The other opposition party, the Conservatives (PP) also repeated its posture and backed the plan – something that many find inexplicable, then and now.

What was the reaction of the Junta and how likely is the PGOU to be accepted this time?

The struggling Almuñécar PGOU has had a few bits struck off, given a new lick of paint, had a bottle of champagne broken over its stern and shoved down the slipway into the turbulent administrative river that will take it to Sevilla (Junta de Andalucía). You can’t help feeling though, that once the cheering has subsided and the bubbles cease to reach the surface from the probable new resting place of the PGOU, why did they bother? Was it an honest attempt to get the PGOU up and running, or was it an election gimmick for the coming date with the voting booths, doubling as a shot of calming reassurance for the building developers?

Let’s look at the changes:

• The plan now contains 23,597 new dwellings, which is nearly 10,000 less than originally proposed.

• There is actually an increase in the hotel sector, envisaging an extra 48 hotel-rooms. (Evidently, a proposed hotel will get an extra floor, or something.)

• Building land has been reduced by just over two million square metres, giving a final figure of 17.749.000 sq/m.

• Thanks to a new regional law, which makes it compulsory to dedicate 30% of all new housing to VPOs (government-subsidized, cheap housing) there will now be 11,336 VPOs, instead of 5,326.

• The population increase is calculated at 50%.

The behaviour of the PP leader, Juan Luis González Montoro, could be generously described as ‘peculiar’… for those who feel like being generous, but it won’t be the adjective chosen by the majority of people. The PP has opposed the convenios urbanísticos (building agreements – annexes to the PGOU) and taken every chance to sling a few punches at the Mayor, who dodges them with ease. Yet, there he was on the stage during the council meeting, lifting his hand, in support of the PGOU during the vote count. Admittedly, they didn’t need his party’s three votes to win, but they needed the moral support that PP signatures give to the document. It’s not the same, for the PGOU to be approved by the Mayor’s party, plus the hinge vote of the PP turncoat, Andrés Palacios, as being approved with only one party in opposition to it. The Mayor didn’t need his sword; only his coat of arms. Juan Luis González weakly tried to have the Vega golf project shorn from the PGOU, knowing that the PGOU could never go anywhere whilst it contained this element, because it runs headlong into regional regulations. The Mayor’s party swatted his proposal aside. He also called for the halt in cashing in the five percent concession on projects included within the PGOU. This was also roundly rejected, yet Sr. González meekly voted in favour of the PGOU.

So, what have been the first reactions of the authorities up in Granada – the first step to the Junta in Sevilla? The Delegado de Obras Públicas de la Junta de Andalucía, Pedro Fernández, made it very clear to the Mayor that “There has never existed, nor ever will, a deal on the PGOU,” which is what the Mayor had hinted at, claiming that this is what had happened in 1983, resulting in the approval of the 1987 PGOU. “When the document reaches the Provincial Committee and is examined, the Department of Public Works will ‘exactly and strictly’ apply legality, as in every case,” he added. He was very surprised that the Mayor should announce in public that the PGOU could be approved through ‘negotiation.’

The Comité de Ética del Colegio de Arquitectos de Granada has proposed to the Colegio Andaluz that the Town Hall head surveyor should be barred from practising his profession. This little gem was sent to us by the Izquierda Unida (United Left) party. They claimed that the said gentleman has been reported on repeated occasions for ‘irregularities’ in his handling of official affairs, such as having a house built for himself, artfully hurdling all the regulations in the PGOU. He is also accused of permitting excessive building in Almuñécar’s International School, where he sits on the board. Consequently, the IU party called upon the Mayor to remove Sr. Passolas from his post as Chief Municipal Surveyor. Actually, if what the IU has to say is accurate, it would be amusing, if it were not so depressingly bad. They say, for instance, that Sr. Passolas formed part of an ‘architectural study’ that was to be presented to the Town Hall - in other words, his desk - for approval. One of the first acts of the Mayor upon taking office, say the IU, was to appoint Mr Passolas to draw up the new PGOU to substitute the already approved one of 2003.

Three people were arrested after a failed break-in at the mini-casino next to Hotel Playa Almuñécar (the old Sol Meliá). This happened on the morning of the 6th. Three Romanians held up the Siete Cerezas mini-casino at 11 in the morning, but as they were unable to open the safe, they set upon the female employee that was on the premises. With her face covered in blood, she managed to escape their clutches, run outside and scream, “Arrest them! Arrest them!” Passers-by came to her assistance and were in time to see the three men make off in a red Volkswagen Golf with Almería plates (registration number). Somebody managed to note down the number, fortunately, whilst another dialled 112 for assistance. The Local Police took charge of the girl, taking her to the medical centre, whilst the Green Meanies started setting up roadblocks. It is with much credit to the Guardia Civil that the culprits only got as far as Salobreña before being stopped by the GC unit there – that is damned efficient, isn’t it? The men were brought back to Almuñécar, where they were identified by the girl.

