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The Arguineguín Quay will become a makeshift auditorium by the sea at which the Philharmon-ic Orchestra of Gran Canaria are to offer a special outdoor concert under starlight, "designed to delight both the local and the international members of the public."

The April 12th concert was presented at a press conference by the general coordinator of Cul-ture, Heritage and Museums of the Cabildo of Gran Canaria, Larry Álvarez and Mogán Mayor, Paco González. The ticket price is just 10 euros if you buy in advance or 15 euros if purchased at the box office the day of the concert. Better hurry, tickets are rumoured to be selling fast!

2 News, Views & suNshiNe TheCaNaryNews.Com El Periódico Inglés de Gran CanariaMAR-APR

2014

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The show has been given the name "Night in Arguineguín", in homage to a famous piece of music composed by the legendary Néstor Álamo as an evocation of the enjoyable, magical and pleasant nights that distinguish this town on the south of the island. And that is why a cultural, magical and enjoyable night has been planned for this very special concert. Locals and visitors will have the opportunity to enjoy classical music in a unique setting performed by one of the most internationally famous symphony orchestras in Spain.

The renowned Canadian conductor Eric Hull will be will lead the performance with a suite of popular opera by French composer Georges Bizet, Carmen and the L'Arlesienne Suite, and Tchaikovsky's -Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture. These well known pieces alone are sure to enchant all who attend.

Tickets are now on sale at the Mogán municipal offices and through the website entrees.es. The hotels of the town are also involved in promoting the event, with the aim of making this concert under the stars a real hit leading to future editions.

"The Night in Arguineguín" aims to enrich the usual tourism offering of simple sun and beach in southern Gran Canaria with a new cultural attraction that it is hoped will be of real interest to visitors, giving prestige to the resort area known as Costa Mogán, by holding a unique event that would be impossible at this time of year, and with these elements, in most other countries of northern Europe. Undoubtedly an extraordinary opportunity for everyone in the south.

Eric Hull is an outstanding conductor with an eclectic

operatic and symphonic repertoire extending from

seventeenth century to contemporary music.

He has conducted at some of the most prestigious opera houses,

with leading orchestras and soloists. These include Milan’s

Teatro alla Scala, Madrid’s Teatro Real, Lisbon’s Sao Carlo, Rome’s

Teatro all’Opera, l’Opéra de Monte-Carlo, Teatro alla Fenice in Venice, l’Opéra de Lausanne, the Berlin Radio Orchestra, the

Russian National Orchestra of Moscow, the Toronto Symphony,

the Concerto Köln and the Orchestre de Chambre de

Lausanne, as well as most of the major institutions of Italy and

Spain (including those of Naples, Verona, Bologna, Genova,

Martina Franca, Sassari, Catania, Las Palmas, Bilbao, Oviedo,

Malaga and Galizia.)

Having studied at the Hochschule für Musik in Vienna (at 19, the youngest graduate of conducting in the history of the

Hochschule) as well as in London, Italy, France, the United States

and in his native Canada, he was later assistant for conductors

such as Lutoslawsky, Solti, Muti, Chailly, Maazel, Pretre and A.

Davis.

He is Artistic Director of l’Isola fortunata, dedicated to producing

quality performances of Early Music on period instruments

in historically significant architectural venues.

PhilhARMonic in ARguineguín

3The English Newspaper for Gran Canaria TheCanarynews.Com news, Views & sunshineMAR-APR

2014

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The Plane crash That Wasn’t and the laughing Tugboat captainWe were a little later than expected this month. As we were going to press we were held up still further by an unexpected call that came into our newsdesk from none other than the Beaurea Chief of CBS London, Andy Clarke, asking us for confirmation of a burn-ing plane having crashed in Gran Canaria. Dumbfounded we were a little embarrassed to tell him we hadn’t seen one!

“But you would hear if there was one, wouldn’t you?”

“Erm... yes I should think so, give me a mo I’ll just check... erm no. No burning plane, but there are reports of a false alarm and a mis-taken sighting of a tug boat...”

“You’re sure?”

“Yep as sure as I can be, no plane crash”

“Ok bye”

And so the island of Gran Canaria found itself to be all over the world’s press for a false alarm. How amusing and embarrassing and thankfully not disasterous at all.

Mean while Willem Groenier, the tug boat captain, currently moored in Arinaga, who’d been asked to tow an unusually shaped yellow load from Holland to Nigeria has told a Norwegian newspa-per that he has not been able to stop laughing since the mistaken sighting from the shore lead to a blurry photograph being sent to a local radio station who tweeted and broadcast that reports of a downed plane being sighted were coming in.

This lead to calls being made to the Canaries Emergency Coordina-tion Center 112, who dispatched rescue crews, alerted AENA and perhaps just a touch too early, also announced on twitter that they were dealing with a major event, causing the newswires to light

up. It didn’t take long before they’d wished they had waited.

