December 2011 - Costa Calida Chronicle

Costa 

The Longest Established 

FREE Magazine 

in Murcia 

Cálida 

Chronicle 

www.costacalidachronicle.com 

Date: December 2011 Issue: 1 Volume: XII 

Please tell our customers where you saw their advertisement in the Costa Cálida Chronicle 

To place an advertisement with us please see page 5 or contact Teresa 619 199 407 

www.costacalidachronicle.com email: costacalidachronicle@gmail.com 

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In association with Costa Cálida International Radio and www.angloINFO.com

In association with Costa Cálida International Radio and www.angloINFO.com 

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www.costacalidachronicle.com email: costacalidachronicle@gmail.com




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Benefit cheats will be caught, UK government 

warns 

Investigators catch British expat who 

pleads guilty to £15,000 fraud 

The vast majority of people who claim UK 

benefits are honest, law-abiding citizens, 

but there are those who continue to cheat 

the system… and who continue to get 

caught. 

One such cheat was James Bowery, 54, 

from Harrowside, Blackpool. For years he 

enjoyed life in Spain, living off UK income 

support, a non-exportable benefit, without 

telling the DWP that he had moved to Malaga. 

In total he fraudulently claimed over 

£15,000. Having been caught, he pleaded 

guilty to benefit fraud at Blackpool Magistrates 

Court in September and was sentenced 

to a three-month curfew order, restricting 

his freedom to leave home - and of 

course he has to pay the money back. 

Many assume that benefit fraud only occurs 

when someone receives a benefit, such as 

Job Seekers Allowance or Incapacity Benefit, 

and fails to tell the Department for Work 

and Pensions (DWP) when they start working, 

but people who are in receipt of UK benefits 

have a responsibility to tell the DWP 

about any change in their circumstances, 

such as moving in with a partner, changing 

address, or going or moving abroad. 


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The DWP will soon be imposing a civil penalty 

on those who fail to keep them updated. 

For people who fail to take reasonable 

care of their claim, perhaps knowingly letting 

a change in circumstances run on and 

incurring a small overpayment, the DWP 

will swiftly apply a £50 civil penalty as a 

punishment to deter them from such action 

in future. Deliberately withholding 

information that affects a benefit claim 

is a crime. 

Between April 2010 and March 2011, benefit 

cheats stole £79 million from UK taxpayers 

by not informing the authorities that 

they were going abroad. Spain is one of 

the countries where most UK benefit fraud 

is committed, but with UK fraud investigators 

working with overseas counterparts, 

benefit thieves are being caught. 

At a time when it is more important than 

ever that the correct money goes to the 

correct people, the general public can help 

stop benefit cheats. The Department for 

Work and Pensions for Spain has set up a 

free and confidential hotline that operates 

Monday to Friday, 8am to 4pm. By calling 

900 554 440 in Spain you can give information 

about anyone you suspect of committing 

UK benefit fraud. 

You can also report this online at https:// 

secure.dwp.gov.uk/benefitfraud/. The 

DWP wants benefits to go to the people who 

are entitled to them, not the cheats. 




Here we are, into our 13 th year! Who would 

have thought that despite the present 

economic climate, the Costa Cálida 

Chronicle has developed into a fantastic 

free 116 page colour magazine that covers 

the whole of the Costa Cálida. We have many 

people to thank for continuing to support us, 

including the columnists who send in articles 

every month and of course the advertisers 

who enable us to continue producing the 

Costa Cálida Chronicle each and every 

month as a free publication for our readers 

to enjoy and keep up to date with what’s 

going on in the area. 

As you will see below, there are still new 

businesses starting up in the area and 

other businesses that have renewed their 

advertising: 

New Advertisers 

Tony the Chimney Sweep 

Sallu Plastics (Salglaze) 

The Condado Club 

Celebrations Catering (Joy of Spain) 

Telepan 

Bar La Manchica 

Welcome Back 

Hombres Barbers 

Calida Beauty Academy 

Tel’s Bar, Camposol 

Beauty Essentials 

Heather Mobile Beautician 

Quicksave, Camposol 

Crystal Designs 

Crystal Conservatories 

The CAS Band 

Kennelly’s Bar, Camposol 

Hair by Carol 

Galvez Renero 

Bodega Martinez 

El Patio Bar, Pliego 

The Spaniard 

The Costa Cálida Chronicle 2012 

Calendar is now out and all businesses in 

the area will be given one. We would like to 

take this opportunity to thank everyone who 

sent in photos for the calendar and hope that 

you are happy with the ones chosen. We 

had a really good response when we asked 

for photos to be sent in, so have decided that 

we would continue asking for photos to be 

emailed in and we will have a special page 

on the website for readers to view these 

during the year. These photos can be taken 

somewhere special in the area – all we ask 

is that we can have permission to use them 

in the magazine if we choose. The photos 

submitted during the year will be voted for 

by our readers for the 2013 Costa Cálida 

Chronicle Calendar. 

This is the time of year when the Police are 

out in force, so do not even think about 

‘drinking and driving.’ Not only are you 

a danger to yourself, but you are a danger 

to others and here in Spain, like the UK, the 

consequences are severe if you are caught. 

This should be a time of celebrating and 

thinking of others, so all of you, have a really 

good Christmas and Happy New Year. 

From all at the 

Costa Cálida Chronicle 

Contact Us: 

Camposol Office - 968 970 680 

Teresa Hicks - Sales & Marketing 

- 619 199 407 

Patti Benn - Editor - 646 005 017 

Jo Wrench - Graphic Design and 

Publishing - 646 610 080 

Bob Benn - Finance - 620 582 654 

Martine Shindler - Customer 

Services - 968 970 680 

To place a business advert please contact 

Teresa Hicks 

To discuss editorial content and articles 

please contact Patti Benn 

To discuss advert changes please contact 

Jo Wrench 

If you would like to place an advertisement 

or write an article to be included in the 

Costa Cálida Chronicle, then please send 

it to: 

Costa Cálida Chronicle S.L. 

28 Calle Jara 

Centro Commercial Sector B 

Camposol 

30875 Murcia 

Email: costacalidachronicle@gmail. 

com 

Web: www.costacalidachronicle.com 

To our advertisers. Please note we 

have had some recent issues with 

email. 

If you have sent an email to 

the CCC and NOT received any 

acknowledgement then you can 

assume that we have not received it. 

In line with our customer service policy 

we always reply to every email even it it 

is just a short note to say “got it”. 

SPECIAL PAGES 

Camposol 65-71 

Christmas 54-59 

Mar Menor 27-33 

Northwest Murcia 89-92 

What’s On 94-98 

ADVERTORIAL 

ASSSA 62 

Beauty Palace 72 

Cat-A-Tonic Cattery 64 

Lenny Mitchell 99 

Loyalty Card YLC 8 

Knight Insurance 42 

Yogamayga 36 

CHARITIES 

ADAPT 31 

Age Concern 14 

Andrea’s Animal Charity 40 

Charity Cabaret Night 14 

Easy Horse Care 26 

Galgos del Sol 77 

GO maD 50 

HELP Mar Menor 33 

Helping Hands 62 

Lions 36 

John Kemp 48 

MABS Mar Menor 30 

MABS Mazarrón 80 

MAMAS 51 

Noah’s ARC 86 

PALS 64 

Pets In Spain 22 

RAD Rescue 72 

CHILDREN 

Chatterbox 34 

EDUCATION 

Jane Cronin’s Spanish 114 

Contents Page 

ENTERTAINMENT 

ABBA Night 90 

Author Review 6 

Classic Artistes 18 

Los Canovas Players 48 

FOOD & DRINK 

Ma Millbank 88 

GROUPS 

Cálida Country Music 100 

Darwinian Gardeners 50 

HAH 32 

Welcome 46 

HEALTH 

Alternative Therapy 20 

EFT 27 

INFORMATION 

Ask Jennifer 7 

Business Directory 112/113 

Camposol A Clean-up 66 

Camposol A Committee 66 

Camposol B Clean 65 

Camposol C Gardening 68 

Camposol Fiesta 70 

Camposol Sector D 67 

Camposol News 65 

Charities/Groups/Churches 81 

Christmas Gifts 52/53 

Christmas Songs/Poems 56-59 

Christmas Traditions 54/55 

Classified Adverts 106/107 

CRA 69 

Dear Editor 93 

Distribution Points 110 

FAST 71 

In Loving Memory 12 

Life in Spain 48 

Northwest Murcia 92 

Price List 107 

Spanish Gift Ideas 52,53 

Spanish News 10 

Subscriptions 110 

Teresa’s Travels 51 

Winter Soltice 60/61 

Woman of Fire 80 

LEISURE 

Astrology 76 

Gardening News 16 

Hiking in Moratalla 89 

La Bastida 84 

NEST 82 

Puzzle Page 44 

Puzzle Solutions 108 

The Nutcracker 37 

TV News 78 

WARM 91 

PROPERTY 

Housing Update 22 

Property Matters 44 

RELIGION 

Mass in English 12 

Olive Branch 36 

Puerto Lumbreras Church 12 

St Nicholas 80 

Wellspring Victory Church 24 

SPORT 

Costa Cálida Golf 102 

Fuente Old Guard 103 

Golf Tips 104 

Los Amigos 102 

Los Ámigos Charity Day 104 

SAMM 28 




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Norman Colin Dexter, OBE, was born 

on 29 th September 1930 in Stamford, 

Lincolnshire and is an English crime writer, 

known for his ever popular Inspector Morse 

novels. He started writing mysteries in 

1972 during a family holiday. Last Bus 

to Woodstock was published in 1975 

and introduced the world to the character 

of Inspector Morse, the irascible detective 

whose penchants for cryptic crosswords, 

English literature, cask ale and Wagner 

reflect Dexter’s own enthusiasms. Dexter’s 

plots are notable for his use of false leads 

and other red herrings. 

There were 33 episodes of the TV series 

Inspector Morse, produced between 1987 

and 2001, which brought further acclaim for 

Dexter and he makes a cameo appearance 

in almost all episodes. Latterly, Lewis, who 

is now an Inspector, features in 12 episodes 

of the new ITV series Lewis. As with Morse, 

Dexter makes a cameo appearance in 

several episodes. 

Dexter has been the recipient of several 

Crime Writers’ Association awards: two 

Silver Daggers for Service of All the 

Dead in 1979 and The Dead of Jericho 

in 1981; two Gold Daggers for The Wench 

is Dead in 1989 and The Way Through 

the Woods in 1992; and a Cartier Diamond 

Dagger for lifetime achievement in 1997. 

In 1996 Dexter received a Macavity Award 

for his short story Evans Tries an O-Level 

and in 1980 he was elected a member of 

the by-invitation-only Detection Club. In 

2000 Dexter was awarded the Officer of the 

Order of the British Empire for services to 

literature. 

The Wench is Dead (1990) 

Inspector Morse, recovering from an ulcer in 

Oxford’s Radcliffe Hospital, comes across an 

old book recounting a sensational murder 

case that took place in Oxford 100 years 

earlier. Convinced that the two men hanged 

for the crime were innocent, Morse sets out 

from the confines of his bed to prove it. 

The Remorseful Day (1999) 

It says on the cover: The final Inspector 

Morse Novel. The Remorseful Day is one 

of the best in the series, with the death of 

Yvonne Harrison whose murder has baffled 

the police for more than a year. This is the 

kind of case Morse seems eminently suited 

for and yet he refuses to get officially 

involved in the case and his co-workers 

want to know why. 

Jewel that was Ours (2011) 

A wealthy, elderly American tourist has a 

heart attack in her room at Oxford’s luxurious 

Randolph Hotel. Missing from the scene is 

the lady’s handbag, which contained the 

Wolvercote Tongue, a priceless jewel that 

her late husband had bequeathed to the 

Ashmolean Museum just across the street. 

Morse proceeds to spend a great deal of 

time thinking--and drinking--in the hotel’s 

bar, certain the solution is close at hand-- 

until conflicting stories, suspicious doings, 

and a real murder convince him otherwise. 


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Dear Jennifer, 

My brother and I have a close relationship 

especially after our parents passed 

away. As he is four years older than me, 

I have come to view him as a “father 

figure” and confidante, so it was natural 

for me to turn to him for advice when my 

young son was having trouble at school. 

I divorced my husband two years ago 

and my son has taken it badly and it has 

affected his schooling and behaviour. 

However, I was hurt by my brother’s curt 

words to me snapping that he was “sick 

and tired” of having to sort my problems 

out. I was certainly not expecting his 

rude response and it hurt my feelings. 

He did phone me back and offered a halfhearted 

apology, stating that he had his 

own problems to consider. He has never 

spoken to me in such a rude tone and I 

feel that our relationship is irrevocably 

damaged. Am I right to feel betrayed by 

him? 

Simone, Mar Menor 

Hi Simone, 

It’s understandable that you are feeling upset 

because no-one likes to be snapped at, but 

‘betrayal’ and ‘damage’ are very harsh words 

for such a minor misunderstanding, don’t you 

think? Obviously, since your parents demise, 

your brother has played a big part in your 

life, but your brother will never take the place 

of your late father and perhaps this was the 

message your brother was trying to convey to 

you albeit harshly. He appears to be standing 

his ground and is no longer willing to be your 

prop. In asserting himself, he is not so much 

damaging your relationship, but it is evident 

that he wants the dynamics to change. He 

has his own problems and he wants you to 

take your matters into your own hands. I 

don’t think this is unreasonable, do you? 

Dear Sarah, 

Firstly, you should congratulate yourself, 

rather than be self-critical for wanting to 

turn your life around. Secondly, leaving 

one’s “comfort zone” behind can be the 

cause of anxiety in anyone, so what you are 

experiencing is only natural. Don’t be too 

hard on yourself. Change is a constant in 

everyone’s life and some bear it with a smile 

while others, with a frown. The difference in 

mood and wellbeing is how determined you 

are to confront your fear. If you continue to 

dwell on your fear and anxiety, then it will 

only get worse. 

Some people face their fears head on and 

don’t stop to over analyse the situation. For 

example, musician Moby’s single status for 

decades was due to his crippling panic attacks 

and he overcame his demons by going on 

more dates until the exercise became less 

frightening. If you are up for it, this is one 

method of overcoming your anxiety by facing 

it head on. This is called “over exposure to 

fear”. Susan Jeffers’s, renowned motivational 

guru documents it well in her book,” Feel the 

fear and do it anyway”. 

Another technique is to meditate for a few 

minutes before leaving the house. This will 

calm your mind and nerves and tell yourself 

that no matter how the date turns out, you 

are finally taking control of your life. This 

is testament to your strong will power and 

determination to enjoy life by your own rules. 

Jennifer Rahman is a life coach and 

therapist. You can send your questions to 

her at: jennifer@lifemaxxinternational. 

com 

Instead of talking about betrayal and a 

damaged relationship, it may be more 

appropriate to speak with him and discuss the 

matter calmly. You need to start living your 

life in such a way that you don’t need to rely 

on anyone else but yourself. You also may 

need to discuss your son’s problems with him. 

Give him the opportunity and environment to 

open up to you and discuss his feelings about 

the divorce. His problems at school could 

be a manifestation of his frustrations and 

confusion over the divorce. Open and honest 

communication is priceless so give it a go. 

Dear Jennifer, 

I have always lived my life for others- my 

parents, siblings, friends and partners. 

Needless to say over the years I have 

been taken for granted and my personal 

feelings and needs ignored. I am trying 

to turn my life around especially with 

2012 on the horizon, but I am so afraid. I 

have tried to start new relationships and 

starting dating again, but I suffer from 

huge anxiety attacks, so much so that I 

can’t even bring myself to go on another 

date. I know I am my worst enemy and if 

I don’t stop this nonsense, I will end up 

old and alone. Please help me overcome 

my anxiety! 

Sarah, Los Belones 




email: costacalidachronicle@gmail.com 

Page 7 


Yorkshire Linen in Puerto de Mazarrón 

has just launched a new Customer 

Loyalty Card. 

Peter and Karen, who own the business, said 

“We wanted to reward our customers for 

shopping with us. Many of our customers 

shop with us on a regular basis and we 

wanted to let them know that we appreciate 

their business and loyalty. We also have 

many customers who own rental properties 

and need to replace or update their bedding 

and soft furnishings each season. This can 

sometimes mean a significant outlay and 

we wanted to thank these customers for 

shopping with us”. 

A l r e a d y 

p r o v i n g 

extremely 

p o p u l a r 

with their 

customers, 

the scheme is 

very easy to 

use. Once a 

customer has 

spent 100€ 

they are given 

a 10€ voucher 

to spend in the 

shop. There 

are no time 

limits and 

each amount 

you spend is 

recorded until you reach 100€. So whether 

you buy a roll of dishcloths or new sheets 

for a rental property, you will be rewarded. 

Simple! Ask for your Customer Loyalty 

Card next time you visit Yorkshire Linen. 

(ONLY AVAILABLE AT THE PUERTO DE 

MAZARRÓN STORE) 


Page 8 

Yorkshire Linen is constantly changing 

their product range and they offer 

exceptional quality and value for money. 

Yorkshire Linen has 36 shops in the UK, 

7 in Spain and Portugal and is a successful 

retailer with an excellent reputation. As 

franchisees, this allows Peter and Karen 

to pass on great choice and value to their 

customers. With regular deliveries from 

the UK and other suppliers in Spain and 

Germany, a lot of the collections are unique 

to the Yorkshire Linen Co and customers 

know that they can buy something a bit 

different for their homes. This, alongside 

their excellent level of service and advice, 

has seen the business grow into one of the 

most popular shops in the area. 

Yorkshire Linen is open Monday–Friday 

10am-6pm & Saturday 10am–2pm. 

Parking is easy above the Mercadona at the 

commercial centre in Puerto De Mazarrón, 

opposite LIDL. 

For more information call 968595946 or 

650857619. 

See the latest collections at 

www.yorkshirelinen.com 







Page 9 



General Election 

A landslide victory for the PP in the general 

elections means Mariano Rajoy will become 

president of Spain. The centre-right outfit 

gained 186 seats in constituencies around the 

country, with an overwhelming majority voting 

for the PP in all bar two of Spain’s regions, 

Catalunya and the Basque Country. This is 

the most overwhelming victory for PP since 

long before Aznar came into power. 

The PSOE, led by Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, 

achieved only 110 seats, putting them in the 

opposition and Izquierda Unida – the United 

Left – secured enough seats to be able to 

participate in government once again and be 

recognised as a representative party of the 

opposition. 

Rajoy, who kept his electoral campaign ideas 

close to his chest in the run-up to voting day, 

claims he will be ‘a president for everyone’ 

and that all of society will be treated equally. 

However, given the state of Spain’s economy, 

he has stressed that the public ‘should not expect 

miracles’. 

Survey shows 70% of Spaniards 

are ‘Not Interested’ in Politics 

Seven in 10 Spaniards interviewed said they 

had little or no interest in politics, reveals a 

recent survey and nearly eight in 10 say they 

believe the political situation in Spain is ‘bad’. 

Despite this, almost two-thirds consider that 

the PP would have done ‘just as badly’ or 

‘worse’ if they had been in power instead of 

the PSOE in the last four years. 

The general level of interest in politics has not 

varied much since the previous survey was 

carried out in 2008 on the eve of the general 

elections. Only 22% say they ‘regularly’ 

talk with their family and friends about politics, 

with a third saying they do so ‘now and 

again’ and 45% confessing that they ‘rarely’ 

or ‘never’ talked about the subject. 

Concerning whether the PP would do better 

if they won the upcoming elections, a third 

said they would manage the country ‘equally 

as badly’ and another third said they would be 

‘worse’. About a quarter said they were more 

inclined towards the PSOE and another quarter 

towards the PP, whilst 22% said they did 

not identify with either. 

Nine in 10 Spaniards consider the economic 

situation in the country to be ‘extremely bad’ 

and that urgent changes were necessary. 

Page 10 

Spain’s borrowing hits 14-year high 

Spain’s borrowing costs have risen to their 

highest rate since 1997. On money borrowed 

today, payable in 10 years, Spain has to pay 

an interest rate of 6.975% - dangerously 

close to the 7% mark at which other eurozone 

countries have had to seek bailouts. Italian 

10-year bond yields passed 7% earlier this 

month. 

In its latest bond auction, the Spanish government 

sold 3.56bn euros worth of bonds out of 

a maximum target of 4bn euros - a very poor 

result. A similar auction in France saw French 

short-term borrowing costs - for its two and 

four-year bonds - also rise by about half a 

percentage point. 

“El Gordo” Christmas lottery prize goes up 

Spain’s special Christmas lottery draw, known 

as “El Gordo” will be worth a total of 4 million 

euros this year. 

The main changes to this year’s Christmas 

draw, the most popular and traditional of all 

the lottery draws celebrated in Spain, were 

revealed, with sales in the region of 3.6 billion 

euros expected, which equates to an average 

of 71.28 euros per person. 

As well as an increase to the main prize “El 

Gordo”, the second prize has been increased 

from a million to 1,250,000 per series, and 

the third prize remains unchanged at 500,000 

euros for the series. 

Region by region the biggest spenders are the 

people in La Rioja, who are expected to spend 

an average of 106.3 euros per inhabitant. 

Those who spend the least on the Christmas 

lottery are those in Ceuta (17.10) Of the 3.6 

billion euro spend on the Christmas lottery, 

almost 30% of annual takings for the State 

Lottery Company, 2.52 billion euros will be 

distributed in prize money and the rest will 

go to cover administrative costs and to the 

Treasury. 

The Christmas lottery, which will celebrate its 

200th anniversary next year, will again be held 

in Madrid’s Palacio de CongresosMadrid and 

will be different from other Christmas draws 

as two drums will be used: the numbers will 

be drawn out of one drum and the prizes out 

of the other. There will be 100,000 numbers 

in total (15,000 more than last year) in the 

lottery drum, which is why the top prizes have 

been increased without increasing the price of 

a décimo (which remains at 20€). 

Two dead after 

shooting in Mazarrón 

A Bolivian man who 

has not been named 

died on Sunday night 

6 th November, after being 

shot in the chest in 

Mazarrón and a second 

man was seriously injured 

by a shot to the 

head. A man from Tarragona 

was arrested 

and is said to be suffering 

from mental 

health problems. The 

incident happened in Avenida Constitución at 

11pm when several residents heard the shots 

and called the emergency services. The medical 

units confirmed the death of a man who 

was lying on the ground after being shot. Another 

16 year old man was also found suffering 

from gunshot wounds to the head and 

he was rushed to the Virgen de la Arrixaca 

Hospital in Murcia where he has since died. 

Police recover paintings by 

Dalí and Sorolla stolen in 2002 

Agents from the Guardia Civil have arrested 

four people and recovered seven valuable 

paintings by different artists, including one by 

Salvador Dalí and another by Joaquín Sorolla, 

which were stolen in 2002 from a chalet in 

Adanero (Ávila) and which are thought to be 

worth four million euros. 

According to a statement by the police in Ávila, 

the investigation was opened in 2002 when 

a member of the public reported a burglary in 

their home in Adanero. 

The stolen paintings, a Dalí entitled “Transcendental 

Human Action”, two portraits by 

Sorolla and Condé Delgrás, a floral painting 

by Rosen Roses, a 16th century portrait by 

Hernán Cortés and two charcoal drawings by 

Gustavo Doré and Nicanor Piñole - were recovered 

during a police search of a private 

property in Valdemoro (Madrid). 

Operation “Alejandro” launched by the police 

nine years ago and which included a thorough 

forensic examination of the scene of the 

crime, led police to the offenders, all originally 

from Madrid and living in Valdemoro. 

The modus operandi used by the thieves 

made the investigators focus on the victim’s 

immediate social circle, and although initially 

they did not get any conclusive data, a fingerprint 

comparison in June finally allowed them 

to confirm the four people who have been arrested 

as the authors of the crime. 

Farmer dies after being attacked by Wild 

Boar 

A 60-year-old man has died after being attacked 

by a wild boar on his own farm “La 

Garrofera” in the town of Tous (Valencia). The 

farmer, who had suffered a heart attack recently, 

had wounds in the groin and his hands 

and face were covered in blood “as if he had 

tried to defend himself against the attack”. 

The incident occurred in an orange grove 

belonging to the victim. Local police from 

nearby Guadasuar and forensic experts were 

called to the scene. 

Like many Spanish towns, 90% of the residents 

of Tous regularly go hunting, and the 

locals insist “it is unheard of” and “nothing like 

this has never happened before” and that it’s 

a “one in a million chance”. 

According to information provided by the police, 

the farmer had called his son to tell him 

he’d been injured, but when the son and a 

neighbour turned up at the property he had 

already died and they could do nothing for 

him. 




email: costacalidachronicle@gmail.com




Page 11 


Mass in English: 

Is celebrated every Saturday at the Catholic 

Chapel at Pastrana, approximately 10km 

from Mazarrón 

Schedule of Masses: 

Saturday at 4:30pm 

Schedule of Confession: 

Saturday from 3:45-4:25pm 

Also on request 

Bible Study: 1 st and 3 rd Sunday at 4:30pm 

Fr. Carlos Prats Mobile 628 824 555 

Fr. Octavio Carpena Mobile 676 219 445 

www.pastranaonline.com 

MARY, MOTHER OF DIVINE MERCY 

Many people have argued that Mary is not 

the Mother of Jesus, while the New Jerusalem 

Bible reads: “The birth of Jesus Christ occurred 

as follows: while Mary, his mother to be, was 

engaged to Joseph 

and before marriage 

was consummated, 

she was found to 

have conceived by 

the Holy Spirit”. 

With conception and 

Mary carrying Jesus 

in her womb for nine 

months, there is 

no way anyone can 

say that Mary is not 

the Mother of Jesus 

Christ. 

As the Mother of 

Jesus, Mary endured 

much suffering, from 

the birth pangs to 

her having to escape to Egypt to avoid the 

death of Jesus at the hands of Herod and then 

to the crucifixion she proved 

herself the Mother of Divine 

Mercy. 

Neither did Matthew, Mark, 

Luke or John record the 

great anguish of the Mother 

during Friday, Saturday 

and early Sunday morning 

following the Crucifixion. In 

her book “the Poem of the 

Man-God” Maria Valtorta, 

the great mystic, relates 

what she was shown when 

Jesus was taken down from 

the Cross: Mary wants him 

and she cradles Jesus, he is 

now in his Mothers lap. With 

a trembling she parts his 

ruffled hair. She tidies it and weeps. Her 

tears drop on the cold body covered with 

blood. She begins to clean and dry his body 

on which endless tears are dropping. And 

while doing so her hand touches the huge 

gash in his chest and she utters a cry. A 

sword seems to pierce her heart. 

Now alone as Joseph has died and now that 

Jesus her son has been murdered, she is the 

only one left of the Holy Family. Suddenly 

the closed window is opened with a violent 

banging of the heavy shutters and Jesus 

enters. He calls Her, stretching out his hands: 

Mother, his Mother. 


Page 12 

In Loving 

Memory of 

Andrew William 

Stoneman 

7 th April 1957 

– 19 th October 

2011 

You suffered 

much in 

silence. 

Your spirit did 

not bend. 

You fought 

for life with 

courage 

Until the very 

end. 

Love you always and forever 

Chris and families. 

Thanks also to everyone who attended the 

funeral service and made a donation to MABS 

in Andy’s memory. 

Puerto Lumbreras Christian Fellowship 

now meets every 1st and 3rd Sunday each 

month at 11.00am in the premises of the 

Spanish Evangelical Church Puerto Lumbreras 

Tel 619453283 Paul and Sandra 







Page 13 


Age Concern at Large 

December brings three events: 

Saturday 3 rd December at La Verde on the 

Via Axia in Puerto de Mazarrón, will be 

the Age Concern Christmas Fair from 

11am-4pm. There will be over forty stalls, 

Santa Claus, the St Nicholas Choir and our 

Christmas Draw. If you would like a stall, 

please ring Pam on 667 449 041. There is 

a small entrance charge and everyone is 

welcome. 

Monday 12 th December sees a Shopping 

Trip to Murcia. Tickets for this are going 

like hot cakes! It’s only 10€ for the trip 

which will take in the main shopping areas 

and a chance to see the lights. 

Wednesday 14 th sees our Monthly Social 

– ‘Talking Shop’, become a Christmas 

social. There is no charge for this and 

we are starting at noon and finishing at 

3.30pm. There will be a short panto! 

In the New Year Age Concern are planning 

an auction. This will be at Mariano’s, 

Camposol A on 3rd of February. You will 

be able to put a maximum of three items 

in the auction and this will cost you 10€. 

You will keep whatever the auction makes. 

You cannot bring items on the day; you 

must register them before hand. You must 

bring the items to Mariano’s at 9am on the 

morning of the sale. At 10am the doors 

will be open for two hours of viewing, with 

the auction starting promptly at 1pm. 

You can register by ringing Pam on 667 

449 041 or Maggie on 634 336 484. We 

must stress that items must be registered 

before the sale. It is up to you if you want 

to put a minimum price you are prepared 

to accept. Again this must be registered 

before the sale. 

This is a new venture by Age Concern 

and one they hope to repeat every three 

months. It’s a serious attempt to attract 

good quality items along with a free 

spending audience. 

Tickets are available any Friday morning 

outside Bar Salud, Sector B Camposol or 

the entrance to the underground car park 

in Puerto de Mazarrón. 

Age Concern runs a regular weekly free 

advice session on a Wednesday morning in 

the Cultural Centre on Sector B Camposol 

when you can also get tickets for Age 

Concern events. 


A Charity Cabaret Night was held at the 

Hotel Playa Grande Puerto de Mazarrón 

on Thursday 10th of November in aid of 

the charity, GO maD Mazarrón, Charity 

No:10.329/1a, and the charity, Palm 

House Orphanage Cambodia charity 

no:1079648. 

As usual 

t h e 

annual 

event 

was a 

g r e a t 

success 

raising 

1,160€, 

to be 

shared between the two charities. The 

entertainment was provided by John 

Page 14 

Sloman (Mr Cool), Clifford Jay & Julia and 

an evangelical Spanish family from Puerto 

de Mazarrón. Many thanks go out to the 

entertainers and all who helped with the 

organisation and the many generous 

donations for the raffle from businesses 

and kind hearted supporters. Thank you 

to all the faithful supporters and friends 

who attended the evening. A special thank 

you to William who provided a screening 

of information for GO maD while Amanda 

gave a narration of the work that she 

and her volunteers do in and around the 

surrounding area for the poorer and less 

privileged people. 

Clifford Jay & Julia, (fundraisers for the 

Palm House Orphanage) gave an update 

of the situation at the Orphanage in Siem 

Riep Cambodia, which has been flooded 

once again for the second year running 

with serious consequences. 

We once again appreciate the advertising 

of the event by local newspapers, and 

Costa Cálida Chronicle as well as the Costa 

Cálida Radio. We also thank The Hotel Playa 

Grande and the staff for their support. 

Thank 

you and 

God bless 

you all. 

Clifford 

Jay & 

Julia 








Page 15 


Practical gardeners and authors 

G o o d 

Planting 

Weather 

A n d 

Practices 

By Clodagh 

and Dick 

Handscombe 

A Good Time to Plant 

After recent rains, most readers now have 

easy-to-dig soil, so making tree and shrub 

planting holes, digging over new flower 

beds and rotovating vegetable plots, is a 

practical proposition without breaking one’s 

back or even tools. 

If you are in truly frost-free coastal 

situations, most things can be planted with 

the benefit that roots will have grown by the 

Spring. However, if you do get frosts, only 

plant up genuinely frost-resistant plants. If 

in doubt check the frost-resistant columns 

in the descriptions of practical plants in 

‘Your Garden in Spain’. 

Good planting practices 

Size of plants 

In general smaller plants and trees establish 

good root systems faster than larger ones 

sold root bound in small pots in relation to 

the size of the plant. So if two sizes of a plant 

is available we would purchase the smaller 

one for both our and others gardens. 

Size of planting holes 

In the UK we normally got away with making 

a planting hole the same size as the compost 

around a purchased plant, but there the 

surrounding soil was not metres of clay that 

can dry out to create the equivalent of a 

thick walled terracotta pot that soaks away 

moisture from the soil around the recently 

planted and watered new plant like a dry 

sponge. Make planting holes twice as large 

and infill with a good soil/compost mix with 

a little added sand and Terra Cottem soil 

improver – search TerraVida on the internet 

for information about this useful product. 