The Almuñequero, Eladio ‘Yayo’ Carbonell Méndez, managed to win the regional Enduro Championship in the open-amateur category. More than 265 riders took part in the championship, divided into seven categories. There were 70 competitors in the open-amateur class. This kind of motorbike championship is basically the same as motor cross, but the bikes must be completely road worthy in a legal sense, i.e. have number plates, standard brakes & lights and have road insurance, etc. Well done, Mate! You see that all that screaming around town was not in vain, was it?

People have been saying for a long time that the fruit produce of the area is wasted, because it is only exported as such. Finally, it seems, somebody has managed to produce a fruit by-product: in this case, chirimoya jam. The fruit co-operative concerned is Herco Frut – which if I’m not mistaken is the big one going out of town (Taramay), near the entrance for Cabría beach. Apparently, they have been experimenting for months. Until now, nobody had been able to achieve a marketable jam from chirimoya because of the fruit’s rapid oxidisation process. Herco Frut says that its recipe contains no chemical products. It’s still not marketed, but when it is, it will mean that tons of fruit that normally can’t be sold as such because of its advanced state of ripeness can be used for making jam.

Almuñécar’s rapid urban growth means that it is now the third largest town in the province, after Granada itself and Motril. The latest census reflects a population of 27,700 inhabitants, 5,000 of whom are foreigners from 70 different countries… and no doubt a couple of different planets, as well. Now, Folks, that means that the foreign population represents nearly 20% of the populations, which means that all the politicians are going to make all kinds of offers and be nice to you in general, in the run up to the looming municipal elections. What’s amazing is that just the British population is 3.5% of the total population. That, Folks, is mind-boggling! Twenty-five years ago, there weren’t enough Brits for a football team and now you can’t go anywhere without hearing somebody blatting away in English. After the Brits come the Danes, Germans, Belgians and Swedes in number. The non-European Community leaders are the Argentineans with around 500 inhabitants. However, Folks, it is sobering to remember that there are still more dwellings than people in Almuñécar, and those in the Town Hall want to add another 35,000 dwellings to the existing amount. We shall be speaking of the pending PGOU later on in the section, by the way.

Here’s some news that certainly isn’t news… if you are a motorist here: Almuñécar begins the year with its main thoroughfares pulled up. On a good day, between 60% and 70% of town traffic passes through La Carrera de la Concepción, or in other words, the main junction where the Otivar roads hits town near the roundabout fountain. It is total and utter chaos. It wouldn’t be so bad if Avenida Europa, which runs past the Parque Botánic Majuelo, weren’t dug up and cut off, as well. In fact, seemingly half the entire town has been dug up driving motorists to despair. Why, you ask? Because we have the damned elections just around the corner – that’s why! A month or two before the elections Almuñécar will be ‘finished’ and the grateful inhabitants of Almuñécar will be skipping along to the voting booths, by which time they will have forgotten what utter madness the place has been since New Year. But it’s not only about getting new roads… who do you think is carrying out the work? Fathers and sons from the main voting strongholds of our crafty Mayor, i.e. La Paloma, La Carrera and Los Marinos all have employment for the coming weeks, meaning double incomes for low-budget families. Is this illegal? No, it isn’t. Is it dead crafty and blatantly transparent? Yes it is. Nobody will argue that these low months are the best time of the year to carry out street repairs… but all at once?Anyway, I popped along to the planning department and asked Carmen what the hell was going on and she explained that everything would look pretty much the same as when it started, i.e. there would be no major changes. The work was being carried out to modernise all the underground systems, such as rain drains and electricity cables, etc. The biggest difference will be that the two gardened islands near the Otívar junction, which had until recently been simply painted lines to mark no-parking boxes ( and which was precisely where everybody parked) - will now be raised road islands, planted with flowers… to make visibility impossible. Actually, it’s a good move, because it will stop the Automobile Lobotomy Brigade from parking there.

Good news for the Lentegí crowd – your village is going to be turned into a European, nuclear-waste dump… Nah! Just joking, but had ya worried, right? Sure, like you take anything the Ed writes as gospel! What’s happening is that the Village Authorities (Town Hall) will be tarmacking nearly two kilometres of rural lanes/tracks. Well, actually, they’re not exactly tarmacking, but laying concrete surfaces on difficult spots, i.e. stepped bits, which are difficult to climb when wet, for instance. Work will take place in the following areas: Los Bancalillos, Los Chaparros, El Azebuchón, Suerte Cabrera and Hoya de la China. Boy, do I love those names: Goat Luck, Chinese-woman Dip, Little Terraces, The Evergreen Oaks and The Wild Olives. Yeah, I know - china really means pebble here, but what the heck!

