El Casareño Inglés

Lo echo de menos

2011-08-27T00:33:00.002+02:00

Despite all my grumblings over life in Spain I really miss Casares right now. I want to go back and stay there forever.

I really HATE the UK with its stupid rules and rapidly decreasing freedoms. The place deserves a proper revolution, and the sooner the better.

La corrupción y blanqueo de dinero

2011-08-24T09:40:00.003+02:00

Many of my expat frinds have commented on the apparently endemic corruption on Spain. I always regarded it as an unavoidable feature of life here and never made any moral judgement on it.

At a low level, it appears as a way of topping up meagre salaries.

I am now aware of a whole new dimension of corruption which I find morally offensive. I have discovered that council employees are paid bonuses according to how much benefit they can avoid paying out to claimants that are entitled. The level of these bonuses is such that said council officials can go out and buy a new car or put down a mortgage on a house. So, those who have no advocates who can fill in the forms and write letters the way that ticks the right boxes are denied money that they need. We are not talking about benefit fraud here; this is denying hard-working families money to food in their children's mouths. So, instead of helping those that need it, the council employees are lining their own pockets.

So, you ask where is this corruption to be found? Well it's NOT Spain. It's in the UK! The so-called bastion of fair play has stooped to the lowest form of moral corruption whereby money is withheld from the most vulnerable and defenceless.

If you want to get benefit in the UK you need an advocate to fight for you. This is why certain groups are so successful at getting it. They have the systems in place to get it for them; and good luck to them. I shall be putting this to my MP with a view to having the "civil servant" who invented this scheme forced to apologise to every failed genuine claimant for the rest of their lives!

Rant over.

La caravana se vende

2011-02-26T20:25:00.004+01:00

When we came back from Casares we used a caravan to move all our stuff back to the UK. Having served its purpose, it's now up for sale on Ebay: http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=110654433308

These are the photos I wanted to include in the listing but was limited by space:

Vacaciones

2010-07-14T18:59:00.001+02:00

I finally get a break from work so I can get to inspect the ravages wrought by winter on the house. I expect mould and lots of it.

Con titilación y experiencia.

2010-03-04T12:46:00.002+01:00

Poor Maria Rosa. I hope she didn´t get too many calls for her services; or maybe her maid services were what she described.

Un regalo para Lucy

2009-11-05T12:44:00.004+01:00

Meet Winston. He should be good enough to get her through the streets of Setubal. Unfortunately too wide for Casares.

I've ridden in this very behemoth some years ago. Vision is a bit poor, but frankly it's an advantage not to see the car you've just run over and crushed.

Fuel economy is poorer, at about 8 mpg max on four-star only.

Comfort is basic, but then you're so padded out with helmet, gloves etc. that the extra layers absorb the bumps.

The Average British Soldier

2009-11-05T11:56:00.001+01:00

It's that time of year again when we remember those who fight to protect us.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWsf76wG78g

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWsf76wG78g

BBC - southerncounties Interactive - Calling all Expats

2009-04-08T20:55:00.000+02:00

BBC - southerncounties Interactive - Calling all Expats

Will be contacting the Beeb shortly. Our story appears in the local press tomorrow.

Diez mil lectores. ¡Qué va!

2009-03-26T13:09:00.002+01:00

Many thanks to the readers out there who have visited so far, ten thousand views and counting...

We are in the middle of an exchange student visit at the moment in the hungry cottage. We hadn't bargained on a "tall, dark and handsome" 14 year-old from Germany; our preconceptions were someone more like Tom's own size (a bit short like his mum). Still, he's clean and well-behaved. The only downside is that he's vegetarian, but does at least like fish. I thought that I might have to go out and get a whole new cookbook - we are confirmed omnivores in the hungry cottage.

The school itinerary looks quite curious. Today, for instance the students are off to London for a "cultural" experience; London Eye and Tower of London. I'm not quite sure how this squares with the billed lunch at Burger King!

This weekend we will be free to give our own cultural education. I've suggested a pub lunch, possibly Portsmouth Dockyard and in the evening a fish 'n chip supper. Lady wife agrees on the food menu, but quails at the expense of the Dockyard tour, 55 pound sterling for a family ticket (only five people). A lot depends on the weather, the wind and rain will have to ease a bit first.

So much has happened since leaving Casares. The Teacher Training fell through after failing to get a grant. Didn't qualify as a home student because I'd been out of the country for over three years and failed as an EU student because that won't pay for a Masters course!

To help pay the bills I briefly did a paper round, then managed to pick up a cleaner's job at a local school.

I had applied at the end of November for a driver's job for a local company but had to wait around for ages for the CRB checks to go through. Surrey County Council were fine, but East Hants have been a complete nightmare (as is true for almost every department in Penns Place). They wouldn't accept the letter of good conduct from the Spanish Ministry of Justice (that Surrey did) and insisted I get another. This had to be done through the FCO and British Consulate in Málaga. I got the request off before Christmas, only to find on enquiry that the application was sat on some FCO "merchant banker's" desk in London in late January. And they wanted 121 pounds for the service. If you go in person to the Ministerio de justicia office in Málaga they'll do it for you for 8 euro. I could literally have flown out and done it myself for less than the FCO charged!

Eventually I got the paper back and so now I have taxi driver licences for Hampshire and Surrey (which explains the Facebook profile photo).

Not that taxi (or school bus) driving is an end in itself. I am retraining for something much more lucrative...

Facebook

2008-11-29T20:18:00.002+01:00

This is the end of the road for my blog on life in Spain. Mainly because I no longer live there (and won't be moving back anytime soon), but also because I've (e)migrated my contact with my friends to Facebook, which I find a much better way of staying in touch. If I make further entries here it will be to do a bit of politicking. One of my good friends from the last project I worked on in Spain has taken up the cause I see.

I will still be visiting Blogger from time to time to check up on what's going on in Spain.

Lydia Cacho

2008-10-29T17:38:00.002+01:00

For Spanish readers, this site is highly recommended. If you're not a Spanish reader, you can find her here in Wikipedia.

Tolerancia cero

2008-10-28T01:36:00.004+01:00

We have finally managed to get a rented house about a quarter mile from where we lived up until 2002. We're still getting settled in and are eagerly awaiting the delivery of a washing machine and fridge.

I've changed career totallyand am retraining to be a science teacher at secondary school. I've had some weeks at a school in Fareham observing teachers at work. As would be expected there is zero tolerance to bullying there.

