from the Ministry of Health as part of their investigations into possible deaths following the use of a particular drug. Denia hospital in the Marina Alta is behind the move to find out more about metamizole (or dipyrone), a commonly prescribed painkiller in Spain which is suspected of having fatal consequences for English and Scandinavian patients due to their genetic make-up. The objective of getting hold of more statistics follows up the information that doctors in that particular area have been advised against treating patients of English or Nordic origins with the drug. Those carrying out the study want to compare their medical histories with those of other patients treated in the Marina Alta region during the same four-year period. During the comparisons, they hope to conclude whether there are differences in the reaction of Spanish and English patients to metamizol, and to uncover if the numbers that suffer from a sudden drop in white blood cells are more prevalent in the latter. According to the Spanish media, in 30 per cent of the cases studied so far when the patient has died after taking metamizole, the recipient of the drug was from England or Scandinavia. However, side effects - such as inflammation of the kidney, blisters on the skin or a drastic drop in blood pressure - are classified as ‘very rare’ and can affect less than one in 10,000 patients; a rate that increases in the foreign population.

Violent gun robbers detained

TOOLS: Suspected Benidorm attacker’s vehicle after arrest.

Villajoyosa hospital where she was being treated for her injuries. She told them they were two foreign men in their 30’s but couldn’t see their faces. After returning to the scene and finding the exact replica gun that had been discarded, neighbours told investigators that a suspicious vehicle had been loitering around the area on the day of the attack.

Officers shortly found the vehicle in Benidorm where the 43-year-old was arrested, and inside they found several tools and a head covering. T he other man, a resident of Finestrat, had f led from his home when the Guardia Civil arrived but was traced to an address in Ciudad Real where he was staying with relatives.

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4th - 10th May Photo credit: Wikipedia

MARINE LIFE: Finback whales seen in abundance off Denia and Javea.

A whale of a time begins by Darren Parmenter FINDINGS released in a report from the Valencian Government on marine activity off their coast ranged from the number of whales sighted to the amount of boats stopped for speeding. As May gets underway, it’s traditionally the time when whales begin to appear and sailors in the waters off Denia and Javea are likely to be the first to report their arrival if last year’s figures are anything to go by. As reported by Toni Martinez, responsible for the

coastguard service at Cabo San Antonio, this is the area that seems to attract whales. Of the 134 reported sightings last year, 73 were off that particular coastline, with the Cabo itself witnessing 55 alone. It’s more than common to discover the odd one or even a pair of these finback whales (the second biggest of the species after the blue whale) but, as Martinez revealed when speaking to the Spanish media, they have already seen groups of up to seven together. A number of species such as rorqual, sperm and pilot

whales are often joined by bottlenose and striped dolphins, sea turtles and moonfish. During the same presentation, Denia’s councillor for the Environment, Josep Crespo, revealed data connected with the surveillance and monitoring of ships using the waters. Whilst in 2016, a total of 1,358 boats were intercepted which were sailing faster than permitted, last year the total had dropped drastically to 723 after tougher measures were taken on repeat offenders. The numbers of boats anchoring illegally in the marine reserve has also reduced in a year from 795 to 453.

School in tree replanting project A NUMBER of students attending the Lady Elisabeth School have taken part in a tree replanting scheme on the Urbanisation Cumbre del Sol in Benitachell. Exactly 100 trees were added to the area as part of an initiative org a n i s e d b y t h e VA P F G r o u p w h o

not only provided the saplings, they laid on the buses available to take the schoolchildren to the plots. In addition, they were each given a bag of seeds to plant at home, with the instruction that it was important to ‘sow life for the future.’

Calpe death fall A 50-YEAR-OLD man has died after suffering a fall on the Peñon de Ifach in Calpe. The circumstances that led to the man’s death have not been officially released but it’s understood that he fell from near the top of the iconic mountain onto a path below. However, it’s unlikely that the truth will be known as the man was alone at the time of the incident and there were no witnesses. A rescue helicopter was originally dispatched to the scene from its Benissa HQ when the victim was found, but the medical personnel on board could do nothing to save the man’s life.

4th - 10th May

by Mark Rogers VOLUNTEERS made up of residents from Ondara and El Verger combined to clear up more than 400 kilos of waste from rivers wending their way through their respective municipalities. The local turnout was part of a wider initiative which took place in at least 30 municipalities in the Valencian community last Sunday organised by the Limne Foundation.

In total, around 10 tons of waste was removed made up of 264 kilos from the Rio Alberca in Ondara and another 150 kilos in the Rio Girona in El Verger. Around 20 people helped in Ondara where 26 bags of general rubbish were collected alongside 50 kilos of what was described as ‘bulky’ waste. In nearby El Verger, 15 people gave up their time to clear up not only the river but a number of the municipality’s green areas, finding paper, plastic, bottles and cans.

They were able to fill around 30 industrial-sized bags. Ondara’s and El Verger’s Environment councillors, Pedro Picornell and Luis Poquet respectively, have both publicly thanked all those who have taken part for caring about their community. In the case of El Verger, this is the second year that the bed of the Rio Girona has been cleaned and this year not only saw more kilos removed... but also more volunteers keen to help at the same time.

Overcoming the pain SAM KELLY, the managing partner of Costa Blanca based Chorus Financial, ran the London Marathon alongside his friend Andrew Wakely. Andrew is a serving police officer, father of Harry and Summer and suffers from Multiple Sclerosis. The condition causes foot drop and severe numbness in his right leg and foot, meaning Andrew can only run short distances, and with the support of a leg brace. Sam said after the race, “When I discovered that Andy had signed up to this challenge alone, I contacted the MS Society to see if they could get me a last minute charity place. Completing 26.2 miles on the hottest day of the London Marathon’s history was an immense challenge, and I couldn’t be more proud of him. He’s a seriously determined guy and it was great to get over that finish line together.” Friends since they first met in school aged five, Sam and Andrew have raised a combined £6,000 for the MS Society.

TRIUMPHANT: Andy and Sam.

CLEANER: Rio Girona that passes through El Verger gave up many kilos of rubbish.

Photo credit: Espencat Wikimedia

400 kilos of river rubbish removed

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NATIONAL

4th - 10th May

ACCORDING to a Royal Decree passed in the Spanish parliament, there may no longer be a legal requirement for telecommunications companies to provide public phone boxes. The decision has been taken because, basically, they are rarely being used as more and more people of all ages use various mobile technologies. Up until now, businesses providing telephone services have been obliged to provide sufficient phone boxes and also to provide free directories to all homes and businesses. The new Royal Decree suggests that neither will be mandatory by the end of this year at the very latest. According to the text of the law, ‘The generalisation of use and coverage of mobile phone services means usage of telephone boxes has fallen considerably in the last few years’. It’s also been noted that there has been no operator service available for a number of years as it’s considered to be obsolete as people find other ways to get their information. The new regulations - still to be officially signed into law - will now no longer force companies to set up networks in a number of rural areas, even though it’s not been financially viable. There are still 18,000 telephone boxes operating in Spain but according to a report in the Spanish media, some 12,000 are costing more money to run than they bring in. A recent survey by the CNMC found that 88 per cent of people living in Spain had never once used a public phone box, and Telefonica estimates that around half of the country’s public phone booths have never been used.

The end of Benidorm... Photo credit: Twitter @DerrenLitten

No call for phone boxes

by Darren Parmenter THE popular IT V series has finished. The final episode of series 1 1 d u e t o a i r l a s t We d n e s d a y evening will be the last ever shown... or will it? Back in March, stories in the UK media sug gested that I T V hadn’t commissioned a new series and predictions of its demise were r i d i c u l e d b y t h e s h o w ’s c r e a t o r Derren Litten who took to Twitter to show his annoyance on the night of the first episode of the run that has just finished. “Apparently The Sun are running a stor y tomorrow on how #Benidorm has been cancelled. Don’t make me f*****g laugh (I enjoyed that story after series 6. And 7 and 8 and 9…).” At the time, the Daily Express repor ted that an I T V spokesperson h a d to l d t h e m “ S e r i e s 1 0 i s c u r rently on air and no decisions h av e b e e n m a d e re a f u r t h e r s e ries.” And so it was no surprise to some, and a shock to others, when Litten again took to Twitter at the w e e k e n d to s ay : “C ra z y to t h i n k Wednesday will be the last episode of Benidorm! I created the series

CREATOR: Benidorm’s creator off to the BBC?

over 11 years ago, wrote it, guest starred in it and ended up directing it. It’s difficult to think what else there is to do! Thank you for watching!” However, Litten’s post doesn’t actually say it will be the last EVER episode... so anything’s possible, although there have been no

known casting calls for a new ser ies that would ’ve taken place in Benidorm by now and filming started on series 12. There are suggestions in the UK media that Litten is working on a comedy ser ies for the r ival BBC , set in a karaoke bar in Scarborough.

4th - 10th May

Old town losing its identity FOR as long as anyone can re m e m b e r, a v i s i t to B e n i d o r m ’s o l d to w n could be guaranteed to deliver a completely different atmosphere from that of its livelier counterpart c l o s e r to t h e R i n co n d e Loix. Whether it be the popul a r ‘ Ta p a s A l l e y ’ o r t h e long narrow streets that include a few dozen bars a n d re s t a u ra n t s , w h i c h a re e s p e c i a l l y p o p u l a r with the LGBT communit y, i t co u l d a l w ay s b e g u a ra n te e d to b e a n e s cape from the more tradit i o n a l U K to u r i s t l o c a tions in the new town. However, recent reports suggest that all is not well in the old town. Dur ing part of their regular visits to Benidorm, one particul a r co u p l e fe l t u n e a s y when sitting outside one of their usual haunts and were shocked to exper ience foul language, abuse and homophobic comments coming from nearby premises which have recently been taken over by groups celebrating hen and stag parties. Bars that would only up until a couple of years ago be almost completely full of LGBT people of all ages, are now seeing more a n d m o re h e te ro s e x u a l people coming down from the new town as word has got around that ‘it’s good fun in the old town in the gay bars!’ It’s probably a credit to those bars that they have suddenly become attractive to a wider audience,

Photo credit: Kolforn Wikimedia

INVADED: Benidorm’s old town is a magnet for hens and stags.

but slowly and surely it’s b e g u n to a l i e n ate t h e i r regular customers - both tour ists and residents who have decided to look elsewhere for their holiday or simply stay indoors h av i n g a d r i n k w i t h friends instead. One of many dozens of comments on a Benidorm Facebook forum sums up the opinions of many. “We love the old town and are booked to go in July; if we encounter any stags and hens behaving badly, we will not be going back.” Another posted: “ T his behaviour will spoil the old town big style. Please will someone put a stop to it?”

Owners of one of the established gay bars in the a re a co m m e n te d o n t h e p o s t s s ay i n g t h at t h e y don’t actively encourage such people to come, but at the same time stating t h at a m a j o r i t y o f t h e h e n s a n d s t a g s a re w e l l behaved and don’t cause t ro u b l e w h e n h av i n g a good time. Unfortunately, one group ’s idea of a good time becomes a nightmare for o t h e r s w h o a re u s e d to s i m p l y g o i n g o u t fo r a drink and a chat and being among members of their own community. It will be a very sad day i f B e n i d o r m l o s e s t h at charm and attraction.

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4th - 10th May

Locals make a noise after rock festival park that had been used to stage the event. Residents who attended a plenary meeting of the town council waited from 7pm until midnight in order to pose their questions to the Councillor for Youth, Javier Martinez, and reminded him that the nearest home is approximately 60 metres away from the stage, closer than many of those who went to the rock festival. They explained that they were unable to sleep thanks to the high decibel levels, and to make matters worse then had to endure rubbish strewn in their streets and also had areas where people had urinated or vomited. Speaking to the Spanish media, one local resident said: “It seems that the council is not aware of how ridiculous it is to hold a rock concert in the middle of town!”

Oh Mandy, aren't you the lucky one! Credit: Barry Duke/Benigraphica

AS reported in RTN issue 965, a controversial rock festival held in San Vicente del Raspeig resulted in a high number of complaints from local residents about the excessive noise and the resulting debris left by the concert goers. Now, and thanks to the power of the local people and as a result of a petition being started, the town council have been forced to rethink their plans of holding further music events in the same location. Marearock was held during April 13 and 14 as part of the end of the local fiestas. Around 6,000 people attended the twoday event, of which 5,000 were there on the Saturday. On the Monday morning, the complaints began to arrive at the town hall, not only about the concert but from university students who were unable to access the car

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by Barry Duke A BENIDORM woman has been reunited with her handbag - almost three months after it was nicked! W hen Benidorm resident Mandy Wilkinson had her handbag stolen about three months ago, she was devastated. She wasn’t too concerned about the small amount of cash it contained, but in it there were items far more important: her SIP national health card, her residencia and NIE certificates, a bank card, and her mobile phone. Then last Wednesday she received the shock of her life. The bag was returned to her by post, together with a letter from the Local Police. “I wasn’t expecting a parcel,” said Mandy, who works for the popular Café 23 in Benidorm’s old town, “so I was mystified when the postman left a notice at my home, saying that I needed to collect an item from the local post office. “I was gobsmacked when I opened the big padded envelope and saw my handbag. Everything was still in it, except that cash. I’d like to give the Local Police a big shout-out for having returned it to me. “People often criticise the police in

VERY HAPPY: Mandy reunited with her bag. Benidorm but I think they do a great job, and the return of my bag proves it.” Mandy went on to advise people, be they locals or holidaymakers, to report all losses or thefts to the police. “Most

people don’t bother, thinking it’s too much of a hassle. But I did report the theft, and although it took weeks for the bag to be returned, reporting it proved to be well worth the effort.”

4th - 10th May

A popular post on Facebook reaching 13,400 people with 68 reactions ITV series Benidorm airs final episode this week Steven Tanner First few were funny but it lost its way in the middle a bit and the less said about the recent ones the better! Pamela Platt Don’t watch it anymore, was funny at first but now ridiculous.

