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La Herradura English Library

David Darby — Sun, 02 May 2010 13:53:20 +0000

In celebration of the Day of the Book, the volunteers who coordinate and make the English section of the La Herradura Library possible posed for a photo.

There are now over 900 titles fully catalogued on the library’s computer that contains all the English language titles from every library in Andalusia. Even if you can’t find the title you want, the computer can be checked, and if it is held at another site, they will despatch it to La Herradura free of charge. What an excellent service!

The English library is situated in the Civic Centre in the village, and now has one of the best collections of English titles in the province, and all donated by the English speaking peoples of the village and the surrounding towns. And the library is increasing in size every day as work continues to catalogue the remaining 300 books still to be registered on the computer.

The English Book Club meets every Wednesday between 11.00 and 13.00 hrs, although you can borrow books anytime Monday to Friday from 09.30 to 13.30 hrs and 16.30 to 19.30 hrs, so pop in and check it out.

The International Club of Salobreña

Dave Nichols — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 19:23:43 +0000

On to more important things. The International Club of Salobreña has seen a great deal of activity since our last column. Firstly, the club is now about to attain legal status, as a charitable institution. Which means that it can qualify for national and local government grants.
Secondly, the club is co-sponsoring, with the Cultural and Environmental Department of the Town Hall, a ‘Car-Boot Sale’ to be held on the first Saturday of each month in the Parque de la Fuente. If you would like to have a stall, just email Mila at milarami@gmail.com. or call Helen on 958 617 104.
You can also donate ‘stuff’ that you no longer need, to be sold for a good cause. This is another example of the extranjeros working for the general benefit of the local society. The first ‘good cause’ is to take the proceeds and spend them on improving the equipment in the children’s playground.

Night Club Sanctioned

Editor — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 19:25:09 +0000

Two men that run a nightclub-cum-knocking shop in Almuñécar were up before the magistrate in Motril last month. They were found guilty as charged and sentenced to two years in the land of striped sunshine and 1,800 euros in fines, each, for employing five women in a less than legal manner. It isn’t that what they were doing was illegal but that they were doing it without sufficient official paperwork.
The establishment was raided just after midnight on the 13th of April 2005 – it’s taken this long to works its way through the legal system. On the said night, the Guardia Civil, accompanied by a work inspector. According to the court finding, at the moment of inspection, there were several people with all their papers in order, besides the five ladies whose alleged horizontal activities were unbeknown to the tax office…
The original article does not mention the name of the night bar, nor the names, telephone numbers or schedule of five ladies…

International Club of Salobreña

Dave Nichols — Fri, 01 Jan 2010 20:12:50 +0000

The International Club of Salobreña concluded its program for the year with a pre-Christmas lunch at the Hotel Salobreña. In acknowledgement of economic times, all the food and drink was provided by members, proving that culinary skills are alive and well in the International community.

Comestibles were consumed, libations poured down thirsty throats, games played and Christmas Carols were Carolled. And a thoroughly good time was had by all.

Next up, there’s a social meeting at the Hotel on January 13th, and the all-important AGM on January 27th. With over 150 members now, the Club represents an important segment of the International Community, so come along.

International Club of Salobreña

Editor — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 07:59:50 +0000

Is your New Year’s resolution to get out and meet new people? Then the International Club of Salobreña could be just for you! They’re a friendly group; they meet throughout the year on Wednesdays…some weeks for social meetings at Hotel Salobreña and others for a variety of cultural, sporting and historical activities in and around the area; the club is a mix of ex-pats from countries including the UK, Holland, Belgium, Australia, America, Poland and (not forgetting) our host country, Spain – some live here full time and others commute back and forth.
You can join them for the club’s first meeting after the holiday break on Wednesday, 13 January at 11am at Hotel Salobreña for a social meeting. Just look for a group of people having a coffee and a chat! (There are also signs pointing the way to where they are!)
In the past the club activities have included visits to a winery, a rum bodega, Port of Motril; guided walks in the surrounding towns/countryside; trips to Seville, Gibraltar, Jerez and talks by members, local business people and world-renowned authors/photographers, among other things. This coming year the International Club of Salobreña is also offering a weeklong trip to Morocco, including stays in Casablanca and Marrakech!
And, although the club’s name says ‘of Salobreña,’ its membership spreads throughout the Costa Tropical from the Lecrín Valley/Alpujarra to the sea and from Castell del Ferro to La Herradura, so you’re sure to find someone from where you live! Subscriptions for the year are only €10 per person.
If you’d like more information about the International Club, you can visit their website at www.icsalobrena.com or if you have a specific question, send an email to icsalobrena@hotmail.com or call Arlene on 666 76 34 78. We hope to see you at a meeting soon!