The same cannot be said of the school our children attended in Casares. I have the photographic proof of injuries to our children to proove it. Strange how the teacher kept saying that our children walked into doors. Ten times in one day? I think not! I cannot think of any teacher there that would keep their QTS* more than a week given the lies they tell and outright racist attitudes they hold. In fact, I'll go through the standards one by one to show you how they fail non-Spanish children and let down their own. That will have to wait for another post.

I've got to get back to my coursework now, there's so much to do and the standards here in the UK are so high.

* Qualified Teacher Status

El retraso a nuestro pais

2008-09-02T19:26:00.002+02:00

Well, we escaped from Casares and Spain.

Once we have ourselves established in something better than a caravan, we'll start with the dirt on Spain. At least at this range they can't touch us and their threats mean nothing.

Strangely I don't find the English rain depressing, more refreshing.

Al final de la carrerra.

2008-08-23T14:00:00.001+02:00

I'm into the last hour at work now. Tomorrow we'll be doing our final packing.

The project where I've been working is also almost finished now. The platform will be floated next week I'm told and will sail shortly afterwards.

Our plans involve me going into teacher training in the UK. Carole is undecided about what she's going to do. We'll be on the road for the next week - Eurotunnel is SO much cheaper than the ferry.

Then we'll have to find soewhere to live in the UK. Buying a house seems stupid at the moment, so we're going to investigate alternative accomodation. More on that later.

Lo haremos para ella

2008-06-27T10:31:00.003+02:00

Owing to a number of issues it looks like our life in Spain is drawing to a close.

The problems we've encountered I'll save for later once we've left.

However, to guarantee our childrens' health and education is why we came to Spain in the first place. Now it seems we must leave for the same reasons.

I don't believe that Spanish society has changed at all whilst we've been here, nor do I believe we came with "rose-tinted spectacles". Our childrens' needs have changed, and that alongside the darker aspects of Spanish society and institutions have made us realise that Spain is not where we want to be.

Where next? We have a number of options, but we'll almost certainly be moving house during the summer holidays. We'll probably rent the house out short-term and sell later, unless any of you dear readers are interested.

El PSOE inicia los trámites para expulsar al alcalde de Estepona

2008-06-17T11:53:00.002+02:00

MADRID, 17 (EUROPA PRESS) - PSOE headquarters have started the process of expelling the mayor of Estepona, Antonio Barrientos, from the party following indications of his involvement in an alledged corruption scandal over planning applilcations, according to PSOE sources.

Those sources also say if other socialist counsellors are implicated the party will expel them also. Policía Nacional officers are currently searching municipal offices. The mayor arrived at the town hall at 0910 accompanied by officers to carry out a search. The Puertosol building where the planning (counsellor Rafael Duarte, PSOE) and tax (counsellor Francisco Zamorano, PSOE) offices are located are also being searched.

Un mundo pequeño y mentes más así

2008-05-14T18:43:00.003+02:00

Whilst out on a scouting trip at an hotel near Cádiz, I discovered this cart. It has come from less than 20 miles from where I used to live for many years.

After the last post I was called by social services to register their disapproval of what I wrote. I was also asked to call the current social worker back to arrange an appointment. The thing is that my wife has had enough of it. She sees that no progress has been made regarding the treatment of the children at school (i.e. blatant racism), and constant stonewalling by the authorities when it comes to doing anything that requires treating foreigners with dignity.

She (my better half) therefore has no wish to see the social worker again, and has forbidden me to call her. I must obey.

Lately I've not been posting much. The main reason has been I've been preoccupied with finding a new job after the current one ends in the summer (no fixed date yet). All the local staff agree that this is probably the best job they've had (or are ever likely to have) in Spain. No Spanish employer would treat their staff so fairly. I know only too well after previous jobs here. It seems highly likely that the next job will involve emigration from Spain.

I've (mostly) enjoyed my time here and have made some good friends in the last six years. For SWMBO it has been unending struggle against racism, obstruction and rudeness.

Rather than rant myself about all the things that went wrong, I shall let SWMBO do it - she's been contacted by the Daily Mail for her story.

¿Qué ha pasado con abril?

2008-05-02T12:20:00.002+02:00

A whole month has slipped by without a single post.

The main reason has been our occupation with Suzie, her baptism at the local church, the baptism of a neighbour's baby, that baby's health problems and of course doing battle with the State over our rights.

The last item goes back to our arrival in Spain. We soon discovered that we qualify for familia numerosa which gives not inconsiderable benefits, especially when it comes to taxation. We first applied in 2005 and got the book last summer, after two years of jumping through hoops put there to stop extranjeros applying. So the book arrived just in time for Suzie's birth which meant we had to immediately ask for a re-issue or lose the entitlement. Suzie is now almost nine months old and we're still fighting the Junta. This despite the fact she was born here in Andalucía.

After a useful relationship with Miguel Angel, a genuinely caring social worker who made every effort to help us through the system, he has moved on to another case. The new SW is a complete waste of space. Unhelpful doesn't even cover it. We patiently explained to her that the Junta's position on the familia numerosa is not only unlawful since it goes directly against the European Accession treaty that Spain signed and against the Maastricht and Lisbon treaties, but that the Junta's attitude is institutionally rascist, openly discriminating against EU citizens who are guaranteed equal rights before Spanish law. Her reaction was to side with the Junta, saying that "Spain is a special case and Spaniards have special rights reserved for themselves". Not in social equality they don't. She should re-read the above-mentioned treaties.

We will give her one last chance to break the logjam, then it's off the the press, lawyer and European Commission with the case. I don't think the Spanish government will want to hand back their Social Fund grants to Brussels on top of the 63 million euro they've had to repay to the CAP.

Español para hablar con la sirvienta.

2008-03-31T17:29:00.003+02:00

Many thanks to Juana la loca for finding this one - be careful you understand some Spanish before taking lessons. My children can always help with the ruder words.

¡Sí!

2008-03-14T16:46:00.004+01:00

Yes!

I finally got the taxi entitlement - but didn't have to do the taxi exam to get it. If you want to know how you'll have to guess, it's not something I'm going to advertise, but it didn't involve bribing anyone.

No more paying for parking at the airport.

I'll be celebrating this weekend.

La atención al cliente no existe en España

2008-03-14T12:52:00.006+01:00

Honestly, it's a foreign language to them. You can practically guarantee good service is only provided by extranjeros; argentine waiters, romanian builders, english mechanics etc.

Go into any Carrefour or El Corte Inglés here and you'll see what I mean. Staff who are supposed to be serving customers take a perverse delight in ignoring them and prefer to chat to their colleagues or on their mobile to friends and family or merely pick their noses rather than do the job they're paid for.