@RTNNewspaper Most liked posts from this week • Costa Blanca camping crackdown spreads to more towns • Student appeals for information after racial abuse on train

Opinion piece Credit: Number 10

HAVE YOUR SAY

by John Smith REGARDLESS of their political leanings or vote in the Brexit referendum, few people can be happy with the current situation with less than a year to go to the ‘divorce’. The Conservative Party made a number of errors of assumption both in the decision to call the referendum and also to call a snap election, which resulted in them having to rely on the seven Sinn Fein MPs not taking their seats and the 10 Democratic Unionists agreeing (for a price) to support the government. There seems to be no positive cohesion with an initially anti-Brexit prime minister being forced to implement the referendum result with a split party and cabinet and an actively hostile House of Lords. Already in the past few days, the cabinet was unable to agree on strategy concerning the Customs Union and 60 conservative MPs have apparently warned the prime minister that they will destroy the government if she doesn’t tow the Brexit line. The Labour Party certainly hasn’t been at the forefront of genuine opposition and is embroiled in its own problems with accusations

THERESA MAY: With Robert Azevedo, Director of World Trade Organisation.

of anti-Semitic bias so is certainly not covering itself in particular glory. Ireland may prove to be a complete roadblock as the DUP is totally opposed to continuing an open border whilst the Republic, and it appears the EU, want to ensure an ease of passage between the north and south. Nearer to our Spanish home is the fate of Gibraltar which is far from clear. Lo-

• ITV Series Benidorm airs final episode this week • Costa Blanca joins in ‘wolf pack’ protests • Man arrested over alleged WhatsApp sex offences

In Total 18,339 people reached 7,084 reactions

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News & Views from the North & South Costa Blanca & Costa de Sol

cally, the government there and the neighbouring Spanish communities want to preserve the status quo as Gibraltar is the second largest employer of Spanish staff in the area. There are still people alive who remember the closing of the border during the Spanish Civil War and even more who remember the Franco closure that went on for so many years therefore,

All adverts must be prepaid whether they are placed at our offices, by email or fax, or via our sales team. The advertisers full name, address and ID number must be supplied (not for publication). RTN does not accept any responsibility for claims made by advertisers, either in advertisements or advertorials, nor can it be held responsible for any inaccuracies, errors, or the nonappearance of advertisements or advertorials. This publisher cannot accept responsibility for any errors as a result of poor quality artwork or logos supplied by advertisers and no responsibility is accepted for any loss or damage caused by any error or inaccuracy or non-appearance of an advertisement or advertorial. Every effort will be made to ensure the authenticity and accuracy of articles and advertisements in this publication, however the publisher does not accept responsibility for claims or opinions in the same. The publisher does not accept responsibility for opinions expressed by readers in the ‘Mailbox’ section of this newspaper. Reproduction of any part of this newspaper without the consent of the publishers is prohibited.E:&O.E. All rights reserved/Todos los derechos reservados Edita : RTN Publishing and Media SL

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whilst the Gibraltarians want a relationship with Spain for numerous reasons, they are very wary about any direct involvement with the Spanish government. The current Spanish Foreign Minister Dastis is far wilier than his predecessor Margallo and wants to reach agreement to share the air terminal which is built on ‘disputed’ land. The airstrip itself is an

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RAF base, controlled by the UK Ministry of Defence but it would be economically and politically attractive to the Spanish to be able to share the terminal and in fact if it was wasn’t for the inbuilt distrust of Spain, it could be to the advantage of Gibraltar as well. Hopefully this is all the equivalent of a bad dress rehearsal with a decent first night still to come.

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4th - 10th May

Eagle-eyed officials find fake specs INSPECTIONS that took place following the arrival of goods in the port of Alicante highlighted ir regular i ties in one par t icular shipment... and uncovered a major batch of counterfeit spectacles. A total of 701 pairs of a well-known brand fake glasses have been seized in an operation under taken b y t h e G u a rd i a C i v i l a n d t h e S p a n i s h Ta x A g e n c y, and they were found hidden among 3,500 genuine sets from the same company. According to a statement from the Guardia Civil, the value of the fakes would be worth over €21,000. T he batch was found dur ing a routine customs check in one of the Alicante por t warehouses, and the tests tr y to verify that what is officially de-

Photo credit: Guardia Civil

UNCOVERED: Fakes hidden among real pairs of glasses.

clared in the documentation is correct and that the goods are legal. In one of the inspections, the officials concentrated on several packages of a shipment from China to Algeria. According to

the paperwork, the exporter declared there were 3,500 units of glasses of different brands, valued at around €4,300. Some of the pairs were taken for analysis and it was then detected that several

could be forgeries, and mixed in with the originals to make their detection much more difficult. T he intended re cipient of the glasses in Algeria has been traced and is currently being investigated.

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Free prescriptions for more THE Valencian Government has approved a decree that will allow unemployed people to be exempt from paying for their medication. At a recent plenary session, the motion to regulate the existing co-payment schemes now eliminates the laws imposed by central government back in 2012 that many saw as obstacles leading to a series of ‘medical abuses’ across the country. This was highlighted during the announcement of the new measures by the vice-president of the Valencian Government, Monica Oltra, who also stressed that all the grants previously approved had ‘very positive effects’ on patients. Beforehand, the cost of medication caused many to simply not visit their doctors or once they realised the charges, paid them once and never asked for repeat prescriptions. This was having consequences on the health of many in the community. However, 40 per cent more low-income pensioners now stick to their courses of treatment. The recent decree includes a budget for €10 million for 2018 to cover the cost of medications for the unemployed, and those receiving unemployment benefit. It will also include those who no longer qualify for such benefits, some of which are automatically stopped after a set length of time. It is estimated that in the Valencian Community 220,468 unemployed people will now have access to free medication.

4th - 10th May

REPRESENTATIVES from both the Valencian and Alicante tourism authorities have taken p a r t i n a t r a v e l f a i r, a n d a r e l o o k i n g t o i n crease the number of transatlantic flights. The ‘Routes Europa 2018’ fair - one of the largest of its type in Europe which brings together delegates from airlines, airports and tourism organisations - has been held in Bilbao in northern Spain. Therefore, one of the main aims of the regional and provincial tourism departments has been to work on Alicante-Elche airport being able to offer direct routes to the USA (New York) and Canada (Toronto), something that has been seen as ‘unfinished business’ for such a popular airport. In fact, Alicante-Elche has links to more than 100 European and North African destinations but none with Asia or America. Speaking to the Spanish media, Director General of Tourism Raquel Huete emphasises that “this event enables contact to be established between airports and airlines and is of great interest to the Valencian community.” Meetings took place with Air Fransat (Canada), Austrian Airlines (Austria), S7 (Russia), easyJet, SAS (Scandinavia), United (USA), Qatar Airways, Jet2.com and Delta Airlines to expand their services to the popular Costa Blanca airport. Delta previously had a direct weekly flight between Manises-Valencia and New York several years ago but has subsequently stopped.

Photo credit: Pinterest

Transatlantic flights to Alicante planned

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by Darren Parmenter THE increasing trend in a number of countries across the world of setting up co-housing communities is planned to arrive in the Alicante Province. Four groups are already looking for land on which to build self-managed housing projects, one of which will be for elderly people to grow old among friends, and at the same time to look for alternatives to traditional and accepted geriatric treatments. Similar schemes - especially popular in Denmark - see people responding to this different way of life which sees them leave the solitude of living on their own, relying on their families, or ending up in a nursing home. The framework for setting up these co-existence projects is well under way although only at the discussion stage. The plans for Alicante are for four different projects, one of which is for senior citizens, and according to the Spanish media, the approximate cost of the new houses will be around €100,000. The project has already captured the imagination of many in Alicante, one of whom said that times have changed in Spain and that “we can’t expect our children to take care of us as we get older like they used to.” It is understood that there already exists around six or seven co-housing communities in Spain - compared to the 150 in Denmark - but those responsible for the project see that the time is now

FUTURE: An example of a co-housing project in Austria.

Co-housing communities come closer right to promote the benefits of such schemes. The initiative also recognises that today’s elderly and retired citizens are fitter and healthier than their counterparts a generation ago and have had different life experiences. Thus, the co-

housing properties will have modern technology fitted and even sporting facilities incorporated as part of their design to reflect a new ‘third age’ of the population... and gone are the days of just old person’s day trips and handicraft lessons.

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NATIONAL

4th - 10th May

March on anniversary of Brexit referendum

Photo credit: Pxhere

ONE of the groups that represent UK citizens living in Spain in respect of the ongoing Brexit negotiations is supporting a major march that is planned for London next month. Bremain in Spain is fully behind the march that has been organised by Open Britain, Britain for Europe and European Movement, who are all calling for a further referendum on any final Brexit agreement between the UK and the European Union (EU). The date of the demonstration is June 23 - the second anniversary of the referendum and will be the launch pad of a number of similar events organised by pro-European groups across both the UK and Europe. The London demonstration will see the 10 major pro-EU organisations together for the first time, all of whom are campaigning for a final say on any agreement. Chair of Bremain in Spain, Sue Wilson, said: “Throughout the UK, campaigners are talking to members of the public - on the streets, in their homes, at work. There’s increasing support for the public to have the final say on the Brexit deal, from both leave and remain voters alike. “Those who voted to leave the EU did so for a variety of reasons, many not even related to the EU but to UK government policies. We all know so much more now, me included, about what leaving the customs union or the single market might mean for the country. “Surely, we all deserve an opportunity to evaluate whatever deal is on the table, and to make a more informed decision now that the facts are becoming apparent.”

Dads exceed the mums for baby leave by Carol Palmer ACCORDING to figures released by the Spanish Social Security office, paternity leave has exceeded the maternity equivalent this year for the first time ever. During the first quarter of 2018, applications for maternity leave totalled 62,832 which represented a drop of 8.1 per cent during the same period last year. This compares to claims from the male counterparts that rose to 64,505 for the first three months of the year, which was also a fall of 4.8 per cent year on year. The Ministry of Employment says that these latest figures show a “clear cultural change” in modern childcare among families. However, the actual amounts of money paid out continue to be higher for mothers as they are entitled to four months off from work compared to just four weeks for the fathers. Maternity pay for the first quarter of 2018 totalled €363.6 million (an increase of 0.9 per cent year on

BONDING: Fathers now get double the leave in a baby’s early days.

year), whilst paternity pay came to €101.9 million... up by 28 per cent. Much of the latter amount can be explained because for the first quarter of 2017, fathers were only allowed two weeks off to look after newborns (or newly-adopted children), a figure that doubled from January 1 this year. Both maternity and paternity is

100 per cent of the applicant’s salary and is paid directly from the social security budget. Paid time off is also available for workers who take career breaks to care for dependent children, including foster or adoptive children and those of other families , such as nieces and nephews if their own parents are unable to do so.

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21

Betrayed by corporate media

by Michael Walsh

keyboardcosmetics@gmail.com ACCORDING to one of Germany’s most respected journalists EU media is in the pockets of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and spins news in a way that supports American interests. This was conceded by former CIA Director William Colby, who, before he died in mysterious circumstances, said, “The CIA owns everyone of any significance in the major media.” Corporate and state-controlled broadcasters and print media publish government press releases after they are sexed up as news stories. Any journalist who wants to keep his job knows you don’t question the validity of political spin he is obliged to add his name to. Udo Ulfkotte, 56, (deceased) was editor of Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, Germany’s largest, most serious news weekly. He wrote in his suppressed bestseller Gekaufte Journalisten, “I’ve been a journalist for about 25 years, and I’ve been educated

Credit: Number 10 flickr

A UNITED CABINET: At Chequers. to lie, to betray, and not to tell the truth to the public. I was supported by the Central Intelligence Agency, the CIA because I was (then) pro-American.” European and British public opinion is becoming more and more fed up with what they increasingly perceive as a rigged media. Letters to the Daily Mail

are mostly scornful of the paper’s anti-Russian rhetoric. Glenn Greenwald’s investigative website exposed CIA leverage; some might even say friendship, with media in order t o d i s c r e d i t G a r y We b b , t h e American journalist who uncovered CIA cocaine trafficking as part of the Iran-Contra scandal

of the 1980’s. CIA Directorate of Intellig e n c e s t a ff e r N i c h o l a s D u j movic described the agency as having ‘a ground base of already productive relations with journalists.’ The agency’s public affairs officers watched with relief as the largest newspapers in the United

States rescued the agency from disaster, but, in the process, destroyed the reputation of an award-winning reporter. Neil Clark is one of Britain’s great journalists and broadcasters. Breaking ranks instead of breaking news, he says, “In all my years in journalism, I have never felt so ashamed of my profession as in the last four weeks. The job of the journalist is to ask questions. Their task is to find out the truth, to be absolutely fearless in following leads wherever they may take you. “Today in Britain, political journalism means just parroting the official war lobby’s line. It soon became apparent that the government narrative on Salisbury had more holes in it than a slab of Swiss cheese. “But we were all expected, like the good little townsfolk in Hans Christian Andersen’s The Emperor's New Clothes, not to notice. “Newspapers and magazines which should have been holding Theresa May and Boris Johnson to account did nothing of the sort. Suppositions were reported, day after day, as proven fact.”

Mike Walsh’s opinions are his own and do not necessarily represent the views of the publishers advertisers or sponsors.

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SPOTLIGHT ON CALPE

4th - 10th May

vv

N-332 car blaze

Photo credit: Tamorlan Wikimedia

FIREFIGHTERS were called to put out a vehicle fire on the N-332 as it passes through Calpe. The fire broke out in a car coming from Altea, and forced the busy coastal road to be closed while the incident was dealt with at around 10am on Tuesday morning. According to reports, the highend car was driven by an Eastern European who tried to extinguish the fire that was coming from the engine himself, before calling for extra help.