Taramay has got new street lighting! This is ecstatic news and my jeans are straining at the seams with emotion. Did I really say that? No! My keyboard jammed, damn it! The Mayor, accompanied by the proud Chairman of the Taramay Neighbourhood Committee (Pedro, I think it is) stood cooing and pointing beneath the 27 new street lamps! The majority were erected in the area known as El Chino, which leads down from the main road, the rest went to the area known as La Curva Pertiñez, which is that bend in the main road at the top, which leads down to the Galera area. Of course, my nasty humour should not detract from this obvious benefit for the area – well done, Mr Mayor and Taramay.

The British are coming to help the kings do their thing, as Jackie and Bill Pearson have worked so hard to make underprivileged children feel just as special as everyone else! Based permanently in Spain for only six years, there are definitely a lot of locals who believe this generous couple from Newcastle has been here forever, so much so that they have inherited the title of surrogate grandparents for many of the local children. ‘Ningún Niño sin Juguete’ is a local cause which the Pearsons first heard about in 2000. The aim is to ensure that when it comes to Epiphany and the three kings delivering their presents, no child is left empty handed, or worse still, the only child on the block with nothing to show off to the rest of the children when it comes to 6th January and they publicly play with their new toys. A cause which in itself has grown over the years, this year saw over 260 children and their families in attendance at the Casa de la Cultura in Almuñécar, each child receiving three gifts including toys, shoes and money for school books. -Talk about your happy faces (not just from the children, but from the families, as well!). The Pearsons, in turn, received an acknowledgement from the Department of Social Services for all their efforts and the organisation of financial contributions which have added up to some € 2,500 over the past five years. Obviously this achievement is the accumulation of many people’s hard work and kindness – with Bob Bates, the Padul Players who gave a carol concert at the Hotel Helios, the Anglican Church in Almuñécar, Andy and the team at the ‘Ragged Rock’ in Almuñécar all deserving a special mention. Many thanks to you and everyone else who contributed. But of course it doesn’t end here, as now the cause starts working again for next January (a bit like Santa’s elves, really). Jackie and Bill are already busy collecting people’s loose change, accepting book donations, any financial donations and keeping a dinner circuit going as ways to raise money. If anyone would like to help this amazing couple make a real difference locally, please send them an email on jackbill1941@yahoo.co.uk.

Before I forget it, I had a phone call from English Maureen, about the Post Office and stamps. That’s the way everybody used to be known here; with the ‘national suffix’, because there were so few of us foreigners about. Old habits die hard, I guess. Old timers still call me Young English Martin, although my 50th birthday is just months away. Ha! Anyway… what was I saying? Stamps! She asked me whether I knew that you could no longer buy stamps at the Post Office – I didn’t. We both thought it rather ironic that you could not buy postage stamps at a Post Office, as would many people, I imagine. So, I popped into the Post Office to glean some gen (find information). I spoke with the branch head, who told me that they had stopped selling normal stamps as of the 14th December last year.

They have a computer attached to a scales unit. They dump your letter on it, the computer calculates the postage costs (as well as your shoe size, favourite colour and propensity to flatulence attacks, perhaps). Then the printer coughs up a postage sticker, which goes in place of the stamp.

If you have a whole bundle of letters or whatever, they have a franking machine. For those of you that want ‘real stamps’ the Post Office does receive collector’s booklets, which very rapidly run out – they haven’t got any at the moment, for example, but are expecting some. So, Ladies and Sidekicks, if you really want a bona-fide Spanish stamp, you will have to buy them at your nearest tobacconist (estanco). Ah, I also asked the informative lass if there was any news on the move to the P-4, but she said that there was none, other than it was hoped that they would be transferred to the P-4 before the arrival of the summer.

