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Well, the site is sold now so Jan from the other forum and her son Alex are now the new owners

 

It will be a little while before everything is transferred over, but you probably won´t even notice.  I hope you all continue to post regularly and continue your online friendships.  It´s been a pleasure for me to get to know so many people through this website, many of whom I´ve made friends with in the real world.  I´ve had a lot of fun with the site over the years with only very few problem members.

  Now I can relax and let someone else sort them out 

 

Thanks for supporting me for all these years. 

• Making the pages mobile-friendly for guests
• Optimising the pages so they can be found even easier on search engines (Jan has done a great job on this so far)
• Creating an email newsletter to send members the latest posts and information
• Integrating the information from both this website and our La Marina section on www.costablancaforum.com so it doesn't matter which site you are on you will always find useful information.

A huge 'thank you' to Garaje Alonso' just off the CV905 near Ciudad Quesada yesterday.   I suddenly got a big red 'STOP' sign come up on my dashboard.    I carefully pulled into the side of the road near to their place and my friend (who, luckily, was with me) went to their office and explained what had happened.   A mechanic came and checked what was wrong, confirmed my suspicions that it was to do with the radiator, went and got some water and filled up the relevant tank.   I then drove back round into their area and he had a better look at things, advised that there was a leak and that I should take the car to my garage, as I had had the car less than a year.   Total charge 5 euros!   Although the mechanic did not speak English there is a young lady in their reception who speaks it very well.   They were both very pleasant and helpful.   Cannot thank them enough for their help.

 

 

Well our worst fears have been confirmed this morning, my wife Jan is allergic to our Springer Spaniel . I know this isn't a rehoming site, but could somebody please find it in their heart to help me out? Her names Janet and she's 43!!

 

 

 

 

I'm just glad that when I joined the other forum, I explained why I'd done so, and this prompted Alex to take us over.

 

Without this, we would have sunk without trace, and all the good information on this forum would have been lost.

You can all stop speculating. I visited the main man in the architect's office and examined the application and the plans. All of which has been approved. The plan is to construct a Bazaar de Chino. It will only consist of a large warehouse with parking and is of similar size to the one near to Mercadona. Construction is planned for completion by next summer. Please note the delay was due to the senior architect being unavailable. But as someone commented, it is not the first time that a telephone call was made and to be informed of something, only to later find out we had been misinformed. We have learned not to ass u me, that everything we are told is true, we find it best to speak to the organ grinder and where possible, examine the documents.
The technico staff are usually out from the offices during the week and it is normally on Tuesdays and Thursdays that they reserve for appointments. I prefer to show some manners and wait for an opportunity in between appointments to ask my questions. I hope that this satisfies all those that have enquired.

This guy brings his best mate home unannounced for dinner at 6:30  after work.

 

His wife screams her head off while his friend sits open mouthed and listens to the tirade...

 

"My bloody hair & makeup are not done, the house is a f****** mess, the dishes  aren't done.   

 

Can't you see I'm still in my f****** pajamas and I can't be bothered with cooking  tonight!  

 

Why the f*** did you bring him home unannounced you stupid idiot?"

 

"Because he's thinking of getting married."

It looks like it will be going ahead. It´s a little complicated as I have my hosting account registered under my costablancaforums.com domain name, which will be transferred to the new owners along with my lamarinaforum.com domain. On the same hosts I have my other website - spanishlanguagesite.com which I don´t want to lose, so I´ll need to change my host account name.  Transferring the forum to the new owners hosting is the easy part - it´s sorting the domain names that might take a little while.

 

I believe Alex and his mum will be keeping the format very similar to it is at present - but no doubt will make improvements.  

 

If you find the site goes down for a while, just keep checking back and it will re-appear with, fingers crossed, all posts etc. intact.

 

I´ll still be around as a member, just not owning or managing it.

I explained to her I was looking for cheap flights.
"I love you" she said, and then she got all excited,
quickly undressed and we had the most amazing sex ever......

