Only Joe King

TRUMP WINS NOBEL PEACE PRIZE!

2025-10-09T15:51:33

Is this true? Has the Orange One achieved his objective? Or is it FAKE NEWS? Or AI-GENERATED?

Well, the headline is not true. The closing date for nominations for 2025 has passed, before Trump made his historic deal to bring about peace in the Middle East.

Most commentators think he will miss out on the accolade this year, but may be awarded the prize in 2026, if everlasting peace is achieved in Gaza Strip.

So, what has happened in the last few days?

Trump talks a good game, but is it all true? He does tend to exaggerate. We shall see.

Key players in negotiating the ceasefire were Qatar, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Well done to them!

There was supposed to be the signing of a document today, committing both "sides" to an immediate ceasefire, the return of the remaining hostages in exchange for Hamas and Palestinian fighters, and the staged withdrawal of Israeli troops (IDF) from Gaza.

Despite the above, smoke was seen rising from Gaza this morning, but whether it was an an Israeli attack has not been verified.

There were scenes of jubilation in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, as Israelis celebrated what they hope is really the end of the war.

There has been wall-to-wall coverage on the TV outlets I use, ie Sky News, BBC News, ITV News, La 1 (TVE1), La Sexta here in Spain and Das Erste, ZDF and N-TV in Germany. But it seems to be very slow-paced.

British prime minister, Sir Keir Starmer, is attending an important trade mission in India, but he broke off to give a press conference, welcoming the peace deal.

British PM Keir Starmer calls for "hands-on" approach in implementing UK-India trade deal

Other European leaders, including Friedrich Merz from Germany, Emmanuel Macron (France) and our own Pedro Sanchez all had positive words to say. As did UN secretary general, Antonio Gutierres.

Friedrich Merz [El Confidencial] Emmanuel Macron [El Correo] Pedro Sanchez [El Periodico]

Antonio Gutierres [EL PAIS]

Endword

Let's hope this is the real deal. There has been enough bloodshed, death and destruction. Let us/them all move on and start the reconstruction of the devastated areas of Gaza Strip and the West Bank.

© Only Joe King

Photos:

El Confidencial, El Correo, EL PAIS, El Periodico,

Thanks:

BBC News, Das Erste, ITV News, La 1, La Sexta, N-TV, Sky News, TVE1, ZDF

Tags:

AI, Antonio Gutierres, Egypt, Emmanuel Macron, fake news, France, Friedrich Merz, Gaza Strip, Germany, Keir Starmer, Nobel Peace Prize, Only Joe King, Pedro Sanchez, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, UN secretary general, West Bank,

Tyre-d and Shock (absorber)-ed

2025-10-06T20:24:32

Owning and running a car in Spain is ridiculously expensive! Prices for new and second-hand cars are very high.

They're much cheaper in other EU countries, eg France and Germany.

[Caser Expat Insurance]

Servicing costs are also high in Spain and fuel is no longer as cheap as it was pre-Covid and before the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

If it were up to me I would get rid of one of our two cars.

"Two cars"?

We're an elderly married couple. Why do we need two cars?

"I need my independence", says the missus.

Anyway, why was I "tyred and shocked"?

Two Cars

So, we're stuck with two cars, both Peugeots. Mine is a five-year-old automatic 2008 and hers is a 15-year-old manual 207 cabriolet. Both petrol.

Rita will only use the Peugeot main dealer, so she pays "top whack" for everything.

Rita happy with her 207 cabriolet [PW] Peugeot 2008 [Portillo Sur]

I also get my car serviced there, but when I need new parts, I go elsewhere.

I recently had a service after which I was told I needed two new shock absorbers and two new tyres. They quoted for the work: 800-odd for the amortiguadores and 300 for two new tyres. I told them: "I'll let you know".

I went to Euromaster - a world-wide while-you-wait service, which I used to use in the UK. Shock-absorbers 400 and tyres 180.

They did the work yesterday.

Links:

How to buy a car in Spain - Secret Serrania de Ronda

MADRID and TOLEDO – a two-night mini-break - Help me, Ronda

© Only Joe King (Paul Whitelock)

Pictures:

Caser Expat Insurance, Paul Whitelock, Portillo Sur,

Thanks:

Paul Whitelock, www.help-me-ronda.com, www.secretserrania.com

Tags:

15-year-old manual 207 cabriolet, 300 for two new tyres, amortiguadores, automatic 2008, Euromaster, Madrid, Only Joe King, Paul Whitelock, Peugeot, pre-Covid, Russian invasion of Ukraine, shock absorbers, Toledo, "tyred and shocked", tyres, while-you-wait,

Serendipity - Bargain bookshelf, new Specs, and a watch repair

2025-07-28T21:04:58

Serendipity has done it again! Serendipity is the "phenomenon" of finding joy in something unexpected.

It happens to Only Joe King all the time. Take a look at other posts on this thread.

I had some things to sort out. I badly needed an eye test and new specs.

I also had a watch - a decent make - that had stopped working. I needed to get it repaired.

[Image courtesy of Pinterest]

Here's what happened

Bargain bookshelf

I picked up an amazing bookshelf for just 30 euros at JYSK in Ronda. A display model, it had been reduced from 100 euros. It matched a bookshelf I had bought there earlier in the year when it was on offer.

Just what I needed for neat storage of books, artefacts, elephants, commemorative mugs and other whimsical items.

JYSK in Ronda [Photo: JYSK]

New glasses

I'd made an appointment at the Opticians - Opticalia in Ronda. The doctora, Rocio, tested my eyes. As always, she was very thorough, explaining everything along the way. Opticalia is a national chain, but I find the service phenomenal, with great attention to detail.

After the examination I was attended by Inma, a technician. She was very patient, we discussed all the options.

To get what I'd had previously, i.e. polychromatic, graduated lenses, two pairs, would have set me back some 1600 euros - way over my budget.

Long story short, I am getting graduated lenses, not polychromatic, with magnetic sunglasses, two pairs for less than 1000 euros.

The main pair is dark blue; the second pair is green to match my envy.

[Image courtesy of Occhialando]

I was delighted. Mind you, 1000 euros is a lot of money for a pensioner, but at least I will have received next month's pension before I have to pay the balance.

[Image courtesy of Zenni Optical]

Watch repair ..... and much more!

It was now 7.15 pm. In my country of origin, the UK, everywhere would be shut. Not in Spain.

So, I walked down to my jewellers / watchmakers - SALAS - in the centre of Ronda. The watch they had brought back into action a few years earlier - SEIKO, apparently a good make - had stopped working.

Sergio got to work on the watch, and fixed it in no time. 4 euros.

In the meantime I spotted a new watch on sale which would match my new green glasses perfectly.

Simple, with no date function, it was by Mark Maddox, a subsidiary of Viceroy Watches.

A mere 70 euros, the price of a nice meal in a good restaurant in Ronda.

[Image courtesy of Joyeria Loan]

© Only Joe King

Images:

JYSK, Joyeria Loan, Occhialando, Pinterest, Zenni Optical

Tags:

artefacts, books, bookshelf, commemorative mugs, elephants, eye test, graduated lenses, jeweller, JYSK, Joyeria Loan, joyeria, JYSK, Mark Maddox, new specs, Occhialando, Only Joe King, Opticalia, Paul Whitelock, Pinterest, polychromatic, relojeria, SALAS, serendipity, storage, Viceroy Watches, watchmaker, whimsical items, Zenni Optical

"Waiter!"

2025-07-04T10:18:00

I worked as a waiter for a week one Christmas when I was in the VI Form. I didn't like it and never did it again.

Yet after emigrating to Spain some 17 years ago, I've done nothing but WAIT - at the bank; at the gestoria; at the doctor's surgery, the dentist, the optician and the pharmacy; and, worst of the lot, at the policia nacional and the foreigners department (extranjeria)!

[Adobe Stock]

I always have to wait. The same thing happens at the airport: at security; at passport control; and boarding.

Before Covid, during the various lockdowns and afterwards you have to have a cita previa, even for the simplest and quickest of matters.

Waiting on the police

Recently I was waiting at the Comisaria de Policia to make a denuncia. I sat there like an idiot for 3/4 of an hour.

Actually I used the time to catch up on emails, WhatsApp messages and Facebook and to make several phone calls.

Then I started writing this article.

[Cope Ronda]

When I was finished with this rant, what was I supposed to do? Go outside for a smoke? I don't smoke!

Go for a coffee? There is no café!

Nip out to the loo? Where? They don't have one for public use!

And if I had done any of those things, I would have lost my place!

So, I crossed my legs, grinned and bore it!

[amazon.es]

At last!

Wait! There was suddenly some movement. The people before me had just left "Denuncias".

It must be my turn any second. I'd been waiting one hour and 20 minutes, but …..

….. I WAS A WAITER NO MORE!

POSTSCRIPT:

I did my denuncia in just 20 minutes and then all I needed was a cita previa with extranjeria. The first available cita was three weeks later .....

..... so I was destined to be a WAITER ONCE AGAIN!

[Sindicato USO]

© Joe King

Pictures:

Adobe Stock, amazon.es, Cope Ronda, Sindicato USO

Links:

Beating the Spanish tax man ... or not? - Olive Press News Spain

Foreigners who pay tax in Spain stand to cash in from next year

HOW TO .....? Are GESTORIAS the answer?

HOW TO ….. Dodge the Tax Man (or not): Catastral Values and Tax in Spain

The taxmen are after you! - Secret Serrania de Ronda

Tags:

airport, bank, cita, Comisaria de Policia, dentist, denuncia, doctor's surgery, foreigners department, extranjeria, gestoria, Joe King, Paul Whitelock, optician, passport control, pharmacy, police, policia nacional, security, waiter, waiting, www.eyeonspain.com, www.secretserrania.com, www.theolivepress.com

"De Rodriguez" - May 2025

2025-05-25T06:32:23

I turned 75 on May 18th 2025, last Sunday.

I was in Germany at the time attending the confirmation of my third German grandchild, which was on the same day.

So, we had a joint celebration lunch.

^{[Image courtesy of Etsy]}

On May 19th I started two-and-a-half-weeks "de Rodriguez".

On that date I flew back to Spain, while my good lady, German Rita, lingered in Germany to catch up with family and friends and to attend the latest Familientreffen, family reunion.

I would normally attend that too, but we have a kitten now, plus there's lots to do in Andalucia after the rain and floods in the Spring.

"De Rodriguez" in May

My period "de Rodriguez" did not start well. Between Talheim (B-W), where we had been staying, and Stuttgart Airport, my wallet went missing!

Gone were my TIE (residence permit), two bank cards, two health cards (national and private), my tarjeta65 (pensioner discount card), two ONCE lottery tickets (no doubt winning ones!) and 45€ in cash.

Fortunately, I still had my passport and one Spanish bank card, so I would be able to board my flight, re-enter Spain and pay for stuff.

Over the next couple of days, Rita searched Hauptstrasse 59, the car we had borrowed, contacted the Airbnb host and phoned Lost Property at Stuttgart airport. There was no sign of my wallet.

So I put blocks on the two bank cards and set about re-applying for everything else.

^{Cork wallet [Clan Earth]}

***

As for "footloose and fancy-free" (the best translation of "de Rodriguez" I can find). Nada.

Apart from going to bed and getting up when I want, and not having to rush home from my local for dinner, nothing much has changed.

Certainly no "slap and tickle", which is implied by the "nudge-nudge, wink-wink" nature of being "de Rodriguez".

The only women I fancy are all happily married or way too young.

Besides, I've no time for "einen Seitensprung", as the Germans call a "fling" on the side.

^{[Image courtesy of Amazon UK]}

When you have to prepare a meal, cook it, and after eating it, wash up, dry and put everything away, and tidy up the kitchen, you begin to appreciate what your wife/partner does!

My realm is outside in the garden. But, "when the cat's away", that work doesn't stop either. Mowing, weeding, tending my "huerto", clearing areas of garden overgrown with metre-high weeds, tidying up. It's never-ending!

^{[Photo: Karl Smallman]}

Those giant weeds

I engaged my sometime gardener Rafael to help me cut down the giant weeds. I'd bought a brand-new desbrozadora which Rafael used for several hours, while I cleared away. A good job done.

***

Well. I'd been home five days and not much sign of "de Rodriguez".

Then, on Friday evening I got a call from Rita who was now in North Germany staying with her niece Bianca, and guess what .....

STOP PRESS:

The Airbnb host had phoned to say she'd found my wallet! We're *not sure exactly where, but we believe it had fallen underneath a piece of furniture.***

Katrin would retrieve it and bring it to the family reunion and Rita would bring it home to Spain.

Phew! What a relief! I can now unblock my cards and don't need to re-apply for anything.

And if my lottery tickets win me a million, it will be perfect!

^{[Image courtesy of ONCE]}

Links:

….. de Rodríguez? - EOS

De Rodríguez – at Christmas? - EOS

... de Rodríguez? - Secret Serrania de Ronda

https://www.justlanded.com/english/Spain/Spain-Guide/Visas-Permits/TIE-Tarjeta-de-Identidad-de-Extranjero

HOW TO …..apply for a replacement TIE - EOS

© Joe King

Pictures:

Amazon UK, Etsy, Karl Smallman, ONCE, Paul Whitelock, WordPress

Acknowledgements:

Wikipedia, www.eyeonspain.com, www. help-me-ronda.com, www.secretserrania.com

Tags:

Airbnb, Andalucía, "de Rodriguez", "einen Seitensprung", Familientreffen, family reunion, "fling", floods in the spring, lottery ticket, May 18th 2025, May 19th, "nudge-nudge, ONCE, wink-wink", Rita, "slap and tickle", Stuttgart Airport, Talheim, two-and-a-half-weeks "de Rodriguez", "when the cat's away"

Home-exchange or house-swapping

2025-05-04T13:55:47

We've all heard of wife-swapping and some of us may have tried it or even indulged on a regular basis. It's been going on since the year dot - look at the Old testament of the Holy Bible.

[Image courtesy of Culture Watch]

House-swapping is a more modern activity.

The origins of house-swapping

It started in the USA back in 1953 when a group of European teachers keen to travel abroad economically during their summer breaks formed "Intervac International".

In the same year David Ostroff, a teacher, created a home exchange network called "Vacation Exchange Club" (now renamed HomeLink) in New York City.

In 1992 Ed Kushins started what is now "HomeExchange.com". In 1995 he moved the business to the internet.

[Image courtesy of TimeOut]

What is it and how does it work?

The basic idea is that two parties/families agree to offer each other homestays for a set period of time. Since no money changes hands it is a modern form of barter.

It is totally flexible in that it can involve any type of accommodation, including boats and mobile homes; it can be for any length of time; simultaneous or non-simultaneous.

Homestays can be arranged privately or via social networking services or companies, which charge a fee.

[Image courtesy of Facebook]

(information provided by Wikipedia)

"The Holiday" (feature film from 2006)

A successful romantic comedy film starring Jude Law, Cameron Diaz, Jack Black and Kate Winslet. Law and Winslet arrange a house-swap with Black and Diaz. The English couple have a charming cottage in the countryside in Surrey and the Americans have a large pad in Los Angeles, California. It is winter in England and freezing cold. Law and Diaz fall for each other and soon sleep together. Black and Winslet do not have an amorous relationship. Winslet befriends an elderly neighbour of Black, played by Eli Wallach.

This enchanting film gets shown on UK TV every Christmas. I've seen it loads of times and love it. Winslet is Winslet, ie brilliant; Law is truly a beautiful blue-eyed man who can also act; Diaz is the best I've ever seen her play; and Black is a better actor than you would expect of a rock musician. Best of the lot, however, was Wallach, already an old man, he played his role to perfection.

[Poster courtesy of La Vanguardia]

A poignant and beautiful film about house-swapping.

House-swapping in Spain

The home-exchange idea was slow to catch on here in Spain. Yet in recent years it has taken off. according to a report in La Razon there has been a 59% increase in pernoctaciones (overnight stays) since 2024, according to figures from "HomeExchange.com" and we're only in April!

