CUDECA

 While all of us wallow in the misery of this wet and windy winter on the newly named Costa del Rain there are some people out there who have more important issues to deal with. I have think often about the wonderful people who continue to give their 'special kind of care' to the very sick at the Cudeca Hospice in Arroyo de la Miel in Benalmadena. They offer a vital last resort to those suffering in the final stages of cancer. They need our support so anything we can do to help would be appreciated; be it money, volunteered  time or even clothes and toys we do not need donated to the local Cudeca shop. Every little bit helps.

The Mijas Playa restaurant in La Cala held a charity night at the beginning of February to raise much needed funds for Cudeca and it was a great success, however the founder Joan Hunt gave a moving speech reminding us that Cancer is not affected by the recession but that "donations are".

If you think you can be of any help at all please go to www.servicesdirectspain.com and click on the Cudeca link  http://www.propertiesdirectspain.com/en_arroyo-de-la-miel-spain-cancer-care-hospice-cudeca-cudeca-www-cudeca-org_serv_2431.html  or go directly to www.cudeca.org and see what you can do to help. There are many ways to help these people care for our sick from going to see the Welsh Male Choir sing on the 27th of this month ( the information is on the Cudeca website) to participatingin the sponsored walk in May. Let's make a difference.

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And we think we are cold!

As yet again I write another blog about the weather, I realize that in Ireland, where I was brought up, it is something we talk about on a daily basis (if not hourly). I was reading this week's Euro Weekly when I happened upon an article telling me I should not be feeling cold, wet and miserable but….wait for it!!... WARM, wet and miserable as the weather in Malaga this winter has not only been wetter, but also warmer than previous years. In fact the period between March 2009 and January 2010 has been the warmest on record since 1943 according to the State Meteorological Agency.

Is anyone else out there as surprised as I am?

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The Course of History

When Hitler came to power, Germany had a massive unemployment problem which was reduced by implementing an emergency plan to rebuild the country's infrastructure, renegotiating war debt and restoring national pride via a massive propaganda campaign and of course the rest is history.

Zapatero our glorious leader, self proclaimed champion of the poor and downtrodden has embarked on more or less the same course of action, at least as far as infrastructure goes. Consequently thousands of roads throughout Spain are now closed (see blog dated February 1st) and the transport system has all but collapsed so no one can get anywhere in the foreseeable future. The next step I imagine will be to negotiate with the companies who 'won' the building contracts on these roads to lower their agreed payment, so that they all will be left unfinished. Proving for once and for all that this government cannot organize a p*** up in a brewery (as they say in Ireland). Somehow all this does not really bother me for after 11 years of living in Spain you begin to believe it is inevitable. What really concerns me is what our Don Zapatero will decide to do to divert the unrest it's causing!

 

Any Ideas?

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A PENSIONABLE SAGA

Wise men admit their mistakes and rectify them accordingly. Idiots rectify their mistakes only when it is forced upon them to do so. No sooner had the Spanish government announced in Brussels that the pensionable age was to  be increased a further two years than the proposal was withdrawn (the next day!).  This behaviour does not necessarily show that Spain is governed by idiots or does it show that it is governed by wise men. It proves one thing beyond any reasonable doubt and that is that the present government does not know how to govern. Let's hope that the Spanish electorate will prove to be a bit wiser next time and hopefully have learned from their last big mistake and vote in a party that does.

How do you feel the present spanish government is doing and have they let you down?

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More Rain than Rainbows - Continued.

Although the rain that has fallen over the last few months has caused chaos on the Costa del Sol and had all of us expats thinking about packing up and heading home (the rain here always seems that bit more miserable) it has been fabulous for the campo…or has it!!

Water levels in the Malaga province's seven reservoirs are at a 12 year high. The stocks representing 72% of overall capacity are, according to local newspaper reports, enough to last us for the next 12 months. This is great news for home owners and tourist alike as it seems unlikely that we will be subjected to the continuous water cuts of the last couple of years.

The downside however is that the damage caused to the province during the last rains has been estimated by the A.S.A.J.A. (The Young Farmers Association), to have reached a staggering 40 million Euros, with olives and mandarins being the worst affected. This has left the already poor farmers to suffer even more.

Let me know your thoughts and views on the rain in Spain staying mainly on the plain....... and how it affects your life!!

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RAIN AND RAINBOWS

It has been a mixed start to the New Year on the Costa del Sol.

The exceptionally long, and late summer last year meant that the rain in Spain came all at once, with a vengeance, over the Christmas Holidays and into January.

