APRIL 2013

. The March monthly meet-ing of the El-Valle Asociación was opened at 7.35pm Mon-day 4th March by Sue who presented Lyndsey's apolo-gies for her absence. Sue went on to say that most lingering problems with the new style newslet-ter had been resolved but that if anyone was experi-encing problems then they should have a word with her and she would try to assist. As part of her explanation re the newsletter, she was de-scribing that if you touched something in a certain way you could make it bigger. Someone in the 65 strong assembly obviously had his thoughts elsewhere as his loud reaction to Sue’s com-ments brought laughter through the room. The com-ment seemed to come from the cash box table and there were only two people sat there!!!!!!!!!! Jane then took over the mi-crophone and gave an over-view of the forthcoming social events with a re-minder re membership that

now ran January to Decem-ber but as a concession the newsletter was still being forwarded to all last years members until April (AGM meeting) but anyone not renewing by then would be taken off the circulation list.

If you have not already re-newed do it now, at only 10 Euros it is good value. Jane also expressed her thanks for the support being shown to the Asociación by the heavy booking of events taking place as she spoke, the committee was obvi-ously earning their money tonight. (Well they would be if they were being paid) Jane announced a short break to replenish drinks and buy cash box tickets before the nights entertainment began. At 8pm Jane introduced Keith Jacques who was to entertain with his singing, guitar and harmonica playing. Keith went on to sing and play for an hour with well known songs of an easy listening nature that we

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A R O U N D T H E V A L L E Y

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Chairmans Report &

March Meeting Notes

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Walking Group & Mes-

sages from Mario

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Quad Diary, Photo-

graphic Group & Drama

Group

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European Union Citizens

Rights & Top 5

Cathederals in Spain

5

Whats on—

Forthcoming Events

6

Historical Tour of Malaga 7

Committee 8

MARCH MEETING REPORT

I write my last newsletter editorial as your Chairperson! What a fabulous year we have had, some very amusing club nights and excellently organized events. This year saw the formation of a newly organized committee, which often led to rather lengthy meetings with 10 people expressing their opinions, thoughts and views!! However I am sure you will agree that the fruits of these meetings were to the benefit of you, our members. There are far too many special occasions to mention here, so I will sign off by thanking the Com-mittee, their spouses who work in the background supporting us, those people who contribute to this newsletter and to you, our members who make it all happen. Thank you all. Hasta luego!

CHAIRMANS REPORT By Lyndsey Padley

were encouraged to join in with. I appreciate that easy listening/country style music is not to every ones liking but the silence whilst he per-formed told its own story and was coupled with prolonged applause. One member who I know has music tastes about as far re-moved from Keith's perform-ance as you can get and he admitted the evening was a success and I even heard him singing along!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At 9pm the entertainment stopped and Keith was thanked for his performance and again the audience loudly applauded. The cash box prize stood at €230.00 but none of the tick-ets drawn matched the lucky key so the cash rolls over to next month’s meeting which is also the A.G.M so come along and either stand for election (what do we touch and how Sue)? or vote for who you want to represent you on the committee. Thanks to the membership for a good turnout, thanks to Keith for entertainment and finally the committee with-out whom there would be no meeting.

M A R C H W A L K I N G G R O U P B y A l a n I m p e y

track at a T-junction we turned left to begin a descent into the valley. Had we turned right then a ridge path would have taken us to Lós Gomez. Once in the valley a left turn took us to the north and another steady climb until it was time to turn south again and make our way through an olive grove. Good views of the embalse were to be had and it was decided that another group photo was called for. On this occasion it was decided that Neil Marland, photogra-pher extraordinaire, should officiate. As we made our way down towards the old Vinuela/Velez Malaga Road we ar-rived at a track which we followed to the left paralleling the road but high above it. This track is in fact a Kings Road and originally connected Velez Malaga and Lorja and eventually Granada. We arrived back at Viñuela around 1pm and retired to the restaurant for a good value menu del dia served as usual by Sergio. For those of us who like facts and figures our walk started from a height of 150 metres, we reached a high point of 300 metres and covered a distance of 5.75 kms. Next month’s walk is on Thursday 11th April and will be routed and led by Terry and Jane Frost (assisted by Ruby). The walk start is at Guaro a small pueblo up beyond Periana commencing at 11am.

