El Gordo approaches

Its not long now before the biggest Spanish lottery of the year is drawn, This is El Gordo where 3,245 million Euros worth of tickets are sold, There are a total of 185series of 85000 tickets usually split into 10 decimos and sold separately. Participants stand an 85% chance of loosing there money, 10% will recoup there outlay and only 5% will be better off. I've just seen an old chap pass €200 over the counter at the loteria office, he probably saves up for his tickets all year.

Christmas is here

GUARDAMARS CHRISTMAS TREE
The Christmas atmosphere has arrived around here, all the streets have decorations and lights, the shops are decorated and the nativity scenes in the town squares are there for all to see, Rojales has a christmas craft market where groups from several different nationalities have tradition food and drink to sample and buy, With also freshly roasted chestnuts and Christmas music in the background.

Guardamar seafront damage

Once again the seafront bungalows on the Guardamar beach have taken a hit from the high seas and strong wind, this time there are 7 or 8 properties that have been seriously damaged and much of the walkway a has been washed away. The sand seems to have shifted away, so that the heavy seas hit the walkway wall which is not built for such a battering, unless quick action is taken all these properties are going to be destroyed.

Opening day at Casa Corretto

The Casa Corretto restaurant and bar had its official opening day yesterday, lots of people turned up to celebrate and enjoy the light hearted and amusing banter from the entertainer who also sang for us, there was a superb free buffet created by the resident chef and plenty of free wine and beer flowing. The weather was really good allowing us to sit outside in beautifull sunshine, their we witnessed the low level fly by of a light plane and a helicopter whos pilot aborted its attempt to kidnap the entertainer, we left late afternoon and the party was still in full swing....

Quiz night at Woodys

Decided to have a night out last night so we went over to Woodys at Benimar for a drink and a joined in the fun quiz. Free to enter with six categories, and a bottle of wine for the winning team for each category, the questions were meant to be quite easy, but we were a disgrace and came last, we did a little better with family fortunes, and actually won a bottle of wine in the "Play your cards right" game, Where the rolled over prize was €158 which was skillfully won by one of the players.

AngloINFO Information websites

There are many reasons why people move to other countries. It can be for reasons of work or lifestyle it can be for a few weeks or months, several years or for ever. The thing that applies to most of us when we move to another country are that many things are different and new. The new culture and environment can make it hard to find essential services, key facts and community contact. AngloINFO is a web site is there to help with the information and interaction you need. On the AngloINFO web site there is
The AngloFILE which is a comprehensive directory, listing thousands of registered businesses and organisations offering goods and services that are in your local region.
The AngloINFO Forum which is the International Community's meeting-place and marketplace you can join in with the lively online discussions, and you can also post free private classified ads.
INFOrmation Pages which provide an online local encyclopaedia covering thousands of topics and are full of the up to date facts you need to survive in another country.
AngloINFO is currently delivering 37 locally focused websites across Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.

Becs birthday breakfast

The 22nd of November was our daughter Becs birthday, so to start the day she came round to our apartment for a champagne breakfast, scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and toast, Chocolate muffins and Champagne with or without orange juice. A nice way to start a birthday.

Wettest month for 20 years

Apparently October this year has been the wettest for 20 years in the Alicante region with an average 148 litres of rain per square metre, this is 15% more than expected, November has started off dry with very little rain so far this month, but with warm sunny days, with very cold nights.

Recycle your Clothes

It has been announced last week that Rojales town hall has signed an agreement with the charitable organisation "Humana" for the placement of ten containers for the collection of unwanted shoes and clothes. To encourage clothes and shoe donations the ten containers will be placed in the following locations for Rojales: Malecón Calle La Lira and Avenida Constitución (near the health centre). In Quesada at Avenida Regantes, Plaza Lo Pepin, Avenida de la Marquesa (Gold course area), Avenida Quiles Sotillos, Avenida de Mar, Plaza Neptuno and Avenida Los Llanos in Heredades.
The containers will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year and since it is estimated that the average person discards seven kilos of clothing a year there is potential for "Humana" to do great things with your unwanted clothes. Approximately 40% are sold in developing countries at very low prices, 30% is recycled industrially, 15% is sold in Spanish charity shops and the remainder is thrown away. In emergency cases Humana distributes clothing to affected people free.
To fund the many projects in numerous countries this is an easy way to help those who need it most.
Humana has been developing different projects in countries like Mozambique, Angola, Guinea Bissau and Guatemala to name but a few since 1993. they run education projects, child aid, AIDS and HIV treatment and education, construction and development projects like farming, schools and hospitals.
Your seasonal wardrobe clear out could help benefit those who need it most. Just pop it in a Humana bin.