Future of the Baños set for referendum M AYOR o f C a l p e , C e s a r S a n c h e z , h a s p ro p o s e d holding a referendum if a solution for the Baños de la Reina cannot be agreed within the town council. He has asked the opposition to show responsibility to enable an agreement to be reached, which will allow the opportunity to preser ve the Baños de la Reina and make them the focal point for promoting future cultural tourism. The site’s preser vation has been a dream for some time, even more so since the Supreme Cour t has re co g n i s e d t h at t h e landowners have the right to build on the area. Speaking to the Spanish medi a , Mayor Sanchez said: “If after a reasonable time there is no political agreement or a consensus AGREEMENT: Future of the Baños might be in the hands of the people.

with the entire council, I will ask the Ministr y of the Interior to call a referendum.” It will then be down to the local people to vote on the different options for the future, but as Sanchez pointed out it is necessary

to find a solution before that point. “It is not a problem for the cur rent gover ning team. It concerns ever yone and will do for many more ye ars ahead,” he s a id . “ T h is is a s u b j e c t that should occupy the minds of all those who have aspirations to govern in the future.” Making the

r i g ht decision now will prevent issues in the future. The commitment to this project is proof that the cur rent gover ning team lead by Sanchez wants to focus on a different type of tourism and to attract more visitors out of the traditional summer season.

Rock limit enforced STAFF who monitor the Peñon de Ifach in Calpe h ave h ad to l i m i t t h e numbers of people that can be given access to the path that leads to t h e to p o f t h e m o u n tain that dominates the municipality. Such is the popularit y o f t h e c l i m b t h at measures have had to be taken in the interests of health and safety. The recommended number of hikers permitted to use the official track which was reopened two years ago at any one time is 150.

4th - 10th May

Q A

legal We are planning our summer holidays – can I take my children overseas without my ex-partner’s permission?

You must get permission before travelling with minors. The LUXEMBOURG AGREEMENT protects minors against the legal kidnapping of a minor by a relative, in the case when a custody or visitation order has been violated, if a child is taken to a foreign country.

This means that when both parents have joint custody of a minor, the written consent of the other parent must be given, in order to leave Spain. This can be done by a notarised letter in which the non-travelling parent accepts the trip of the minors for a fixed period of time.

If you have any further questions about this or any other legal matter please do not hesitate to contact us; we have a team of experts standing by to assist you in any way we can. Call 965 480 737 or email info@pellicerheredia.com. Videos at www.pellicerheredia.com

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4th - 10th May

money Photo credit: Olivier Sanz y Sauzet Wikimedia

IN a further sign that more people are using modern technology and online banking, more than 15,000 people now live in Alicante Province municipalities without a bank. According to a report by IVIE, the number of local areas that don’t have a single branch of any bank increased from 24 to 41 during the financial crisis; and the report makes it clear that there is scope for further closures in the future. The absence of the only bank in the town has especially affected a high number of the elderly Spanish population who have few, if any, computer skills to be able to access online services as the younger members of society do as a matter of routine. In some localities, the bank closed and left an ATM in the branch. However, this wasn’t always a solution to the problem and was highlighted by the mayor of Benilloba, Ana Delia Gisbert, who said that “half the time it didn’t work or it regularly ran out of money. Market traders suffered be-

ISOLATED: Benilloba finally got its bank back.

Thousands without a local bank branch cause people who were passing through took the cash out rather than locals. “Some even relied on their family members bringing them spending money when they visited at the weekends.” Her public statements at the time resulted in the Caja Rural

opening a branch in the municipality last December. The numbers in the Alicante Province without a local bank have doubled since the start of the crisis a decade ago from 7,000 to more than 15,500. In Spain as a whole, the total number is estimated

at 1,256,590... a 34 per cent increase in the past 10 years. The report also highlights that despite the bank closures - 45 per cent of Alicante branches since 2008 - there are still more banks in Spain than in any other European country.

Supermarkets plan 24-hour service IN a bid to attract customers to change their supermarket shopping habits, big names Carrefour and Dia are planning to open overnight. Their target is rival Mercadona who currently hold the largest market share... at the moment. Carrefour and Dia are in second and third place respectively but have made the decision to be more aggressive competitively. In this case, they plan to open longer hours to cater for customers who have more time to shop at night... such as shift workers. Already Carrefour has around a dozen 24-hour ‘express-type’ stores in Madrid, and whilst they are very small in comparison to their main supermarkets, they plan to open more of these in the region. Until now, the only region in Spain where retailers can make their own decisions in choosing their opening hours is Madrid; a concession usually only granted to the areas of the country regarded as tourism zones. Despite having to increase staff numbers and pay them extra for inconvenient hours, the costs of keeping the store open 24 hours a day do not increase significantly, and manager of Carrefour, Ignacio Cobo, is convinced that overnight opening ‘pays its way’.

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4th - 10th May

Advertising Feature

Enhance and transform your home with the wood experts FOR more than a decade, leading wood experts BricoMaderWood, have been providing clients with quality, unique wooden products to transform and enhance their home. Based in Ondara, this Dutch-run company prides itself on high quality products at very competitive prices. The wood is sourced directly from Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Baltic countries where there is an important timber industry. You can purchase most types of wood at the store at very reasonable prices. The store has ready-cut lengths of timber available; around 130m3 in stock and 45 different sizes of beams, planks or boards, making it amongst the biggest quality selection in the Alicante/Valencia area, or you can have it cut to the size you require at no extra cost. In fact, you’ll find everything you need from simple shelves to terrace decking and even complete kits for elegant pergolas. BricoMaderWood also provides a delivery service across Spain and they can arrange to send skilled carpenters along to

SOME OF THE WORK: BricoMaderWood has undertaken in the past.

assemble the woodwork if you don’t want the hassle of ‘doing-it-yourself’ if you are in the Alicante/Valencia area. Buying wood in Spain can sometimes be hit and miss because it is not always durable, but BricoMaderWood supplies resilient timber (available in green or brown and also thermo-treated pine timber; the hardest pine version), which is specially

treated to Scandinavian standards to with stand the elements and destructive pests. But it is not just the outside you can transform. Are you fed up with seeing boring cement walls and tiled floors? Wood panelling and parquet flooring look stunning and are quite simple to install; Richard will offer his exper-

tise and professionalism to assist you in finding what you are looking for. Gazebos can really make your garden or terrace a more usable and attractive space. Whatever you need, it is more than likely that they can assist and their wide range of services include free cutting to size, professional advice, mounting and fixing service at sensible and economic prices. They can measure and produce carports, gazebos and other coverings as well as decking and external stairs. In addition BricoMaderWood is an expert in the production and mounting of ceiling, wall and floorboards. In actual fact, most requirements can either be supplied from stock or can be made to customer order and they are open 10am to 7pm Monday to Friday and 10am to 1pm on Saturday. BricoMaderWood Avenida Alacant 67, Ondara, Tel: +34 618 056 650 Email info@bricomaderwood.com. Website www.bricomaderwood.com.

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4th - 10th May

Home is where the hurt is

by Barry Duke

legs knocked out from under me by an unopened six-litre bottle of water. I was doing some washing up in the kitchen when I heard an almighty bang, and was sent sprawling. It took me a few seconds to realise that a ferocious gust of wind had blown open the utility room door. This in turn propelled the bottle into the back of my knees, and I came crashing down onto the tiled floor. I could well have become another A&E statistic, but luckily I got away with just a lump on the forehead and two aching legs. Sadly, at 71, I don’t bounce as easily as I once did as a youth. I’m fortunate enough to have required A&E attention only twice. The first was when I sat on a scalpel I was using to cut out some images from a magazine for an arts project. I laid it down on my sofa, got up to make a cuppa, then - on my return - parked my rear on the thing. I simply could not believe how much blood came out of my gashed left buttock. Clearly it need-

Credit Barry Duke/Benigrafica

INJURIES we suffer are invariably caused by stupidity, negligence or sheer bad luck. And dozens of reports published by accident and emergency departments across the globe indicate that people are more likely to be hurt in their homes than in any other location. Kitchens and bathrooms are particularly dangerous. Think slippery wet floors, sharp knives, boiling pots and lots of pointy things. I’ve never been able to decide whether it was stupidity, negligence, bad luck or a combination of all three that resulted in an English vicar getting a potato jammed up his rear. Reports at the time this was back in 2008 - revealed he was admitted to a Sheffield A&E department. The man, in his 50’s, explained to incredulous staff that, while naked, he was hanging curtains in his kitchen when he toppled backwards and landed on the vegetable. I certainly know that bad luck caused the bumps and bruises I sustained last week when I had my

THE VICAR: Nearly had his chips!

ed stitches. When I arrived at the hospital with a towel duct-taped to my derriere, a West Indian nurse asked me what the problem was. “Promise you won’t laugh if I tell you,” I said. “No mon, I doesn’t laugh at hurt people,” she assured me. So I told her, and she laughed Photo credit: Espencat Wikimedia

MR NASH: The caretaker (Richard Herriott) taking too much interest in his work.

Are You Being Served? IT has been reported in the UK press that a theatre in Hull has banned a production of Are You Being Served for being demeaning to women. Fortunately, the good people of Careline Theatre are not so politically correct. They will be performing this ever-popular TV comedy, complete with all the risqué jokes, innuendo and over-the-top characters, at their theatre in Alcalali in May. After finishing the German products week, the staff of Grace Bros are off on holiday to Spain whilst the store is being redecorated. Mrs Slocomb, as always, is concerned about

her pussy. The one-star hotel in Spain cannot accommodate them all (surely not the Spain we know) so some of them have to sleep elsewhere. Mistaken bed-hopping, upset tummies, creepy crawlies and a revolution (definitely not the Spain we know) make for a crazy time. Dates are Wednesday May 16 to Saturday May 19 at 8pm. Tickets are €12 with a 10 per cent discount for pre-paid groups of 10 or more. Contact the box office on 605 181 726 or email care lineboxoffice@gmail.com.

so hard she had to sit down. Four hours and eight stitches later I was good to go. This, clearly, was a case of stupidity. The second incident was definitely down to bad luck. I was securing a bag of groceries to the back of my motorcycle when a car

reversed into the bike, and it toppled over. The full weight of it came down on my left ankle, snapping it like a twig. Despite the excruciating pain, I managed to ride my 750cc Honda to the nearest A&E, a distance of around 11 miles, and spent five months in a plaster cast. Around the same period I was sharing my house in Wembley with a young American doctor who worked at a hospital in central London - so he didn’t have far to go to be treated when he was injured in a fall sustained as he was trying to flee from what he believed was a lynch mob. The incident occurred when the medic was asked by a nurse to notify a West Indian family that a relative - an elderly woman - had died. He duly called the woman’s son, who arrived around 4am with a large contingent of heartbroken relatives. There was much wailing and gnashing of teeth. Just then, a grumpy old woman shuffled into the melee, demanding to know what all the noise was about. She was the ‘dead’ patient. One relative shrieked “ghost!” and fainted. The doc had accidentally been handed the wrong paperwork. Furious family members then advanced on him bellowing threats and waving fists, and in his rush to avoid being beaten to a pulp, he fell down a flight of stairs. Stupidity? Negligence? Bad luck? I’ll leave it to you to decide.

4th - 10th May

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AR verb endings in the present simple Basic Spanish for everyday needs

by Jane Cronin

FOR the next few weeks we are going to be looking at how Spanish verbs work in the ‘present simple’ tense. This tense is used in both English and Spanish to express general truths about the world, or about routines and regular occurrences. It is also used in Spanish to express instant decisions about the immediate future: for example ‘te llamo’ literally means ‘I call you’, when in English we would say ‘I’ll call you.’ There are other small differences in use, but they need not concern us at the moment. As I have already said, the fundamental difference between verbs in our two languages is that in Spanish the words themselves alter to give various kinds of information including ‘person’ (I, you, he, she, it, we, they), whereas in English we use separate words to provide this information. However, it is very important to realise that, even though they might ap-

pear complicated, the changes that Spanish verbs make are very logical and predictable. It’s just a case of understanding how they work. For our present purposes, we can divide verbs into three groups, namely: standard verbs, root-changing verbs and irregular verbs. The vast majority of verbs are standard, and these are the ones we will look at first. Then there is a significant minority of root-changing verbs. These sound worse than they are, as they too follow very clear patterns. We will spend quite a bit of time explaining them. Our final category is irregular verbs, and the good news here is that there are only four of them! Even better news is that those of you who have followed these articles are already broadly familiar with them. They are SER (to be), ESTAR (to be - how and where), IR (to go) and HABER (to have). We will look at these last, but they shouldn’t create too many problems for us as they are so common and have cropped up all over the place already. So, first to our standard verbs which constitute the largest category. The first thing we need to do with all our verbs is look at them in their infinitive form (that is the form that ends in -ar, -er, and -ir),

for example MIRAR. All verbs are divided into two parts, the root and the ending. In this case AR is the ending, therefore MIR is the root. The same happens with all other verbs. COMER: ER is the ending, so COM is the root. VIVIR: IR is the ending so VIV is the root. It doesn’t matter how long, short or strange sounding these roots are; the principle is always the same. For example the verb VER - ER is the ending, so the root is the letter V. CAMBIAR: AR is the ending so CAMBI is the root. The root is the part of the word that gives us the essential meaning. From this root all kinds of other related words can be created, and in the present simple tense, the roots of standard verbs are not altered in any way. So, going back to our first example MIRAR, we can rest assured that all the forms of MIRAR in the present tense start with the three letters MIR, which gives us the meaning ‘look’. The second thing to learn is that the endings follow an absolutely set pattern. In the case of -AR verbs, the end-

ings are O, AS, A, AMOS, ÁIS, AN. That’s rather meaningless on its own, so let’s set it out properly. MIRO - I look MIRAMOS - we look MIRAS - you look (familiar) MIRÁIS - you look (familiar plural) MIRA - he, she looks. MIRAN - they look. There is obviously much more to this, but that’s enough for today! Take some time digesting the information and while you’re about it, don’t forget to visit my website www.janecronin.eu. ¡Hasta la semana que viene!