The concept that their salary is actually paid by their customers seems to escape them. I remember reading last year that of all Spanish companies that go into the export business, a third have abandoned it after just two years. Probably because they've pissed off their customers so much.

The crap service par excellence is of course provided by any state-run organisation or business. The complaints against Telefónica are legion, having passed into urban legend many years ago. They feature on expat bulletin boards on a monthly basis. However, even they are exceeded by the Health service, Town halls, Tax authorities, in fact any arm of the state.

Now I know why. In spain, to get a public service job you have to sit oposiciones, a sort of board exam. The interview is purpose-designed to weed out any extranjeros that have the temerity to apply. I know because I once applied for an English-speaking role at the local town hall (to deal with the english-speaking ratepayers). Needless to say the job was awarded to a local who could hardly string together a sentence in English, let alone communicate effectively. The impression I was left with was that this is racism by the back door, pretending to offer jobs to foreigners, only to exclude them in biased interviews.

And the photo? A colleague bought a car on French plates. It took 14 months to get the car registered here in Spain involving umpteen visits to the gestor to get it sorted. I even once had to go to Cádiz itself to visit tráfico there to check what the gestor was saying was true - he was lying out of his arse! Needless to say he won't be getting any repeat business or recommendations from me.

Juegos de niños II

2008-03-14T12:44:00.003+01:00

As you can see, Charlie is getting creative with her Christmas present (mobile phone). So far none of the children have come back to me asking for a credit top-up, so I guess they're not making many calls.

The only fly in the ointment has been Lulu's phone which did not come with a cable (or Bluetooth). I've been completely unable to find a cable for it so we are still waiting for her photos, and the phone memory is full.

Juegos de niños

2008-03-14T12:31:00.002+01:00

With another child's birthday approaching, I have to decide what to buy. Charlie's preferred gift would be a Nintendo DS, but at over 200 euro, it's a non-starter. Besides, we already have a free X-box for them to share, courtesy of the ADSL service we bought a couple of years back.

Charlie will get her second choice, the last in the Harry Potter series of books. This time she specified it had to be in Spanish as she reads it faster. I think all the children like the series judging from the games they play - Charlie's photo is entitled "Hermione contra Ron".

Otro heroe muere

2008-03-05T10:12:00.009+01:00

One of the foremost influences of my teenage years and early twenties died yesterday.

Although I stopped playing D&D some years ago, my son has started playing thanks to a set of books sent out by "Lawful Good of Cowplain" (even that name is derived from EGG's influence).

His game allowed my imagination to run free, allowed me to get my Chemistry degree (a story for another time) and introduced me to many friends, and indirectly to my wife.

Thanks Gary, I owe you a lot. Rest in peace.

PS: I've been reading the Troll Lord Games bulletin board, so far the Man has warranted 551 replies and over 156,000! views. The board is open at the moment for guest posting if you want to leave your condolences.

Lo que me fastidia de los españoles

2008-02-14T12:50:00.004+01:00

"I will stay only in a country where political liberty, toleration and equality of all citizens before the law are the rule."

Albert Einstein (1879-1955)

Partido Popular take note.

¡Anda ya!

2008-02-05T10:37:00.000+01:00

A week ago we were invited to Seville with the company for a weekend break and dinner. Since the company was paying the hotel and dinner it would have been churlish to refuse.

Suzi celebrated by having a little crawl along the hotel bed.

The logistics of a family of six meant that we were unable to see much of Seville, but the dinner was very good and we enjoyed the lazy trip back to Casares through the countryside and mountains via Cortes de la Frontera. The town is a bit bigger than Casares, but has the same ubiquitous castle and crazy road layout - we felt quite at home.

Vamos a perder nuestro mirador

2008-02-05T10:20:00.000+01:00

A beautiful winter sunset over the town (taken from our terrace).

This view will shortly disappear. The house opposite was bought late last year by a Madrileño, who has now demolished the house and is building a new one on its footprint.

All well and good, except that the building licence shows he's going to put a three-storey house in place of the single-storey. Even this I might not mind, but the council who gave him the licence is the very same that refused us permission to go up another storey due to the expanded family. Our house, with the extension would be lower than what is being built right opposite which will rob us of light and the magnificent views (one of the reasons we bought the house in the first place).

There are two ways of handling this: object to the building and leave a semi-finished house in the street, unpainted and unloved - not very satisfactory, or wait until his house is finished and then extend upwards ourselves (illegally as well) to get our terrace back - which would be hidden from the rest of the town anyway. Hmm...

Casares sigue todavía sin pediatra

2008-01-25T14:01:00.000+01:00

This problem surfaced last August.

There are 400 children in Casares. For them there is only one pediatrician, who is shared with Manilva and Sabinillas (probably another 600 children).

In August last year Casares ayuntamiento phoned the Servico Andaluz de Salud (SAS) several times to complain about the lack of a pediatrician in Casares on the days he was supposed to be here. The answer was that there is no locum available for days taken as leave.

In December the pediatrician left his job and has not been replaced, leaving 1000 children with no care. The SAS maintain that cover is supplied by the normal doctor (GP). However, I can reveal that the doctor in Casares was sent a letter last year telling him he cannot treat children and that this instruction has not been cancelled.

On 9th January, the SAS admitted they were trying to address the problem. On the 10th, the health counsellor for the ayuntamiento, Pedro González wrote to the SAS oficially complaining about the lack of cover and the difficulty experienced in contacting anyone in the SAS who would either give an answer or undertaking to supply a pediatrician. On the 16th Don Pedro finally managed to speak to the SAS health director responsible by phone. The director confirmed he had replied to the letter by ordinary mail (takes about 10 days to arrive). On the 23rd the ayuntamiento called an extraordinary public meeting to discuss the problem with the residents.

I received a copy of the inviatation to this meeting the day before, the 22nd. Knowing how institutions hate publicity, I called Canal Sur television and asked if they would send a TV crew to cover the meeting. In the end, I was unable to attend due to work committments. I believe Canal Sur sent a radio reporter to cover the meeting.

Yesterday, the story started to be reported locally by the Spanish press. I am also grateful to the blogger who has also reported on this (because his town suffers the same problem).

I'm sure that the authorities are glad I'm unable to vote in either national or regional elections, because I'd be making a big stink about it. The big parties seem to be either too right wing and authoritarian (PP), or thoroughly corrupt (PSOE and probably all the rest as well). In fact I really hope that the PP doesn't get in, since they want to crack down on inconvienient truths publicised by the blogging community.

