This Week's News Items from Local Press

Two items quoted last week continue to make the news this week - tourism and wage cuts.

The Costa Blanca News makes it's headline from the weakening euro and comments that despite the doom and gloom coming from the tourism sector due to the crisis caused by the volcanic ash and airport closures, it was revealed this week that a rise in the exchange rate between the pound and the euro has energised bookings in the UK.

The rate as I write is 1.151, news that has been welcomed by expat pensioners who have, over the last 18 months, seen the value of their pensions fall. Many have been forced to return to the UK.

The exchange rate rise also means that UK holiday makers are now regarding taking a holiday in Spain as cost effective.

The CBN also reported that a strike in the civil service on 8th June is the major response from workers' unions to the financial cutbacks reported last week.

My "price watch" will return next week but just to note that petrol was 1,19 per litre of unleaded yesterday (dowm 2 cents litre)

Family members arrive for a week's holiday this afternoon - blog frequency to resume end of May!

Nucia Park Lunch

In January 2004 my wife and I joined an Intermediate Spanish Class in Alfaz del Pi. During the following 6 months we became friendly with many classmates and at the end of the course 8 of us (4 couples) agreed to keep in touch regularly.

Here we are, almost 6 years later, and the same 4 couples have been meeting every 2 to 3 months for a chat and a good laugh over lunch.

Well today was the day for another lunch - off the beaten track at Nucia Park Restaurant in La Nucia. (After Roundabout No. 2 on the CV70 Benidorm to La Nucia road take the first right, then right again, and you will approach the restaurant on the left).

The restaurant has a large, well laid out interior with beautiful views down the valley to the Mediterranean.





The daily menu (menu del dia) includes a large bread roll with butter or ali oli (mayonnaise and garlic spread), half a bottle of wine or other drink, salad and a 3 course meal with a choice from 4 dishes for the main meal. There is a choice for dessert. Cost 12 euros. Today I followed the salad

with spaghetti bolognaise, medallions of pork with chips and veg. and ice cream. A tasty and filling meal.

The service was excellent, the waiters were chatty and friendly and there was no waiting between courses. Good value all round (and good company, of course!).

In answer to the question "would I go there again?" Definitely "YES".

Bougainvillaea and their care.

It has been a beautiful day today in La Nucia (25 degs and clear blue skies) so I've been tidying up in the garden.

The bougainvillae plant is at it's best right now - in full bloom against a white wall - what a sight!

This glorious climber was introduced into Europe from Brazil by the French navigator Louis de Bougainville in the 18th century and is available in a variety of colours. I prefer the deep maroon.

Best planted in the spring and because bougainvillae is a strong climber it needs a sturdy support. Grow against a fence, railings or a white wall for a contrasting effect. Do not let early plants dry out - keep well watered BUT they do not need a fertilzer.

From March to December this climber will grow rapidly and to a height of up to 6 metres. Look out for paler shoots with broader leaves - "water shoots" - these should be removed.

In January annually I cut back hard and then wait for the "whoosh" of colour later in the year.

No need to use insecticides because bougainvillea bushes are surprising free of disease.

In summary then bourgainvillaea are hardy bushes providing a mass of colour with very little care.

Tax Doesn't Have to be Taxing!

Spanish Residents tax returns for 2009 have to be submitted by 30th June 2010.

Tax doesn't have to be taxing especially when you can park 10 minutes away from your tax advisor's office and take a pleasant walk along Benidorm promenade like this morning..........

before turning right into Calle Martinez Alejos in Benidorm Old Town:

Tax doesn't have to be taxing when all you have to do is provide your advisor with evidence of income for 2009 then she does the calculations and provides the forms for submission to the tax authorities:

Earned Income or Pension

+ Bank Interest earned

+ other income

-----------------------

=Total Income

- Personal Allowances

-----------------------

= Taxable Income

x 24% = tax payable

To provide a figure for personal allowances could be misleading because they are what they say - personal to the individual or couple making the return.

Tax doesn't have to be taxing because I left the office with all the forms necessary to pay the tax for 2009 at my Bank. 60% of the amount due to be paid by 30th June (when Bank also takes the forms and submits them to the tax authorities) and the remaining 40% in November.

