It makes a pleasant change to be able to proclaim on the front page that Almuñécar is heading in the right direction. And that is the general consensus across the political spectrum, as well as the predominant opinion amongst the Almuñequeros.

What has brought about this change? It was the announcement that the Sandovala area, which is behind the old Sol Meliá on San Cristóbal beach, will be turned into a pleasure port, with the accompanying restaurants, shops, banks, and green areas. Sandovala is all the green area to the west of Rio Seco between Radiovision and the beach. It has long been considered for development, as it sits in the heart of expanding Almuñécar. What makes this so positive, is that it is not the mindless multiplication of blocks of flats and a proliferation of empty hotels - this marina will generate and attract business.

The Sales Pitch...
Almuñécar Puerto Centro S.L. is set to invest 33m euros on building a 500-birth marina in what will undoubtedly become the 'economical' centre of Almuñécar. But the Mayor warned that the complexity of the project is liable to attract more than one sticking point, dealing with the various administrative authorities.

"Everybody is free to adopt the posture that they see fit, but it will be difficult to find fault with a project that is not based on the typical speculative proceedings of building housing, full stop. What we are going to see is a strong effort to create an infrastructure that is in high demand," says Juan Carlos Benavides (pictured above signing the contracts).

He went on to point out that the existing pleasure port is 'collapsed,' i.e., cannot cope with the demand. "There is a tremendous demand for berthing and it is essential that we change Almuñécar into a 'destination point' for international tourism of the nautical kind," he concluded.

We think...
Well, that's what Benny says. The amazing thing is that all the other political parties agree with him... What could be a clearer indication that he's doing something right? But it's not just Almuñécar's political class that has reached harmony over a course of action - the whole town is buzzing with positive comments on the proposed marina. You must remember that Almuñécar is politically unique. The town's voters are not divided between the Left and the Right, the Republicans and the Monarchists, or the Regionalist and Nationalists - it is divided, quite simply, into those who support Benny and those who oppose him. Almuñécar is a town where you watch what you are saying in public, when you make positive or negative comments about Benny - the owner of the bar, or whatever, might be a fanatic for either side.

Finally, this is a project that everybody is united behind, and for that very reason, and if for no other, we support it. It will be accused of being pharonic in its scope, undoubtedly, by external political forces - perhaps even as 'castles in the sky' because its complexity. It will be a long time before we shall see this project expressed in concrete and water, as the project is still in the inception stage, with a long legal and bureaucratic way to go, fraught with practical difficulties. However, that's not important because what is important is that Almuñécar believes in it. On too many occasions the Seaside Gazette has had no alternative other than to reflect a general pessimism expressed around town: uncontrolled urban expansion; obvious 'selective blindness' by those who are paid to be vigilant and, finally, squalid political squabbling, generated by personal advancement or greater-party politics. Now that we have apparently found North on the compass, as the Spanish say, let the political parties agree to take turns at the helm, steering a course of common consent.

Technical Details
So what is the marina going to look like? The marina will have access via Rio Seco, which will have to be widened and deepened. The land surrounding the water will have a general building ratio of 0.3sq/mts, for residential, commercial and hotel use over an area of 73,176sq/mts. This area will be allocated thus: residential 50,053sq/mts., commercial 10,976sq/mts. and hotels 9,147sq/mts.

The port in itself will be able to cater for vessels up to 15mts in length, which means that larger craft will continue to use Marina del Este. Finally, there will be 500 berthing places.