The land behind the Consum Square? I regret to say that at this moment, I am unable to say for certain, what the plans are for this area. I do know that it has been bought over by a group of Chinese businessmen. A few weeks ago , two well dressed Chinese men came to my office to ask some questions about the Urbanisation. They were interested in how the population of the Urb varied from season to season. They also asked me what type of business was needed on the Urb. I stated that we did not need another Merca China but an "Outlet" store, selling a large selection of branded household and fashion items would be good. as residents had to travel to other large towns to get what they needed. Whether or not this was for the Consum area, I cannot say.
I will speak to one of the technicos tomorrow to see what light they can shine on this question.

Prompted by Tanny, and following her format, here's a similar summary. Doesn't cover everywhere we go, but most of our regulars.

 

I'm not including places where we just go for a drink, but I must point out that there are three bars in Rafal where - in my opinion - the coffee is better than any I've had elsewhere.

 

Alquibla, Algorfa

Typical Spanish. Always good food. Nice waiter. Good value for money. Excellent tarta de almendra.

 

Angelin Bar & Restaurant, Almoradí

Restaurant expensive but good. MDD in the bar is perfectly OK.

 

Banana Tree, Quesada

Good food, and nice to have grub with Thai flavours.

 

Bibiana's, San Fulgencio

It’s a very long meal and a very filling one, but well worth doing from time to time. Don’t have any breakfast.

 

Budapest Restaurant, Doña Pepa

Quite posh dining, really. Good food but the menu never changes.

 

Carmen del Campillo (Moroccan tea room), Albatera

Moroccan tea and delicious pastries. Worth a visit for something different and to look at the property. Good place to take visitors.

 

Casa Campisano, Daya Vieja

Good food. International menú.

 

Casa Harry, San Felipe Neri

Typical Spanish. Good food. Plenty of atmosphere.

 

Casino, Orihuela

Upmarket MDD, bit different to the normal. Must go again asap, but they sometimes close for the height of the summer.

 

Charlot’s, Benejuzar

Extensive menú, good food, go hungry. One of our favourites.

 

El Gusto, Benijofar

International menú. Superb presentation. Evenings only. My very definite favourite for a special occasion.

 

Gorriones, San Bartolome

Typical Spanish. Good food. Service a bit too quick.

 

Guiovanni’s, Almoradi

Italian, good food. John’s really friendly. MDD and a la carte.

 

Jaen's, Guardamar

Messy, far too much food, good price, worth going just for a laugh.

 

La ‘U’, Almoradí

Different MDD each weekday. Menu del noche not exciting but well worth going for. Regular haunt of ours.

 

Las Palmeras, Crevillente

Very good, real dining with proper dining cloths etc. it’s a must whenever we’re in that area.

 

Let’s Eat, Benimar

Good menu, tastes good, but if you analyse the menu it’s all easy to prepare. Place for those who want to eat brit, like Viloriens, but El Gusto beats it hands down.

 

Los Periquitos, on the road to Fortuna

Good place to visito on the way back from Nueva Condomina or Ikea.

 

Portico Mar, Guardamar

International menú. Good choice but it never changes. Crowded. Well worth the occasional visit.

 

Rebate, near San Pedro del Pinatar

It’s a must. See recent thread.

 

Rincon de Portugal, Benejuzar

Fairly new, really friendly, choice of prices, good food and a bit different. Has become one of our regular haunts.

 

San Remo, Almoradí

Italian. Nothing wrong with it but not very exciting.

 

Silvino’s, Almoradí

Go for the evening a la carte. Excellent.

 

Wok, Guardamar

The best wok around. What makes is different is the table of stuff they just cook a plateful of at a time. They also have real seaweed salad, pickled ginger, harissa.

Update.

I got one window from Vial for our utility room, some time before I had a chance to fit it, but I have now done so. Whereas I've been perfectly happy with other stuff I've had from Vial, I would never buy another window from them.

The frame profile is poor, with unnecessary dust traps, and a groove all the way round three sides so you can fit some angle to project out and cover any wall damage. Trouble with this idea is that the groove isn't deep enough, so you have to try and buy angle which has one side narrower than the other. The joins at the corners of the frame are crude, with raw aluminium and gaps showing. The drains on the outside bottom are just holes in the frame. Plus, on the one I got, the frame had been made 8mm too wide!