On the penultimate day of last year, the Chief Prosecutor for the Supreme Regional Court of Andalucía made it known that he ‘saw signs of a (building) offence’ over the height of the new hotel in Avenida Don Juan Carlos – Bahia II. The ecologists had already given up hope of bringing attention to this and had withdrawn their ‘denuncia’. They did this because the law courts in Motril had shelved the case, after receiving a report from Almuñécar Town Hall, which satisfied them that nothing was amiss. This is basically because, when all is said and done, the hotel is still the equivalent height of 10 full storeys, in an area that only permits ground floor plus two. On top of that, there is doubt as to whether the official category of the building plot really was for ‘community material’, i.e. a store yard for municipal material. Anyway, I did some nosing around and came up with something that I was not aware of about the hotel and underground car park: the two constructions belong to the same company! In a special agreement between the hotel owners and the Town Hall, apparently, the hotel was allowed to exceed the height limitations in exchange for building an underground car park, in front of the hotel, under the street. That, if it is true, explains why the hotel has blatantly cut one of the town’s main thoroughfares for over a year, with impunity, whilst the hotel was built. They could not cut the street for the construction of the hotel, but they had an excuse to do it if a car park were under construction. Needless to say, the hotel is finished and the car park hardly seems to progress. I wouldn’t be surprised if the hotel turns round and says, “Sorry, Chaps, but there is a technical difficulty that impedes the building of said car park – hard cheese, and all that!” They could do that, knowing full well that nobody is going to tell them to pull the hotel down, nor demolish the surplus floors.

Following on from the above: The Junta de Andalucía has since asked for the annulment of the building permission for the hotel. The reason being that the hotel has 3,000 sq/m more than that permitted. Firstly, the Town Hall changed the catergory of the plot from equipamiento público to residencial hotelero exclusive. This was done despite the fact that the provincial committee for urban planning issued a negative report on the project in 1998, which should have stopped the scheme dead in its tracks. However, the Town Hall went ahead. Just months later, the Town Hall agreed to relinquish public ownership of the plot so that the hotel could be built. At this point the Junta warned that the plot should be for public use – not private. This loss of public land was not compensated for elsewhere, i.e. there was no trade off – the ‘public’ simply lost out. Finally in February 2005, the local governing board issued a building licence, which is the one that the Junta now wants annulled. In July 2006, even before the doors of the hotel were opened for the first time, the Department of Public Works told the Town Hall to revise the municipal licence for the hotel. The hotel, at the time of the writing of this article, has still not responded to the DPW. The Junta now has until April this year to present their case before the law courts.

It has been announced that the new aquarium will be ready for inauguration on the 28th February, which is the Día de Andalucía, by the way. The installations have been described as ‘innovative’ in the whole of Spain, with its huge fish tank for sharks, for example. Curious locals had the opportunity to see the almost tubular, transparent walkways, that will permit visitors to get a fish-eye view of the new sub-aquatic habitat, being installed. The road leading past that side of the Municipal Market was cut during most of the day, so that a specialised crane could be moved in and sited for the lowering in of the sections into the bowels of the installations. Americans from the US company, Reynolds, who built the modules in their factory in Colorado, oversaw the operation. Another piece that was installed, with much fidgeting and frowns, was a cylindrical tank that stands five metres high and has a diameter of three metres. This transparent tank is for shoal fish, such as sardines. These installations, by the way, are three times bigger than the well-known aquarium in Barcelona. The central theme for the aquarium is Mediterranean; so all exhibits will be based on these kinds of habitats and fauna. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing the inauguration – what about you?

There was a huge rumpus over the council houses (Vivienda de Protección Official) in Laderas de Castellar (San Sebastian). The houses are technically illegal, because the plot is officially designated as ‘industrial’, which means that it’s for warehouses and whatnot. The Town Hall took it upon itself to build VPOs for young couples there and was consequently pulled up (reprimanded) about it by the regional and provincial authorities.

At the very end of December, members of the PSOE, who had tried to hand out flyers to a group of hopeful homeowners, explaining that they were being manipulated by the Mayor, were allegedly attacked by the aspirants for a VPO. Five of them were denounced by the PSOE, with Rocío Palacios (head of the local party) leading the charge, so to speak. However, the accused totally denied having in anyway ‘attacked’ the PSOE members. They claim in fact that it was the socialists that offered the insults, whereas they only asked to be left in peace. Four days later, the lawyer for the VPO aspirants admitted that there had been an act of aggression, but asked for the case to be dropped, offering compensation to one of the socialists involved in the incident. Although the houses are officially out of bounds, owing to the ongoing legal dispute, some owners have managed to obtain access and are now living in them. Rumour has it that they were given copies of the keys by the builders. Note: The following day the lawyer for the accused stated that he at no time admitted that his clients were guilty of the said offence and that he requests that they be acquitted of all charges. He also stated that at no time did he offer compensation to any of the plaintiffs.

