SLANGEVA!
The Hosts
Pat & Rodders Laird o' Pinosol n' Wifie.


Liz & Tony Laird o' Denia n' Wifie
Connie & Dennis Laird o' Benidolieg n' Wifie

Ramblings in Retirement
January 2006

Wow, what a month this has been there seems to have been an awful lot crammed in.

Firstly, a belated Happy New Year to you all and I hope you are all still holding up with your “resolutions”! This year, I will be adding some content and comment on local issues here in our part of Spain and you may be able to get a little flavour of what is going on (slightly bent by my twist on events).

On January 1st, Penny flew to Yorkshire to undertake some tests which would ascertain if she had Angina, this has now been confirmed but further tests are needed to determine the full extent of the problem. After 2 weeks, she got a flight home again (she was pining for me,… not)!. A return to Yorkshire is arranged for the 28th of January so the further tests can be carried out. (I think Penny secretly enjoys the “jet set” image). I’ll keep you updated with events as they unfold.

Despite swearing to stop volunteering for work at the computer club, yet again I had a major 2 hour practical demonstration landed on my lap. As you know my thing is “video editing” and this was the subject ranging from beginners to a session on “special effects”. Nevertheless, all went well.

I had had an email from some friends who recently opened a restaurant in a town called “San Miguel de Salinas”. Looking on the map this was a small town so, despite not having an address, I was fairly confident of finding them. Well, the town was not small, there were many restaurants and the whole idea ground to a halt. Fortunately, I popped into an English supermarket-cum-snack bar and the owner not only knew who I was looking for but jumped into a car, and led us right to the restaurant. Fortune however did not last, as restaurant was closed for the month! (It is quite common for restaurants to do this on the Costa Blanca). We continued our journey and decided to take the “A” road back to Alicante past Torrevieja, we could not drive past quick enough! The entire area from Compromar (south of Torrevieja) all the way to Alicante is just a massive concrete jungle with holiday homes crammed one on top of the other for miles and miles. I was reminded of the Asian communities in the UK where people of the same ethnic background live together ousting the indigenous people and create resentment because they are different, speak there own language and, do not want to integrate. Well we have it too right here on the Costa Blanca, but this time, it is us who are the incomers so it’s not the same really…………..is it? Where we live in the northern Costa Blanca we do not have the same level of building and there is not the same feeling of intensity, no doubt though in time it will come.
Spain, as you may already know, has a highly devolved system of government Old Franco through his dictatorship, kept everyone together but subsequent to his demise the hawks gathered and craved for independence. (the most obvious to the world is the Basque Region who uses violence as a lever to obtain their ends). You could liken the Central and Regional Government to Westminster and the Scottish Parliament/ Welsh Assembly where these bodies have influence over some taxation, education, health and infrastructure. Catalonia has recently won increased independence although it failed in its attempt to become a “Nation”. There is a difference between being a Federal state respecting the role of the Country and individual “Nations” which would have no reference to central law. The ultimate outcome if this was to progress, would be to put further economic pressure on the poorer regions (Extremedura and Galicia for example) as the richer regions withhold more of their tax revenues. An example of Regional Government legislation is seen here in the Valencian Community where as of January 1st petrol prices were increased by 2.4 cents to subsidise the health service (Farmers were exempted probably because they could have a major negative effect if they protested, as was seen by the fishing fleets in the region who went on strike and blockaded the ports when oil prices went up last year).

A Central Government law came into effect on the 1st of January which related to smoking in public places. Firstly, smoking is not allowed in any offices (so we see the poor folk out in the streets in front of their workplace just like you do in the UK). Secondly, restaurants and bars have to clearly state if they are smoking or non-smoking establishments and this is where the fun begins. Spain has a very high percentage of smokers and there is much confusion in the application of the law both from the proprietors and the general public. If a restaurant decides to permit smoking, it can not allow children under the age of 18 (the law also increased the age of minors from 16) to enter the premises (bearing in mind that this is a very family oriented country where children accompany parents and grandparents at mealtimes). I believe that a restaurant can elect to offer smoking and non-smoking if it provides adequate separation and independent ventilation (effective as of September 2006). People who flout the law will be subject to instant fines as will the proprietors in who’s premises allowed it to happen. It will be interesting to see how this develops especially in the village next to us as the local police smoke like chimneys!!

A recent report stated that Spain has a population of 44.1M (an increase of 1M over last year) the highest increases were reported in Catalonia Valencia, Andalucia and Madrid. The foreign population is 3.7M (the majority of which are from Morocco) and the British population is reputed to be 227,000 (although this could be almost double as many do not register on the “Padron” with the local council). Many towns now have more foreigners than the indigenous population e.g. Javea, Alfaz del Pi.
On the social side, I was lucky to be invited to several friends homes for dinner during Penny’s trip to the UK and on one occasion on the 6th January (the day Spain celebrates “The Three Kings” we had a special treat, a “Roscon de Reyes”. Legend has it that in days of old on January 6 the three kings secretly visited the homes of the poor and destitute. On their doorstep they left a freshly baked round loaf of bread made with the purest flour, the richest eggs, the most succulent fruits and frosted with the sweetest sugar. In the dough, the kings always hid a magical coin and a bean. The next morning the families rose to find that the Roscón was still warm from the oven. They cut it in equal portions and each member chose a piece for breakfast. According to ancient lore, the person who had done the most good that year would find the golden coin and the most selfish would bite into the bean. The tradition of Roscón de Reyes is still cherished in Spain and finding the little trinket is a good way to ensure your luck for the next year. I was lucky not to have either the coin or the bean!!

Finally, we had our traditional “Burns Supper” on the 25th which went down well with all our guests. I'm having trouble adding the photos so I'll try to put them on the following Blog