Advertising Feature

Let’s celebrate summer together HERE at Siesta Group we are ready to start celebrating the summer as we approach another busy season. As a company we have been trading now for over 15 years and we have become the local No1 choice for quality garden furniture and accessories and also for customer service as we take pride in all areas of the operation. The company started with a small shop in Cuidad Quesada and has continued to grow from strength to strength and we now have four superstores along the Costa Blanca coast in Los Montesinos, Cabo Roig, San Javier and Gata de Gorgos, together with a very successful website at www.siestagroup.com where you can peruse our products in the comfort of your own home. What makes us stand out above the crowd is that we are actively involved in designing our garden furniture directly with the factories so we know we have an exclusive range, can be competitive on price and be one step ahead of the market. Our products are carefully handpicked by our buying team to ensure we offer unique value for money items which will enhance your garden and patio areas. The distribution team has increased

considerably in size to cope with demand and we offer FREE DELIVERY together with assembly of all items, either on-site or beforehand where practical, saving you time and stress. We do realise without you, our customers, none of the success would have been possible and we would therefore like to take this opportunity to thank all of our clients for their continued support and custom. We have a lot to offer this season so please come along and speak to one of our dedicated sales team and see for yourself what a fantastic range we have and be confident in the knowledge that

you

you are buying from a reputable company who always puts the customer first. You can find us at Avda Del Mar, Los Montesinos, and on the N332 for Cabo Roig, San Javier and Gata De Gorgos and don’t forget the majority of our products can be seen at www.siesta group.com.

QUALITY FURNITURE: Ready for summer.

FRIDAY 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm A1: Britain's Longest Road 12:45pm The Housing Enforcers 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News at One 2:30pm BBC London News 2:45pm Doctors 3:15pm 800 Words 4:00pm Escape to the Country 4:45pm Flipping Profit 5:30pm Flog It! 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News at Six 7:30pm BBC London News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm Sounds Like Friday Night 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm The Button 10:00pm Have I Got News for You 10:30pm Home from Home

8:15am 9:00am 10:00am 11:00am 1:00pm 2:00pm 4:00pm 5:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 12:05am 12:35am 1:25am 3:20am 3:50am 4:50am

5:45am

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9:00am How I Met Your Mother 10:00am New Girl 11:00am 2 Broke Girls 12:00pm Brooklyn Nine-Nine 1:00pm The Goldbergs 2:00pm The Big Bang Theory 3:00pm How I Met Your Mother 4:00pm New Girl 5:00pm Brooklyn Nine-Nine 6:00pm The Goldbergs 6:30pm The Goldbergs 7:00pm The Big Bang Theory 7:30pm The Big Bang Theory 8:00pm Hollyoaks 8:30pm Extreme Cake Makers 9:00pm The Big Bang Theory 9:30pm The Big Bang Theory 10:00pm Magic Mike 12:15am The Big Bang Theory 12:40am The Big Bang Theory 1:10am Tattoo Fixers 2:15am Gogglebox 3:20am First Dates

9:35am 9:55am 10:05am 10:15am 12:15pm

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7:55am Couples Come Dine with Me 8:55am Made in Chelsea 10:00am Don't Tell the Bride Ireland 11:00am Animals United 1:00pm The Goldbergs 1:30pm The Goldbergs 2:00pm The Goldbergs 2:30pm The Goldbergs 3:00pm The Goldbergs 3:30pm Brooklyn Nine-Nine 4:00pm Young Sheldon 4:30pm Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters 6:30pm The Big Bang Theory 7:00pm The Big Bang Theory 7:30pm The Big Bang Theory 8:00pm The Big Bang Theory 8:30pm The Big Bang Theory 9:00pm The Big Bang Theory 9:30pm The Big Bang Theory 10:00pm The Transporter 11:50pm Gogglebox 12:55am The Inbetweeners

11:40am 12:30pm 1:25pm 2:25pm 3:25pm

9:00am The Haunted Hathaways 9:25am ITV News 9:30am Zoe Ball on Sunday 10:25am Love Your Garden 11:00am Peston on Sunday 12:00pm Britain's Got Talent 1:15pm Britain's Got More Talent 2:15pm ITV Lunchtime News 2:30pm ITV Racing: Live From Newmarket 5:00pm Ninja Warrior UK 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm Harry Hill's Alien Fun Capsule 7:30pm ITV Evening News 7:45pm Regional News and Weather 8:00pm Little Big Shots 9:00pm The Durrells 10:00pm Info not available 11:05pm ITV News

10:25am Couples Come Dine with Me 11:25am Couples Come Dine with Me 12:30pm The Goldbergs 1:00pm The Goldbergs 1:30pm The Goldbergs 2:00pm Brooklyn Nine-Nine 2:30pm The Big Bang Theory 3:00pm The Big Bang Theory 3:30pm The Big Bang Theory 4:00pm The Big Bang Theory 4:30pm The Big Bang Theory 5:00pm The Big Bang Theory 5:30pm Evolution 7:30pm The Big Bang Theory 8:00pm The Big Bang Theory 8:30pm The Big Bang Theory 9:00pm Young Sheldon 9:30pm The Big Bang Theory 10:00pm Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 11:00pm The Inbetweeners

11:00am Great Birmingham Run 2018 1:00pm Make You Laugh Out Loud 1:30pm Ace Ventura: Pet Detective 3:05pm Pets Make You Laugh Out Loud 4:05pm Cats Make You Laugh Out Loud 5:05pm Greatest Celebrity Wind-Ups Ever! 6:05pm 5 News 6:10pm The Adele Story 7:30pm Britain's Favourite Abba Songs 9:00pm Eurovision's Greatest Hits 10:00pm When Eurovision Goes Horribly Wrong 12:55am Football on 5 1:50am Criminals Caught on Camera

1:10pm 1:15pm 2:15pm 2:45pm 3:20pm 4:15pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm

6:00am

Avengers: Infinity War Part. 1: Special Rampage: Special Austin Found Happy Birthday, Toby Simpson Where's the Money Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie Dunkirk Girls Trip Where's the Money Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie Dunkirk Girls Trip Brawl in Cell Block 99 Austin Found After the Storm

Digby Dragon Rusty Rivets Mofy The Wright Stuff The Nightmare Neighbour Next Door 5 News Lunchtime GPs: Behind Closed Doors Home and Away Neighbours NCIS Presumed Dead in Paradise 5 News at 5 Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Tonight The Gadget Show Britain's Great Cathedrals, with Tony Robinson Portillo's Hidden History of Britain Inside Strangeways

3:10am 5:00am

The Gadget Show Police Interceptors Police Interceptors Police Interceptors The Nightmare Neighbour Next Door The Nightmare Neighbour Next Door Nightmare Tenants, Slum Landlords Bad Tenants, Rogue Landlords 5 News Rich House, Poor House Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away! Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away! Secrets of Tutankhamun's Treasures The Great Rameses

5:00am After the Storm 7:00am Happy Birthday, Toby Simpson 8:35am Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie 10:10am Girls Trip 12:15pm Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul Youngster Greg hatches a plot to reroute a family road trip towards a videogame convention. 1:50pm Dunkirk 3:40pm Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie 5:15pm Girls Trip 7:20pm Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul 9:00pm Dunkirk 11:00pm Brawl in Cell Block 99 1:15am Where's the Money 2:50am Austin Found

6:00am Football's Greatest 6:30am Football's Greatest Teams 7:00am Championship Season Reviews 8:00am Championship Season Reviews 9:00am Championship Season Reviews 10:00am Championship Season Reviews 11:00am Soccer A.M. 12:30pm SPFL Matters 1:00pm Football 3:30pm Gillette Soccer Saturday 4:00pm Gillette Soccer Saturday 4:15pm Gillette Soccer Saturday 6:15pm Live League One Final Day 9:00pm Football 9:55pm Football 12:00am Football's Greatest

4:50am After the Storm 7:00am Happy Birthday, Toby Simpson 8:40am Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie 10:15am Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul 12:00pm Dunkirk 1:50pm My Cousin Rachel 3:40pm Girls Trip 5:45pm Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie 7:20pm Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul 9:00pm Dunkirk 10:50pm My Cousin Rachel 12:45am Brawl in Cell Block 99 3:05am Where's the Money 4:35am Austin Found

8:00am EFL Goals: League One and League Two 8:30am EFL Greatest Games 8:45am EFL Greatest Games 9:00am Championship Season Reviews 10:00am EFL Goals: League One and League Two 10:30am Sunday Supplement 12:00pm Info not available 1:00pm Live Championship Final Day 4:00pm La Liga Greatest Games 4:10pm Live La Liga 2017/18 6:15pm La Liga Greatest Games 6:25pm Live La Liga 2017/18 8:30pm Live La Liga 2017/18 11:00pm Football 1:05am EFL Goals: Championship

6:30am 7:00am 9:00am 10:35am 12:05pm 1:45pm 3:40pm 5:50pm 7:25pm 9:00pm 10:50pm 12:55am

11:00am 11:30am 12:00pm 12:30pm 1:00pm 1:30pm 2:00pm 3:30pm 4:00pm 4:30pm 5:00pm 5:30pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 10:30pm 11:00pm 11:15pm

La Liga Show EFL Matters One2eleven SPFL Greatest Games La Liga Show EFL Matters La Liga Icons EFL Matters Football's Greatest Football's Greatest Teams Scottish Cup Greatest Games La Liga Greatest Games La Liga Preview SPFL Matters EFL Matters La Liga Preview Magical Messi SPFL Matters Football Years La Liga Greatest Games The Debate - Live

SATURDAY 2:35am BBC News 7:00am Breakfast 11:00am Saturday Kitchen Live 12:30pm Hairy Bikers Asian Adventure 1:00pm Football Focus 2:00pm BBC News 2:10pm Weather 2:15pm Bargain Hunt 3:15pm Snooker 5:10pm BBC News 5:20pm Regional News 5:25pm Weather 5:30pm Final Score 6:10pm Women's FA Cup Final 8:40pm Pointless 9:30pm Who Dares Wins 10:15pm Casualty 11:05pm BBC News 11:20pm Weather 11:25pm Match of the Day 12:45am The Button 1:15am When in Rome

5:45am This is BBC Two 7:15am David Attenbrough's Natural Curiosities 7:40am Naomi's Nightmares of Nature 8:10am The Pets Factor 8:30am Dengineers 9:00am Absolute Genius: Monster Builds 9:30am Beyond Bionic 10:00am Robot Wars 11:00am Snooker 2:10pm Top of the Shop with Tom Kerridge 3:10pm Top of the Shop with Tom Kerridge 4:10pm Love in the Countryside 5:10pm Snooker 7:00pm World's Most Extraordinary Homes 8:00pm Dad's Army 8:30pm Snooker 11:00pm Kajaki - The True Story

12:20pm 1:20pm 1:30pm 2:30pm 5:00pm 6:00pm 7:00pm 7:15pm 7:30pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:15pm 11:20pm 11:35pm

4:20pm 5:20pm 6:20pm 7:15pm 7:20pm 8:20pm 9:15pm 10:15pm 11:10pm

SUNDAY 2:00pm BBC News 2:10pm Weather for the Week Ahead 2:15pm Escape to the Country 3:15pm Money for Nothing 3:45pm Britain's Fat Fight with Hugh FearnleyWhittingstall 4:45pm Points of View 5:00pm Songs of Praise 5:35pm Britain's Best Home Cook 6:35pm BBC News 6:50pm Regional News 6:55pm Weather 7:00pm Big Painting Challenge 8:00pm Countryfile 9:00pm Antiques Roadshow

7:35am Glorious Gardens 8:20am Life in a Cottage Garden with Carol Klein 8:50am Countryfile 9:45am The Beechgrove Garden 10:15am Saturday Kitchen Best Bites 11:45am Spring Kitchen with Tom Kerridge 12:30pm Lorraine Pascale: How to be a Better Cook 1:00pm MOTD2 Extra 1:30pm Equestrian 3:00pm Snooker 6:30pm Equestrian: Badminton Horse Trials - Showjumping 7:00pm Athletics 8:00pm Snooker 12:00am Famalam

The schedules for the television programme pages are provided by an external company: we regret that any changes or errors are not the responsibility of RTN.

4th - 10th May

RTN Life

A day out with HELP LAST week 40 people from HELP International Benidorm set off for their outing to Moraira market. They spent a couple of hours at the market and then all met up again for a short taxi ride to Monroes where they report that they had a very good lunch. After lunch they relaxed in the garden and had drinks until their coach came to pick them up at 4pm. The group then went to the Iceland store in Benissa before returning to the coach with all the shopping, and the staff of Iceland came out to wave goodbye as they set off for Benidorm and home. Happily the weather remained fine and all those who made the trip agreed it was a great day out even for their less able members. If you would like to join the collection of friendly members at HELP Benidorm you would be most welcome or you can avail yourself of any of their services: Interpreters

THE HAPPY HELPERS: After their meal.

607 385 842, equipment loan 663 495 396, welfare 607 386 984 or for more in-

formation visit the website h t t p : / / w w w. h e l p - b e n i d orm.com.