Our experience

We dabbled with the idea about five years ago. We found swap-partners but couldn't agree on dates ….. and then the Covid-19 pandemic put paid to the idea.

As for now, post-Covid, we have a kitten so aren't sure whether that would work. And I'm not convinced Rita is fully on board with the idea. We'll see.

Photos and images:

Culture Watch, Facebook, La Vanguardia, Paul Whitelock, Time Out

© Joe King

Acknowledgements:

Columbia Pictures, HomeExchange.com, IMDb, Paul Whitelock, Universal Studios, Wikipedia

Tags:

barter, California, Cameron Diaz, Columbia Pictures, Covid-19 pandemic, Culture Watch, David Ostroff, Ed Kushins, Eli Wallach, Facebook, Holy Bible, HomeExchange.com, home-exchange, "HomeLink", homestays, house-swapping, IMDb, "Intervac International", Jack Black, Jude Law, Kate Winslet, La Razon, La Vanguardia, Los Angeles, non-simultaneous, Old testament, Paul Whitelock, post-Covid, simultaneous, social networking services, Surrey, swap-partners, "The Holiday", Time Out, Travel Guru, Universal Studios, "Vacation Exchange Club", wife-swapping, Wikipedia

TOM - Tommie, Tommy, Thomas and Tomasz

2025-04-29T19:39:50

My son is called Tom. His mum and I wanted something short that couldn't be shortened further, so we chose Tom, not Thomas.

So what happened? His own mother called him Tom-Bom until, at the age of 30, he objected.

We adopted the same strategy for our daughter. We named her Amy. She was Amy-Lou to her mum for years (her second forename is Louise), and even today is more often than not called Ames, one syllable fewer, but more letters.

Doh!

Photo of Tom in Ronda

Famous Toms (in alphabetical order)

Thomas à Becket

Thomas Becket, also known as Thomas à Becket (1120 – 1170), served as Lord Chancellor from 1155 to 1162, and then as Archbishop of Canterbury from 1162 until his death in 1170.

Becket's murder [Getty Images]

Becket engaged in conflict with Henry II, King of England, over the rights and privileges of the Church and was murdered by followers of the King in Canterbury Cathedral.

Soon after his death, he was canonised by Pope Alexander III. He is venerated as a saint and martyr by the Catholic Church and the Anglican Communion.

I know a thing or two about this Thomas, at least from fictionalised versions of this story. I studied "Becket", a play in French by Jean Anouilh, as part of my A-level French course. Indeed, in later life I played him in an English production of the play in Manchester. The film version, starring Richard Burton as the martyred cleric and Peter O'Toole as Henry II, was a great film. That came out in 1964.

The play "Murder in the Cathedral" (1935) by T S Eliot is all in verse and tells the story of the days leading up to the assassination of Becket and the assassination itself. This too was made into a film.

Thom Pearson

Estate agent in Spain. Also a star in a different way. In 2010 he sold us the house where we still live. I already knew him before. An all round good guy.

Because of La Crisis he moved back to the UK, to Essex, and earned his living from secondary double-glazing. He still has shared ownership of the estate agency Sierra Estates in Arriate and comes over fairly often to show properties. I learned from his associate Paco that they are about to open a new office in Ronda.

Thom Pearson [Photo: X]

Tom (and Jerry)

The best cartoon ever? Poor old Tom (the cat) always came off worse against Jerry (the mouse).

When I was a student at university in England our Thursday nights in the TV room in the hall of residence were the most important night of the week. "Tom and Jerry", followed by "Tomorrow's World" and then "Top of the Pops". I loved Thursdays.

[Image: IMDb]

Tomasz Schafernaker

Tomasz Schafernaker is a Polish-British meteorologist who currently works for BBC Weather.

Tomasz was born on 8 January 1979 in Gdańsk, Poland, and attended school both in his native Poland and in Britain.

Tomasz Schafernaker [The Guardian]

He was educated at the independent school St. John's College, Southsea, in Portsmouth, followed by the University of Reading where he gained a BSc (Hons) in Meteorology.

He normally forecasts on the BBC News Channel, Radio 4 or Radio 5 Live. In 2017 he was voted the most popular weather presenter in the UK in a public poll.

Schafernaker modelled for the front cover of "Attitude Active", a British gay magazine in January 2010 and was again photo featured by them in 2017. He lives alone in London.

Tom Bradby

Anchor for ITV News at Ten. Also the author of several novels.

I prefer ITV News at Ten to the BBC's equivalent, which, these days, is a bit bland and predictable.

Bradby makes cutting asides, about the news stories he reports. I like that.

Tom Bradby [Radio Times]

Tom Chaplin

Lead singer of Keane, one of my favourite groups of the 2000s. Chaplin's tenor voice is sublime.

I still listen to their albums regularly.

The band did not last long, partly because of Chaplin's fondness for beer while performing live.

Despite that, they left a major mark on the music of that decade.

There are rumours of a reunion. Let's hope so.

Tom Chaplin [La Vanguardia]

Tom Collins

A "Tom Collins" is a Collins cocktail made from gin, lemon juice, sugar, and carbonated water.

This "gin and sparkling lemonade" drink is typically served...

A "Tom Collins" [Photo ABC]

Tom Conti

Tom Conti is a Scottish actor, born of a Scottish mother and an Italian father.

I first became aware of him in the TV series "The History Man", where he was thoroughly believable.

He was even OK as the Greek lover to Pauline Collins neglected housewife in the film version of "Shirley Valentine".

He was also in the cast of "The Glittering Prizes".

Tom Conti [The Independent]

Tom Courtenay

Yorkshire-born Courtenay first came to prominence in the film "The Loneliness of the Long Distant Runner".

He also appeared in "Doctor Zhivago", "Billy Liar" and "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich".

Tom Courtenay was a brilliant actor, who preferred the theatre. In 1966 he became a fixture at the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester. Memorable performances included "The Dresser" to Salford-born Albert Finney's "Actor", as well as in "The Rivals" (RB Sheridan), Uncle Vanya (Tolstoy) and "King Lear" (Shakespeare).

Tom Courtenay [Wikipedia]

Tom Cruise

A leading actor of his generation he starred in "Top Gun" before playing the lead in the "Mission Impossible" series.

He was also brilliant as the "wayward" lawyer in "The Firm".

Famously married to Nicole Kidman, with whom he filmed the controversial "Eyes Wide Shut", he later wed Spanish stunner Penelope Cruz. They too are no longer together.

Tom Cruise [photo: La Vanguardia]

Tom Hanks

"Sleepless in Seattle", "Saving Private Ryan", "The Road to Perdition", "Forrest Gump", "The Terminal", and "Philadelphia" are some of his movies. He also voiced Sheriff Woody in the "Toy Story" films.

He won the Oscar for best actor two years running for "Philadelphia" and "Forrest Gump".

What a star! Every role he played was a tour de force. He is the fourth highest earning actor in history.

Tom Hanks [Wikipedia]

Tom Jones

The sexy young Welsh crooner with a string of hits to his name ("It's Not Unusual" and "My, My My Delilah" were massive) turned into the elder statesman of popular music, collaborating with the likes of Santana.

Tom Jones, young and old [Wikipedia]

"Tommy"

The rock opera by the 60s group "The Who". Pete Townshend on lead guitar, vocalist Roger Daltrey, bassist John Entwistle and drummer, the late Keith Moon, left a major imprint on the rock scene of the time (the 60s).

Townshend is nowadays regarded as one of the great lead guitarists, certainly in many people's top ten.

[Album sleeve courtesy of Amazon]

Tommy Cooper

A really funny comedian. My favourite joke of his? "A man walked into a bar and went ouch. It was an iron bar."

A talented magician, he made a career out of his "failed" tricks. Born in Wales his family moved to Exeter in Devon, where I lived as a teenager. Cooper was three at the time. He had a distinguished military career before moving into entertainment.

Cooper died on stage aged 63 in 1984. I saw it happen!

Tommy Cooper [Wikipedia]

"Tommy Gun"

The Thompson submachine gun (also known as the "Tommy gun") is a blowback-operated, selective-fire submachine gun, invented and developed by Brigadier General John T. Thompson, a United States Army officer, in 1918. It was designed to break the stalemate of trench warfare of World War I, although early models did not arrive in time for actual combat.

The weapon was also sold to the general public. Because it was so widely used by criminals, the Thompson became notorious during the Prohibition era as the weapon of choice of "The Mob" in the 1920s. It was a common sight in the media at the time, and was used by both law enforcement officers and criminals.

a "Tommy gun" [Wikipedia]

Tommy Hilfiger

Thomas Jacob Hilfiger is an American fashion designer and the founder of the Tommy Hilfiger Corporation.

After starting his career by co-founding a chain of jeans/fashion stores called People's Place in upstate New York in the 1970s, he began designing "preppy" clothing for his own eponymous menswear line in the 1980s. The company later expanded into women's clothing and various luxury items such as perfumes. It went public in 1992.

In 2006, Hilfiger sold his company for $1.6 billion to Apax Partners, who next sold it in 2010 to Phillips-Van Heusen for $3 billion. Hilfiger remains the company's principal designer, leading the design teams and overseeing the entire creative process.

Tommy Hilfiger [Wikipedia]

Tommy Lee Jones

Tommy Lee Jones is an American actor. He has received various accolades including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Primetime Emmy Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Jones established himself as a leading man in the 1990s, known for his gruff and authoritative film roles. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as U.S. Marshal Samuel Gerard in the thriller film The Fugitive (1993). His other Oscar-nominated roles were as businessman Clay Shaw in JFK (1991), Hank Deerfield in In the Valley of Elah (2007), and Congressman Thaddeus Stevens in Lincoln (2012). He played Agent K in the Men in Black franchise.

Tommy Lee Jones [La Vanguardia]

Other notable roles were in Coal Miner's Daughter (1980), Under Siege (1992), Natural Born Killers (1994), The Client (1994), Batman Forever (1995), Double Jeopardy (1999), No Country for Old Men (2007), The Company Men (2010), Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), Jason Bourne (2016), and Ad Astra (2019).

Tom O'Connor (d. 2021 - aged 81)

A funny comedian who was ever present on British TV screens in the 1970s and 80s.

O'Connor, a former teacher, was also a television presenter and actor. Originally a comedian in working men's clubs, he progressed to hosting TV game shows such as Crosswits, The Zodiac Game, Name That Tune, Password and Gambit.

Tom O'Connor on "This is Your Life" in 1977 [Big Red Book]

O'Connor was born in Bootle, my stomping ground for 10 years. He became a mathematics and music teacher at the St Joan of Arc School, Bootle, and was also assistant headmaster. After work he appeared as a comedian in working men's clubs.

His television debut came when he appeared on The Comedians, but it was talent show Opportunity Knocks that shot him to national fame; he won the show three times. He was a subject of the television programme This Is Your Life in 1977 when he was surprised by Eamonn Andrews.

Tom O'Connor (II)

This Tom O'Connor is the head chef at Restaurante La Cascada, at the Hotel Molino del Puente. Tom took over the kitchen when father-in-law Ian Love decided, at 62, that it was time to step out of the kitchen. Ian joined his wife Elaine "front of house", where he is head barman and waiter.

Ian, Elaine and Carly Love with Tom O'Connor

Tom is the partner of Carly, the middle daughter of the Loves, and they are the parents of Sofia, aged 5.

Tom is a trained chef and has worked extensively on the Costa del Sol. For three years Tom and Carly had a successful restaurant in Puerto de la Cruz, Tenerife, before returning to the mainland following the birth of their daughter.

Tom Petty (d. 2018 aged 66)

Thomas Earl Petty was an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. He was the leader and frontman of the rock bands Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Mudcrutch and a member of the late 1980s supergroup the Traveling Wilburys. He was also a successful solo artist.

Over the course of his career, Petty sold more than 80 million records worldwide, making him one of the best-selling artists of all time.

He died, aged 66, of an accidental drugs overdose.

Tom Petty [Wikipedia]

Tommy Robinson

The least said about this extreme left wing activist the better. Famously infiltrated St Helens Council, installing one of his acolytes to cause trouble. I used to work there and witnessed it first-hand.

Robinson is believed to have orchestrated the riots following the murder of three young girls in Southport in 2023. Thinking he was safe lying on a beach in Spain he was arrested by Special Branch officers and brought back to the UK. He is in gaol in Wormwood Scrubs, the last I heard.

Tommy Robinson [Wikipedia]

Tom Selleck

A Hollywood actor famous for roles in "Magnum, P.I." and "Blue Bloods". His films include "Three Men and a Baby" (1987) and its sequel "Three Men and a Little Lady" (1990). He also had a featured role in "Friends".

A major supporter of gun laws in the USA, that's when I lost interest in the b***ard.

Tom Selleck [Wikipedia]

Tommy Steele

Born Thomas Hicks, but known professionally as Tommy Steele, this cheeky chappie is an English entertainer, generally regarded as Britain's first teen idol and rock and roll star.

After being discovered at the 2i's Coffee Bar in Soho, London, Steele recorded a string of hit singles including "Rock with the Caveman" (1956) and the chart-topper "Singing the Blues" (1957).

Tommy Steele [Spotify]

Steele's rise to fame was dramatised in "The Tommy Steele Story" (1957), the soundtrack of which was the first British album to reach number one on the UK Albums Chart.

He starred in further musical films including "The Duke Wore Jeans" (1958) and Tommy the Toreador (1959), the latter spawning the hit record "Little White Bull".

Steele shifted away from rock and roll in the 1960s, becoming an all-round entertainer. He originated the part of Kipps in "Half a Sixpence" in the West End and on Broadway, and in the 1967 film version.

As an actor, he notably appeared in the films "The Happiest Millionaire" (1967) and "Finian's Rainbow" (1968) and as the lead in several West End productions of "Singin' in the Rain".

Also an author and sculptor, Tommy Steele remains active at the age of 88. He was knighted in the 2020 Birthday Honours for services to entertainment and charity and was awarded the Freedom of the City of London in 2021.

Thomas the Tank Engine

Thomas the Tank Engine is a fictional, anthropomorphised tank locomotive who originated from the British children's books The Railway Series, created and written by Wilbert Awdry with his son Christopher, first published in 1945.

[Image courtesy of Amazon]

Thomas runs on the Fat Controller's North Western Railway on the Island of Sodor. He became the most popular character in the series, and is the titular protagonist in the accompanying television series adaptation Thomas & Friends and its reboot Thomas & Friends: All Engines Go.

Thomas debuted in the 1946 book "Thomas the Tank Engine" - the second book in "The Railway Series" - and was the focus of the four short stories featured within.

In 1979, British writer and producer Britt Allcroft arranged a deal to make the television series "Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends" (later rebranded as "Thomas & Friends"). The programme became an award-winning hit around the world, with a range of spin-off commercial products. Since then, Thomas has become commonly-known in popular culture.

Like the rest of the cast, Thomas did not initially have an individual voice in the English version of the television series; the voice acting consisted entirely of narration by various actors, including Ringo Starr and Michael Angelis.

Tommy Trinder (d. 1989 aged 80)

Thomas Edward Trinder was an English stage, screen and radio comedian whose catchphrase was "You lucky people!". Described by cultural historian Matthew Sweet as "a cocky, front-of-cloth variety turn", he was one of the United Kingdom's foremost entertainers during the Second World War.

Tommy Trinder [Photo: MUBI]

Known for his confident and direct style of comedy, Trinder first found recognition with his music hall revues in the late 1930s. During the war, he worked for ENSA and maintained a successful film career, starring in a string of Ealing Studios films including Sailors Three (1940), Champagne Charlie (1944) and Bitter Springs (1950). During the 1950s, Trinder became a television star, notably as the original host of Sunday Night at the London Palladium (1955–1958). In 1959, he became chairman of Fulham Football Club, a position he maintained until 1976. He continued to perform into the 1980s.

Tom Thumb

Tom Thumb is a character of English folklore. The History of Tom Thumb was published in 1621 and was the first known fairy tale printed in English. Tom is no bigger than his father's thumb, and his adventures include being swallowed by a cow, tangling with giants, and becoming a favourite of King Arthur.