So job done for another year! Cost of consultation 65 euros.

Tax advisors:

ASFEMP SL

Asesores de Empresas

Edificio Levante, 3 A-B,

Calle Martinez Alejos, 4

03501 Benidorm

(Alicante)

Tel: 966802669

Price Check

The cost of living in any country is always an issue so I thought it would be a good idea to

monitor prices by listing the cost of 20 basic products on a regular basis.

We use one of the major Spanish chains, Mercadona, and here are some items from our till receipt for the week ended 15th May 2010:

Milk, 6 litres of skimmed euros 3,06

Drinking Water, 8 litres 90 cents

Bread (small brown sliced) 60 cents

Cheese 330 grms 2,50

Butter 125 grms 1,25

Brocholi per kilogram 1,45

Cabbage per kilogram 1,30

Carrots per kilogram 75

Apples (6) 90

Oranges (8) 1,50

Avocados (4) 2,35

Tomatoes half kilo 80

Bananas per kilogram 1,30

TUC crackers pack of 2 1,60

Yogurt 4 small pots 90

Frozen chips 1 kilo 87

Lasagne (for 2) 2,50

Pizza (for 2) 2,35

Meatballs tin 90

Frozen fish 1,45

Then at the local garage Unleaded petrol was 1,20 a litre this week and cigarettes are 3 to 3,50 euros for 20 depending on your brand of preference.

More next week.

Poniente Promenade, Benidorm

Sunday Morning Walk

Last August saw the opening of Benidorm's new Poniente promenade. The promenade took over two years to complete at a cost of around 20 million euros, much of which was a grant from the EU . The old promenade was in dire need of improvement.

The new prom is a fantastic architectural achievement. The unique design features a wave like undulating wall with steps and ramps down to the beach at various points. The new paving is split into twenty sections of various shades. The width of the new promenade makes it easy for people to walk, jog and roller blade without fear of colliding with anybody. Since opening, the promenade has seen a massive increase in people out for a stroll.

That's where we headed to this morning. It's 15 minutes from our house by car. My wife needed to walk on the flat for a least half and hour and Poniente Promenade is perfect.

The temperature is rising, 22 degrees today with 24 forecast towards the end of the week.

Again we had a pleasant time out, just over an hour, and back well in time for lunch!

Here are some photos:

Saturday Morning Walk

My wife had a major back operation in July last year and part of her recuperation is to walk

slowly on the flat. So this morning we jumped in the car and drove from our house in La Nucia to the outskirts

of the Terra Mitica Theme Park near Benidorm. It takes 10 minutes.

The area around the park is extremely attractive and ideal for a slow stroll (as in our case), for jogging

or cycling as 10 years ago (year 2000) 10 kilometers of new avenues were constructed and landscaped.

There are wide coloured pavements (for walks) red lanes (for cycling), car parks, picnic areas and over 1,000

street lights of modern attractive designs.

The roundabouts are truly breathtaking also. There are six (known as glorietas) which represent Earth, Fire, Water

Air, Gravity & Reason and when we have visitors it is fun for the grandchildren to work out which is which. We

passed Earth this morning which is pictured.

As we walk towards Alicante in the distance on our left is the 5 star Villaitana Hotel and Golf Complex overlooking

Benidorm.

After a fifteen minute stroll and 5 minute rest we cross the road facing Terra Mitica and walk back to the car.

The theme park was opened in July 2000 and includes water rides, roller coasters, carousel swings and many more

for the very young, the timid and the more adventurous.

Holiday makers can reach the area where we walked by catching the 41 bus from Benidorm old town or, if you have one, you can land your helicopter at the nearby Heliport!!

We stopped for coffee on the way home and, on reflection, had a lovely hour out in the fresh air - and what a difference to yesterday when we had to stay in to avoid a hailstorm!

This Week's News Items from Local Press

Comment centres on three topics this weekend all of a varying nature:

1.Spain to tighten public spending.

Prime Minister Zapatero decides to cut civil servants wages by 5% this year and freeze them in 2011 - could lead to uproar and protests from Unions. Zapatero also added that members of his own administration will see their wages cut by 15%.

Re-evaluation of pensions will be suspended except for non-contributory and minimum pensions.