Improving the soil 

If possible improve the soil of an entire 

new perennial plant or shrub bed before 

planting. 

Spreading the roots 

Entwined roots in a pot-bound pot, or 

plastic tube in the case of trees, are likely 

to continue to be entwined as they grow 

and often start to strangle each other in a 

growing corkscrew shape. Eventually plants 

and trees stunt and even die. If the citrus 

fruit tree planted a few years ago is growing 

poorly this may well be the cause, so do 

ensure that roots are spread out downwards 

and sloping 45 degrees sideways before 

planting. 

Splitting root bound perennials 

Many root-bound perennials are best split to 

create additional plants before planting. We 

created a dozen separate plants from the 

last gazania plant we purchased. 

Staking and tying 

Ensure you stake trees and tall shrubs at 

the time of planting to ensure that they do 

not lean and loosen roots in high winds and 

heavy rain. Likewise, climbing plants need 

tying onto support frames or screw eyes 

fixed to walls and fences. 


Page 16 

Mulching 

Prevent early drying out by mulching the 

soil around newly planted plants and trees 

with compost, grit, rocks, chippings or 

stone slabs. The latter are especially useful 

for protecting the roots of climbers. If 

you have had torrential rain, do allow the 

ground to dry out a little before making new 

plantings. 

Happy autumn gardening. 

Clodagh and 

Dick’s books are 

now available 

from their 

website www. 

gardeninginspain. 

com as well 

as high street 

and internet 

bookshops. They 

are essential to 

new gardeners to 

Spain and make 

good presents. 

On their site there is a special offer 

involving their latest book Living Well from 

Our Mediterranean Garden. 

(C) Clodagh and Dick Handscombe www. 

gardeninginspain.com November 2011. 








Page 17 



Mary Isobel 

O’Brien (16 

April 1939 – 2 

March 1999), 

known professionally 

as 

Dusty Springfield 

and 

dubbed The 

White Queen 

of Soul was a 

British pop singer 

whose career 

extended from 

the late 1950’s to the 1990’s. With her distinctive 

sensual sound, she was an important 

white soul singer and at her peak was one of 

the most successful British female performers, 

with 18 singles in the Billboard Hot 100 from 

1964 to 1970. She is a member of the Rock 

and Roll Hall of Fame and the UK Music 

Hall of Fame. International polls have named 

Springfield among the best female artists of 

all time. 

Born in West London to an Irish Catholic family 

that enjoyed music, Springfield learned 

to sing at home. She joined her first professional 

group, The Lana Sisters, in 1958, then 

formed the pop-folk vocal trio The Springfields 

in 1960 with her brother Dion 

Her solo career began in 1963 with the upbeat 

pop hit, “I Only Want to Be with You”. 

Among the hits that followed were “Wishing’ 

and Hoping’” (1964), “I Just Don’t Know 

What to Do with Myself” (1964), “You 

Don’t Have to Say You Love Me” (1966), 

and “Son of a Preacher Man” (1968). A 

fan of American pop music, she was the first 

public figure to bring little-known soul singers 

to a wider British audience, when she created 

and hosted the first British performances 

of the top-selling Motown artists in 1965. By 

1966, she was the best-selling female singer 

in the world, and topped a number of popularity 

polls, including Melody Maker’s Best International 

Vocalist. She was the first British 

singer to top the New Musical Express 

Readers’ Poll for Female Singer. Her image, 

Page 18 

supported by a peroxide blonde beehive hairstyle, 

evening gowns, and heavy make-up, 

made her an icon of the Swinging Sixties. 

The marked changes in pop music in the mid- 

1960’s left many female pop singers out of 

fashion. To boost her credibility as a soul artist, 

Springfield went to Memphis, Tennessee, 

to record an album of pop and soul music with 

the Atlantic Records main production team. 

Released in 1969, Dusty in Memphis has 

been ranked among the greatest albums of all 

time by Rolling Stone and VH1 artists, New 

Musical Express Readers, and a Channel 4 

Viewers’ Polls. The album was also awarded 

a spot in the Grammy Hall of Fame. 

After many years in the wilderness, not only 

because of popularity decline, but also because 

of self imposed retirement in America, 

Dusty decided to get back into the music 

scene. She had met Neil Tennant of the Pet 

Shop Boys who had said what a fan he was of 

hers and the seed was sown then for a return 

to making music 

In 1987, Dusty accepted an invitation from 

the Pet Shop Boys to sing on the single 

“What Have I Done to Deserve This?” and 

appeared on the promotional video. The record 

got to number 2 on both the British and 

American charts. The song appeared on the 

Pet Shop Boys’ album Actually and both 

of their greatest hits collections. Springfield 

sang lead vocals on the Richard Carpenter 

song “Something in Your Eyes”, recorded 

for Carpenter’s album Time. Released as a 

single, it became an adult contemporary hit in 

the United States. Springfield also recorded 

a duet with legendary singer/songwriter B.J. 

Thomas, “As Long as We Got Each Other”, 

which was used as the theme song for the 

American sitcom Growing Pains. 

A new compilation of Springfield’s greatest 

hits, The Silver Collection, was issued 

in 1988. Springfield returned to the studio 

with the Pet Shop Boys, who produced her 

recording of their song “Nothing Has Been 

Proved”, commissioned for the soundtrack 

of the film Scandal. Released as a single in 

early 1989, the song gave Springfield a UK 

Top 20 hit, as did its follow-up, the upbeat “In 

Private”, written and produced again by the 

Pet Shop Boys. She capitalized on this by recording 

the 1990 album Reputation, another 

UK Top 20 success. The writing and production 

credits for half the album, which included the 

two recent hit singles, went to the Pet Shop 

Boys; while the album’s other producers included 

Dan Hartman. Sometime before recording 

the Reputation album, Springfield 

decided to leave California for good, and by 

1988 she had returned to Britain. In 1993, she 

was invited to record a duet with her former 

1960s professional rival and friend, Cilla Black. 

The song “Heart and Soul” was released as 

a single and appeared on Black’s Through 

the Years album. Provisionally titled Dusty 

in Nashville, Springfield started recording 

the album A Very Fine Love in 1993 with 

producer Tom Shapiro. Though originally intended 

by Shapiro as a Country music album, 

the song selection with Springfield pushed 

the album into pop music with an occasional 

country feel. 

While recording the album, A Very Fine 

Love, in January 1994 in Nashville, Tennessee, 

Springfield felt ill. When she returned 

to England a few months later, her physicians 

diagnosed breast cancer. She received months 

of radiation treatment, and for a time the cancer 

was in remission. In 1995, in apparent 

good health, Springfield set about promoting 

the album. 

Cancer was detected again during the summer 

of 1996. In spite of vigorous treatments, 

Dusty Springfield died on 2nd March 1999. 

She died in Henley-on-Thames on the day she 

had been scheduled to go to Buckingham Palace 

to receive an OBE for her contribution to 

music. Before her death, officials of Queen Elizabeth 

had given permission for the medal to 

be collected by Springfield’s manager, Vicki 

Wickham, and it was presented to the singer 

in the hospital in the company of a small party 

of friends and relatives. Her induction into the 

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio, 

had been scheduled for 10 days after her 

death. Her friend Sir Elton John helped induct 

her into the Hall of Fame, stating “I think she 

is the greatest white female singer there has 

ever been.” Springfield’s funeral service was 

attended by hundreds of fans and people from 

the music business, including Elvis Costello, 

Lulu and the Pet Shop Boys. It took place 

in Oxfordshire, at the ancient parish church of 

St Mary the Virgin, in Henley-on-Thames, the 

town where Springfield had lived during her 

last years. A marker dedicated to her memory 

was placed in the Church graveyard. I agree, 

and who am I, to disagree with Elton John 

and think she was and always will be the best 

white female vocalist ever. 

I hope you have enjoyed reading the articles 

as much as I have enjoyed putting 

them together and I wish to thank The 

CCC for publishing the articles over the 

year. I wish all readers and listeners a 

Happy Christmas and a Prosperous 2012. 

You can listen to Mark Davies on Costa Cálida 

International Radio on Mon, Wed and 

Fri evenings 7.00-9.00pm and Thursday afternoon 

4.15-6.30pm. 

Mark Davies. 








Page 19 


This article has been written and compiled 

by Body and Mind Therapist, Drew Ryder 

BSc. Psychol. Hons, IIHHT, MICHT, ThAT 

This month’s focus is on how reflexology 

can alleviate the effects of stress and 

induce relaxation. 

Stress is difficult to avoid, and few 

people escape the consequences of 

stress. There are many factors that 

contribute to stress and it is believed that 

as much as 70% of modern diseases are 

stress related. These include high blood 

pressure, coronary thrombosis, heart 

attack, migraine, ulcers, diabetes mellitus, 

stomach problems, constant backache, 

rheumatoid arthritis, skin disorders, 

anxiety and depression to name but a few. 

Stress affects people in different ways 

and because of this it is also exhibited in 

different ways too. For example, whilst one 

person may show signs of cardiovascular 

problems, others may show signs of 

heavy sweating, palpitations, headaches 

or stomach problems and there are many 

more. 

Everyone, children, teenagers, adults and 

the elderly are confronted with stressful or 

potentially stressful situations on a daily 

basis. Stressors include such things as 

traffic, television, noise, financial problems, 

family problems, job (or lack of) pressure, 

peer pressure – the list is seemingly 

endless. Susceptibility to stress can be 

affected by life events that cause too much 

emotional strain, as well as life changing 

events such as death, birth, marriage and 

divorce. 

What happens is that the body undergoes 

many physiological changes when under 

stress. It basically gears the body for a 

`fight or flight response´. The body and 

internal organs are put under immense 

pressure resulting in the requirement of 

a short burst of activity such as fighting 

for your life or running away to safety. In 

the days of early man it was acceptable 

to either stay and fight for survival or flee 

to safety, however, today these responses 

would be considered unacceptable. The 

result is that the tension in the body that 

stress has created remains in the body. 

The more stress encountered and the 

less one is able to release the stress, the 

more tense the body gets. And so it goes 

on. Many systems, (especially the nervous 

system), within the body become tense 

and are unable to function correctly when 

under constant stress, resulting in varying 

degrees of pain and illness. 

Where then does reflexology fit in with 

this? 

Reflexology helps to alleviate the effects 

of stress by inducing deep relaxation. 

This in turn gradually allows the body and 

especially the nervous system to function 

normally and allow the body to seek its 

own balance. It is a powerful antidote to 

stress. 

When tension is relaxed, muscles and 

blood vessels relax too, which in turn 

reduces vascular 

restriction and as a 

result enables the 

circulation system to 

function freely. This 

in turn circulates the 

necessary blood and 

nutrients to all the 

tissues and organs of 

the body which then cleanse the body of 

toxins and impurities, thus, releasing the 

body of unnecessary stress. 

A relaxed body can heal itself. 

Reflexology is a guaranteed method 

of relaxing the body and balancing the 

biological systems. 

Responses to Reflexology vary (as do 

responses to many other forms of treatments 

and or medications). The important thing 

to bear in mind when having Reflexology is 

that it is a positive step towards releasing 

the body and the mind from stress. It is 

about taking responsibility for one’s own 

state of health. By doing so, a positive 

attitude is developed towards attaining, 

achieving and maintaining good health, 

which can then be encompassed in all areas 

of life. 

Whilst we may not be able to alter the 

stress situations in life, we can alter how 

we cope. Reflexology can help control or 

lessen the response to stress and thereby 

lessen susceptibility to stress-related 

diseases. What are you waiting for? 

For your Reflexology appointment and road 

to better health please call 968978876 or 

660326194. 


Page 20 








Page 21 


Well, autumn is here and we have seen at 

least a few days of rain which was sorely 

needed. As Estate Agents, we are often asked 

to value a property when someone is thinking 

of selling. Invariably we give the price that 

we think it will sell for in this market, taking 

a number of factors into account. These are 

generally related to the typical price that this 

type of property has sold for in the last 6 

months. 

When you are thinking of selling your property 

and you ask for a valuation, the result of the 

valuation does not take into account the 

amount you paid for it or how much you have 

spent on improvements, because these have 

been done to suit your needs and finally, 

definitely not what you “need” to sell at to 

buy something in the UK. As I mentioned 

before, realistic house prices are generally 

based on those that are of a similar style or 

size that have sold in the last six months. 

One of the most frustrating things for Estate 

Agents are properties that languish on the 

market for two plus years at an over inflated 

price, on the off chance that someone will 

come along, fall in love with it and spend 

40,000€, or more, than is needed. 

The second most frustrating thing is when 

vendors say they are sticking to a price, 

receive an offer of 20,000€ or 30,000€ below 

this and then agree to sell. If properties are 

priced correctly in the first place, and we 

agents don’t always get it right, there is much 

more chance of selling when a client views. 

I think I have harped on about this in the 

past, but if you are trying to sell, do not and 

I stress, DO NOT, go sole agent. The only 

person who gains from this is the agent. 

If you are trying to sell, give it to as many 

agents as possible, but always advertise at 

the same price with all agents. 

Hopefully those tips will help you sell your 

property? 

Don’t forget that Purchase Tax on new build 

(key ready) properties remains at 4% until 

the end of 2011 – the saving of 3% can 

furnish your new home. 

We are always looking for properties on 

Mazarrón Country Club and Puerto de 

Mazarrón, so if you have a property to sell, 

please contact us. 

For more information on buying or selling 

property contact 

Jennie or Sue at Best of Spanish 

Email info@bestofspanish.com 

Tel (0034) 635 434 651 or 646 692 471 


Page 22 

The Pets In Spain team are here to help 

abandoned animals in Spain in need of re-homing. 

If you are looking to adopt a dog or cat, or 

need to find a home for one, or if you simply 

want to know more about taking care of your 

pet in Spain, this is the website for you www. 

petsinspain.info 

Julia was found abandoned 

in a small village 

and had made her way 

onto the motorway 

before being rescued. 

She is approx 1 yr old 

and vaccinated. Julia is 

a little nervous around 

adults but is outstanding 

with children. She 

loves her tummy tickles 

and will roll around all day long if it means 

keeping a child happy. Call: 693 100 712. 

Bimbo is 6 months 

old. He is a medium 

sized dog and very 

friendly. He is vaccinated, 

good with other 

dogs and cats and is 

house-trained. Call: 

659 274 573. 

Candy is a 6 month 

old cat in need of a 

loving new home as 

she is still living on the 

streets. She is ginger 

and white with beautiful 

amber eyes and 

is very friendly and 

seems to get on with 

other cats. She is desperate 

for human contact 

and a loving lap to 

curl up on. Call: 660 

832 360. 

To view more animals for adoption go to: 

www.petsinspain.info 

If you would like to advertise an animal 

email: info@petsinspain.info 







Page 23 


I start this month’s article with a poem. 

In the busy run-up to our Christmas 

celebrations it is so easy to forget the real 

reason we are doing what we are doing 

and this poem is a challenge to us all, to 

stop for a while and consider the gift to 

mankind that Jesus is. I never gave the 

poem a title… perhaps I will call it No 

Room. 

You What ! 

No chance mate ! 

You must be kidding ! 

I told you twice….. no room ! 

Look, I don’t care who the father is!! 

The negatives rang out with a hollow echo, 

On that glorious day…. 

His day… 

His special day… 

Our very special day. 

A day of victory for mankind, 

When God Himself, 

From Heaven’s Glory came, 

And breathed forgiveness for rejection; 

A day when negatives, 

Hate, hopelessness and fear 

Were challenged ! 

By the Father’s precious only Son. 

Jesus… Light of the world 

Was here; 

Offering us His way. 

A way of hope, of life, of peace; 

A positive chance to start again, 

To live fulfilled, 

And full of faith, 

All… through His Grace. 

Lord, how can I turn away? 

I’ll positively turn around 

And welcome You, 

Awesome God, 

Into my home… into my life. 

We will be busy choosing Christmas 

gifts for the people we love and rushing 

here and there for that extra special gift 

for those that are really close to us; for 

many it will mean spending money we 

don’t have, so lots of credit cards will be 

overloaded and we will spend the next 

twelve months, or more, paying off our 

Christmas spending spree. Why do we do 

this when so many people today refuse to 

believe in a God who loves them and gave 

His Son Jesus to a world that rejected Him, 

and yet continues to love that world with 

a passion? Yes, tradition plays a huge part 

in the reasons we do what we do, even if 

we do not know why we do it. It’s a good 

excuse for a party some will say; others 

will say that they have not a clue what it’s 

all about, but it’s great fun anyway. 

I know some of you are thinking ‘Bah 

Humbug’, and yet you are wrong. I want 

you to celebrate the birth of Jesus, I want 

you to have a great time. I want you to get 

together with family and friends….. but I 

want you also to consider the reasons why 

you do what you do. 


Page 24 

This Christmas Time, would you make some 

room in your celebrations to remember 

the real reason that we are celebrating? 

Jesus was the perfect gift for this world, 

His hands are outstretched to you right 

now and He is saying I Love You. Make 

room for Him and receive the gift that He is 

into your life… you will never receive a 

better Christmas present ever in your 

life – no batteries required – just an 

open heart. 

Join with us to sing carols on Camposol 

again this year. 

December 19 th on D, 20 th on C, 22 nd on A and 

23 rd on B. We will be performing again, by 

special request, our version of the ‘Twelve 

Camposol days of Christmas’. 

And if you are not ‘Caroled out’ by then, we 

will be having a very special Christmas Eve 

carol service at Wellspring Church… please 

check out our advert. 

Have a precious Christmas – 

God bless you. 







Page 25 



Making a difference is a click away for 

the Easy Horse Care Rescue Centre 

Little did I know that a quick look on the 

Guardian jobs website would take me in a 

matter of weeks from the centre of London 

to the heart of the Easy Horse Care Rescue 

Centre in Rojales, Spain working as a 

volunteer. 

My Name is Sarah. I am 39, with a background 

in national and international politics 

and communications and no history of riding 

or working with horses, ponies and donkeys 

as far as I can recall. I was prepared, therefore, 

that my latest attempts to jazz up the 

CV might be in vain as I clicked the send button. 

To my surprise, I received a call back from 

Sue Weeding, part of the husband and wife 

team that founded the Easy Care Horse 

Centre in 2008, in response to the shocking 

levels of animal cruelty they had witnessed 

since moving to the region in 2000. Having 

discretely tucked myself away in a corner at 

work over lunch, I was excited to hear about 

Sue and her husband Rod’s, plans for the 

Centre and how my ‘non-horsey’ skills might 

be of help to them. Something inside me said 

I had to go, so I booked a week off work, with 

no expectations of what was to come. 

My first day as a volunteer was on a Sunday 

– one of two Open Days for the public during 

the week. People of all ages and nationalities 

came to visit and hear the tragic stories of 

cruelty inflicted on all 41 horses, ponies and 

donkeys at the Centre. It makes you wonder 

how these animals can still trust us humans. 

During the week there were no set hours or 

expectations, but this was not an excuse to 

lie in the sun, as I wanted to help in whatever 

way I could. I did my best to learn how 

to handle the horses, in terms of grooming 

and feeding – simple, but milestones for this 

city girl. Luckily I was able to bring in my 

communications skills to help raise the profile 

of the Centre which is funded entirely from 

Page 26 

charitable donations. Every day there was always 

lots to do, but it didn’t seem like work to 

me, because I felt that I had a clear purpose 

– something perhaps lacking at times in my 

world back home. 

Would I recommend volunteering at the 

Easy Horse Care Rescue Centre? 

First and foremost, yes. Sue and Rod are 

lovely people – they have dedicated their 

lives, sacrificing a comfy retirement on the 

Costa Blanca to set up the Centre from nothing. 

You can’t help but be enthused by their 

dedication and passion. In fact everyone I 

came across working with the charity are all 

generous folk – giving up their time so the 

Centre can meet the needs of its increasing 

number of inhabitants. 

Any highlights? Too many to mention! 

Having the privilege of meeting the fourlegged 

residents, along with taking part in 

pioneering maggot treatment to treat the infected 

hooves of Cookie, the miniature horse, 

has to be up there! 

Will I still be involved? Most definitely! I 

have a background in political lobbying and 

want to find out what practical steps can be 

taken to improve animal welfare legislation in 

the Alicante region, and beyond. 

If you are interested in volunteering for the 

Easy Horse Care Rescue Centre, all I can 

say is there are opportunities to suit everyone. 

Get in touch and make a difference! 

Sad Loss of Gypsy Lady 

The Easy Horse Care Rescue Centre would 

like to inform all of the many visitors and supporters 

of the sad loss of Gypsy Lady on Friday 

21st October. Many of you will remember 

Gypsy Lady as the horse that was free to 

roam; meeting and greeting visitors, joining 

in with the horse tours, and indeed spending 

her days with the children of the Pony Club. 

Strangely enough, Gypsy Lady came to the 

centre in October 2010, just 2 days after another 

horse, Star Chance, sadly died. At the 

time it amazed all those at the Rescue Centre 

as Gypsy immediately stepped into Chance’s 

role in every way, even having a similar appearance, 

making it seem like Chance had 

never left. Incredibly, Gypsy passed away 

exactly 2 days after the first anniversary of 

Chance’s death. 

Prior to rescue, Gypsy Lady was in such a 

horrendous state; owned by gypsies she was 

kept in a structure made from orange crates 

where she was unable to even lift her head, 

and was deprived of food and water. Elche 

police were so distressed on discovering her 

that they turned to Easy Horse Care Rescue 

Centre in fear she was soon to starve to 

death. Gypsy Lady had a whole year at the 

Rescue Centre, knowing the feeling of being 

cared for and truly loved, and showed affection 

and gratefulness in return. 

There are many horses like Gypsy that are 

still suffering and need help. The Rescue 

Centre’s Open Days take place on Wednesdays 

and Sundays, 1-4pm, where hot food 

and refreshments are available and visitors 

can meet the horses and hear their stories on 

a horse tour. 

For further information about the Easy Horse 

Care Rescue Centre, call: 652 021 980, 

email: rescue@easyhorsecare.net or visit: 

www.easyhorsecare.net 





Are you ready for 2012? 

Are you energetically ready for the challenges 

of 2012? Whether you are a believer or 

sceptic of the doomsday prophecies, one 

thing is for sure – 2012 will herald significant 

changes to your career, love life, finances 

and spiritual conscientiousness. If you 

continue to do the same things and behave 

in the same way as you do now, then you 

will continue to reap the same results. 

Great if the latter has been the bearer of 

good health, wealth and luck, but what if it 

hasn’t? What if 2011 has not been kind to 

you, your finances or health and you can’t 

wait to see the back of it? Then now is the 

time to get ready for change - to change 

your behaviour, attitude, perspectives and 

thoughts to energetically and cosmically 

align them to financial growth, good health 

and personal greatness. 

“All over the world, the advent of 2012 is 

causing either excitement or nervousness, 

depending on your beliefs. What people fail 

to realise is that their behaviour is either 

overloading or depleting their personal 

energy levels and for many, this anxious 

and stressful behaviour starts to close 

their “chakras” as well. If left unattended, 

this can lead to poor health, high anxiety, 

depression, fear and debilitating illnesses” 

claims Jennifer Rahman, a renowned 

Emotional Freedom Techniques therapist in 

Murcia. 

“Chakra” is a Sanskrit word meaning 

“wheel” and a chakra is said to be the focal 

point of energy reception and transmission 

in a person. Everyone has 7 chakras in their 

body and when in harmony, these 7 “chakras” 

are bearers of good health in mind, body and 

soul. When closed or weakened by illness 

or low mood, these “chakras” cannot work 

efficiently and the person is often anxious, 

has low self- esteem, feels lethargic, moody 

and is consumed by negative emotions and 

thoughts. “This negativity can lodge deep in 

a person’s unconscious mind and sometimes 

even “chakra” cleansing and balancing is 

not 100% effective, if used on its own” said 

Jennifer Rahman. 

“What I have found in all my many years 

of experience with “chakra” balancing and 

Emotional Freedom Techniques (EFT) is that 

both holistic energy practices complement 

each other very well in terms of restoring 

and balancing energy levels in a person. EFT 

removes or neutralises negative emotions 

while “chakra” balancing reinforces harmony 

in mind, body and soul. For those not 

familiar with EFT, it is an energy therapy 

that uses tapping actions on specific 

acupressure points on the body that are the 

seat of negative emotions. These emotions 

can be the root cause of illness, cravings, 

addictions, phobias and allergies. When EFT 

is combined with “chakra” cleansing and 

balancing, it offers people a quick, effective 

and efficient method of bringing wellness, 

vibrancy and harmony in mind, body and 

soul within minutes” Jennifer added. 

To find out more about EFT and 

“chakra” cleansing, visit: www. 

lifemaxxinternational.com or contact 

Jennifer on her mobile: 63 4358 310. 

Jennifer is offering all readers a FREE half 

hour consultation AND 20% discount on 

her unique EFT with “chakra” cleansing 

sessions, for a limited period only. 




Page 27 


500€ FOR THE PAUL CUNNINGHAM NURSES 

CHARITY 

The Sailing Association Mar Menor has 

formed a new group called the BALATON 

18 GROUP. This is an enthusiastic group of 

SAMM members who have taken ownership 

of a beautiful day sailor. Peter Sharpington, 

the previous owner of this magnificent boat, 

stipulated in the purchase deal that a donation 

would be made to the Paul Cunningham 

Nurses Charity, as a thank you for 

the help they gave his wife during her last 

illness. 

The cheque was presented by Mike Phillips 

the Commodore of SAMM to Georgie May, 

who has become the face of the Paul Cunningham 

Nurses, at CAR (Centro Alto Rendimiento 

Deportivo del Mar Menor) ´’Infanta 

Cristina’ in Los Narejos, in the presence of 

Peter Sharpington, the Balaton 18 Group 

chairman Julian Pering, members of the Balaton 

18 Group and members of the SAMM 

Committee. 

12.30pm Monday to Friday, telephone number 

966 790 363. They offer a combination 

of support, information and medical experience 

along with hands-on nurses and carers 

or as a friendly voice and help with everyday 

problems that may occur when one becomes 

ill in Spain. They provide medical advice and 

liaise with the Costa Blanca Palliative Care 

team, which consists of Doctors and Nurses. 

At present they cover from Pilar de la 

Horadada up to Gran Alicant on the coast 

and inland to Orihuela. For more information 

contact paulcunninghamnurses.com 

There is a high fashion calendar featuring 

Georgie May on sale in support of the Paul 

Cunningham Nurses and three other charities. 

If you would like one of these calendars 

you can buy one at a special price of 5€ 

(retailing at 24.99€), please contact Janice 

Penning at janice.penning@sailingmarmenor.com. 

Sailing Association Mar Menor 

4 th Race Day of the SAMM Autumn Series 

Sunday 23rd October 

The 4 th Race Day was postponed from 16 th 

October to 23 rd October. 

1 st Miracle, John Clarke - Doreen Squires 

2 nd Catamaran, Derek English - M. Harding, 

J. Parker, G. Wharrad, 

3 rd Laser 2000, John Down – Vernon 

O´Byrne 

4 th Gamba, Janice Penning – Cristobal Jurado, 

Carl Vogt 

5 th Laser 13, Roger Drew - Anne Marie 

Tasney 

2 nd Race 

By 3.30pm the wind was in a north easterly 

direction with an increased speed of 10 

knots. Six boats started and fought an exciting 

two lap contest. The results on corrected 

time were:- 


2 nd Laser 2000, John Down - Vernon 

O’Byrne 

3 rd Catamaran, Derek English – Mike 

Harding, John Parker 

4 th Sea Hopper, Mick Burgess 

5 th Laser 13, Roger Drew – Annemarie 

Tasney 

6 th Gamba, Janice Penning - Cristobal 

Jurado, Carl Vogt 

5 th Race Day (the Penultimate) of the 

SAMM Autumn Series - Sunday 30th October 


The Paul Cunningham Nurses Charity 

was created in 2008 to provide care in the 

community for terminally ill patients. Nurses 

and carers are provided free of charge, subject 

to an assessment, at the latter stages 

to patients with a terminal prognosis. This 

service is not just for cancer patients, but 

anyone at the end stage of their illness; for 

example: stroke/heart disease/motor neurone 

disease/chronic obstructive pulmonary 

disease etc. The Paul Cunningham Nurses 

also offer a very supportive general nursing 

service for those who need it and is available 

24/7. Their offices are open from 9.30- 

Page 28 

The races take place from the CAR Infanta 

Cristina Sailing Centre at Los Narejos on the 

Mar Menor and are run under the RYA Portsmouth 

Yardstick handicap system. 

1 st Race 

The morning race started at 12.00 noon, 

with a north north easterly wind with a 

speed of 2 knots increasing during the race, 

5 boats competed over two laps. The results 

on corrected time were:- 

1 st Race 

The morning race started at 11.30am, with a 

north north easterly wind with a speed of 8 

knots increasing during the race to 12 knots, 

5 boats competed over two laps. The results 

on the corrected time were:- 


2 nd Catamaran, Derek English - M. Harding, 

J. Parker, G. Wharrad, 

3 rd Laser 13, Peter Cadwell – Janice Penning 

4 th Laser 2000, Roger Drew - Anne Marie 

Tasney 


2 nd Race 

By 2.00pm the wind was in a east north 

easterly direction with an increased speed 

of 12 knots increasing to 14 knots. Five 

boats started and fought an exciting two lap 

contest. The results on the corrected time 

were:- 

1 st Catamaran, Derek English – M Harding, 

J Parker, G Wharrad 

2 nd Miracle, John Clarke, Doreen Squires 

3 rd Laser 13, Roger Drew – Annemarie 

Tasney 


DNF 

Gamba, Peter Cadwell - Janice Penning 

The 6 th (Last) Race Day of the Autumn Series 

was on Sunday 13 th November. 

For more information about SAMM and its 

race programme go to www.sailingmarmenor.com 

and follow the links or email to 

sammracing@yahoo.co.uk 








Page 29 


Fourth MABS Race for Life is a Huge Hit 

As the day dawned for the fourth annual 

MABS Murcia Race for Life, clouds were 

very much in evidence, but that didn’t deter 

more than 250 people from arriving in Los Alcázares 

to take part. Before the start, a minute’s 

silence was observed at 11.00am in remembrance 

of all those who have fought and 

died for their country. The clouds lifted, the 

sun peeped out and the Race for Life participants 

were sent on their way to walk, run or 

stroll along the 3 kilometre promenade route. 

People arrived from all around the Murcia 

and Valencia regions, with some making it a 

family outing and bringing the dog along too. 

Many arrived in pink attire or fancy dress, 

including a rather fetching Spanish chicken, 

who arrived with her team of friends from 

Dolores de Pacheco. Other teams included 

MABS Murcia NW volunteers from Cegehin, 

King’s College of La Torre, Gea y Truyols Slimmers 

from the Valle del Sol, Spangles Ladies’ 

Chorus from Los Alcázares, and the Running 

Wild team from La Zenia. 

raised around 5,000€ from the day. They 

would also like to thank the sponsors of the 

event: DFS Furniture and Time Out Sports 

Bar in San Javier, Xpress Print & Design of 

El Trampolin, and Construcciones Gallardo in 

Cehegin. 


Page 30 

First man over the finish line was Marcus Fernandez, 

first lady was Ingrid Patterson, first 

child was Travis Preston, who has been first for 

the past three years and the first young lady 

on rollerblades was Zoe Bond, who has raised 

over 150€ in sponsorship 

already. Various 

pooches accompanied 

their owners and the 

first one over the line 

was Jake, owned by 

Sue Bengtsson. Exite 

Radio and various 

stallholders helped to 

give the race finish 

area a festive feel and 

many stayed on to enjoy 

a social drink and 

a chat. 

“This is one of our 

main annual fundraising 

events” said MABS 

Director, Lyn Baines 

“and we’re so grateful 

to all who have turned 

out to support us today. 