[Amazon]

The earliest allusions to Tom occur in various 16th-century works such as Reginald Scot's Discovery of Witchcraft (1584), where Tom is cited as one of the supernatural folk employed by servant maids to frighten children. Tattershall in Lincolnshire, England, reputedly has the home and grave of Tom Thumb.^[1]

Aside from his own tales, Tom figures in Henry Fielding's 1730 play Tom Thumb, a companion piece to his The Author's Farce. It was expanded into a single 1731 piece titled The Tragedy of Tragedies, or the History of Tom Thumb the Great.

In the mid-18th century, books began to be published specifically for children (some with their authorship attributed to "Tommy Thumb"), and by the mid-19th century, Tom was a fixture of the nursery library. The tale took on moral overtones and some writers, such as Charlotte Mary Yonge, cleansed questionable passages. Dinah Mulock, however, refrained from scrubbing the tale of its vulgarities. Tom Thumb's story has been adapted into several films.

"tom-tom"

A tom drum (also known as a tom-tom) is a cylindrical drum with no snares, named from the Anglo-Indian and Sinhala language. It was added to the drum kit in the early part of the 20th century.

The drum called "Thammattama", played by the Sinhalese people of Sri Lanka, is used in a of Buddhist rituals in that country. However, the tom-tom drums on the Western drum set clearly resemble the Sri Lankan version more than the frame drum.

A modern tom-tom drum [Wikipedia]

The Tom Tom was also the first GPS "navi". I had one and it was great. Not like Google Maps which often gets it wrong.

[Tom Tom]

Tom Whitelock

This Tom is a professional actor and musician. His biggest role to date was as Pete Quaife, the bassist in the group "The Kinks", in the award-winning West End musical "Sunny Afternoon".

Tom in "Sunny Afternoon" and in "A Clockwork Orange"

Other top roles he has played include Guy in the Altrincham Garrick production of "The Full Monty" and Donald in Dennis Potter's "Blue Remembered Hills" at "The Playmakers" of Stockton Heath, when he was still at school and an amateur. As a professional he played one of the droogs in "A Clockwork Orange", the controversial play by Anthony Burgess, at various venues in London; Juan in Lorca's "Yerma" at the Cervantes Theatre, London.

While still at drama college he took on top roles in plays by Leo Tolstoy.

Tom plays piano, keyboards, acoustic guitar, bass guitar and double bass. He often accompanies his wife Susannah Austin on recordings and at live performances.

Tom Whitelock is bloody good. Well, Tom is my son and he makes me very proud.

Links:

86 04 WKDA AntonioLobato Basic2 0 15secs 16x9 FINAL - The Film "Becket"

Everybody's Changing Closed Captioned - Keane

Thomas' Train (Season 1, Episode 5, UK, Ringo Starr)

Tom Jones 7 Songs

Tommy Steele - Flash Bang Wallop (Taken from Half a Sixpence DVD)

The Who - Pinball Wizard (Tommy Live At The Royal Albert Hall)

West End Live 2016 Sunny Afternoon

© The Crazy Guy

Photos:

East London and West Essex Guardian, Facebook, La Vanguardia, Warrington Guardian, Wikipedia,

Tags:

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April showers bring May flowers

2025-04-02T07:27:51

April, traditionally a rainy period, gives way to May, when flowers will bloom because of the water provided to them by the April rains. By extension, that a period of discomfort can provide the basis for a period of happiness.

April here in southern Spain is the start of Spring, a little earlier than in Britain, and plants and trees are starting to push out shoots and buds. It's a good time to start planting.

April is also a busy month for us socially, especially this year, 2025.

April 1st

April Fools' Day in the UK, USA and other English-speaking countries.

Please see here for more about the significance of this date in English-speaking culture:

April Fool! - Eye on Spain

April Fools' Day - Wikipedia

[Image courtesy of Freepik]

April 1st is also the date of the official end of the Civil War in Spain in 1939, 86 years ago,

and the beginning of the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, which lasted some 36 years until his death in November 1975.

[Video courtesy of YouTube]

April 5th

The end of the UK Tax Year in the UK, the only country I know where the Tax Year is not from January 1st to December 31st.

Why do the British have to be different?

Miles instead of kilometres; Fahrenheit instead of Celsius; pints instead of litres; drive on the left with a right-hand drive car; and so it goes on.

[Image courtesy of Bestinvest]

April 6th

My brother's birthday. Simon will be 72.

I hope to see him later in April, when I visit the UK for Father's Day to see my two kids and four grandkids.

Simon lives near Bristol with his second wife Marilyn (Simon was widowed in 2001). Simon volunteers for the Blood Bike Service, a charity which delivers hospital notes, x-rays and body parts for transplants.

Brother Simon on his bloodbike [Photo: BBB]

April 10th - 14th

I fly to the UK for the first time this year on April 10th, a Thursday. The plan is to visit my children Amy (41) in London and Tom (38) in Hastings (East Sussex) and their children over a long weekend.

I fly Ryanair from Malaga into London Stansted, then get the fast bus connection into Stratford Shopping Centre (East London).

[Photo courtesy of Ryanair]

Amy lives a short walk from there in a new flat she has bought. I haven't seen it yet, other than in photos, so I look forward to that.

On the night of my arrival Amy is playing in an orchestral concert (she is first oboist). I shall enjoy that, then we'll go for dinner together.

On Friday evening after school her two boys, my grandchildren, will come to Amy - she and the boys' father Carlo are divorced but share custody of Felix (8) and Jude (5).

On Saturday we'll all hop on a train to Hastings to stay with my son Tom, wife Susannah and their children, Wilbur (6) and Buckley (1).

Amy [Tutors United]

There we'll celebrate my 75th birthday (a month early) and on Sunday lunchtime Father's Day and Tom's 38th birthday, a few days later, in one of the great pub restaurants in the seaside town.

On Monday 14th I shall take the train from St Leonard's-on-Sea, next door to Hastings, to London Gatwick for my Wizzair flight back to Malaga.

I may break my journey in East Croydon (Surrey), which is a fascinating cosmopolitan town, with a large international population.

Tom [Photo: Paul Whitelock]

April 16th - 23rd

On Wednesday April 16th we fly to Marseille (France) for a week's holiday near Avignon with Rita's daughter and family. This is also Tom's 38th birthday.

Katrin and Gero and their three children Anton (19), Madita (16) and Lotte (14) are driving from the Heilbronn area of southern Germany with their VW Transporter and their caravan, and we shall be joining them on the campsite. But, not under canvas - we have booked a "house" with its own facilities on the same campsite which overlooks the river.

This will be my first ever visit to this part of France and I can't wait to dance on the bridge at Avignon ("Sur le pont d'Avignon, on y dan-se, on y dan-se .....").

[Video courtesy of YouTube]

April 23rd

St George's Day in England.

In my experience the least celebrated of the four British Isles patron saints, the other three being St David (Wales - March 1st), St Patrick (Ireland - March 17th) and St Andrew (Scotland - November 30th).

We shall not be celebrating either. On an English airline they may have mentioned it, but we are flying Ryanair, the Irish low-cost carrier, so I doubt it will come up.

[Image courtesy of Britannica]

Last Word

I'm not aware of anything else due to happen in the month of April. But I reckon that's enough to be going on with, don't you?

Links:

(15) Post | Feed | LinkedIn

Meet Amy: Our New CEO - Tutors United

SUSANNAH AUSTIN - NIGHTWALKING - Vídeo Dailymotion

West End Live 2016 Sunny Afternoon

© Only Joe King

Photos and Images:

Alami, Bestinvest, Bristol Blood Bike, Britannica, Freepik, Paul Whitelock, Ryanair, Tutors United, YouTube

Tags:

Alami, Amy Whitelock Gibbs, Bestinvest, BBB, Bristol Blood Bike, Britannica, Buckley, Carlo, Felix, Freepik, Hastings, Joe King, Jude, Kinks, LinkedIn, "Nightwalking", Paul Whitelock, St Leonard's, Stratford, "Sunny Afternoon", Susannah Austin, Tom Whitelock, Tutors United, Wilbur, YouTube

“Enrique”

2025-02-11T18:49:36

There have been eight English kings called Henry - "Enrique" in Spanish.

The most notorious of these were Henry II, who had Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Becket murdered by his knights in Canterbury Cathedral .....

..... and Henry VIII, who famously had six wives and split England from the Roman Catholic Church, leading to the Reformation and the establishment of the Church of England.

King Henry VIII [Picture: Wikipedia]

This article

That’s the historical background for this article which is about modern day “Enriques/Henrys/Harrys”.

Here are my chosen eight in more or less chronological order.

Henry Ford

Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist and business magnate most famous in the world of motor cars.

As the founder of the Ford Motor Company, he is credited as a pioneer in making automobiles affordable for middle-class Americans through the system thatcame to be known as Fordism.

In 1911, he was awarded a patent for the transmission mechanism that would be used in the Ford Model T and other automobiles.

Ford was born in a farmhouse in Springwells Township, Michigan, and left home at the age of 16 to find work in Detroit. It was a few years before this time that Ford first experienced automobiles, and throughout the latter half of the 1880s, he began repairing and later constructing engines, and through the 1890s worked with a division of Edison Electric.

He founded the Ford Motor Company in 1903 after prior failures in business, but success in constructing. automobiles.

Henry Ford [Photo: Wikipedia]

The introduction of the Ford Model T automobile in 1908 is credited with having revolutionized both transportation and American industry. As the sole owner of the Ford Motor Company, Ford became one of the wealthiest people in the world.

He was also among the pioneers of the five-day working-week. Ford believed that consumerism could help to bring about world peace. His commitment to systematically lowering costs resulted in many technical and business innovations, including a franchise system, which allowed for car dealerships throughout North America and in major cities on six continents.

Personally I have owned several Ford cars in my nearly six decades of motoring: A Ford Anglia, a Fiesta, a Cortina, a Mondeo, a Galaxy and a Focus. Hire cars I have enjoyed include a Ford Kuga and a Ford Puma*.

I recall that the Fiesta and the Focus were my favourites.

Harry Belafonte

A famous black American singer, he is most famous for the Banana Boat song.

Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927 – April 25, 2023) was an American singer, actor, and civil rights activist who popularized calypso music with international audiences in the 1950s and 1960s.

Belafonte's career breakthrough album Calypso (1956) was the first million-selling LP by a single artist.

Belafonte was best known for his recordings of "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)", "Jump in the Line (Shake, Senora)", "Jamaica Farewell", and "Mary's Boy Child".

He is one of the few performers to have received an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (EGOT), although he won the Oscar in a non-competitive category.

Harry Belafonte [Photo: Wikipedia]

Harry Belafonte - Day-O (The Banana Boat Song) (Live)

Henry Kissinger

Henry Alfred Kissinger (May 27, 1923 – November 29, 2023) was an American diplomat and political scientist. He served as the 56th United States secretary of state from 1973 to 1977 and the 7th national security advisor from 1969 to 1975, serving in the presidential administrations of both Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.

Born in Germany, Kissinger emigrated to the United States in 1938 as a Jewish refugee fleeing Nazi persecution. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. After the war, he attended Harvard University, where he excelled academically.

He later became a professor of government at the university and earned an international reputation as an expert on nuclear weapons and foreign policy. He acted as a consultant to government agencies, think tanks, and the presidential campaigns of Nelson Rockefeller and Nixon before being appointed as national security advisor and later secretary of state by President Nixon.

Henry Kissinger [Photo: New York Times]

An advocate of a pragmatic approach to geopolitics known as Realpolitik, Kissinger pioneered the policy of détente with the Soviet Union, orchestrated an opening of relations with China, engaged in "shuttle diplomacy" in the Middle East to end the Yom Kippur War, and negotiated the Paris Peace Accords, which ended American involvement in the Vietnam War.

For his role in negotiating the accords, he was awarded the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize, which sparked controversy. Kissinger is also associated with controversial U.S. policies including its bombing of Cambodia, involvement in the 1973 Chilean coup d'état, support for Argentina's military junta in its Dirty War, support for Indonesia in its invasion of East Timor, and support for Pakistan during the Bangladesh Liberation War and Bangladesh genocide.

Considered by many American scholars to have been an effective secretary of state, Kissinger was also accused by critics of war crimes for the civilian death toll of the policies he pursued and for his role in facilitating U.S. support for authoritarian regimes.

After leaving government, Kissinger founded Kissinger Associates, an international geopolitical consulting firm which he ran from 1982 until his death. He authored over a dozen books on diplomatic history and international relations.

His advice was sought by American presidents of both major political parties.

Henry Cooper

Sir Henry Cooper OBE KSG (3 May 1934 – 1 May 2011) was a British heavyweight boxer. He was undefeated in British and Commonwealth heavyweight championship contests for 12 years and held the European heavyweight title for three years.

In a 1963 fight against a young Cassius Clay (later Muhammad Ali), he knocked Clay down in Round 4, before the fight was stopped in Round 5 because of a cut to Cooper's eye.

In 1966 he fought Ali for a second time. Ali was then world heavyweight champion. However, Cooper got TKO'd again.

Cooper was twice voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year and, after retiring in 1971 following a controversial loss to Joe Bugner, remained a popular public figure.

He is the only British boxer to have been awarded a knighthood.

Henry Cooper with Cassius Clay [Wikipedia]

Harry Carpenter

Harry Leonard Carpenter, OBE (17 October 1925 – 20 March 2010) was a British BBC sports commentator broadcasting from the early 1950s until his retirement in 1994. His speciality was boxing.

He was presenter of programmes such as Sportsnight (1975–1985) and Grandstand and also anchored coverage of Wimbledon and golf tournaments.

Carpenter was the son of a wholesale fish merchant at Billingsgate Market and was born at South Norwood in South London. He attended Selhurst Grammar School in Surrey.

During World War II, he served as a telegrapher in the Royal Navy. Upon leaving the Navy after the end of World War II, he began his journalism career in 1946. He began sports reporting as a sub-editor for several national newspapers. He was an avid supporter of Crystal Palace FC, the local team in South Norwood.

Frank Bruno and Harry Carpenter [The Telegraph]

He joined the BBC in 1949 and was the corporation's full-time boxing correspondent from 1962 until his retirement in 1994. He served as a boxing columnist for the Sporting Record from 1950 to 1954. He then worked for the Daily Mail as a boxing writer and sports columnist from 1954 to 1962.

While writing for the national papers, Carpenter broadcast regularly on radio and television, covering thousands of professional and amateur fights including all Olympic Games from 1956 until 1992. He wrote three books about boxing, produced the documentary, The Richest Prize in Sport, and served as the voice of the Hall of Fame series, Sports Archive and Great Moments in Sport.

Carpenter described the end of the historic boxing fight between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali in Zaire, in 1974, a fight which became known as "The Rumble in the Jungle", as "the most extraordinary few seconds that I have ever seen in a boxing ring".

“And suddenly Ali looks very tired indeed. In fact, Ali at times now looks as though he can hardly lift his arms up ... Oh, he's got him with a right hand! He's got him! Oh, you can't believe it – and he's doing his shuffle! And I don't think Foreman's going to get up ... he's trying to beat the count ... and he's out! Oh my God, he's won the title back at 32!”

While occasionally given to raising his voice, as he did when Ali knocked out Foreman or when Barry McGuigan floored Eusebio Pedroza in 1985, Carpenter was widely regarded as unflappable and a great professional.

Carpenter's rapport with former WBC World Heavyweight Champion Frank Bruno was well known. Carpenter often conducted post-match interviews with Bruno, whose catchphrase was "know what I mean, 'Arry?".

Over the course of his career, Carpenter was recognised as "The Voice of Boxing". While his name was most often associated with boxing, Carpenter established himself as one of Britain's most versatile sportscasters, covering many of the major sporting events. He was a presenter of Sportsnight between 1975 and 1985 and a regular member of the broadcast team on Grandstand.

He covered all major golf tournaments from 1965 until his retirement. He also served as commentator on the Oxford and Cambridge University Boat Race, and greyhound racing. He anchored coverage of Wimbledon for the BBC from 1967 until 1993.