So, as we tend to plod through the month of January nursing a financial hangover from a festive season of excess spending, the gloomy weather seems to match the general mood of residents in Spain as the government levies more taxes, increasing the basic cost of living.

However, it is not all doom and gloom as February begins down here on the Costa del Sol. With the downpour of rain, comes rainbows.

According to the Sur in English, 2010 has started with the lowest inflation rate in history.

To top that, a cap has been put on telephone rates, toll road tariffs and (in some places) water rates to help us all try and survive the crisis.

This "ray of sunshine" is welcome news. But rainbows disappear as quickly as they appear, and its back to cloudy overcast skies.   And so we remember that other overheads have increased, like gas bottles and fuel, not to mention the dreaded electricity bills.

But I'm going to try and keep it positive...

On that note, for those of you employed on a Spanish contract the minimum wage has gone up by 1.5% and pensions also have been increased by 1%.

As they say every cloud has a silver lining (albeit a small one).

How are you finding life in Spain? Do you see a light at the end of the tunnel? Please share your thoughts and experiences.

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MY REVIEW - "NOISES OFF", SALON VARIETES THEATRE IN FUENGIROLA



Having enjoyed a week of beautiful weather I braved the rain and wind (I believe we have had enough to last us a few years now!), which suddenly arrived on last Saturday evening, to go down to the coast to see a play in the Salon Varietes theatre in Fuengirola.

The play was called ´Noises Off´ a raucous, riotous romp by Michael Frayn. It was worth the journey as I laughed for most of the evening.

Peter Brooks the director kept things moving at a fast pace and his casting was excellent. We are so lucky to have a theatre here on the Costa del Sol which produces such enjoyable shows at such a reasonable entrance fee.  Only12€ for a play and 15€ for a musical. This is the second good show I have seen this month as we brought our children to see ´The Wizard of Oz´ some weeks ago which was equally as much fun. Oh yes it was! In the midst of these hard economic times it does you good to get you out of the house and get lost in another world and the Theatre in Fuengirola is definitely a great way to do it!

 

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HONESTY IN POLITICS IN RONDA?

The Mayor of Ronda Antonio Marín Lara is proposing that all councillors, from all parties, make public their own, their spouses and immediate family members finance, be it income or patrimony.

This is to include cars, shares and directorship in any Limited "S.L." Companies.

Don Marín would like this initiative to take place before 3rd March 2010. 

My feeling is that he will be forced to resign before that date, however, if he succeeds in its implementation the trend could actually be followed by other councils thus making our politicians a little bit more transparent and honest. There will of course be a lot less of them too. I wonder where he got this idea from as it seems to be a growing trend in English politics after all the furore over the expenses scandal.

Could this be a Rondagate?

Unlikely…. but we can always live in hope as more honesty will mean more money staying in the system and being used to improve the towns and villages we all live as opposed to being squandered away and sequestered in private bank accounts all over Andalucia. And at the moment the current system needs all the help it can get.

Well done Mr. Marín!

 

 

 

 

 

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TRAVEL CHAOS DUE TO ROADWORKS IN ALHAURIN EL GRANDE, MALAGA

Is anyone else out there completely frustrated by the amount of roadwork happening all over the province of Málaga?

Living in Alhaurin el Grande is turning into out to be somewhat of a challenge (as I imagine are most towns); for at every junction you come to man and machine are busy toiling away. Digging, tarmacing, spraying, laying and generally causing mass chaos.

During 2009 the central government spent more than 20 million euros on repairing and building roads in this province alone and according to the Euro Weekly News last week another 30 million is winging its way down to us this year. That means for the foreseeable future getting from A to B will stay a logistical nightmare.

The lastest challenge for drivers is the stretch of road from Venta Los Chavos to Venta Pedro Lucena (A-404) will close 2^nd of Feb until the 18^th.

The other road closing is the A-387 which runs from the BP station by Alhaurin Golf to the crossroads at the entrance to Alhaurin el Grande (Ermita del Cristo de las Agonías). This will close on the 18^th of February.

This leaves us pretty much stranded on the "island of Alhaurin".

For more information check out INland Magazine blog at

 

http://www.inlandmagazine.com/blog/

 

 

or the website  

 

http://www.inmalagatoday.com/newsitem.php?id=8477&l=en

Do you think the disruption is worth it? Is all this added infrastructure really necessary?  What do you think?  How is it affecting your day-to-day routine?

 

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