Tío Brian

2008-01-13T14:51:00.000+01:00

Christmas and New Year have been very strange times here.

My mother-in-law's partner, always referred to as Uncle Brian died on the 23rd December. As is the Spanish way the funeral was the day after, Christams Eve. This rather put a different mood on Christmas this year. Our neighbour and Susana's godmother, Isabel was very helpful in helping to organise the funeral. She's been a pillar of strength and support for us from the day we arrived in Casares.

What shocked me in putting together this post was how far back I had to go (August 2000) in order to find a picture of Uncle Brian when he was not ill. The gradual nature of his debilitation had fooled me into thinking he'd been ill for a lot less than seven years.

Os deseamos una feliz navidad y un prospero año nuevo

2007-12-21T12:22:00.000+01:00

Apologies for last year's photo, my mp3 died temporarily.

Sólidos

2007-12-17T17:08:00.000+01:00

A little ahead of schedule Suzie has started on solids - and is growing rapidly - 4 months old and already growing out of her "3-6 month old" baby grows.

One innovation we found (since the other kids were babies) which has been a real boon to us are "grobags"; just right for our little tomato plant.

Cuarenta kilos de grasa fea

2007-12-17T16:55:00.000+01:00

This has got to go!

No, not the Sammy, the piece of plastic I unwisely bought to go on top. I was "persuaded" (bulldozed) by my better half to get it to keep the weather off the baby.

Well, baby's never been for a ride since the roof was fitted, either being chauffeured about in the company car or my wife's car, both of which have a tin roof.

So I guess it's off to ebay with the bu**er.

Honestly, the plastic roof is no improvement over the techo lona I have stored away. It was a bastard to fit and reduces access to the rear of the Sammy, so getting baby and kids in and out is a pain in the backside.

Once I've swapped back and sold the plastic top, I'll see if I have enough spare cash for the exo cage on my wish list.

¡Qué asgo!

2007-12-17T16:48:00.001+01:00

This is presumably what Suzie thinks of babysitters who prefer to watch TV than look after her!

She's very people oriented, thanks I'm sure to always being fawned over by all and sundry here in Spain. Always ready with a smile - she seems so different from her older siblings who should be in Spanish politics they argue that much.

Lavapiés olímpico

2007-12-13T17:03:00.000+01:00

For those of you not familiar with Spain, Plaza Lavapiés in Madrid occupies the same spot on the Monopoly board as the Old Kent Road.

I wonder if anyone has a similar site for London?

Hugely entertaining in any language. I voted for the "Floor gymnastics with joint".

¡Por qué no te callas!

2007-11-20T17:43:00.000+01:00

Humorous video of the Chavez - KJC encounter. KJC gets my vote.

Bonita chica

2007-11-20T11:36:00.001+01:00

Susie is progressing very nicely at last. After a dodgy start and numerous visits to hospital in Marbella and Málaga she's doing well at home.

She's now more than doubled her birth weight and is gordita. She's also starting to smile and laugh (especially at me). She also, thankfully sleeps through the night. I don't recall the other three being so well-disposed, perhaps living in Spain is good for babies.

Por fin arreglado

2007-11-20T11:30:00.000+01:00

I've finally managed to fix the Sammy after the rear propshaft parted company with the rest of the vehicle some weeks ago. Silly me didn't realise that the vibration caused by the incident had sheared two out of the three transfer box mountings (you can see one top right). This resulted in mucha vibración in low gears. 27 euro from the Suzuki dealership in Algeciras sorted it - Muchas gracias chicos.

Hace treinte años

2007-11-20T10:50:00.000+01:00

I was watching TVE1 last night and they ran a video journal on what was in the news thirty years ago.

1977: King Juan Carlos renounced his dynastic rights over government, Spain's first democratic elections since 1936, the Communist party legalised, etc.

This might explain why this sign is inside the Casares Partida Andalucista offices (underground and well out of sight).

Ahorrar luz

2007-11-09T10:11:00.000+01:00

The change in the appearnce of the blog was prompted by this. Again, worth a read.

Hechos Probados

2007-11-09T09:54:00.000+01:00

A distinct lack of recent blogging by me due to work committments.

Even this news passed me by. Worth a read. Then worth some further thought.

¡Enhorabuena Vadim y Fina!

2007-10-23T15:50:00.001+02:00

This is the second wedding here that we've been invited to.

Oddly both have involved non-Spanish bridegrooms, one Moroccan (from Weymouth!) and Vadim hails from the Ukraine.

A lovely wedding followed by another blow-out reception. The organisers (Fina's family, our good neighbours) didn't seem to know where to put us, being the only English invited. We ended up on a table with Vadim's cousins who talked amongst themselves in Ukranian. We managed to communicate in Spanish from time to time. Lots of Vodka was consumed (though not by me), about 8 bottles between the 3 Ukranian tables.

Although we'd forgotten the rice for the ceremony itself, I didn't forget the most important thing - the cash for the reception. Most Spanish couples have their family and friends to buy the important wedding gifts - mostly furnishings for the home. The couple themselves seem to fund their own receptions, so contributing cash seems a good way of offsetting their costs.

Both receptions I've been to had about 250 guests at say 50 euro a head = 12,500 euro - that's a lot of money to find.

I wonder where they went for honeymoon.

¿Alguien puede explicarme esta cosa?

2007-10-23T13:53:00.000+02:00

Perhaps the photo doesn't do it justice, but exactly why is there half a narrowboat lying next to the main Algeciras-Jerez road?

Along with other not-so-interesting steel sculptures.

Al hospital - ¡otra vez!

2007-10-17T13:14:00.001+02:00

Suzie had to go back to hospital recently after a chest infection - this time for three weeks.

So far she's spent more than half her life there.

This time we didn't get such a good service from the Costa del Sol hospital, so we took her to the children's hospital in Málaga city. It may look a bit run down, but the quality of care there is the best around - just don't expect any English-speaking staff.

The doctor's have picked up on the amniosentesis report which shows Suzie has an extra 'marker' chromosone and wanted to do all sorts of test on her. So far everything has come back clear, but she'll need to go back again for more tests soon.

Nuevos proyectos

2007-10-17T12:53:00.003+02:00

Now that the heat of summer is just a memory we can get going with insulating the roof and stairwell of the house which, because of its typically Spanish construction, has no insulation whatsoever.

On the ground floor this makes litle difference as the walls are 80cm thick, but the first floor was built only 50 years ago and so is just one single skin brick wall, in places as thin as 10cm.