Well, following on from our article that pointed out that the brand spanking new sewage treatment plant has been sat sulking, void of murky chores, it has been announced that it will be coming into splendid action this month! Break out the party hats, ticker tape and joyous flatulence exhibitions! Perhaps not, because it is only going to be a trial period... will they have special, clinically approved, test material flown in? What's been holding things up apparently, is that the Southern Water Board has changed hands from a central government responsibility to a regional government one. Well, that's what the socialist MP for the Junta de Andalucía - Almuñécar's Rocio Palacios - says. Yet the local opposition party in the form of the PP says that the lack of human excrement in the works is because there is too much bull excrement blocking the way. But wait a moment, when I jubilantly pull the chain, having completed a task well done, I expect it to be whisked contentedly away up the valley, suitably treated and dispersed in an inoffensive and productive manner. What I don't expect us to be able to wander down to the beach and wave to it in the watery distance, do I? I mean, taxes have been paid, money has been spent, bricks and mortar have joined in ambitious union and... bugger all else! Whilst the politicians are bent on scoring Brownie Points, our brownies are left pointing towards Morocco... and it's just not good enough, is it?

Do you remember that article about what Benny (the Mayor) had proposed for what was once the old lunatic asylum, until it was converted into a holiday complex for pensioners? He wanted to turn the many flats within the Turismo Tropical into permanent residences for pensioners, because the present old people's accommodation, which is next to the bus station, has a waiting list that is longer the Blair's nose after a Parliamentary appearance. The Mayor suggests that instead of accommodating visiting pensioners on state-subsidised holidays in Turismo Tropical, they should be housed in the town's many hotels. In other words: more homes for the pensioners, holidays in hotels for visiting pensioners and a bit of trade for our ailing hotel sector. Nice one Benny! At least, that is what the town's old folk are saying. In fact, a group of them have taken upon themselves to form a committee and collect signatures to support the idea. So far there has been no word from the provincial council on the matter, to which Turismo Tropical belongs.

The motorway works above Almuñécar have produced another casualty. The worker, 42-year-old J.N was rushed to a waiting helicopter for transfer to a hospital in Granada, after a large rock fell on him inside one of the tunnels, seriously injuring him. Heavy machinery was needed to free him. This is the first accident of the year. Another worker had died in a similar accident in January last year - he had been buried alive under rocks, whilst carrying out excavation work in a motorway tunnel. The unions, as can be expected, are not happy. The Provincial Secretary for the UGT (Union General de Trabajadores) says that safety measures, within one tunnel in particular, are 'conspicuous by their absence.' He even accused the company on-site overseers of preventing union representatives from seeing the site of the accident. Workers, however, that witnessed the accident say that excavations were being carried out without the necessary safety measures.

It looks as though the 171.150 euros budget set aside for the restoration of the Lentejí church will be insufficient, owing to severe deterioration of the beams and wood work in general within the roof structure. Accordingly, the 'hat' is being passed around amongst the villagers.

On Sunday January 16th, The Rt Revd David Hamid, the Suffragan Bishop of Gibraltar in Europe, came to stay in Almuñécar in order to officiate at a Confirmation service in the Capilla de Nuestra Señora del Carmen for two adult worshippers: Bob Bates and Jan Ellis. Afterwards, he travelled to Nerja to take the Eucharist at the Iglesia de San Miguel. Here he processed around and through the church, led by the two Church Wardens, John Stevens and Margaret Surie, accompanied by the locum priest Rev Robert Raikes and lay assistants Barbara Johns and Brian Armistead.

After the service the members of the Parochial Church Council and their partners entertained the Bishop to a roast dinner at the Caribbean Café next to the Church, at which the Roman Catholic Incumbent of San Miguel, Don Salvador, attended. He was delighted to discover that the Bishop could converse with him in Spanish! Bishop David Hamid then accompanied the members of the PCC to Church Shop in Calle Málaga for a more formal meeting, at which he gave his advice and encouragement regarding the appointment of a new priest-in-charge later in the year. He then was taken to Málaga where he was to meet the Roman Catholic Bishop of Málaga the following morning.