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MONDAY 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm A1: Britain's Longest Road 12:45pm The Housing Enforcers 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News 2:15pm Regional News 2:25pm Weather 2:30pm 800 Words 3:15pm Escape to the Country 4:15pm Garden Rescue 5:00pm Flipping Profit 5:45pm Flog It! 6:45pm Pointless 7:30pm BBC News 7:45pm Regional News 7:55pm Weather 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm A Question of Sport 9:00pm EastEnders 9:30pm Would I Lie to You? 10:00pm The Woman in White 11:00pm Peter Kay's Car Share Unscripted

7:00am Flog It! 7:30am A1: Britain's Longest Road 8:15am Rip Off Britain 9:00am Nature's Weirdest Events 10:00am Tinker Bell and the Legend of the Neverbeast 11:10am Kung Fu Panda: The Kaboom of Doom 12:30pm Jungle Animal Hospital: Natural World 1:30pm Plan it, Build it 2:00pm Britain's Biggest War Ship 3:00pm Snooker 7:00pm Great British Railway Journeys 7:30pm Eggheads 8:00pm Snooker 12:00am Papillon 2:25am Stephen: The Murder That Changed a Nation

10:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30am This Morning 1:30pm Loose Women 2:45pm ITV Lunchtime News 2:55pm Regional News and Weather 3:00pm Judge Rinder 4:00pm Tenable 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm Paul O'grady: For the Love of Dogs 7:30pm Regional News and Weather 7:45pm ITV Evening News 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Coronation Street 9:00pm Give it a Year 9:30pm Coronation Street 10:00pm Info not available 11:00pm ITV News 11:20pm Britain's Busiest Airport - Heathrow 11:45pm The Royal Wives of Windsor

9:00am How I Met Your Mother 10:00am New Girl 11:00am 2 Broke Girls 12:00pm Brooklyn Nine-Nine 12:30pm Brooklyn Nine-Nine 1:00pm The Goldbergs 1:30pm The Goldbergs 2:00pm The Big Bang Theory 3:00pm The Big Bang Theory 4:00pm The Big Bang Theory 5:00pm The Big Bang Theory 6:00pm The Big Bang Theory 7:00pm The Big Bang Theory 8:00pm Hollyoaks 8:30pm Black-Ish 9:00pm The Big Bang Theory 9:30pm Young Sheldon 10:00pm Made in Chelsea 11:00pm Don't Tell the Bride Ireland 12:05am The Big Bang Theory 12:35am The Big Bang Theory 1:05am First Dates 2:10am Tattoo Fixers 3:10am Made in Chelsea

10:00am Victoria Derbyshire 12:00pm BBC Newsroom Live 12:30pm The Week in Parliament 1:00pm The Daily Politics 2:00pm The Super League Show 2:45pm Home Away From Home 3:30pm Going Back, Giving Back 4:15pm Digging for Britain 5:15pm Tudor Monastery Farm 6:15pm Money for Nothing 7:00pm Eggheads 7:30pm Great British Railway Journeys 8:00pm Back to the Land with Kate Humble 9:00pm Top of the Shop with Tom Kerridge 10:00pm Secret Agent Selection : WW2

7:00am Good Morning Britain 9:30am Lorraine 10:25am The Jeremy Kyle Show 11:30am This Morning 1:30pm Loose Women 2:30pm ITV Lunchtime News 2:55pm Regional News and Weather 3:00pm Judge Rinder 4:00pm Tenable 5:00pm Tipping Point 6:00pm The Chase 7:00pm Regional News and Weather 7:30pm ITV Evening News 8:00pm Emmerdale 8:30pm Devon and Cornwall Cops 9:00pm This Time Next Year 10:00pm To be Announced 11:00pm ITV News at Ten and Weather

11:00am 11:30am 12:00pm 12:30pm 1:00pm 1:30pm 2:00pm 2:30pm 3:00pm

5:45am 6:10am 6:35am 7:00am 10:15am 12:15pm 1:10pm 1:15pm 2:10pm 2:45pm 3:15pm 4:55pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:00am

House Doctor Wildlife SOS Nick's Quest Milkshake! The Wright Stuff Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away! 5 News The Gadget Show Home and Away Neighbours Open Season Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked Neighbours Home and Away 5 News Aviva Premiership Rugby Highlights Police Interceptors Paddington Station 24/7 Cocaine: Teen Dealers Layer Cake

Austin Found Rampage: Special My Cousin Rachel Top Ten Show, the 2018 Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul Everything, Everything Dunkirk Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul Everything, Everything Dunkirk My Cousin Rachel Brawl in Cell Block 99 Austin Found Where's the Money

9:30am Football's Greatest Teams 10:00am Ronaldo 10:30am La Liga Greatest Games 11:00am La Liga 2017/18 3:10pm La Liga 2017/18 5:15pm Scottish Cup Greatest Games 5:30pm La Liga Greatest Games 5:45pm La Liga Greatest Games 6:00pm Football Years 6:30pm Football Countdowns 7:00pm La Liga Icons 7:15pm La Liga Icons 7:30pm Ronaldo 8:00pm Soccer A.M. 8:30pm La Liga Greatest Games 8:40pm La Liga Icons 8:55pm Live La Liga 2017/18 11:00pm The Debate - Live 12:00am SPFL Round Up 2017/18

7:00am Happy Birthday, Toby Simpson 8:35am Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul 10:15am Everything, Everything 11:55am Girl Flu 1:40pm Dunkirk 3:30pm My Cousin Rachel 5:20pm Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul 7:10pm Everything, Everything 9:00pm Dunkirk 10:50pm Girl Flu Charming comingof-age film 12:30am My Cousin Rachel 2:20am Brawl in Cell Block 99

1:00pm SPFL Round Up 2017/18 1:15pm SPFL Greatest Games 1:30pm MLS Round Up Show 2:00pm La Liga Icons 2:15pm La Liga Icons 2:30pm Revista de la Liga 3:00pm Eredivisie 4:00pm Football's Greatest 4:30pm Football's Greatest Teams 5:00pm Scottish Cup Greatest Games 5:30pm La Liga Greatest Games 5:45pm La Liga Greatest Games 6:00pm Revista de la Liga 6:30pm Eredivisie 7:30pm EFL Rivalries 8:00pm EFL Rivalries 8:30pm Football 11:00pm The Debate - Live

4:35am 6:30am 7:00am 9:00am 9:15am 10:50am 12:30pm 2:15pm 4:05pm 5:40pm 7:20pm 9:00pm 10:50pm 12:45am 3:00am 4:55am

TUESDAY 11:00am Homes Under the Hammer 12:00pm A1: Britain's Longest Road 12:45pm The Housing Enforcers 1:15pm Bargain Hunt 2:00pm BBC News 2:30pm Regional News 2:45pm Doctors 3:15pm 800 Words 4:00pm Escape to the Country 4:45pm Flipping Profit 5:30pm Flog It! 6:15pm Pointless 7:00pm BBC News 7:30pm Regional News 8:00pm The One Show 8:30pm EastEnders 9:00pm Holby City 10:00pm The Split 11:00pm BBC News 11:30pm Regional News

3:30pm 4:00pm 4:30pm 5:00pm 5:30pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm

2 Broke Girls 2 Broke Girls Brooklyn Nine-Nine Brooklyn Nine-Nine The Goldbergs The Goldbergs The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory How I Met Your Mother How I Met Your Mother New Girl New Girl Brooklyn Nine-Nine Brooklyn Nine-Nine The Goldbergs The Goldbergs The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Hollyoaks Black-Ish The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory

10:15am The Wright Stuff 12:15pm Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away! 1:10pm 5 News 1:15pm GPs: Behind Closed Doors 2:10pm Access 2:15pm Home and Away 2:45pm Neighbours 3:15pm The Yorkshire Vet Casebook 4:15pm Snatched at Birth 6:00pm 5 News 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News 8:00pm Moto GP Highlights 9:00pm The Yorkshire Vet 10:00pm British Airways 11:00pm Circus Kids: Our Secret World 12:05am Gypsy Kids 1:05am Celeb Trolls: We're Coming to Get You

The schedules for the television programme pages are provided by an external company: we regret that any changes or errors are not the responsibility of RTN.

4th - 10th May

Consequences

by Colin Bird

EVERYTHING that we are today can often be traced back to insignificant events in our past lives. Admiring a picture of a small Cornish fishing village on a calendar at our local fish and chip shop many years ago, led me to that same village, and from there to Bermuda where I met the ‘Princess’. Had we never met, I would not have found myself living in the beautiful Suffolk countryside for 30 years, and thence to Spain. The whole direction of my life therefore has been entirely due to a cheap calendar on the wall of a chippie whilst waiting for my haddock and six pen’orth of chips in 1969. During the last weeks of my unremarkable school experience, those of us who were about to embark on life without our morning milk and crafty cigarettes behind the bike sheds, were summoned individually to the deputy head master’s office to discuss with him and the careers officer, employment possibilities. “Any ideas what you would like to pursue Bird?” I was asked, not too kindly as I remember.

Credit: Andriano.cz Shutterstock

The opinions published in Colin’s weekly column are not necessarily representative of those of the publishers, advertisers or newspaper sponsors.

MATHS: Is a foreign language for some.

“Something to do with writing”, I told them rather naively. I detected some tut-tutting as they studied a piece of paper indicating my meagre but relevant qualifications: two GCE ‘O’ levels, English Language and English Literature.

“You would need to enrol in a journalism course at college,” I was told. “But that would entail staying on here for another year and studying for ‘A’ Levels.” The careers officer continued. “But you can’t because you also need maths and at least one sci-

ence subject to qualify for the lower sixth”, the deputy head added. I was like a spectator at a tennis match. I was deflated. Maths and science were not just weak subjects for me, they were disastrous. Nevertheless, following a short lecture on the advantages of an apprenticeship of some kind, I was handed a leaflet outlining trade apprenticeship at a nuclear energy establishment in Dorset and summarily dismissed. It turned out that several of my class mates who did excel in maths and science, later attended the first assimilation test for these jobs and not one of them progressed to the next stage. And yet it had been passed off on me. I was young and impressionable and took the lack of confidence in me to heart. My dream had been shattered and I decided against any career and to see the world instead. I have enjoyed my life, but I wonder if my old deputy headmaster and his partner in crime that day ever gave a thought to the consequences of their lack of interest in the young ambitions of boys like me.

Meet Hugh, a multi-talented Irish musician HUGH O’NEILL was the frontman for Celtic legendary group Inchequin for many years and is now appearing at Monroes in Pedregeur every Friday night from 7pm to 10pm. He composed and performed the group’s two international hit singles Son Kez/The last Time and City on the Lagan. Having performed in 18 countries, he has appeared on various TV shows around Europe, on Eurovision and after moving to Cyprus in April 2017 Hugh featured on BRT TV regularly. His show is about involving his audiences and giving them a night to remember. From the first song to the last Hugh holds the attention of his audience. Along with his own songs from his seven albums, Hugh performs his own version of different genres of music with a Celtic flavour, all performed totally live on acoustic and electric guitars, harmonicas, bodhran drum and stomp box drum. Hugh took some time out of his busy schedule to share some more informa-

33

tion about himself exclusively with RTN and it is possible to view some of his work on his Inchequin Solo Facebook page. When did you arrive in Spain? Just a few weeks ago What brought you here? My girlfriend has a house in Denia Do you speak Spanish? No What is your greatest fear? Waking up to find I am a professional liar (Lawyer) What is your favourite food? Pekmez and Tahini Who would you invite for a meal dead, alive or fictional? Brendan Behan What is your secret pleasure? It’s a secret Which is your favourite band? Leonard Cohen or Damien Rice Where do you find the energy to keep going? Guinness Which public figure do you dislike

the most? I will not disclose my trump card! What song would you like played at your funeral? As I will be dead it doesn’t matter as I will not hear it If you could go back in time when would it be to? Today What’s top of your bucket list? I have ticked almost all of the boxes, travelling the world making people happy and loving what I do What do you like about yourself most? Having created two of the world’s most beautiful people. Who would play you in the film of your life? Doris Day What was your ambition when a child? What I have been doing for 35 years.

CATCH HUGH O’NEILL: At Monroes in Pedregeur every Friday night.

Make A Smile with Dolce Divas CELEBRATING their 10th anniversary, the Dolce Divas are holding a concert on May 26 with The Costa Blanca Male Voice Choir to raise funds for Make A Smile. The concert will be held at Espai La Senieta in Moraira and promises to be a treat for the senses. Make A Smile will also be raffling two tickets to Mallorca generously donated by their favourite Mediterranean ferry company, Balearia. Pop along and meet the Smile team, listen to the dulcet tones of these wonderful local artists and try your hand at winning a trip to Mallorca.