In winter this makes for cold and damp, quickly followed by black mould - no place for young children. We've been very lucky and got a grant from the Junta to improve things. The original materials were ordered in May, and delivered to us (the bottom of our street that is) by three strong lads in their second truck (the first expired outside Benalmádena). The lads baulked at the last part of the journey - up the 42 steps to the house.

Full marks to the children who mucked in with me to break up the packages and move the lot up to the house in just three hours. Lulu even carried some of the 2m long beams.

Fin de verano, ya ha pasado

2007-10-17T12:53:00.002+02:00

Casares seems quite lucky in that it has two ferias per year, one in early August and another just before the kids go back to school in September.

As usual there were the fairground attractions, music and fireworks.

The nice change this year was the inclusion of Russian dancing which got the local crowd very animado.

And as usual, when the kids go back to school it starts to rain. We've had some quite heavy storms, but nothing like the Costa Blanca

Adios amigo

2007-10-17T12:53:00.001+02:00

The downside of buying a new family car has been having to sell the van.

This C15 has given me three years sterling service and was sold for only slightly less than I paid for it - in less than a week. They seem to be highly sought after here, probably because they're so reliable.

El tuning 2

2007-10-17T11:53:00.001+02:00

These are the latest addition to the family car - just waiting for an opportunity to try them out with the Estepona 4x4 club. I hope to get some colleagues from work to come along too.

El primer paseo, part 2

2007-09-17T16:57:00.003+02:00

And this is what happens - each child is presented to the Virgin by the priest.

El primer paseo

2007-09-17T16:57:00.002+02:00

This was Susana's first outing - to church at the request of her godmother.

The occasion was a blessing of all children in the town born in the last year, so we just scraped in.

El Tuning

2007-09-17T16:57:00.001+02:00

Why is it that most folk add the most useless things to their cars like fluffy dice in the UK or dreamcatchers here?

I prefer to see where I'm going, rather than block the view. Given the appalling illumination from the headlights, these fog/driving lamps have come in really handy now that the dawn is later and later (about 7.45am currently).

Que orgullosa es

2007-09-13T16:34:00.002+02:00

To round off the August catchup - I don't think this needs a caption.

Por fin a casa

2007-09-13T16:34:00.001+02:00

Actually Susie came home on the 20th August, ten days old. After a few days at home she started to settle down. Her minor eye infection cleared up and she showed us she has blue eyes (though not as blue as mine).

Here she is about to enjoy another nappy change. She's a windy little beggar, always burping and farting. She poos so infrequently she's got her mum worried - and me relieved, except that I'm now going to have to give her suppositories.

She has a good, regular appetite. The neighbours are always chipping in with good advice, mainly ¡Dale al pecho!

Libro de familia

2007-09-13T15:20:00.002+02:00

The day after Susie was released from hospital I went to the ayuntamiento to register the birth.

You can tell it's a small town as all the records going back to 1879 fit in one bookcase. From the photo you can see that 1884 and 1886 were bumper years for births here.

Once registered I got the libro de familia. Unlike the UK where you get one certificate for each child, here in Spain both births and deaths for each child is entered in the same book, so it's a vital document to get for any benefits that are available.

Since 'ZP' said back in July that each child born in Spain would get €2,500 we've applied for that. It turns out that when I applied at the end of last month the law had still not been published and is not due to see the light of day until November (assuming there's any money left in the governments coffers by then).

I also applied for paid paternity leave, which in Spain is 15 days (2 paid by the employer and 13 by the state). I'm happy to report that this was processed promptly once I had the libro, and I got the money in full this week. Hooray!

Three years ago we applied for familia numerosa, a benefit paid to families with three or more children. We are still waiting, but hopeful that having at least one child with a libro will break the logjam. Vamos a ver.

Curiously, although Susie is not Spanish she is counted as Andaluz and therefore entitled to full rights under the Andaluz constitution - such as "dignified" housing. This might come in handy when we start talking planning permission with the town hall.

Mil gracias

2007-09-13T15:20:00.001+02:00

Six weeks away from the blogoshere can seem like ages, but at least I have a good reason.

Susie continues to do what normal babies do: eat, fill nappies and grow - with a little sleep on the side.

I've been bowled over by the presents (flowers included) and gifts from colleagues at work and neighbours.

Thank you everyone for your gifts and best wishes.

Como contar los muertos

2007-08-13T22:19:00.000+02:00

One innovation on the roads this summer has been to put up multilingual messages on the Variable Message Panels above the road. Here in Andalucía they are in Spanish and English! The thrust of the summer campaign is to try and reduce the road death toll by policing speed in particular, although the message used is by having the road death toll from 1 January updated daily - it makes sobering reading:

Day 1 (Aug 10): 1658 dead

Day 2 (Aug 11): 1668 dead

Day 3 (Aug 12): 1682 dead

Day 4 (Aug 13): 1699 dead

Of course, speed in itself does not cause accidents, it's the nut behind the wheel that does, but also by driving too close behind, drink/drugs driving, suicidal overtaking manoevres. All of these can be seen several times a day here, and these go unpunished.

y las hermanas mayores

2007-08-13T21:45:00.000+02:00

Susana's big sisters made this lovely painting whilst we're waiting for her to come home.

She's picked up a slight infection so probably won't be home this week. The hospital is allowing Carole to stay on even though she is fit to come home.

Hermanita nuestra

2007-08-12T23:33:00.000+02:00

Finally Susana gets to meet her brother and sisters. The doctor on the neonatal ward waived the normal visiting rules and let them all in at once.

It looks as though Susana will be in the neonatal ward for most of the next week as she still has breathing difficulties after swallowing amniotic fluid.

At least she is feeding more or less normally now from Carole and is getting slowly stronger. Carole tells me that she has blue eyes just like the others. Another coinicidence is that although we did not conciously choose Susana as a name, she shares it with her great-grandmother.

Sigue mejorando

2007-08-11T22:59:00.000+02:00

Little Susana continues to improve and is now out from the sun bed. She's still staying in the neonatal ward as the doctors want to monitor her breathing more.

She's on oxygen and is being fed through a shunt. She took a little milk by syringe today but wasn't able to suckle.

She opened her eyes today, but too briefly for us to gauge what colour they are.

Carole is improving too, but is plainly still in great discomfort. She can get to Susana only in a wheelchair as her bed is the other end of the building from the neonatal ward.

The children will have to wait until Susana leaves neonatal before they can see her.