Everyone has 

made such an effort 

to arrive on a Sunday 

morning, create a 

great atmosphere and 

collect sponsorship 

money for us. Thanks 

must also go to all the 

MABS volunteers who 

have been here since 

the crack of dawn to 

organise such a great 

event.” 

Sponsorship money 

will be coming in over 

the next 2-3 months, 

but MABS estimates 

that they will have 

Photographers: Robin Bayliss and Alfonso 

Fernandez 

Murder, Mystery and Mirth for MABS 

A gory fund raising evening, in aid of MABS 

Murcia was held at Las Claras. With one 

dead body and 7 suspects, the 70‘detectives’ 

had their work cut out trying to identify the 

dastardly murderer, and there could be only 

one winner of the 50€ shopping voucher 

which was kindly donated by Iceland Overseas, 

San Javier. 

MABS volunteers played the suspects: 

Anthea Prentice as Maddy Lines (Chairwoman 

of the W.I.), Jack Anderson as Guy 

Lines (Scoutmaster), Paul Lewis as Ollie Day 

(Travel Agent), Tricia McGlynn as May Day 

(First Aid and Lost Children Worker), Graham 

Cousin as Lee Forsale (Estate Agent), Terry 

Doyle as Reverend Neil Duprais (Anglican 

Minister) and Lynne Marshalsay as Winona 

Cases (Solicitor). 

The lucky winner, who identified the murderer, 

was Karen Young who, before coming to 

live in Spain, was a Police Detective - she obviously 

hasn’t lost her touch – congratulations 

Karen! Thanks must also go to Evelyn Campbell, 

who organised the whole event which 

raised a further 175€ for MABS Murcia. 

Pictured are the 7 suspects, preparing themselves 

to be interviewed, and the organiser 

– Left to right: Lynne Marshalsay, Graham 

Cousin, Anthea Prentice, Terry Doyle, Tricia 

McGlynn, Jack Anderson and Evelyn Campbell. 

MABS Murcia is a registered charity (No. 

7261) offering help and support to local 

people of all nationalities who have 

been diagnosed with or are being treated 

for cancer. If you or someone you know 

would like some confidential help or support 

call our HELPLINE693 275 779 or 

visit their website: www.mabsmurcia. 

com 





ADAPT GAMES 

NIGHT is a very 

popular club activity 

run by Janet and Terry 

Pierce twice monthly at 

the Lodosol cafe/bar in 

San Pedro. 

Nothing too strenuous 

but good brain training 

and a lot of fun. 

Janet and Terry have 

weaned us in gently 

with Rummikub, Crib, 

Mexican Train and Uno 

Attack. Every once in 

a while they sneak in another game so that 

we don´t become too complacent and we are 

forced to stir up the grey matter. We have a 

suspicion that the next game to be introduced 

will be Canasta! 

No one takes the 

games too seriously 

as is evident from 

the laughter and 

chatter around 

the room and it 

helps to have liquid 

refreshment from 

the bar to ease the 

vocal chords. (So 

they say!) 

ADAPT meet on 

the first Saturday 

of the month at The 

Pensionista Club, San Pedro. The doors open 

at 10am and drinks can be purchased from 

the bar. (There seems to be a theme here). 

Enid Winskill. 




Page 31 



Page 32 

SOS FOR 

HAH 

SOS in 

Mercadona 

Square, Los 

Alcazares 

held an open 

morning and 

fashion show 

on behalf of 

HAH help at 

Home and 

along with a 

raffle raised 

a fantastic 

total of 

200€. 

Almost 100 

people sat 

outside in 

the glorious 

a u t u m n 

sunshine, 

whilst staff 

and friends 

modelled 

s o m e 

stunning 

evening 

w e a r , 

shoes and 

accessories. 

HAH fundraiser, Celia Ryan thanked Julia, 

Christina and the staff of SOS for their hard 

work in putting on the show, organising the 

raffle, and then she invited everyone into 

the shop for a glass of Cava, and to enjoy 

searching through the many rails with such 

a variety of clothes to choose from. HAH 

volunteers and friends then went on the 

Angela’s Pizzeria at the end of Rio Nalon, 

where they enjoyed a special menu del dia, 

and another contribution to HAH. 

If you are struggling to cope, please call 

633 673 034. If you are interested in 

volunteering a little time to HAH, please 

call Angela on 603 51 7770, or email 

helpathomespain@gmail.com 

HAH volunteer meetings will be held 

upstairs at The 

Arches in Los 

Narejos on the 

1 st Tuesday each 

month. There will 

not be a meeting 

in December 

and because of 

holidays, the New 

Year meeting will 

be at 11.45 on 

Tuesday Jan 10th. 

MORE HELP FROM 

HAH 

HAH are delighted 

to announce that 

their new SOCIAL 

GROUP, CHATTERS 

is up and running, 

and will now be held 

the 3 rd Wednesday 

of the month. The 

venue is The Garden 

Bar (formerly El 

Jardin) and is 

situated behind 

Euromarina in Los 

Alcazares. Starting 

at 11am, all will be 

welcome and our 

aim is to provide you 

with the chance to 

meet and make new 

friends, to have a bit 

of fun, a chat over 

a cup of coffee, or a 

chance to talk to our 

Nurse Practitioner 

Lynda if you have any medical issues. As 

the group grows, we hope to arrange trips, 

talks, lunches out etc., any ideas will be 

welcome. Please don’t be afraid to come 

if you are on your own, so are lots of other 

people, and our volunteers will be on hand 

to make you welcome. 

Mary Westcott who suggested the group 

said “We have had so much success helping 

people in their own homes that we thought 

now was the time to branch out further. 

This group is not only for HAH clients, 

but also for anyone wishing to become a 

volunteer, or who would just like to meet 

people and have a bit of extra company. 

You are more than welcome, please just 

turn up on the day”. 

Last month alone HAH volunteers gave 

203 FREE hours of care to the community, 

and this figure is representative of the 

amount of people we are currently helping. 

Over the past year we are delighted to 

have been able to help over 100 people on 

the road to recovery. 

Dear Lesley 

Re: Elva Fincham 

I would like to express on behalf of the 

whole family our sincerest, heartfelt 

thanks for the support, care, compassion 

and friendship the Help at Home Team 

afforded Elva during her struggle and 

ultimate passing away due to cancer 

recently. Though Elva was a brave, positive 

tower of strength throughout the illness, 

you gave her invaluable support when 

she needed it most, both in her home and 

eventually in hospital in Cartagena. 

We would particularly like to thank Lesley, 

Paul, Mary, Lynda, Brenda, Audrey, Evelyn, 

Meg and Sue for all their support. Serious 

illness and death is never easy to cope 

with, especially away from your native 

homeland. Through the excellent work 

carried out by you and your team, Elva 

and her family were able to continue to 

keep going and ultimately face the end of 

her life, safe in the knowledge that your 

friendship, help, advice, and support were 

never far away. 

Love to you all 

Steve Sutcliffe 

If you would like help or advice 

please tel: 633 673 034 email us on 

helpathomespain@gmail.com or visit 

our website www helpathome.es to find 

out more about HAH Help at Home 





December 

There is no General Meeting of HELP 

Murcia Mar Menor in December. 

Sunday 4 th 

Navidad Craft Fayre at Las Claras, Los 

Alcazares - 5pm 

HELP will have a tombola stall there. 

Market at the Autocine, Los Narejos 

Tickets for most events are available from 

Joan Mitchell on 868 185685 or 678 135457 

Details of these events, plus directions, 

can be found on the website on the Event 

Calendar helpmurciamarmenor.org 

Tuesday 6 th 

Christmas Lunch for members of HELP at 

the Oasis - 1 pm 

Restaurant, Los Belones 

Wednesday 14 th Volunteers lunch at Las 

Claras, Los Alcazares - 1.30pm 

The HELP MMM Car Boot is at the Sunday 




Page 33 


Hi all, Shannon here. I can’t believe that 

when you read this it will be December! 

Where has the year gone? Anyway, 

last month Mum and Dad had to go to 

England to visit my brother, Matt. He has 

just joined the Navy to train as an officer 

and it was his first ‘open’ weekend for 

family to see what they all get up to. We 

couldn’t go as Mum and Dad had to stay in 

a Hotel and the cost of flights was high, so 

Nathan and I went to stay with Ralph and 

Mags, the pastors from The Olive Branch 

Church and Connor went to other friends, 

David and Eileen. It was late when we 

finally settled down, so after a hot drink 

we both went to bed. In the morning, 

Ralph suggested we went in the pool for 

a game of diving for coins. I thought the 

water would be too cold, but it wasn’t, so 

I ended up staying in the water for ages. 

Eventually, though, it did get chilly, so I 

got out and Nathan asked if I would go 

for a walk with him round the area we 

were staying. We had quite a long walk. 

It was very different because where we 

live it is surrounded by fields and trees, 

but Ralph and Mags live on Camposol, 

so we walked round all the houses and 

shops. We had taken some films with 

us and Ralph thought it was really good, 

he even sang the last song. It was funny! 

We went bowling at Totana and I came 

third! To be honest, that sounds better 

than it was because there was only three 

of us playing! So, really, I came last, 

but third, sounds better. Mum and Dad 

came back after the weekend and Mum 

had lots of photographs of Matt and The 

Brittania Royal Naval College. I must say 

Matt looked very smart in his uniform and 

he will be coming here for Christmas. I 

can’t wait to hear all about his training 

from him. 


Hiya, Connor with another amazing article 

for you to read. As you already read from 

Shannon, Mum and Dad had to go to 

England for a while. I went to stay with 

David, Eileen and their son Gary. It was 

good to be with someone my own age, 

otherwise I would have been quite lonely. 

David came to collect me early, so I 

missed some of my school lessons. Mum 

was not silly though as she gave me a ton 

of work to take away with me to keep me 

busy and out of mischief. Gary had to go 

to school anyway. On the way to collect 

me David’s car broke down. The radiator 

had a huge hole in it, I think. Mum said 

he could borrow our car as we would not 

need it. That was good because I don’t 

know how we would have got to David 

and Eileen house otherwise. Dad said he 

would fix it when he got back from the 

trip and it would be ready for collecting by 

the following weekend. When we finally 

Hello there, Nathan here. I know Shannon 

has mentioned why we were staying 

with Ralph and Mags, so I don’t need 

to. Sometimes it is hard to write about 

different stuff, when we have all done the 

same things, but, my memory of our stay 

will be different from Shannons, so here 

goes. When we got there Mags showed 

me where I was staying. It looked and 

felt like a 5 star hotel room! I had my 

own bathroom with a bath! We only have 

a shower at home, so it was wonderful to 

see a bath. There was a passage from 

my bedroom to the bathroom, but the 

whole thing was self contained. It was so 

luxurious I knew I would be so comfortable 

in there. There was even a television, but 

it was not working. I told Ralph he was 

teasing me by having it in there! I was 

so cosy in that room, it made me look 

forward to going to bed each evening and 

I didn’t miss Mum and Dad as much as I 

thought I would. We went bowling and 

Ralph said he would show me a few tips 

Page 34 

reached David’s house, Gary was home 

from school. He did not know that I was 

coming to stay, so he had a real surprise. 

Luckily for me, he was happy I was there! 

Some other friends were staying s well, 

so I had to sleep on a sofa bed. It was 

very comfortable though and was in the 

sitting room, so I couldn’t go to sleep until 

everyone else had. During the days when 

to help my 

game. We 

go bowling 

a lot really, 

as I am 

sure you 

all know 

by now, so 

when Ralph 

mentioned 

the tips, I 

thought it 

would help 

my game. 

He missed 

the shot! 

Well, if that 

was a tip, I wasn’t too impressed really! 

However, Ralph went on to win and I 

came second. It was good fun and we all 

had a laugh. In the morning we went to 

the beach in Mazarrón and had lunch in 

‘Glorias’ along the front. It is good food 

in there and very friendly. Then it was 

Gary was at school, I did my own school 

work. I suspect when Mum reads this she 

will say that I didn’t, but I did do some! 

When Gary was at home we played on his 

Wii, walked the dog and just generally 

had fun together. We went Go-karting 

and swimming in a large near-by public 

swimming pool. It was really good to be 

able to spend time with Gary on my own 

because usually Shannon and Nathan are 

with me. I think we all got on together 

really well. We had an afternoon on the 

beach, but could not go into the water as 

there were hundreds of jelly fish around 

and Eileen said it was not a wise thing to 

do. We went to Church on the Sunday 

and I saw Nathan and Shannon there, so 

we compared our time away. Mum and 

Dad came back late on the Tuesday and 

we all went back home. It was a good 

time, but I caught a cold and I just can’t 

get rid of it! 

Sunday, the week seemed to just fly by 

really. We had taken a few films with us 

in case the weather was not good enough 

to be in the pool or on the beach. We 

watched them in the evenings. I had 

taken the Shakespeare collection. They 

are all modern versions set in ‘today time’ 

and as I am doing Shakespeare at school 

with Mum at the moment I thought they 

would help me understand them all a bit 

better. The ‘Taming of the Shrew’ was 

the funniest. I don’t think they will help 

me understand the language of the plays 

any better really, but it was interesting 

to watch them. We had a good time and 

when Mum and Dad came back we heard 

all about their trip. Mum fell over while 

she was away and hurt her foot. She 

came back with it all bandaged up and 

had to have a wheelchair at the airport. 








Page 35 


Mari Carmen Fernández Vera is an English 

speaking Yoga Teacher of secondary with a 

degree in English Philology. She was trained 

as a yoga teacher in the Sivananda School 

in Canada from 1997 to 1998. She continued 

her training for four years in the Escuela 

Aragonesa de Yoga run by Manuel Morata. 

Mari met Deepak Chopra MD in 2008 and one 

year later she became a Primordial Sound 

Meditation instructor. Recently Mari returned 

from a 6 month trip to India where she 

practiced the art of Yoga and Ayurveda. Mari 

Carmen now teaches 

in the School of Yoga 

Sadhana, Bolnuevo 

and organizes yoga 

and meditation 

workshops. 

The practice of yoga 

is a precise and 

scientific activity 

which is suitable for 

everyone whatever 

their circumstances. It 

is neither esoteric nor 

difficult to understand. 

You can easily improve the control of body 

and mind through the practise of asanas 

and pranayama. Yoga is good both for your 

physical health and for your mental and 

emotional well-being. 

Teachers: 

Mª Carmen Fernández and Gabriel Cabrera 

C/ Góndola, 10. Bolnuevo. 

http://www.yogamayga.com 

http://www.yogamayga.blogspot.com 

E-mail: yogamayga@gmail.com 

Tlf: 968 150 755 

The Yoga classes deal with: 


Page 36 

Proper Relaxation 

Proper Exercise 

Proper Breathing 

Proper Diet 

\ Positive Thinking and Meditation. 

: 

Mari Carmen has the following qualifications: 

International title of yoga teacher (Yoga 

Shiromani and Yoga Acharya) by the “Yoga 

Vedanta Forest Academy”, Val Morin, Canadá. 

National Diploma Teacher of Yoga awarded by 

the Asociación Española de Practicantes de 

Yoga (teacher: Manuel Morata). 







Page 37 


Cultural Experience For The Holidays 

By Tina Tait 

The Russian State Ballet company, Pushkin, 

is performing ‘The Nutcracker’ at the Victor 

Villages Auditorium and Congress Center 

which is located in downtown Murcia, 

ADDRESS: Avda. Primero de Mayo, S/N 

30001 

DATE: 21 December 2011 

TIME: 20:00 h. 

COST: 25,00€ , 21,00€ and 18,00 € 

WHERE TO BUY TICKETS: Tickets can be 

purchased online on 

their website: www. 

auditoriomurcia. 

org (in English) or at 

the box office 

HOW TO GET 

THERE: Take the 

A-30 motorway to 

Mucia city centre, 

Exit 141/ N340, head 

around the city centre on this road which 

changes names several times but is still the 

same road, at the large roundabout, (Plaza 

de circular) take Calle Ronda de Levante, and 

then Avda Travesia de Atalayas, which then 

becomes Avda. Primero de Mayo. 

Audatorium is located next to a large park on 

the righthand side. There is plenty of parking 

at the auditorium. 

An Evangelical, lively and friendly place 

to discover the love of Jesus. 

What would happen if the world just 

stopped? I like the Christmas period, not 

just because it is a good excuse for families 

to get together, but also because in general 

everything stops. Even the banks shut, 

most of the shops and businesses, and we 

get a chance to catch our breath. It would 

be good to have this happen more often, 

although the Spanish are talking about 

reducing the number of Fiesta days to 

increase productivity! 


Page 38 

Wouldn’t it be great if we could enjoy life 

without the hassle? Wouldn’t it be great if 

we could enjoy the world around us, even 

the space and the unimaginable planets and 

galaxies so far away? 500 years for light to 

come to us from some of the planets..500 

years! Wouldn’t it be great if there was 

no more war, or hunger or pain or illness? 

Wouldn’t it be great if we had no need to 

work to earn a living to pay the greedy banks 

and oil companies? Wouldn’t it be great to 

have no more envy or pride or gossiping or 

slander or nastiness and violence? No more 

need for the law or the police or rules and 

regulations? No more grief or bereavement 

or heartache or regrets or tears? …..Wouldn’t 

it be heaven? 

“He will remove all of their sorrows, and 

there will be no more death or sorrow or 

crying or pain. For the old world and its evils 

are gone forever.” Revelation 21 v 4 

Our Sunday morning service at the 

Community Centre on Camposol ‘B’ starts 

at 10.30am each week and offers a variety 

of music and styles, both traditional and 

modern. You are invited to join us. 







Page 39 


Well today is 15 th November and the last 

day for copy. Four months ago whilst in our 

vets Paco’s in Puerto de Mazarrón I met a 

Spanish farmer who had brought a six day 

foal in for examination. It was found that 

poor Chica had a deformed leg, but after an 

x-ray the prognosis was good although she 

would remain crippled throughout her life. 

The farmer wanted the best life possible 

for the foal, but did not want her to be 

destroyed. I immediately offered the girl 

a home and today she arrived. She is only 

small, but her hind legs are permanently 

bent under her, which means that she looks 

as if she is sitting just like an overgrown 

dog. Having got her into the stable she 

remains there whilst our donkeys, lamb 

and pig introduce themselves, and she will 

be in the paddock tomorrow, all being well. 

It’s Christmas time and our itinerary for the 

month is: 

Dec 13 th our Christmas Lunch at Bali Hi, 

Camposol. Tickets are still available at 15€ 

each - a full Christmas dinner with starter, 

main course and sweet including a drink, 

and finishing with coffee and mince pie. 

Dec 19 th I will be collecting on the car park 

of Camposol B sector and will have the 

mince pies and a little sherry if you would 

like to partake. 

Dec 22 nd we will have sherry and mince 

pies in the shop in Fuente Alamo. 

Our last rescue was Pumpkin. He was 

found in the campo on 31 st October with 

a rope around his neck. He is a small lad 

who is still full of love and really enjoys a 

cuddle. 


Page 40 

I would like to thank my committee for all 

their hard work over the last year, also all 

the volunteers who work tirelessly to keep 

the charity afloat and a big thank you to 

each and every one of you for all your 

kind support. I sincerely look forward to 

a prosperous New Year, with your help of 

course! 

Merry Christmas and a Happy New 

Year to you all from all the animals 

and me of course until next year…take 

care. 

Andrea.xxx 







Page 41 


Taking care of your car: Pothole damage 

Potholes are quite common on the roads 

of southern Spain and now that the rainy 

season has arrived more are sure to pop 

up. Although drivers do their best to carefully 

avoid them, few realise how damaging 

these holes or, pits in the surface of a 

road, can actually be. Not only can they 

cause flat tyres, they can severely damage 

the steering control system of a vehicle. 

Signs of damage 

If your car does go over a rough pothole 

or bump it is recommended that you check 

your tyres, as damage to them is not always 

obvious. Drivers should take the 

time to carefully inspect both rims and 

tyres. Potholes could cause bulging in the 

tyre wall, due to sudden jolts at the time 

of impact. If you notice a bulge, change 

the tyre immediately as it is likely to lead 

to a blow-out which could be disastrous if 

you’re travelling at a high speed. 

Modern cars usually come equipped with 

aluminum-based rims, which means they 

cannot withstand as much pothole damage 

as older steel rims. 

Other important car parts to examine for 

damage are the shock absorbers or struts 

of the car. Shocks and struts control how 

vehicles move and respond. They act as 

a cushion to reduce the rebound action of 

the springs of a car. These springs absorb 

road irregularities. Without them, the vehicle 

would continually bounce down the 

road, making it extremely difficult to manage. 

Shocks and struts also control the 

movement of the springs and suspension 

to keep the tyres in contact with the road. 

This affects steering, stability and braking. 

A broken shock or strut could alter the direction 

of the vehicle and make it difficult 

to handle. 

It is important to be aware of the signs 

that the shock absorbers or struts for your 

car may need to be replaced. These are a 

few things to look out for: 

ï The car tilts or wobbles when turning. 

ï The front of the vehicle becomes stuck 

after braking. 

ï The rear of the car leans backward when 

accelerating. 

ï The vehicle bounces or slides sideways on 

winding roads. 

ï The car is lower in the front or rear. 

ï The car leaks or displays signs of physical 

damage such as rust or dents. 

ï There is loss of steering control in sudden 

stops. 

If you notice any of the above, do not wait 

to have your car inspected. Even if your car 

passes the check up with flying colours, it 

is good preventive maintenance and can 

help crucial parts last longer. 

Claiming Compensation 

The problem many drivers face with pothole 

damage is receiving reimbursement 

for repairs. Some pothole damages can 

be claimed to your insurance company as 

most will recognise an immediate claim, 

but pothole damage is usually cumulative. 

Claiming compensation from the local 

council might be a better way of recovering 

cash for repairs. Some local governments 

assume responsibility for pothole damage 

caused on their streets, but many do not. 

Before making a claim, be sure your local 

council accepts them. 

If you do ma ke an insurance claim and 

subsequently decided to make a claim 

from the local council, tell your insurer, as 

it may be willing to help you through the 

process. 

If you would like expert, independent advice, 

tailored to your particular circumstances 

and to receive competitive car insurance 

prices speak to your local Knight 

Insurance Broker. Contact Knight Insurance 

Brokers S.A. on 902 28 28 20 or 

visit www.knight-insurance.com 


Page 42 







Page 43 


2011 Analysis 

This year was the busiest rental season 

yet for our business, with holiday rentals 

up 23% so far on 2010 bookings, not 

including any booking we will take this 

month. The booking pattern for 2011 

was slightly different to previous years. 

January was once again the busiest month 

and we took 22% of the year´s bookings 

in this month alone. But the real surprise 

was the number of late summer bookings 

for high season. 

Summer proved to be busy for last minute 

clients, and we took 19% of the total 

bookings in June, 15% in July and 13% in 

August. The summer quarter accounted for 

almost 46% of the year’s bookings, with 

the trend in 2011 seeming to be to wait 

until the last minute, book the cheapest 

flights possible and just get away from it 

all! 

So far, 2012 bookings are coming in slowly, 

with uncertainty about the eurozone and 

the continuing economic downturn making 

folk nervous about committing to larger 

expenses such as holidays. As the Murcia 

region continues to grow in popularity, and 

with large projects such as the new airport 

finally looking like they will be completed 

in 2012, we are optimistic that 2012 will be 

as successful as ever for OwnersAway. 

Have a wonderful holiday season, 

Liz 

Liz Edmiston runs OwnersAway Property 

Rentals & Management offering a full 

range of rental management services 

to property owners on the Costa Calída. 

Contact Liz on 691977107 or info@ 

ownersaway.com for more information 

or visit the website www.ownersaway. 

com to view the full range of properties 

and services. 


Page 44 







Page 45 


Hi there from Bob with this month’s report. 

There’s a lot to get through, so no space for 

my usual waffle! 

First, we had our annual 3-day Trip to 

Benidorm, staying at Hotel Helios. Recently 

refurbished, the hotel was excellent, the food 

first-class, and even the weather was kind to 

us. We left home on Monday, and the next 

day, we visited a bodega, about an hour 

away, up in the mountains, with lovely views, 

and of course a wine-tasting after a tour of 

the winery; an experience not to be missed, 

and well worth a visit at any time. That night, 

some went to the Benidorm Palace, and 

others found local bars to sit and have a drink 

and listen to the music. We had a free day 

on Wednesday, leaving late afternoon, with 

a stop at the chocolate factory in Villajoyosa 

on the way home. Congratulations to the 

winners of the quiz and well done Rosemary, 

and thanks to Pat Hankinson for looking after 

the second coach. It has been suggested that 

next year, we stay for three nights instead of 

the normal two, so watch out for that. 

October 26 th saw 

our Monthly 

Dance with a 

welcome return 

of Ricky Levazza, 

and also the 

lovely Laura 

Elen. We also had 

a “mystery guest 

artist,” who has 

asked to remain 

anonymous, 

whose rendition 

of “Delilah” went 

down a bomb! If 

you were there, 

you’ll know who I 

mean, and if you weren’t, my lips are sealed! 

Another smashing night, lots of dancing, and 

let’s hope Ricky and Laura come back soon. 

At our Monthly Meeting on 5 th November, 

Rosemary was assisted by Carol, who told 

us of forthcoming events. It has now been 

confirmed that the Mijas Trip will be from 

February 25 th to 27 th , with a day at the races 

on Sunday 26 th . We will be staying at the 

4star Hotel Triton in Benalmadena on a half 

board basis @ 145€pp. 


Page 46 

The Christmas Party Night on December 

14 th is sold out. 

Tickets for New Year’s Eve are still available 

at €25. Entertainment by The Beagles, 

everybody’s favourites, and Donna Glass. 

There will be a buffet, party hats, and grapes 

and champagne at midnight. 

Tickets are also on sale for our Games Night 

on January 11 th . Always good fun, lots of 

laughter, and at just €3, not to be missed. 

The January Dance on 18 th features The 

Saviours Of Soul; 3 very talented artistes 

including Shirelle with tickets at just €9, and 

€5 for pork escalope and chips. Not just Soul 

Music, but a bit of everything, and the sort 

we all enjoy. 

At our December Meeting on 5 th , tickets will 

go on sale for St Valentine’s Night Dance 

on February 14 th at €10, and €5 for food. 

Tickets for the Summer Ball at Pinto De Oro 

near Aledo on 20 th June are also available at 

€29, and if you want to stay over, a room will 

be €45. Coaches will also be available – price 

to be announced nearer the time. 

The Book/Jigsaw Swap closes on the 6 th 

December and re-opens on 10 th January at 

the ICA clinic on the dual-carriageway on 

Camposol Sector B. Further details from Jo 

on 669457985. 

Fun Petanca is held at Mariano’s, Camposol 

on the last Wednesday of the month, starting 

at 1.00pm, or the following week in the case 

of bad weather. Call Les on 968131880 for 

more details. 

Welcome is open to everyone. There is 

no membership – just come along, have 

fun, and meet friends old and new. For 

more details and to purchase tickets, 

phone Rosemary on 620105179, e-mail 

rosemarybeak@hotmail.com, or visit 

www.welcomegroupspain.com. 








Page 47 


The Season of Fall 

Now I know if we lived in the States that 

would mean that the leaves were falling, the 

trees were a lovely golden hue and the nights 

would be drawing in. Here in Spain it means 

something entirely different in our family – 

my mum has arrived here in Spain, to run 

her regular check of the medical system and 

facilities! 

Last Christmas, she tripped down a hole in the 

school playground on the way into the nativity 

concert, bringing the Cruz Roja running and 

enjoying a ride to the Medical Centre, where 

she was declared unhurt, had a graze on her 

knee dressed and made it back into her seat 

before you could say “The First Noel”. 

This time around, things were a little more 

serious. Having a problem judging distances, 

she leaned on a folding chair to get off the 

terrace, and the chair performed its job just a 

little too well, folding immediately to the floor, 

with Mum not far behind. 

Alerted from hanging up the ironing by the 

sound of the boys shouting, we discovered 

Mum in a heap on the floor, this time with an 

injury to the knee and a surprising amount of 

blood on the floor. Cameron, who harbours 

ambitions to be a lifeguard, paramedic or 

“any kind of hero”, was a great help, fetching 

the bandages and dressings, so we could 

patch his Nana up for another trip to the ER. 

Alex simply turned a rather fetching shade of 

green and “I don´t think I ever want to be an 

ambulance man now!!” 

Once again treatment was rapid and efficient, 

and Mum could not praise the staff enough. 

With her leg patched up and stern warning 

to be more careful, she was soon back on 

her feet. Mum has learnt NEVER to leave 

home without her EHIC, with good reason, 

but she does say that if it is any consolation 

(and it isn´t!!), she is just as clumsy back in 

Hexham! 

Liz Edmiston runs OwnersAway Property 

Rentals & Management offering a full range 

of services to property owners on the Costa 

Calída. Contact Liz on 691977107 or info@ 

ownersaway.com for more information 

or visit the website www.ownersaway. 

com to view the full range of properties and 

services. 

John Kemp, after years of rescuing and 

homing dogs in this region of Spain has made 

videos of all the dogs he has available for rehoming. 

Rather than seeing just one photo of 

a dog in a magazine or newspaper, you can 

now go to youtube.co.uk and just search for 

johnkempdogs. Most of John’s dogs now are 

adult, between 1 to 3 years old, so why not 

visit his page there and check out all the dogs 

for yourself. 

Visit John Kemp at his stall every Sunday 

morning at the car boot sale at Cañadas del 

Romero near El Pareton. 

If you see a dog you are interested, please 

contact John on 646737230. You can also try 

fostering a dog for a while if you prefer to 

see how it goes. More great news is that John 

Kemp’s dogs are all fully inoculated and up 

to date with all their treatments. They are all 

housetrained and also will have been spayed 

or castrated, so the next time you are looking 

for that special someone to share your life 

with, look no further than Johnkempdogs at 

youtube.co.uk 


Page 48 

Los Canovas Players Presents……….. 

The next production of The Los Canovas 

Players will be over the first weekend of 

February next year (2012). 

The evening’s entertainment is entitled “Six 

Aside” and comprises six short comedies, yes 

SIX, and promises to be a very funny evening. 

As usual there will be a bar for refreshments 

before the performance, at the interval and will 

remain open after the performance. 

The evening will be held in our fully airconditioned 

theatre in Los Canovas (only 10 

minutes drive from Camposol) on Friday 3 rd 

February, Saturday 4 th February and Sunday 

5 th February. Curtain up will be at 8pm for the 

Friday and Saturday performances and 7pm on 

the Sunday. Tickets, at only 5€ each, will be on 

sale in the New Year from outlets in the area or 

bookings can be made at loscanovasplayers@ 

gmail.com or contact Roger on 968 151 149. 

Further information will be publicized in the 

local press and on Costa Calida Radio closer to 

the dates. 

We look forward to seeing and entertaining you 

once again. 







Page 49 


Christian Humanitarian Aid Charity in 

the Mazarron & Surrounding area 

OUR mission statement:- 

We help anyone in need, 

irrespective of 

race, creed or status. 

Matthew 25 v 35-36 “When I was 

Hungry you fed me, when I was 

Thirsty you gave me a drink, when 

I needed Clothes you clothed me, 

when I was a Stranger you invited me 

in, when I ………” 

Christmas is almost upon us and ‘The Real 

Reason for the Season is God’s Love’ - John 3 

v 16 tells us “for GOD so loved the world He 

sent His one and only Son”, and because of 

this great Love ‘Making A Difference’ exists. 

GO maD is about sharing the Father’s love 

and not just at this time of year, when hearts 

are tuned into giving, but throughout the 

whole year. We now have over 150 registered 

for Aid; consisting of families, couples and 

individuals. 

We wish to take this opportunity to give 

warm heartfelt thanks to all our wonderful 

supporters during 2011 who have made it 

possible for us to continue to be MAD!! Also 

to our growing band of volunteers, who give 

their time so generously. May you come to 

know the depth of the Father’s Love for each 

and every one of YOU. 

funds our work and find yourself some winter 

goodies! We are overwhelmed at the quantity 

and quality of donations we receive, including 

furniture; God’s Provisions and Love is truly 

overwhelming. 

Would you like to be part of God’s exciting 

plan for Mazarrón in 2012? Don’t delay, 

call today on 634 357 137 and see how you 

can be Making A Difference. 