The Dona Sinforosa park

I Spy a Budgerigar
While we we in Torrevieja the other day we visited this small park next to the beach it is a nice shady place on a hot day with plenty of seating, several fountains and variety if trees and shrubs, there are quite a few pidgeons if you want to feed them, and i even spotted a blue budgerigar flitting around. There is also a bandstand and a childrens play area.

Halloween 2007

Bec had a fancy dress party, the guests included the invisible man, a fairy, a hippy, a witch and various gruesome characters. Loads of food, drink and ghost stories.

New Centro Commercial near Rojales

This is the area of land where the centro commercial is to be built


A new commercial centre is being built on the CV-940 road that links Benijofar and Rojales, this is adjacent to the roundabout Rojales, Benimar, Formentera near the garage.
Confirmed businesses in the new Centro Commercial include a Carrefour Express supermarket, four screen cinema, restaurants, bars, a bowling alley and a fitness studio. The cinema will show version original films in English as well as films dubbed in to Spanish.
Features will also include a plaza lined with bars and restaurants and an area for live music and entertainment. Restaurants already planning to be in the development include a Burger King and a vegetarian restaurant.
The centro commercial has been designed by the architects behind the Habaneras Commercial Centre in Torrevieja, it is a 40,000 square metre complex which will house three different buildings and include a car park for over a 1000 cars.
It is planned the development will open by December 2008, and create between 300 and 400 new jobs.
Another new project which has been unveiled by Benijofar town hall is to turn 120, 000 square metres of land between the centre of Benijofar and Benimar into the Parque Municipal Canada Marsa. The park will have 5 sensory gardens, lakes, fountains, an open air theatre, sports circuit, cycle paths, and cafe. This project is constructed over the next 4 Years.

Helping Butterfly Children

These days a trip To Torrevieja always includes a short detour to visit the "Butterfly Children" Charity shop. It is along the Guardamar road from the CV905, turn at the Hungarian restaurant and its there on your right. Its nice to find a bargain and even better when you're helping such a good cause. I for one had never heard of this devastating illness before this shop opened. Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) is a rare genetic disease characterized by the presence of extremely fragile skin and recurrent blister formation, resulting from minor mechanical friction or trauma.
The good news is they are about to open another shop. The new shop will be in the La Marina area near to the Consum supermarket. I will be going over to support them in this new endeavour next week. You can find out more about the illness and the work done by the Debra Charity at their web page http://www.debra.org.uk/

Is this the winning Euromilliones ticket?

Every Friday i give it a go, i purchase my Euromilliones lottery ticket with the hope of landing a few million euros, so far no luck, just one or two prizes of around €10, tickets are available at the many lottery ticket offices throughout Europe for €2 a go, and in the UK 1.50 pounds. The draw is at 9.00P.M. BST on Friday nights, so everybody wish lucky thoughts at that time i´ll let you know if it worked.

The Paso Doble opens

A new bar called the Paso Doble has recently opened in the Rojales part of Formentera, on Calle de Delicias, This is a very large bar by Spanish standards it has areas with soft seating - settees and easy chairs and air conditioning The owners are English and Dutch and seem to have lots of great ideas for the future, with happy hour on Mondays 9:00 to 10:00 P.M. On Wednesday nights there is bingo and play your cards right. 2 pool tables, sports events on Sky T.V.
On 31st October there is a halloween night with fancy dress, and on 24 November a 70's night with fancy dress.

New Super Valu supermarket

The new Supervalu supermarket opened last Thursday at Formentera del Segura on the main road near the Brisas del Mar and golf developments. It is quite a large store with fresh fish, meat and deli counters and an excellent fresh fruit and vegetable section. There are also special offers that will be announced on a regular basis.
It looks like there will be another store at the other end of this comercial as work men are in there at present. So we have supermarket, 3 bar/restaurants and its anybodies guess what will be at the end.