The Junta de Andalucía has given the green light to the underground parking facilities in San Cristóbal and Velilla. The Department of the Environment has given permission for machinery to occupy parts of the Paseo to carry out test bores (drilling to ascertain the composition of the ground). The project technicians calculate that the parking facilities will be finished within two years… (Yeah, right! Just like El Paseo del Altillo y Avda. Don Juan Carlos!)The company that will be carrying out the construction work is the co-operative, Periferia, which belongs to another co-operative called GI 25. With names and convoluted connections like that, who needs to feel nervous? Just remember this, Folks; the project was unanimously approved by all political parties in June… so when/if things start to go egg shape (go wrong) and some of them start to disown it, don’t be fooled. The price of one of the 295 project parking slots – in the San Cristóbal one – is estimated at 15,025 euros, plus 16% VAT. Those interested have to put 30% down and pay the remaining 70% upon completion of the project. The Velilla parking project is situated near the water park and will have space fore 421 cars. The price per unit here is 13.522 euros, plus VAT.

Somebody pointed out to me that it was ironic that we Europeans got together for a jolly in the park on Día de Europa, but that we have hardly any, if none at all, solidarity with the other ‘foreigners’ here. I’m referring to the Moroccans, Romanians, Ecuadorians, etc. There was another Foreigner’s day last month, which had an attendance of around 500. It was called, Fiesta por la Convivencia and was held in the old Hiper supermarket. We didn’t know about it before hand, unfortunately, which was why it wasn’t December’s Gazette. Seventy different nationalities were present. According to Town Hall records, the most numerous group are the Argentineans, followed by the Moroccans and Romanians. Several Central and South American countries, as well as those from Eastern Europe, made up the numbers. Perhaps Día de Europa should be replaced by Día del Extranjero, or are we to divide ourselves into first and second-class foreigners, as it must appear to The Other Foreigners?

The Paseo de Prieto Moreno - which is the one between the Paseo beach bars and the cross on the rock – has new street lighting! Dang! Now ain’t that just soooo interesting, Folks. Apparently the cast-iron ones had deteriorated greatly, thanks to the salty sea air and needed replacing.

If you had been in any doubt concerning the proximity of the coming municipal elections, one look at the articles in this month’s Gazette about frenzied civic/urban renovation programmes should be a pretty good hint that they are just around the corner. The play park that runs down the side of the river in the P-4 – just across from the new gasolinera *gasp!* - is also getting a face lift. The Town Hall has proudly announced that it will be spending 175,000 euros on sprucing up (making like new) of the assault course for tomorrow’s urban guerrillas; i.e.; children. A tidy 60,000 euros have been spent on new swings. (Need I point out that this odd number of euros corresponds exactly to ten million pesetas?) The park now has a nice wooden fence all around, park benches, more trees and 18 lampost that will no doubt be the joy of the areas dog owners. If you are wondering what will eventually happen just above the park and up to the main road, I can inform you that there will eventually be tennis courts placed there.

And whilst tarmacking machines plunge forth, taming the wild tracks that stretch across the coastal hinterlands, the Town Hall carries on, relentlessly with its repaving campaign in Torrecuevas. Now, nobody will argue against the concept, but there seems to have been an excess of adornment on the narrow fringe of new footbath that runs along the road up to the Torrecuevas aqueduct area. To stop lawless mothers parking their cars, half up on pavements, as they await the midday regurgitation of the nearby junior school, the Town Hall has included small posts on the rim of the pavement. Fine! But, you will also notice that the lampposts have been sadistically placed – in some places – right in the middle of this narrow pavement. Now, even with these heinously placed lampposts, a mother with a pram (pushchair) could still use the footpath, if she left one side of the pram with its wheels spinning in mid air, but combined with the parking post, she would have no alternative but to bump down onto the road, precisely on the worse stretch of the road for visibility. This is a clear example of where such planning is carried out solely in an office, without anybody actually bothering to go a look at the locations. The workers, aren’t bothered if what they are doing is completely ludicrous, because “some over-paid office worker” is getting a good salary to foresee such inconveniences. If you ask one, they will just shrug – and it is the same the whole world over; let us not kid ourselves.

Businesses react to Paseo plans with disbelief, at the thought of losing not only passing trade and parking spaces, but even some of their own property. I find it intriguing that speaking to some of the restaurants down at the Peña-Parda end of the bay, no-one was aware of the intention to push the project through public approval stage by the first week of January and they certainly had no idea of the implications of these plans. The proprietors claim that none of them were consulted by anyone from the Town Hall and that there was no formal discussion about changing any of the frontline of La Herradura, let alone expropriating land from owners. In fact, the meeting held by the Partido Popular (PP) mentioned in last month’s issue of the Gazette was the first time that the project had been presented to local owners and businesses in any way. Subsequently, there have been all sorts of rumours thrown around, not least of which involved the circulation of a letter dated 19 December uncovered by the local Socialist party PSOE. This allegedly shows how Benavides has given in to the presentation made by the proprietor of a certain Chambao. Whether other businesses in La Herradura enjoy the same good fortune remains to be seen. Certainly there was a very conservative attitude to handing out invitations to a forum involving the La Herradura Enterprise Group and Benavides. This meeting (judging from the local television broadcast of the event) seemed more of a PR exercise than a serious attempt to address the shortfalls of the plan. Still the latest press reports suggest that Benavides has admitted to a number of concerns about the plan, but all in all he believes that it has got to be better than the paseo that currently exists. He still hasn’t quite grasped the peril of introducing change just for change’s sake, has he?