Carpenter was appointed OBE in the 1991 New Year Honours.

Harry Enfield

Henry Richard Enfield (born 30 May 1961) is an English comedian. He is known in particular for his television work, including Harry Enfield's Television Programme and Harry & Paul, and for the creation and portrayal of comedy characters such as Kevin the Teenager, Loadsamoney, Smashie and Nicey, The Scousers, Tim Nice-But-Dim and Mr "You Don't Want to Do It Like That".

Born in Horsham, Sussex, he is the eldest of four children (and only son) of English television, radio and newspaper journalist and presenter Edward Enfield and his wife, Deirdre Jenkins.

He was educated at the independent Arundale School in Pulborough, Dorset House School, Worth School, Collyer's Sixth Form College (all in West Sussex) and the University of York, where he was a member of Derwent College and studied politics. He squatted in Hackney and worked for a while as a milkman.

Enfield first came to wide public attention when appearing on Channel 4's Saturday Live as several different characters created with Paul Whitehouse. These quickly entered the national consciousness.

Among these characters were Stavros, a Greek kebab shop owner with fractured English; and Loadsamoney, an obnoxious plasterer who constantly boasted about how much money he earned.

The Loadsamoney character was created in reaction to the policies of the Thatcher government of the day, and took on a life of its own, sampling the songs "Money, Money" from the musical Cabaret and "Money, Money, Money" by ABBA to spawn a hit single in 1988 and a sell-out live tour.

Enfield as Loadsamoney [British Comedy Guide]

In May 1988, Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock used the term loadsamoney to criticise the policies of the Conservative government and journalists began to refer to the "loadsamoney mentality" and the "loadsamoney economy".

Enrique Iglesias

Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler was born in Madrid, Spain, in May 1975, the third and youngest child of Spanish singer Julio Iglesias and Filipina socialite and magazine journalist Isabel Preysler.

Iglesias was raised with two older siblings, Chábeli and Julio Jr. His father's family is from Galicia and Andalusia; his father also claims some Jewish and Puerto Rican ancestry on his mother's side.

At first, Iglesias and his two siblings stayed with their mother; however, in December 1981, Iglesias's grandfather Dr. Julio Iglesias Puga was kidnapped by the armed Basque group ETA.

When Enrique was six years old he lived for a year in the Yugoslav capital of Belgrade with his mother.

For their safety, Enrique and his brother Julio were sent to live with their father in Miami, Florida. There, they were brought up mostly by the nanny, Elvira Olivares, to whom Enrique later dedicated his first album.

Iglesias with partner Anna Kournikova [HOLA]

He started his recording career in the mid-1990s on the Mexican label Fonovisa where he released three Spanish albums Enrique Iglesias, Vivir and Cosas del Amor becoming the bestselling Spanish-language act of the decade.

By the turn of the millennium, he made a successful crossover into the mainstream English-language market. He signed a multi-album deal with Universal Music Group for US$68 million with Interscope Records releasing a string of hit English albums such as Enrique, Escape, 7 and Insomniac. During this time he also released Spanish albums such as Quizás and 95/08 Éxitos under Universal Music Latin.

His partner is the former Russian tennis player Anna Kournikova.

Enrique Iglesias Éxitos Sus Mejores Románticas / Enrique Iglesias 30 Grandes Éxitos Enganchados

Prince Harry

The second son of King Charles III King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms since 8 September 2022.

In 1981, the then Prince of Wales married Lady Diana Spencer.

They had two sons, William, heir to the throne, and Harry.

Charles and Diana divorced in 1996.

Diana died as a result of injuries sustained in a car crash in Paris the following year. In 2005, Charles married his long-term partner, Camilla Parker Bowles.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, (Henry Charles Albert David; born 15 September 1984) is the younger son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales, and is currently fifth in the line of succession to the British throne.

After school and university Harry became a professional soldier, serving two terms in Afghanistan.

He is the founder of the Invictus Games.

Now estranged from the Royal Family, Harry lives with his wife Meghan Markle, a US actress, in California. They have two children, Archie and Lilibet.

Harry and Meghan [US Weekly]

In Spain Harry is known as Enrique.

Footnotes:

Henry II

This episode of English history has spawned various works of literature, including “Murder in the Cathedral”, a play by T S Eliot and the plays “Becket” by Jean Anouilh and "The Lion in Winter" by James Goldman.

The film version of "Becket" starred Peter O’Toole and Richard Burton as Henry II and Becket respectively.

O'Toole also played Henry II in the film "The Lion in Winter" opposite Katherine Hepburn as Queen Eleanor of Acquitaine.

O'Toole and Burton in "Becket" [Gold Derby] Hepburn and O'Toole in "The Lion in Winter" [The Alexandria Papers]

Henry VIII

Henry VIII is mainly remembered for having six wives and for setting in motion a chain of events that would lead to England’s break with the Catholic Church and the start of the English Reformation.

This rhyme recalls what happened to each of his wives:

“Divorced, beheaded, died,

Divorced, beheaded, survived”

Henry VIII's queens were:

Catherine of Aragon (Spanish); Anne Boleyn; Jane Seymour; Anne of Cleves (Dutch); Catherine Howard; Catherine Parr

Henry VIII in literature, music and film:

"Henry VIII" (play)

The "Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eighth", often shortened to "Henry VIII", by William Shakespeare

"Carry On Henry"

A fictionalised story involving Sid James as Henry VIII, who chases after Barbara Windsor's character Bettina.

"Henry VIII" (opera)

"Henry VIII" is an opera in four acts by Camille Saint-Saëns, from a libretto by Léonce Détroyat and Armand Silvestre.

"I'm Henery the Eighth, I Am"

Pronounced "'Enery" in the Cockney style. Original by Harry Champion, then by Herman's Hermits.

Herman’s Hermits ~ I’m Henry VIII, I Am ~ 1965 ~ Single Audio Video

"The Six Wives of Henry VIII" (album)

by English keyboardist Rick Wakeman, released in January 1973 on A&M Records.

Endword:

There are, of course, other Henrys and Harrys.

Ones that come readily to mind are:

Harry Kane, England football's captain and leading scorer;

Debbie Harry, American singer with the group "Blondie";

Harry Styles, actor and singer formerly of the pop group "One Direction";

Henry Slade, Devon-born England rugby union international, with 69 caps to date and still playing;

Harry Hill, English medical doctor and stand-up comedian;

Harry Kewell, Australian football international (58 caps) who played for Liverpool FC, now retired;

Harry Houdini, Hungarian-American escapologist;

and Harry Potter, fictional wizard created by J K Rowling.

Debbie Harry of "Blondie" [Wikipedia]

Blimey! That's another eight! Enough for another article?

© Joe King

Links:

Enrique Iglesias Éxitos Sus Mejores Románticas / Enrique Iglesias 30 Grandes Éxitos Enganchados

Harry Belafonte - Day-O (The Banana Boat Song) (Live)

Harry Enfield - Stavros

Herman’s Hermits ~ I’m Henry VIII, I Am ~ 1965 ~ Single Audio Video

Photos:

Amazon, BBC, British Comedy Guide, Facebook, Gold Derby, ¡HOLA!, New York Times, The Alexandria Papers, The Telegraph, US Weekly, Wikipedia, YouTube

Tags:

Afghanistan, Amazon, Archie, black American singer, "Blondie", BBC, British Comedy Guide, California, “Calypso”, calypso music, Camilla Parker Bowles, Charles and Diana divorced in 1996, Charles married his long-term partner, civil rights activist, "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)", Debbie Harry, Diana, Diana died as a result of injuries sustained in a car crash in 1997, Duke of Sussex,Emmy, EGOT, Enrique, Enrique Iglesias, escapologist, Facebook, first million-selling LP by a single artist, Gold Derby, Grammy, Harry, Harry Belafonte, Harry Carpenter, Harry Enfield, Harry Hill, Harry Houdini, Harry Kane, Harry Kewell, Harry Potter, Harry Styles, heir to the throne, Henry Cooper, Henry Ford, Henry Kissinger, Henry Slade, Herman's Hermits, ¡HOLA!, Invictus Games, "Jamaica Farewell", Joe King, J K Rowling, "Jump in the Line (Shake, Senora)", King Charles III, Lady Diana Spencer, line of succession to the British throne, Lilibet, "Mary's Boy Child", Meghan, New York Times, "One Direction", Oscar, Paul Whitelock, Prince Harry, Princess of Wales, professional soldier, second son of King Charles III, Spain, stand-up comedian, Royal Family, The Alexandria Papers, The Telegraph, Tony, US actress, US Weekly, Wikipedia, William, YouTube

áéíóúü

The "Second Coming" …..

2025-01-30T05:22:52

By Joe King

Christians the world over are waiting for Christ’s second coming, ie that the Son of God will one day return to Earth.

Well, I have to inform you that the “Second coming” just happened - on Saturday.

[Image of the Second Coming by Word on Fire]

For some reason Christ changed his name to Rafael and this miracle worker helped me sort out a major problem.

Backstory

Rita and I had been without running water for several days. No water in the taps, no central heating, no flushing loos.

Why not?

Where we live in the “campo”, ie the “Andalucian outback”, there is no municipal water supply. The 50 or so houses in our pedania all have wells, including our house, which draw water from below ground.

In our case we also have a “share” of a communal well. In our case it’s a “back-up”, if for any reason we have a problem with our own “pozo”.

[Cartoon courtesy of Facebook]

In 14 years living here, we’ve needed to access water four times. It seemed like a good idea to have access to reserve water.

It costs us around 200€ a year, ie our share of the standing charges. If we draw water, we have to pay for that in addition. So, it’s a kind of “insurance policy”, albeit rather expensive.

On this occasion we couldn’t draw water because the pump for the communal well is kaputt. It has been kaputt for two and a half weeks!

The company responsible, Voltasur, is nothing short of useless and hasn’t taken seriously the fact that most of us are old, some in their 80s.

Un pozo [photo courtesy of Sondagua]

The Solution?

On my land is an alberca, a concrete water store. It’s full of water from a spring higher up the hill.

“Son of God” Rafael helped me run a garden hose from said alberca into my empty “deposito”. We topped it up, I backfilled the system, switched the pump on and watched as my huge concrete tank filled up with water.

Everything is working now, running water in the house, for the central heating, toilets, the lot.

It took us an hour to sort out the problem. And it didn’t cost a penny, except what I gave “Son of God” Rafael, the miracle worker, for his time.

Una alberca [Photo courtesy of GIdeAA]

The Outcome?

I have resigned from the communal well. It is costly and it let us down in our hour of need. I shall pay my contribution for last year, which is due soon, after which it’s Adios.

“Son of God” Rafael is still around, in case I need another miracle.

© Only Joe King

Photos and Images:

Facebook, Glosario ilustrado de arte arquitectónico, Sondagua, Word on Fire

Tags:

alberca, “Andalucian outback”, bomba, campo, Christ, communal well, deposito, Facebook, Jesus Christ, Joe King, Paul Whitelock, pedania, pozo, pump, Rafael, Son of God, Sondagua, spring, tank, water store, Word on Fire

Life’s a drama

2025-01-20T05:34:01

By Joe King

Well. Life is a drama, isn’t it? However, mundane you think your life is, or has been, it’s still a drama whether we’re talking about “The Archers” or William Shakespeare; “Emmerdale” or George Bernard Shaw; “Eastenders” or Oscar Wilde.

As for me, ever since I played Joseph in the nativity play at my primary school, drama has played a significant part in my life, already seven and a half decades long.

William Shakespeare [Wikipedia]

You’d have thought that after playing Jesus’ father, the only way would be down, but not so …..

School years

I wasn’t involved in drama activity in either of the two boys’ grammar schools I attended. I was too busy playing sport.

So life was drama-free. Or was it?

An adolescence spent with my parents' unhappy marriage as a backdrop was never going to be without its dramatic side. Mum hospitalised for a year; my younger brother and I raised by our gran during that time; my dad struggling to cope with the impending breakdown of a second marriage; a sudden and rushed move to another town 50 miles away; the trauma of settling into new schools; a fire; a second house move; a complicated love life; a flirtation with the Pentecostal Church.

A psychiatrist would have had a "field day".

Hele's School, Exeter as it was [Exeter Memories]

University came along at just the right time, or did it.....?

University

My first year at university was a complete and utter drama. I was still an evangelical Christian at that time which marked me out as a "bit of a freak" amongst my fellow students. I was so fervent that it affected my studies.

I dropped out at the end of that year and, aged 19, I was back home with mum, dad and younger brother (Mum was well again and had decided to stick with dad and keep the family together). As for me, I got myself a job in a small supermarket.

So, I was pretty "washed up" at 19! All the academic potential I had shown down the "swanny"!

Salford University main building [Media City]

Eventually I came to my senses, negotiated a return to university and in the summer before re-joining my course I went off to Germany to work and get my German back "up to scratch".

Back at uni in October 1970, I joined the drama society in order to meet some girls. There weren't too many members of the female species at my university (Salford - a new-ish technological university) and I knew that drama is more popular with girls than with young men.

That was true and my plan sort of worked, although I didn’t manage to “get my leg over.”

I had a part in “The Fireraisers” (“Biedermann und die Brandstifter”) by Swiss playwright Max Frisch and ended up having a short-lived relationship with a beautiful Welsh girl who used to do my make-up.

Then I went away on my year abroad, so that "petered out" naturally.

[Poster courtesy of Unrestricted View]

Eccles

Around the same time, an older friend, Dave, a music teacher, persuaded me to go along to the Eccles Drama Soc. I got a part in “A Christmas Carol” (Charles Dickens) and was terrible. I kept "drying" (forgetting my lines).

Salford (continued)

When I came back from six months in Spain and six months in Germany, I saw a young girl in a Shakespeare production at the new University Adelphi Theatre, which had been built while I was away.

Jeryl had come to my attention in the Student bar (she was a bit loud!) and I was intrigued.

Moving forward a few years, Jeryl, from Luton, became my wife!

But, once again, I'm getting ahead of myself.

Adelphi Theatre [University of Salford blog]

Teacher training college

At Sheffield City College, where I went to do a postgraduate teaching qualification, I joined the Drama Group, partly because I’d developed a taste for acting and because, as I'd found at university, more girls have amateur dramatics as a hobby than young men.

I played Teddy, Miss Brodie’s lover, in “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” by Muriel Spark. I was also the male lead in a film we made of “Riders to the Sea”, by Irish playwright J M Synge.

After the “wrap” of “Jean Brodie”, ie the after-show party on the last night, I was seduced by a very sexy young teacher trainee who was in the cast. My first-ever “one night stand”.

Dame Maggie Smith as "Jean Brodie" [Rotten Tomatoes]

Schools I taught in

St Nicholas RC High School in Hartford, Northwich, Cheshire

St. Nick's was my first school as a qualified teacher.

I was only there for two years but performed in a couple of staff/student productions of Gilbert & Sullivan operettas, “The Pirates of Penzance” and “HMS Pinafore”.

Great fun!

[Poster courtesy of Genius]

Cardinal Langley RC High School, Middleton, Greater Manchester

My over-riding memory of dramatic activity here was the number of “affairs” being conducted amongst members of staff.

On the real drama side I appeared in a staff play (I forget the name) and a staff/student musical where I ended up ad-libbing with the audience, getting them to join in the singing.

St Aelred’s Catholic High School, Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside

Once again quite a bit of “’Ow’s your father” going on amongst the staff here.

I confess that I succumbed to the temptation for a while.

[Wikipedia]

Swinton & Pendlebury and Salford

When my girlfriend Jeryl and I moved in together in a flat in Salford, we joined an "am-dram" group in Swinton & Pendlebury. We ended up getting very involved. Apart from acting, I was chairman of the committee for a while and Jeryl was Hon Sec.

During that time the group was renamed SPADES – The Swinton & Pendlebury Amateur Dramatic and Entertainment Society.

A highlight was when we took our production of “Jock on the Go”, a musical play based on works by Arnold Bennett, to the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester.