S.A.T animal rescue

This is the animal charity in the Torrevieja area, the kennels are based at Vereda del Pozo 48, 03150 Dolores. Telephone 966 710 047. They have two charity shops selling a wide range of second hand clothes, household items and bric a brac, The shop at Guardamar del Segura is near the Tourist information centre near the town Square, and the shop in La Marina is behind the Deutsche Bank at Plaza Sierra 47.( behind The Bodega). The shops are open Monday to Saturday 9:30-14:00. and donations of items can be taken to the shops. S.A.T. have a website, which is full of usefull infornation - see the links on blog home page.
If you would like a dog or a cat, please have a rescued animal from the Dolores kennels.

The Praying Mantis

Mary screamed, there is a great big insect on the coffee machine, sure enough crawling round on top was a Praying Mantis, so named for the way they stand with their claws in the praying position. there are about 2000 species worldwide, this one was an Iris Oratorio.
They are a carniverous insect, eating mainly insects, and they will eat each other. When threatened, praying mantids stand tall and spread their forelegs with their wings fanning out wide and mouths open. The fanning of the wings is used to make the mantis seem larger and to scare the opponent, with some species having bright colors and patterns on their hind wings and inner surfaces of their front legs for this purpose. If harassment persists, the mantis will then strike with their forelegs and attempt to pinch, bite or slash. They also may make a hissing sound.

Sams Bar

Sams Bar has now been open for three weeks, situated near the Segura river at the Millpool end of Formentera and next to the sports grounds. It is very airy and the seating is well laid out, There are plenty of seats and tables outside, beer is €1 a half pint and service is friendly and good, Tapas are available and live music nights are being arranged. It is owned by an Anglo Spanish couple.

Wanted, more babies

It appears that in the town of Benissa, there is a negative to zero increase in the population, actually this situation is typical throughout the country and worrying the politicians. So proposals have been put in place for financial help of €2500 for every baby born, and the building of more nurseries and facilities for young children.

Glad to be in Spain

Having just spent a week in the Britain, it really has made us appreciate living in Spain. I never realised just how heavy the traffic is, having to allow loads of time to get anywhere, the weather is so dreary and cold, and people seem so hassled. Of course, it is nice to see the green fields and trees and our friends and relations, but living back in the UK is not an option anymore, and a short visit is enough.

The Datura plant

When you walk on the riverside walk in Formentera the gardens are a pleasure they are well maintained by the council and have a great variety of shrubs and plants, The Datura is nice to look at but dangerous to touch, as it is very toxic and will cause delusions and hallucinations if ingested. It is a woody-stalked, leafy herb growing up to 2 metres. It produces spiney seed pods and large white or purple trumpet-shaped flowers that face upward. Common names are Jimson weed, Hell's Bells, Devil's weed, Devil's cucumber, angel's trumpet and devil's trumpet.

Market Time

It does not seem to matter what time of year, there always seems to be a great variety of fruit and vegetables at good prices on the Rojales market, we find now that we manage to buy enough to last us the whole week for no more than 10 Euros. Our favourite stall is always busy with people from many different countries. The staff on the stall have no problem communicating and are always ready for a laugh and a joke.

A Day at the Safari Park

Recently we had a day off so we decided to have a family trip to Rio Safari Park in Elche, as we had been given some discount tickets for 3 euros off entry.

The safari park is situated about 5 minutes from Santa Pola on the Santa Pola to Elche Road. We arrived when it opened at 10.30am to miss the crowds. The staff at the ticket counter were very helpful and explained when the animal shows and train safari would take place.

We started by looking at the chimpanzees and the fur seals before the train ride. The fur seal enclosure had a below water level viewing window, and it was wonderful to see them swimming and gracefully playing in the water.

The train trip took us right around the safari park giving a great view of all the animals, from the big cats, to the hippo, and the oryx.
The commentary was all in Spanish, but this didn't detract from the wonderful and varied selection of animals we saw.

After the train ride, we visted the island of goats, where for 50 cents we fed a herd of goats on chunks of apple- most amusing as they jumped up at us to get fed.

The parrots were next- we decided to skip the parrot show and just look at them in their enclosures. it was very interesting to read the information provided as it explained that the zoo help to rescue badly kept animals, breed species that as rare and reintroduce species into the wild. I was very impressed with the clean and interesting enclosures which all the animals were in.

After the parrots we walked round the remaining exhibits- from the terrarium with snakes and lizards, to the wallabies, lions, tigers and crocs. At 1pm, we saw the elephant show, which was ( again in Spanish) informative and interesting- apparently the elephant helps to moves palm branches to maintain the park.