Update on Andrés Segovia, as it’s been confirmed that the competition this year will pay homage to the French composer Darius Milhaud and the Italian composer and guitarist Mauro Giuliani. This 23rd edition of the competition is set to take place during November and is targeted at young performers (35 and under). The difference this year is that a support group, La Asociación de Amigos del Certamen Internacional de Guitarra Clasica ‘Andrés Segovia’ has been set up and has already had its inaugural meeting during January. My apologies for getting Tony Morton’s email address wrong in the previous issue of the Gazette- it should have read: anthonymorton@hotmail.com, for anyone who would like to get in contact with him about the Association. Its aim is primarily to support the development and enhancement of this prestigious international competition. The idea would be to step up promotion generally, increasing the opportunity for a greater number of quality competitors, to help attract more spectators, ultimately spreading the good name of Andrés Segovia and leading to a higher profile for the competition and global recognition of La Herradura itself. This is by no means meant to criticise the achievements of the competition and its organisers to date, but to augment support in a friendly and respectful manner. The President of the Jury, Don Antonio Martín Moreno and the Secretary of the ‘Certamen,’ Don Manuel Martín Garcia have already expressed that they are pleased to receive the support of the Association. In the meantime, meetings are progressing between the President and Mayor Benavides in order to determine the allocated budget for the event. Hopefully, with a number of committed and keen individuals focused on the cause, there is the opportunity to enhance the status and workings of this already successful and important international competition.

El Ancla bows to rugby enthusiasts as Jonathan and the team concede to showing the Six Nations’ Championship in its entirety. The heat is on as England plays Scotland on Saturday 3rd February – watch the board for details. And even though it’s often a formula that’s hard to crack, El Ancla somehow manages to maintain that unique title as the ‘home of sport and quality food’ in La Herradura. Great way to keep everyone happy, really. And with Shrove Tuesday on the 20th February, you know where to head to for an unmistakable ‘pancake frenzy’; Katie has the recipe to tempt you with sweet and savoury options. Which only leaves us with an albeit early quick reminder about entering St Patrick’s celebration in your diary for March 17th. More about that next issue.

Art Gallery Felicia Hall shows Luis Alberto Hernández’ work from 2nd February until 4 March. Luis Alberto Hernández was born and brought up in the Canary Islands where he studied art. Subsequently he continued his training in Seville, Barcelona and Perugia (Italy). This artist works with different materials: his paintings are executed in acrylic or oil, while he sculpts in wood and also in painted cardboard. His subject matter is diverse, but in 1998, upon becoming a member of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts of the Canary Islands (La Academia San Miguel Arcángel), he became particularly interested in angels. Luis Alberto Hernández has held over 20 individual exhibitions in the Canary Islands, mainland Spain, France, Venezuela and London, as well as being shown in a large number of collective exhibitions since 1968 to the present day. He has also been the recipient of a number of prestigious prizes both in Spain and in Europe.

La Parrilla romances the villagers with a special Valentine’s Day menu. Renowned throughout the Granada province for quality dining, this unique venue is where restaurateur Ramón is offering something a little bit special to make any magical date complete. Make sure you don’t miss the opportunity to experience the delights he has in store for you, by reserving your table now on 958 64 06 19.

Sunlounge anti-Valentine party set for Friday 16th February. Had enough of sickly romance? Can’t stand the thought of another crumpled love heart, flat glass of cava or wilting rose? Well here’s your chance to buck the whole damn Hallmark tradition and get out your clubs for the you believe you know all there is to know about putting? Any thoughts about just how long a green can be installed at the Sunlounge without interrupting the flow of traffic to the bar? Ready to put your money where your put is? These and other questions will be answered for everyone who’s willing to have a go! And Leanne tells me that this event is back by popular demand, so make sure you sign up now and avoid disappointment by either popping into the bar or phoning now on 958 61 84 97. Entry for golfers and non-golfers alike is € 5, guaranteeing a great time, fabulous snacks and no bleeding hearts!