Charity Bridge Tournament

Mette Owens — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:46:19 +0000

It’s heart-warming to hear when businesses in the community get together to help a great and worthy cause. This is what happened on Oct. 21st when The Language Tree and Alcoholum joined forces to host and support a Charity Bridge Tournament organized by the Costa Bridge Club. More details will follow shortly about the heart-crushing story behind the fundraising event. First, I want to give credit to these two neighbouring businesses for joining forces and tell you a little about them if you haven’t heard of them before.
The Language Tree: If you are looking to learn or improve your Spanish or English skills, the Language Tree is the school for you. The school opened in August 2008 and has just begun its second academic year. The highly qualified instructors offer classes every day, except weekends, for all ages and levels. The school also offers the preparation courses for Cambridge ESOL exams. Currently they have a waiting list for other languages, and these will start up when there is enough interest. They are located at Edificio Delfin local 7, Paseo de Cotobro, Almuñécar. Tel. 958 882 196, e-mail: thelanguagetree@gmail.com www.thelanguagetree.es
Back to the most import part, namely the Charity Bridge Tournament and the cause of the fundraiser:
I stopped by at the event and had a chat with Julia Asbury, owner of the Language Tree, and David Leake from the Costa Bridge Club. They told me the very sad story of 3-year-old Fletcher Michael Falvey, who was diagnosed with an aggressive, malignant, brain tumour (an anaplastic ependymoma) in August. On Aug. 14th he underwent 7 hours of brain surgery to remove as much of the tumour as possible. However, this just buys him time, as it will grow again. What he needs now is radiotherapy to deal with the remainder. Conventional radiotherapy is not an option for him as it is can be very damaging to a young brain – there are just too many side effects that could cause Fletcher problems for years to come.
For, this reason, he and his partents have had to go to America where he is currently undergoing a new and safer treatment called proton therapy, which in not available here in Europe. Unfortunately, as this treatment is relatively new, it is very expensive and will cost about 150.000 E. This is the very reason why the Costa Bridge Club organized the Charity Bridge Tournament. Julia from The Language Tree supported the event by generously donating her language school premises so the tournament could take place there. Pia Leissner from Alcoholum sponsored wine during the tournament itself and futhermore dotated 2 boxes of their Chilean Viña Maipo Bag-in-Box wines for their raffel. All the proceeds go directly in aid of Fletcher’s cause. After the tournament was finished, Alcoholum opened it´s doors to 32 players for wine-tasting.
Fletcher´s story has touched people´s heart and if you want to follow his story, he has an online diary at www.friendsoffletcher.com. If you would like to contribute with a donation (big or small) or organize your own fundraiser to help him please contact: friendsoffletcher@gmail.com

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Back again

Marianne Lindahl — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:08:32 +0000