The "baby" cheque of 2,500 euros given to the parents of a newborn child will no longer be available after 1st January 2011.

An estimated 45,000 public employees and 280,000 pensioners in Alicante Province will be effected by the Government's measures.

2. Volcanic ash continues to threaten tourism.

The volcanic ash cloud continues to dent hopes of the tourism sector recovering from a disastrous 2009. Hotel chains are reporting that cancellation of advance bookings are increasing due to the uncertainty being caused by the continuing eruptions. Tourists are naturally concerned that if they travel out of their countries they may find themselves stranded abroad. If people are refusing to take the risk there is little that can be done BUT losses being experienced by the sector will have a knock on effect leading to more unemployment.

3.Valencia Region tops unsold properties list.

A total of 688,044 new-build homes remain unsold in Spain.

Housing Minister Beatriz Corredor presented the figures at a press conference last week. She revealed that the Valencia Region tops the league table with a stock of 119,793 new properties on the market. Of these. most fall in Alicante Province with 49,342 homes - more than any other province in Spain. Sra Corredor said she was optimistic that the national figure would now start to fall. "More houses were being sold at the end of 2009 than at the beginning of that year", she explained, "we think that the stock has reached it's highest level".

.........................................................oooooooooooooo.................................................

More from the papers next week.

Geraniums and their Care

There is nothing more visibly striking than deep red geraniums in full bloom against a bright white terrace wall.

In my experience I have found that a crop of geraniums will give a mass of strong colour throughout the year with a little care and attention.

Three aspects to bear in mind are: watering, feeding and the African geranium moth. Water sparingly over the growing season so that the soil or compost does not become too wet (or the plants will rot from bottom upwards). Feed a general fertilizer in pellet form which releases nutrients slowly over a long period. Spray with an appropriate insecticide every two weeks to keep away the geranium moth.

Blooms from last year:

To propogate I find the best time to take cuttings is between February and May before the temperatures rise. I normally take 12/14 cuttings from the parent plants with a view to a success rate of 75%. Invariably 3 or 4 will not take for one reason or another.

Cuttings should be left to dry out for 3 or 4 days before potting. If possible dip the cut end in cigarette ash or ash from a wood fire as this stimulates root growth. Any flower buds should be removed because cuttings cannot make roots and flowers at the same time and, initially, it's the roots that are important!

Cuttings potted in February should begin to flower mid-May. This one is 3 months old:

Also beware hailstones because only last week we had a dramatic surprise hailstorm which devastated my plants - all the soft petals and leaves were just blasted away as if peppered by a shotgun! They are now in recovery:

You are not going to believe this but as I write (14th May) we have another hailstorm - I'll just go and take a photo to add to the end of this blog. What weather - when will it settle down!!

For more information about the area where I live please see www.discover-alicante.com

LOGGING ON THE COSTA BLANCA - SORT OF!

Up until the winter of 2008 I used to search the woods in the foothills of the mountains

near La Nucia on the Costa Blanca to collect broken branches from fallen trees - my source of

fuel for our wood burning fire.

THEN on 24th January 2009 high winds brought down a pylon close by and the whole mountainside became alight - my supplies went up in smoke literally!

Shortly afterwards my wife saw an advert for a "BRIQUETTE MAKER" in a magazine. "That's the answer", she said, "from now on you must make your own logs".

So that's what happened - I bought a BRIQUETTE MAKER and since then friends and neighbours have accumulated newspapers for me and I now make my own logs. Here's how:

Crumple 32 sheets of newspaper (Daily Mail size) or 22 sheets (Daily Telegraph size) in a standard washing up bowl and cover with water. Stir and leave for 24 hours.

Give mixture another good stir effectively making papier mache and transfer to BRIQUETTE MAKER.

Press down hard on arms to extract water

Turn over and release log.

Dry in a warm place (easy to find in Spain but not so easy in Britain).

I told a friend of mine about the log maker so he bought one. But he told me later that living in South Wales was not condusive to drying the logs so they were spread all around the house as close to radiators as possible!!

Each log burns for at least 2 hours and provides a clean, odour free flame.

My aim is to make at least 200 during the next few months to have a recession beating warm winter.

To learn more about the area where I live please refer to www.discover-alicante.com