Now it’s Paqui’s turn to dazzle, as not only Joaquín enjoys some public acknowledgement for all his hard work. For the past 20 years, Paqui has been the client-facing side of the day-to-day working of their highly successful Chambao de Joaquín. Still it came as a great surprise for this unassuming lady when she received notification from the Town Hall in Almuñécar that she had been selected to receive an award for her contributions to the tourist industry in the area. One of the things that tickled her most at the awards ceremony held during September in the Palacete de la Najarra, was that she was the only woman amongst a group of about seven people, including well-known figures in the area, Jaqui of the famous Cotobro restaurant, together with the owner of Mesón Francisco in the old town of Almuñécar and Chiquito based in Granada. So some pretty long-running establishments, really, considering that the original Chambao de Joaquín appeared in 1952! This recognition of Paqui’s efforts comes at time when we all see how difficult it is to survive in the service sector generally; when it often appears to us that lower quality food is being thrust at us with less than friendly service and at ever-increasing prices.

Talking of effort, nobody does a paella extravaganza quite like Joaquín! It was the weekend of January 20th and 21st that the whole family and restaurant of Chambao de Joaquín seemed to be on hand, dedicated to the cause of raising funds for Cuba once again. Apparently some 3,000 people (including the Gazette team!) visited this now annual event. I have to say, that given the amount of people catered for, the limitations of cooking and coping ‘al fresco’, plus the general queues of eager paella consumers, it really did taste very good. The atmosphere, geed (moved) along by Flamenco dancing, music and good cheer, combined with God-sent weather, ensured that the whole weekend went extremely well. Paqui tells me that, quite apart from having to transport everything across to Parque Majuelo and keeping things in order, the event (including returning the park to its previous state) required them to work through from 9am to 12 midnight both days. If you ask, Joaquín always says “no”, he can’t possibly manage another year. But then, he manages a cheeky smile and admits that each success keeps him going, with this year being no exception as €10,000 was raised for the cause during this weekend alone. Congratulations to all involved plus those supporting the event – long may it last!

The Peñon del Lobo project – perhaps better, but erroneously, known as the Keops project – appears to have ground to a halt. Not a peep from the Town Hall, mind, on the subject. The Mayor’s office ordered a halt on the 11th October, according to Ecologistas en Acción. Apparently, both provincial authorities have had a closer look at the Keops’ licence for the 144 dwellings on the R2c, R2a and R6 plots and decided that the project has not ‘carried out the requirements made by both the CPOTU and those of OPT (both governmental bodies, whose initials I couldn’t be bothered to translate, but trust me, it really wasn’t worth it.)

It has since been announced (8th Jan.) that Keops has sold its residential project called Bahía-Fenicia next to the Marina del Este. The buyer is the ex-director of the company, Niels K. Thygesen, seeing as he already controlled a third of the capital. He apparently sold his shares in this real-estate company to obtain 100% of the Bahía-Fenicia. This way Keops has been able to salvage its investment in the project and dedicate itself to the Nordic market, simplifying the business. Keops pointed out that the shares deal does not affect their customers, as it will have no effect on the completion date. And there are quite a few buyers around: according to Keops only 12 apartments of the planned 120 have not been sold. If you’re thinking of buying one, then you should be expected to pay between 499,000 and 599,000 euros.

El Ministerio de Fomento (Public Works, more or less) will be finally sorting out some kind of central control for the tunnels between the Málaga border and where the future A-7 coastal autovía will link up with the one coming down from Granada, near Lobres. At present there is nothing for the three tunnels concerned: Cerrosol, Pino and Marchante. The Ministry has put the project up for tender, which involves linking up the three tunnels via optic fibre to a central command in Málaga. There will also be a control post near La Herradura junction. The old N-340 tunnels will be included in this project.

Well, I’m sure glad that these people haven’t decided to advertise with us, because it would have been delicate to write about the building project that will erect 211 flats near Cantarriján. The building developer, Fadesa, is going to invest 40.7m euros in this ‘residential’ project. According to the developers, the complex will be next to the natural park of Cantarriján. The actual site, Folks, is just above the main road, between kilometre points 304 & 305. The project won’t begin until the autovía is completed because work will necessitate closing the N-340. Now, I ask you, Ladies and Gentlemen, after completely buggering up the other side of Cerro Gordo with that mass of housing, is it entirely necessary to go and do the same to the western side? Is nobody going to turn round and say, no you can’t build 200 flats in this beautiful unspoilt landscape – bugger off!

Why must they submerge yet more coastline under unforgiving cement?