34

4th - 10th May

WEDNESDAY 5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 11:40pm 11:45pm

Flog It! Pointless BBC News Regional News The One Show Watchdog Live Britain's Fat Fight BBC News Regional News Weather Joshua v Klitschko: Return to Wembley 12:30am Ambulance 1:30am Weather for the Week Ahead

5:15pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 12:10am 12:15am

Tudor Monastery Farm Money for Nothing Eggheads Great British Railway Journeys Back to the Land with Kate Humble Top of the Shop with Tom Kerridge Love in the Countryside Detectorists Newsnight Weather Syria: The World's War

6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 11:45pm 12:45am

The Chase Regional News and Weather ITV Evening News Emmerdale Coronation Street Britain's Busiest Airport - Heathrow Info not available ITV News at Ten and Weather Regional News and Weather Info not available British Touring Car Championship Highlights

6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 12:00am 12:30am 12:55am 2:00am 3:05am 3:45am 4:30am

The Goldbergs The Goldbergs The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Hollyoaks Black-Ish The Goldbergs The Big Bang Theory The 100 Timeless The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory First Dates Tattoo Fixers The 100 Timeless The Goldbergs

3:15pm

The Yorkshire Vet Casebook 4:15pm Driven Off the Rails 6:00pm 5 News 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News 8:00pm Police Interceptors 9:00pm GPs: Behind Closed Doors 10:00pm Rich House, Poor House 11:00pm Tortured by Mum and Dad: The Turpin 13 12:05am Criminals Caught on Camera

4:35am 6:30am 7:00am

New Girl Brooklyn Nine-Nine Brooklyn Nine-Nine The Goldbergs The Goldbergs The Big Bang Theory The Big Bang Theory Hollyoaks Black-Ish The Big Bang Theory Young Sheldon Brooklyn Nine-Nine Let's Get Physical The Inbetweeners Friday Night Dinner The Windsors

3:15pm

7:00am Everything, Everything 8:40am Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul 10:20am My Cousin Rachel 12:10pm The Stolen 1:55pm Dunkirk 3:50pm Everything, Everything 5:35pm Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul 7:15pm The Stolen 9:00pm Dunkirk 11:00pm My Cousin Rachel 1:00am Girl Flu 2:50am Zoology

8:50am 10:30am 12:10pm 2:00pm 3:50pm 5:30pm 7:10pm 9:00pm 11:00pm 12:40am

Austin Found Rampage: Special Everything, Everything Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul Girl Flu My Cousin Rachel Dunkirk Everything, Everything Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul My Cousin Rachel Dunkirk Zoology Girl Flu

5:00pm

Scottish Cup Greatest Games 5:30pm La Liga Greatest Games 6:00pm La Liga World 6:30pm Football Countdowns 7:00pm Eredivisie 7:55pm Coppa Italia Final 2014/15 8:10pm Coppa Italia Final 2015/16 8:25pm Coppa Italia Final 2016/17 8:40pm Live Coppa Italia Final 2017/18 10:45pm La Liga Icons

THURSDAY 4:45pm 5:30pm 6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 11:45pm 12:45am

Flipping Profit Flog It! Pointless BBC News at Six BBC London News The One Show EastEnders Britain's Best Home Cook Ambulance BBC News at Ten BBC London News Question Time This Week

6:15pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 9:00pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 12:15am 1:15am

Money for Nothing Eggheads Great British Railway Journeys Back to the Land with Kate Humble World's Most Extraordinary Homes Red Ape: Saving the Orangutan QI Newsnight Dara and Ed's Great Big Adventure Versailles

6:00pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 11:00pm 11:30pm 11:45pm 12:50am 1:15am

The Chase ITV News London ITV Evening News Emmerdale Tonight Emmerdale Paul O'grady: For the Love of Dogs Who Wants to be a Millionaire? ITV News at Ten and Weather ITV News London Great Art Give it a Year Lethal Weapon

4:30pm 5:00pm 5:30pm 6:00pm 6:30pm 7:00pm 7:30pm 8:00pm 8:30pm 9:00pm 9:30pm 10:00pm 10:30pm 11:00pm 11:35pm 12:05am

The Yorkshire Vet Casebook 4:15pm Sinister Stepmother 6:00pm 5 News at 5 6:30pm Neighbours 7:00pm Home and Away 7:30pm 5 News Tonight 8:00pm The Nightmare Neighbour Next Door 9:00pm Bad Tenants, Rogue Landlords 10:00pm Can't Pay? We'll Take it Away! 11:00pm Undercover: Nailing the Fraudsters

5:00pm Scottish Cup Greatest Games 5:15pm Scottish Cup Greatest Games 5:30pm La Liga Greatest Games 5:45pm La Liga Greatest Games 6:00pm Football Years 6:30pm Football Countdowns 7:00pm Play-Off Final Highlights 8:00pm EFL Greatest Games 8:15pm EFL Greatest Games 8:30pm Live EFL Play-Off Semi-Final

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The schedules for the television programme pages are provided by an external company: we regret that any changes or errors are not the responsibility of RTN.

36

4th - 10th May

Puzzles Code Breaker Kenny Corris I For Readings, Consultations and Castings email: kennycorris@hotmailcom / www.kennycorris.net Mobile: 686 361 594 / Tel: 965 878 424

Play on Words

Answers: More harm than good. Order in court.

The Sun sextiles Neptune setting up a warning to curb spending and to examine all ways of launching economies all across the board. Money should be working for you not you for it, when it comes to finances and raising some cash for the unexpected expenses that are on the cards right now. Tighten your belt and watch the pennies too.

Word Wheel The goal of a word wheel puzzle is to create as many words possible with the letters in the word wheel. You can only use each letter once and every word must have the letter in the centre of the wheel. Can you find the 9 letter word?

Someone may have got hold of the wrong end of the stick, but the damages this has brought you are pretty hard to take. Mercury squares on Pluto midweek and thankfully opening channels of communication right now is the best thing to do. Pluto scrutinises the situation but rather than furthering complications brings instead resolve. If you knew then what you know now then things would be very different. One side of you wants to just walk away with your head held high, whilst the other sees that revenge truly is a dish best served cold. The Sun is in direct opposition to Jupiter this week and remember that whichever way you see it, pride comes before a fall! This is a time to focus on your strengths not to waste time pandering to your negativities. The comfort of your protective shell may seem very attractive but it won’t do the power of good whilst you are feeling sorry for yourself. Stand up to the challenge of a hectic week as planet Kora brings you a dividend, after the Mercury conjunction. Instead of licking your wounds, get out there, and forget that the recent conflict ever happened. It happened because someone has nothing better to do, and to the contrary you do have. Since your ambition and hard work play a part of who you really are then you don’t have to prove anything to anyone, just be yourself! Squaring Pluto, Mercury is the stability to your new ventures this week. Bored with the same old same old, the time has come to call a spade a spade and all that that entails. Since pastures greener seem to be beckoning you ever onward, just go for it whilst you have the opportunity to do so. This time there is no holding back! Beware what’s behind what appears to be a genuine call for help this week. Though you are known for your generosity and kindness you should not be a party to emotional blackmail because you fear saying no. If no is the right response then you have to give it. See to it that others realise that you are not to be messed with. Your highly charged psychic energies come to the fore to help a situation which appears to be veering out of control somewhat. For some time you have had your suspicions, but now you appear to be seeing the truth for what it really must be, a positive step in the right direction and the start of something rather wonderful. Jupiter so often comes to your rescue when really needed. This week actions with Mercury, the Sun and Venus are guiding, gifting and strengthening your resolve at a time when you might be thinking of giving up on something so close to your heart. Now you know, once and for all, that it is really true, there is no fool like an old fool. Look within to connect better with the innermost you right now. You may be very surprised what you find, but so too have you got the template that will herald reward for your recent good intentions. There is more to you than you think there is, and so have fun finding out and please, leave no stone unturned for the best results! Enough pressure right now, though you are robbing Peter to pay Paul. The Sun trines Pluto and together this illumination sees things as indeed they should be and not consequentially as they are. Take nothing for granted, but do take very good care of yourself as minor health problems bug you and you need to be fighting fit! You need more than ever a project to get your teeth into right now. Aim high because your talents are sought after, and your impetus is alluring to boot. Venus squares up to Neptune midweek unleashing some positive and inspiring energies, with which you will use to your advantage in the current ebullient scheme of higher things.

Each number in the Code Breaker grid represents a different letter of the alphabet. In this week’s puzzle, 7 represents J and 9 represents V, so fill in J every time the figure 7 appears and V every time the figure 9 appears. Now, using your knowledge of the English language, work out which letters should go in the missing squares. As you discover the letters, fill in other squares with the same number in the main grid and the control grid.

Kenny’s Postbag Kenny, I am at the stage whereby I am ready to go forward with my spiritual energies, but I do not know where to start. There is so much conflict of opinion, and I want to learn how to get closer to my spiritual self. Eirin V. Hi Eirin, and welcome to the World of Spirit. It would be true to say that there are ground rules, but above all you also need the freedom to express yourself and to bring out your natural talents. Your good intention is the very best start. I run workshops and courses, and would be pleased to help you find your way ahead. It is important that you get the good guidance that you need and get closer to Spirit. Everyone has their personal faith and connection is the best interpretation. In a World of conflict, spirituality brings an inner peace that I would like to help you to e

Kenny Corris

Don't forget to email or message me with your Postbag Questions!. Check out my new website: www.kennycorris.net

For Birthday Celebrants Take absolutely nothing for granted and do not hold back on that which makes you both unique and of interest to others. Prepare the way ahead for sudden changes in an uplift that sees you getting all the attention that you rightly deserve to have.

The 9 letter word is:

Kakuro Fill all the empty squares using the numbers 1 to 9, so that the sum of each horizontal block equals the ‘clue’ on its left, and the sum of each vertical block equals the clue on its top. No number may be used in the same block more than once.

4th - 10th May

More Puzzles Cryptic

Across 1 Charlie enquires about barrels (5) 4 Former pilot's daft adventure (7) 8 Object when put into torn clothing (7) 9 Ring about never ending internet pest (5) 10 I acted in poor show (8) 11 Spirit around end of December causes a smile (4) 13 Relieves incantations (6) 14 Chaplains are spread around (6) 17 The remainder sleep (4) 19 Pet cried about being infirm (8) 22 Saw a daughter get mature (5) 23 Blend ten wine ingredients (7) 24 Recommend guests start getting organised (7) 25 What was a performance to be precise (5)

English - Spanish

Futoshiki

Down 1 Dog runs between an officer and a private (5) 2 Edwin's upset about Lloyd's first fraud (7) 3 Outlines for small, confused clients (8) 4 English country property (6) 5 Trail from the Carpathian Mountains (4) 6 A smell from the food, our dinner (5) 7 New Testament stories about gifts (7) 12 Surrealist friend is filled with determination (8) 13 Saint has lots of paper for courses (7) 15 Parcel I untied reveals an identical one (7) 16 Deprived female in a hat (6) 18 Some careless language (5) 20 An endless pact to foot the bill (5) 21 English monk buying every dinner, excluding starters (4)

Fill in the squares so that each digit from 1 to 6 occurs exactly once in each row and column. Greater-than and less-than signs indicate the relationship of the two adjacent squares. There is only one solution, and you can find it without guessing.

The clues are mixed, some clues are in Spanish and some are in English.

Across 1 Frost (substance) (8) 6 Huevo (3) 7 Alcalde (5) 9 Those (4) 11 Expensive (4) 12 Ordenado (4) 14 Pie (anatรณmico) (4) 16 Granos (en la piel) (5) 18 Bird (large) (3) 19 Cristales (8)

Down 1 Ejercicio (8) 2 To take hold of (5) 3 Oar (4) 4 Today (3) 5 Hermanos (8) 8 Ass (donkey) (4) 10 Blando (madera, droga, agua) (4) 13 Stage (phase) (5) 15 Bears (animals) (4) 17 To hear (3)

Quick

Across 1/23 Become quiet or quieter (4,4) 3 Answer (8) 9 Regular payment (7) 10 Japanese dish (5) 11 Excessively fat (5) 12 Acquire (6) 14 Pass by, as time (6) 16 Disease of the skin (6) 19 Small informal restaurant (6) 21 Cause fear in (5) 24 Aquatic fish-eating carnivore of the weasel family (5) 25 Gun dog (7) 26 Drug that produces numbness or stupor (8) 27 Nothing (4) Down 1 Any undertaking that is easy to do (8) 2 Graceful and elegant bearing in a person (5) 4 Severe or trying experience (6) 5 Disturb the balance or stability of (5) 6 Encourage (7) 7 Small metal spike with a broadened flat head (4) 8 Niche or alcove (6) 13 Major London railway station (8) 15 Pilot (7) 17 Unconcerned (6) 18 Japanese dwarf tree (6) 20 Body excluding the head and neck and limbs (5) 22 Similar (5) 23 See 1 Across

37

Word Ladder Can you by changing 1 letter at a time, get from the first word to the last word in the given number of moves?

RACE 1 2 3 4

BELT

Sudoku

Fill the grid so every column and every 3x3 box contains the digits 1-9

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4th - 10th May

More Puzzles Irregular Soduku Wordsearch:

Taylor Swift

7. THE CORRS, 8. ROSENCRANTZ AND GUINEA, 6. NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS, 4. NEW SEEKERS, 5. PAPUA NEW 1. MALACHI, 2. PIG 3. OLD TRAFFORD, Answers

Not a lot of people know that... established by an act of parliament in 1979 and now administered by the British Library, Public Lending Right ensures that all authors who register for it are paid 7.82p for each of their books borrowed, up to a threshold of £6,600

Quiz

SOMETHING OLD, SOMETHING NEW, SOMETHING BORROWED, SOMETHING BLUE

GUILDENSTERN ARE DEAD, 9. 1950s

peripheral characters from a Shakespearean tragedy as the central characters for a successful stage comedy? 9. In which decade was the long-running children’s television programme Blue Peter first broadcast? 10. The Blue Boy (1779) is a full-length portrait in oil by which famous English portrait and landscape painter?