I got to sing in this fantastic theatre-in-the-round in the old Manchester Stock Exchange!

Royal Exchange Theatre [Photo: Loads To Do]

Stockton Heath and Warrington

When we moved to Thelwall near Warrington (Cheshire) we continued with SPADES for a while, but the travelling became too much, so we looked for drama opportunities which were more local.

We joined the Playmakers of Stockton Heath. The standard of acting was pretty high. Jeryl and I were now married, but still childless, so we had plenty of time to indulge our hobby.

Jeryl soon became one of the leading actresses and played the lead in a number of productions, including the matriarch Bernarda in “The House of Bernarda Alba” by Lorca.

She also directed some great successes. She was especially good with Alan Ayckbourn plays.

I also picked up some good roles, including Biff in Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons”; Donald in “Blue Remembered Hills” by Dennis Potter; Becket in "Becket" by Jean Anouilh; King Henry II in "The Lion in Winter"; and The Emcee in “Cabaret”, my favourite part ever.

Our whole family, ie Jeryl, me and children Amy and Tom, appeared in “Lark Rise to Candleford” by Flora Thompson in around 1990.

[Photo courtesy of Wikipedia]

Salford Players

Jeryl and I were occasionally “poached” by Salford Players, a semi-professional outfit just down the road.

I had some great roles there, eg in Terence Rattigan’s “Separate Tables”; “Events While Guarding The Bofors Gun” by John McGrath; and “Oh! What a Lovely War!” by Joan Littlewood and her Theatre Workshop.

(Sir) Ben Kingsley was a member of Salford Players before he became famous.

[Poster courtesy of amazon.com]

Altrincham Garrick

We also appeared a couple of times at another semi-pro group in Altrincham, where many “resting” professionals ended up.

Many years later our son Tom Whitelock, who went on to become a professional actor, appeared at “The Garrick” a few times.

A highlight was his performance as Guy in “The Full Monty” by Simon Beaufoy.

[Poster courtesy of ATG Tickets]

First Marriage

My first marriage was a drama from start to finish, yet it lasted 30 years. There was never a dull moment!

North Wales

My first relationship after my divorce from Jeryl was a huge drama. The stage we performed on was a beautiful cottage in a stunning village in North Wales overlooking the island of Anglesey.

But it was never going to last …..

Second marriage

My second marriage, now in its 15^th year, has also not been short of drama.

Wife number two is Rita, a feisty German, whom I met in Ronda (Málaga).

We still live just outside the "Ciudad Soñada" ("City of Dreams" - Rilke), and our relationship is so "dramatic" it would make a great “soap”!

Me and Rita at the beach [selfie]

London

Tom Whitelock, my son, studied at Rose Bruford Drama College where he appeared in a number of productions including Chekhov's "Three Sisters".

He started his professional acting career touring schools running drama workshops. He appeared in London fringe productions including "A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess; "Yerma" by Lorca and several pantomimes.

He got a great gig at Shakespeare's refurbished Globe Theatre beside the River Thames, appearing in The Bard's "Romeo and Juliet".

Tom finally broke through into The West End when he won the part of Pete Quaife, bass guitarist of "The Kinks" in the musical "Sunny Afternoon". Eight live performances a week for 12 months!

Tom in "A Clockwork Orange" [Action to the Word] Tom as Pete Quaife in "Sunny Afternoon" [West End Theatres]

Since Covid-19, when Bojo The Clown (prime-minister-at-the-time Boris Johnson) shut theatres down, theatre work has been harder to come by.

Despite the fact that I live in Spain, I've managed to see Tom in all these productions.

Ronda

I joined a local drama group during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Proyecto Platea was great fun, but I found it too much of a challenge and too time-consuming.

Now I just go to watch their excellent productions, whenever I can.

Epilogue

So, my life has been a drama in more ways than one, but it's been great.

I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

Later this week we're off to see our favourite local actors from Proyecto Platea (qv) in "Bodas de Sangre" by Federico Garcia Lorca at the Vicente Espinel Theatre in Ronda.

© Only Joe King

Links:

'Sunny Afternoon' acoustic cover | Sunny Afternoon cast - An acoustic version of "Sunny Afternoon" by the show's West End cast

West End Live 2016 Sunny Afternoon - Live outdoor promotional performance in Piccadilly Circus

Photos and Images:

Action to the Word, ATG Tickets, Exeter Memories, Facebook, Genius, Loads To Do, Media City, Paul Whitelock, Proyecto Platea, Rotten Tomatoes, Royal Exchange Theatre, "Sunny Afternoon", University of Salford blog, Unrestricted View, West End Theatres, Wikipedia, www.amazon.com, YouTube

Tags:

"A Clockwork Orange", Action to the Word, Amy, ATG Tickets, "Bodas de Sangre", Bojo The Clown, Boris Johnson, Covid-19, “Eastenders”, “Emmerdale”, evangelical Christian, Exeter Memories, Facebook, Federico Garcia Lorca, Genius, George Bernard Shaw, Jeryl, Jesus, Joe King, Joseph, Kinks, Loads To Do, Media City, nativity play, Only Joe King, Oscar Wilde, Paul Whitelock, Pentecostal Church, Pete Quaife, Playmakers, Proyecto Platea, Rita, Ronda, Rotten Tomatoes, Royal Exchange Theatre, Salford Players, Salford University, "Sunny Afternoon", SPADES, “The Archers”, Tom, Tom Whitelock, University of Salford blog, Unrestricted View, Vicente Espinel Theatre, Warrington, West End Theatres, Wikipedia, William Shakespeare, www.amazon.com, YouTube,

áéíóú

“On the 4th day of Christmas …..”

2024-12-25T09:02:28

“My true love said to me: four calling birds…..”

I must have mis-heard, I thought it was “calling four birds”. I did call four birds (ie women), cos I was "de Rodríguez" and feeling a bit lonely.

Who were these “birds”?

First of all, I tried a divorced/widowed English lady who has a house in Montejaque, but she’s not resident here and was in the UK.

Shame, as I really fancy her and she knows it.

She says that if she had been in Spain she would have accepted my invitation….. Mmmm!

Next, I tried a divorced Irish lady, who IS resident in Ronda. She had written on Facebook that she would be on her own on Christmas Day. But she politely declined my invitation.

That’s also a shame because I fancy her too and I told her so some while ago over a coffee. She said she was flattered, but nothing ever came of it.

I guess I’m too old for her. 10 years age difference isn’t much though, is it?

My third attempt was with a Spanish neighbour who has broken up with her fellah. He prefers to live in Madrid with his mother (who mentioned Oedipus?). So, they are no longer an item.

She’s a teacher, so well-to-do here in Spain. She’s spending Christmas Eve with her family in Grazalema (Cádiz), where she is from, but said she’d be back in Fuente de la Higuera for Christmas Day and could perhaps come.

Trouble is, I don’t have her phone number to confirm it. She is not aware that I fancy her.

My fourth possible Christmas Dinner companion is my next-door-neighbour-but-one. She’s been a widow for some dozen years following the premature death of her husband after an accident at work. Her name is Mercedes. [I always wanted to have a Mercedes – Behave yourself! I’m talking about a Mercedes-Benz car. I worked as a translator for the luxury car company in Stuttgart 50-odd years ago]. Being local, she told me she will be spending Christmas with family in Ronda.

A fifth possibility to invite for Christmas Lunch is a Geordie divorcee who has lived for many years in Spain, including Cantabria and Benalmádena. She has now fetched up in Ronda.

I’ve met her for coffee a few times and we get on really well. There is no sexual attraction between us, but we’re aligned politically, and we enjoy each other’s company.

I haven’t rung her yet.

All the other women I fancy are:

Married
Much younger than I am
Don’t fancy me back
Are Hollywood stars and therefore out of my league

Plan "B"

I’ve invited two “new” Spaniards to join me. They are employees at my local, where they live in, in the hotel.

This hotel is going to close its restaurant on Christmas Day, so this couple have nowhere to eat and no kitchen where they could prepare something. Most restaurants round here don’t open on Christmas Day.

“New” Spaniards?

She is from Uruguay and he is from Argentina. They’ve been in Europe a while and have no desire to return to South America, where many countries, including Argentina, are problematic, if not downright dangerous.

I helped them apply for Spanish nationality earlier in the year and their Spanish passports came through this week. So, we have something to celebrate – and not just Christmas.

Sadly, they have declined my invitation.

A Spanner in the Works

I learned yesterday that my English pal who has half shares in an Estate Agency here, although he lives in England, is coming out on Boxing Day.

He’s booked into the local hotel. He could stay at my place, surely?

Endword

It looks like I shall definitely be “home alone” on Christmas Day.

The first time in 74 years.

But it’ll be good. I’ll make sure of that!

Check out my planned Christmas Meal (link below).

Roast turkey with all the trimmings?

Nope!

© Diary of a nobody

Links:

Advent - in Spain

Christmas Parties in Spain 2024

De Rodríguez – at Christmas?

Wham! - Last Christmas (Official Video)

Photos and Images:

5 Minute English

Autobild

Bookywooky

Facebook

FreeImages

Hotel Ronda Valley

MetroFamily Magazine

Wikipedia

Tags:

5 Minute English, Advent - in Spain, Argentina, Autobild, Benalmádena, Bookywooky, Cádiz, Cantabria, Christmas Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Lunch, Christmas Parties in Spain 2024, De Rodríguez – at Christmas?, Diary of a nobody, divorced Irish lady, Facebook, "Four calling birds", FreeImages, Fuente de la Higuera, Geordie, Grazalema, “home alone”, Hotel Ronda Valley, Joe King, Madrid, Mercedes, Mercedes-Benz, MetroFamily Magazine, “New” Spaniard, Oedipus, Ronda, next-door-neighbour-but-one, resident in Ronda, South America, SLK, Spanish nationality, Spanish passport, Stuttgart, teacher, Uruguay, Wham! - Last Christmas (Official Video), widow, Wikipedia

What a terrible weekend I’ve just had!

2024-12-22T21:53:48

This weekend has been a disaster!

On Friday I didn’t win the Christmas hamper at my local bar. I haven’t won it there since 2011!

On Saturday I didn’t win the raffle at the local craft market in Ronda either!

And, later on Saturday, Tyson Fury lost his World Heavyweight boxing title fight.

On Sunday I didn’t win El Gordo – well, I didn’t buy a ticket ….

And tomorrow my wife is leaving me …..!

Christmas Hamper, Hotel Ronda Valley

I chose two numbers, 50 and 51, our birth years. I thought one of them was sure to win.

Nope!

Craft Fair Raffle, Mercadillo, Convento de Santo Domingo

I managed to get two good numbers, 6 and 8, both numbers of houses we own in the area. Once again, one was bound to win, I thought.

Not so!

I found a lovely Christmas present for the missus, Lovely Rita.

Heavyweight Boxing Title Fight, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

The Gypsy King, Tyson Fury, is 6’8’’ tall and weighed in 55 pounds heavier than his Ukrainian opponent, Oleksandr Usyk, who beat Fury on points back in May to take the title and inflict Fury’s first loss as a professional.

Well, Usyk did it again on Saturday night, winning the verdict from all three judges.

El Gordo, Sorteo de Navidad, Lotería Nacional, Madrid

I couldn’t buy a ticket anywhere on Saturday evening. Every outlet had sold out. So, I didn’t win that either.

My wife is going to leave me tomorrow (Monday)

But only for a week. Rita is going to Germany to spend Christmas with family. Three children and four grandchildren.

"Why are you not going with her?" I hear you cry.

Click here to find out why:

Christmas "de Rodríguez" - Rita’s alternative Christmas Dinner

© Only Joe King

Links:

De Rodríguez – at Christmas?

... de Rodríguez? - Secret Serrania de Ronda

My week “de Rodríguez” is over

Photos:

Al Jazeera

El Pais

Facebook

Insurance Insider

Murcia Today

Ryanair

Tags:

Christmas Hamper, Convento de Santo Domingo, Craft Fair, de Rodríguez, El Gordo, Eye on Spain, Gypsy King, Heavyweight Boxing Title Fight, Hotel Ronda Valley, Lotería Nacional, Madrid, Mercadillo, Oleksandr Usyk, raffle, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Secret Serrania, Sorteo de Navidad, Tyson Fury, Ukrainian

De Rodríguez – at Christmas?

2024-11-14T11:38:20

That’ll be a first. My first ever Christmas on my own! In 74 years! What’s going on? Has my wife left me?

[Photo courtesy of Karl Smallman, www.secretserrania.com]

My Christmas History

As a young boy at home in north Devon, Christmas Day was spent at home. In three different houses in Barnstaple and two in Exeter, East Devon. (We moved house a lot, when I was a kid!)

Boxing Day was usually spent with friends or relatives.

When I was a sixth former aged 16, I spent Christmas working as a waiter in a hotel in Newton Abbott, South Devon. It was a temperance hotel, so no alcohol, not even in the gravy nor ladled over the Christmas pud!

I shared a bedroom with a permanent member of staff, who turned out to be a ‘queer’ (this was when homosexuality was still illegal, and the term ‘gay’ was not yet in use). The term ‘queer’ is no longer politically correct, as it was back in the 1960s.

[Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock]

Nothing happened, of course,but it was an eye-opener for this boy who’d led a very sheltered life.

As a university undergraduate and subsequent postgraduate, I always returned home for Christmas.

In my third year I brought my girlfriend down to Devon to meet mum and dad. Dad was smitten with Jeryl, whom I married in 1975, after I had finished my studies and started work as a teacher.

After that we sort of alternated between her parents and mine, until we bought our first house, in Walkden (Greater Manchester) in 1978 and began hosting duties.

We moved to Thelwall, Warrington (Cheshire) in 1980 and more often than not spent Christmas at home, especially after our children were born in 1983 and 1987.

We had bought a timeshare on the Isle of Arran (Scotland). We chose Christmas Week, so for several years we enjoyed a Scottish Island Christmas.

By now both our mums were widows. My mum Vera moved up to Thelwall in 1990 to be near her grandchildren, and Jeryl’s mum Jean lasted until 2000.

Auchrannie Resort, Isle of Arran [Facebook]

In 2001, Jeryl and I bought our first property in Spain, an apartment in Ronda (Málaga), which we named Piso Blanco. In 2003 we bought a second one, a house to renovate. We called that house Casa Blanca. So, we enjoyed a couple of Spanish Christmases.

Piso Blanco, Ronda [Paul Whitelock]

In 2005, after 30 years of marriage, Jeryl and I divorced, I retired early from work, and I spent the next couple of Christmases in North Wales at the house of my new girlfriend Maude.

Minffordd, Bryn-y-Maen, North Wales [Rightmove]

We split up, however, and my dear old mum offered me a home with her back in Thelwall. We spent a couple of Christmases with my brother Simon in Yate (S. Glos) until I met Rita in 2008 in Ronda. Rita is German. We “jumped the broom” in 2010.

Tunstall Villa, Latchford [On the Market]

I had just bought a house in Latchford, Warrington, when I met Rita. I hosted one Christmas there for my two kids, Amy and Tom, their mother Jeryl (my ex-wife), their partners, Paul and Su, and my mum Vera.

Since 2008, Rita and I have celebrated Christmas either at home in Ronda or at Rita’s daughter’s, Katrin, in Germany.

Why “de Rodríguez” in 2024?

[Photo courtesy of Wordpress]

Quite simply because we now have a kitten which we cannot leave. We’re not prepared to put her in a cattery, and we won’t find anyone to house/cat-sit at Christmas.

So, I shall be all on my own-ee-oh; footloose and fancy-free! Yippee!

I’m looking forward to my week alone. There are no Christmas lunches on offer that I am aware of in any local restaurants, so I shall enjoy roasting my own turkey with all the trimmings. Not forgetting my Christmas pud. With flaming brandy, of course!

I shall decorate the house a bit to make it a bit more Christmassy and, if I get any, open my prezzies.

"De Rodriguez" [Photo courtesy of El Mundo]

I can watch “The Great Escape” and “Home Alone” on the telly and go to bed and get up when I want. I can’t wait!