The sliders feel and look good. However, the glazing units were in my opinion too small, and should have been made a few mil larger. The glazing beads on both sides of the glass had not been properly fitted and were pulled away from the corners. The brush strips are not secured and drop out when you lift the sliders in or out. I had to do a lot of fettling to bring this window up to an acceptable standard.

I'm currently working on my study, and got the window from BricoDepot. Same size, virtually same price. Can't fault the quality - it has not a single one of the Vial problems. Much better design, construction, and finish. Perfectly happy with this window.

The system at BricoDepot is that you go to the windows department, tell the guy what you want, he gives you a form which you take to the construction yard office to pay, and when you come back he has your stuff on a trolley for you.

I opted in both cases for 'sin persianas' because these take six inches off your window height, and I wanted as much light as possible in both rooms.

I also got a mossie blind from BricoDepot, although I've had two from Vial which are OK, and which come with MFI type instructions. Once I've fitted this, if there's anything worth reporting, I'll do another post.

In the meantime, happy DIYing!

I'm worried. So far 15k down personally - as is pension fund currently.

 

I've been involved in businesses within the EU since I was 19 years old, worked in different countries as well as worked with other Europeans. Always found the cross border movement and trade helped a lot. Very little paperwork.

 

Now - according to EU law, those employed within the EU, must give first priority to other EU members for works. Translated - those English people looking for employment overseas now potentially can be bumped to the bottom of the employment list for any EU company. This is terrible and more so for young people, who need as many opportunities as possible.  

 

 

7 billion lost in EU Sciences grants, loss of sports grants. A long period of instability, even if recovers, will cause stuttering / retraction of growth to the economy, potentially growth wise, could set the UK back 10 years.

 

Fragmentation of the country - those under the age of 50 years old voted to remain in for business / work. Those not working, retired - in the main voted out (least affected by work / currency).  80% if those in council estates voted out (why more benefits for you if we keep people out??). 

 

Daily mail should be prosecuted for the misinformation they presented, then after the vote apologised for the 'what is going to happen' article - they convinced all their silver haired readers to follow Joan Collin's opinion (really) to leave, and only giving them the potential negatives (truth) after the vote. This angered many of their readers - after they had voted the way the mail wanted them to - Michael Goves wife is a columnist....politicians wives on the Brexit campaign assisting in manipulating media? Worrying.

 

A really uncomfortable mix of opinions and a vote based on lies, propaganda and worst of all became for many about the borders and little else.  Many of those who voted out did as a protest vote about current government issues - which have nothing to do with the EU, so misguided. The majority of (elder) people I spoke with who cited border control first and had little knowledge of anything else the EU does. Also other issues cited were local government issues and nothing to do with the EU.

 

I do worry that some of the older generation may have caused a knock on affect which will cause issues with the younger generations and weaken the UK overall. Has caused strain in my own family. My sister drafts governmental policies and knows all about the human rights laws and employment protection that the EU has helped with - we voted in, our parents (Daily mail readers) voted out - without thinking for a second it may affect their own children. 

 

In the long term, it will probably balance out - but at a cost. 

 

For those who expected the UK to step out of the EU, get all of the border concessions asked for and better trade agreements, than those in the EU??  EU cannot give better deals to the UK over existing members. They have already stated for trade agreements = all 4 principals of freedom of movement must exist. IE you want to trade, then keep your borders open as we state.

 

Whole thing has been poorly thought out, no exit plan, politicians running for cover when they have realised the complexity and mess which now has to be worked through. UK was a country which had the 5th largest economy UNDER THE EU, is now sliding downwards - credit rating dropped 2 points, cost more to borrow, more to import - prices rise.....

 

Also give the racists the belief they have won the right to abuse non white people or those with non English accents. Hate crimes up over half. Marvellous start.

 

I used to be proud to call the UK my real home. Can't say I feel that way at the moment. Too much anger & racism. Half the country disagreeing with the other half.....

Having been unable to walk properly for over 15 years, and having had a new knee joint five months ago, I took advantage of the visit of a friend from North Yorkshire to go and test out the new knee.