NOW NEEDED: Bedding, Blankets, 

Towels, Gas/Electric Fires plus Men’s 

warm clothing and (always) Shoes/ 

Trainers 

Drop-off centers; The Cultural/Social Centre 

on Camposol B; Mon 3-5pm and Fri 12.30- 

2pm. Camposol Business Centre A & Costa 

Cálida Radio, Puerto de Mazarrón. 

Shop: Open Tues/Weds/Thurs/Sat 10am-2pm 

& Thurs eve 6-9pm 

Tel Shop: 634 321 161 

Outreach/Other Enquiries: 634 357 137 

Facebook: madmazarron or email: 

madmazarron@live.com 


Page 50 

GO maD is now celebrating in treble; our 

Charity Registration and opening of the 

Mazarron, Shop shares its first birthday with 

our Patron’s 2011! We are very excited as to 

what next year brings and are already seeing 

God’s vision begin to unfold. We look forward 

to sharing these wonderful plans with you all 

soon. 

Please remember those that are less fortunate 

at this festive time by purchasing a few extra 

items when shopping for your Christmas 

delicacies. You can help further by calling 

into our ‘Corner Shop of Blessings’; which 

The Darwinian Gardeners held their first 

meeting on Saturday Nov 5 th . 

31 people visited a plant wholesaler’s premises 

at La Majada. They were given a tour of the 

greenhouses and the developing visitor 

facilities, including the donkey-driven well and 

the barbecue terrace. Many people bought 

bedding plants, after which we all repaired to 

the Bar Puente, where a demonstration of olive 

bottling and the raffle, were followed by an 

excellent lunch. 




Can we help you and your pet 

Have you provided a home for an animal from 

a rescue centre or shelter for a stray dog or 

cat? 

Are you worried about the patter of tiny paws 

in the future (if not at your house maybe at 

your neighbours?) 

We are here to help you; we can provide 

financial assistance towards the cost of 

spaying or castrating your new pet and also 

with those unexpected vet bills, if funds are 

available. 

Please contact us if you need help:- 

Tel 666 186 037 or call at the shop 

Email mazarronanimalmedi-aid@hotmail. 

com 

To do this we need your donations and would 

be grateful for any items such as clothes, 

bric-a-brac, furniture and white goods. 

You can donate at the shop, Mon to Sat 10.00- 

2.00pm. (Take the third left after Barclays 

Bank on your way into the Port of Mazarrón) 

Every Tuesday we are on Camposol B Sector 

car park 10.00-1.00pm, opposite the petrol 

station. 

Turn Your Unwanted Furniture Into Cash 

If you have large items of furniture that are 

no longer needed, why not try selling them 

on our 50/50 scheme. We will collect the 

items from your house (free of charge) and 

display them in the shop until sold. You will 

then receive 50% of the selling price with the 

remainder going to the charity. 

My name is Guesito and I was found in March 

in El Canar-Tallante, very hungry and limping 

due to malnutrition. A nice family took me in 

and have given me a lovely home. 

I no 

longer 

h a v e 

a limp 

and am 

gradually 

gaining 

weight. 

Thanks to 

MAMA’s 

I was also spayed and now I am a very happy, 

gentle and loving dog. 

Thank you to all the people who helped me 

and thank you MAMA’s 

Helping You Helping Animals 

Email mazarronanimalmedi-aid@hotmail. 

com 

Whilst we are no longer swimming in our pool 

at this time of year, I was alarmed to see 

the water turn a cloudy colour last month so 

enlisted the help of Dave from Alpha Pools 

who is our regular pool cleaner. He explained 

that all that was needed was a simple sand 

change which he completed quickly. The water 

is now absolutely sparkling. Shame I will not 

get to use it for a few more months! 

for a while. 

Graham and Kelly have been working hard 

on stocking their health and beauty products 

from floor to ceiling. There is now a wonderful 

selection of make up, anti-ageing products as 

well as all the lovely bath bombs etc; lots of 

goodies for Christmas too. Do pay them a visit 

if you have not been there for a while. 

After having nearly set fire to the kitchen 

when the whistle on our gas kettle packed up, 

I set out to find a new one. If you have not 

been to UK Supplies Direct recently then 

you really should go. I bought a very good 

quality new kettle for a very reasonable price, 

but spend a while in the store browsing their 

winter offers as there is so much on offer 

there at the moment. 

I recently visited Freedom Mobility on 

Camposol Sector A as I had not been there 

More next month 

Teresa 





Page 51 


Have yourself a Spanish little 

Christmas... 

Typically Spanish Gift ideas for the 

Holidays 

By Tina Tait 

Give something unique and typically 

Spanish this year to your friends and 

family. 

Here are some great gift ideas: 

Serrano 

Ham: 

Serrano 

Ham is one 

of a number 

of food 

delicacies 

that Spain 

is famous 

for and is a 

unique gift 

to give for 

the holidays. 

Translated from Spanish, the word 

‘serrano’ means sierra or country cured. 

The process of curing the ham goes back 

generations, and in some places, is a 

closely guarded family secret. The cured 

meat is dense, flavourful, and a little salty. 

No refrigeration is required and a whole 

leg which is usually displayed on its own 

stand, will last for several months with only 

a plastic cover or tea towel draped over it. 

In Spain, giving a ham leg for Christmas 

is a popular gift because it’s only one 

gift to buy for a whole family and can be 

enjoyed for months to come. Generally, 

the ham is carved into thin slices either 

by hand or machine slicer and plated with 

various regional fresh cheeses, or cut up 

with green beans, or in stews to give your 

recipes a bit of a twist. 

Which ham should you buy? 

There are many types and qualities of 

Serrano ham; the better the quality the 

higher the price. Some hams can sell for 

up to €500 or more. Hams are ‘J’ rated. 

5 J’s is considered the best and highest 

quality. 

Various types: 

* Jamón Serrano: (prices range 

from: €50 to €200) varies in flavour 

and price depending on what region 

the ham came from, the types of 

pigs, how that pig is fed, its lifestyle 

and conditions of curing. 

* Jamón Ibérico: (prices range 

from: €100 to €400) Is considered 

the best in the world due to the 

pigs’ diet, way of life and genetic 

make up. These pigs are specially 

cared for and are fed only certain 

foods, to give the meat an exquisite 

taste. If you want to buy an Iberian 

Ham, look for the word ‘pata negra’ 

which means black foot. ‘Pata 

negra’ earns its name due to their 

special appearance and only make 

up around 7% of Serrano Hams. 

* Jamón Ibérico de Bellota: the 

absolute best you can buy, definitely 

5 J’s (prices range from €200 to 

€700). It has a distinctive nutty 

taste due to the pigs’ exclusive diet 

of acorns. These pigs are also free 

range and live a life of luxury high 

in the mountains. 

Where to buy your ham: 

Now that you know what to look for, go to 

your local Spanish butcher and see their 

selection. You can purchase ham in the 

bigger chained super markets as well. 

Recommended: For even more 

convenience, order an excellent ham online 

and have it shipped anywhere in the 

EU without paying extra duty or taxes. This 

website: www.ibergour.co.uk offers a 

nice selection of hams and shipping is free 

within Spain (min. order is €200 for free 

shipping). 

Spanish 

Cava: 

“Champagne 

Spanish 

style,” is 

always a 

good gift 

to give and 

is easily 

available. 

S p a i n 

produces 

many fine 

sparkling 

wines, called 

‘ C a v a ’ , 

named after 

the cellars 

in which the 

wine was originally produced. In 1991, the 

EU legalised the specifications of ‘Cava’ 

to make sure that there was a consistent 

quality and standard, (technically, only 

wines made in the Champagne region of 

France can be labelled as such). The most 

famous ‘Cava’ brand name is ‘Codorníu’ 

In association ati 

on with Costa aCáli Cálida International na 

Radio and www.angloINFO.com 

Page 52 

Please tell our customers s where e you saw their advertisement in the Costa Cálida Chronicle 

To place an advertisement en 

t with us please see page 5 or contact Teresa 619 199 407 


w. 

alidac 

achr 

onicle.comom 


al 

achr 

onicle@gmail.com

ut there are now literally hundreds of 

sparkling wine producers. Other popular 

brands are ‘Freixenet,’ and ‘Segura Viudas,’ 

(the newcomer of the group). Most ‘Cavas’ 

are produced in Penedés, an area just 

south of Barcelona. 

Types of Cava: 

There are six official types, (determined by 

sugar content): 

* Extra Brut – 0-6 grams of sugar 

per litre, the driest of the Cava 

* Brut – 0-15 grams of sugar per 

litre 

* Extra Seco – 12-20 grams of sugar 

per litre 

* Seco – 17-35 grams of sugar per 

litre 

* Semi-Seco – 33-50 grams of sugar 

per litre 

* Dulce – More than 50 grams of 

sugar per litre, the sweetest of the 

Cava 

A bottle of chilled ‘Cava’ is the traditional 

beverage served on Christmas Eve, ‘La 

Noche Buena’ and of course, on New 

Year’s Eve, ‘La Noche Vieja’ 

Turrón 

Turrón is a good accompaniment to go 

with your ‘Cava’ gift. A centuries old, 

traditional honey based sweet of Moorish 

(Arabic) origin which is usually available 

and purchased only during the Christmas 

season. It is believed that the Moors 

invented ‘Turrón’ over 500 years ago in 

Jijona, a small town located just outside 

of Alicante. Today, Jijona’s economy is 

focused mainly on the production and 

distribution of this sweet and typical 

Spanish treat. When buying ‘Turrón,’ in 

order to determine the quality, look for the 

following description on the label: 

* Suprema: The best quality 

available. It must contain at least 

60% almonds (soft version) and 

64% almonds (hard version). 

* Estándar or Extra: This is the 

standard quality and is popular 

because it costs a little bit less. 

Types of Turrón: 

* Soft Jijona (also called Turrón 

Blando): has a smooth consistency 

similar to peanut butter 

* Hard Alicante (also called Turrón 

Duro): similar to a thick almond 

nougat candy, or peanut brittle. 

* Newer varieties: Turrón has 

expanded over the years from 

its original version to include 

‘yema’ or egg yolk style, which is 

a golden yellow colour. Or try the 

praline style, and least forgotten, 

chocolate! 

Paella pan: 

Paella dishes are very easy to find, 

inexpensive and come in many different 

sizes. Put together a paella pan, a pack of 

paella rice, ‘caldo’ or broth especially for 

making paella, and a package of paella 

spices (saffron). Throw in a recipe book 

of typical Spanish dishes, wrap it up in 

cellophane with a bow, and print out a 

paella recipe on the tag. This would make 

a nice gift to give someone who enjoys 

cooking. 

Pottery: 

Spain is known for its beautiful hand 

painted pottery. Designs and patterns vary 

by region. The best place to buy pottery 

is at a factory outlet where you can find 

a large selection of designs and styles. 

Take your Christmas list and buy a little 

something for everyone on your list all 

in one place. Some good ideas which will 

typically only be found in Spain are ‘Tapas’ 

sets, olive oil/vinegar sets, and natural 

brown clay baking dishes. 

Recommended: There is a large pottery 

outlet store in Cabo de Palos (La Manga) 

across from the Mercadona shopping 

centre or some of the pottery shops in 

Totana. They have pottery from all over 

Spain in different patterns, ranging in 

price. They will pack your purchased items 

in bubble wrap ready for shipping if you 

ask them. 

Have fun shopping and enjoy the Spanish 

way of life at home. Feliz Navidad! 

Please tell our customers s o 

where you saw their advertisement v emene t in the h 

Costa Cálida á Chronicle 

To place an advertisement v ement with us please see page 5 or o 

contact t ct Teresa es 

a 619 199 407 



alid 

a on 

icle 

@ m il.c 

om 

Page 53 

In association ation 

with Costa aC 

Cálida International Radio and 

www.angloINFO.com 

.c 

om

Christmas is a deeply religious holiday 

in Spain. The country’s patron saint 

is the Virgin Mary and the Christmas 

season officially begins December 8, the 

feast of the Immaculate Conception. It 

is celebrated each year in front of the 

great Gothic cathedral in Seville with a 

ceremony called los Seises or the “dance 

of six.” Oddly, the elaborate ritual dance 

is now performed by not six but ten 

elaborately costumed boys. It is a series 

of precise movements and gestures and 

is said to be quite moving and beautiful. 

of sweets available, although the star 

product is definitely turrón. Another of 

the most traditional Christmas sweets 

in Spain is marzipan, which is made 

with almonds and sugar and can usually 

be found in the form of “little shapes”. 

One tradition not at all common 

elsewhere are the “Hogueras” (bonfires). 

This tradition originated long before 

Christmas itself. It is the observance of 

the winter solstice, the shortest day of 

the year and the beginning of winter. It 

is characterized by people jumping over 

fires as a symbolic protection against 

the “Rooster’s Mass”). Often, as the 

Christmas Eve stars appear, tiny oil 

lamps are lit, warming village windows. 

The crowds at the Christmas markets 

thin as shoppers return to prepare for 

the coming meal. The most beautiful 

of these candlelight services is held at 

the monastery of Montserrat, high in 

the mountain near Barcelona, which is 

highlighted by a boy’s choir describes as 

performing the Mass in “one pure voice.” 

Christmas Dinner is never eaten 

until after midnight. It is a family 

feast, and often highlighted with “Pavo 

Trufado de Navidad” (Christmas turkey 

with truffles). After the meal, family 

members gather around the Christmas 

tree and sing Christmas carols and 

hymns of Christendom. The rejoicing 

continues through the early hours of the 

morning. An old Spanish verse says... 

“Esta noche es Noche-Buena, Y no es 

noche de dormir” (This is the goodnight, 

therefore it is not meant for sleep.) 


Christmas is celebrated all over Spain. 

Some towns have special rituals or 

processions, religious plays or people 

singing Christmas carols and asking 

for the “aguinaldo” (tip or small gift). 

During the Christmas celebrations, the 

streets of cities, towns and villages are 

decked with colour, lights and fiesta 

lights, creating a magical atmosphere. At 

Christmas time, there is a huge variety 

Page 54 

illness. This firejumping 

can be 

seen primarily in 

Granada and Jaen. 

Christmas Eve 

(Nochebuena or 

“the Good Night”) 

is more important 

than Christmas 

Day to the Spanish 

and they usually 

attend Midnight 

Mass (called the 

Misa del Gallo or 

Christmas Day is normally spent 

at Church, at feasts and in more 

merry-making. A custom peculiar to 

Spain is that of “swinging.” Swings 

are set up throughout the courtyards 

and young people swing to the 

accompaniment of songs and laughter. 

In the past, the traditional day for gifts 

was Epiphany or King’s Day on Jan 6, 

but now that is giving way to Christmas, 

although gifts are normally exchanged on 

Christmas Eve instead of Christmas Day. 

Another difference is that in Spain the 





Christmas tree is not traditional but the 

traditional symbol is a Nativity scene. 

These are often very elaborate with 

scenes from everyday life (chestnut 

sellers, shopkeepers, blacksmiths etc). 

If you are in Spain before Christmas, be 

sure to see the Nativity (usually called 

“Belen”, Bethlehem in Spanish) at the 

towns you visit. Some shop windows are 

decorated with a Belen and you may also 

find stores selling Nativity figures. 

New Year (“Nochevieja” ) is celebrated 

with parties like other places in the world, 

although it is traditional in Spain to eat 

twelve grapes on the twelve strokes of 

midnight to ensure good luck in the New 

Year. This can be done if you are fast, neat 

and don’t start laughing at your friends 

with chipmunk-cheeks full of grapes. It 

helps to hold your stash of grapes right 

next to your mouth. Although the chiming 

of the bells is broadcast on live television 

throughout Spain, the best thing is to 

head for the scene of the celebration and 

take active part in the event. In Spain 

there is a place that has a special link 

with this tradition: the clock in Puerta 

del Sol Square in Madrid. Like London, 

thousands of people congregate here to 

see in the year, dressed up with hats, 

party blowers, horns, masks and jokes. 

Hotels, pubs, bars and clubs usually hold 

their own New Year’s Eve parties, where 

you can dance until dawn. 

Three King’s Day on January 6 signifies 

the end of the extended holiday season in 

Spain. This day is celebrated in a number 

of towns with King’s Day celebrations 

with theatre and traditional dancing. 

In Spain it is Melchior, Caspar and 

Balthazar who bring Christmas presents 

to children who have been good during 

the year. After writing a letter, in which 

they tell the Kings which presents they 

would like, the long-awaited day finally 

arrives. The Wise Men parade through 

the streets of cities, towns and villages 

all over Spain in traditional cavalcades. 

Their camels loaded with presents, 

they go through the streets handing 

out sweets, accompanied by their royal 

pages. Little by little the colourful floats 

go by, entertaining all the family. Of all 

these parades, the one in Alcoi, Alicante, 

is particularly outstanding - it is Spain’s 

oldest. When night falls, children go to 

bed early to wait for Melchior, Caspar and 

Balthazar to come in through the window 

and leave presents in their shoes. 

On the 7th January, everything returns 

back to normal and the schools and 

businesses open again. 





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Page 59 


In the Northern Hemisphere, the Winter 

Solstice marks the first day of the season 

of winter on or near 21 December. 

The Pagan celebration of Winter Solstice 

(also known as Yule) is one of the oldest 

winter celebrations in the world. It is a celebration 

of the shortest day and longest 

night of the year when the North Pole is at 

its furthest point away from the sun. 

Winter Solstice Traditions 

Mistletoe and the Mighty Oak 

The Druids (Celtic priests) would cut the 

Mistletoe that grew on the oak tree and 

give it as a blessing. Oaks were seen as 

sacred and the winter fruit of the mistletoe 

was a symbol of life in the dark winter 

months. 

Mistletoe plants grow on a wide range of 

host trees, including oak and apple and 

commonly reduce the tree’s growth and 

can kill them with heavy infestation. All 

Mistletoes are hemi-parasites, bearing 

evergreen leaves that use the host mainly 

for water and mineral nutrients. The Mistletoe 

first sprouts from bird faeces on the 

trunk of the tree and in its early stages 

of life it takes nutrients from this source. 

Most mistletoe seeds are spread by birds 

such as the Mistle Thrush in Europe. The 

seeds are coated with a sticky material 

called viscin which hardens and attaches 

the seed firmly to its future host. 

Mistletoe was often considered a pest 

that kills trees and devalues natural habitats, 

but it was recently recognized as an 

ecological organism that has a disproportionately 

pervasive influence over its 

community. A broad array of animals depend 

on Mistletoe for food, consuming 

the leaves and young shoots, transferring 

pollen between plants, and dispersing the 

sticky seeds. Rather than being a pest, 

Mistletoe can have a positive effect on 

biodiversity, providing high quality food 

and habitat for a broad range of animals in 

forests and woodlands worldwide. 

Mistletoe Culture, Folklore, and Mythology 

The word ‘Mistletoe’ is of uncertain etymology; 

but it may be related to the German 

word Mist, for dung and Tang for 

branch, however, Old English Mistel was 

also used instead of basil. 


Page 60 




European mistletoe figured prominently in 

Greek mythology, and is believed to be The 

Golden Bough of Aeneas, ancestor of the 

Romans. In the 13th century Prose Edda, 

due to the scheming of Loki, the god Baldr 

was killed by his brother, the blind god 

Höðr, by way of a Mistletoe projectile, despite 

the attempts of Baldr’s mother, the 

goddess Frigg, to have all living things 

and inanimate objects swear an oath not 

to hurt Baldr after Baldr had troubling 

dreams of his death. Frigg was unable to 

get an oath from Mistletoe, because “it 

seemed too young” to demand an oath. In 

the Gesta Danorum version of the story, 

Baldr and Höðr are rival suitors, and Höðr 

kills Baldr with a sword named Mistilteinn 

(Old Norse “mistletoe”). In addition, a 

sword by the same name appears in various 

other Norse legends. 

In cultures across pre-Christian Europe, 

Mistletoe was seen as a representation 

of divine male essence, romance, fertility 

and vitality. According to Pliny the Elder, 

the Celts considered Mistletoe a remedy 

for barrenness in animals and an antidote 

to poison. 

Christmas Traditions 

Mistletoe is commonly used as a Christmas 

decoration and according to tradition 

the Mistletoe must not touch the ground 

between its cutting and its removal as the 

last of Christmas decorations at Candlemas. 

It may remain hanging through the 

year, often to save the house from lightning 

or fire, until it was replaced the following 

Christmas Eve. The tradition has 

spread throughout 

the Englishspeaking 

world 

but is largely 

unknown in the 

rest of Europe. 

According to ancient 

Christmas 

custom, a man 

and a woman 

who meet under 

a hanging of 

Mistletoe were 

obliged to kiss. 

Medicinal Use 

Mistletoe leaves and young twigs are used 

by herbalists, and it is popular in Europe 

for treating circulatory and respiratory system 

problems. Use of Mistletoe extract in 

the treatment of cancer originated with 

Rudolf Steiner, the founder of Anthroposophy. 

He compared the parasitic nature of 

the Mistletoe plant to that of cancer, and 

believed that cancer represents a faltering 

of the body’s spiritual defenses. Some anthroposophical 

Mistletoe preparations are 

diluted homeopathically. Mistletoe extract 

is sold as Iscador, Helixor, and several other 

trade names. 

The Yule Log 

The Celts thought that the sun stood still 

for twelve days in the middle of winter and 

during this time a log, known as the Yule 

Log was lit to conquer the darkness, banish 

evil spirits and bring luck for the coming 

year. Yule Logs are traditionally lit on 

the first day of the Solstice and are burned 

throughout the Solstice night for 12 hours 

as a symbol of hope and belief that the sun 

will return. 

Nowadays the Yule Log is often eaten at 

Christmas as an alternative to the traditional 

Christmas Cake. These are usually 

made of chocolate Swiss roll decorated to 

look like a wooden log. 




Page 61 



FAMILY FUN DAY AND DOG SHOW 

FRIDAY 16 TH SEPTEMBER 

Following a delay due to time-consuming 

collection of fees, it now gives us pleasure 

to announce that the profit from the Family 

Fun Day and Dog Show amount to 674.60€. 

We would like to take this opportunity to 

thank the following Sponsors for their 

support for the Show: 

Asun Alvarez. Animal Hotel, Aguilas; Centro 

Veterinario Cervantes, Lorca; Transtejera 

Building Supplies, Purias; Bar Pizzeria 

Palpicoteo, Purias; Anubis Veterinario, 

Aguilas; Guirrete Supermercardo Upper, 

La Estacion, Centro Hipico, Nr. Pulpi, & 

Ross Legal Services, Aguilas, Costa Cálida 

Chronicle. 

Page 62 

Whilst more entries for the Dog Show 

Classes would have been welcomed and 

would have generated more income, we 

are pleased that the varied entertainment 

on the day was well received. 

A dedicated Dog Show for all mutts is being 

planned for the Spring so we hope you will 

all bring your dogs for a day out and for 

them to meet new friends! 

The profits from the FFD will be allocated as 

previously mentioned in the press: 

1. To cover veterinary fees for surgery 

and vaccinations totalling 467€ 

for Pedro, the puppy suffering a 

broken leg and found in Aguilas 

by Traudl, & Michael Brueckner, 

members of San Animal . 

2. For an abandoned dog which 

needed treatment for an infected 

paw and skin disorder, who, 

wonderfully, has now been 

homed. 83.50€. 

3. Following a telephone call to 

us for help, Veterinary fees 

for euthanasia on a dog found 

alongside the Pulpi Road suffering 

many injuries including a broken 

back. 55€ 

We appreciate and thank all of our 

supporters who attended the day and 

helped us to help these animals! 

Following enquiries from various people, 

we would also like to confirm that the 

Abba Night tickets with the brilliant 

Abbacadabra on 10 th December are on 

sale. 

THE HELPING HANDS TEAM 

(Linda, Roger, Jane, Richard, Jean, 

Tony, Linda, Ana Marie, Anne, Rita, 

Edwin, Pauline, Richie & Ray) 

PRIVATE HEALTH INSURANCES – How can I 

find the right one for me? 

ASSSA offer flexible health insurance 

cover which meets the different needs and 

requirements of all clients, with all our offices 

along the Coasts you will be allocated a personal 

contact who will speak to you in English and 

offer invaluable support and assistance with 

your day to day needs. Our philosophy is 

to answer all client queries fully and with 

complete honesty. Many of our clients join us 

on recommendation from existing ones, which 

is a clear indication of our unique service. 

ASSSA GUARANTEES 

When you contract a policy with ASSSA, we 

guarantee the following: 

* The age you join is the age you stay 

– premiums will not increase due to 

age. 

* The policy is guaranteed for life! We will 

not terminate the policy due to illness 

or a heavy claims year. 

Many other insurance companies make these 

promises verbally, but if they do not appear 

in writing in the actual contract, there is no 

obligation for them to deliver a first rate 

service. 

Current Offers and Discounts: 

For 2011, ASSSA have flexible private 

health options from Social Security top-up 

insurances starting at 41€ per month to fully 

comprehensive policies starting from 79€ per 

month. Furthermore, most health insurance 

levels will be discounted by a further up to 

30% for the entire lifetime of the policy, with 

fractional payment available for no surcharge. 

Children joining with parents attract a 50% 

discount and there are also very favourable 

terms available if you wish to move to ASSSA 

from another insurer. 

ASSSA Funeral Insurance is now available 

with a massive 30% discount on the 2011 

premium and 15% discount on ALL subsequent 

years. The funeral insurance gives immediate 

cover for a small annual premium – no initial 

lump sum payment. 

ASSSA´s Extradental Plan is also discounted 

by 30% and our dental cover is discounted by 

20%. 

Contact your agent 

or call in and see 

us for a personal 

consultation 

and premium 

quotation without 

obligation. Our 

lady employees 

will be pleased 

to welcome and 

inform you. 

Opening times: 

Monday to Friday 09.30-13.30. Later 

appointments or home visits can be made by 

arrangement. 

Mrs. Diane Nolan 

ASSSA Puerto de Mazarrón 

Centro Comercial la Pirámide 

Local 9, Avda. Dr. Meca Nº 109, bajo 

30860 Puerto de Mazarrón 

Tel 968 153 396, Fax: 968 154 212 

Email: mazarron@asssa.es 

www.asssa.es 







Page 63 


Another stunning day at the PALS Beach 

BBQ, on October 12 th with boules, swimming, 

food, drink laughter great fun as usual thanks 

to everyone. 

The Mini Cruise to Portugal and Morocco 

was an undoubted success and thanks to 

Dragon Tours for all their help. 

The Dance at the Playa Grande with the 

Susie G Revue on November 5 th was another 

thoroughly enjoyable evening. 

Tickets are selling fast for the Christmas 

Ball at the Hotel Costa Costa, Mazarrón 

on 11 th December. The Beagles are our 

entertainment and at 27.50€ per head this 

represents a great evenings value. Coaches 

from Camposol and Mazarrón Country Club. 

Book early to ensure that you sit with your 

friends. 

Sales venues are now Wednesday afternoon 

at Saralaras 1-3pm , Thursday Tel’s Bar, 

Camposol Sector A 11-1.30pm and Saturday 

at the Trevi Bar, Camposol B from 11am. If in 

doubt phone 626 460465. 

LORCA 

The earthquake fund topped out at 6384.77€ 

and is now closed. We have paid for equipment 

to this value for use in a new mobile hospital 

tent and in a centralised emergency centre. 

What a great effort by you all! There is to 

be a presentation so we will attempt to let 

everyone know in time. 

CAFÉ 

We raised some 2499€ at the concert and 

there are a few outstanding ticket sales to 

collect. This brings the fund to over 40000€ 

which is two thirds of the target of 60,000€ 

- not bad in a recession. We had a huge 

raffle and I would like to thank the following 

business and individuals for their support: 

Another World Properties, Bar MarMoy, 

Best Wishes, The Bulgarian Restaurant, CM 

Constructions, Camposol Business Centre, 

Carol and Pat Armstrong, Cat’s Bar, CHM, 

Costa Café, Doreen and John Spark, Dragon 

Tours, Elliot’s, Glitzy Bitz, Hair and Beauty, 

Hair by Carol, Happy Pets. Holmes and 

Pegg, Images, Insignia Graphics, Jardilar 

2003, Best of Spanish, Just Fabulous Gift 

Shop, Kennellys, Ladies’ Circle. Legs and Co. 

Margaret Green, Mark Stocks, Market Tavern, 

Bodega Martinez, Mercers, MMB Solicitors, 

Munroes, Nash Warren, Optica, Our Café 

Bolnuevo, PALS, Quick Save, Shirley Fisher, 

Subway, Teapot, Elle and Terry Groom, The 

Salon, TJ Electronics, To Buy to Let, Trevi Bar, 

UK Supplies Direct, Val Cooper, Villaquest, 

and Yorkshire Linen. 

If I have missed you out, please let me 

know and I will gratefully acknowledge your 

donation. 

We had two superb fashion shows and a third 

that wasn’t quite up to the standard set by 

the professionals. Thanks to all the models, 

to all the musical artistes, to Camposol Fiesta 

Committee who lent us their sound system, 

and to Costa Cálida Radio, Angloinfo and Costa 

Cálida Chronicle who were all three again our 

sponsors and thank you to every one who 

came. We have already provisionally booked 

the concert next year at the Playa Grande. 

It’s always the 1 st Saturday in October. 

Unclaimed raffle prizes are: 

Orange 260 

Yellow 765 

Green 457..632..459..443..635 

Pink 198 

Blue 261..840..545 

White 230..953 

Please call 626 460465 to claim. Any prizes 

unclaimed by 5 th December will be recycled 

into the next available event. 

The full 6 month programme for PALS is now 

available and the Trip to Valencia arriving on 

St Valentine’s Day to be specially commended 

3b nights, 4 days 145€ per person, includes a 

trip to Lladro and Albufeira. 

The Annual Sponsored Swim will go ahead 

as usual on New Year’s Day at the Bahia Hotel 

Beach - either participate, or put up some 

cash for those that do 

Any questions relating to anything call 626 

460465 

Cat-A-Tonic Cattery is a new cattery in the 

Mazarrón area. The first visitor arrived in 

September and we have been growing ever 

since. We offer your little family member a 

personal touch with individual pens. Each pen 

has an inside and an outside area, so there is 

plenty of space for jumping, climbing, strolling 

or just chilling in the sun or the shade. The 

individual rooms are well sheltered and each 

cat can speak to their neighbour if they wish, 

without having to touch – just in case the 

neighbour does not feel like being spoken to! 


Page 64 

Cat-A-Tonic Cattery can collect and return 

your pet if you prefer and we provide dried 

food and fresh water every day. Radio Lorca 

keeps them entertained, along with pet toys 

and visitors during the day. 

Cat-A-Tonic Cattery can also offer MOUSE 

MATS, MUGS or LONG LIFE SHOPPING BAGS, 

imprinted with a photo of your pet, so you can 

have them with you at all times! Just give us 

a call for prices. 

Los Almagros and Cat-A-Tonic Cattery 

is easy to reach from Mazarrón, Alhama, 

Totana, Fuente Alamo and Camposol. 

For further information, to visit us, or to 

book yourcat in for a holiday with Cat-A- 

Tonic Cattery call Ken on 646 705 403 

or Carol on 655 141 721 or email us at 

catatoniccattery@googlemail.com 





On Monday 14 th November MASA workers 

appeared on Sector A and have started work 

on the street lighting and some road repairs 

and maintenance. The target for completion 

is just before Christmas which is excellent 

news. A similar project on sector B is to 

commence in January. 

This real progress is down to a series of weekly 

meetings held between Pepe Gomez and our 

Mayor Gines Campillo assisted by Kelly Ensor. 

This is excellent news for Camposol and what 

a great Christmas present! 

The Train Service has been postponed until 

at least March next year. The service did prove 

extremely popular in the summer months, 

but lack of use has proved it is not a viable all 

year round service but it will be back! 

The Thursday Market is continuing to be 

a huge success and a real social event now. 

Many of the Sector A businesses have seen a 

real upturn in business on a Thursday. 

Working together to make Camposol 

look great! 