Only 40 days to go till Christmas!

© Only Joe King

[Photo courtesy of Freepik]

Photos:

El Mundo

Facebook

Freepik

Karl Smallman

On the Market

Paul Whitelock

Rightmove

Wordpress

www.secretserrania.com

Links:

... de Rodríguez? - Secret Serrania de Ronda

My week “de Rodríguez” is over

Piso Blanco, Ronda

Sunday – de Rodríguez!

The Building History of a 72-year-old DIY Fan

Tags:

Barnstaple, Boxing Day, Casa Blanca, Christmas Day, Christmas pud, “de Rodríguez, Devon, Exeter, footloose and fancy-free, ‘gay’, German, Germany, “Home Alone”, homosexuality, Isle of Arran, Jean, Jeryl, kitten, Manchester, Newton Abbott, Piso Blanco, politically correct, postgraduate, ‘queer’, Rita, Ronda, Scotland, “The Great Escape”, Thelwall, timeshare, turkey with all the trimmings, undergraduate, Vera, Walkden

Serendipity on Super Saturday - No.XI

2024-08-22T08:26:30

According to the Cambridge English Dictionary, serendipity is the fact of finding interesting or valuable things by chance. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary goes for the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for. Only Joe King experiences serendipitous events quite frequently. This happened to him last Saturday.

Ronda and the barrio

I popped into Ronda around mid-day on Saturday to run a few errands, promptly got distracted and ended up in Barrio San Francisco at Bar Ambigú to do a book swap*.

Then I headed to the Ruedo Alameda, the pretty square just outside the muralla (Arab city wall) on the southern edge of Ronda, the Ciudad del Tajo. This is the location of a dozen bars and restaurants.

I wrote a review of the culinary offer in the barrio as my first ever assignment for The Olive Press, when I joined the staff of the free English newspaper way back in 2008 when I finally emigrated to Spain. Wittily titled “The Streets of San Francisco”, you can read a more up-to-date version via the link below.

However, 16 years on, there have been a number of changes. Four new places have opened, three have changed ownership and two have closed. I've updated the article a few times, but I guess another revision is due soon.

I digress. “Where’s the serendipity?” I hear you ask.

Serendipity in San Francisco

Apart from the four books I got at Bar Ambigú, which I regard as a serendipitous event, what happened next falls into the same category.

I called into Cervecería El Bandolero, one of the more recent new places to open and a welcome addition to the San Francisco offer.

El Bandolero is run by Rafael and his uncle. I knew Rafael when he was my next-door-neighbour-but-one after my then wife and I bought an apartment, Piso Blanco, in the barrio in 2001. He was also a trainee waiter/barman at a bar in the square which has long since been demolished.

I used to frequent this bar - its name escapes me - back in the day to use their public telephone to phone home whenever I was in Ronda on my own, which became increasingly often. This was after I was sent on “gardening leave” from work prior to being made redundant.

23 years later Rafael is a grown man (“grown” is the wrong adjective, as he is still tiny, around 5 foot two) Rafael is married with a son. He still lives in the same house. I don’t – I sold Piso Blanco in 2019.

“Do you know Justin?” asked Rafael, “He lives near you down in Fuente la Higuera.”

I do know a lot of people after all these years living in the area, but Justin…?

“He’s from South Africa but has lived here for years. He’s joint owner with Joaquín of Bar Restaurante La Plaza, the bar two doors down from El Bandolero.”

Rafael took me along and introduced me to Justin Hindle originally from Durban.

We didn’t know each other, but we did a quick catch-up. He has a house near mine near La Legión, but doesn’t live there. He prefers to rent a flat in town and earns a good supplementary income renting his house in the campo.

His wife Ana is a Basque and she is an English teacher. She has a languages academy in Ronda called The International Classroom, located on Calle Lorenzo Borrega. Justin and Ana have three kids who attend primary school in Ronda.

Bar Restaurante La Plaza was clearing up after the lunchtime session, so I left them to it, retrieved my car and went up to Ronda town centre to go to the cajero at CaixaBank in Plaza del Socorro.

Ronda, Ciudad Soñada

After withdrawing some cash, I noticed that nearby Bodega El Socorro’s door was open. This bar has been shut for at least two years, so I decided to check it out.

Bodega El Socorro has changed hands and has been refurbished. The new socios are Juan and Miguel, both 30 years of age.

The tapas menu looked good. [Note: Must take “Lovely Rita” there sometime soon.]

The group of five rondeños also prsent in the bar were clearly enjoying themselves. One of them, Paco, was due to retire in two weeks; his grumpy friend, Manuel, has a couple of years to go before he can “hang up his boots”.

The womenfolk, two wives and a friend, were all younger, as is the tradition here, so they won’t be finishing work anytime soon.

Fuente de la Higuera

Home time, I headed for my domicilio, stopping briefly at my local, The Ronda Valley (née Don Benito). There was a guy there who looked familiar. It turned out that Víctor is an animal inspector, and we had crossed paths a few years previously.

I chatted for a while with Víctor and his mates, but when the conversation turned to politics and they admitted to being franquistas, ie supporters of General Franco (dead, by the way, for nearly 50 years), I took my leave and joined some English “fascists” who were sitting outside on the terrace.

Despite their appalling views on politics they are good friends of mine, so we try to avoid talking politics, since I really have no truck with people who support Donald Trump, Boris Johnson (Bojo The Clown), Nigel Farage, Genghis Khan and the like.

Home for dinner and to reflect on my serendipitous Saturday.

Links:

Back to the "Streets of San Francisco" - Help me, Ronda (help-me-ronda.com)

FORGOTTEN ANNIVERSARY: Spain's General Franco died 45 years ago (secretserrania.com)

Meet Secret Serranía blogger Paul Whitelock - Secret Serrania de Ronda

The other "Ronda valley" (eyeonspain.com)

Photos:

Careers in Government (main photo)

Facebook

Karl Smallman

La Cazalla de Ronda

Trip Advisor

Acknowledgements:

Eye on Spain

Paul Whitelock

Secret Serrania

The Olive Press

Tags:

Ana, Bar Ambigú, Bar Restaurante La Plaza, Barrio San Francisco, Basque, Bojo The Clown, Bodega El Socorro, book swap, Boris Johnson, CaixaBank, Calle Lorenzo Borrega, Cambridge English Dictionary, Cervecería El Bandolero, domicilio, Donald Trump, Nigel Farage, Genghis Khan Don Benito, Durban, Ciudad del Tajo, El Bandolero, English teacher, franquistas, free English newspaper, “gardening leave”, General Franco, Joaquín, Justin Hindle, languages academy, “Lovely Rita”, Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Olive Press, Only Joe King, Plaza Socorro, Rafael, Ronda, rondeños, Ruedo Alameda, serendipitous Saturday, serendipity, Super Saturday, South Africa, tapas, The Crazy Guy, The International Classroom, The Ronda Valley, “The Streets of San Francisco”, Víctor

Hair Today; Gone Tomorrow – My Hair Care History in Spain

2024-05-27T06:22:55

By Joe King

When I was a young lad my dad used to take me with him to his barber’s in Exeter (Devon) where we lived for a "short back and sides". When I was 14 or 15, I was allowed to go on my own. On that first occasion “flying solo”, as he was finishing up, Arthur asked me: “Something for the weekend, son?”. I didn’t know what he meant, so I politely declined. I later found out what he meant. Back then in the 60s, the barber’s was where men bought their “johnnies”; no blatant displays in the chemist’s like nowadays nor machines in pub toilets.

When I went away to university I grew my hair long and sported a rather splendid black beard, so no hairdresser required.

Early years

Before leaving for Spain for the first half of my year abroad, I got my hair cut short, then not again for ages, so I headed off to Germany for the second half once again with long hair.

After graduation, I went “smart” again for my PGCE in Sheffield, which included two teaching practices, so I thought I shouldn’t scare the natives.

So, my experience with barber’s is limited. As for Spain, where I spent a lot of time and where I now live, my visits to the peluqueria or barberia have been few and far between.

Iñaki - San Sebastián

My memory is hazy, after more than 50 years, but I’m pretty sure I had a haircut in the capital of Gipuzkoa back in the early 80s.

Then my wife took over.

From 2022 onwards I reverted to adolescence and grew a ponytail and a long beard and considered getting a tattoo and earrings (male menopause?), but I don’t like suffering pain, so rejected both.

Antonio - Frigiliana

50 years later I needed a trim, while I was on a mini-break in Frigiliana. My regular hairdresser, my wife, was away in Germany, so I popped into the only barber’s shop in the casco antiguo of this stunning pueblo blanco near Nerja (Malaga).

José did a good job of tidying my head up; I still had the ponytail, which I was keen to retain.

Lorena – Málaga

Last year we spent three days in the capital. It was the monthly dinner of the Club de Prensa Costa del Sol, of which I am a member, so we decided to make a mini-break out of it.

On the afternoon before the dinner, Rita announced that she wouldn’t be attending the dinner UNLESS I GOT MY HAIR CUT. I believed her threat, so off I went to the hairdresser around the corner from our hotel.

Lorena was a “looker” with tats and piercings and lots of chat. She did a great job, she even gave me my shorn ponytail, which had fused together, as a souvenir.

José – San Rafael, Ronda

I’d spotted this barberia in the San Rafael district and called in on the off chance, He had a gap right there and then before his next appointment. He was very attentive, kept checking exactly what I wanted and did a great job. Just 8€. I gave him 10.

When I tried there again last Thursday evening he was fully booked, all day Friday also. He doesn’t open on a Saturday morning.

Hernán – Calle Lauria, Ronda

I needed a cut before a trip to Germany for Christmas. I tried a few places – all busy, but Hernán fitted me in. Great. Also 10€ with tip.

Vicki's Academia de Peluqueria y Belleza – Calle Pozo, Ronda

I had been invited to the confirmation of the son of a Spanish friend, so I wanted to be smart. I fancied being trimmed by a lady again, so went to Vicki’s hair salon. I didn’t get a lady, but Hugo, a young lad who turned out to be a trainee.

He was extremely diligent, even trimming my eyebrows, the tufts growing out of my ears and washing my hair to get rid of the hairs.

“¿Que te debo? I asked, after he finished “hairdrying” my shirt which had got wet during the washing.

“Nada”, he replied. You get a free haircut if it’s a trainee.

I tipped him generously instead (5€). He seemed surprised but was clearly grateful. Me too.

Conclusion

Hair care is not a problem in Spain. There are lots of salons in Ronda and also when we go away. And cheap!

Acknowledgements:

Facebook

Hey Joe

Paul Whitelock

Tags:

Antonio. barber, barberia, barbero, Exeter, Frigiliana, Guipuzkoa, Hernan, Iñaki, Jose, Malaga, Paul Whitelock, peluqueria, Ronda, San Sebastian, short back and sides, Paul Whitelock, Vicki

April Fool!

2024-04-01T20:56:24

By Joe King

From Orson Welles’ infamous War of the Worlds radio broadcast to Richard Dimbleby's Panorama TV programme about spaghetti trees, we British have always been suckers for a good April Fool prank!

In this article, Joe King lists a selection of famous pranks that have hoodwinked the people over the years.

Background

April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day is a holiday celebrated in a number of countries on April 1st, although not in Spain, where the equivalent is el Día de los Inocentes, celebrated on December 28th, the date which somewhat bizarrely commemorates the slaughter of new-born male babies by King Herod following the birth of Christ.

April 1st is marked by the perpetration of hoaxes and other practical jokes of varying sophistication on friends, family members, enemies, and neighbours, or sending them on a fool's errand, the aim of which is to embarrass the gullible.

The earliest recorded association between April 1st and foolishness can be found in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (1392).

Celebrated April Fools’ Day pranks

• Alabama Changes the Value of Pi: The April 1998 newsletter of New Mexicans for Science and Reason contained an article written by physicist Mark Boslough claiming that the Alabama Legislature had voted to change the value of the mathematical constant pi.

• Left-Handed Whoppers: In 1998, Burger King ran an ad in USA Today, saying that people could get a Whopper for left-handed people whose condiments were designed to drip out of the right side. Not only did customers order the new burgers, but some specifically requested the "old", right-handed burger.

• Smell-o-vision: In 1965, the BBC purported to conduct a trial of a new technology allowing the transmission of odour over the airwaves to all viewers. Many viewers reportedly contacted the BBC to report the trial's success. In 2007, the BBC website repeated an online version of the hoax.

• Tower of Pisa: The Dutch television news reported in the 1950s that the Tower of Pisa had fallen over. Many shocked people contacted the station.

• BBC Radio 4 (2005): The Today programme announced in the news that the long-running serial The Archers had changed its theme tune to an upbeat disco style.

• Death of a mayor: In 1998, local WAAF shock jocks Opie and Anthony reported that Boston mayor Thomas Menino had been killed in a car accident. Menino happened to be on a flight at the time, lending credence to the prank as he could not be reached. The rumour spread quickly across the city, eventually causing news stations to issue alerts denying the hoax. The pair were fired shortly afterwards.

• Phone call: In 1998, UK presenter Nic Tuff of West Midlands radio station Kix 96 pretended to be the British Prime Minister Tony Blair when he called the then South African President Nelson Mandela for a chat. It was only at the end of the call when Nic asked Nelson what he was doing for April Fools' Day that the line went dead.

• Jovian-Plutonian gravitational effect: In 1976, British astronomer Sir Patrick Moore told listeners of BBC Radio 2 that unique alignment of two planets would result in an upward gravitational pull making people lighter at precisely 9:47 am that day. He invited his audience to jump in the air and experience "a strange floating sensation." Dozens of listeners phoned in to say the experiment had worked.

• U2 Live on Rooftop in Cork: In 2009 hundreds of U2 fans were duped in an elaborate prank when they rushed to a shopping centre in Blackpool in Cork believing that the band were playing a surprise rooftop concert. The prank was organised by Cork radio station RedFM. The band were in fact just a tribute band called U2opia.

• Cellphone Ban: In New Zealand the radio station the Edge's Morning Madhouse enlisted the help of the Prime Minister on April 1st to inform the entire country that mobile phones were to be banned in New Zealand. Hundreds of callers rang in disgruntled at the new law.

• In 1962 the Swedish national television did a 5-minute special on how one could get colour TV by placing a nylon stocking in front of the TV. A rather in-depth description on the physics behind the phenomenon was included.

• In 2004, British breakfast show GMTV presented a story claiming that Yorkshire Water were trialling a new 'diet tap water' that had already helped one customer lose a stone and a half in four months. After heralding the trial as successful, it was claimed that a third tap would be added to kitchen sinks, allowing customers easy access to the water. Following the story, Yorkshire Water received 10,000 enquiries from viewers.

• In 2006, the BBC reported that the door to No. 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the Prime Minister of the UK, had been painted red. They showed footage of workmen carrying a red door. Red was the official colour of the political party which formed the government at the time. The same story was also reported in the British newspaper, The Daily Mail which credited the new design to someone called “April Fewell”. The door is in fact black.

• In 2008, the BBC reported on a newly discovered colony of flying penguins. An elaborate video segment was even produced, featuring Terry Jones (of Monty Python fame) walking with the penguins in Antarctica, and following their flight to the Amazon rainforest.

• Coldplay to back the Tories - On April 1st, 2006 the Guardian journalist "Olaf Priol" claimed that Chris Martin of rock band Coldplay had decided to publicly support the Conservative Party leader David Cameron due to his disillusionment with previous Labour Party prime minister Tony Blair, even going so far as to produce a fake song, "Talk to David", that could be downloaded via the Guardian website. Despite being an obvious hoax, the Labour Party's Media Monitoring Unit were concerned enough to circulate the story throughout "most of the government".

• Google announces a joint project with the Virgin Group to establish a permanent human settlement on Mars - http://www.google.com/virgle/index.html. This operation has been named Project Virgle. The announcement includes videos of Richard Branson (founder of Virgin Group) as well as Larry Page and Sergey Brin (the founders of Google) on YouTube, talking about Virgle.