DOWN 2. See 12 down 3. Consecutive digits in order 4. Three quarters of 5 down 5. Four times 21 down 7. 1 across plus 21 down 9. 10 down plus 20 across 10. Cube of 10 across 11. 17 down plus 18 across 12. Six times 2 down 16. Cube of 21 down 17. 20 down plus 4 down 19. 22 across plus 2 down 20. See 17 across 21. See 22 across

(October 16, 1958), 10. THOMAS GAINS-

1. What is the title of the last book of the Old Testament of the Christian Bible? 2. What type of farm animal is a Gloucester Old Spot? 3. Which cricket ground has been the home of Lancashire County Cricket Club since 1864? 4. I'd Like to Teach the World to Sing (1971) and You Won't Find Another Fool Like Me (1973) were both UK number one hit singles for which Britishbased pop group? 5. Port Moresby is the administrative capital and largest city of which country in the western Pacific? 6. Which American football team plays its home games at Gillette Stadium in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts? 7. Released through Atlantic Records in May 2004, Borrowed Heaven was the fourth studio album by which Irish pop rock band? 8. Which 1966 Tom Stoppard play ‘borrowed’ two

ACROSS 1. See 10 across 4. Twice 2 down 6. 15 across squared 8. 4 across plus 5 down 10. Three times 1 across 11. 11 down plus 4 across 13. 23 across times 19 down 14. 4 down squared 15. See 6 across 17. 4 across plus 20 down 18. 17 across plus 2 down 20. 11 across squared 22. 5 down plus 21 down 23. Three quarters of 4 down

BOROUGH

Cross Figure

PICTURE MINE MEAN WHITE HORSE RONAN TOGETHER LOVE STORY BELONG FEARLESS RED TROUBLE OUR SONG

4th - 10th May

More Puzzles Giant Crossword ACROSS 1 Spanish sailing ships 9 Regrets 13 Disney's Ariel, e.g. 20 Classic Italian song 21 About 22 Powell of "Rosalie" 23 Agitates 24 Ticket for a suitcase at an airport 26 Model Banks 27 "Let me think ..." 29 1836 Texas siege setting 30 Farm baby 34 "Cleopatra" director 41 Health insurance invoice 45 Off the clock for a while at work 46 "Law and Order: " (TV spinoff) 47 Libertine 48 Foreandaft rig section 51 Actress Capshaw 52 Alabama march city 54 Suffix with ranch 56 Lighten up 57 Trait sources 58 Randy Quaid thriller about a menacing car 62 Cherry, e.g. 63 Biblical wife of Isaac 64 "Showdown" rock gp. 65 "Aha!" 67 "Westworld" airer 70 Those, to Juan 71 Lisa, vis vis the Simpson kids 75 Anjou, e.g. 76 Pigs' hangout 77 Towedaway car, maybe 78 Route 79 "Yep, sounds about right"

81 Star of Earth 82 Pic on a web page, say 86 Start to use 89 La Tar Pits 90 DallastoNYC dir. 91 Circular gasket 93 Paella need 94 "Ay, !" (cry from Bart Simpson) 97 Ride ordered via app 99 Nabisco (old corp.) 100 "Conga" singer Gloria 102 Shameless untruth 105 Branch of knowledge 108 Hashana 109 Ungiving sort 110 Western tribe 112 First lessons 116 Like the god Anubis 122 Anchor in a forest 126 Brother of Wilbur Wright 127 Watch datum 128 Electronic device's evaluation state 129 "Sure, hon" 130 Tater 131 This puzzle's nine longest answers use only the first half of it DOWN 1 Price 2 Pale grayish 3 Mimic a lion 4 Lye, e.g. 5 Neckline type 6 Type widths 7 Actress Lucy 8 Jr.tobe 9 Flesh on a rack 10 A, in Iberia

11 Work unit 12 George of "King Rat" 13 Tons of a vitamin, say 14 Oxygen, e.g. 15 Do one's part again? 16 jongg 17 Propender 18 Summer Games gp. 19 Dwight Gooden's nickname 25 Eur. nation 28 Nero's 1,150 31 Just slightly 32 Zedong 33 Highestquality 35 AFL 36 Urge along 37 Annoyed 38 Be on a slant 39 Not punctual 40 Barely gets, with "out" 41 Orig. texts 42 "Nurse Jackie" actress 43 Allworkandnoplay Jack, per an adage 44 Michael of "Juno" 49 Goat's bleat 50 PC character format 53 West and Busch 55 Took way too much, in brief 57 "Shucks!" 59 Dean who invented the Segway 60 Laid up 61 Lerner's partner 62 wip (dessert topping) 63 In medias 66 Control on a sound mixer 67 1971 Donny Osmond hit 68 Nonbarking hunting dog 69 Italian gold 72 Red Sox Hall of Famer Bobby

73 Illbred guy 74 Jekyll and 75 Jack of old talk TV 77 Tire snagger 80 Gooey camp snacks 81 Haste 83 "Give call" 84 Disney deer 85 Ample, to Li'l Abner 86 With 114Down, phone number part 87 Part of DVD 88 Bix four 89 One exiling 92 Univ. senior's test 94 Prince Charles' wife 95 Sweetie, in modern lingo 96 Referred 98 Green: Prefix 101 Doe or sow 103 Pesticide banned in '72 104 " and Greg" (old sitcom) 106 Soso grade 107 Greek Week groups 111 " Kett" 113 tube (TV) 114 See 86Down 115 "Let it stand" 116 Great delight 117 Plural "is" 118 Rite Aid competitor 119 Farm baby 120 Fast swim 121 Very big bird 123 Priest's study: Abbr. 124 Scifi ability 125 Suffix of ordinals

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Boggled How many English words can you find in the Boggled grid, according to the following rules? • The letters must be adjoining in a ‘chain’. They can be adjacent horizontally, vertically or diagonally. • Words must contain at least four letters and may include singular and plural or other derived forms. • No letter may be used more than once within a single word, unless it appears twice. • No vulgarities or proper nouns are permitted.

TARGET • Average: 17 • Good: 23 • Very good: 33 • Excellent: 43 SCORING 4 letters: 1 point 5 letters: 2 points 6 letters: 3 points 7 letters: 5 points 8 or more letters: 11 points

Nonagram How many English words of four letters or more can you make from the nine letters in our Nonagram puzzle? Each letter may be used only once (unless the letter appears twice). Each word MUST CONTAIN THE CENTRE LETTER (in this case L) and there must be AT LEAST ONE NINE LETTER WORD. Plurals, vulgarities or proper nouns are not allowed.

• Average: 12 • Good: 17 • Very good: 24 • Excellent: 31

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4th - 10th May

health Stress hormone can trigger fat cells in the body Affordable tooth replacement as alternative to implants or conventional bridgework Advantages • No injection or impressions • All done in one visit • No damage to adjacent teeth • Repairable at chairside • Excellent aesthetics • Guaranteed pain free If you are looking for a low cost, minimally invasive procedure give us a call for a free consultation.... Email us on britannia.calpe@gmail.com, call 965 837 553 or visit Avenida Ejercitos Españoles 16 BIS, 1st Floor, (Not ground floor) Piso 1D, E-03710 Calpe (Alicante).

STRESS can lead to weight gain as it triggers a hormone called Adamts1 which generates fat cells in the body. Researchers found that this also wraps fat around the internal organs like the liver and pancreas raising the risk of developing type two diabetes and heart disease. Scientists at Stanford University in the USA said it was once believed that fat cells were just passive bags of calories, but recent research shows they send and receive important hormonal signals.

Could obesity lead to multiple births?

OBESITY could be a cause of the increase in the rate of multiple births in mothers in their mid-20’s. Figures from the Office of National Statistics show that women aged 25-29 are now having more multiple births, when previously women aged over 45 were more likely to have twins or triplets, due to the higher levels of IVF in this age group. The Twins and Multiple Births Association said research suggests that obesity leads to more multiple births and this could be affecting

the 25 to 29-year-old age group. However, the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) said more studies were needed into why those aged 25 to 29 are fuelling a rise in twins or triplets. The rate of multiple births, mostly of twins, rose to 16.1 per 1,000 women giving birth in 2015, compared with 16.0 in 2014. Last year in the UK, 10,901 women gave birth to twins, 169 to triplets and three gave birth to quads or more. MULTIPLE BIRTHS: Are on the increase.

Cellulite and bikini season.....

CELLULITE is a normal occurrence, affecting almost 90 per cent of women and 10 per cent of men during their lifetime. On the surface, cellulite appears as lumpy or dimpled skin, however, the process of developing cellulite is more than skin deep. Is there any way to eliminate the ‘cottage cheese’ on your thighs and rear end? Yes absolutely! At Derma Clinic Spain we use Alidya to treat and solve the cellulite. Alidya is used on areas of the body that are developing cellulite, including the buttocks, thighs, stomach, and shoulders, to reduce its appearance and prevent it from further developing. Alidya is perfect for patients who are noticing the first signs of cellulite development and are looking to reduce cellulite, smooth the overall appearance of the skin, reconstruct volume and enhance skin tension in affected areas. Other than in the treatment of cellulite, this injectable solution is also indicated for use in post-liposuction treatment to correct the appearance of the skin, as well as in post-intralipotherapy treatment to correct changes to the adipose tissue. Alidya should only be administered by a licensed professional. The amount of injections administered will vary depending on the area being treated and the severity of the cellulite, although this requires a minimum of five sessions. The duration of the results will vary by patient and treatment area. Once the initial weekly treatments are complete, Alidya injections should be administered once a year to maintain the effect. The amount of initial treatment sessions as well as the longevity of the results will depend on the area being treated as well as the severity of the cellulite, and results may last longer or shorter depending on the patient’s age and lifestyle. Yo u r f i r s t c o n s u l t a t i o n a t D e r m a a C l i n i c Spain is for free, so don’t hesitate to call to make your consultation or if you have further questions.

Derma Clinic Spain are located at Camino del Pincho 2, 03580, L’Alfaz del Pi, Alicante. For more information call 674 255 579 or email info@dermaclinicspain.com. Alternatively see our Facebook page facebook.com/DermaClinicSpain.

4th - 10th May

home & garden MANY plants are termed weeds but a weed is really only a plant in the wrong place or a plant not wanted where it is. Crabgrass is a weed in the vegetable or ornamental garden but makes a hardy lawn species. Oats are a weed in a wheat field and wheat in an oat field. Persistent plants which self-seed or spread in other ways into the garden are generally termed as weeds. Few people enjoy weeding but weeding is necessary to remove unwanted plants and have the garden how it is meant to be. If we change our concept of what a garden is meant to be though, there are many more possibilities. Various alternatives to styles developed in the disciplined Victorian era of gardening - when full-time gardeners tended the labours of the garden allowing the creation of wonderful formal ornamental and kitchen gardens - are now being seen. In less formal gardens, plants can grow more nat-

Purslane - weed or culinary delight? urally due to the tolerance of self- emerging plants that can in fact be used in various ways. The hot summer sun can overheat the soil dramatically in the Mediterranean garden, damaging the root systems of the plants we are trying to grow. Allowing a ground cover of naturally occurring plants can provide a cooler soil. I let many naturally occurring plants grow around my fruit trees and in my vegetable patch for this reason. Amongst many of these plants is purslane (Portulaca oleracea) which has done particularly well under the fruit trees this year. It is considered a weed in many countries but being a Mediterranean plant it has also been used as a culinary plant and has

been recognised as a medicinal herb for thousands of years. Purslane can be used in recipes as a replacement for spinach but it can also be eaten raw as an addition to salads. It’s nutrient value has been well researched to determine it has good antioxidant properties and is the best plant source for Omega-3, amongst other attributes. The best thing for me though is that it has established itself under the fruit trees in a symbiotic relationship. The fruit trees being watered and giving shade helps the purslane which in turn provides ground cover for soil protection for the tree and, as the gardener, I get both better fruit and a great source of abundant, highly nutritious salad and

soup greens with virtually no extra work. So with a more informal gardening style and a little more research into plants that are normally just disregarded as weeds, I have found many plants like purslane which provide an easy source of naturally occurring food. To promote the purslane under the trees, I just collected naturally occurring specimens from around my field and in the garden when the plants were with matured seed. Instead of putting the plants in the compost, I used them as a mulch around the trees. Nature has done the rest resulting in the abundance of purslane plants ready to harvest, not weed out, all summer long.

SALAD: With purslane and tomato.

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4th - 10th May

pets IF a previously friendly cat starts biting or scratching you, it is essential you take it to the vet. A cat in pain from dental disease, cystitis, arthritis or injury may bite when handled. It may bite if it is seriously ill or if it has a brain tumour. Pregnant cats or cats with litters are aggressive in defence of their litters. When the kittens have grown up, the mother’s behaviour usually alters. NEVER punish or chase. This will intensify aggression. Ignore bad behaviour by walking away, keeping silent (no screams), withdrawing eye contact, no confrontations. Reward

When cats become aggressive towards humans calm behaviour with cat treats. Avoid situations which will result in cat aggression. The difficulty for owners is working out what kind of aggression they are dealing with. This is where help from a cat behaviour counsellor can be essential to help reduce and manage the aggression. Aggression to humans often results from fear. The problem may arise from a dysfunctional kittenhood. The kitten is brought up

without enough contact with humans, and therefore will never become domesticated. To be truly domesticated, kittens need to be handled before the age of eight weeks. Relatively socialised cats may still bond, but probably only to close family. It will be best to give this kind of cat plenty of space and independence. Allow the cat to initiate

contact with you, as this freedom to choose will result in more, rather than less, affection. Cats under stress may also become aggressive to owners. In general try to reduce the stress in the cat’s life, so it becomes less anxious. AGGRESSION: May result from fear.

Pet firework phobia MANY humans enjoy fireworks but for many dogs they cause huge suffering and panic. It’s impossible to avoid our pet hearing the explosions but there are a few common sense strategies to minimise the impact. One of the most important things is to avoid taking them outside when you know they’ll be let off eg during programmed displays. If there’s no way of avoiding it, use a good lead to ensure a panicked pet cannot get loose. Try not to leave pets at home alone and do everything you can to reduce noise. Keep doors and windows closed and pets away from them. A calm attitude is vital and a terrified pet should never be told off or shouted at, this only worsens their fear. Yet while noise lasts don’t rush to cuddle or calm them. Try to remain impassive and act as if nothing is wrong. Once the noise ends and the dog calms down, then is the time to stroke and reward. Music to cover noise and a favourite toy may distract a younger animal and help it adapt. Get puppies used to this type of noise as soon as possible to avoid lifelong phobias. If all else fails, speak to your vet as there are drugs and methods using pheromones which can help.

Now together forever

FOR many, a pet is another member of the family and it can be hard enough to cope with the loss of a loved one without the worry of fighting bureaucracy to bury them. New York City has been the latest to provide a solution to this problem by passing new legislation which will allow the ashes of pets to be buried with their owners. With six out of 10 families in the US now owning at least one pet and the city register-

ing 1.1 million animals, the measure meets popular demand and will allow the 1,900 non-profit cemeteries in the area to honour the last wishes of those buried there. “From pets to retired military dogs, this new legislation recognises the special relationship between New Yorkers and their animals,” said George Webster, president of the New York cemeteries association.