MESSAGE FROM MARIO

Allcaucin Town Hall.

The 4th of January, I sent an email about the burglaries that were affecting our village. It seemed that the thieves were backing off lately, but that was only wishful thinking. The last month, another five houses were "visited". Two of them ended only in an attempt. One because the house was equipped with an alarm system, the other because one of the own-ers was still home. The thieves managed to flee when they saw the house owner. The Guardia Civíl has been very active and only bad luck can ex-plain the fact that the thieves have not been caught yet. The main reason for this mail is to ask you to keep an eye on your property and especially that of your neighbours in case they are absent. I hope soon to be able to give you better news.

After a prolonged spell of unsettled weather we were fortunate that the day of the El-Valle monthly walk proved to be clear and sunny if a little cool. At 11am Thursday 14th March

36 members gathered in the lower car park of Vinuela for a walk routed and led by Doug and Jane. As we set off we walked up through the pueblo and as we passed La Viña restaurant Jane called in to confirm that 37 would be dining there in approx. 3 hours. (Yes I know I said 36 walkers but a non-walker would be eating) As we reached the top of the pueblo we regrouped and then tuned right to follow the road for 100 metres before going left and climbing steeply into the campo. At the end of this

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URGENT PLEASE NOTE

Declaration of "Asimilado a Fuera de Ordenación" (DAFO): Attention Please!!!

Over the last weeks, several requests for DAFO were presented in the Register of the Town Hall of Alcaucín. Those requests are a consequence of wrong information based on the Decree 2/2012. The Decree 2/2012 obliges the Town Halls to redact a plan called "Avance". The Avance should determine the houses built on Non Urbanizable Land (SNU) that could be included in a settlement (Asentamiento). The houses that can't be included in a settlement are the ones to be considered as "Asimilado a Fuero de Ordenación", only if the statute of limitation has passed. The DAFO isn't something that serves our interests and therefore you should only apply for DAFO under exceptional circum-stances. It is an expensive procedure and in most of the cases, you will not benefit of it. I urge you to come and discuss this matter with me BEFORE you apply for DAFO. My general recommendation is: DON'T APPLY FOR DAFO UNLESS YOU HAVE A PROBLEM OF WATER AND/OR ELECTRICITY SUPPLY. Mario Blanke

WARNING

PLEASE BE AWARE THERE ARE A NUMBER OF BOGUS EMAILS DOING THE ROUNDS PURPORTING TO BE FROM YOUR BANK OR CREDIT/VISA CARD COMPANY. DO NOT OPEN THEM REMEMBER, YOUR BANK WILL NEVER ASK FOR YOUR DETAILS BY EMAIL OR TELEPHONE.

February’s challenge of “STREET” was popular and well supported. This photo of a young street artist

Lake Viñuela Photographic Club

This month there has been a gastronomic theme to some of our outings- mainly because of the continuing unsettled weather! The first main outing was to Archez to sample the rec-ommended restaurant ‘La Pena’, which is down by the river. I was leading the trip and at one pit-stop, Brian diplomatically asked whether we were going in the right direction. Consulting the map I discovered that I had got my Archez muddled up with my Arenas!! Lucky I’m not a surgeon- could be painful!! We changed course and headed in the right direction- the ridge track offers great quadding and the meal was excellent.

The weather continued to dete-riorate and one Wednesday that had a horrendous forecast, we

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decided to ditch the quads and go to a restaurant by car! A table for four-teen was booked at the fairly re-cently opened Asador La Maroma restaurant in Canillas de Aceituno. (see photo).

The food was fabulous, it’s no won-der people rave about it on ‘Tripadvisor’. The service was also very attentive and the ‘Menu Espe-cial’ for 10 Euros was the best value we have come across. It was much more fun than twiddling our thumbs at home!