We finished the day with a picnic and a swim in the pool. I would recommend this day out to anyone, especially families as there is plenty to see and do. There is a cafe and snack bar, although it is cheaperto take your own food and drink.

Entry is 18 euros for adults and 15 euros for children unless you can get a discount voucher- often given away in tourist information centres.

Too many figs

We love figs and at this time of year they are only €1 a kilo on the market, and if there is a handy fig tree they are falling off. The thing is you can only eat so many ... so i thought about drying them so that i have some later in the year. the ideal way is to have a proper drying machine, but then i heard about putting them in the sun in the windscreen of your car, and thought i would give it a go. I cut them in half and put them cut side up on an oven rack in the front of the car and sure enough they dried out really well, now they are in the freezer this pastuerizes them and they will either keep in the freezer for several months or in the fridge for up to eight weeks.

Black and white kitten - update

Well, the kitten spent a comfortable night, ate and drank a lot but is very wild, so it went to the vet, who says that it is in quite good health. The vet wormed it, de mitted it, deflea-ed it and gave it injections, It has one paw missing which is perfectly healed and furred over, the vet says the mother may have done this when the kitten was tiny. So Bec and Damien have adopted it, they have called the kitten, who is a boy, Leo.
Leo will have to stay in the apartment for at least a month so that it does not revert to the wild again. In the meantime Suzie - the resident cat, is inquisitive but is quite tolerant so hopefully will not be too put out.
The vet at the centro comercial at Benijofar is brilliant and only charged a minimal fee for his services.

The tale of the black and white kitten

Sitting in the apartment this afternoon and we could hear a loud miaowing in the road, when we looked out there was a white cat with a black and white kitten following it down the road, the kitten was making all the noise, we thought it was in pain because it only had three legs, anyway went out to see what we could do and the white cat had gone and rattled on my daughters patio door, Bec and Damien then came out to see what was happening, meanwhile the kitten had disappeared so we got a cat carrier and looked for it. Damien caught the kitten and has put it in the apartment with food and water and will take it to the vets tomorrow. The white cat watched these proceedings from under a car and it appears she went to Bec and Damiens for help, as they are well known by the cat community for liking cats. I dont know what Suzie (the resident cat) is going to make of this but there will be a further update tomorrow.

The Love birds are here

I woke this morning to hear an unusual bird sound, rather like a budgie, only louder, so i crept on to the solarium to see a small parrot type bird walking along the roof, green with red beak and yellow head, chattering away to itself, it wandered round for several minutes when another one appeared on the ridge tile, they looked at each other and flew off, after checking them out on the internet i identified them as Fischers Love birds common in Central Africa and think they must be escapees or they are way out of their territory. I shall be looking again in the morning to see if they reappear.

Heavy Rain

Very early this morning we awoke in our solarium bed to the sound of rain,- yes, at this time of year, once the white flashes of lightning started we decided to evacuate and retire inside the apartment, so a quick change of location and back to sleep again. There was torrential rain for about one and a half hours and we awoke this morning to beautifull clear air with all the dust and humidity laid down. Everything looks clean and fresh as it all has had a really good wash down.

Jacarilla Palace and Gardens

We visited Jacarilla today, signposted from the main street through the town are the palace and gardens of Jacarilla, parking is easy, as you enter the main gate of the gardens there is a Policia Local Station, which must be in one of the most pleasant settings possible. The garden is full of neoclassic, arab and renaissance elements and has lots of unique garden areas each with its own attraction of fountains, statues and arbours, also there is the grotto of the Amudena virgen.
At the far end of the gardens is a small animal area where there are goats, pigs, hens and other animals.
The palace itself is not open at the moment as it is being restored, The outside walls have ornate tiles framing the windows, doors, pillars and edges of the building, and hopefully work will proceed to restore it to its former glory.

Fishing The River Segura

Even though it is hot and we are in the month of August it is still possible to find some nice fishing in the River near the Millpool at Formentera del Segura, There are carp, goldfish and Koi carp of all sizes and they feed well on sweet corn, with some ground bait to start them up. Last year the river dried out in places and a lot of fish perished but it is certainly healthy now, with a lot of fry in the margins. The river has abundant wildlife with many different species of birds, dragonfly and i occasionally i see water snakes.