Now the cooler weather is with us we have 

been able to resume our efforts in trying 

to keep B Sector looking great. The heavy 

gravel laying was completed before the 

summer. Many people stop by and tell us 

that we are making a difference. Many 

thanks to those who show an interest 

and especially to those who contribute in 

whatever way they can when we wiggle our 

buckets! 

Unbelievable! 

Many will have noticed, as they pass 

Gibellers, that a commemorative seat 

provided by one of our members, in memory 

of her late husband, has been smashed and 

the plaque is now missing. Whilst most who 

live in this lovely area are respectful and 

have a high degree of community spirit, 

sadly we occasionally encounter acts of 

vandalism carried out by morons who have 

no sense of decency and we can only hope 

that they do not live in Camposol. This 

despicable act is beyond further comment 

except to say how appalled we all are and 

we can only offer Coral our support and 

hope that we can help to make good the 

damage done as soon as possible. 

Commercial Centre 

The edges on each side of the approach 

road to the Commercial Centre have been 

planted with 300 Oleander shrubs, supplied 

by our local Garden Centre who prepared 

the ground and supplied the trees at a very 

favourable rate. Many thanks to Sector D 

gardening group for their contribution of 

200€. There is still much to be done so we 

still need all the support we can get. 

Municipal Environmental Awareness 

Day on 17 th September 

The Rubbish Collection Day, organized 

by the Ayuntamiento, launched by the 

Department of Environment found around 

70 people from all of our community 

sectors turned out to collect 100 bags of 

rubbish from 3 selected areas. Lunch and 

refreshment was provided by Sensol Hotel. 

The Mayor of Mazarrón, Ginés Campillo, 

accompanied by David Fernandez, mayor of 

the Environment and Citizenship and Javier 

Masia, director of the hotel handed out the 

refreshments and personally thanked the 

attendees for their participation “which will 

surely will be repeated next year.” said the 

Mayor. 

Rubbish 

‘B Clean’ is not responsible for either 

the provision of the rubbish bins or their 

location. Some individuals decided they 

were not happy with a particular location. 

Hopefully the situation has now settled 

down and everyone is satisfied with the 

current bin locations. All we would ask is; 

if you consider the bins to be incorrectly 

placed, please have a thought for those 

who might be inconvenienced if you move 

them. 

Please use the bins provided on your own 

sectors – there are insufficient bins on B 

Sector to contain rubbish from people 

passing through from other sectors. 

Please use the bins for bagged up 

household rubbish only. Garden waste and 

other items should be taken to the Eco 

Park. 

Trees 

We intend to trim all the Palm Trees on the 

main dual carriageway and roundabouts 

during the winter months. All volunteers, 

kitted out with shears, clippers and saws 

will be very welcome to attend. 

Fund Raising 

The very successful Halloween Social 

Evening held at the Sensol Hotel on 

Sunday 30 th October raised 601€ towards 

the gardening fund. Many thanks to all 

those who donated prizes for the Raffle 

and Best Fancy Dress. A great time was 

had by all, with music being provided by 

Backwater 

Anyone who would like a copy of the 

pictures taken on the night please email 

Roger on rogerspad@hotmail.com 

Christmas Event 9th December 

The Christmas Dance with a 4 course 

carvery at the Golf Club will be 20€. This 

year we will be limiting the numbers so 

booking early will be essential. 

Monthly Meetings 

The last Tuesday of each month 16.00- 

17.00 in Trevi’s Function Room. 

Weekly Working Party 

Meets each Tuesday 9am till 10/11ish. 

Usually in front of the commercial centre 

unless otherwise arranged. Please turn up 

and help. 

Please contact: 

Sandy: 968986030 

Helen/Glyn: 968199506 

Roger: 968199502 




Page 65 


The Remembrance Day Poppy was brought 

to the attention of the Spanish people by the 

press this year when the England Football 

team were told they were not allowed to 

wear the poppy on their shirts for the game 

against Spain. Fortunately a compromise 

was reached. No such conflict here as the 

Mayor of Mazarrón proudly wore his poppy 

alongside the many Brits who attended the 

Armistice Day Service in the “Parque los 

Palacios” Remembrance Garden in Camposol. 

The park was no more than a dream shared 

by Rev. David Holley (then Chairman of 

the Gardening Group) and myself when 

he held the first service just 3 years ago. 

The people were asked to present a plant 

in memory of a loved one to help us start 

to create what we hoped would become a 

garden. The first plant was offered by the 

Mayor of the previous council. Since then 

many more plants have been offered, or 

bought from donations. Thanks to the 

effort and hard work of the volunteers of 

the garden group, they have managed to 

build what is now a beautiful park; a place 

of peace and tranquillity to be enjoyed 

throughout the year, although the highlight 

will always be the Remembrance Service. 

On Bonfire Night, approx 50 volunteers 

turned up to work in the park to prepare 

it for this year’s service. After a couple of 

hours hard graft, the fire was lit for the first 

time in the new BBQ area and the volunteers 

got together to enjoy hot dogs, sandwiches, 

jacket potatoes, treacle toffee, cakes, and a 

well earned drink. Thanks to Phil Brady who 

entertained all whilst they admired the fruits 

of their labour. Even then, many hours of 

work still to be done to clear the mountains of 

weeds and rubbish bags before the service. 

This year the new council showed their support 

to our group. Continuing the tradition, 

the Mayor, Gines Campillo, presented the 

first plant. He was accompanied by Pepe 

Gomez, David Fernandez, Maria Martinez 

and Celeste Soria from the local council who 

were joined by Alicia Jimenez (Diputada 

Regional) from the main office at Murcia. 

More than 200 people attended the 

ceremony which was led by Rev Len Eaton, 

Rev Deacon Maureen Kent and the choir 

from St. Nicholas Church in Camposol. 

Special thanks to John Barker from the 

CAS BAND for providing the sound system. 

This year, small crosses also bearing the 

poppy emblem were placed in the Memorial 

Garden after the service by people wanting 

to remember someone special. A collection 

at the end of the service raised 339€, all 

of which will be used to improve the park. 

Of course, work continues across the rest of 

Camposol A. Further funding was raised at 

the Ladies’ Fashion Show. Thanks to Nyrene, 

Byron and Nigel, for the support that helped 

us to raise 610€ at this event, plus all of 

the wonderful cake makers who managed to 

make the day so enjoyable. 

Camposol is a good place to live. 

David Senior Peake 


We have now passed many of the new 

administrations projected completion 

dates for works that the council had 

promised. The most obvious of these is 

the restoration of the street lighting on 

our sector. Many streets remain unlit and 

in one instance the lack of lighting almost 

Page 66 

ensured that a medical problem involving 

a child became a grave emergency. The 

restoration of the lighting was promised 

to be completed by the 31 st October, yet 

very little evidence of this work continuing 

exists. Perhaps the council will clarify this 

apparent lack of progress at the next open 

meeting on the 16 th of November. 

The lighting of the A Sector post room is 

being restored by our committee chairman 

in liaison with Senor Gomez – this work 

should be complete during the week 

commencing the 14 th of November. The 

post room is an important part of our 

community and we would like to thank all 

at Luz del Sol for their care in ensuring it 

is opened and closed at the appropriate 

times, also the Cleanup Group for their 

unstinting efforts at providing a far cleaner 

and tidier environment for us all. 

A cleanup of another type is also underway 

with the involvement of another committee 

member, resolving the question of the feral 

cats at the A Sector commercial centre. 

Beryl is assisting an A Sector resident to 

establishing a neutering programme for 

the cats. At an average of 60€ per cat, the 

problem of a growing feral population will 

be ended once and for all. Please talk to 

Beryl about how you can assist. 

That’s all for now except to mention that 

all the completed complaints forms will 

shortly be presented to the council for their 

attention and course to wish everyone a 

very happy Christmas and a wonderful 

New Year! 




The D group commenced its volunteer 

gardening work on the 7th Oct with a 

gardening and weeding session on the dual 

carriageway at D20. 

14th Oct - Gravelling same area. 

21st Oct - Weeding and Gravelling at D26 

area. 

28th Oct – Weeding at D11 

4th Nov - Rained off. 

11th Nov - Gravelling at D11 and D26. 

Our concreting team worked in October 

repairing broken drain covers, putting tarmac 

in various holes in the road and tackling a very 

damaged drain cover that spanned the width 

of the road on D23. This job took 4 hours 

to complete and is professional in its finish. 

Thanks and well done to all our volunteers. 

On 17th October, having obtained our 

Forestry Commission burning licences, our 

team commenced burning our 5 pits at 

0730 hours. At 0800 hrs the team were 

confronted by two fire engines followed by 

a police car all with flashing emergency 

lights. Chairman Mick Drummond nearly 

had a fit when he saw them, seeing himself 

being led off in handcuffs. Fortunately the 

team complied with all the regulations and 

when the police were shown the licences, 

all shook hands and off they went. This 

response by the fire service was a result 

of a 112 call from someone on Sector D. 

The 28th October volunteer session was 

followed by a sausage butty and a glass of 

wine and in the evening a Fun Quiz Night 

was held. Thanks to Linda, Les, Maureen 

and Clive for a very entertaining evening. 

D Group gave B Clean Group a donation to 

assist with the purchase of oleanders for 

the B main road at the commercial centre. 

Our website continues to provide the 

residents with the myriad of information 

regarding matters concerning Sector D, 

Camposol and the general area. The 

photograph forum is proving a favourite 

with residents both here and back in the 

UK, seeing the work that is being done on D 

and of course with the pictures of our social 

events. The other forums continue to be 

used with members enjoying the information 

placed by others concerning entertainment, 

places to go, items for sale, places to eat, 

interesting walks etc. Members continually 

praise the way that the site is administered, 

in accordance with their wishes. 

Our Neighbourhood Watch Groups continue 

to operate, but unfortunately quite a few 

crimes have been committed against 

property and people. Our website forum 

gives valuable information regarding these 

crimes and advice to try and prevent them. 

Our Yearly Meeting will be held at Trevis 

Bar on Wednesday 6th Dec at 1500hrs. 

All residents of Sector D are invited to 

attend. An agenda will be published on the 

D website and the notice board. 




Page 67 


Seasons Greetings to you all 

We have had a busy time recently starting 

with the Race Night on 18 th October. A 

good group of supporters turned out to try 

their luck, and some I believe actually went 

home a little better off than when they 

arrived. The Play your Cards Right game 

however continued to defeat most people 

with only one winner from six entrants. It 

can’t be that difficult can it?? 

We continued with another first for us, with 

a Murder Mystery Night on 14 th November. 

This proved very popular and a good 

number turned out to find out just ‘who 

dun it’. With the aid of a fine group of actors 

and much head scratching and speculation, 

we finally came up with a super sleuth in 

Susanna who won the prize. (see photo 

with Chairman Dickie Davies) A big vote 

of thanks to Trevi Bar for our tasty pizza 

supper and their usual warm welcome. 

We now turn our attention to the Christmas 

period, again a busy time for our committee. 

We have our Christmas Magic Show, 

Dance and Buffet, on 15th December at 

Trevi Bar - again a first for Camposol. 

What is not new for Camposol is our third 

year of Carols for Camposol. These 

concerts have proved very popular with 

growing attendances year on year. Each 

concert features the Wellspring Victory 

Church Choir and musicians with free 

mince pies and mulled wine. On the Friday 

we also feature the fantastic Rondalla de 

Mazarron who regularly appear at the 

fiesta in June, so come along for a taste of 

traditional carols and entertainment. 

Finally, on behalf of the Fiestas Camposol 

Committee may we wish you all a Very 

Merry Christmas and a Happy and Healthy 

NewYear. 


Page 68 

Regards 

Dickie Davies 

Chairman Fiestas Camposol 




The CRA AGM was held on Monday 14 th 

November at the Hotel Sensol and 160 

members attended. The Chairman, Bob 

Owen, gave members a précis of the events 

as they had occurred during the year since 

the last AGM. Bob went on to announce that 

membership had increased during the year 

from 2299 to 2554. The breakdown by sector 

was A-342, B-471, C-518 and D-1202. 

The list of achievements during the year 

included: 

Compiling a list of properties without water 

meters. 

Got repaired the road collapse near the 

sewage pumping station. 

Insisted the council provide a generator for 

the sewage pumping station after Iberdrola 

disconnected the supply. 

Promoted a meeting held by the Forestry 

Commission regarding Red Palm Weevil. 

Instigated a monthly email newsletter. 

Produced a newsletter for members without 

internet access. 

Reported 55 water/sewage leaks reported to 

the CRA duty phone, plus equally as many 

directly to the chairman’s phone. 

Carried out a water pressure monitor over 10 

days to identify a pattern, informed Aqualia 

and rectified the problem. 

Held an inaugural meeting which resulted in 

FAST being formed. 

Obtained permission from the council to erect 

“no ball games” signs for the B Commercial 

Centre enforceable by police as it is against 

the bye-laws. 

Asked for the taxi bays to be brought back 

into general use and for disabled bays to be 

provided. (in process) 

Obtained confirmation from the Mayor that 

there would not be any homes demolished on 

D sector. 

Asked for MASA´s old concrete site on C 

sector to be cleared. (ongoing) 

The demolition of MASA´s yard on B sector is 

being progressed through council. 

Continually kept up pressure on council 

to resolve the plan parcial, the rambla, 

escrituras, and plus valia on escrituras. 

Replied to over 150 letters and emails from 

members, the council, the British Consul. 

Arbitrated in 5 neighbour’s disputes. 

Bob went on to say that their priorities for 

the coming year would include completion of 

the infrastructure with all legal documents 

available for members. They would also 

influence the ongoing repairs promised 

by MASA so that the worst areas would be 

attended to first. They include unmade and 

dangerous roads. 

In conclusion of his report Bob reminded 

everyone that they must report all problems 

to Tatiana at the council office at the Cultural 

Centre on Sector B. The CRA would still be 

available to help in cases that are not dealt 

with satisfactorily by the council office. 

Following the treasurer’s report two questions 

were put to the members: 

1. Now that residents have direct access to 

the Councillor for Foreigners through Tatiana 

at the office in the Cultural Centre, how do 

you see your residents’ association serving 

you in the coming year? 

3 members spoke on this and all agreed they 

wished the committee to continue with their 

current plan of action. 

2. It has been suggested by a local firm of 

solicitors that they are able to take MASA to 

court to enforce the issue of plus valia being 

paid by MASA. If you are effected, would you 

be interested in a class action, costs of which 

would be borne by the individuals concerned? 

It was discussed and decided that Members 

were asked to show their interest by marking 

the register when leaving the meeting. Bob 

said that once meetings had been held with 

the lawyers full details would be circulated. 

Several members spoke and praised the 

committee for their efforts on behalf of all the 

residents of Camposol. 

There being no further business the Chairman 

closed the meeting, thanking those that had 

attended. 

********************************* 

After a considerable amount of scepticism, 

the promised return of Camposol developer 

MASA has become a reality and at the time 

of writing it appears work associated with 

Sector A’s street lighting, landscaping and 

road marking is underway. Further items due 

to be undertaken include necessary remedial 

work to road surfacing, footpaths and kerbing 

and it is hoped that Sector A will be brought 

up to a suitably competent standard that will 

allow council adoption in the New Year. This 

is of course just the first step of what will be 

a long and extensive process in bringing the 

whole urbanization up to scratch. Sector A is 

much closer to a finished product compared 

with the rest of Camposol and it will be found 

that conditions will dictate that the degree 

and complexity of the work will increase as 

progresses is made across the development. 

The poor attitude towards MASA in the 

past is plain for all to see and therefore 

the CRA will be seeking assurances from 

the council that our wayward developer 

is subjected to careful scrutiny. 

This will be particularly important in relation 

to the roads which are as well as being one 

of the most fundamental elements of the 

infrastructure are undoubtedly the most 

costly to rectify. As well as having a set of 

adequate specifications in place, it is hoped 

that our municipality will also have call on 

competent and conscientious persons who 

are able to enforce them. As the present 

conditions on Camposol demonstrate, the 

previous administration failed to exercise 

much if any control over Masa and to let that 

happen again would be a tragedy. 

On the positive side it is probably fair to say 

that there is now some light to be seen at the 

end of the tunnel and owners can now look 

forward to the end of a sorry saga. 

website: www.cracamposol.com 

email: info@cracamposol.com 





Page 69 


Hundreds of people supported FAST (First 

Aid Support Team) on Camposol by visiting 

their very first Christmas Fayre at 

Mariano´s Bar, Camposol. 

One Resident said, ·”We have had personal 

need to use FAST a little while ago and 

they were wonderful so we came to support 

them and have had a lovely day!” 

The day started at 11am and soon the hall 

was packed with eager early-bird Christmas 

shoppers visiting the 35 stalls selling 

everything from Christmas decorations to 

hand-made jewellery and cards and a special 

early visit from Santa Claus who took 

a break from his busy schedule to ensure 

that FAST were up to scratch! Wellspring 

Church provided carol singing which really 

gave the true spirit of Christmas to the 

whole event. 

IBEX presented FAST with high visibility 

jackets for all their volunteers. 

Glen Ford, FAST´s Communications Officer, 

said “ We had planned to make it a 

great and enjoyable day for everyone and 

it all paid off as over 2000€ was raised on 

the day. Many thanks to all our supporters 

and particularly Antonio and his team 

at Mariano´s Bar and Restaurant who provided 

the venue free of charge, all of which 

will help to maintain the free service to all 

Camposol Residents. We at FAST have attended 

over 60 call-outs since June and 

we continue to be overwhelmed by the 

support we have from the local community 

and the commitment of our volunteers.” 


Page 70 

Glen went on to say that the funds will help 

our mission to “Make Camposol Safer 

For All” as we continually work on improving 

the quality of service we give through 

the training of our 51 volunteer responders 

and equipment. We now use oxygen 

and defibrillators, but Glen underlined the 

need to call FAST immediately after calling 

112, as no time can be lost, especially if 

there is a major bleed, breathing difficulties, 

an unconscious casualty or if there is 

any suspicion of a stroke or heart attack. 

He reminded residents not to worry about 

wasting the time of the Ambulance Service 

or FAST - if they have any concern about 

a serious medical emergency, any time lost 

could reduce the chances of survival. 

In a serious medical emergency in 

Camposol.......First call 112 and then 

call FAST on 968 970 626 

Anyone wanting to know more about FAST 

or interested in becoming a volunteer then 

please contact Glen on 634 313 572 between 

5pm and 7pm daily or similarly if 

anyone is interested on how to commence 

a similar service in your area. 




Green Fingers phone 626513842 

email spainvilarosa@gmail.com or visit 

www.greenfingersgardenandsocialgroup.com 

All Poligono representatives carry I.D Badges 

and have new signs outside their villas. Receipts 

will be given for money received for the 

community maintenance scheme. 

CHRISTMAS PARTY AT TREVI’S 

Friday 9 December 8pm 

Tickets only 16€, Hot & Cold Buffet, Raffle 

Entertainment with BERNIE MAC. 

CHRISTMAS CAROL SERVICE. 

20 th December 6pm same place as last year 

C-5/C6 C/ Puerto Lumbreras 

Free drink & Mince pies. 

Letter from the President (Chairman) 

I am pleased to report that now we are legally 

registered with the town hall, which means 

we are able to collect monies for the association 

to be able to carry out the community 

maintenance scheme for Sectors C-1 to C7 & 

C-10. The poligono representatives are calling 

on all residents asking for your support and 

contributions to the scheme. I am delighted 

to say we have pledges from over 100 villas 

so far with more joining all the time including 

holiday villas. 

The community maintenance scheme will 

start in January 2012. We are looking for your 

commitment. The more that join the scheme 

the better the sector will look. We can now 

open a bank account in the group’s name with 

no bank charges and earning interest on the 

account. We are also having public liability 

insurance which will be in place very soon, 

thanks to the council who have an insurance 

company who give special rates to registered 

associations. Please join now so we have 

funds available. 

When the council takes over C-Sector we will 

return monies pro-rata to the month. This is 

the reason we are asking for all your details, 

ie name, address, email and phone numbers. 

If you have already joined, may I take this 

opportunity to thank you for your support. 

The full list of residents who have joined will 

be available for your inspection at our AGM in 

April 2012. 

Merry Christmas 

Bernard. 

Working parties volunteers still needed 

on Wednesday mornings 9-11pm. Please see 

our notice boards for information. 

We are also looking for the following volunteers; 

Editor for website & Facebook webpage. 

Computer technical wizard to maintain web 

site. 

Poligono representatives for C-1/ C-3/ C-6/ 

Social activities. 

A group of C-Sector residents go 10 Pin Bowling 

every Friday 4pm in Totana. Free membership 

- 1€ per game. 

Any complaints about your area including lack 

of lights, pavements and roads not replaced 

after repair work, please contact the Cultural 

Centre oficinacamposol@mazarron. 

es. Make an appointment to speak to Kelly 

& Pepe who are our local representatives to 

liaise with the council. We must use them so 

we don’t lose them. 

Sector C Website & Facebook Group 

www.greenfingersgardenandsocialgroup.com 

for updated information, events 

and project news. 

Facebook Group ‘Camposol C-Sector Group’ 

is very active so please join and participate. 

Phoenix Palms problems, 

We may be able to help just phone or contact 

Bernard 626513842 or your poligono representative. 




Page 71 



RAD Animal Association and Refuge, 

is made up of a small group of people from 

all walks of life, people who kept taking in 

animals they couldn’t just say ‘no’ to, or turn 

their backs on. We established and registered 

our charity 2 years ago, so we could ask 

for donations and fund our work saving the 

animals. 

FACT: Currently, some 77 PERCENT of all 

animals in public shelters in Spain are likely 

to be destroyed. 

FACT: Statistics taken from the Murcia 

regional government in 2010, showed that 

5,000 dogs and cats were abandoned at the 

Murcian public animal shelters, and ONLY 672 

were adopted! That figure does not include 

the animals abandoned in the streets or 

thrown out on the motorways. 

Page 72 

FACT: One fertile cat will produce an average 

of three litters per year. In seven years, 

her offspring could produce up to 420,000 

unwanted cats! 

Together with the opening of our shop, The 

GREEN PAWS campaign was launched this 

year, in hopes that by offering supplemental 

financial assistance for spaying and neutering, 

(and other vet care) to pet owners, will focus 

on prevention and, in the long term, create 

less strays. Preventative measures are the 

key to solving this growing problem. The 

more cats and dogs we pay to have neutered 

through the sales from our second hand shop, 

the better! 

FACT: The chances of an animal being 

abandoned goes down significantly if the 

owner becomes a responsible pet owner. 

Thank you for supporting us. Woof Woof! 

Rags, a 2 

year old 

G e r m a n 

Shepherd, 

showed up 

at our door 

step. He was 

starved and 

suffering from 

Leishmania. 

He has now 

made a full 

recovery and 

is bounding 

about the garden in his foster home. 

From Rags to 

Riches! (we 

hope) 

To see the 

animals, visit 

our website 

at: www. 

verdemurcia. 

com 

The Beauty Palace held an open day to enable 

people to see the beautiful new premises next 

to Camposol Computers . The salon would not 

look out of place in Harley St. or Paris. 

The toning room has 6 toning tables, each 

concentrating on toning different parts of the 

body. This is fantastic for inch loss, toning 

after weight loss, or just keeping active and 

strengthening muscles. 

Each of the 3 beauty rooms is very tasteful and 

relaxing, offering a full range of treatments: 

Relaxing Massage 

Pedicure 

Eye Lash Extension 

Waxing 

Spray Tan 

Non-surgical Face Lift 

Body Wrap 

Hopi Ear Candling 

The latest Non-invasive Lipo 

The hair salon 

offers treatments 

using its own 

professional brand 

products, which 

are also available 

to purchase. 

Other treatments 

include: 

Styling, Tinting, 

Colouring, Hair 

Extensions, 

Brazilian Blow Dry 

Or you can sit 

at the nail bar 

watching the 

world go by whilst 

spoiling yourself with a Manicure, Shellac, 

Backscratchers Nail Extension, or try the 

Personalised Nail Art Machine (any design can 

be printed onto nails in minutes). 

All the staff are 

professional and 

fully qualified and 

attend training 

courses to keep 

updated with the 

latest trends. 

Yoli, Corinne, 

Lindsay, Billi, 

Jan and Triana 

are able to offer 

you a relaxing 

experience or a 

girl’s day out. 

Call in to the 

Beauty Palace 

for a list of 

all available 

treatments, or call 968971828. 







Page 73 


Wordsearch 

Translate the English words below into Spanish 

Suduko 

Do-Able 

Difficult 


Page 74 

FLOWERPOT 

WOOD 

DAYBREAK 

SUITCASE 

MESS 

STAIN 

JAW 

HOSE 

BLANKET 

TABLECLOTH 

BUTTER 

APPLE 

HUSBAND 

November Quiz 

Questions 

Quiz Questions on the 

November 2011 edition 

1. What can you do with 

900g of mussels? 

2. Who wrote ”You Belong 

to me”? 

BUTTERFLY 

LADYBIRD 

SEAFOOD 

BROWN 

CHEEK 

MUSSEL 

HONEY 

SAME 

WINDMILL 

BLACKBERRY 

DARK 

FLY 

Answers on page 108 

Monthly Quiz 

3. Where would you find 

Restaurante Buen Descanso? 

4. Who claims to free your 

mind and improve your 

life? 

5. What has Curtain Call 

been doing since 2002? 

6. Who fits quality Doulton 

water filter systems? 

7. What does Mark Davis 

present? 

8. The letter L is the subject 

of what ? 

9. Who claims everything is 

right? 

10. Who would you find on 

670847305? 


To place an advertisement with us please see page 98 5 or or contact Teresa Brian 628 619 606 199 740 407 






Page 75 



Page 76 




URGENT FUNDS NEEDED TO HELP 

GALGOS IN NEED 

If you can help Galgos Del Sol with any 

fundraising, please contact Tina Solera at 

galgosdelsol@hotmail.com. 

Galgos del Sol is an animal charity 

dedicated to the rescue and rehabilitation 

of the Spanish greyhound or “galgo”. The 

charity also helps re-home other breeds 

of dogs and works with other dog shelters 

in Spain. As Galgos del Sol does not 

receive any official funding, the charity 

depends fully on generous donations and 

support from people. All innovative ideas 

for fundraising considered. Galgos del Sol 

will be able to support your fund raising 

events with some publicity material. 

STUCK FOR UNIQUE GIFTS FOR 

CHRISTMAS? 

Why not consider a sponsorship pack 

from Galgos del Sol. The pack is full of 

fun stickers, either a wristband or handmade 

Christmas card, a gift certificate and 

unique note cards – all for €25. Buy a pack 

and raise funds for Galgos del Sol. 

EDUCATION BOOKLETS 

Galgos del Sol, in conjunction with 

Greyhounds in Need UK, is proud to 

offer local schools and organisations 

here in Spain the opportunity to obtain 

educational booklets on pet care of the 

galgo. Printed in English and in Spanish, 

these educational booklets will delight 

schoolchildren and are filled with fun 

activities and stickers. For copies of this 

educational booklet, contact Tina Solera at 

glagosdelsol@hotmail.com 

GALGOS FOR ADOPTION 

These beautiful Galgos are waiting for 

adoption. All potential adoptees are subject 

to a house check. All dogs featured in this 

page have been micro-chipped, blood 

tested, vaccinated, neutered and many are 

passport ready. 

M A R I O . 

Unfortunately 

Mario got his leg 

caught in a snare 

trap and it had to be 

amputated. Despite 

this, he is lively 

with a beautiful 

personality and in 

need of some tender loving care. 

JORDAN. 3 year 

old male Galgo with 

a warm personality 

and heart. 

ABBY. Bitch 18 

months old in need 

of a good home. 

This is gorgeous Zoe and her five pups 

-4 bitches and one male dog. You can place 

a reservation for either Zoe or one of her 

pups. 




Page 77 


December! Another year almost gone – 

where?! It’s been a rewarding year for us at 

Rainbow Satellites both in our personal 

and business worlds. Regular readers of this 

column will be aware that we always start 

with snippets of our personal life and whilst 

there have been some downs as well as the 

ups it’s been a pretty good one. The new 

addition at Casa Rainbow – Tasi the terrier 

puppy is settling in well and learning that 

Rocia the cat is in charge! In our business 

life it has been a consistent year even with 

Spain in “crisis” and we must thank all our 

clients for that – both the ones who have 

used us again during the year and the new 

ones using us for the first time – let’s hope 

2012 will be good for us all. Before that 

we have the Christmas period and we at 

Rainbow wish all of you a happy festive 

season. 

TV News 

Christmas – a time when many of you 

may consider upgrading your viewing 

equipment, be it a new flat screen TV or 

reception equipment. We are often asked 

about which new TV to buy and in general 

our advice is buy something you like the 

look of and gives a picture you are happy 

with. We feel in that for the “run of the mill” 

viewing an LCD/LED (there is a difference 

but for most of us they are one of the same) 

will be the best buy. High Definition (HD) 

and Digital Terrestrial (TDT) will be built in 

– extras like 3D are really in their infancy 

and probably be a requirement for the buy 

after this one! Price is obviously important, 

but don’t let it be your only purchasing 

criteria. Things do go wrong and consider 

what after sales service you will get. 

To view UK TV down here in Spain, you 

will need a satellite digibox and this is 

where many of you are upgrading, be it 

with SKY paying a monthly contract or 

with FREESAT there are basically 3 types 

of digibox - SD, HD or HDPLUS. Most of 

you who have had your digibox for a while 

will have a simple SD (standard definition) 

box, so if you are buying a new HD TV, 

consider buying an HD digibox. Although 

your old SD box will work with the new TV 

the picture will not be as good as it could 

be. The standard HD box will give you the 

upgraded picture, but the best answer has 

to be the HDPLUS box, giving not only the 

upgraded picture, but the ease of recording 

TV and watching what you want when you 

want. These PLUS boxes have all sorts of 

features including pause live TV. Record 

one channel and watch another is the most 

significant the boxes are really easy to use 

– gone are the days of spending 15 minutes 

setting up your video/DVD to recorder to 

record a programme only to find out it 

didn’t work when you sit down to watch the 

programme! 

Contact Rainbow Satellites for all details 

of all digibox enquiries. We are happy to 

discuss requirements and suggest options. 


Page 78 

Channel transmissions over the satellite 

system have been in a state of flux over 

the months of 2011. Many of changes are 

to make room for the HD channels which 

have to be transmitted separately from the 

SD channel even though the programme is 

identical. Down here in southern Spain with 

the weak satellite signals we have seen 

channels come and go, but things seem 

to have settled down. If you are having 

reception problems contact us and we can 

probably help. It may be just that your 

digibox needs reprogramming/scanning, or 

the LNB on the dish replacing for the new 

signals. It needn’t cost a fortune to get 

good UK TV back. 

That’s it for this issue and this year – just 

remember that we, along with all the 

other installers cannot perform miracles 

in the week before Christmas. If you are 

thinking of upgrading for the festivities, 

get it booked in early and any arriving here 

just before Christmas, consider booking a 

system check on arrival rather than being 

left without TV! 

Article sponsored by RAINBOW 

SATELLITES, the company for all your 

TV needs in the Murcia region of southern 

Spain. Contact Alan or Matt for free friendly 

advice rainbowsats@gmail.com or call 

(0034) 686 358 475 

Web site www.rainbowsats.org has good 

basic information for TV viewing in Spain. 

Rainbow also sponsors the Trudy Ann 

show on Costa Calida Radio – 90.0 and 

100.0 FM. Matt will be doing a TV Q and 

A session with Trudy on the evening of 6th 

December – listen in – online if you are not 

in the reception area. 








Page 79 


MABS MAZ- 

ARRON RACE 

FOR LIFE 

Sunshine and 

blue skies 

greeted participants 

as 

the competitors 

gathered 

on Camposol 

Sector B, 

ready for the 

5 th MABS Mazarrón Race for Life on Sunday 

morning. Those who threw off their duvets 

and forfeited their Sunday morning lie-in 

could choose to amble, walk or run the 4km 

course.For the more energetic ones, there 

was an 8km circuit. Everyone who took part 

was rewarded with a t-shirt and a commemorative 

medal. First over the line in the 8km 

distance were James McCloughlan and Kathy 

Horgan from Calle Graena on Camposol D14 

and winners of the 4km distance were Helen 

Boocock and Nic Gilbert. 