Almuñécar was stunned to hear that a Guardia Civil policeman had been deliberately knocked down by the driver of a stolen car. The incident occurred during the early hours of the 15th February, just past midnight. Father of two, 33-year-old Rafael Peso Ruíz died from head injuries at 04h00 - both of his arms and legs had suffered fractures as well. This tragic event started at the other end of the town, at the main junction for Velilla in the Taramay. A routine traffic control had been set up and was flagging down traffic. However, a BMW, instead of slowing down, sped up and disappeared at high speed. Another Guardia Civil patrol was immediately alerted, who prepared to intercept the car in front of the main road restaurant, El Mirador, which is situated on top of the hill between the Barranco de Cotobro main-road bridge and the Rancho Rio Verde turning. Rafael stepped into the opposite lane to the on-coming car to flag it down. Incredibly, instead of stopping or even avoiding the checkpoint, the driver actually swerved into the lane where the policeman was standing to run him down. The police speculate that the driver coldly calculated that the consternation caused would give him extra minutes to get away. The car was later found next to La Mezquita in La Herradura, abandoned. All indications point to the driver being a member of an Eastern European criminal gang. Guardia Civil colleagues went without sleep for 24 hours in an attempt to catch the murderer - but without success, for the time being. Interpol was soon called in to help with the case, when it was discovered that this large-cylinder car had been stolen in Italy and had been fitted with false plates. Rafael had been transferred from Málaga to cover a vacancy in the La Herradura police compliment, bringing with him his young wife and two children of one and two years of age. The Town Hall declared an official day of mourning on the 17th February. We feel that we can express in these lines our sympathy and support, as well as that of our readers, to the family, colleagues and friends of Rafael.

With all this talk about local politics, we tend to laugh or sigh about the things that go on, but it is not always a laughing matter - one councillor certainly doesn't think so, after somebody stabbed him. The councillor in question was José 'El Chavo' Rodríguez Jaime, who is the Councillor for Agriculture, Public Works and Maintenance. His assailant, 54-year-old A.M.F has subsequently been charged with attempted murder. It happened at 19h15 on the 26th of this month, up in the hills behind town in the Barranco de Ítrabo, which is where John and Anne Jones used to live, for those of you who remember them. The councillor has gone up there to meet A.M.F. on his land, because he wanted to ask him about a note that the farmer had left him. It read, 'You're invading property that has belonged to us for eight years.' This was in reference to the brick hut that the Town Hall had erected, together with a TV booster mast. The councillor told him that the Town Hall had permission from the man's brother. According to the councillor, at this point A.M.F. threw himself at him and dealt him '13 or 14 knife thrusts.' However, it turned out that the councillor managed to dodge most of them, receiving a 4cm deep wound in the chest and cuts to his hands and clothes. This tussle lasted some 15 minutes. "After that, after wrestling on the ground, things quietened down," said the councillor. In the heat of the struggle, he hadn't realised that he had been stabbed, thinking that the wet sensation was from sweat. (Remember that it gets dark around 18h30.) Then, with the aid of a torch, he saw the blood and set of for the medical centre, where the doctor stitched him back up again, as, fortunately, the knife wound had not reached any vital organs.

While the Tsunami disaster is still resonating - and long may it do so in political fields - people have gone about helping others in need all over the world, as they have done so for many years, far below the media spectrum. One such group is the one that has organised the II Sahara Campaign, which gathers food and the other first necessities for the region. It is worth explaining about the conflict behind this humanitarian drive. The Sahara conflict started in 1975, with the Marcha Verde, which was a peaceful occupation of Spanish Sahara by Morocco, taking advantage of the chaos caused by the death of Franco months before. It is a low-level conflict that has been dragging on for 30 years. Every year, children from the region are taken in by Spanish families here, so that they can enjoy at least a few weeks of the year under 'normal' living conditions. So, when the Juventudes Socialistas de Almuñécar (JSA) organised a food collection scheme for the Sahara, they soon collected 2,000 kilos of foodstuffs.