One group that did go out in grim weather decided to head for the Parque Natural above Alcaucin. It is a year since some of us were stopped by Rangers, our details

taken and in one case (mine!!), a fine was issued. This group was also stopped and would probably have suffered the same fate but one of the group, Angelika, speaks fluent Spanish and was able to argue the case. There are still no signs banning quads on the main track through the park, al-though there are signs on the small tracks off to the sides. This Ranger claimed they couldn’t afford the main signs..!! Angelika managed to persuade him to let them go without being given a fine (or did she just talk him into submission?! only joking An-gelika!!) but they still had to turn round and hightail it out of there- I think now maybe all of us have got the message!! It does, however, still rankle that big four-by-fours can be raced through the park, kick-ing up clouds of dust, with apparent impu-nity, whilst we are not allowed to tootle through it, admiring the lovely views!

A R O U N D T H E V A L L E Y

QUAD DIARY By Chris Pegman

is one of forty seven entered; the others can be viewed via this link, http://tinyurl.com/b4kawsu. We’ll see if our “out of the ordi-nary” March challenge of “In the style of Rodney Smith” will, as feared, be a challenge too far. A few of our members attended a day long photo’ judging seminar in Villafranco this month hoping to glean a bit more knowledge on how judges form their opinions.

The next performances will be Thursday 6th and Friday 7th June at 'El Trapiche' commencing at 7.30pm. There will be two short plays each evening - these are 'Mystery at the Manor' and 'Drama at the Village Hall'. Each performance will take approximately half an hour and there will be a short interval in between. Tickets will be on sale from the first of May. The plays are very funny and we are confident tickets will sell quickly. We now have quite a few new members inc two young teenagers who are very keen. Also our website is now on line..... www.elvalledramagroup.co.uk

EL VALLE DRAMA GROUP

By Jenny Woodhead

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the European Parliament on a sub-ject which comes within the Euro-pean Union's field of activity and which affects them directly. Any company, organisation or associa-tion with its headquarters in the European Union may also exercise this right of petition, which is guar-anteed by the Treaty. The European Parliament’s Peti-tions Committee champions prop-erty issues at EU level. You can find more information about how to submit a petition and how the Petitions Committee works at the following links: Submitting a petition How the Petition Committee works You can find out more about EU consumer rights on the

Commission's website.

European Union citizens’

rights

European Commission Direc-torate General for Health and Consumers

The European Commission Direc-torate General for Health and Con-sumers has a goal to make Europe a healthier, safer place, where con-sumers can be confident that their interests are protected. More information about their work and details of how to contact them can be found on their website: http://ec.europa.eu/dgs/health_consumer/index_en.htm

European Commission for Justice The work of the European Commis-sion for Justice includes fundamen-tal rights, EU citizenship and free movement, and consumer and marketing law. More information about their work and details of how to contact them can be found on their website: http://ec.europa.eu/justice/index_en.htm

European Commission Euro-pean Citizens’ Initiative The European citizens' initiative allows one million EU citizens to participate directly in the develop-ment of EU policies, by calling on the European Commission to make a legislative proposal. You can find out more about the initiative, including a step-by-step guide to the procedure and fre-quently asked questions, on the European Citizens' Initiative web-site.

The European Parliament Peti-tions Committee Any citizen of the European Union, or resident in a Member State, may, individually or in association with others, submit a petition to

TOP 5 CATHEDRALS IN SPAIN

This is a list compiled by Gerry Kirkoff, who produces a website called www.spanish-fiestas.com, well worth a visit.

1. Cordoba Cathedral:

The Great Mosque of Cordoba is at the historic centre of this beautiful city. If you stay overnight (and you should) take a walk around in the evening when all the day visitors have gone. It’s in-credibly atmospheric

2. Seville Cathedral:

Built on the site of the city’s mosque, you’ll be overawed by the enormity of this building which is one of the world’s largest religious buildings. If you’re fit enough climb the steps of the Giralda bell tower which served as the mosque’s minaret for great views all around Seville.