Nice to be back here again. We have been enjoying a month of temperatures above 30 degrees, which is quite enjoyable when you’re on the beach, but uncomfortable for gardening or playing golf. But after a sweaty round at Los Moriscos you can at least blame the heat for finishing 10 up. When writing this, the heaven opened up, and the rain is pouring down. Good for the garden!
The new bit of motorway to the Taramay roundabout has been tested. Not that it shortens the way from Málaga to us up here in Citalsol, but it feels grand to drive on this fine example of Spanish road construction. Another good thing with the motorway is that we got rid of most of the life-threatening lorry drivers doing 100 km/h through the Taramay tunnel.
A stroll through the town shows many signs of the present crisis; a lot of shops have shut down, houses that were for sale three years ago still linger on the market, construction works have stopped and workshops have reduced their staff to a minimum. Expensive restaurants have given way to more economic ‘Menu del Dia’ bars, where people can eat a good meal for seven euros. Bars were you get generous helpings of tapas, like sardines and papas a lo pobre with a glass of beer or wine are crowded at midday. If I had to choose where I would prefer to be jobless, I definitely would pick this corner of the world!
Meeting our Scandinavian friends at Asociación Hispano-Nórdica after several months up North was a lively and joyful affair. On October 7th, we met and mingled in the club at Edificio Mariote. The bar was absolutely crowded with people, exchanging experiences and commenting on the latest ‘talk of the town.’
Many opinions were heard on the latest gossip about fines being given several times for the same offence against the decree regarding garbage handling. Most people agreed that the only way to keep our town tidy is to punish people who do not comply with the rules. As it is now, you see bottles, cardboard, batteries and whatever put in the bin for general household waste. And plastic bags containing all and sundry just put on the ground near the bins. Too lazy to get out of the car and put the rubbish in its rightful place?
The same attitude probably exists among the trades people, so a fine is OK, but only once for the same offence. Let’s do what we can to keep our town neat and tidy. Doing it right is gratis.
This year La Fiesta de Europa was held on October 17th. The usual venue, Parque Majuelo, being under repair, the event took place in a marquee at the Plaza Kuwait. All the foreign associations of Almuñécar gathered together, offering specialities from their home countries.
The Nordic associations, Asociación Hispano-Nórdica (AHN) and Club Nórdico had a joint stand, where meatballs and wafers with cloudberry jam and whipped cream were served to the public.
The event was successful and well organized in spite of the somewhat temporary arrangement. The Mayor, Juan Carlos Benavides, visited all the stands, accompanied by Eva Gaítan, Councillor for Institutional Relations, who has done a great job organizing the event. This year the ‘European of the Year’ award on behalf of the Nordic associations was given to Lola and Björn Rajalin, a Finnish couple from la Herradura, as a recognition for their valuable work for AHN as board members during many years, outstanding organizers of events and trips and for their loyalty, good humour and helpfulness.

The Danes Celebrate

Mette Owens — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:00:33 +0000

There was cause for celebration in the Danish community on Oct. 10th, when a late second-half goal by Jakob Poulsen gave Denmark a 1-0 win over Sweden in Copenhagen and secured our place in the World Cup finals. It was a priceless victory. Way to go Denmark!

Another cause for celebration took place on Sunday Oct. 18th, where approximately 350 guests (mostly Danes I might add) showed up throughout the day to wish Café Rosa a Happy 3rd Birthday. What a birthday bash it was and the weather couldn’t have been better.

The owners, Gitte and Bent Madsen, had borrowed tables and chairs from neighbouring restaurants to ensure outdoor seating for all their well-wishers. They had organized an outdoor hotdog stand and believe me; the line-up there was endless. The guests enjoyed hours of live music provided by New Orleans Jump Band, which was accompanied by Almuñécar´s own cornet player, Kjeld Madsen, during the third set. Not a seat in the house was empty, end even the beach benches and the roundabouts were occupied. It actually felt more like a little outdoor festival.

The party was supposed to be from 1:00 p.m. until 4:00 p.m. but the first guests arrived around 11:00 a.m. and the die-hards left around 7:00 p.m. Gitte and Bent were delighted to be able to thank all their loyal and regular clients by putting on the event. The young Danish couple moved to Almuñécar in March 2006 in search of a better life in the sun.

Following up on last issue’s article about the Danish-Spanish Club in Almuñécar, I have since spoken with the Chairman, Erling Kjær Hansen, about the club’s activities for the fall. They are listed below and are available to its members. Membership is open to Danes or Spaniards alike and costs 40 Euro per year.