As in previous years, Joaquín giant Paella in the Majuelo Botanical Park was a great success, drawing the expectant and hungry crowds. This is just another case of Almuñécar's spirit of solidarity towards worse-off communities around the world. Los Amigos de Barracoa has been running fund raising events and collection funds for Cuba's Barracoa, which is one of Almuñécar's twin towns. Over the years, they have managed to provide everything from a large bus to tubes of toothpaste. This year they are concentrating on renovation work to an old folks' home.

As mentioned in last month's Gazette, after the Christmas festivities the Christmas trees were collected from around town, where they had been lending some festive ambience to the streets. Anyway, the now thoroughly bored Christmas trees were hiked up to the top of the coastal mountains, namely, Peña Escrita mountain park, where they were replanted on the morning of Sunday 16th. The shop owners had the chance to add a 'bracelet' to the tree, bearing the shop's name. The aim was two fold: add to the reforesting of the mountains behind us, which have suffered from numerous and yearly fires, and secondly, stop groups of out of work Christmas trees from muscling into queues and frightening women, children and small dogs.

Despite the exorbitant price of housing and warnings of a down turn in the real-estate market, Almuñécar has given the go ahead for two other urban developments, besides the one mentioned on the front page. The first will be the development of the Poquiera del Mar, which is just before the Cuesta del Marchante, on the opposite side of the main road from the Urbanisación Las Palomas (La Herradura). More information on that can be found in the La Herradura section. Secondly, another development will be situated to the west of town in the El Montañés area - above and to the left of the Guardia Civil post. The Town Council signed a deal with the building developer, Mirador del Montañés, which has given the go-ahead for the construction of a 'luxury' residential estate and a rural hotel. The 25,322sq/mts. of building will be distributed over a plot of some 101,289sq/mts., giving a 0.25% building ratio. Also included are 25,000sq/mts. of roads and 20,258sq/mts of green area. As for the rural hotel, we're talking about a total area of 5,000sq/mts. A total of 155 houses/flats will go up, 25 of which will be 'protected' (whatever that means in this context), 28 will be detached and 82 will be 'grouped residences.' To my perverse mind - untutored in architectural terminology - this indicates that they will heaped together, along the lines of Carmenes del Mar, on Cerro Gordo. The investment is put at 9m euros, which would just about buy you a double garage in Puerto Banus. Going back to the rural hotel, it will be of the 'aparthotel' variety. An 'aparthotel,' is an apartment block with hotel facilities, but then again, Chinasol and Las Gondolas are qualified as aparthotels, as well... The clientele targeted are Northern Europeans, who are looking for somewhere sunny and quiet. Another selling point, claims the developer, will be the proximity of the proposed Cotobro golf course. Amen, goodnight and goodbye to another virgin hillside.

Have you ever tried to track down a house number in one of Lenejí's picturesque streets? Don't try, you impetuous fool! The numbering system has the continuity and logic of a socialist government staffed by chimpanzees! You follow eagerly the door numbers, 15, 16, 17... and then suddenly you hit 1,234b - a number that belongs to a crowded Muscovite suburb. To find Nº18, you have to go two streets along and through somebody's kitchen. It's bad enough everybody having the same surname, without them having the same door number as well. Well it's all going to end! Ángel Fajardo, Mayor by grace of God and a few jars with the right people, has decided to renumber the whole of the village, which should only take 30 minutes, a packed lunch and a dozen number plaques, admittedly. The burning question is, will the Mayor rename the 500 inhabitants and have at least 400 different surnames issued between them?

A man was sentenced to three years in prison for threatening his ex, as well as setting light to a mattress in the flat that they had both shared until their break up. For this damage caused, he will also have to cough up 5,337 euros. J.A.D.S.G. will also have to pay a fine of 2,160 euros for breaking the court order that forbid him from approaching her. On the 19th January 2003, they had begun an argument over a car that they had bought together, and which the mother of the victim had demanded from him. He had refused to hand it over. During the heated argument, he threatened to torch the car and to kill her. He repeated these threats to her at the entrance to the block of her flat. Months later he managed to gain access to the flat and set light to one of the mattresses, which required the assistance of the local fire service to extinguish the resulting blaze. The judge then ordered the man to stay away from the victim, which he ignored and further threats were made against the victim's life.