3. Toledo Cathedral:

It took more than 250 years to build this cathderal which is simply stunning. A variety of architectural styles are in evi-dence within the building that once again was built on the site of the city mosque from the days of Moorish rule

4. Palma de Majorca Cathedral:

Overlooking the Bay of Palma is Mal-lorca’s La Seu Cathedral which again has Moorish origins. If you’re staying in one of the popular resorts of the south coast it’s well worth a day excursion into Palma. Also check out the former Moor-ish fort at Palau de l’Almudaina which today serves as a royal residence

5. Santiago de Compostela Cathedral

Every year Santiago de Compostela is the final destination of thousands of pilgrims who have walked the ‘Camino de Santiago’ (Way of St James). The city’s stunning cathedral houses the tomb of Saint James (Santiago) and at certain masses the enormous ‘botafumeiro’ incense burner swings up and down the main aisle

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ALL MEETINGS START PROMPTLY AT 7:30 pm

MONDAY 1ST APRIL, AGM & MEMBERS TRIVIA NIGHT.

MONDAY 6TH MAY, A TALK BY JOAN FALLON ABOUT THE LIFE OF WOMEN IN SPAIN IN FRANCOS TIME

MONDAY 3RD JUNE, TALK BY JOHN POVEY ABOUT LIFE IN THE “PRETTY THINGS”

FRIDAY 5TH APRIL, TAPAS & FILM NIGHT CHURCH ROOM UNDER MAROMA ESTATES FILM SKYFALL 19:30

MEMBERS €5 NON MEMBERS €6

REMEMBER TO BRING YOUR OWN GLASSES & DRINK

4 DAY TRIP TO DOÑANA 15th to 18th APRIL 2013

4* HOTEL BARCELO PUNTA UMBRIA MAR - with Half Board

Trip includes visits to: Rábida Monastery, and replica ships of Columbus Doñana National Park, in off road vehicles El Rocio, village built on sand, famous for pilgrimage to Aracena, Rio Tinto Mine Park, with small railway Gruta de las Maravillas, cave system

Return via Seville with time for lunch Members: €245 Non-Members €255 **All above visits included in this price**

MAY 24TH SKITTLES

AT ATILA BAR

15:00 for skittles; approx 19:00 for food

€8 Members: €10 Non Members

MIDSUMMER MADNESS DANCE @ THE HOTEL VINUELA

THURSDAY, 20TH JUNE 2013 19:00

3 Course meal in the beautiful Hotel Gardens, includes wine, cava,

Beer and soft drinks during the meal.

Live Music by the Honky Tonk Cats, Dancing till Late

Members: €35 Non Members: €45

THIS EVENT IS BEING HEAVILY SUBSIDISED BY THE EL VALLE.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS: DATES FOR YOUR DIARY

JULY 13TH TRIP TO MIJAS RACES

AUGUST 15TH TRIP TO ALMUNECAR FIREWORKS

WHAT’S ON—FORTHCOMING MEETINGS & EVENTS

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Thursday 21 March began for some of us with fisticuffs at Torre del Mar bus station as we elbowed our way onto the crowded 9am-leaving-at-9.15-maybe-if-you’re -lucky charabanc to Malaga. A Spanish-style dis-connect between booking office and bus driver had resulted in a discrepancy be-tween places available and places booked but finally all bums found seats, seatbelts were fastened (or not) and off we went. The morning chill on the exclusive Paseo Maritimo at Malaga (home to the best pub-lic loos in Malaga) was quickly dissipated by the hot air generated by 34 chattering Brits playing tourist. After reviving ourselves with coffee and dodging missiles from xenophobic seagulls we negotiated our way past the Paseo’s luxury yachts, cruise ships and designer shops back to the city to begin the tour. Guides-in-chief Stewart and Peter, encouraged us to look up (no, not those seagulls again!) to appreciate the intricate masonry and ornate balconies and win-dows, some of which were decorated with scarlet and gold drapes ready for the fol-lowing week’s Semana Santa festivities. Our leisurely four-hour walk took us past sculpted gardens, famous statues, modern and ancient government buildings and Moorish apartment blocks with their deco-

rated tiles and horseshoe arches. Any lingering female hopes for a spot of retail therapy in the pedestrianised Calle Marques de Larios were promptly quashed by Stewart , although apparently not en-tirely successfully as one intrepid male was heard to say “Only one and a half hours to

closing time - thank God for that!” He knows who he is.