Susana Isabel

2007-08-10T22:25:00.000+02:00

The latest addition to the family arrived this morning at the 12th minute past the 11 hour on the 10th August.

At the time of the photo she was 15 minutes old.

The whole process took SO much less time than in the UK. 20 minutes from going into theatre to holding the little darling in my arms.

She was then whisked off to the neonatal ward and put on a sun bed (warming lamp). A great way to start your life in Spain.

Both mother and daughter are doing well (in separate wards), though I don't know when they'll be home. In the meantime I have three older kids to wrangle. They can't wait to meet their kid sister.

Nuevas vistas

2007-08-02T17:06:00.001+02:00

One of the advantages I've found of having the Santana is that views like this are available without having to drag the family on foot through a hot and dry landscape.

At 1,479m even with the haze you can make out Gibraltar and Djebel Musa.

I'll be doing some more off-road exploration asap.

Seguridad vial

2007-07-24T10:38:00.002+02:00

One of the problems with Spain is that they love their road signs so much they don't take them down when redundant - trouble is I don't know which one is older, they look like they were put up at the same time.

Ocasion

2007-07-24T10:38:00.001+02:00

I eventually managed to track down a six-seater as a new family car. This is it in its natural environment. Seems I'm following the lead set by my other expat friends. At least this one should be cheaper to run than theirs, even with its petrol engine.

No han aprendido nada

2007-07-24T10:38:00.000+02:00

Crazy driver behaviour still seems to abound in spite of points-based licences. Witness this little set-to in La Línea.

Escuela de verano

2007-07-24T10:23:00.003+02:00

Summer school is great. They even teach you how to design websites - at the age of eight!

¡Que cara tiene!

2007-07-24T10:23:00.002+02:00

I could hardly believe that one of our cats would pose so obligingly for this shot. They also make a good alarm clock when they want breakfast.

Deportes

2007-07-24T10:23:00.001+02:00

The kids are now getting involved in more grown-up activities: skating, swimming, Xbox etc. The parties with friends are also getting more grown up.

Lo importante es la salud

2007-07-24T10:23:00.000+02:00

Whilst waiting for the Big Day to arrive we've been out and about and I've had little time for blogging. Lots of these so-called "fitness parks" have sprung up this year. Now the children are bigger, they find these more interesting than the play parks.

Aerofagia Verbal

2007-05-15T14:35:00.000+02:00

This post from Guirilandia is so timely, and very amusing.

I wasn´t sure which Chaves he was referring to, Hugo or Manuel!

Of course, all the electioneering has started here in Casares too. I've decided that I'm going to vote the Spanish way. Since I actually know one of the candidates (I worked with him for a few months in a furniture business in Estepona some years back), I'll vote for him in the very Spanish expectation that this will buy me money / employment / planning consent etc.

¡Viva caciquismo!

¡mujer!

2007-03-23T11:41:00.000+01:00

Now you know the reason for the silence and lack of posts this year.

This little bundle of joy is due to arrive in August. We were due to have the first antenatal appointment at the beginning of February but not knowing the system here proved to be a major stumbling block and we were turned away a number of times due to misunderstandings. We were even booked in for a termination at one point by mistake! The staff assumed that because we already have three children and Carole is over 40 that we wanted one.

The birth rate in Spain to Spaniards continues to show a long term decline, though immigrant births are showing a sharp rise. The cynic in me thinks that given the paperwork and toing-and-froing to various health centres, doctor's surgeries and hospitals, it's enough to put most off the experience of wanting a baby here; of course us foreigners only find out about the system after the event.

At the scan this morning the nurse said it could be a girl, though our less scientific methods indicate a boy - as usual we disagree with the authorities.

Now all I have to do is save up for a bigger car (Oh, God! Not more paperwork!) and an extension to the house (our local builder says don't even go down the paperwork route for this).

La forma española o británica - tú decides

2007-02-13T11:11:00.000+01:00

Law enforcement - English vs. Spanish (link repaired). No prizes for the version I prefer.

The Spanish version is the Policia Nacional in Seville. Interesting that they consider their machines fairly expendable in the pursuit of criminals.

¿'abla Andalú?

2007-01-20T04:51:00.000+01:00

This video on You Tube had me in stitches. I see the 'guy at the bus stop' every day here.

316 fallecidos menos en 2006

2007-01-04T08:30:00.000+01:00

Yesterday saw DGT publish the road safety statistics for Spain for 2006. As mentioned in previous posts the introduction of the points-based licence in July has had a significant effect in reducing road deaths (though slight injuries were up on last year).

The headlines of the report are:

The number of road deaths has fallen by 9.5%.
In 2006 there were 2,630 fatal traffic accidents in which 3,016 people died.
The number of deaths on Spanish roads is the lowest since 1969, when there was one-seventh the number of vehicles on the road.
Since the entry into force of points-based licensing, road deaths have fallen by 15%.
In the last three years the number of dead has fallen by more than 1,000, a 25% fall.
The number of deaths per million vehicles was 104, 56 less than in 2003.

This would translate into a road death index of 68 deaths per million population. Compare that figure to this chart (in pdf) of Europe for 2005.

All that progress with only 500 speed cameras in the entire country. Also, there are significantly more traffic police out there than in the UK where road deaths are rising in spite of 5,000+ speed cameras.

Numero cien - se vende

2007-01-01T02:22:00.000+01:00

I had not intended this to be the subject of post number 100, but that just goes to show that life is never predictable.

My mother-in-law's partner is very ill now and she needs help with caring for him.

We have decided (in the same week that we've finally been notified that the ruina we own has its first escritura (title deed), that we will have to sell it.

The ruina used to be two one-up, one-down houses (hence the two doorways in the photo), and later became a chicken house, and finally a storeroom, which is what we also use it as. Our intention was to reform the property with a grant from the Junta, but we'll have to leave that to a new owner.

Offers invited; price €45,000.

Un regalo para mi esposa

2006-12-25T01:43:00.000+01:00

As a bit of free publicity to my wife, here's her blog - buckle your seat belts.

Decoraciones - la última palabra

2006-12-24T22:53:00.000+01:00

Fantastic Christmas decorations from Seattle on YouTube. Seems that someone has out done our local council.

¡Feliz Navidad!

2006-12-24T18:54:00.000+01:00

A merry Christmas to all family and friends. For a welcome change from the normal consumerism we spent the day together making crackers for tomorrow.

Carteia

2006-12-21T16:35:00.000+01:00

This site is quite amazing. It all started as a result of my son not being at school today and finding something to do. After a thinking session I decided to show him some history, both ancient and modern.