Rock at the Rojales cave bar

Every Friday the Rojales cave bar has live entertainment, last week they had a blues, rock quartet, who played a variety of music including Stones, Led Zeppelin and Beatles, well attended by a very mixed audience who sang along, danced and were able to partake in an ice cold beer or a wine served at the bar, A very pleasant setting with great acoustics on the terraces of the caves overlooking the old town of Rojales. The caves are the original town and many are still used as homes and places of work. The spot where they are situated commands an impressive view over the whole Veja Baja.

Tapas lunchtime

We seem to have really gotten into the local way of eating at lunch, and the local time as lunch is often sometime between 2 and 4 in the afternoon for us. Tapas is very often the order of the day. In Spain they say "eat when you drink, drink when you eat" tapas is an ideal way to do this. Lovely tasty bits of finger food, eat as much or as little as you like. Olives of course dressed with virgin olive oil and our own fresh herbs or chillies. Manchego cheese, you can put olive oil with this to, almonds and sunflower seeds. The wonderful spicy sausages chorizo and of course the air dried Serrano ham. No butter or sunflower spread on our bread these days but you've guessed it more olive oil which we often have mixed with fresh crushed garlic.

A Cool Beer

Its a hot night, so when Bec and Damien finish work there is nothing better than a large cold beer, and to socialise, and have a chat before lights out.

The Mar Menor Mud

My daughter and boyfriend went to the Mar Menor yesterday and enjoyed a mudbath, Bec tells me it was very stimulating, but quite smelly. The Mar Menor has the largest therapautic open air mudbath in Europe. The mud is well-known for its many minerals that stimulate healing. A mudbath is good for skin problems, rheumatism and arthritis,
The waters of the Mar Menor are rich in minerals such as magnesium, calcium, sodium, iodine, bromide and fluoride. This water in combination with the mudbath is very effective against arthritis and rheumatism.

The Chinese bazaar

I am sure that in every town in Spain there must be at least one Chinese bazaar, there is certainly one in Rojales. They are always handy to find unusual and useful things that you need on the spur of the moment or for a small gift that you forgot when you were in Torrevieja, some of the things are so cheaply made that they are going to have a short life. But the things cost so little. To illustrate the variety here are some of the items i have bought recently, a wireless security door alarm - 90 cents, a cycle puncture repair kit - 60 cents, pictorial beach towels €4, wire pan scrubs -60 cents, and a pack of fishing hooks, - 60cents.

Living in a holiday camp?

Living here, we have many neighbours who are resident, people who get up in the morning and go to work, or who carry on a normal everyday life, we also have neighbours who rent out their property for holidays, or who visit a couple of times a year themselves, some of these visitors think they are at a holiday camp, where everybody in the neighbourhood wants to stay awake into the early hours with their young children, shouting, screaming, listening to loud music and partying every night. Maybe they think living in Spain is one big party so it does not matter, but it would be nice for us residents to get a little bit of consideration and a full nights sleep without having to wait for the end of the holiday season.

Meet that Flight.

These days whenever you fly, you never know if there are flight delays owing to security measures and other problems. I have heard of aircraft being diverted to Alicante from Murcia, because planes are not allowed to land at Murcia after a certain time in Murcia, the passengers were then transported by coach to Murcia. If you are about to meet someone of a flight you can check its status with Flightstats, the statistics are available for any airport.

Track Flight Status & more at www.flightstats.com

Hurrah it's Summer

The bar next to the swimming pool at the end of the road is open again for the summer, they open at 10:00 in the morning and stay open till about 3:00 the following morning. The drinks are cheap and the beer is cold in ice frosted glasses. It not just a bar but a real social point, its great to see all the nationalities getting together in this open air venue in the square, dominoes, backgammon, cards and Spanish ludo are all available if you fancy a game, sometimes people play petange, which we fancy having a go at, we´ve got the balls.

Poisonous Oleander

The Oleander(Nerium Oleander)shrub is a very popular plant around here in public garden areas and parks and as a potted patio plant, it is very drought resistant and flowers prolifically with five petalled flowers on long stems,in red, pink and white colours. By removing suckers at the base of the plant, and leaving just a few stems, oleander can be formed into very attractive small trees.
What must be remembered is that is very poisonous, even the the smoke from burning the cuttings and wood are toxic, it has been known that people using the wood on a barbeque have poisoned themselves.