“This is a big fundraiser for us” said Zue 

Burgess, MABS Mazarrón Co-ordinator. 

“We’re delighted to see so many people turn 

out to support the event today, and it is particularly 

pleasing to see some of our cancer 

patients taking part.” Sponsorship is still 

coming in and MABS estimates that the final 

total could reach around 4,000€ and would 

like to thank all the 

volunteers and stallholders 

for helping to 

make the Race for 

Life a success. 

MABS Mazarrón is 

a registered charity 

(No. 7261) offering 

help and 

support to local 

people of all nationalities 

who 

have been diagnosed 

with or are 

being treated for cancer. If you or someone 

you know would like some confidential 

help or support call our HELPLINE620 

422 410 or visit their website: www. 

mabsmurcia.com 

Photographer: Stan Laird 


Calle Sobrija 2248 

Sector D20 Camposol 

by Rev Len Eaton MBE 

As I write this it is mid November and 

Remembrance tide is just behind us. Christ 

the King, a celebration of Jesus’ reign is still 

ahead and immediately after that is Advent 

Sunday when we start to look forward to 

Christmas and the arrival of the baby Jesus. 

Just how much can we cram into one month? 

Of course Remembrance is not just for the 

11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month 

and this year almost uniquely the 11th year, 

but it is something we should practise every 

day of our lives in our prayers. However at 

the signing of the Armistice the King decreed 

that there would be two minutes silence in 

memory of the fallen every year at 11am 

on11th day of the 11th month - November 

Page 80 

and that decree has been followed ever 

since. At Camposol a service was held in 

the Memorial Garden, Parque Los Palicios, 

Sector A, with over 200 people, including 

the Mayor of Mazarrón and other Town 

Hall dignitaries in attendence. For once 

the weather was kind to us and the service 

was very well received by all, reflecting in 

many respects the upsurge and interest in 

Remembrance in UK and worldwide as seen 

on TV. On Remembrance Sunday we held 

our normal Remembrance service for our own 

congregation at 10.30am followed at 1pm 

by a service for the Ex-Service Association, 

Mazarrón. Despite having moved to our new 

Church this year, we find that we still do not 

have room to accomodate everyone of these 

two groups together at one time as we would 

wish. 

I would take this opportunity to wish you all a 

Holy, Peaceful and Joyous Christmas from all at 

St Nicholas Ecumenical Church at Camposol. 

Services for December 2011 

Sunday 4th Songs of Praise 10.30am 

Sunday 11th Holy Communion 10.30am 

Sunday 18th Carol Service 6.30pm 

Saturday 24th Midnight Mass 11.30pm 

All services are in English and take place at 

Calle Sobrija 2248, D20, Camposol, where a 

warm welcome awaits you. We have a very 

active ministry in the German language led 

by Rev Bro Konrad, who holds services in San 

José Church, Puerto de Mazarrón on the 2nd 

and 4th Sunday at 4pm. Services offered by 

the Church are Wedding Blessings, Holy 

Baptism, Confirmation and Funerals. We 

have a Pastoral Service throughout the year, 

people who listen, talk and are there to help 

anyone who is sick or in need. The Pastoral 

care is absolutely confidential. 

For any of the Church Services offered or 

other information, please call Rev Len Eaton 

on 968 138 952 or Rev Deacon Maureen Kent 

on 636 099 679 

ARE YOU A WOMAN OF FIRE? 

Women Of Fire are a supportive non-profit 

making business and networking group 

exclusively for women and are now well 

established since their launch in January 

2011 – and what a year it has been for 

them. The women who are attending their 

lunches come from diverse fields and many 

are finding inspiration from each other 

especially in such a difficult economic climate. 

Women Of Fire meet on the last Friday of the 

month at different venues and at a lunch you will 

find many things…..new customers, the answer 

to that business problem or work issue that 

you have been worrying about, or simply enjoy 

a great lunch in nice surroundings with likeminded 

people who could become your friends. 

You may find that inspiration you are looking for, 

improve your client base or hear of a fabulous 

business or job opportunity that is right for you. 

Women Of Fire have supported two 

charities so far -Paul Cunningham 

Nurses and The Lions Club and from 

November, HAH (Help at Home) 

Costa Blanca will be joining them. 

Women Of Fire are looking forward to 

meeting all you ladies who are either 

working, running her own business, thinking 

of setting up a business, or even wanting to 

meet and make new friends over fine dining. 

Their next lunches will be at Stan & Ollies in El 

Raso, Guardamar. 

They will hold their celebratory Christmas Lunch 

on Friday 16th December at the same venue. All 

members will have their Christmas lunch paid 

for by Women Of Fire and there is still plenty of 

time to join beforehand to take advantage of this. 

If you would like to know more about 

Women of Fire, please look on their 

website www.womenoffire.org or contact 

Christine on christine@womenoffire.org or 

telephone 966 795 103. 





Animal Organisations: 

Andrea’s Animal Rescue 

Fuente Alamo 

690 906 565 

Easy Horse Care 

Rojales 

652 021 980 

Galgos del Sol 

Murcia 

galgosdelsol@hotmail.com 

Helping Hands 

contact@helpinghands.org.es 

JJ’s Puppy Rescue Organisation 

Mazarrón 

618 034 921 

John Kemp’s Puppies 

La Pinilla, Fuente Alamo 

646 737 230 

K9 Pet Rescue 

San Fulgencio/La Marina 

611 606 001 

MARA Dog Rescue 

Mula 

685 311 599 

Noah’s ARC 

Mazarrón 

699 352 818 

(Charity Shop) 

968 154 507 

PAPS 

966 769 137 

Pilar Christian Community Church 

Pilar de la Horidada 

966 769 300 or 650 509 606 

Puerto Lumbreras Church 

619 945 283 

St Nicholas Church 

Camposol, Mazarrón 

968 138 952 

Wellspring Victory Church 

Bolnuevo, Mazarrón 

620 599 270 

Groups: 

ADAPT 

San Pedro 

966 189 402 

Cloud Nine Drama 

Mula 

644 400 123 

Ex-Servicemen’s Association 

Mazarrón 

968 965 058 

Friends & Buddies 


968 163 758 

Greenfingers Sector C Gardening 

Group 


626 513 842 

Help at Home 

San Javier 

633 673 034 

Homeowners Sector A 


608 029 112 

Welcome Group 


620 105 179 

If you would like details of your club or 

organization included on this page, please 

send an email to costacalidachronicle@ 

yahoo.es 

Charities: 

Age Concern Spain 

Mazarrón 

634 316 213 

Alcoholics Anonymous 

Mazarrón, Cuevas de Reyllo 

646 290 420 

Cabo De Palos 

968 545 181 

Costa Cálida Samaritans 

www.costablancasamaritans.com 

GO MaD 

Mazarrón 

678 598 677 

Help Murcia Mar Menor 

Santiago de la Ribera, San Javier 

968 181 623 

Lions Club of Mazarrón Bahía 

Mazarrón 

636 746 959 

MABS Mar Menor 

Mar Menor 

693 275 779 

MABS Mazarrón 

Mazarrón 

620 422 410 

MABS NE Murcia 

634 362 826 

MABS NW Murcia 

693 275 779 

Mazarrón Bahía Lions 

Mazarrón 

636 746 959 

PALS (Protection and Life Saving) 

Mazarrón 

968 437 837 

Churches: 

Mass in English 

Pastrana, Mazarrón 

628 824 555 

Olive Branch Christian Fellowship 

Cultural Centre, Camposol B 

618 720 181/968 199 622 




Page 81 


NEST specialises in NON-sporty, easy, social 

walks. If you’d like to discover areas 

of outstanding natural beauty without the 

stress of keeping up with sporty walkers, 

then NEST is for you! We are not sporty 

walkers and we admire our surroundings 

and chat as we go along, without getting 

puffed out or racing ahead. We are often 

in the beautiful mountains where we might 

see wild boar and other wildlife. We eat 

in authentic Spanish restaurants or have 

picnics. The meal is optional, though most 

people couldn’t be dragged away! NEST 

is about meeting new people, making 

friends and enjoying the scenery with no 

rush and no stress. Bring cameras, binoculars, 

something to sip, decent footwear for 

walking, and a smile - and dogs are also 

made very welcome on leads! There are always 

new people to meet on NEST walks, 

they are very sociable occasions! 

Friday 30th December 2011 – Spectacular 

Views Over Alhama Followed 

by Meal in Mountains 

Meet 10.30 in the Car Park opposite Camping 

Sierra Espuña in El Berro. 

This is one of the easiest and shortest walks 

on the NEST agenda and really an excuse 

for a celebratory get-together between 

Christmas and New Year festivities! It’s a 

great opportunity to get some fresh air and 

a teeny bit of exercise out of the house in 

very good company and have some fun, 

reminding ourselves of the beauty of nature 

whilst meeting friendly new people! A 

wonderfully easy walk if you’ve got family 

of all ages to bring along, since we don´t 

go in for sporty walks at the best of times 

and this one is truly the shortest and easiest 

of them all - just a short amble to see 

a truly breathtaking view, followed by a 

lovely meal in the mountains. Just the 

ticket between Christmas and New Year! If 

you need an excuse to get out of the house 

away from all the conventional festivities 

then this is it! The walk is 5€ and the optional 

delicious meal is 9€ for 4 courses 

including salad, starter, main course, dessert, 

a drink and coffee. Most people love 

the meal - the food is excellent and the 

chance of seeing wild boar in their natural 

environment there is a real feature! 

Be sure to book your places early, as places 

are limited. Phone or text 679002147 

with all your names and Spanish contact 

phone numbers or email natureespunatrails@gmail.com 

People can’t be accepted without a proper 

booking in advance, and having received a 

confirmation that they’re booked in. 

Keep your eyes peeled for new outings on 

the website at http://www.nestwalks.info 

and join the mailing list to stay informed of 

the newest opportunities – then you’ll get 

first choice on events - just fill in the ‘subscribe 

to my site’ box on the walks page of 

the website. 

THERE IS ALSO A NEW NEST FACEBOOK 

PAGE - FEEL FREE TO FRIEND UP THERE 

TOO AT Natureespunatrails Nest 

Looking forward to meeting you all! 


Page 82 








Page 83 


In 

association ati 

on 

with hC 

Costa aCáli Cálida International t na 

lR 

Radio and www.angloINFO.com 

Oc 

.c 

om 

Prehistoric Town of La Bastida near 

Totana (continued) 

An abundance of remains have been found 

at La Bastida. Perhaps unsurprisingly, 

the most numerous have been pieces of 

pottery such as vessels used for storage, 

cooking, eating and drinking. The 

ceramic vessels would be made in small 

ovens outside the houses. Particularly 

striking were large “orzas”, some 90cms 

high and 60cms across in which cereals 

were kept. Then, there are typical cups 

from the Argaric Era with their careful 

finish and occasional metallic lustre which 

have proved frequent finds at La Bastida. 

The Argaric People found a new process 

for creating such a metallic sheen on 

pots. Half way through firing them, the 

pots were rubbed in one direction along 

the clay material to give this sheen at 

the end of the process. Argaric Pots 

are, in fact, of a very distinct nature and 

8 typical designs have been identified. 

Their “cups”, for example, had a strangely 

unique and uneven pattern at their base 

and were particularly large, perhaps used 

as communal drinking vessels. 

Many stone tools have also been found, 

including crushers, mortars, hammers 

and knife grinders. Bone needles and 

clay loom weights are among other 

finds. These loom weights show that 

flax was an important material in the 

community. Remnants have been found 

next to copper objects (which changed 

the flax composition and helped preserve 

it) which show some of the material was 

remarkably fine. Wool and other natural 

materials were also worked. More exotic 

objects have also been uncovered such 

as metal ingots, ready for working into 

weapons or tools. There was a rich 

source of copper, for example, in one of 

the Sierras adjacent to La Bastida. While 

we were being shown the archaeological 

laboratory at La Bastida, on display was 

a pair of superb silver earrings which had 

been turned up on the site. 

But, to us, one of the most striking 

features is the large number of burials 

found under the floors of houses, though 

in some cases, tombs have been robbed 

in the past. Apparently, as many as 

one in five of burials actually took place 

inside the houses. A majority of these 

Page 84 

were of infants under the age of five, 

buried in small ceramic vessels with just 

a few grave goods to accompany them. 

It seems that, especially toward the end 

of the Argaric Period, infant mortality 

was high, due to infectious diseases and 

deficiencies in diet. However, some have 

even questioned whether infanticide was 

practiced on account of the very large 

number of such burials. Other tombs 

housed two individuals, but very few 

were of old people. Analysis of skeletons 

suggests that arthritis was quite common 

in women in the elbows and knees, 

perhaps associated with milling, while, 

in men, spinal column problems probably 

resulted from carrying heavy objects. 

Burial, in a pot or urn, became the 

norm at the time of La Bastida’s peak 

and thereafter. Previous to this, most 

burials appear rather to have been in 

stone “coffins” about a metre long and 

0.8 metres wide placed in a ditch and 

covered. For adults, the urns used in 

this later period could be of considerable 

size. The burial procedure would be to 

dig a ditch along part of the house floor, 

often at the foot of or close to a wall. The 

urn was put in a horizontal position in the 

ditch with stones carefully placed around 

it. The body with its grave goods would 

be placed inside the urn and its top closed 

with a large stone and other material 

before other stones were put in front of 

it. Earth and stones were then used to 

replace the house floor! Other interesting 

tombs have been found, including that 

of a high caste woman toward the top of 

the hill, whose grave goods included a 

necklace with fossilised shark’s teeth in it. 

Also, there was a warrior’s tomb with one 

of the largest halberd heads (a combined 

lance and axe like weapon) of this era 

ever found, made of well preserved 

copper. There was also evidence of the 

shaft. A superb dagger was among the 

other remarkable finds. It is perhaps a 

pity that the tombs cannot be left in situ 

in the house floors to be seen by visitors 

today, but they would clearly fill with 

water and degenerate. However, replicas 

may be possible in the future. 

Perhaps, therefore, we can now 

understand why La Bastida, near Totana, 

is regarded as one of Western Europe’s 

most important Argaric Sites. At the 

time of its greatest splendour some 

3600-3700 years ago, La Bastida had 

a population of around 1200 people and 

would have been one of Western Europe’s 

largest settlements! It would have been a 

true city with the area surrounding it, also 

well settled, under its control. 

What happened to La Bastida and why 

did it suddenly disappear towards the 

end of the second millennium BC, being 

abandoned by its inhabitants? The short 

answer is that we do not know, but La 

Bastida was not alone. About 3600 years 

ago the Argaric Civilisation seems to 

have begun to mysteriously disappear 

from the archaeological record. One 

suggestion is that it may have sown the 

seeds of its own downfall. According 

to one study, about 4200 years ago, 

significant amounts of charcoal began 

to appear, perhaps because the Bronze 

Age Argaric People were setting fire 

to forests in an attempt to clear them 

for grazing and other uses. What seems 

clear is that, within 300 years, the diverse 

forest eco-system previously visible in the 

pollen records had been replaced in many 

cases by fire-prone Mediterranean scrub. 

The resultant degradation of soils and 

vegetation may well have caused major 

problems for the Argaric Agricultural 

Economy, especially as populations 

increased. Climate change may also have 

played a part as it was becoming more 

arid. 

La Bastida is, therefore, a real treasure, 

well meriting the emphasis which is now 

being given to it. If you are interested in 

visiting it, then you should call in (or ring 

– 968 42 39 02) the Totana Tourist Office 

in the Town Hall in Totana and they will be 

able to tell you what may be possible, but 

go if you have the opportunity to see a 

real settlement from prehistory! 

Part taken from “Exploring Murcia – A 

Guide to Totana, Alhama de Murcia, 

Aledo, Pliego and the Sierra Espuña”, 

by Clive and Rosie Palmer which is 

available from www.lulu.com or contact 

clive.palmer5@btinternet.com 

Clive and Rosie Palmer have written 

several guide books on towns and regions 

in Murcia. Copies of some of the books 

may also be available from Cosas y Cosas, 

Cehegin and Best Wishes, Camposol 

Urbanización. 

Please e s 

tell e l our customers where e e you u saw their advertisement emen 

ent in the h 

Costa o t 

Cálida á Chronicle 

c e 

To place an advertisement r em 

en 

t with t 

us please e see e 

page a e 5 or contact o ct 

Teresa e esa 619 199 4077 


w. 

c a al 

i achr 

onic 

icle 

le.c 

.com 

email: i : costacalidachronicle@gmail.com 

alid 

achr 

on 

ic 

le@g 

il.c 

om




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Page 87 



It’s December again and Christmas time in 

the kitchen for all us cooks! Time to bring 

out the stuffing recipes, make the mince 

pies and cover everything in alcohol! While 

my family really enjoys the traditional Turkey 

with all its trimmings, I look for a bit 

of a twist here and there. One year I did 

all sugar-free desserts for my diabetic husband, 

while another year I looked at what 

to do with the leftover Turkey. This year I 

decided to try and find some recipes to liven 

up my vegetables on Christmas Day, but 

of course they can be used all year round. 

The lemon carrot recipe is a firm favourite 

with our Sunday roast and gives the carrots 

a lovely glaze (not to mention another use 

for my endless supply of lemons)! 

Buen Apetito 

Honey Roasted Parsnips 

125ml warm water 

175g honey 

Tablespoon melted butter 

5 parsnips, peeled and cubed 

Preheat oven to 190 C / Gas 5. Stir together 

water, butter and honey in a large 

bowl until the honey has dissolved. Add 

the parsnips and toss to coat. Transfer the 

parsnips and honey sauce into a 23x30cm 

or similar sized baking dish. 

Bake uncovered in preheated oven until the 

parsnips are very soft, about 30 minutes. 

Brussel Sprouts with Pine Nuts and 

Blue Cheese 

90g Brussels sprouts (ends trimmed and 

yellow leaves removed) 

115g butter, cut into pieces 

1 teaspoon sea salt 

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 

4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 

4 tablespoons pine nuts 

70g blue cheese, crumbled 

Preheat the oven to 180 C / Gas 4. 

Page 88 

Place the Brussels sprouts into a casserole 

dish. Arrange pieces of butter on top of the 

sprouts. Season with salt, pepper and lemon 

juice. Cover with the lid. 

Bake for 25 minutes in the pre-heated oven 

or until sprouts are just barely tender. Stir 

now and then to keep them from sticking. 

During the last 10 minutes, sprinkle the 

pine nuts over the sprouts and remove the 

lid. When the sprouts are done, sprinkle 

blue cheese over them before serving. 

Gnocchi and Asparagus in Sage and 

Lemon Butter 

80g salted butter 

2 cloves of garlic 

1 bunch of fresh sage 

1 lemon 

Salt and pepper 

500g gnocchi 

Asparagus 

50g Parmesan grated 

Boil a large pan of salted water. Meanwhile 

heat a frying pan and add the butter. Add 

garlic and sage and cook for 1 minute. 

Add lemon juice and zest and seasoning. 

Remove from heat. Place gnocchi and asparagus 

into boiling water and cook for 2-3 

minutes until the gnocchi rises to the top 

of the water. Strain well and gently tip into 

frying pan and gently toss together without 

reheating. Serve with sprinkled Parmesan. 

Leek and Parsnip Bake 

350g parsnips (cubed) 

350g leeks (chopped) 

1tbsp olive oil 

3 eggs separated 

2tbsp plain flour 

225g low-fat soft cheese 

Salt and pepper 

Boil parsnips in water until tender and drain 

and mash. Heat the oil and cook leeks until 

tender. Add half the leeks to the parsnips, 

stir in the flour and then the egg yolks. Beat 

egg whites until stiff and then add to the 

mixture. Spread the mixture in a tin and 

bake on 190 degrees for 25 minutes. Stir 

the remaining leeks into the soft cheese 

and heat up. Add seasoning to taste. When 

the bake is cooked remove from the oven 

and spread the leek/cheese mixture over 

the top. Serve either hot or cold. 

Crisp Roast Potatoes 

1kg (2 1/4 lb) potatoes, peeled and cut into 

thick chunks 

3 tablespoons beef dripping (or vegetable 

oil if preferred) 

2 tablespoons flour 

1 teaspoon dried oregano 

1 teaspoon turmeric 

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to 

taste 

Preheat oven to 200 C / Gas mark 6. 

Cook potatoes for 8 to 10 minutes in a 

large pot of boiling water. 

Place dripping or oil in a preheated roasting 

tin until almost smoking. 

Drain potatoes and return to pot. Sprinkle 

with the flour, turmeric, oregano, salt and 

pepper. Place a lid on the pot and shake 

vigorously so that potatoes are covered in 

the flour and spice mixture. Place in the 

roasting tin and toss to coat in the hot fat. 

Roast for about 40 minutes. 

Celeriac and Potato Mash 

250g potatoes 

400g celeriac 

250ml single cream 

Salt and pepper to taste 

Bring salted water in a large saucepan or 

pot to the boil. 

Peel and dice the potatoes and celeriac. 

Add the potatoes and celeriac to the boiling 

water and cook for about 30 minutes or 

until tender. 

Drain well, mash, then stir in the cream. 

Season and serve! 

Red Cabbage and Apple 

2 tablespoons vegetable oil 

550g shredded red cabbage 

1 onion, chopped 

2 tart apples - peeled, cored and sliced 

2 tablespoons water 

1 1/2 teaspoons salt 

Ground black pepper to taste 

3 tablespoons sugar 

3 tablespoons vinegar 

Heat oil in a medium-sized saucepan. Stir 

in cabbage and onion; fry until wilted. Stir 

in apple and water, salt and pepper. Cover 

and simmer about 25 minutes. 

Pour vinegar and sugar into the mixture 

while tasting for desired sweet and sour 

taste. Cook another 5 to 6 minutes. 

Lemon Carrots 

4 Carrots, peeled and chopped 

20g butter 

Juice of 2 lemons 

Steam carrots until just cooked and still 

firm. Melt butter and add the lemon juice. 

Toss the carrots in the butter mix and serve 

immediately. 





Excursion Cantalar - Sierra Villafuerte on 23 rd 

October. 

On our fourth excursion, at long last autumn 

has arrived and the temperature is good. 

We went in our cars in search of the group 

waiting for us in San Juan. There were a few 

shreds of clouds that seemed to cling to the 

slopes and accompanying us appearing and 

disappearing in the landscape before our 

eyes. We started the ascent of the Cantalar 

Ravine, where as expected, the spectacular 

scenery of the Dolomitic Needles are of lunar 

appearance, looking like warriors of sleepy 

rock giants guarding the mass of limestone 

that makes up the Sierra de Villafuerte. 

The fountainhead of the Cantalar was our 

starting point. We began our ascent enjoying 

high mountain vegetation and observing the 

maples that at this time of year are very 

evident among the pines. The air was so 

fresh that despite the rise, it remained warm. 

Honeysuckles, wild roses and pines trees 

were evident on our way up the Hill of Las 

Cabellas, from where the ascent was as if it 

were a stone stairway. The last of the group 

had an aromatherapy session rubbing thyme 

and other plants which emit their scent. Well 

perfumed, we arrived at the village. We have 

noticed dry maple leaves on the edge of the 

village. The tree has a multiple and twisted 

trunk embedded in the rock and covered with 

moss. Once at the summit, we enjoyed lunch 

and the views of 1749 metres in which we find 

ourselves. From this vantage point we can 

see the massif of Sierra Seca (Revolcadores), 

La Sagra, Mingarnao…from the Empanadas in 

the sierra de Cazorla and a good part of the 

Serrania Moratallera. 

After taking a group photo, we went to 

the Tardoromano-Visigoth town, crossing 

the stony ground when we found a curious 

arthropod on a stone. We finally found the 

challenges of the wall that surrounded the 

village which made us wonder why a group 

of humans would want to take refuge in a 

place so inhospitable. We descend by a small 

barranquera and on our way we discovered 

the remains of a banquet left by the vultures. 

Our journey took us to the area overlooking 

the Cantalar with views 

over the countryside 

of San Juan to the 

neighbouring province 

of Albacete where 

you can spend hours 

sitting listening to the 

wind in the pines cups 

and black junipers. A 

menacing black cloud 

approached from the 

west so we started to 

descend. 

We abandoned 

the old Laricio and 

returned looking for 

another access to the 

village. We noticed 

a few droppings of a 

fox, several of which 

we found during 

the excursion. We 

also discovered the 

presence of a polecat 

and a spring of large frogs in the water that 

the wild boar use for their hygienic mud 

baths. 

On arriving back at the cars, thunder warned 

us that we were about to get the long awaited 

rain in these dry mountains. We climbed 

into the car and headed for Bar Luís where 

we enjoyed a wonderful meal. (The photo 

of Ramona demonstrates this). We look 

forward to the next walk around Moratalla. 

Check the Costa Cálida Chronicle blog 

for up to date information or go to www. 

ayuntamientomoratalla.net 




Page 89 


Wednesday 9 th November saw ABBA Elite 

and DJ Helen come to entertain 278 people 

from Calasparra and local towns, Cehegin, 

Moratella, Caravaca, Bullas and Mula. 

The meal of Chicken, Pork and Potatoes 

served at La Daya was excellent with the 

smiling staff serving 27 tables quickly and 

efficiently. More was to come, once the table 

platters were emptied by the hungry party 

goers, the staff then came round with 2 nd ’s 

and in some cases 3 rd ’s but we are not telling 

which person or table that was! 

Then it was 

onto the main 

event – ABBA 

Elite. They 

started their 

first set with 

relatively 

s l o w 

numbers, but 

everyone was 

soon waving 

their arms 

in the air 

or clapping 

along as the 

music got 

quicker - a 

good start to 

let the meal 

settle down. During this set Rog and Rick had 

asked ABBA to present a printed T Sweatshirt 

to the biggest fan in the room - Tom. The 

room were overwhelming in their support for 

this present given to Tom and both Rog and 

Rick were grateful to the whole crowd for 

their response. 

The first set finished, it was down to Helen to 

get the dancers in the crowd up on the floor 

and she didn’t have to wait long. A total 

mixture of Rock ‘n roll, Motown and Twisting 

music brought out the best (or worse) in 

those on the dance floor. 

The second ABBA set was bit more up-tempo, 

which kept a lot of the crowd on the dance 

floor, enjoying live music to an exceptional 

performance in the likeness of the real group 

itself. 

DJ Helen came back on to wind down the 

evening, but it did not seem to deter the 

hardened “boppers” and we continued until 

around 12.45am when ‘Time to say Goodbye’ 

by Andrea Bocelli and Sarah Brightman 

brought the evening to a close. 

La Daya was an excellent venue. The 

Management and Staff were determined to 

look after us and they did. It was the first 

‘all English Party’ they had put on and with 

the service, value for money and ambience, it 

won’t be the last. This event was so successful 

that excess funds after all outgoings will go to 

local Calasparra organisations and schools. 

Thank you to everyone who supported this 

event and whilst a lot of people want to know 

when the next one is, MABS Christmas 

Party is on the 9 th December at the Sanctuary 

in Calasparra – so polish up your dancing 

shoes for that party. 

As for Rog and Rick, they are looking at next 

April for their event. 


Page 90 




On 15th October 21 people gathered 

near the campsite in Moratalla to start 

a beautiful 15 km walk on what was yet 

another hot and sunny day. We walked 

upwards for almost two hours, but we took 

lots of stops to look at the views and to 

catch our breath. After some 25 minutes 

walking on the level with glorious views 

out over the mountains of Murcia, we cut 

downwards to an old ruined cortijo to have 

lunch. There were three large fig trees as 

well as a couple of almond trees here so 

everybody was able to have fresh fruit and 

nuts with their lunch! After the break we 

continued on an undulating forest track 

until we finally reached the campsite again. 

asparagus which had just one small shoot 

showing, so we will be back in a couple 

of weeks when we should be able to pick 

enough for tea! Our circular route came 

out near the restaurant we had chosen for 

our lunch, which we really enjoyed, sitting 

outside overlooking the sea. Thanks to 

everyone for the excellent company and 

very enjoyable walk. 

If you are interested in joining a group of 

people who enjoy a variety a walks in the 

Murcia region please contact warm2005@ 

gmail.com for a copy of our programme. 

The next walk of the season was to have 

been a 24 kilometre walk led by Rick 

in the Valentín area. Unfortunately, 

on the day heavy rain forced Rick to 

postpone. Hopefully this will be rescheduled 

for the New Year. 

The third 

walk of the 

month was 

on the coast 

when twelve 

of us met at 

a beach-side 

cafe in Puerto 

de Mazarrón for a pre-walk aperitif. As we 

set off the sun was shining, which was a 

relief after a couple of days of showers. 

After a short stretch along the beach we 

turned away from the sea into a rambla. 

The first part was nice and easy with a 

dirt track through an area which used to 

contain tomato greenhouses, but they 

are now demolished and the area cleared 

of plastic remains. Very soon the track 

became more and more overgrown and we 

had to pick our way carefully through the 

undergrowth, at times scrambling out of 

the rambla due to pools of water impeding 

our way. We were very lucky to have with 

us Chelo who has studied wild plants and 

trees of the area and she was able to 

point out various interesting species. The 

track eventually came out at Las Balsicas 

where we followed the road as far as Los 

Lorentes and then turned into the Rambla 

de Los Lorentes to make our way back. 

This rambla was much less demanding 

and we passed some caves where the wild 

pigeons roost and we were lucky enough 

to see a Little Owl perching on a post 

watching us pass. Just before we came out 

of the rambla Chelo we spotted some wild 




Page 91 



The winter months in Spain are when the 

hunters are out in force, especially up in 

the mountains around towns such as Moratalla. 

During a huge forest fire in 1994, 

much of the flora and fauna of the mountains 

of Moratalla were destroyed. This 

area has been part of the reforestation 

project of restoring the pine trees and native 

bushes which has been carried out 

over the past few years. To encourage the 

wildlife to return to these mountains, the 

project is halted during the breeding and 

nesting season. This has meant that many 

birds and animals such as rabbits and wild 

boar have returned to the area. There are 

now 45 species of birds, including birds of 

prey identified in the area. There has even 

been a pair of golden eagles spotted on the 

Sierra del Cerezo Mountain and the mountains 

of Moratalla have been classified as a 

ZEPA bird protection area. 

Having seen an advert for Lorraine’s 

Face and Body mobile Beauty Treatment 

in the October edition of the Costa 

Cálida Chronicle, a group of us thought 

that with all the social activities going on 

at the moment, we could do with a ‘Pamper 

Day’ when we could get together and 

have our nails and other treatments such 

as massages and facials done. One of us 

had previously had Shellac put on her nails 

and she was so impressed that three of 

us had that treatment and others had either 

a full massage or just neck and head 

massages. It was the first time Lorraine 

had been to Northwest Murcia and as she 

comes from Fuente Alamo and it was quite 

a long way to travel, we made sure that it 

was worth her while by booking eight treatments. 

Lorraine was extremely professional 

and was with us from 10.30-5.30pm 

so we kept her well supplied with cups of 

tea and refreshments during the day and 

she has agreed to return at the beginning 

of December to get us all looking good for 

the run up to Christmas. If you would like 

Page 92 

to host a ‘Pamper Day’, give Lorraine a 

call on 676545436 and go to www.fabbeautywithlorraine.moofruit.com 

to see 

the range of treatments available. 

There will be the final showing of Classic 

Cars on December 7 in Benizar, during the 

morning and there will be trophies presented 

by the Mayor of Moratalla and organizers 

as well as a popular lunch. The event is 

being organised by MTV the local television 

company of Moratalla, La Maestra Alimentaria 

and the Mayordomía 2011 de Benizar. 

Yecla, Murcia - Fiestas Patronales de la 

Virgen del Castillo - Virgen del Castillo patron 

saint’s day fiesta - December 1 to 16 

The fiesta dates from the 17th century, 

and the highlight is the procession with the 

statue of the Virgin on the 8th where the 

noise of harquebuses (an old firearm shot 

by lighting a fuse with gunpowder) can be 

heard throughout the parade, and also during 

a large part of the celebrations, which 

date back to 1642. 