The modern history is the site where I work. I had heard of Carteia from another expat some time ago, but this was my first visit. I cannot recall a site with more handicaps than this one. It is hidden, no, VERY well hidden behind an oil refinery. During out time there we were the only visitors. There was no admission fee, and after a few minutes we were sorted out with a guided tour on a golf cart. The staff seemed genuinely surprised to see us. The tour guide (and administrator, workman etc.) was helpful and friendly - obviously from Andalucía but not local.

He explained that the site was first uncovered in 1927, though nothing much was done to the site until about four years ago. Because of this the site has been robbed of some items, nobody knows how many or how important.

According to our guide the site was originally Punic, but greatly extended by the Romans, and he estimates that up to 4,000 people lived there at one stage. Although clearly not on the grand scale of Rome or Mérida, I became entranced by the man's enthusiasm for the site he looks after.

Because of money constraints, only about 5% of the site has been excavated so far. Digs operate during the summer only. Uncovered so far is the temple, with a piscina at the back (see photo). The temple is partly covered by the site of a c.16th cortijo built by a Gibraltar family. They have also partly excavated the theatre on the North-East of the site, though we were not shown that. Part of the town has also been excavated and its sewers which have yielded some coins and other artifacts. A little further away is a lookout tower built by Phillip II from the Roman town walls.

I felt and mentioned to the guide that the site is like Fishbourne Roman Palace in the UK but with so much waiting the be discovered. I've entered the site on Wikimapia. You can see the ruins quite clearly - and also its appalling location!

Solo un fallecido en las carreteras andaluzas el pasado fin de semana

2006-12-19T11:50:00.000+01:00

What shocks me about this story is that the unfortunate person was a policeman on traffic duty.

This is the second time in a fortnight that a traffic officer has been run over in Spain. The common factor between the stories seems to be that both were directing traffic through temporary diversions for other accidents. It's almost like Spanish drivers have a lemming instinct, when one accident occurs, the risk of another in the immediate vicinity skyrockets.

Please be careful out there this Christmas.

En la sombra

2006-12-18T14:31:00.000+01:00

Watching the man drive this combination of tractors and its 1,600 tonne load brought to mind a line from Apollo 13 where Deke Slayton mutters under his breath to Jack Sweigert "Come on rookie, park that thing!"

Más decoraciones

2006-12-18T14:27:00.000+01:00

It seems the town hall is determined to blow all its Christmas budget on lights. This is the latest addition to appear in the plaza.

At least If the heating fails in the house I can get warm by hugging Mary or Joseph.

los agentes de tráfico hubiesen sido tontos

2006-12-17T13:22:00.000+01:00

A YouTube video of silly cops.

Esperamos todavía

2006-12-14T10:15:00.000+01:00

The boat managed to get on the berth yesterday, but no unloading so far.

The weather has not helped. It's been rough enough to break two mooring lines.

Hopefully today we'll get the tractors underneath the tank sections.

Un gran día III

2006-12-12T09:48:00.000+01:00

No unloading today. The boat has dropped anchor in Algeciras harbour.

Un gran día II

2006-12-12T08:53:00.000+01:00

The buzz on the site at the moment is whether the ship will dock today or stay offshore until the wind dies down a bit.

You can see in the photo that the tanks are in sections (3 per tank) because of their physical size. Each tank when assembled will be 50% bigger than the Iberostar Hotel here in La Linea, which I've just added to Wikimapia.

Decoraciones III

2006-12-12T08:33:00.000+01:00

There must be a few watts of power in that decoration!

Decoraciones II

2006-12-12T08:32:00.000+01:00

Our terrace illumination for Christmas courtesy of the town council.

Decoraciones

2006-12-12T08:27:00.000+01:00

The Christmas decoarations are up in town now. For some reason the council has seen fit to buy miles of purple rope light to put around the castle.

The blob on the right hand side of the photo is the 'Star of Bethlehem' which sits right above our house - saves having to use the terrace light to get the washing in at night.

Un gran día

2006-12-12T08:16:00.000+01:00

The job goes well, and the project reaches a milestone today as the gas tanks arrive from Korea. They are about 1 mile offshore, so the zoom on the phone camera does not show a great deal... yet.

The concrete blocks in the foreground are where the tank sections will sit once offloaded.

El puente de la Constitución deja al menos 40 muertos en las carreteras, casi un 30% menos que en 2005

2006-12-12T08:11:00.000+01:00

Some improvement in traffic fatalities, 30% down on the same period last year (1st ten days of December). Congratulations to the province of Albacete who managed to survive this year's puente without any fatalities, and to the region of Castilla-La Mancha in general with only four.

DGT retira el carnet por puntos a un joven que cometió tres infracciones con su moto

2006-12-03T08:34:00.000+01:00

Almería.- Tráfico disqualifies a youth who committed 3 offences in one day on his scooter.

ALMERÍA, (EUROPA PRESS)

The youth, identified as LMG, aged 19 becomes the first person in the province of Almería to lose his licence following the new points-based system introduced in July.
According to DGT, the youth committed three offences on the same day the new law came into force. The was spotted riding his scooter without a helmet by local police officers [worth 2 points]. The officers ordered him to stop which he failed to do [another 4 points], and he then attempted to escape by making dangerous manoevres [another 6 points].

Yesterday the youth's name was entered on the list of disqualified drivers, which bans him from driving. If he is caught driving again he faces a fine of between 301 and 1,500 euros and a further ban of two years.

Now he's lost his licence, LMG must pass a 'road re-education' course and theory test.

Since July, 213 drivers in the province have lost points from their licences.

It appears things are tougher here now than when I was a spotty youth in Portsmouth. I was hauled by the police back in 1984 for (would you believe it) seven separate offences committed at the same time! This caused no end of joking at my expense by my mates. Well, I'm older and wiser now, and big enough to admit it.

I was riding a scooter (Honda C90) back from work in the ferry port and the police fell in behind me because my rear light had failed. When they put on the blue lights I panicked and attempted to flee - pretty hopeless really on such a machine. They caught me, of course. I spent a night in Pompey nick and had to go to court. I still remember that day (the only day I've had in court). The sergeant stood to give his evidence and said "on turning on the blue light the motorcycle appeared to accelerate". Praise indeed!

The charge sheet read (if I recall rightly):
Failure to display a tail light
Failure to stop when ordered by a police officer
No MOT
No tax disc
No insurance
Theft of a tax disc (I was displaying that from a mate's bike)
I forget the other...