Keep it Clean

The importance of cleanliness in a hot climate like this cannot be stressed enough, It is a wonderfull environment for germs and bugs, and being extra carefull with food hygiene is a must. Keeping your fridge well chilled, work surfaces clean and clean hands are a good start, My wife has just suffered from a bad stomach bug, at least we know it was not food poisoning.
I have heard it said that it is not a good idea to go out for a meal in July and August, because you can never be sure how well the food is looked after... and it only takes a little laziness in a kitchen to create contaminated food.

Off The Beach

A hundred yards back from the beach at Guardamar del Segura is the nature reserve which is a perfect place to get out of the sun and take a picnic. There are lots of trees to give cover and a sandy floor for sitting and relaxing, you quite often get a cool breeze. The fragrance smells from the trees and shrubs are very pleasant and the only sounds are that of the birds and cicadas. There are a few other insects around so it is best to put some insect repellent on.

Day of the Bicycle - Rojales

Today is "The day of the bicycle" in Rojales, over 200 cyclists from very young to senior citizens met up in Rojales to celebrate the day. Everyone set off on a 10 kilometre circular ride around the district, the route taking in Benijofar, Cuidad Quesada and surrounding countryside, with regular stops for snacks and ice cold drinks. The ride was taken at a nice sedate pace with lead cars of the police stopping traffic and a loudspeaker car playing music and giving instructions throughout the ride. On return to Rojales, more refreshments, free gifts of T shirts caps and hats were given out and there was a draw for some great prizes. The event was well sponsored by local companies and banks.

The Non Starter

My wife and daughter told me they were off to a social group gathering, i´m up for that i thought, then they told me it was ladies only, never one to give up easily i decided to try dressing for the occasion. I thought i looked pretty good but they ran away screaming. I got my own back in the end as the event was a non starter, due to the summer recess, this is the time of year lots of things close down until the end of August, and a lot of Brits go back to the UK, to escape the heat. My wife and daughter are now thinking about setting up there own group, - progress report at a later date.

The Room on the Roof

Now the really hot weather is here it is really nice to sleep out in the open air, so our gazebo on the solarium is really coming into its own, an inflatable queen size bed, a table lamp and it is turned into another bedroom at night time, and with the mossie nets there are no insects! The only drawback is if there is a lot of noise you hear it. But it is so refreshing to sleep in the fresh air, so its worth being woken occasionally.

Audreys Cat

Audreys cat was a stray covered in fleas and scrounging for a living, she took it in, got the vet to inject it, inspect it, neuter it and deflea it. Now it lives a life of luxury, eating prime chicken breast and relaxing on the top of my car, where it finds the radio aerial an amusing plaything.

The Melon Season

It only seems a short time since the farmers were putting the melon seedlings into the ground, in fact last time i walked round the field near us, the seedlings were only 6 inches high, yesterday i went on the same walk and the plants are lush and full of fruit with melons the size of footballs. There are fields full of creatures like this, only hope the farmers get a good market for them, as the most of the orange crop this year was left on the trees to rot.

Mini Moto Racing

Ive seen these little motorbikes advertised and in bike shops, but ive never seen them in motion, This weekend there has been an event in Royales where a racing circuit has been set out and practice, then races have been held. The speed and acceleration these tiny machines achieve are incredible, great for youngsters of 5 or 6, but when you see young adults riding them with there legs sticking out at right angles. it is at the least, amusing to watch.

High cholesterol

When i went to see an eye doctor recently he told me - by looking in my eyes - i might have high cholestrol and to get a blood test, so i have had a blood test and to my surprise i have got a high cholestral count, so now i have got to make sure i eat the right things, it is not as if i have a bad diet at present. So we will see what happens when i go back for another test in 3 months time.

The Night of the Flying Ant

Sitting on the balcony having a glass of wine and a chat when we noticed a few more insects around the lights than we normally get, these got more and more, untill they were like a cloud, we retired into the apartment to find they were getting inside under the sliding doors and any space they could. These flying ant swarms last 4 hours or more and outside, covered the walls and pavements. In the morning there were millions and millions of dead flying ants layering the ground throughout the area. An interesting thing is there were no insect eating creatures, like bats, evident during the swarm.