We lingered at historic venues and for-ayed into high street banks to discover hidden architectural gems deep in the bowels of the building, to the surprise of the staff, one of whom kindly donated a biro to assist me in clearing off and mak-ing notes for this article. Other highlights included a former 18th century barracks, now a covered market with a magnificent stained glass window, numerous beauti-ful churches, and private dwellings with flowered and fountained courtyards, the Picasso museum and the city’s oldest bar. Coffee and other reviving substances were taken at the Café Central in the Plaza de la Constitution, which, we dis-covered, is one of the few remaining places where you still have to spend a penny, or rather 20 centimos, to…er spend a penny. Several of us ladies who don’t carry coins and therefore did not have the necessary shrapnel are indebted to Martyn for his generosity in providing the funds to relieve our situation. (By the way, for anyone who still doesn’t know, the parachutist can be found in the last picture on the right hand wall before you negotiate the stairs to barter with the delightful centenarian guarding the lavs.) Re-fuelled, we continued onwards and upwards, taking in the preparations for the Semana Santa processions and fes-tivities and being accosted by vendors of roasted almonds and horse-drawn car-riage tours, who mistook us for tourists (as if!). Looking up, we spotted rows of pigeons (flying rats) desecrating ancient wooden Moorish windowsills with their corrosive droppings - each bird produces 12 Kg a year in case anyone’s interested. Back down at street level an increase in the number of beggars and closed down retail outlets provided a sad indictment

of the times we are living in. Anyone starting to doze off in the warm early afternoon sunshine was woken by the shrill whistle of a group of trade union activists noisily urging yet more strike ac-tion against…… whatever! We crowded into narrow alleys, blocking them more effectively than a herd of campo goats on a mountain road, paused to view the Alcazaba, and passed the mu-nicipal art gallery, bull ring and famous English cemetery before heading back to the Paseo Mari-timo for a very enjoyable Menu del Dia. I am sure I speak for everyone in thanking Peter and Stewart – doubtless ably assisted by Chris-tine and Elaine - for a wonderful and memorable day which was great fun and taught us more about Malaga and its history than we could ever have found out on our own. I’m probably not the only one who will be repeating the tour with F and Fs from the UK using the excellent hand outs and map that Stewart and Peter had prepared for us. When they have completed their therapy sessions, Stewart and Peter have declared themselves brave enough to lead another tour…… more details from Stewart below Write up by Alice Venus, pictures by Mike Larner. P.S. If anyone is interested and did not go on the first tour and we get enough names we will run it again. If you would like to be listed for another run, please give your name(s) to the social com-mittee at one of the monthly meetings or to those of the com-mittee who will be at the Friday market between 11.00-2.30am. Thanks to Alice & Mike for the write up and pics . Glad you all enjoyed it. Stewart & Peter.

Historic Malaga – A Guided Walking Tour by Peter and Stewart

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ASOCIACIÓN EL VALLE DEL EMBALSE COMMITTEE 2012-13

Chair: Lyndsey Padley - 628655801 Vice Chair: Jane Harris - 633615154 Treasurer: Terry Frost - 697569141 Secretary: Stewart Common - 647076177 MEMBERS

Linda Kemp: - 951167088 Elaine Edwards: - 647076177 Anne Dibden: - 605826358 Carol Jackson: - 635291532 Kim Rogerson: - 696126204

Editor: Susan Jones - 680407894 Almoner: Christine Goreham – 635361233 INFORMATION.

NEWSLETTER EDITOR newslettereditor2012@gmail.com WEBSITE - www.el-valle-asociacion.com

A representative of the committee is usually on duty between 11am – 12.30pm at Mis Tapas (“BILLY’S BAR”) during Friday Market - Chiringuito Antonio

Asociación El Valle del Embalse normally meet at 7pm on the first MONDAY of each month with the exception of August, at the “Camping Bar Restaurante” by Lake Viñuela (km 31/32 A356).

Email: idiomasmarich@gmail.com Periana Crossing, Next to Vet Puente Don Manuel, Alcaucin

Telephone 633780687

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