• Assassination of Bill Gates: In 2003, many Chinese and South Korean websites claimed that CNN reported Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, was assassinated, resulting in a 1.5% drop in the South Korean stock market.

• www.howstuffworks.com does an annual bogus article. In 2006, it was "How Animated Tattoos Work"; in 2007 "How Phone Cell Implants Work"; in 2008 "How the Air Force One Hybrid Works"; in 2009 "How Rechargeable Gum Works".

But, my favourite of the lot was San Serriffe. The Guardian printed a supplement in 1977 praising this fictional resort, its two main islands, Upper Caisse and Lower Caisse, its capital, Bodoni, and its leader, General Pica. Intrigued readers were later disappointed to learn that San Serriffe (sans serif) did not exist except as references to typeface terminology.

***

Have a nice day! But watch out! Pranksters are all over the place!

Acknowledgements:

BBC

LookatBowen.com

medium

Paul Whitelock

Rockarchive

Wikipedia

Tags:

10 Downing Street, 2007, 2008, 2009, Alabama Changes the Value of Pi, Amazon, Amazon rainforest, April 1, April Fewell, April Fool, April Fools’ Day, Assassination of Bill Gates, BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Bodoni, breakfast show GMTV, Burger King, CNN, Canterbury Tales, Cellphone Ban, Chaaucer, Chris Martin, Coldplay, colony of flying penguins, Conservative Party, Daily Mail, David Cameron, Día de los Inocentes, diet tap water, Edge's Morning Madhouse, General Pica, Google, Guardian, "How Animated Tattoos Work", "How Phone Cell Implants Work", "How Rechargeable Gum Works", "How the Air Force One Hybrid Works", Joe King, Jovian-Plutonian gravitational effect, King Herod, Kix 96, Labour Party, Larry Page, Left-Handed Whoppers, Lower Caisse, Mark Boslough, Media Monitoring Unit, Microsoft, Monty Python, Nelson Mandela, New Mexicans for Science and Reason, New Zealand, Nic Tuff, Olaf Priol, Opie and Anthony, Orson Welles, Panorama, Pi, Project Virgle, RedFM, Richard Branson, Richard Dimbleby, sans serif, San Serriffe, Sergey Brin, Sir Patrick Moore, Smell-o-vision, South African President Nelson Mandela, spaghetti trees, Swedish national television, "Talk to David", Terry Jones, The Archers, The Today programme, Thomas Menino, Tony Blair, Tories, Tower of Pisa, U2 Live on Rooftop in Cork, U2opia, Upper Caisse, USA Today, Virgin group, WAAF, War of the Worlds, Whopper, Yorkshire Water, YouTube

“The Rain in Spain …..”

2024-03-28T18:34:28

By Joe King

In the musical “My Fair Lady”, by Alan Jay Lerner and Friedrich Loewe, Professor Higgins, played by Rex Harrison, sang: “The rain in Spain stays mainly in the pl-ai-n”.

I’m not so sure whether that's the case at the moment, since it’s now raining big-style here in the mountains of the Serranía de Ronda in Andalucía. To be honest it’s raining everywhere in Spain, even in the Balearics and the Canary Islands.

But that’s good, as it hasn’t rained much round here in the last five years: the reservoirs are empty; rivers have dried up; crops have suffered; and, Heaven forbid, golf greens are turning brown.

That’s why the locals call this period of inclement weather “buen tiempo” (good weather). Why? Read on to find out.

Our Climate is Changing

We are all aware of climate change. We know that the Arctic and Antarctic ice is melting fast. Some forecasters have predicted that the Seychelles and other low-lying island groups will disappear as the ice cap melts. What about the Netherlands, where most of the country is below sea-level, protected from the sea by dykes?

We also know about desertification. Doom-mongers reckon that southern Spain will turn into a desert within 50 years. Blimey!

The climate here in Andalucía has certainly changed in the 15-plus years I have lived here. The largest Spanish region has lacked rainfall for the last five years, more or less. The embalses are nearly empty. There are hosepipe bans; water in some Costa del Sol towns is turned off at night; hotels along the coast have been banned from filling their swimming pools; and what about the golf courses that are abundant round here?

It's a real crisis: the latest olive harvest was poor and there are concerns about the quantity and quality of the 2023 vintage among the owners of the Ronda wine bodegas.

SUR in English

"Good" Wet Weather

So, the heavy rain we have been experiencing is more than welcome. Hence the description of the current weather as “good”.

Certainly, my fruit and veg are benefiting hugely, as are my lawns.

Shame about the Semana Santa (Easter) processions. Up to now only one of the nine scheduled pasos has managed to get out. The weather forecast for Good Friday doesn’t look promising for the processions either. Secret Serrania

So, the rain in Spain?

At the moment it’s falling everywhere, on the plain and in the mountains. In some regions the rain is falling as snow or hail.

The high mountains around here are covered in snow, eg Sierra de las Nieves, Sierra de Grazalema and Sierra de Libar.

Yesterday in Montejaque (near Ronda), 960 metres above sea level, we had a hailstorm. ¡Vaya!

Links:

The rain in Spain... (secretserrania.com)

Acknowledgements:

Pinterest

Secret Serrania

SUR in English

Wikipedia

Tags:

Alan Jay Lerner, Antarctic, Arctic, Balearics, below sea-level, bodega, Canary Islands, climate change, desert, desertification, dykes, Easter, embalses, Friedrich Loewe, fruit and veg, hail, ice, ice cap, Joe King, lawns, Lerner and Lowe, Montejaque, My Fair Lady, Netherlands, olive harvest, Pinterest, Professor Higgins, rain in Spain, Rex Harrison, Ronda, Ronda wine bodegas, Secret Serrania, Semana Santa, Semana Santa processions, Serranía de Ronda, Seychelles, Sierra de las Nieves, Sierra de Grazalema, Sierra de Libar, snow, SUR in English, Wikipedia

Drinking by numbers

2024-03-01T08:17:54

0,0; 1; 7; 10; 12; 18; 42; 43; 51; 56; 60; 70; 80; 103; 108; 501; 1615; 1866; 1885; 1888; 1895; 1906; and 1925

By Joe King

A surprising number of drinks, alcoholic and non-alcoholic, have a number in their name. From cerveza 0,0 (sin) via 7-UP lemonade to 1925 lager.

Here’s a light-hearted look at all the ones I can think of, mainly Spanish products, but also from the Caribbean, Chile, France, New Zealand, North America, Peru and Scotland.

Photo courtesy YouTube

0,0

This is cerveza sin (alcohol). These days, I guess all European brewers have this disgusting product in their repertoire. I hate the aftertaste, and the higher price, compared to beer WITH alcohol.

No. 1

Pimms No. 1, to be precise. Only for posh people in England, I reckon, although I have tried it and like it and I am NOT posh.

I guess we’ve all drunk 7-UP in our time. Produced by US giant PepsiCo, it’s similar to rival Coca Cola’s Sprite, a lemonade.

But they are not equivalent. When my son was quite young, he was diagnosed with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder), which caused him to lack concentration, to be anti-social and naughty. Our specialist informed us that it was a condition that was made worse by chemical additives in food and drink – E numbers.

By cutting out these colourings and additives from his diet, combined with brain exercises, we managed to hold the condition in check, until it largely disappeared in adulthood.

So, the only drinks possible for Tom as a child and a teenager were water, milk and 7-UP! which, back then, was advertised as containing no added preservatives. Sprite, on the other hand, is riddled with these “poisons”.

This caused a a problem whenever we came to Spain, as the Spanish regard the two drinks as equivalents. If the bar or restaurant sold Pepsi products, no problem, but if the establishment was contracted to Coca Cola, they just served Sprite.

Try explaining to a Spanish waiter about ADHD, at least back at the end of the 20^th century. It’s a bit like trying to explain that vegans eat no animal products, yet they still used to serve my vegan stepson, Johannes, salads with tuna and boiled egg.

No. 7 is also a whiskey from the Jack Daniels stable in Tennessee (USA).

10; 12; 18

These numbers refer to the years a whisky is allowed to mature before release. I spotted an 18-year old single malt in a local wholesalers priced at 800-and-something euros a bottle!

42 Below is a vodka from New Zealand.

Cuarenta y tres is a Spanish liqueur with 43 natural ingredients which is produced in Cartagena (Murcia). I’ve never tried it, but it is everywhere. When I was a student living in Spain, my fellow female students used to like it. (I think it’s a girlie drink – am I allowed to say that?)

This number has been chosen for two completely different spirits from two different countries.

Firstly, it is a pastis, an anis-based aperitif from France. Distilled by the French company Pernod of Marseille, it refers to the alcoholic strength of this yellow-green liquid.

I have to confess to a liking for “un pastis”, a small amount of the spirit topped up with water. But I haven’t had one since the last time I was in France, some dozen years ago.

51 is also the name of a cachaça, a distilled spirit made from fermented sugarcane juice, originating from Madeira but transferred to Brazil. It is widely available in Spain. I’ve never tried it, and probably never shall.

Jägermeister is a German digestif made with 56 herbs and spices. Developed in 1934 by Wilhelm and Curt Mast, originally vinegar manufacturers, it has an alcohol by volume (ABV) of 35%. The recipe has not changed since its creation and continues to be served in its signature green glass bottle. It is the flagship product of Mast-Jägermeister SE, headquartered in Wolfenbuettel, Germany.

I always have a bottle in my drinks cabinet, although I haven’t personally drunk it since my twenties.

60, 70 and 80 Shilling

These are generic names for types of ale produced by many breweries in Scotland. The 'shilling' designation refers to the amount of duty paid on different strength beers. The higher the number, the stronger the beer.

Types include:

Scottish Light (60 Shilling): Although rare, this style is experiencing a bit of a renaissance. It’s often only available in casks. These beers are weaker, sweeter, and darker than modern-day English beers.

Scottish Heavy (70 Shilling): Also known as Scottish Heavy, this beer falls into the same category. It shares characteristics with the Scottish Light but has a slightly higher gravity. These beers are clean, malty, and finish dry, with occasional hints of peaty earthiness (smoke).

Scottish Export (80 Shilling): The Scottish Export is richer and stronger than the previous two. It boasts a deep amber colour, moderate bitterness, and a clean, neutral finish.

In summary, these Scottish ales are malt-forward, low in hops, and distinct from their English counterparts. Their unique flavours and historical context make them a delightful choice for beer enthusiasts.

103

Ciento tres is an economy coñac, brandy, in Spain, distilled from sherry by the Osborne group in Jerez de La Frontera (Cádiz). That too is available everywhere in Spain, like Guinness is in the UK and Ireland.

108

This is a non-alcoholic drink made by Seedlip. So, not for me!

1615; 1866; 1885; 1895; 1906; 1925

These are all alcoholic drinks that bear the date of first manufacture.

Pisco 1615 is a colourless or yellowish-to-amber coloured spirit produced in winemaking regions of Peru and Chile. Made by distilling fermented grape juice into a high-proof spirit, it was developed by 16th-century Spanish settlers as an alternative to orujo, a pomace brandy that was being imported from Spain.

1866 is a premium brandy from sherry producer Osborne in Jerez de La Frontera (Cádiz).

1885 is another premium brandy produced in Málaga by distilling DO Málaga wines. A bottle costs a mere 129 euros!

1888 is a premium rum distilled in the Dominican Republic by the company Brugal. Also out of my price range.

1895 is a whiskey from Jack Daniels of Tennessee (USA).

1906 appears on the labels on bottles and cans of a premium lager brewed by Estrella Galicia, up in the northwest of Spain. It refers to the year the brewery was established in La Coruña. A lovely drink.

1925 is the date which appears on a premium lager from the Alhambra brewery in Granada and is the year that the factory opened there. That too is a very drinkable beer.

Acknowledgements:

Cervezas Alhambra (Granada)

Coca Cola

Estrella Galicia (La Coruña)

Osborne (Jerez de la Frontera)

PepsiCo

Pernod

Wikipedia

YouTube

Tags:

7, 7-UP, 42, 43, 51, 60, 60 shilling, 70 shilling, 80 shilling, 103, 1906, 1925, ale, Alhambra, beer, brandy, Brazil, cachaça, cerveza, Chile, Coca Cola, coñac, duty, Estrella Galicia, Gonzalez Byass, Granada, Jack Daniels, Jerez de la Frontera, Joe King, La Coruña, lager, Madeira, Marseille, New Zealand, orujo, pastis, PepsiCo, Pernod, Peru, Tennessee, whiskey

Only Joe King has been "outed"!

2024-01-03T21:56:54

By Only Joe King

Only Joe King is an alias for Paul Whitelock, but we reckon most EOS readers will have worked that out. After all, Paul hasn't really tried that hard to keep it a secret.

Paul has several other noms de plume on Eye On Spain, depending on the theme of the blog.

ONLY JOE KING

A light-hearted look at life in Andalucía and Spain in general; its good points and its bad. This blog doesn't pull any punches.

Only Joe King didn't really want anybody to know anything about him. That's just gone out of the window, BTW.

He's blogging because he thinks he has valid things to say. He hopes readers appreciate the pun in the name (Only joking!).

MY COVID-19 DIARY - MARCH 2020 TO DATE

The coronavirus pandemic has hit the world hard, with over 120 million global victims.

I am British, married to a German and we live in Andalucía in the Serranía de Ronda.

This blog contains articles i've written since we both caught Covid-19 at the beginning of 2020. It was a weird life of curfews, lockdowns, masks, hand gel, rules and regulations and, for those of us who were affected directly, the vicious after-effects of the virus, long-covid, bereavement and financial ruin.

I started this blog in the aftermath of our personal experiences with the Coronavirus. Hopefully it has run its course, ie both Covid and this blog.

SPANISH MATTERS - A BLOG IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH FOR THOSE LEARNING THE LANGUAGE

This blog is entitled "Spanish Matters", because it does!

Matter, that is.

If you have committed to living in Spain, in my opinion you should also make a commitment to learn some Spanish. Your life will be enhanced.

So this is a blog about matters Spanish, as well as promoting the notion that Spanish does indeed matter.

The blog contains articles in both English and Spanish. Don Pablo hopes it will be helpful to those learning the language.

The name Don Pablo betrays my origins as a former Spanish (and German) teacher in the UK.

This blog will continue to be added to from time to time.

HOW TO ..... ?

This blog is intended to be helpful to English-speaking foreign residents in Spain by explaining "how to ... " do certain things.

The Crazy Guy has lived in Spain full time since 2008. A fluent Spanish-speaker he reckons he knows his way round the bureaucracy, the indifference and sometimes downright rudeness of "funcionarios".

The Crazy Guy is known amongst the Spanish where he lives as "El Loco", largely because, despite his advanced age, he's always on the go, doing this and that. The Crazy Guy hopes his "How to ..." articles will be helpful to others.

PUNTOS DE VISTA - A PERSONAL SPAIN BLOG

Musings about Spain and Spanish life by Paul Whitelock, hispanophile of some 45 years and resident of Ronda in Andalucia for the last 15 years.

This is my main blog, indicated by the number of posts I have made, already in excess of 100.

SERRANÍA KITCHEN - RECIPES FROM AROUND THE WORLD

This blog contains a selection of recipes from all over, in particular from Andalucía, Asia, England, Germany and the wider Mediterranean area.

Contributors include Rita Drechsler, Jovan Le Knorz, Madita Schröder, Carolyn Emmett, Simon Whitelock, Julie Wilkinson and Paul Whitelock, who are mostly members of the same extended Anglo-German family. Rita and Paul live in the Serranía de Ronda in Andalucía. Madita and Jovan live in Baden-Württemberg, near Heilbronn, Germany. Carolyn and Julie also live in the Serrania de Ronda and Simon lives near Bristol, UK.

THE CRAZY GUY

The Crazy Guy is known amongst the Spanish people where he lives as "El Loco", largely because, despite his advanced age, he's always active, doing this and that. So, he's "The Crazy Guy".

This blog is about some of the things he's been getting up to lately.