Since El Ancla has been running in La Herradura with Katie, Jonathan and Jean at the helm of an impressive team, their focus has been on community events. Instead of pushing themselves as the Costa Tropical's answer to Little Britain, this haven for more than just the ex-pats has held all manner of events, ranging from curry quiz nights, through to Halloween and Christmas extravaganzas.

This latest event has a serious undertone, however, and is much more than an excuse for another party. Quite simply, the team is working with our community to hold an Auction of Wishes and other activities, aiming to raise 5,000 -10,000 euros for the victims of the South-East Asia earthquake and tsunami disaster. With over 50 promises already committed by individuals and organisations throughout La Herradura and beyond, El Ancla is embarking on yet another community event, due to take place 12th February at 7.30pm (19h30).
And here is just a handful of the promises on offer:

- Beach-front apartment for 1 week
- 4 day PADI open-water course
- 1 day's building work at your property
- 2 hour trip in 43ft motor cruiser
- Trip to Marbella in an open Corvette, including lunch
- Load of logs delivered to your door
- A meal for 4, including wine at El Ancla
- Taxi to and from a restaurant for 4 people
- Hamper of English goodies

As Jonathan pointed out, each day we have the privilege of living beside the Mediterranean, relatively safe, enjoying the quality of life that this part of the world has to offer. For those who have been far less fortunate and had their lives turned upside-down, it's our chance to offer some support. What we need you to do is join us - whether it's participating in the Auction of Promises on the 12th, or just leaving your donation with other unopened envelopes, behind the bar. And rest assured that your generosity will be carefully managed, as all contributions will be sent through the formal channels set up by Sky News - Yes: no admin charges siphoned off from the grand total!

It looks as if something might finally move, concerning the village's paseo. The Town Council and the coastal authorities (Costas) have reached a preliminary agreement, which gel just before the coming summer. The Mayor went up to Madrid to speak with the Sub-Director of Costa, Miguel Velasco. He did this with a project under his arm, in which Costa would be responsible for the building of the new paseo (promenade), whilst the Town Council would take it upon itself to build underground parking arrangements and the beach road down the west end of the beach (poniente). "This will permit us to carry out a functional sea-front promenade, far removed from the 'experimental wooden affair,' said the Mayor. The project contemplates a beach road from the municipal market down to the Punta end of the beach, which will be for two-way traffic in places, together with parking areas. As for the other end, there will be a promenade with a parallel road set further back inland, as far as Peña Parda, which is the one that the Town Hall will have to finance and lay.

Yet another hotel will be going up just before the Cerro Gordo tunnel, on the opposite side of the road from the Las Palomas turning. This development will provide 100,000sq/mts for a hotel and housing... The area is locally known as Poquiera del Mar and belongs to the P-16 development section. With an approximate 125sq/mts per unit, we're looking at around 300 dwellings. The project, which was approved unanimously by the Town Council, will be developed over the next five years. No concrete information was given as to what form or star-rating the hotel will have.

One hundred and twenty children will receive their schooling at the village's new junior school, which, according to the latest announcement, will open its doors this month. This new building will finally do away with the unacceptable situation where children have to trek hundreds of metres between classrooms that are located in different parts of the village.

First the good news: women in the village are going to find that the average male around the village will be more understanding towards women's moods and emotional necessities. The bad news, for women that have needs other than emotional ones, is that La Herradura is set to become the gay capital of Costa Tropical. Under the slogan, La Herradura out in the open... and free, a gathering of gays & lesbians was organised for the 21st & 22nd January, organised by Antonio, who runs the Cochera pub. This event was organised as a dress rehearsal for a bigger meeting, to be held after Semana Santa, and thence, annually. Both the Tartana restaurant and Hotel Almijarra will be collaborating by offering special discount prices for participants. Chambao de Vicente will even be offering menus at special prices. The Cochera was packed out on the both nights, especially the second, when there was a live band playing. Antonio points out that these events are just another part of a general drive to stimulate tourism in the off-peak season. For those who might feel apprehensively about this development: relax - they don't bite.