 

We tackled the lower of the two peaks on the Sierra de Orihuela, the one with the cross on top of it. It's only 464 metres high, but well worth tackling. The knee worked fine - it was the rest of me that was totally unfit! At one point where I was having a rest after a steep rocky section, before tackling the final leg, a Spanish couple coming down were kind enough to tell me there wasn't far to go, and the rest was easy walking. It was, we made it, and I'd recommend the walk to anyone who likes the outdoors.

 

It's a popular walk with the Spanish, and everyone was friendly. I was surprised at the numbers of fell runners we saw. Most of the other walkers were, in my terms, young, although we did see a couple of guys who'd have been in their early sixties, but no-one of my advanced years. It was difficult to find any litter on the way up, but there was some at the summit, plus some pillock had had at the plinth of the cross with a spray can.

 

The air was quite hazy, but even so there was a good view of the sea, the salt lakes and mounds of salt at Santa Pola, etc.

 

The end in sight:

 

 

Almost there:

 

 

 

Orihuela from La Cruz de la Muela:

 

 

Taking a well earned rest:

 

I was walking around Harrogate and I saw that there was a "Muslim Book Store."

 

I was wondering what exactly was in a Muslim book store, so I went in.

 

As I was wandering around taking a look, the assistant stopped me and asked if he could help me.

 

I asked, "Do you have a copy of The UK Immigration Department's policy on Muslims and Illegal Immigrants?"

 

The assistant said, "F*ck off, get out and stay out!"

 

I said, "Yes, that's the one. Do you have it in paperback?"

I love school photographs. In years to come it must be wonderful to look back and recognise all your school mates

Hi, Seniors (& other non-Facebook users) -​

For those of my generation who do not use and cannot comprehend why Facebook exists:

I am trying to make friends outside of Facebook while applying the same principles. Therefore, every day I walk down the street and tell passers-by what I have eaten, how I feel at the moment, what I have done the night before, what I will do later, and with whom.
I give them pictures of my family, my dog, and of me gardening, taking things apart in the garage, watering the lawn, standing in front of landmarks, driving around town, having lunch, and doing what anybody and everybody does every day.
I also listen to their conversations, give them the "thumbs up" and tell them I like them.
And it works just like Facebook. I already have four people following me:
two police officers, a private investigator, and a psychiatrist!

I posted this some years ago, but think it's worth another outing.

 

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the CASA

Not a creature was stirring, I wondered "QUE PASA?"

I was hanging the stocking with MUCHO CUIDADO,

In hopes that old Santa would feel OBLIGADO,

To bring all the children, both BUENOS Y MALOS,

A nice batch of DULCES and other REGALOS.

 

My brothers and I went to sleep in our CAMAS,

Some in long underwear, some in PIYAMAS.

When out in the yard there arose such a GRITO,

That I jumped to my feet like a frightened CABRITO.

I ran to the window and looked AFUERA,

and who in the world do you think QUIEN ERA?

 

St Nick in a sleigh and a big SOMBRERO,

Came dashing along like a little BOMBERO.

And pulling his sleigh, instead of VENADOS

Were eight little BURROS approaching VOLADOS.

I watched as they came, and this fat little HOMBRE,

Was shouting and whistling, and calling by NOMBRE.

"AY PANCHO, AY PEPE, AY CUCA, AY BETO

AY CHATO, AY CHOPO, AY MARUCA Y NIETO !"

 

Then standing up straight, with his hands on his PECHO,

He flew to the top of our very own TECHO.

With his round little belly like a bowl of JALEA,

He struggled to squeeze down our old CHIMENEA,

Then huffing and puffing, and a little CANSADO,

He picked up a bag that looked so PESADO.

 

He filled all the stockings with lovely REGALOS.

For none of the NINOS had been very MALOS,

Then chuckling aloud, seeming very CONTENTO,

He turned like a flash and was gone like the VIENTO.

And I heard him exclaim, and this is VERDAD,

"MERRY CHRISTMAS A TODOS ... FELIZ NAVIDAD!