The event begins with the Blessing on 5 

December. In the evening, squads of soldiers 

taking part in the fiesta invite local 

residents to join in the celebrations. There 

are various cultural acts from the floral offering, 

to participants wearing a regulation 

uniform of a black hat with corners. 

Tel.: +34 968754104 

turismo@yecla.es 

http://www.yecla.es 

Cehegin Scene 

On the last Sunday of every month from 

October to June in the “Plaza del Castillo” 

the highest point in the old town of Cehegin 

(Casco Antiguo) there is a craft market 

known as “El Mesoncico”. There you will 

find more than 50 craftsmen of the area 

with stalls displaying such products as 

cured meats, hams, pottery, cakes, wines, 

cheeses, etc. Each of the monthly markets 

has a different theme showing traditional 

and local crafts. You will be able to taste 

and enjoy the foods and products most 

typical to this area. 

This month there will be no market “El 

Mesoncico”, however we have organized 

activities for you to enjoy in Cehegín. In 

the old town we are celebrating open door 

in the principal monuments and Churches 

such as Museo Arqueológico, Palacio de los 

Fajardo, Iglesia Mayor de Santa María Magdalena, 

Ermita de la Concepción, Iglesia de 

la Soledad, Santuario de la Virgen de las 

Maravillas, etc. Furthermore, you can enjoy 

the taste of typical Christmas sweets 

and music performed by “Cuadrilla de Animeros”. 

Free parking is available at the Marble 

Technology Centre situated in Carretera 

Murcia, approached from the West. A free 

bus service is operated to the market place 

every 20 minutes 

From the 8 th to the 11 th we celebrate the 

long weekend for the special Spanish 

food where many pubs will prepare typical 

dishes with a drink at a special price of 

2.5€. There are many special recipes to 

taste like porridge, rice with tripe, Castilian 

garlic soup, Murcian stew, olla bullera, 

potatatoes with garlic, lentils, mushrooms, 

etc. 

Every weekend you can visit the Ecological 

Park opened to visitors from 10am until 

6.00pm at weekends, everybody is welcome. 

For visits during the week however, 

a reservation is required by telephone to 

696 775 783. 

If there are any further enquiries please 

contact the Cehegin Tourist Office at 968 

723 550 or visit our tourist website www. 

turismocehegin.es 

Santiago Leo 

Cehegin Tourist Office 





Dear Editor 

I am writing this letter to tell readers about 

the palliative care that is available for cancer 

patients in Spain. 

It has been a few weeks since my lovely 

husband David died of cancer and I now feel 

able to talk about my experience. 

David came home from hospital for what was 

only to be a few weeks. When we left hospital 

we were told that David would receive some 

palliative radiotherapy. We were given a list of 

medication he needed, but were not provided 

with any other means of help, even though we 

asked. David’s health at the point of discharge 

was poor – he was unable to walk or feed 

himself and was clearly going to need full time 

care at home. During this time, I cared for 

David with everything that I had. 

In David’s final weeks, I found it so very hard 

with his general care – lifting and washing and 

feeding him. I knew of no help available and 

none was offered. Everyone I had spoken to 

at the hospital was in the same position. They 

did not know of any home care available. 

The day before David died, my GP told me 

about the palliative care team available. They 

are a cancer specialist doctor and nurse who 

will come to your home and help you care for 

your loved one. All you have to do is ask your 

doctor, because IT IS AVAILABLE to you. 

David was provided wi th medical assistance 

that he needed whilst in hospital and all the 

drugs that he needed to help his condition. 

However, in the UK we are well informed 

about the availability of qualified palliative 

home-care. I do not believe that it is common 

knowledge in Spain that this care is there 

for you if you need it. It will make you and 

your loved ones’ lives easier, calmer and more 

dignified. Please do not struggle on without it. 

I wish no-one to go through what I did. I just 

wish I was told about this help earlier. 

David died on 9 th September in the arms of the 

two people he loved so very much, but it would 

have made his passing so much easier if I had 

had the help available. 

Our love for him will never die. 

Angelalupe@gmail.com 

Dear Editor 

I´m writing with regard to one of your 

advertisers, Viajes Dragontours. 

I normally don´t use the services of a 

Travel Agent, preferring to organise holidays 

independently. However, I recently decided to 

take a cruise for the first time and saw one 

being advertised that seemed to meet all our 

criteria. I contacted Eileen who was a wealth 

of knowledge and expertise and gave fantastic 

help and advice, even checking us in on online, 

to save time upon arrival at the Port. 

The cruise was even better than expected 

and I´d like to thank Eileen for her help and 

patience and will certainly be calling on her 

again. 

Yours faithfully 

Martin, Camposol 




Page 93 



Every Mon 

Every Tue 

Page 94 

Wellbeing Clinic/Calida Caring Agency 

Jane’s Salon, Bolnuevo 

Watch Your Weight Club, 2€ to MABS 

Jane’s Salon, Bolnuevo, 10.30am 

Yoga with Marí Carmen 

Bolnuevo, 10am 

Slimming Club 

Cat’s Bar, Camposol A, 11am 

Bingo 

Market Tavern, Pto de Mazarrón, 11am-3pm 

Andrea’s Animal Rescue, Shop Collection 

Car Park, Camposol B, 11.30-1.30pm 

GO maD Available for Donations 


Costa Calida Radio (Pto), 3-5pm 

Zumba with Louise 

Sensol Hotel, Camposol C, 7.30pm 

4 course pre Christmas Dinner 

The Market Tavern, Pto de Mazarrón, 

16.95€ 

Music Quiz with John 

Trevi Bar, Camposol B, 9pm 

Entertainment Quiz 

Tel’s Bar, Camposol A, 9pm 

Yoga/dance classes 10am and 11.30am 

Condado Club, Condado de Alhama 

Pensionista Day 1€ discount 

Cat’s Bar, Camposol A 

Weekly “B” Clean Working Party 

Camposol B, 9am 

MAMAS Collection /Book Stall 10am-1pm 

Camposol B Car Park, opp garage 

“Pick/Try/Choose/Buy/Donate” 

MABS Murcia NE 

Apts Maruja, Baños de Fortuna, 

10.30-12pm 

Dance Fitness to Music with Annette 

Hotel Sensol, Camposol C, 11am 

Fish and Chips 

The Arches, Los Alcázares, from 6pm 

Every Wed 

Every Thu 

Fun Quiz Night with Eddie B 

Market Tavern, Pto de Mazarrón, 7.30pm 

General Knowledge Quiz 


Karaoke @ 

The Arches, Los Alcázares 

Gardening Group Clean Up 

Camposol C, 9.00am 

Bridge, New Players Welcome 

Trevi Bar, Camposol B, 9.45am 

Yoga with Marí Carmen 

Bolnuevo, 10.00am 

Age Concern booking events etc 

Cultural Centre, Camposol B, 10am-12pm 


Hotel Sensol, Camposol C, 11.30am 

PALS for booking events etc 

Saralara’s, Pto de Mazarron, 1-3pm 

Creative Writing Group/Annette 

Camposol, 2-3.30pm 

Book/DVD Club with HAH 

La Zona Bar, Los Narejos. 2.30-4.30pm 


Tara’s Casa, 5pm 

Fish and Chip Night, 

Cat’s Bar, Camposol A, 6.50€ 

Quiz Night with Costa Cálida Radio 

DJ Mark the Spark 

Hacienda del Alamo Clubhouse, 8pm 

Steak Night (3 courses) 

Don Ricardo’s, Pto de Mazarrón, 15€ 

Quiz with Nigel 

Trevi Bar, Camposol B, 8.30pm 

Dominoes, 5’s and 3’s 

Tel’s Bar, Camposol A, 8.30pm 

Mens’ Darts In the Evening 


Karaoke/Disco with Lisa B @ 

Alley Palais, Camposol B, 9pm 

Camposol Market 

Camposol A 

Wellbeing Clinic with Calida Caring Agency 

Dental Care, Camposol B, 10am-4pm 

Alternative Thursdays 

“Pick/Try/Choose/Buy/Donate” 

MABS Murcia NE 10.30-12pm 

Apts Maruja, Baños de Fortuna 

Slimming Club 

Cat’s Bar, Camposol A, 11am 


Tel’s Bar, Camposol B, from 11am-1.30pm 


Hotel Sensol, Camposol C, 11.30am 

“Latin Beats”/Annette 

Trevi Bar, Camposol B, 11.30-12.30pm 

Andrea’s Animal Rescue Collection Point 

Mazarrón Country Club Bar, 11.30-1pm 

Mini Movers/Dance/Drama with Louise 

Cultural Centre, Camposol B, 3pm 

Modern Movers Dance with Louise 


Street Dance with Louise 


Adult Beginner Salsa with Louise 

Cultural Centre, Camposol B, 7.30pm 

“Turkey and Tinsel” Menu 

Don Ricardo’s, Pto de Mazarrón 

General Knowledge Quiz 


Karaoke with Bernie Mac @ 





Every Fri 

Cat’s Bar, Camposol A, 9pm 

Ladies’ Darts in the evening 


Evening Special Menu 8pm 

Buen Descanso, Tallante, 20€ 

Fun Quiz Night 

Bar La Manchica, La Manchica 

Fresh Fish Night, 3 courses 


Curry Night 

Market Tavern, Pto de Mazarrón, 10€ 

Bridge, New Players Welcome 

Trevi Bar, Camposol B, 9.45am 

Book Sale/Bric-a-Brac. Noah’s ARC 

Camposol B, 10am-2pm 

Book Stall. Camposol A Gardening Group 

Car Park Camposol A. 10.30-12.30pm 

Lions Bahia Mazarrón booking events etc 

Kennelly’s, Camposol B 11am-1pm 

Age Concern booking events etc 

Trevi Bar, Camposol B 11am-1pm 

GoMad Available for Donations 


Costa Calida Radio (Pto), 12.30-2pm 

10 Pin Bowling, Camposol C Garden Group 

Totana, 4pm 

Mark Phoenix Hypnotheraphy @ 

Dental Care, Camposol B 

Fish and Chips 

The Arches, Los Alcazares, from 6pm 

Fish & Chips 5€ 

The New Royal, Pto de Mazarrón 

Fish & Chips & Live Music @ 

Hacienda del Álamo Clubhouse, 12€ 

Evening Special Menu 


Fresh Fish Night, 3 courses 


Bingo 

Cat’s Bar, Camposol A, 7.30pm 

Karaoke with Eddy B @ 

The Steak Out, Camposol B 

Steak Night, 19.95€ for 2 

The Spaniard, Hacienda del Alamo 

Karaoke and Disco @ 

Tel’s Bar, Camposol A 

Disco @ 

Alley Palais, Camposol B, 9pm-3am 

Every Sun 

DECEMBER 

Friday 2 

Car Boot Sale, 8.30am 

Cañadas del Romero Social Centre 

Car Boot Sale, 9am-2pm 

El Romero, Cuevas de Reyllo 

HELP MMM Car Boot 

Autocine, Los Narejos 

Sunday Lunch 

Cat’s Bar, Camposol A, from 4.50€ 

Sunday lunch & Music @ 

Hacienda del Alamo Clubhouse 

Sunday Lunch from 6.95€ 

The Spaniard, Hacienda del Alamo 

Sunday Roast 

Trevi Bar, Camposol B 

3 course Sunday Roast (lunch & evening) 


4 course Sunday Roast 

Hotel Mariposa, Gebas, 15€ 

Classic Sunday Dinner 

Market Tavern, Pto de Mazarrón 

Sunday roast from 7.95€ 

La Vista, Los Alcázares 

Karaoke/Disco with Bernie Mac @ 

Trevi Bar, Camposol B, From 7pm 

Fun Bingo 

Cat’s Bar, Camposol A, 8.30pm 

Quiz and Games Night 

The Arches, Los Alcazares 

Davis Cup 

Spain v Argentina, Sevilla 

Outdoor Market Stall/MABS 

Calle Segura, Calasparra, 9am-1pm 

Christmas Fair and Book Club 

El Patio Bar, Pliego 

Steve & Rhionne @ 


Rusty Brass & Fish ‘n Chips 5€ @ 

New Royal, Pto de Mazarrón 

Lenny Mitchell @ 

Cafeteria 525, Los Alcázares 

Every Sat 

Book Sale with MABS Murcia Mar Menor 

The Arches Bar, 10am-1pm 


Trevi Bar, Camposol B, 11am-1.30pm 

Dance and Drama with Louise 

Cultural Centre, Camposol B, 11.30am 

Karaoke/Disco with Bernie Mac @ 

Trevi Bar, Camposol B. 9pm–late 

3 Course Saturday Special 


Evening Special Menu 8pm 


Karaoke with Eddy B @ 

The Steak Out, Camposol B 





Page 95 



Saturday 3 

Sunday 4 

Monday 5 

Tuesday 6 

Page 96 

Cálida Country Music Club Night 

La Molata, Cañadas de Alhama, 8pm 

Santa Bárbara 

Caravaca de la Cruz (until 8th) 

San Francisco Javier 

San Javier 

Welcome Meeting 

Mariano’s, Camposol A, 2pm 

Christmas Fayre/Age Concern 1€ 

Lagarto Verde, Via Axial, Pto de Mazarrón 

Navidad - HAH, stalls/fashion show etc 

Las Claras 

Barrington @ 



Country Bowls Bar & Restaurant, Valle del 

Sol 

Obsession Duo @ 

Hotel Mariposa, Gebas 

Disco @ 

Las Torres, Pto de Mazarrón, 9.30pm 

Full Circle @ 

Sensol Golf Club, Camposol C 

Santa Bárbara 

Mazarrón 

Navidad Craft Fayre/Help MMM 

Las Claras, Los Alcázares, 5pm 


The Snug, Torre de la Horadada 

Christmas Dinner/HAH 

Campbell’s Restaurant, 15€ 

National Holiday 

Fiestas de la Virgen 

Yecla 

Book & Jigsaw Swap/“Welcome” 

ICA Medical Centre, Camposol B, 10am, 

50c 

Christmas Lunch/HELP MMM, 

Oasis Restaurant, Los Belones, 22.50€, 

1pm 

Auction/ MABS Murcia North East 

Bob’s Bar, Carretera Pinoso, Fortuna, 2pm 

Annual Meeting of “D” Gardening Group 


Crib Night/”Welcome” 

Mariano’s, Camposol A, 7.30pm, 1€ 

Friends & Buddies Evening 


Spanish singing/Karaoke/bingo 7.30pm 


Wednesday 7 Ladies’ Fair, Handbags/shoes etc 

Jane’s Salon, Bolnuevo, 11am-3pm 

Ladies’ Day Trip to Benidorm/“Welcome” 

17€ (market only 12€) 

Lions Meeting 


Samantha Curtis @ 


Free Golf Lessions with David Gay @ 

Roda Gold & Beach Resort 10am-3.30pm 

Thursday 8 

Friday 9 

Saturday 10 

Sunday 11 


La Purísima 

Mazarrón 

Santa Eulalia 

Totana 

Christmas Fayre/Market/Pony Rides/BBQ 

Meta Riding Centre, 11am-3pm 

“Long Weekend of the Stew” (until 11 th ) 

Cehegin 

‘Best of Spain Day’ from 12pm 

Tapas/sangria. Paella & traditional food 

2.30pm 

Flamenco 5pm. Evening traditional music 

/singing. 3€ 


Indoor Market with fashion/bling/dvd’s 

etc 

Alley Palais, Camposol B 

Christine & Fish ‘n Chips 5€ @ 


Christmas Party/MABS NW inc food & 

drinks 

Rest. Santuario de la Esperanza, 7.30pm, 

25€ 

Christmas Party /Sector C Garden Group 

Trevi Bar, Camposol B, 8pm, 16€ inc 

buffet/music 

Christmas Dance/Camposol “B” Clean 

Camposol Golf Club, 4 course carvery, 20€ 

Christmas Market 

Las Torres, Pto de Mazarrón, 11am-3pm 

Teddy Bear Auction/Calida Caring/GOmaD 

In aid of Children in Poverty, Mazarrón 

Monroes, Bolnuevo, 12pm-4pm 

Shaky Ground @ 


Smoove Groove @ 


The CAS Band @ 


3 Course Pre Christmas Meal & Live Music 

@ 

El Patio Bar, Pliego, 12€, Bookings Only 

Race Night with HAH 

Henry’s Bar, Los Alcázares, Beef Casserole 

Supper 

Abba-Cadabra and buffet with Helping 

Hands 

Hotel Puerto Juan Montiel, Aguilas, 8pm, 

20€ 

Demonstration and workshop of bamboo 

fencing @ Cortijo Raja, Morata 

Darwinian Gardeners Tel: 669 338 885 

Benidorm Market with Viajes Dragontours 

19€ (optional visit to Guadalest, 24€) 

Christmas Show/BBQ/Raffle/Pony Rides 

etc 

Meta Riding Centre, 11am, 1€ 


The Priory, El Galan 

Christmas Ball with PALS 





Monday 12 

Costa Costa Hotel, Mazarrón, 27.50€ 

Guided Walk & 4 course meal/drinks 


Sew´n´Sos Sewing Group/MABS Murcia 

NE 

Urb Las Kalendas, Fortuna, 2pm 

Wednesday 21 “Chatters”/HAH 11am 

The Garden, behind Euromarina Alcazares, 

Debbie Slater @ 


Steve the Spit @ 


Tuesday 13 

Christmas Lunch/Andrea´s Animal Rescue 

Bali Hi, Camposol B, 15€ 

Sunflower Valley @ meal/show 18€ 

Sensol Golf Club, Camposol C 


La Rustica Line Dance Club, Torrevieja 

Wednesday 14 3 x 1 Super Christmas Shopping 

Dragontours 16€ 

Benidorm Trip/Lions Mazarrón 15€ 

December “Social”/Age Concern 

Cultural Centre, Camposol B, 1.30-3.30pm 

Office Volunteers’ Lunch/HELP MMM 

Las Claras, Los Alcázares, 1.30pm 

Party Night/“Welcome” 

Mariano´s, Camposol B, 12€, food 

optional, 7.45pm 

Suzy G’s Christmas Show @ 


Thursday 15 

Friday 16 

Saturday 17 

Sunday 18 

Monday 19 

Tuesday 20 

Christmas Magic Show/Dance/Fiestas 

Camposol 

Trevi Bar, Camposol B, 15€ 

Outdoor Market Stall/MABS NW 

Calle Segura, Calasparra, 9am-1pm 

“Bobby Dazzler” range of jewellery,bags 

etc 

New Royal, Pto de Mazarrón,12-4pm 

Candlelight Carol Service/Mince Pies/Soft 

Drinks 


Christmas Quiz & Fish ‘n Chips 5€ @ 


Calida Country Music Club Night 

Feat. Stetsons & Petticoats 

La Molata, Cañadas de Alhama, 8pm 

Christmas Lunch/Women of Fire 

Stan & Ollies in El Raso, Guardamar 

Christmas Quiz 

El Patio Bar, Pliego, 9pm 

Suzie G Diva Show @ 


Martin Ross @ 


Pre-Christmas Party Evening 


Benidorm Palace Trip/Lions Mazarrón 

Show/Evening Meal/Half Board Hotel/ 

Coach, 129€ 

Christmas Market & Dog Show/MARA 

Cabezo de la Plata, Nr Murcia Centre, 

11am-3.30pm 


The Priory, El Galan 

Andrea’s Animal Rescue, Shop Collection 

Car Park, Camposol B, 11.30-1.30pm, 

mince pies/sherry 

Christmas Carols/Wellspring Church & 

Fiestas Camposol, Mince Pies/Mulled Wine 

Triangle Roundabout, Sector D, Camposol, 

6pm 

Lynden B’s Christmas Show @ 




Central Roundabout, C5, Camposol, 6pm 



Thursday 22 

Friday 23 

Saturday 24 

Christmas Market/fashion/bling/DVD’s 

etc 


Mince Pies & Sherry 

Andrea´s Animal Rescue Charity Shop, 

Fuente Alamo 



Car Park, Camposol A, 6pm 

Christmas Market/fashion/bling/DVD’s 

etc 




Commercial Centre, Camposol B, 6pm 

Shakey Ground & Fish ‘n Chips 5€ @ 


Christmas Eve 

Christmas Eve Lunch 


Mulled wine, nibbles, Santa, Christmas 

Carols 

The Steak Out, Camposol B, from 6.30pm 


Mariposa Hotel, Gebas 

CJ Karaoke/Disco/Christmas Draw @ 

El Patio Bar, Pliego, 9pm 

Protocol @ 

Sensol Golf Hotel, Camposol C, 5€ inc 

mince pies 

Party Night/free buffet/party bag/ 

prizes @ 

Tel’s Bar, Camposol A, FREE ENTRY 

Disco/Karaoke with Lisa B @ 

Kennelly’s, Camposol B 

Karaoke with Kevin @ 

Alley Palais, Camposol B 8pm 

Carol Service/Wellspring Victory Church 

Calle Madrid,Camposol A,7.30pm,mince 





Page 97 


Sunday 25 

Monday 26 

Tuesday 27 

pies/hot drinks 

Christmas Day 

4 course Lunch 

Tel’s Bar, Camposol A, 32€ 

5 course Lunch 

The Steak Out, Camposol B, 39.99€ 

3 course Lunch @ 

El Patio Bar, Pliego, 17.50€, 3.00pm 

5 Course Lunch 

The Market Tavern, Pto de Mazarrón, 45€ 

Traditional Christmas Day Dinner 

Amapola Restaurant, Bolnuevo, 38€ 


Meson el Saladillo, Salida 17, RM3 

Christmas Lunch Menu 

The New Royal, Pto de Mazarrón 

Boxing Day 

Kennelly’s Annual Football Match v 

Camposol Kids & Parents 

El Pareton, 11am, All Welcome 

Boxing Day Lunch 15€ 


“Queen” Tribute & “Bryan Adams” @ 

Sensol Golf Hotel, Camposol C, 12€ 

Karaoke & Disco with Bernie Mac @ 


Guided Walk & 4 course meal/drinks 


MABS Mazarrón Meeting 

Outside Trevi, Camposol B, 11.30am 

Monthly “B” Clean Meeting 




Wednesday 28 MABS Murcia NE Meeting 

La Carcelera, Urb Las Kalendas, Fortuna, 

11.30am 

Saturday 31 

JANUARY 

Sunday 1 

Tuesday 3 

Booksale/MABS Mazarrón 

Trevi Bar, Camposol B, 9am-1pm 



New Year’s Eve 

New Year’s Eve Dance/“Welcome” 

Mariano’s, Camposol B, 25€ inc food, 8pm 

Clifford Jay & Julia & disco @ 



La Sierra Golf Resort, Balsicas 

Tony Lincoln’s Party Night @ 

The Arches, Los Alcázares, free buffet 

4 Course Dinner/Disco @ 

New Royal, Pto de Mazarrón, 25€ 

Party/Disco with CJ @ 

El Patio Bar, Pliego, 6€ inc buffet 

Party Night & free buffet @ 


Live Cabaret Singers & Eddie B @ 

The Steak Out, Camposol B, Ticket Only 

Free Entry/Free Buffet/Free Wine 

(3 Course Meal 19.95€) 

4 Course New Year’s Evening Menu 


Live Music and Meal @ 


Music and Karaoke with Lisa B @ 

Alley Palais, Camposol B 8pm 

Disco/free finger buffet @ 

Kennelly’s, Camposol B, Free Entry 

New Year’s Day 

New Year’s Day Lunch @ 

Chez Zoe, Pto de Mazarrón 

Sponsored Swim with PALS 

Bahia Beach 



Friday 30 

Indoor Market/fashion/bling/dvd’s etc 


Walk with NEST with optional meal 

Meet 10.30am El Berro Car Park, Sierra 

Espuña 

Table Top Sale with Go maD 

Camposol B, 10am-2pm 

Wednesday 4 January “Social”/Age Concern 

Cultural Centre, Camposol B, 1.30-3.30pm 

Friday 6 


Día de Reyes 

Spain 

Special Lunch & Evening Menu 



Page 98 

Saturday 7 

Romería del 7 de Enero 

Totana 

“Welcome” Meeting 

Mariano’s, Camposol A, 2pm 

Colour coding guide: 

Entertainment and special menu nights are Red 

Markets,exhibitions,leisure,activities and meetings are 

purple 

Charity and non profit making organisations are green 

National events are orange 

Fiestas are pink 

Important dates are blue 





L e n n y 

has been 

working as a 

professional 

l e a d - 

guitaristsinger 

for 

over 35 

years. He 

has worked 

with many 

well known 

bands and 

his history can be reviewed on www. 

myspace.com/lennymitchell and 

youtube. 

For the past 3 years 

Lenny 

has been 

working successfully, 

as a solo 

musician, 

in the Costa Cálida/ 

Blanca 

area. He 

is popular with all 

audiences 

and 

has 

an 

excellent 

reputation for the 

superb 

quality 

a n d 

variety of 

his 

work. 

He plays stunning 

live guitar solos 

and 

sings great 

songs, mainly from 

the 60’s and 70’s, 

including pop, rock & 

roll, ballads, country and blues, using high 

quality backing tracks. 

Available for restaurants, hotels, bars, 

private parties, sports clubs, societies, 

dinner-dances, celebrations or fund raising 

events, etc. 

December gigs: 

Saturday 3 rd : Country Bowls Bar y 

Restaurante, Puerto Del Garruchal, Valle 

de Sol 

Sunday 4th: The Snug, Torre de la 

Horadada 

Friday 9 th : Camposol Golf Society, Playasol 

Hotel, Bolnuevo 

Sunday 11 th : The Priory, El Galan 

Tuesday 13 th : La Rustica, Line Dancing 

Club, Torrevieja 

Friday 16 th : Camposol, Sector D party, 

Sensol Golf Club 

Sunday 18 th : The Priory, El Galan 

Christmas Eve: La Mariposa Hotel, 

Sierra de Espuna 

Christmas Day: Meson el Saladillo, salida 

17 ( Mazarrón – Totana) 

Friday 30th: The New Royal, Puerto de 

Mazarrón 

New Year’s Eve: La Sierra Golf Resort, 

Balsicas 

For more information and bookings, please 

telephone Di on 658321891, 

email us at lennymitchell@live.co.uk or 

facebook Lenny Mitchell, Cartagena. 

For a great night of lively dance music with 

many journeys down memory lane, invite 

Lenny & his Musical Time Machine for 

the evening. 




Page 99 


Still Keeping It Country!(with an added 

bonus)! 

What a difference a few new doors & 

windows can make! The new repairs to 

the La Molata Social Centre have drastically 

improved the degree of comfort in the main 

hall. No more freezing temperatures or uncomfortable 

draughts! Who knows – there 

could even be some air conditioning in there 

before next summer? 

Joking aside, ‘Cálida Country’ CMC is still one 

of the more popular evening venues in the 

Costa Cálida area and have just released their 

programme for the next few months. The 

club is held twice each month – on the first 

and third Fridays – from 8.00pm, at the Social 

Club in La Molata, Los Muñoces – near Cañadas 

de Alhama, located just off the RM23/ 

MU 603 and only around 10km from Camposol. 

Boasting a large dance floor, it’s also a licensed 

premises, with drinks at Spanish prices 

and their hosts, Antonio & Cheryl, maintain 

a superb kitchen. The ‘fish and chips’ are, 

reportedly, ‘to die for!’ Advance bookings for 

meals should be made to Cheryl on 619 003 

022 to avoid disappointment. 

The club is a non-profit making organisation, 

but having said that, they charge a small 

entrance fee of €5per couple (or €3 per single) 

together with a raffle, held on each club 

night, to pay for any Live Artistes and club 

running costs. Net profits from all income are 

donated, via the Lions Club of Mazarrón 

Bahía, to the joint Lions/PALS C.A.F.E. appeal. 

The total that they have donated to this 

deserving cause currently stands at an astonishing 

€2,000. 

The club’s live act for December is a fabulous 

CM Songsters Tribute show entitled 

‘Stetsons & Petticoats’ presented by Red 

Strokes and Christine King. It promises to be 

a lot of fun & shouldn’t be missed! 

Moving on 

to next year, 

appearing in 

January is 

the fabulous 

‘Prospectors’ 

duo. If you’re 

a ‘fiddle’ or 

‘mandolin’ aficionado, 

these 

guys are a delight 

to both 

see and hear! Don’t miss them! 

A new face at the club in February – and all 

the way from Liverpool – is the multi-talented, 

award winning, ‘JP Vincent’. 

With the fantastic, and ever-popular, ‘Cactus 

Jack’ coming over from the UK for March, 

and the superb Cherry K lined up for April, 

Calida Country continues to offer first class 

entertainment! 

Following last month’s fabulous Country Music 

Festival in Pulpi, and bearing in mind the 

forthcoming ‘4 th Camping Marjal Country 

Music & Linedancing Festival’ at Catral, nr 

Guardamar, next March (10/11), there’s plenty 

happening for Country Music enthusiasts! 

In outline, their programme for the next few 

months is... 

Fri 16 Dec STETSONS & PETTI 

COATS SHOW 

Fri 06 Jan Country Disco/Karaoke 

Fri 20 Jan THE PROSPECTORS CM 

DUO 

Fri 04 Feb Country Disco/Karaoke 

Fri 18 Feb JP (Jimmy) VINCENT 

Fri 03 Mar Country Disco/Karaoke 

Fri 17 Mar CACTUS JACK 

Fri 07 Apr Country Disco/Karaoke 

Fri 21 Apr CHERRY K 

Just remember to... KEEP IT COUNTRY! 

For further information on what’s 

happening, contact… 

Mervyn Booth on 968 163 082 


Page 100 







Page 101 


At the time of writing there are only a 

handful of tickets left for the 3 rd Annual 

Gala Evening and Dinner organised by 

Los Amigos de Mazarrón FC, in support 

of Mazarrón Football Club. 

It will be held at the Hotel La Cumbre, Puerto 

de Mazarrón on Wednesday 8 February 

2012 and is being jointly sponsored by New 

Images, the No. 1 Unisex Hair & Beauty 

Salon and Nail Bar of Centro Comercial, 

Sector B, Camposol, and Ibex Insurance of 

C.C. Upper Local 2, Avda Doctor Mesa S/N, 

Puerto de Mazarrón. 

The guest speaker is the former Nottingham 

Forest, Leeds United, Everton, Chelsea and 

Blackburn Rovers striker, Duncan McKenzie 

and former Sheffield United, Leeds, Queens 

Park Rangers and England international, 

Tony Currie will also be in attendance. 

Tickets are €40 and include a four course 

meal with coffee and local beer, house wine 

and soft drinks during the serving of dinner, 

and can be reserved by telephoning Andy 

on 634 040 990. 

performances. 

Mazarrón games are normally played on 

Sundays with varying kick off times. Full 

details of all games, both home and away, 

are announced on the Tuesday before the 

weekend on which the game is to be played 

and are displayed on the Costa Calida 

Chronicle blogspot, our website www. 

losamigosdemazarron.es and on posters 

at various points throughout Camposol and 

Mazarrón. 

Provisional fixtures for December are:- 

Sunday 4 th 

FC Puente Tocinos (HOME) 

Sunday 11 th 

UD Los Garres (AWAY) 

Sunday 18 th 

Thader Murcia CF (AWAY) 

Admission to home games is just €5. Los 

Amigos de Mazarrón FC organise coaches 

to all away games and the cost of a coach 

ticket is €7. Coach tickets can be purchased 

at our weekly meetings which are held at 

the Trevi Bar, Camposol every Thursday at 

4 pm. 

At the home game on Sunday 4 th December, 

the last home game before Christmas, Los 

Amigos members will again be distributing 

their traditional Christmas gift of sausage 

rolls, mince pies and cider to our fellow 

Spanish supporters. 

We are delighted that our football liaison 

officer, Steve Spencer, is now back with us in 

Spain. Steve suffered a heart attack whilst 

on a visit to his family in San Francisco at 

the end of September and needed a triple 

heart by-pass operation. Amazingly, Steve 

and his wife Jan, were back in Mazarrón 

in mid-November and Steve is making 

excellent progress and once again keeping 

Jan on her toes. 