One Hour No Power

At midday on Sunday July 1st 2007 One Hour No Power are asking everyone concerned about the effects of climate change to simply turn everything (non-vital) off for an hour. That’s one hour with no cars, computers, TVs, etc. Through your support and lobbying we would also like as many businesses as possible to join in and publicly show their commitment to tackling climate change.
One Hour No Power aims to raise awareness of our collective ability to tackle climate change through our everyday lives.
This is a people powered event for everyone to help shape. Share your ideas for One Hour No Power by adding your comments to the event blog and find help with promoting the event locally on our ‘Join In’ page.
It’s up to you how you spend the hour. You could hold a sponsored event for your favourite environmental group, take to the roads on your bike, write your personal green action plan for the coming year or simply spend time with family and friends.
Please join in and switch off between 12-1 pm on Sunday 1st July.

Aviation fuel to create rain

In the last two weeks two airliners have had to dump their complete load of fuel to enable them to land again at Alicante , after taking off and finding cockpit warning lights flashing. The last two weeks we have had abnormal amounts of wet rainy weather, could it be that all that aviation fuel in the atmosphere has created this weather situation.

The long arm of the law

A Rod Stewart imitator working in the Orihuela Costa was arrested by the organised crime squad last week just as he was about to start his show, He was wanted by the Nottinghamshire police after being found guilty of armed robbery, but he had skipped bail while awaiting sentence. I bet he has'nt got "Stars in his eyes" now.

Whats happened to the weather

Well its early April and there is a cold wind blowing and it is cloudy and overcast, not what we are expect this time of year, the past few weeks we have had periods of rain for several days running, cold gale force winds and cloudy skies. In the North there has been floods and deep snow. Easter is nearly here and the holiday makers will be arriving, if it stays like this there will be a lot of glum faces around and chemical tans going back to the UK.

Orange and Coconut Sorbet Recipe

This recipe was originally posted by my daughter on her own blog at Livejournal.

Over here in Spain we always seem to have more oranges than we can eat, so here is a wonderful way to use them up and the sorbet is perfect for the long hot days!

Syrup

• 4oz Sugar
  
• Juice of half lemon
  
• 75ml water

1. Slowly cook sugar, lemon juice and water in pan, making sure the sugar dissolves thoroughly. It is important that you do not let it boil until the sugar dissolves as that spoils the syrup.
   
2. When sugar is dissolved, bring to the boil then simmer for 2-3 minutes.
   
3. Allow to cool.
   
   Orange Mixture
   
   • 10 large oranges
     
   • Juice of half lemon
     
   • Malibu or similar coconut flavoured drink
   
   
   1. Zest two of the oranges, then squeeze juice from all of them.
      
   2. Sieve juice to remove any pulp. You need around 425ml juice.
      
   3. Add orange juice and zest to cooled syrup. Add just a dash of your coconut alcohol- too much will stop the sorbet from freezing.
      
   4. Freeze in a suitable container, whisking everyhour of so to prevent big ice crystals forming.
      
   5. When fully frozen, serve as a dessert or use in cocktails or blended into a smoothie.
      
   6. For serving you could try preparing the oranges like this; Cut off the top like a lid and scoop out the contents rather than using a juicer. When sorbet is frozen decant into oranges and ensure they are well frozen before serving. Garnish with a mint leaf.
      
      If you own an icecream maker, you could make this in around 30 minutes.
      
      

A Yucca for the balcony

Its the time of the year to get some plants and try and put some greenery around the balcony and the solarium so we have made a trip to Los Montesinos garden centre, they have a fantastic selection of plants from tiny cacti to big palms, all look healthy and well looked after, and at very good prices. We came away with a Yucca, some geraniums, several pots of herbs, some seeds and other bits and pieces, total cost €18, we have just got to remember to water them and hope they survive the really hot weather.

Calamares & Red Wine

Last night my daughter decided to try an new recipe for calamares, which we bought from the fresh fish counter in Intermarche.
Calamares is squid which can be purchased whole, though we buy strips as preparing a whole squid can be quite fiddly.

The following quantities serve four people.
Ingredients
1/2 kilo calamares strips
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
1 glass red wine
1 courgette
1/2 aubergine
1 yellow pepper
1/2 carton frito
Olive oil
Season to taste


Method
1: Dice onion finely and crush garlic then saute until soft in a little olive oil.
2: Dice calamares, and add to onions with glass of wine. Leave to simmer for 15/18 minutes.
3: In a second pan, add all other vegetable, cut into chunks. We usually keep these quite large as it helps the vegetable to keep their texture.
4: Cook until soft, and add frito to mixture.
5: When calamares are ready, mix the contents of both pans and allow mixture to reduce until you are satisfied with the thickness of the sauce.

Serve with pasta, or cous cous.