4th - 10th May AIRPORT PARKING

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METAL WORKS

COMPUTERS & IT COMPUTER Repairs. Home Visits – Laptops / PC ´s Qualified Technician 648065224 No Call Out Charge. No Fix No Fee. andy@wizardcomputers.biz (259452)

MOBILE WELDING SERVICE Gates, rejas, railings etc. Made to measure or repaired. Free quotes. No job too small. Calpe. Made to measure or repaired onsite. Call Dave 965 834 869 or 616 173 699 (257061)

PEST CONTROL BUGBUSTERS BENIDORM: Fully Legal Costa Blanca Pest Control Company. EST 1994. For all pest problems, commercial and domestic. Call Lois Clark 619 054 939/96 686 5204. bugbuster slois@hotmail.com. ROESB 05552 CV (276061)

SITUATIONS VACANT

PLUMBING

SKYLINE SATELLITE EXPERTS IN REPAIRS, SERVICE CALLS OR ADVICE ON uk AND International tv installations 965 838 225 info@skylinesat.com SPECIALIST IN COMMUNITY AND APARTMENT INSTALLATIONS, and Solutions, no dish, no problem. Satellite and TV accessories available 965 838 225 info@skylinesat.com (254325)

TEACHERS/Host Families needed July Planet English Javea 695 216 889 plan etenglishjavea@gmail.com (259448)

POOLS

MOTORING

INSURANCE

COLUMNIST

TV & SATELLITE

HOME & GARDEN

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4th - 10th May

SPANISH COURSES

SITUATIONS VACANT

SITUATIONS VACANT

Puzzle answers Puzzle answers Puzzle answers Puzzle answers Puzzle answers Wordwheel aa an ar as at na ta aas ana ant ara

ars art att oar oat ora ran ras rat san sat

Codebreaker sau tan tao tar tas tat tau uta anas anoa ansa

Cryptic

anta ants anus arts aunt aura auto naos nota oars oast

oats osar rant rato rats roan rota rusa soar sora star

stat stoa sura tans taos tara tarn taro tars tart tats

Quick

taus taut tora tsar tuna ursa utas anoas antas antra aorta

arson attar aunts auras autos ottar rants rasta ratan ratos roans

roast rotas ruana santa santo saran satan sauna sonar sorta start

stoat sutra sutta tanto tarns taros tarot tarts tatar tatas taunt

tauon tauts toast toras torta trans troat trona tunas anatto aortas

attars attorn ottars outran outsat ratans rattan ratton ruanas santur saturn

sonata stator strata tantra tarots tartan tatars taunts tauons tortas tronas

truant tutsan anattos arnatto attorns rattans rattons santour tantras tartans truants

arnattos saturant astronaut

LIVE LICE LACE LACK TACK TALK or LIVE FIVE FILE TILE TALE TALK

Giant

English-Spanish

Irregular Sudoku

Word Ladder

Cross Figure

Futoshiki

Sudoku Nonagram alit alto gait gilt girt goat grit grot iota lilt loti rata riot rota tail tala tall taro till tiro toga toil toll tori trig trio allot altar aorta argot atoll atria gator gloat griot groat raita ratio taiga tiara trail trial trill troll aortal atrial lariat latigo latria rialto tailor otalgia ALLIGATOR

Kakuro

Boggled rowan rowans rows roos rood roods rosin rondo rondos rout rods owns woos wood woods woodcut wand wands awns anis sown sonic swan soon snow snood snip snipe sudor sinh nows nidus quin quins quid quids quip door doors duos duct disown dins indoor indoors induct ictus incus hind hinds cuds pins penni epic

4th - 10th May

45

motoring BRITISH racing car manufacturer Brabham Automotive has unveiled its new track-only supercar. Intended to rival the McLaren Senna GTR and Aston Martin Vulcan, the Brabham BT62 features a 5.4-litre naturally-aspirated V8 which will produce around 700bhp. The project is headed by David Brabham, multiple Le Mans winner and son of legendary three-time F1 world champion Jack, who says the car has been designed with a strong focus on driver skill and reward. It features carbon brakes, double wishbone suspension, Ohlins dampers and sequential transmission coupled with a jawdropping dry weight of just 972-kilos ensuring an extremely high power-toweight ratio. Only 70 BT62s will be built to mark the 70th anniversary of Jack Brabham launching his racing career in Australia. The first 35 will be finished in liveries commemorating the Brabham F1

Brabham reveals 700bhp supercar team’s 35 F1 wins, with the remainder decorated to customers’ bespoke specs. Owners will also be able to join a driver development programme to eke out optimum performance from the car on the track. Although performance stats remain hush-hu-

sh, the BT62 is expected to eclipse the 340kph, 2.8sec to 100kph McLaren Senna. It is expected to cost more than €1.1 million before taxes and options, and will be built in Edinburgh Park, north of Adelaide in South Australia.

RETURN OF AN ICON: The Brabham BT62.

BMW on the charge BMW revealed its new all-electric Concept iX3 SUV at the 2018 Beijing Motor Show in China. The German manufacturer continues to ramp up its expansion of the BMW I range, and its latest vehicle is a version of the X3 crossover. Confirmed for production in 2019 and expected to hit showrooms in 2020, it retains many of the X3’s design features but with a more smoothed-out overall appearance, while the traditional kidney-shaped grille has been modified so that it is fused together. The firm says that the iX3 will employ a fifth-generation electric motor serving up 266bhp of electric power connected to a battery which ‘has a net capacity of over 70 kWh.’ Range is expected to be at least 400 kilometres and the vehicle will be compatible with 150kW fast charging. Production of the iX3 will take place in China, currently the world’s biggest market for all-electric cars.

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4th - 10th May

motoring

Mitsubishi Shogun TEST DRIVE BY TIM SAUNDERS WHEN travelling with three young children and lots of luggage a large vehicle is an absolute necessity. The heavy-duty long wheelbase Mitsubishi Shogun is well suited to such a challenge. This well-built beast has plenty of space and will put up with pretty much anything thrown at it. And that includes little Henry Saunders (21mths) insisting on pretending to drive it every time we park. We all like the third row of seats tucked away in the floor of the boot;

great for additional passengers or a change of scene for the children. To put it through its paces we drive to Ringwood, the Isle of Wight and London. For all of these journeys we take in the usual dull A-roads and motorways where it cruises happily at 70mph. At Ringwood we visit a farm and this allows us to experience the Shogun’s abilities on farmland. It easily tackles slippery surfaces, mud and gravel. Ruts and speed bumps see the occupants bouncing all over the place at speed due to the hard suspension. “It’s struggling; it seems to be in the wrong gear,” says Caroline when the Shogun is faced with really steep inclines on the Isle of Wight. I disagree because we are travelling at 30mph and it is an automatic so the choice of gear is not my fault. It quickly becomes clear though that at low speed there is a noticeable vibration from the 3.2-litre diesel unit throughout the entire cabin, as well as that chugging sound associated with diesels of the past. At faster speeds it is quieter. I’ve known the Shogun since I was a lad. The father of a friend of mine owned a short wheelbase ver-

FAMILY FRIENDLY: Mitsubishi Shogun.

sion and my friend (aged 11) was allowed to drive it across their land. What I do notice is that there is very little change in the Shogun, for which I take my hat off to Mitsubishi. Much like the Land Rover Defender didn’t change externally in its lifetime, neither it seems has the Shogun apart from of course all the technology inside. Today’s Shogun is fitted with everything from a sat nav (the most complicated I have come across and I can’t operate it), a reversing camera, air bags, air conditioning, as well as power folding wing mirrors. The automatic gearbox makes for lazy driving and my only complaint is that when I rest my right arm on the door, over a prolonged period, it starts to ache due to a lack of padding. I like the large glass electric tilt/slide sunroof and the high up driving position provides a good view of the road ahead allowing passengers to see things they wouldn’t usually, such as good views into people’s gardens and houses. The times I have heard Caroline, particularly, say: “I didn’t know that was there.” The rear seats allow for different

s e t ups. So for instance if there are three passengers one might choose to sit on the middle seat and then the rest of the seats can be folded away and pushed forward. The other two passengers can sit on the third row of seats unfolded from the boot floor. Access is gained either by climbing through the space left by the folded seats or the remaining seat can be lifted forward. It’s all quite userfriendly. The children love it. And they like the pop out rear windows, too. The rear door complete with spare tyre providing access to the vast boot space is extremely heavy. This fact is emphasised when we park on a hill at Mottistone Gardens on the Isle of Wight. I get out open the rear door without supporting it.

There is a great creak that reverberates throughout the whole vehicle. No damage is done but from then on I carefully support it whenever opening it. Overall, this is a great family friendly and versatile vehicle for those rugged travellers trekking the countryside. Life is all about priorities and compromises and the Shogun’s strength is in its vast capabilities. When wading through 700mm of water or trekking across a muddy field fuel economy is not at the top of your list of priorities. It is survival.

Porsche Premiere in Mann THE new Porsche 911 GT3 RS was revealed at the Geneva International Motor Show in March, but its roaring 520-horse power and top speed of 312km/h was not. Now the GT3 RS will be able to show what it’s really capable of as it premieres on the Isle of Man. The British island is host to the world-famous TT motorbike race in which the two-wheeled machines reach mindboggling speeds on curvy mountain roads. The Isle of Man - spanning just 572 km² - squeezes in up to 45,000 spectators each year. They have been coming to see the Tourist Trophy on the island since 1907. The race - which takes place on the 60.73 km circuit - is one of motor fans’ racing calendar highlights. It is now the turn of the brand-new Porsche 911 GT3 RS to strut its stuff on the island’s rugged roads. The car thrives on roads with varying amounts of grip. This makes the island and its less-than-perfect road sur-

faces the perfect location for the car. The GT3 RS’s focus makes it the closest a road car could get to the performance of a TT race bike, the German carmaker said. Only 12 journalists have been invited to the event which will boast two versions of the new GT3 RS alongside an array of models from the Porsche archive. The accompanying motors include the 991.1- the GT3 RS’s direct predecessor - and the seminal 2.7 RS. The island’s testing conditions and harsh corners led Porsche to invite along British champion rally driver Mark Higgins and TT racer Steve Plate. “The Isle of Man is a motor sporting Mecca,” Higgins said. “The island’s roads are the most demanding I’ve ever driven on in my life”, the TT road car lap record holder said. He added, the new Porsche’s traction totally blew him away. “It’s so planted and it’s a real pleasure to drive,” he said.

4th - 10th May

47

sport

Benitachell Bowls Club and Open Championship THE last week saw some superb bowling, with entrants from BBC, Javea Green, Finca Guila and El Cid. The rinks winners were Derek and Jan Eldon Javea Green, Greg Sperring from BBC and Yvonne Brydon El Cid. Runners up were Dudley and Carol Davies BBC, Veila Woods and Alan Phillips of Javea Green. A l e x F i s h e r a n d Yv o n n e B r o w n e BBC were in the pairs, against Jan and Paul Brown of Javea Green, who won the game. The ladies singles was nail biting, Betty Anderson from El Cid (a fairly new bowler) was up against Mary Cockle of BBC. Both ladies bowled superbly well and the game went down to the wire with Betty eventually winning. THE final round of the Spring Series was fished at El Bosquet. After the gales and heavy rain on the previous day the final round weather was fairly pleasant, save for a single shower. The match was won by Dave Hoare with 23.70kg, taking full

The men’s game had Dudley Davies and Brian Butler (another new bowler), both of BBC. Another great match with Brian winning the game. The spectators were entertained with precise and steady bowling from both players. A special award was made this year to chosen players of the games (one female and one male). The medals went to Betty Anderson and Brian Butler who did so well as new bowlers, to go out and bowl the whole week and to win, is a great achievement. A very well organised and smoothly run week of bowling thoroughly enjoyed by everyone with a total of 93 games using 46 markers and three Umpires.

SUPERB BOWLING: All of the victorious players.

Carping on about fishing advantage of drawing peg 12, using pole with bread and maggots. Second was Geoff Tempest with 16.84kg from peg 16

and using the feeder. Third was Alan Smith on peg 2, with 13.52kg and fourth was Dave Sutton with 9.54kg.

The final standings for the series: 1st Steve Fell with 214 points, 2nd Dave Sutton with 186, 3rd Geoff Tempest with 181

and fourth Jackie Breslin with 180. Well done to the 26 members who took part in the series. Further information about the club can be found on its website www.carp-r-us.weebly.com or on their Facebook page Carp-RUs Fishing Costa Blanca.

Northern Costa Blanca Men’s Doubles

BEAUTIFUL DAY: The happy winners.

Summer has arrived (they hope) TRIIUMPHANT: The Buena Vista team. LAST week a strong Bue-

team. However, all the

Merv and Alan took Juan

na Vista team visited La

rounds were very competi-

and Adam to a tie break in

Sella to play the JITC A

tive.

Round 2.

team. In perfect weather

Merv Joseph made his

Note: Buena Vista club

conditions the teams were

first appearance in the

is in Moraira and JITC

closely matched.

JITC A team and together

(Javea International Tennis

with Peter Jones won their

Club) is based at La Sella

team’s only set 8-4.

Tennis, near Pedreguer.

Tennis scoring can be deceptive as the final result showed a resounding

All the other sets went to

win for the Buena Vista

Buena Vista, although

Final Score: Buena Vista: 5 JITC: 1

THE Pego Golf Society had 37 players on a beautiful day playing for the prestigious Javea Cup. It was a Pairs Combined competition and the results were as follows: Ist place the team of Mick Connolly and Rob Weston with 69 points 2nd place the team of Terry Oram and Stella Fox also with 69 points 3rd place the team of Patrick Lynch and Malcolm Wise with 63 points 4th place the team of John Guest and Paul Trigwell also with 63 points. They also had three guests, Paul and Alison Dumont and Richard Pike. Alison won the guest prize with a great score of 33 points. Nearest the pins were Roger Brown on

hole 5 with 2.8m and on hole 16 John Guest with 1.63m. Only one two on the day with Vice Captain Bill Pike scooping the pot. Nobody correctly guessed the number of balls in the water, leading to a card draw won by Aussie member Bob Jenkins. It was Simon Fox’s birthday, generously donating a bottle of cava for the draw, won by John Evans. One Match play, Carla Chaszczewski beat Derek Lindley one up. Next week they have a Magic Three competition, any guests wishing to play, subject to handicap, contact Penny Barden at pegohandicapsec@gmail.com.