The Estación Náutica, which will shortly be inaugurated in the village, has taken a stand up to Madrid to participate in the Tour Buceo 2005. Right, in answer to your first question, the Estación Náutica is an administrative department, with its offices in La Herradura, whose task it is to organise all maritime activities, both above water and below it, in the sports and leisure sector. It is a provincial department, so its authority covers the whole of the coast of Granada (Costa Tropical). Secondly, the Tour Buceo 2005 is the fourth annual international diving convention, with participants coming from all of the world's top diving paradises.

Urgent! The Town Council published a notification in the Spanish provincial paper, El Ideal - as is its obligation - saying that the building company Cerro Gordo S.L. had reached an agreement with the Town Council for the modification of two building plots in the Urbanización Carmenes del Mar. One plot measures 5,550 and the other 8,868. It does not mention what is planned or, specifically, which plots it will affect. It just says that there will be 'Modificacíones a Parámetros Urbanísticos.' It might be of no concern to anybody and be completely inoffensive, yet this notice stands for 30 days, expiring around mid February. You have until then to view the plans at the appropriate office and voice any objections that you may have - after that, you're stuffed. Said office is virtually behind Chinasol, on the return beach road. As I said, I have no idea what the modifications are about and I haven't the time to find out. So, if you live there and are concerned that you might be affected, the onus is on you.

Around mid month the Guardia Civil Coast Guards carried out an inspection on a yacht that was berthed in Marina del Este and discovered 2,500kg of hashish on board - in other words, two and a half metric tons! They had a judicial warrant to search a yacht, with the name of Carabeo, which was suspected of being used in drug-smuggling operations. The yacht sails under a Spanish flag and is registered in Málaga. The vessel had recently been acquired from its owner in Nerja by a 20-year-old man with the initials of J.J.G. However, a subsequent letter was received by the Ideal, which published an article, giving these details, saying that the information given was 'inexact and seriously prejudicial to Marina del Medierráneo Este SL' - authors of the letter. The Seaside Gazette, therefore, has not reproduced any of the points that this company found 'damaging.

A local judge (Torrox) has sentenced two foreigners - A Brit and a Fin - to six days imprisonment for vandalising the fountain in the Verano Azul Park. The fountain is made up of individual sections that represent each of the nation-members of the European Union. The local police caught them red-handed, as they set about spray-painting graffiti onto the two sections that represent Holland and Luxembourg. The culprits will have to pay for the cleaning process and the legal costs of the trial. Many locals were annoyed by this apparent racist act and for the lack of respect for public monuments.

The local fire service was called out to extinguish a house fire in Calle Pintada on the 10th of last month. The fire began in the kitchen, which is on the second floor. Two Brits were inside, who received first aid treatment for inhaling smoke fumes. Besides this fire, another three had occurred over the Christmas period: one in Calle Carabeo, one in the Urbanización, Ladera del Águila, and the third in the rural area of Frigiliana.

The police have been busy arrested foreign delinquents! This time it was a Swede that allegedly robbed a photography shop. The incident happened on the night of Sunday 11th. The suspect allegedly smashed the shop window of 'Paco García's' in Calle Pintada with a brick. The police were alerted by neighbours, who later positively identified the suspect as the author of the robbery. The man had various stolen possessions from the shop, hidden in his rucksack. The suspect also had several cuts on his arms, for which reason, he was attended in the medical centre.