Monday:
Spanish for beginners from 10:00-12:00
Petanque from 12:00-14:00
Scheduled presentations in the evening

Tuesday:
Hobby club from 10:00-13:00
Spanish for intermediate from 10:30-12:30
Bridge tournament from 17:00

Wednesday:
Cleaning of club´s location
Walking tours/excursions start from the club at 11:00 (see list of walks posted on the board at the club)

Thursday:
Bridge and whist game from 10:00-13:00
Bingo every first and third week of the month from 17:00 followed by dinner after
Ladies club (film club) every second and fourth week.
Ladies billiard from 10:00-12:00

Friday:
Friday meeting from 12:00-16:00, with registration and payment of membership dues
Danish open-faces sandwiches and warm dishes available for purchase
Tennis from 10:00-12:00 on the courts at Las Gondolas

Saturday:
Billiard for advanced from 11:00-14:00

Sunday:
Billiard for intermediate from 10:00-12:00 and again from 12:00-14:00

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Royal Naval Association

rna almunecar — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 12:38:41 +0000

Royal Naval Association
Wednesday, September 9, 2009

The RNA Almuñécar branch held its monthly meeting yesterday evening at the El Globo bar on the Paseo del Altillo.

Fourteen members were present and points discussed included the forthcoming Trafalgar Night (21 Oct) with a dinner to be held on 23 October; the Remembrance Day Service & Parade (8 November) at St George’s Chapel Malaga & arrangements for the Branch Christmas dinner on 11 December.

The Chair also thanked 2 of its members for hosting an excellent BBQ day in July raising funds for the Branch.

The RNA runs social events throughout the year including lunches, wine tasting, BBQs & special dinners.

All are welcome to join our small group regardless of whether you have any connection with the forces. The Branch meets every second Tuesday in the month at the new Autumn/Winter time of 1.00pm, Bar El Globo Paseo de Altillo 5. The next meeting is on 13 October.

For further information please join us at El Globo on the 2nd Tuesday in the month, email almunecarrna@yahoo.com, or contact:-

David Toms 958617097 Val Johnson
958828564

Feria de Asociaciones

Editor — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 14:15:57 +0000

A total of 39 associations and clubs took part in the annual Encuentro de Voluntarios de Almuñécar y La Herradura, which was held in the Botanical Gardens, Parque Majuelo on the weekend of the 20th/21st.
I was pleased to get to chat with Margarita who is one of the mainstays behind ADALH, which is an association for those with all kinds of physical and mental disabilities. They’ve been around for a year now and you might remember that last year the Royal Navy Association donated the total sum of their monthly raffles to ADALH, for which Margarita was over the moon.
The cancer association, AECC, was there, which gave me the opportunity to ask how the collection boxes were going and to pass on the message that more businesses that advertised with us wanted collection boxes next to their stack of Gazette, as readers were asking where they could deposit their euro. Thanks very much folks, on behalf of the AECC and ourselves.
I also had a good chance to chat with the lads from Senegal, asking them how things were going since their incredibly selfless efforts to tidy up Almuñécar after the September flood of 2006. Their association, Tauba, has opened up a small shop (about 20 paces from the Arboreum in Calle Trinidad 22), where they specialise in making and repairing leather sandals. Spare them a thought, too, Folks, as they did for us when we needed it.
I must admit that one of the stands that most attracted my attention was the stand for the aero-modelling club, where José Luis was exhibiting his bloody great B-26 (Invader, which is pretty much like the B-25 Mitchell, but without the twin tail boom) I could have spent the whole afternoon chatting with him about WW2 aircraft. To find out more about them, visit www.rccostatropical.com.
Obviously, with 39 associations taking part, I can’t mention them all, so I hope that the others will forgive their non-mention. If you had a stand there, then contact us and I will ask Dave to do a People & Places on your association. Anyway, as you will see, we have included a half-page photo page of the event in this section of the Gazette.

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