If you are interested in football and 

would like to take part in Los Amigos de 

Mazarron FC activities, please join us for 

our weekly meetings, every Thursday at 

the Trevi Bar, Sector B Camposol at 4 pm. 

Membership of Los Amigos is just €10 and 

all funds raised are in support of Mazarrón 

Football Club. 

We would like to take this opportunity 

of wishing all our members, sponsors 

and fellow Mazarrón FC supporters a 

very Merry Christmas and a Happy and 

Prosperous New Year. 


On the field, Mazarrón have really struggled 

so far this season. The loss of captain and 

central defender Juan Andres through work 

commitments has been a big blow, so it is 

hoped that new signings, Guillermo and 

Pepe, will help to improve both results and 

Monday 31 st October saw round 10 of the 

Costa Calida Golf Challenge. 

36 players lined up at Roda Golf on a sunny 

and very warm day to enjoy the fantastic facilities 

and conditions on offer. Many thanks to 

Ramon and his team 

for ensuring the day 

ran smoothly. 

Results: 

Winner 

Ray 

Waite - 39 points 

Best 

Lady 

Dee Garvin - 28 points 

Longest Drive 

Men Ritchie Heaton 

Longest Drive Ladies 

Julie Purdy 

NP in one 

Page 102 

shot Frank Burke 

NP in two shots Keith Morrison 

NP in three shots Peter Davies 

The 2’s Pot - €75 each Ritchie Heaton & Phil 

Trower 

All the green fees 

and buggies were arranged 

by Costa Calida 

Golf Tours (www. 

ccgt.co.uk), and 

thanks again to the 

main sponsors of the 

series of events, The 

Great Golf Company 

& Caja Rural. Also a 

special thanks to Mick 

“the grip” Reeves for 

his sponsorship of the 

three NP’s 

This event was also used for the 2011 Charity 

Day, and this year is was the Poppy Appeal 

– a total of €59 was collected 

The 11 th and final event of 2011 was on Monday 

28 th November at Las Colinas Golf & 

Country Club. 

Andy Walsh 650 718 172 or email andy@ 

ccgt.co.uk 

Below – Winners Photograph 





The weather forecast for Aguilon in Almeria 

sounded bad and the day began with black 

clouds and pouring rain. Mercifully, before 

the competition got started the rain eased off 

and the sun broke through. The rest of the 

day was perfect and some good scores were 

recorded on this very tricky course. 

Gavin Elbourne poses before contemplating 

his next shot on the tenth fairway. 

Golf Manager Jose offered a €40 green fee 

including buggy, barbeque, beer and golf 

vouchers as prizes. How can you refuse? This 

man has got his pricing strategy spot on. He 

wants you to play at his golf course. He and 

his staff put themselves out to make you 

welcome and you want to return. Managers of 

other golf courses in the region should take a 

leaf out of his book. 

The greens had been hollow tined a few 

weeks earlier, but they had recovered well. 

They were a little slow but running true. 

Aguilon is a beautiful course and even if your 

golf game is not going well, you can always 

stand back and just admire the stunning 

scenery. Every hole is very different and 

offers a new challenge. High handicappers 

will find it difficult playing off the yellow tees. 

The white tees seem impossible to lesser 

golfing mortals. 

The Overall 

Winner and 

Division One 

Trophy Winner 

was Gerry 

McRobert with a 

Stapleford score 

of 31 points. His 

consistent golf 

game has been 

rewarded again 

because he won 

the trophy last 

year. 

New member 

Dave Simpson 

was the Overall 

Runner-Up with 

29 points. 

Division Two Winner 

Keith Dyball receiving his 

trophy. 

Scoring 22 points and Winner of Division 

Two was Keith Dyball. 

Sue Greenham took the Division Three 

engraved tankard on 29 points. 

Nearest the Pin Winners at holes 8 and 

17 were Sue 

Greenham and 

Ian Murphy 

respectively. 

That new member 

again Dave 

Simpson won 

Nearest the Pin 

2 nd Shot at hole 

11 and he also 

won the ‘twos 

money’. 

The society’s 

oldest member 

Jim Kinniburgh 

proved the Gerry McRobert collecting 

strongest player his Winner’s trophy from 

by holding up acting Captain Barry 

the rest of the 

Martin. 

field to claim the 

‘Plonker Trophy’. 

Best Guest was Allan Sullivan. 

Well done to all the winners and thanks again 

to Jose and his staff. 

The beer and barbeque food afterwards were 

plentiful and rounded off another great golfing 

day out at Aguilon. 

If anyone is interested in joining the society 

(lady members are always welcome) or just 

wants to find out more about us please contact 

the Secretary Bob Daffon tel: 968598540 or 

email chrisandbobinspain@hotmail.com. 




Page 103 


How to play 

difficult 

holes by 

D a v i d 

Gay PGA 

Professional 

Having played 

a lot of golf 

recently with 

amateur/ 

club players I 

have noticed 

that more 

often than not 

players talk 

themselves 

out of playing 

a good shot; this is especially true when 

it comes to playing long par 3’s or shots 

over water. The secret to playing long par 

3’s and shots over water is to focus and 

commit on the shot you want to play. 

Focus 

Being able to focus on the correct shot is a 

simple process. We need to see the shot 

before we play it. If you ever watch the 

pros on TV, the last thing they do before 

taking their set up is to stand behind the 

ball and picture the ball flying towards the 

target. 

Now is time to commit to the shot you 

have chosen. Don’t start second guessing 

the club or line you have taken, just try 

and swing well within yourself and try to 

make solid contact. This is usually when 

I see amateurs trying to hit the ball too 

hard or not trusting the line. The end 

result is usually a miss-hit strike with an 

unbalanced finish with very little control. 

If you swing well within yourself, you will 

be surprised how often you will make solid 

contact with much better results. 

For more information on lessons you 

can find David at Roda Golf Academy 

or contact on 6700 83939 email 

davidgaypga@mac.com 

Los Amigos de Mazarrón FC Golfing 

Society held their second open charity day 

at Hacienda del Alamo on 30th September. 

Last year we were able to donate 1,000€ to 

the youth and infantile teams at Mazarrón 

FC. This year with the help of our main 

sponsors, Lee and Wendy Cohen of Luz del 

Sol estate agents, we have been able to 

donate 1,000€ to Mazarrón FC, 1,000€ to 

Aspadem School for Disabled Children 

in Mazarrón and 500€ to the Base Youth 

Teams in Mazarrón. 


Above is a long par 3 over water with 

trouble to the right. The first thing we 

need to do is picture the type of shot you 

feel the hole requires. The hole pictured 

is around 170 metres, with water short 

and right and bunkers long and left. For 

me, I would be aiming towards the back of 

the green, but for higher handicappers the 

bunkers back left would be a good target, 

as quite often they miss-hit the ball and 

the shot comes up short and right of the 

intended target. The bunkers back left are 

a far better option, as higher handicappers 

are likely to receive at least one shot on 

the hole, so now the target is to complete 

the hole in 4 shots to score a net par. 

Commit 

Once you have what type of shot you are 

comfortable with, then it’s time to choose 

the correct club. As stated, we know we 

have 175 metres to the middle of the 

green, so take a club that you can easily 

hit 175 to 185 metres, then take aim 

where you want the ball to start. 

Page 104 

Los Amigos de Mazarrón FC Golfing 

Society (LAGS) are a unique society in that 

not only do we provide friendly affordable 

golf for our members, but we put something 

back into the community we live in. So 

thank you once again to Lee and Wendy 

Cohen, and also Decklid Autos of Mazarrón, 

TJs Bar Camposol, and 2Let2Buy2Sell of 

Camposol, for their sponsorship, plus Raja 

Electrics, Don Ricardo’s Restaurant, Da Fu 

Hau Restaurant, Costa Restaurant, Trevi 

Bar Camposol, Camposol Ferreteria, Bodega 

Martinez, Pedro Mendez, Antony Joyerous, 

Golf Lessons from Adrian Rudge at the 

Hacienda Academy, Glitzy Bitz, Camposol, 

and Direct Sports, Camposol who all 

donated raffle prizes; and also La Roda, 

Aguilon, Altorreal, Hacienda del Alamo and 

Valle del Este Golf Clubs for donating golf 

vouchers. These supporters of our day all 

made it possible for us to raise and donate 

2,500€ 

Special thanks to the Hacienda caddy 

marshal Lee Harrington for helping the day 

run smoothly and to Drew Ryder and the 

catering staff at Hacienda for the brilliant 

BBQ served on the terrace. 







Page 105 


FOR SALE 

LINE 6 SPIDER 50w Amp. programmable, 

Dist, FX rev, delay etc. exc cond.v.loud 90€ 

Tel: 600233456 Cehegin 

4 UK Drakes Pride Woods, Melbourn, size OH as 

new, BO5, tartan Taylow bowls bag. Henselock 

bowls measure. Jack & Tulcan L white ribbed 

pullover €80. 

Tel 968154083 Puerto de Mazarrón 

80cm square Roca ceramic shower base/ 

shower door frame with hinged glass 

door & 40cm Roca ceramic sink. 85€ 

Tel 636665958/968429054 Mazarrón 

Legmaster Power. Only used twice. Paid £89.99 

Asking €50. Ideal Christmas gift. 

Tel 671948475 

Blue cane dining table & 4 chairs. New 

cond €75 Raleigh Mountain bike 18 

speed twist grip gear change. New cond 

€95 Stainless steel sink/mixer taps. New €30 

Tel 699 261 663 Mazarrón 

Sanyo 21” TV with Teletext/remote Gd working 

order €30 OSIM U Squeeze lite calf massager. 

Increases circulation 1-3 auto programmes €80 

Tel 648 078 051 

Standard Sky remote control, brand new, €15 

Tel 634341958 Mazarrón 

2 man dinghy/2 oars 70€ Aiwa stereo system/2 

speakers 40€ Porta Potti toilet 30€ Electric 

typewriter 40€ Electric convector heater 20€ 

Tel 968199006 

Satellite dish 1.45cm wall mount with LNB and 

fittings. 

€200 ono buyer collects 

Tel 630 342 408 

Amberjack 90% Tungsten darts/case 10€ 

Various Boardgames Scrabble/Battleships/ 

Ratrace/Yahtzee/Bagammon/Draughts 20€ 

39 new boxed golf balls 39 25€ 

Tel 635885062 Camposol 

2 glass chandeliers, bowl shaped with gold trim. 

Drop from ceiling 42cm max dia 45cm. Cost 

100€+ each, bargain at 40€ each 


new. 45€ 

Tel 616 737 592 NW Murcia 

White porcelain basin/pedestal/chrome mixer 

taps. Exc Cond 40€. Matching bidet/chrome 

mixer taps. Exc Cond 10€ 

Tel 966260700/680588377. 

Sony Playstation 2 with 2 remote controls and 

10 games 95€. 

Diving wet suit no 4, diving wet vest no 4 &2 

Seastar Swift travel dive equipment bags 95€, 

proceeds to Noahs ARC 


COMPUTER, Windows XP professional, all 

accessories, call for full details €80 Electronic 

TREADMILL, cost £500 new, only €30 

Tel 666445192 

White ceramic counter top basin/tap/2 door base 

unit. 35€ 

Bathroom mirror/light above/separate glass 

shelf 30€ 

D shaped shelf unit/2 glass shelves/2 towel rails 

12€ 


WANTED 

High back winged chair or recliner for elderly 

patient. 

Tel 650256928 NW Murcia 

Any digger/dumper + other plant/ machinery no 

dealers 

Tel 628505733 

ANIMALS 

Free to Good Home. Beautiful female 

Alsation puppy, aprox 5 months old. 

Lovely friendly nature, excellent with people & 

animals. 

Tel 690 208 438 

Homes wanted for a herd of Black Pot Bellied Pigs 

(approximately 13). 

Please call Linda on 968 989 632 


Page 106 

Sky Digiboxes, 1 x Pace 15€ 1 x Thomson 

DS14212C 25€ Both in gd working order with 

instruction manuals. 


Apple magic mouse original mod.:A12963Vdc as 

GROUP INFORMATION 

CLASSIFIED ARE AVAILABLE FREE FOR 

ITEMS UNDER 500€ OR FOR WANTED/ 

LOST ITEMS, FOR NON-COMMERCIAL 

ENTERPRISES ONLY AND EXCLUDING 

VEHICLES AND BOATS. Maximum 20 words 

and 3 classifieds per customer. 

How to Place a Classified Advert 

Please go to www.costacalidachronicle.com and 

click on classified or email costacalidachronicle@ 

gmail.com or call 968 970 680 between 10.2pm 

Mon-Fri 








Page 107 


Please limit all reports to 300 words. 

We reserve the right to amend all articles 

for publication. 

CLASSIFIEDS ARE AVAILABLE FREE 

FOR ITEMS UP TO THE VALUE OF 500€ 

OR FOR WANTED/LOST ITEMS, FOR 

NON-COMMERCIAL ENTERPRISES 

ONLY. CARS AND BOATS ARE NOT 

INCLUDED FOR FREE. Max 20 words. Max 

3 classifieds 

How to Place a Classified Ad 

Please go to www.costacalidachronicle. 

com and click on classified, or email 

costacalidachronicle@gmail.com or phone 

968 970 680 between 10-2pm 

We will include inserts and flyers provided 

by you at a cost of 10 cents per flyer, max 

size A5. 

All adverts must be paid for before 15th 

of the month prior to publication. Please 

make cheques payable to Costa Calída 

Chronicle S.L. (Minimum amount for 

cheques is 50€). The closing date for 

adverts is the 15th of the month prior 

to publication. If you would like to meet 

someone to discuss your advert then 

please contact Teresa on 619 199 407 to 

arrange an appointment, or visit Teresa 

in the mornings in CHM / Costa 

Cálida Chronicle Office (inside Nicky G 

Translation Services), Camposol Sector B. 

If you wish to design your own advert, 

please send through a hard copy and a 

copy on disk (please label the disk with 

your name and telephone number), if 

possible. Please use Microsoft Word or 

save advert as JPEG file (300 dpi). Please 

do NOT send in adverts in Powerpoint 

as they are not good enough quality 

for printing. 

DUE TO PROBLEMS OPENING FILES ON 

FLOPPY DISK, WE WOULD ASK THAT 

ALL ADVERTS ARE EITHER EMAILED 

OR SENT IN ON CDS. WE ACCEPT NO 

RESPONSIBILITY FOR ADVERTS THAT 

HAVE TO BE SCANNED IN. 


November 2011 quiz answers 

1. Who wrote “In the dark”? 

Mark Billingham 

2. Who claims to have the best roast 

on the coast? 

La Vista Café Bar 

3. What trade does Lopez Milan do to 

earn a living? 

Mechanic 

4. Who sponsors the weather on 

DISCLAIMER 

Whilst the CCC are happy to accept monthly reports from the various organizations in the area, the articles printed are not 

necessarily the opinions of the editor or publisher and the contents should be viewed as a guideline only. Professional 

advice should be sought to cover any information printed therein. Advertisements and reports are not formally endorsed 

by the CCC. We cannot accept responsibility for advertisers’ works, service or goods. The publishers endeavour to 

ensure the contents are correct, but cannot accept responsibility for the effects of errors or omissions. 

Page 108 

Costa Cálida Radio? 

C.H.M. 

5. What does Mick Scott offer you? 

Interior and exterior decorating 

6. What is made stronger to last longer? 

Daisy Pool covers 

7. Who offers a great venue for parties 

with special room rates¿ 

Hotel La Mariposa 

8. If you called Vivian on 630939626 

what would she want to do? 

Let’s Speak Spanish 

9. Where would you find a 19 th Century 

café/bistro? 

Café Teatro 

10. Who had to delay their forthcoming 

production from November to 

January February 2012? 

Los Canovas Players 







Page 109 


All our advertisers have current copies of Costa Cálida Chronicle, 

and other outlets are planned. 

If you have any problems obtaining a copy, please call Patti on 646 005 017. 


If you would like to buy a subscription for the Costa Cálida Chronicle 

to guarantee your monthly copy of the magazine, please fill in 

the form below and hand it in to the Costa Cálida Chronicle office 

on Camposol or Cosas y Cosas in Cehegin, or send it to Costa 

Cálida Chronicle SL, 28 Calle Jara, Centro Commercial Sector B, 

Camposol, 30875, Murcia, or go to the website www.costacalidachronicle.com 

Name: ............................................................ 

Page 110 

Address: ............................................................ 

............................................................ 

............................................................ 

Email: ............................................................ 

Telephone: ............................................................ 

Price for 6 months to UK: €36 

Price for 6 months in Spain: €18 

Other countries: 

POA 

Reserved copies (per month) €1 

In Costa Cálida Office, Camposol or Cosas y Cosas, Cehegin 

Method of Payment 

Paypal (€3 extra) - costacalidachronicle@yahoo.es 

Bank Transfer: 3058 0206 91 2720017764 







Page 111 



Accommodation: 

Hotel La Mariposa - 968 631 008 

Accountants: 

Silvente - 968 332 058 

Airport Parking: 

Seguro Parking - 622 062 115 

Barbers 

Hombres - 699 152 969 

Bars, Cafés & Restaurants: 

Alley Palais - 968 978 869 

Restaurante Amapola -660 328 092 

Restaurante Buen Descanso 

– 968 163 642 

Bar La Manchica - 685 869 324 

The Condado Club - 634 358 468 

Cafeteria Plaza - 968 705 406 

Cat’s Bar - 666 188 353 

Chez Zoe - 676 691 324 

Don Ricardo’s - 968 155 887 

El Patio Bar - 638 289 035 

Hacienda del Alamo Golf Resort 

Clubhouse - 968 070 066 

Hombres - 699 152 969 


Kennellys - 686 341 749 

La Vista Café Bar - 868 186 727 

Las Torres - 607 013 423 

Leonardo’s - 628 682 303 

Liz’s Cafe - 696 724 123 

Tels Bar - 699 518 535 

The Arches - 653 081 341 

The Market Tavern - 968 154 588 

The New Royal - 968 595 864 

The Spaniard - 608 963 052 

The Steak-Out - 968 970 619 

Trevi Bar & Restaurant - 669 026 544 

Builders: 

Amigos - 619 025 160 

CM Constructions - 659 159 948 

Fuente Building Services - 696 744 982 

JD Construction - 630 269 994 

Page 112 

Tony’s Building Services - 647 119 952 

Building Services: 

Crystal Design - 680 386 142 

Kano Building Design - 963 141 082 

P&P Services - 659 732 962 

Sallu Plastics (Salglaze) - 968 978 836 

Woodworks Direct - 649 540 016 

Butchers: 

Big Breakfast Butchers - 968 170 553 

English Butcher Camposol 

- 619 579 823 

Cards and Gifts 

Best Wishes - 968 199 295 

Vistas De Murcia - 653 251 541 

Carpentry: 

Philip Carpenter / Joiner - 680 443 219 

Car Hire: 

Bolnuevo Cars - 968 150 979 

F&C Rent a Car - 968 199 156 

Cars & Transport: 

P&P Services - 659 732 962 

Specialist Vehicles SL - 968 146 158 

Chiropodists: 

Chiropody - Philip Dawe - 968 150 244 

Cleaning Services: 

Limpieza Rosa - 619 199 407 

Clothes Shops: 

Legs & Co. - 660 792 513 

Computer Accessories: 

Beep - 968 155 710 

Dot Com World - 968 199 154 

Shop at Camposol Computers 

- 968 154 477 

T J Electricals - 868 181 121 

Computer Repairs & Sales: 

Beep - 968 155 710 

Camposol Computers - 968 199 191 

Dot Com World - 968 199 154 

LocoPC - 968 971 893 

Shop at Camposol Computers 

- 968 154 477 

Dentist: 

British Dental Clinic - 628 115 554 

Dental Care - 968 199 111 

Olivier Houdusse - 968 153 645 

Education: 

Creative Writing - 649 647 467 

Let’s Talk Spanish - 630 939 626 

Electricians: 

Amigos - 619 025 160 

CHM Meters - 646 965 082 

Louis Harris - 619 712 821 

Sparks Electrical Services - 626 693 440 

Entertainment: 

The CAS Band - 630 443 273 

Lenny Mitchell - 658 321 891 

Retro Disco Services - 608 893 944 

Sensol Golf Club - 699 203 136 

Funeral Plans: 

ASSSA - 968 153 396 

The Funeral Director – 650 631 719 

Furniture: 

Cosas y Cosas - 968 742 712 

DFS - 968 334 194 

Furniture Plus - Purias - 968 482 456 

D&G Garden Leisure - 968 334 773 

Garden Centres 

Jardilar 2003 - 669 565 402 

The Tree Surgeon - 650 911 755 

Hairdressing: 

Cálida Hair and Beauty Academy 

- 968 971 828 

Hair by Carol - 968 974 989 

Jane’s Salon - 968 158 433 

The Beauty Palace -968 971 828 

The Salon – Melissa & Tanya 

- 691 916 717 

The Salon 2 - 686 354 232 

Health & Beauty: 

Anti-Ageing Clinic - 691 916 717 

Avon with Jan - 672 880 353 

Beauty Essentials - 663 176 233 

Calida Care Agency - 968 150 658 

Cálida Hair and Beauty Academy 

- 968 971 828 

Drew Ryder Therapist - 660 326 194 

EFT Therapist Jennifer - 634 358 310 

Face and Body - 676 545 436 

Freedom Mobility - 638 893 357 

Fuschia Beauty Clinic - 630 439 480 

Heather Mobile Beauty - 636 657 481 

Jane’s Salon - 968 158 433 

Mark Phoenix - 654 202 996 

Rosies Toesies - 639 171 835 

The Beauty Palace – 968 971 828 

Heating and Aircon: 

Camposol Heating & Maintenance 

- 968 199 184 

Calida Gas & Oil - 659 761 771 





LLamas Chimeneas - 968 591 030 

Louis Harris - 619 712 821 

Home Furnishings: 

Curtain Call - 616 240 171 

Yorkshire Linen - 968 595 946 

Property Management: 

Harris Property Management 

- 619 726 014 

La Manga 4 U - 0044 7921 351298 

Owners Away - 691 977 107 

Sensol Golf Villa Rentals - 968 970 614 

Translation: 

Carlos’ Interpreting Services 

- 630 187 041 

Nicky G Translation Services 

- 968 199 245 

P&P Services - 659 732 962 

Insurance: 

ASSSA - 968 153 396 

Ibex Insurance - 968 595 945 

Knight Insurance - 902 282 820 

MSC Insure - 968 429 129 

Nash Warren - 968 156 583 

Internet Cafés 


Camposol Computers - 968 199 191 

Dot Com World - 968 199 154 

Kennels and Catteries: 

Catatonic - 646 705 403 

Colina Kennels - 639 012 342 

El Carro Kennels - 620 582 654 

Wish You Were Here - 606 692 473 

Legal Services: 

Nicky G Translation Services 

- 968 199 245 

P&P Services - 659 732 962 

Professional and Legal Solutions 

- 968 595 826 

Silvente - 968 332 058 

Locksmiths: 

ADS Locksmith - 600 255 250 

Mechanics: 

Colair - 626 726 149 

Decklid Auto Services - 626 678 840 

English Garage Services - 968 743 350 

Eurotyres - 968 424 605 

Ford Marcosta - 968 424 636 

López Milan - 968 429 216 

Ken Sherwood-Mechanic - 679 646 859 

Mobile Car Mechanic - 666 161 129 

Neumáticos El Ceña - 968 422 015 

Metalwork: 

Eriks - 636 050 008 

Mobility Products: 

Freedom Mobility - 638 893 357 

Outdoor Catering: 

The Roving Diner - 699 223 112 

Celebrations Catering - 616 352 206 

Outdoor Living: 

D&G Garden Leisure Products 

- 968 334 773 

Furniture Plus - Purias - 968 482 456 

Pergola Covers - 667 879 399 

Painting and Decorating: 

Interior Elegance - 968 482 456 

RJB Décor Painting - 699 044 742 

Trevor Smith - 968 163 298 

Plumbers: 

Apache 24/7 Plumbing Services 

- 968 970 614 

Camposol Heating & Maintenance 

- 968 199 184 

Calida Gas & Oil - 659 761 771 

Printing & Design: 

Insignia Graphics - 618 615 903 

Mister Print - 638 893 357 

Property Maintenance: 

Trevor Smith - 968 163 298 

Property Sales: 

ADS Property Services - 646 969 455 

Another World Properties - 968 592 679 

Best of Spanish - 635 434 651 

Fuente Alamo Real Estate - 968 598 173 

Old Farmhouses - 968 159 264 

Sensol Golf Sales - 968 970 614 

Removals: 

Advance Moves - 968 654 667 

Dainton Removals and Storage 

- 653 529 243 

Go Direct - 634 347 914 

Lord’s Removals and Storage 

- 608 061 872 

Mar Menor Removals - 968 564 298 

Retail Outlets: 

Best Wishes - 968 199 295 

Bodega Martinez - 968 199 126 

Cosas y Cosas - 968 742 712 

Direct Sports.es - 686 341 749 

Kitchens Plus 1 - 968 184 235 

TJ Electricals - 868 181 121 

UK Supplies Direct - 661 173 269 

Services: 

B P Oil - 626 091 885 

Compusurf - 968 970 666 

Four Legs Dog Grooming Service 

- 968 974 056 

Healthy H20 - 968 437 270 

Home from Home Chimney Sweep 

- 660 478 881 

Kennedy Financial Services 

- 678 035 992 

No More Mould - 672 795 574 

Petroalhama Oil - 968 632 320 

Rainbow Laundrette - 634 309 603 

Telepan Lorca - 968 076 051 

Tony Chimney Sweep - 646 438 694 

The Laundry Shop - 670 847 305 

Solar Power: 

Freesol - 659 232 507 

Solar Directa - 659 315 130 

Spas & Hottubs: 

Eurospas - 650 722 905 

Sport & leisure: 


Camping La Fuente - 968 685 125 

Costa Cálida Radio - 902 903 783 

Dance Zone - 649 647 467 

Direct Sports.es - 686 341 749 

Horseriding META - 636 172 198 


Murcia Dance - Zumba Classes 

- 655 421 120 

Yogamayga - 968 150 755 

Swimming Pool Cleaning & 

Maintenance: 

Alpha Pools - 968 971 824 

Aquasmarter - 677 221 159 

Daisy Pool Covers - 968 638 583 

Jorge Pools - 674 168 000 

Köhn Pool Service - 968 138 638 

Watermaid - 646 705 088 

Travel Agents: 

Dragontours - 968 199 021 

TV & Satellite: 

CTV Aerial & Satellite Systems 

- 600 218 046 

Internet TV for Christmas - 968 978 878 

ISS - 655 480 543 

LocoSat - 968 971 893 

Rainbow Satellites - 686 358 475 

T J Electricals - 868 181 121 

YPM Satellites - 628 234 045 

Veterinary Clinics: 

Veterinary Clinic Maskota - 968 597 929 

Emerg - 619 378 473 

Vet in the Port - 968 153 931 

Emerg - 608 466 553 





Page 113 



The good news 

this month 

about the 

pronunciation 

of the letter 

M, is that it 

is exactly the 

same as in 

English and 

I should now 

say that there 

isn’t anything 

else to say 

about it, but 

if you read my articles regularly you will 

know that cannot possibly be true! 

An interesting fact is that Spanish words 

never end in the letter M, and I have noticed 

that the Spanish have great difficulty 

closing their mouths on a consonant at the 

ends of words. The common consonant 

ends in Spanish are N, S, R, L, Z, and D, 

none of which require the closing of lips. 

That is why names that end in M in English, 

end in N in Spanish – for example Abraham 

is Abrahan and Miriam is Mirian. This 

affects the way Spanish people pronounce 

English, which has a lot of lip-closing at 

the ends of words. I’m teaching some 

beginners English classes to Spanish 

people at the moment, and I can tell you 

it’s a devil of a job to get them to say “I’m 

from …”, as they tend to say “I’ng frong …” 

Let’s get straight on with our usual 

abundance of similar words in Spanish and 

English beginning with the letter M. Our 

first one is maduro (mature). This word 

also means “ripe” as in fruit, so is a useful 

one to use at the market. Mágico (magic); 

notice that the emphasis on the word falls 

on the first syllable or beat, as indicated 

by the accent. Malicia (malice); this also 

rhymes with the name Alicia (Alice), but I 

really don’t think there’s any connection! 

Page 114 

Mecánico (mechanic).; this is the chap 

you need to mend your car, although the 

word also means “mechanical” and the 

place we call the “garage” is the taller 

mecánico, literally the “mechanical 

workshop”. Medicina (medicine); we also 

often hear the word medicamento for 

medication. Memoria (memory); there 

is a controversial new law in Spain called 

La ley de Memoria Histórica, which is 

intended to honour of those who suffered 

in the Civil War on the losing side. 

There are plenty more similar words 

like these, for example: micrófono 

(microphone), mineral (mineral), 

moderno (modern), moderar 

(moderate), mental (mental) monumento 

(monument). 

Here are three composite words 

starting with “multi” meaning “many” 

- multinacional, (multinational), 

multicultural (multicultural), and 

multimedia (multimedia). 

An “estranged cousin” beginning with the 

letter M is the Spanish word miserable, 

which means wretched or mean and 

does not mean “miserable” in the English 

sense of unhappy. Unhappy in Spanish is 

triste or infeliz. Another false friend is 

the Spanish word motorist, which means 

“motorbike rider” and not “car motorist”, 

which is conductor. Also there is the 

word mascota which means “pet” in the 

sense of a domestic animal. The other 

way of saying mascota is simply animal 

doméstico. This means that if a Spanish 

person makes the mistake of asking you 

“Have you got any mascots?” he or she 

does not think you look like a member of 

the boy scouts or that you walk round with 

a goat on a chain. 

An everyday word in Spanish beginning the 

M is mano, and this leads me to a favourite 

subject of mine which is the making up of 

word families. Mano means “hand” and we 

will hear it in a multitude (another similar 

word – multitud!) of familiar contexts. 

For example a parent saying to a child 

before crossing the road Dame la mano, 

“Give me your hand”. However, that base 

word mano is used to build up many other 

related words. We have manual meaning 

“manual” as in manual labour – work done 

with the hands. Then there is maniobra 

meaning “manoeuvre”, again referring to 

manual dexterity and not primarily car 

manoeuvres! Similarly the verb manipular 

translates literally as “manipulate”, but 

whereas in English we tend to use this in 

a more psychological context, in Spanish 

is primarily refers to working with the 

hands. Another verb manejar means “to 

handle”, but is related to our English word 

“manage” which generally is not a manual 

process! In fact it is an interest question in 

itself to ask why so many root words about 

hands have taken on so many non-manual 

meanings in English! 

There is another interesting family word 

beginning with M, based on the Spanish 

verb mover meaning “to move”. This brings 

into play a sound relationship in Spanish 

which is the connection between the vowel 

“o” and the dual vowel sound “ue”. Those 

of you who have studied verb changes will 

have learnt about this relationship already, 

but it exists in many more cases that just 

verbs. For example muebles meaning 

“furniture” has the same root, so we could 

translate it as “movables” – things that 

can be moved. Therefore the fixtures and 

fittings in a house are called inmuebles 

things that cannot be moved. From this 

we get the word for a furniture shop 

mobiliaria, and therefore the word for an 

estate agent, which is the rather forbidding 

inmobiliaria, often unpronounceable 

even to those non-Spaniards who exercise 

the profession! Word families are most 

revealing about meanings of words and 

also they give us a great way of extending 

our vocabulary. Spanish is a most logical 

language in this respect. We can very 

often guess at the meanings of words by 

looking at their roots and we might even 

dare to have a go at inventing a related 

word. Even when we’re wrong we have a 

good chance of being understood! 

Finally to our saying containing an M word: 

Al que madruga, Dios le ayuda, which 

literally means “God helps him who gets 

up early”, or as we would say: “The early 

bird catches the worm.” I say this to my 

teenage children on a regular basis but it 

has no effect whatsoever! 

Try learning more M words by going to the 

Wordsearch on page 74 and translating the 

English words into Spanish. 

Jane Cronin, Spanish classes and talks. 

www.janecronin.eu Tel: 968 18 32 58 







Page 115 



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December 2011 - Costa Calida Chronicle

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