The Crazy Guy (El Loco, according to his fellow villagers) likes to keep busy. He hopes readers of this blog find his experiences interesting. He has another blog on EOS called "How to .....?" which offers advice on how to do things here in Spain, based on his experiences.

THE CULTURE VULTURE

A blog about cultural things: art, music, dance, literature, film and theatre.

The Culture Vulture enjoys the good things in life. These include art, music, dance, film, theatre, and books.

THE CURMUDGEON

The Curmudgeon is a miserable sod. He likes to have a moan. He tackles subjects which many foreigners living in Spain agree with but are too polite to say anything about.

The Curmudgeon is now in his early 70s now and has lived in the Serrania de Ronda since he was 58.

THE HISTORY MAN

This blog contains interesting facts about the history of Spain and things Spanish.

The History Man discovered Spain some 50-odd years ago and he fell in love with the place. He has been resident here for 15 years and takes a keen interest in all things historical, geographical and cultural. He is blogging because he hopes readers will find what he writes interesting.

THE SPANISH FLY - TRAVELS IN SPAIN AND BEYOND

The Spanish Fly is a nom de plume of Paul Whitelock who first visited Spain at the age of 20. Now more than 50 years later, he has been to most parts of the country, including nine of the 12 islands. He has owned property in Andalucía since 2001 and has lived in the region for the last 15 years. This blog is a travelogue about some of the places he has visited.

The Spanish Fly writes keenly about his travel experiences in Spain and beyond. He hopes you enjoy sharing his journeys and are inspired to make similar ones yourself.

***

EPILOGUE

So, now you know. All of these blogs are written by li'l ol' me, Paul Whitelock.

I hope you enjoy reading them. Please feel free to comment.

Tags: Andalucia, blog, blogger, Coronavirus, Covid-19, Crazy Guy, Culture Vulture, Curmudgeon, Don Pablo, El Loco, EOS, Eye on Spain, History Man, How to .....?, Joe King, noms de plume, Only Joe King, Paul Whitelock, Puntos de Vista, Serrania Kitchen, Spanish Fly, Spanish Matters

Serendipity X - Ambushed on the bridge, accosted at the petrol station and mugged at the Olive Tree

2023-12-14T21:57:18

By Joe King

Serendipity seems to play a large part in my life. Unanticipated happenings that turn out to be very pleasurable. In the last two days, I’ve been ambushed, accosted, and mugged. Sounds terrible, doesn’t it? I assure you it wasn’t! Here in chronological order is what happened to me on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday of this week.

A mugging at The Olive Tree

On Tuesday evening my wife Rita and I and 15 others attended the Costa Press Club Christmas Party (CPCCP) in Cala de Mijas on the Costa del Sol.

The party/dinner was at the restaurant El Olivo (= Olive Tree).

On arrival we met two new people. Sabine von Reth, a German from Frankfurt, was a new member. Her husband René, from Essen, was her guest.

Rita is also German and I speak the language pretty well (very well, actually!), so the four of us decided to sit together at the dinner table.

It emerged that this German couple, with no experience of the hospitality industry, had opened three “Bavarian Beerhouses” in London, some 15 years ago, the first of their kind in the UK.

Together they had written a book, in English, about their experiences. It is called “Prost!” (Cheers!). They had brought one copy along to the dinner – I’d been mugged, as I felt compelled to buy it! No, not at all, I wanted to. I’m a sucker for books! I must own thousands and I find it hard to part with any of them.

I’ve already made a start on reading it.

Ambushed at the petrol station

After the CPC Christmas dinner, the Christmas Quiz and the Secret Santa exchange of gifts, we headed back to the nearby hotel we had pre-booked.

The following morning, up early as usual and in urgent need of a coffee, I headed out on foot. The only place serving caffeine-based drinks at this ungodly hour was the the local gasolinera de BP.

It was full of workers; astonishingly most of them were young British men.

After a while I got into conversation with Jordan, a 36-year-old from Liverpool, just finishing off a contract locally. Via his company “Abstract”, Jordan offers polished plaster, textured designs, bespoke walls and luxurious finishes to wealthy clients in the UK, Spain, Israel and Italy. And elsewhere too.

After establishing that we might have some common ground, better said, synergy, we eagerly exchanged telephone numbers, email addresses and website URLs.

We said our farewells; he needed to work and I needed to go back to our hotel for breakfast.

Accosted on the bridge

Today, as I was crossing the Puente Nuevo in Ronda on foot to visit an art exhibition at El Convento, I was accosted by a very attractive young lady.

My luck’s in! I thought.

Not at all. Sara Alés Ortega simply realised that, despite looking every inch a “guiri”, I was a fluent Spanish speaker and an avid reader!

Sara had just published a book, "La esencia de lo primitivo", describing her experience of walking the Camino de Santiago. This has been something ever present on my bucket list, but alas, I think it’s now unlikely, unless I do the motorised version!

Back to Sara. She was selling her books from her tote bag at 15€ a copy. I negotiated her down to 10€ on the grounds that I promised to write a favourable review on my website, www.help-me-ronda.com, the independent “bible” for all things Ronda.

Deal done, we exchanged contact details, money and a kiss on each cheek, and I trotted off to my art exhibition, in a better mood than I had been in previously.

Serendipity of the highest quality. In three consecutive days I’d acquired two very interesting books, by Sabine and Sara, and a potentially lucrative contact in Jordan!

¡Feliz Navidad!

Photographs: Paul Whitelock

Tags: "Abstract", Bavarian Beerhouse, bucket list, Cala de Mijas, Camino de Santiago, Christmas, Costa Press Club, CPC, CPCCP, El Convento, Essen, Frankfurt, gasolinera de BP, German, guiri, Joe King, "La esencia de lo primitivo", "Prost!", Puente Nuevo, René von Reth, Ronda, Sabine von Reth, Sara Alés Ortega, serendipity, synergy

Serendipity IX - "Pink Floyd" at the Bar Dolar

2023-11-30T04:57:39

I finally got around to taking my car to get two new tyres fitted (see Serendipity VIII). The work was scheduled to take an hour, so I walked to a nearby cafe, Bar Dolar, to get breakfast and catch up with my accounts. This is what happened.

Bar Dolar

I walked in. There was a scattering of folk taking an early breakfast - it was just past 9.00 am.

I ordered my cafe con leche and rebañada de pan con aceite y tomate, settled at a table and got out my paperwork to do my accounts. I suddenly became aware of the sound of sublime guitar playing. When I glanced up at the TV, I saw Dave Gilmour (ex-Pink Floyd) playing in a live concert. Wow!

"Pink Floyd"

For me, Gilmour is one of the true great rock guitarists. When Sid Barrett went AWOL from the sixties group and Gilmour replaced him, this band got better overnight. Their Dark Side of the Moon LP is arguably one of the best albums in history. When keyboard player Roger Waters got jealous of Gilmour's playing and good looks, he took his bat and ball home and broke up the group.

Back to the concert.

The band was playing new music to begin with, when all of a sudden the familiar opening chords of DSOTM started up. The quality of the live performance was as good as the original album. I didn't get much accounting done!

Rock memorabilia

The decor of Bar Dolar was intriguing. Take a look at the photos I took:

Serendipity VIII - Things can only get better!

2023-11-26T04:51:17

Yesterday got off to a bad start. Turning into the polígono industrial in Ronda in the early hours of darkness, the kerb jumped out and hit my front nearside wheel! Here’s what happened next.

Early Morning Blues

Blimey! I thought. I’ve nudged kerbs before in the Ciudad Soñada, the streets being somewhat narrow, but this felt different; the drive became lumpy and didn’t feel right.

Rather than stop and risk getting stranded, I struggled on at snail’s pace to my regular petrol station about half a kilometre away. I pulled up and investigated the damage. Omigod! The tyre was in shreds with two gaping holes. It was as flat as the proverbial pancake! There was no point in trying to re-inflate it.

The time was 6.45 am, TWO AND A QUARTER HOURS BEFORE GARAGES AND TYRE CENTRES WOULD OPEN!

Then I remembered that this car, a Peugeot 2008, had a spare tyre, unlike my three previous cars, a SEAT Leon, a Ford Focus and a Mazda RX8.

Out with the jack

It was probably 45 years since I’d had to change a wheel, but, come on, changing a wheel is like riding a bike, isn’t it? You never forget how to do it.

Well, perhaps that’s not quite true, but I managed it in the end. Although, I have to say I shouldn’t really be doing jobs like this at my age, and certainly not in in a temperature of zero degrees Celsius!

Time for a coffee to calm my nerves, before heading to Casa 87, the house I am doing up for a Liverpool couple who contacted me out of the blue, after surfing my website, www.help-me-ronda.com

Casa 87

I sorted out a few things at the house before heading off to Ronda to source some items of furniture from Solidarios en Ronda, the local charity for homeless people, and Pepe Mariscal, the second-hand dealer. I picked up some great stuff from both places, all at good prices.

Time was running out now to go to the tyre centre, so I decided to postpone until today, Saturday (mistake, they’re shut on Saturdays!)

Aussie serendipity

Back to Friday. At Pepe’s I met a couple from Australia. Kati, French, and David, English, were on extended furlough in Ronda, with a view to emigrating here. A much more pleasant encounter than my earlier encounter with the kerb!

Back at Casa 87, I spent the afternoon painting, before heading home to get ready for our dinner date. Rita and I had decided to spend the evening in Ronda tapeando.

De tapeo in Ronda

We got side-tracked by "Ene de Nati", a rather expensive boutique that the missus likes in Calle Remedios. I nipped to a nearby bar for a wee (and a tubo), where I was accosted by a rather stunning lady and her bloke. Liz was Mexican and Bernd was German. They were on holiday here from California, where they live.

After a pleasant interlude I returned to the missus who had managed to run up a sizeable bill for a woollen suit and a long winter overcoat. As we left the shop, we bumped into Lis and Bernd, I introduced Rita and we all went off for a drink together at one of the many bars on that very street.

Sat at a table outside – inside was full - my wife had a good old chinwag in German with Bernd, while Lis and I spoke Spanish and English. All of a sudden it was quite late, so we decided to break up. Bernd even picked up the bill.

They went back to their hotel, and we went in search of some tapas, which had been our original plan. The place we wanted to try out was closing, so we headed for our old favourite, Las Maravillas on Calle La Bola. It was heaving, but our waiter friend, José Luis found us a table for two.

So, we had a delicious light meal to round off the day, before heading home and to bed after a delightfully serendipitous day.

© Joe King

Tags: Casa 87, Ciudad Soñada, de tapeo, Ene de Nati, Ford Focus, Las Maravillas, Mazda RX8, Pepe Mariscal, Peugeot 2008, Ronda, SEAT Leon, Solidarios, tapa,

“The Trial of the Lonesome Pine”

2023-09-22T02:56:15

Older readers will remember fondly Laurel and Hardy’s version of “The Trail of the Lonesome Pine” (1937).

[Listen here].

This, however, is the story of the trial we have undergone of the lonesome pine tree in the garden next to mine, which for a dozen years has been threatening to fall on our house. Years of asking the owner of the abandoned finca to take it down, his inertia and the lack of progress made no difference at all.

Progress? - No

Then my neighbour died suddenly three years ago. His three heirs couldn’t agree on what to do with the property. Two wanted to sell it and one did not. The one who did not, the son, was meanwhile living at his majesty’s pleasure in Alhaurin de la Torre gaol, later transferred to the high security prison in Huelva. What had he done, I wonder?

So, the Will was frozen, and the matter ended up in the hands of lawyers. Nothing to be done, despite the patrulla verde (a section of the local police responsible for environmental matters) declaring the tree to be dangerous. My hands appeared to be tied.

I tried to make a denuncia, but was told that I could not as the property and its Will were sub judice. My insurance company was not interested, as no damage had yet been caused. If the lonesome pine fell on my house and damaged it, then they would pay out! Doh!

Progress? – Yes!

Then, all of a sudden, at the end of August this year, I was informed that they would be felling the lonesome pine in the middle of September. Yay!

True enough - over the course of two mornings, the day before yesterday and yesterday, 20 and 21 September, two tree surgeons cut the pine down from the top a little at a time and cleared the branches that had fallen onto my land.

They repaired my damaged fence, I tidied up and put my garden back together, with the various plant pots in their rightful places.

A section of my garden was no longer in the shade. Maybe my vegetables will grow better from now on.

The trial of the lonesome pine was over, after more than 12 years!

Tags: Joe King, Laurel and Hardy, lonesome pine, next-door neighbour, patrulla verde, pine tree, sub judice, the trail of the lonesome pine, tree surgeon

In the Family Way!

2023-05-22T17:00:11

"In the family way" used to be a euphemism for being pregnant when the p-word was taboo. It was more often than not used to refer to a young unmarried girl, who had got herself "up the duff".

In Ireland the girl would have been forced to give the baby up for adoption, it has since been revealed to the eternal shame of the Roman Catholic Church.

Older readers will remember the 1966 British film "The Family Way" starring Hayley Mills.

Our family way

We were visited by family recently; my daughter and her two young sons - my grandsons - came for a short stay during half-term. And, boy, did we have a fun time!

It didn't start well, though - they missed their flight!

They had an early start and my daughter didn't have her contact lenses in.

She mis-read the gate number for their flight. She read 5B, when it was actually 58! Both gates exist but at different ends of the airport, London Stansted, which is now huge.

What to do? She felt she couldn't disappoint the boys, aged six and three, who had been so looking forward to seeing Grandad and Oma (German for Gran - my wife Rita is German).

We all went online to search for flights later in the day: my daughter, her mother (my ex-wife), Rita and me.

We found one with easyJet, but when we tried to book, the last seats had been sold five minutes before!

We found another with Vueling from and to different airports: Gatwick to Sevilla instead of Stansted to Malaga, but that was no problem.

She booked at a staggering cost of 700 pounds Sterling for the three of them! Well, last-minute, half-term week .....

Next - how to get from Stansted in Essex to Gatwick in Sussex? Mum's taxi to the rescue!

So, instead of arriving in the middle of the day, they got to us late at night and 700 quid poorer!

Holiday with Grandad and Oma

Over the next few days, we packed in loads, chocolate con churros, ice creams, children's playgrounds, the beach, Belgian tapas, playing in my garden (Felix even helped me plant some seeds).

At the end, my daughter and grandsons had a lovely, if expensive, holiday.

The family way .....

Only Joe King

TRUMP WINS NOBEL PEACE PRIZE!

Tyre-d and Shock (absorber)-ed

Serendipity - Bargain bookshelf, new Specs, and a watch repair

"Waiter!"

"De Rodriguez" - May 2025

I turned 75 on May 18th 2025, last Sunday.

I was in Germany at the time attending the confirmation of my third German grandchild, which was on the same day.

"De Rodriguez" in May

Those giant weeds

STOP PRESS:

The Airbnb host had phoned to say she'd found my wallet! We're not sure exactly where, but we believe it had fallen underneath a piece of furniture.

Katrin would retrieve it and bring it to the family reunion and Rita would bring it home to Spain.

Phew! What a relief! I can now unblock my cards and don't need to re-apply for anything.

And if my lottery tickets win me a million, it will be perfect!

Home-exchange or house-swapping

TOM - Tommie, Tommy, Thomas and Tomasz

April showers bring May flowers

“Enrique”

The "Second Coming" …..

Life’s a drama

“On the 4th day of Christmas …..”

What a terrible weekend I’ve just had!

De Rodríguez – at Christmas?

Serendipity on Super Saturday - No.XI

Hair Today; Gone Tomorrow – My Hair Care History in Spain

April Fool!

“The Rain in Spain …..”

Drinking by numbers

Only Joe King has been "outed"!

Serendipity X - Ambushed on the bridge, accosted at the petrol station and mugged at the Olive Tree

Serendipity IX - "Pink Floyd" at the Bar Dolar

Serendipity VIII - Things can only get better!

“The Trial of the Lonesome Pine”

In the Family Way!

The Airbnb host had phoned to say she'd found my wallet! We're *not sure exactly where, but we believe it had fallen underneath a piece of furniture.***