The residents of Maro have long demanded a better postal service for this annex-town of Nerja. At present, the public is only attended for half an hour, daily - and then, only from a parked van! In order to remedy the situation, the Town Council has decided to provide a small postal department in the Maro municipal centre. Furthermore, they have approached the postal authorities to request a longer period open to the public - a minimum of two hours everyday, so that the villagers can sort out their business comfortably.The Provincial Delegate for Health for the Junta de Andalucía, María Antigua Escalera, plans to hold talks with the Asociación de Presidentes de Comunidades Y Urbanizaciones de Nerja over community swimming pools. This, she feels, is a good time to reach an agreement on regulations, as the majority of swimming pools are not in use at the moment... not even by the Scandinavians! Inspectors will take advantage of this inactivity to inspect all the community pools, so that any defects can be righted before the pools come back into use again.

You will have noticed - or not - that there has been a lot of chatter about Verano Azul lately. This is because it is the 25th anniversary of the very popular children's TV series by that name, which was set in Nerja and ran for more years than Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer did on the BBC. It also had a catchy theme song that drove everybody mad because everybody went about whistling it. Anyway, as I said, this was 'the big' anniversary, so many of the child actors of the time turned up to commemorate it. There was also the screening of a short film, entitled 'Pipas,' featuring these actors.

Superwoman, eat your heart out! Not content with moving a whole bookstore to a temporary location, WH Smiff's owner, Elspeth Cowie, then set off for Scotland and a punishing schedule at the annual Celtic Connections festival of music in Glasgow. Elspeth has been part of the organising team for years and also packed in concert appearances including a double-header at Glasgow Cathedral, where her Scots song was showcased alongside Gaelic singer and friend Ishbel MacCaskill. It seems it runs in the family. Elspeth's husband Rob, left to mind the fort at Smiff's new store next door to the theatre and cultural centre in Calle Granada, popped up in a surprise role over Christmas as a baritone soloist with Cantilena, the early music singing group which rehearses weekly in Nerja. Husband and wife are also involved in Words & Music, the new radio show focusing on books, authors, publishing, creative writing and songwriters, that goes out on Thursday evenings between 1900 and 2100 on Radio Sol de Almijara 99.1FM, Nerja's community station. Wow! When do they take time to sleep?

If you wander down the path to Burriana Beach in front of the Parador and see bright green tropical parrots in the trees, take heart, you are not hallucinating! There are indeed tropical parrots living, squawking, and flying free! They appeared with the New Year and while where they have come from is a mystery, the neighbourhood residents and tourists are enchanted and delighted with their antics.

The famous pianist who is unable to play his Steinway at his own bar on Calle Carabeo - due to the Scandinavian 'snowstorm' that lives next door - can now be heard tinkling the ivories at a Spanish hotel on Calle Los Huertos every Wednesday and Thursday evening.

Tara of the Nerja Theatre Workshop has given birth to a baby boy. Congratulations! The question all of Nerja is asking is, will she name him Aladdin?

A gala party was given in celebration of the wedding of Amit and Eva of Haveli fame. The actual ceremony had taken place in Las Vegas, the couple being accompanied by several members of the King of Hearts Bridge Club. Viva Amit and Eva!

Carabeo's Irish Harp Bar continues to pack them in on their live music evenings. The patrons really get in to the spirit of things and recently a certain local author was seen dancing with not one, but two blondes. The Seaside Gazette is sensitive to this local celebrity's desire for privacy so we will not reveal his name - but feel free to wave at him when you walk by his house on Calle Animas.

The Nerja Players are planning another theatrical evening on 27 February featuring two short plays of Christopher Durang, 'Desire, Desire, Desire' and 'Stye of the Eye.' Director Marty said that the first night of auditions was promising. When questioned further he revealed that nine people had auditioned for the thirteen parts. Perhaps placing an Open Casting Announcement would attract new people, talent and enthusiasm to auditions? Just a thought.

Lastly, local psychic Cesar Eneldo has reported the details of his latest vision. It seems after leaving the Irish Harp Bar late one evening, he saw the vision of a smiling BBC musician in a pedalo headed for Morocco. Anybody like to offer an interpretation?