Total damage was 6 points on my licence and a GBP 400 fine, which took me 6 months to pay off.

Thankfully, I learnt my lesson. Let's hope LMG does the same.

Feliz cumpleaños

2006-11-30T22:16:00.000+01:00

Eight today, I can hardly believe it. She's now had more birthdays in Spain than the UK! Hopefully many more to come.

One of the ther girl's mothers says that they can't believe she's not Spanish. I can't think of a better compliment.

La seguridad es cosa de todos

2006-11-29T22:18:00.000+01:00

So proclaim the posters at work.

A shame the bar owner across the road hasn't read them.

Atropellado un guardia civil y un operario cuando regulaban el tráfico en Santiago

2006-11-29T08:29:00.000+01:00

Traffic officer run over whilst controlling traffic in Santiago

(c) EFE

SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA.- A Guardia Civil traffic officer and a highways maintenance man were run over and suffered serious injuries whilst controlling traffic following an earlier accident which had resulted in no injuries.
The incident happened at 22:40 horas at km 511 on the A-6 (Madrid to Coruña) highway, in the Begonte district of Lugo province [NW Spain].
The collision happened when M.V.Q.V., aged 35, from Rábade (Lugo), who was uninjured, lost control of his vehicle an Opel Corsa (registration C-6972-AM), and ran over the officer J.V.S., aged 51, the highways maintenance man A.V.C., aged 40, both from Lugo.

It appears Tráfico (DGT) are not having a good month. This incident, on top of the second week running where accident fatalities are higher than last year - in spite of the new points-based licence system introduced in July. Perhaps a few more drivers need to be banned. So far only one driver has 'definitively' lost his licence under the new system, despite the benemérita handing out more than 200,000 points! (you get 12 per licence)

Dictan sentencia contra 27 examinadores de tráfico

2006-11-16T16:16:00.000+01:00

This story from Autopista.es I thought interesting.

Twenty-seven driving examiners have had their status revoked. The examiners union (CSI-CSIF) says that 60,000-70,000 people the examiners have certified fit to drive could have their licences revoked as a result. DGT deny this, saying that the tribunal merely disallows the examiners from instructing and that drivers already qualified have nothing to fear..

According to the CSI-CSIF, the cause of the revokation of the examiners qualification was a course they were all supposed to attend. Their spokesman, Manuel Jesús Santiago said that due to the need to recruit new examiners, DGT decided to hold the course in Barcelona. The problem has been that the training is the "exclusive competency" of the Road Training Institute which always gives its courses in Madrid (Móstoles).

It appears the tribunal agrees with the Road Training Institute (the vested interest), rather than the government (DGT). This now means even more pressure on the driver training system and more delays to driving tests - demand is running at record levels.

Perhaps I should apply to go straight for an examiner's role and skip being an instructor.

Nuevos resaltos de velocidad

2006-11-14T12:03:00.000+01:00

A fantastic idea from Denmark to control speeding.

Speed related accidents are still high in Spain and the initial reduction in fatalities from the new licensing system is starting to wear off. Time for another radar gun campaign from the Benemérita.

Día del armisticia

2006-11-11T08:38:00.000+01:00

It's strange but my father never told me what he did during the war (WWII).

The only family connection I have to the 'Great War' was an RAMC officer.

I reached my own peace settlement yesterday with a former employer. In exchange for paying me my back salary, finiquitos and legal costs I have removed references to them from my blog.

Caos en Europa por un apagón de luz

2006-11-06T09:50:00.000+01:00

The power outage which has been widely reported struck here too in Casares. We were without power for 2 hours on Saturday night. By previous Spanish standards this may not seem unusual, but the management of the network has improved dramatically over the last few years. This is the first power cut we've had in over six months; the last one being caused by thieves nicking copper cable from the local power station - the mind boggles at the risks some people will go to!

Normally I wouldn´t comment on this but a couple of items buried in the news make the case more interesting.

Firstly, why is it that the power network is so sentitive that shutting down a high voltage line across the Ruhr river trips the European grid over half a dozen countries depriving 10 million customers of light and heat?

Secondly, this will do no good to E.ON's bid to take over Endesa - this is exactly the sort of incident that will play into the protectionists' hands. The Spanish government has just (today) lifted the conditions it (illegally) applied to E.ON's bid. Now, all that could be overturned in a fresh round of protectionism.

Grill Argentino

2006-11-02T16:47:00.000+01:00

For some reason this bar/restaurant no longer features on the San Roque town hall website. I tried it this lunchtime and found their menú del día perfectly adequate and reasonably priced at €8. However, that's not why I'm writing about it. While I was there other diners were enjoying what is the Grill's raison d'etre. between the two diners they polished off about 2 kilos of grilled meat including, grilled ribs, grilled chops, grilled sausages, grilled chicken, etc. All served at the table on a portable charcoal grill (No Health and Safety inspectors to be seen). The diners looked satisfied - they seemed unable to move afterwards and had to have their cigars and coffee brought to the table - somewhat unusual in Spanish bars.

Price unknown at this time, but I'm definitely going back to try the full-on menu as soon as I can. I'm also going to post this one on Wikimapia in case you want to find it.

Clases de árabe

2006-10-30T22:54:00.000+01:00

Life was normalising nicely unil tonight.

My eldest daughter's been bugging me for a while to have Arabic classes. She's acquired a Spanish-Arabic phrasebook and (mentally) devoured it. She produces the odd Chinese character as well - her favourite W.I.T.C.H. heroine is Chinese.

A while ago I got chatting to the vigilante of the local car park, and discovered he's Morroccan. He's been trying to set up Arabic classes in the town, but the council says he doesn't have enough students (he had recruited eight).

Well, tonight was the first lesson. My daughter did quite well I thought, and will probably continue. My brain is still reeling. What with meem, noon, thath and Uncle Tom Cobbly and all, all written backwards with vowels that rocket skywards or crawl along the ground.

All this being taught from the book this man learnt his Arabic from in 1972. He tells me the book is now a collector's piece and worth over €20!

Thing is, I've got quite excited about it, the language is such a mental challenge, like super-difficult Sudoku, but with a purpose.

Lee las señales por favor

2006-10-29T12:39:00.000+01:00

I loved this video from Break.com

I'm told such a feature will appear in Málaga shortly. There was some discussion on ADUK about the safety aspects. My personal variation would be to have the bollards at entrance and exit to the zone and a feature which trys to avoid hitting cars that 'run' the barriers. The car is then simply trapped in the zone and cannot escape until the fine is paid - probably involving a long walk to the police station.