Cyber Surfer is back on line! Mike Dyson, at the internet café in Salobreña, would like to offer his apologies to all customers, who were not able to use the internet facilities recently and assure them that the problem has now been solved. Mike looks forward to seeing customers, old and new, at the Internet café in the future. The problem was entirely the fault of Telefónica and some furry friends in the village! During the past two months or so, the Internet café constantly lost the connection to the Internet and this fact was reported to Telefónica. They said - when they could be contacted - that the line was working, that there wasn’t a fault and that they would not send an engineer out to check the line to the business. Well they would, wouldn’t they? Last month, Mike not only lost the Internet connection again, but also lost his normal phone connections to the business, yet Telefónica still insisted that there wasn’t a fault! However, it was pointed out that the other businesses along the beachfront had also lost their phone lines, the owners were not very happy and the phone company had better send someone to sort things out! When the Engineer arrived to investigate the problem, he got quite a shock to see the amount of damage, caused by mice at one of the sub-stations, to the cabling! The cable was repaired within a couple of days and everything is now working. I hope that mice don’t get to like flying and eat away at the millions of cables in an aircraft. I wonder if the Black box would be able to record that kind a fault in a crash, or would they just take the usual easy option and blame it on the pilot? Having spent thirty years in the aircraft industry, my experience was that they often did!

The Dolphins Eight, the Fish Farmers Didn’t! Not the greatest of introductions to an article about theft at sea and a bit reminiscent of the sick joke about the starving millions in Biafra many years ago, but it made a lot of the Green Lobby smile! It all concerns the many large rings that make up the fish farm just off the shore at La Caleta and near to the Salobreña Hotel. There have always been dolphins swimming around this area of the coast, even before the fish farm came into being, but their numbers have increased since the arrival of this new industry and the dolphins have looked upon this new venture by man as a sort of fast food place, or should that be plaice? The Green Lobby have always been concerned about the pollution that these fish farms have caused all over the world, killing off other creatures in the sea, silting up river estuaries and, perhaps, causing other problems for mankind that are yet to be seen! However, these fish farms continue to be built, due to the argument being won by the mighty Dollar, Pound and Euro! So it made a nice change to know that the dolphins, known for their intelligence, have fought back and worked out how to get a free meal. Recently the dolphins leaped out of the water, as they do naturally of course, landed on some of the fish farm nets and broke them. This allowed the dolphins to attack and eat the fish, but many of the fish escaped into the ocean, heading away from their attackers and towards the beach at La Caleta and Salobreña. However, there were quite a lot of men and boys fishing with rods on these beaches and they were suddenly catching fish at a rate that made their heads spin. It has been reported that local beach fishermen have been saying, it was the greatest days fishing they have ever had and hope that the dolphins, now that they have learnt how to break the nets, will provide them with many more great fishing days. This is not a hope that is shared by the owners of the fish farm! Score one-nil to the dolphins.

The latest word on those coloured houses. The urbanisation I have just left, after eight years now has a number of different coloured houses and they add absolutely nothing to the charm and beauty of Salobreña or Andalucía in general. When I first came to live here, the houses were all white, Andalucian and of a typical Spanish design. Now they are, sadly, being painted garish colours, have to be built bigger than the neighbouring house, must have four, five or six bedrooms and, in some cases, are built with turrets as the owners build their ‘Castle in Spain.’ However, don’t get the idea that all these houses are being built and painted various colours by just the foreigners; the Spanish are doing this too! In one particular case of a multi-coloured house on the urbanisation I have just left, the change from the traditional white has backfired on the Spanish owners. The painted house in question is not the one in which they live, but is one they bought as an investment and to rent to anyone who will pay the price. The house had been advertised on the Internet, with photographs shown in its original white paint and not in the new colours and they had a number of enquiries and guests staying at the house before the colour change. Recently a German family came to stay for a couple of weeks, with the intention of booking this luxury villa, as it was described in the advert, for three months next year and were horrified by the colours the house had been painted! They are going to look for one in the area for next year, where the house is still painted white in the old Andaluz way and doesn’t look like something better situated in Dallas. As they said; “We could look at the view towards the sea and not see the house, but can you imagine the awful holiday photographs with this coloured house in the background?” They event felt that they couldn’t invite friends, who were also staying in the area, to visit them! Watch out homeowners that rent out your properties, heed the warning and stop painting the outsides with such garish colours! Please keep Andalusian houses, painted outside at least, in the traditional white. The visitors, who stop and spend their money here, prefer things as they are.

Local Photographer is moving. Justin Curran, our local photographer, is moving his family and his business along the coast to Mijas. However, he will still have a base here in the Salobreña area and is available on the same contact number of 697 428 901 or his email and web site addresses. Justin is more than happy to provide a professional photographic service for all his customers, old and new, all along the coast here, inland in Andalucía and for those special events in the U.K. You can also contact him through the Cyber Surfer Internet café. By the time you read this, Justin will also be a father, as his wife Julie is expecting their first child at the end of January/beginning of February and we all at the Seaside Gazette and its readers wish mother and baby well and the father too!