It took less than ten minutes for the Navy Search and Rescue team to verify that there was in fact no aircraft involved, and for the 112 service to have to tweet a retraction, but of course by this time all emergency services had been scrambled and a global news frenzy had begun.

Luckily the only injuries were perhaps the pride of our slightly over-zealous emergency operator, and the red faces of those jour-nalists who didn’t bother to check before publishing.

The whole affair is in fact something to be rather proud of. Not only did the operator act with extreme speed in dispatching crews, but the 112 service were able to quickly verify and correct the mis-take. No there is no shame in that. A successful exercise all in all, giving the world a little water cooler moment talking point about our favourite island... no?

And really, you wouldn’t want a slacker manning the phones at 112 now would you?


2014

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The Church of San Antonio de Padua in Mogán is soon to celebrate its 200th anniversary. This important landmark has been enhanced by the recent renovation of this iconic local building, led by archi-tect Enrique Spinola, who has highlighted the important elements of traditional Canarian architecture throughout the church.

The restoration concentrated particularly on the outer balustrade, which is being rebuilt with Arucas stone as well as various other works to repair the aging structure, and decrease some of the load on walls that were originally only built to support a single story but then were added to as the years went on. Soon the work will be completed and admired by "Moganeros", tourists and visitors alike as one of the hallmarks of this popular southern municipality.

The church of San Antonio de Padua is the most historic building in pueblo de Mogán. It has been restored over recent months thanks to collaboration between the Tourist Board of Gran Canaria and the municipality of Mogán to improve and further beautify the town's historical centre of interest. The works began in September, with a budget of just 227,170 euros.

The original building, was designed by the Gran Canaria artist José Luján Pérez as a Custom Cathedral Chapter. Its construction, completed on May 14, 1814, was made possible by the generous financial contribution of one Matias Sarmiento, a native of Mogán and a wealthy landowner in Havana, Cuba. The completion of the work, a major event at the time, gave rise to the parish of Mogán, “emancipating” locals from Tejeda, up in the mountains, giving rise to the subsequent creation of a separate town council. Thus, the construction of the church of San Antonio de Padua is the very origin of the municipality of Mogán. Expect a reverent celebration come May.

The oRigin of Mogán ResToRed


2014

Patricia Ba

Tel. 685 287744 928 735763

[email protected]

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We recently found this handy infographic from flight search site SkyScanner and thought we’d share it with you. With so many different airlines now flying here it is easy to get confused if you travel off the island a lot or have, as many do, lots of different people flying out to see you at various times in the year. Cer-tainly worth cutting out and keeping for further reference.

Some may remember one of our favourite front pages from last year was the NASA image of the underwater eruption in El Hierro as seen from outer space, which had just won the Tournament Earth competition voted best image of the year.

Well The Canary Islands have this year all made it into the final stag-es of the competition having been selected from the 32 competing images to find this year’s most popular NASA image of the year.

Once again we get the chance to let the world know how beauti-ful these islands really are. Winning once was great, winning twice would be monumental! The competition ends on April 4th

Among them is an awesome image entitled “Trailing The Canaries”. The archipelago is seen as an Atlantic flotilla gliding through the prevailing winds with Kármán Vortices in evident creation streaming behind… just one of the reasons that we Love Gran Canaria!

Tournament: Earth just happens to feature extraordinary images taken from space. If you’ve been following our facebook page, you’ll know that we have been postng a NASA image of the archi-pelago every day this year, sponsored by LOVE Gran Canaria, just to remind you of how beautiful you are!

A bus accident in the south of Gran Canaria left an italian national dead and two others seriously injured, with chest and head inju-ries, after the driver is reported to have reversed in to them una-ware that some of his passengers were standing directly behind the vehicle.

One of them had been feeling dizzy and asked the driver to stop at an inappropriate point on the small mountain road, a tight hairpin bend where visibility is known to be poor. The italian and austrian tourists were returning to their cruise ship after a day trip in the mountains.

The second fatal incident involving tourists travelling by bus on the island occurred just two weeks earlier when a bus carrying swiss hikers went off the road killing one and injuring fourteen.

A helicopter, carrying five crew mem-bers of the Navy’s 802 Squadron, Search and Rescue team, who patrol these waters, was performing a routine exercise using the rescue winch when the craft plunged into the sea close to the Jandia Peninsula, off the south of Fuerteventura, for reasons that are still being investigated.

The crew of the aircraft consisted of Captain Daniel Pena Valiño, lieutenants Carmen Ortega Cortés and Sebastián Ruiz Galván, all pilots, along with mechanics, sergeants, Carlos Caramanzana Álvarez and lastly Johnander Ojeda Alemán, who is the only known survivor.

search and Rescue Tragedy

Two Bus Accidents in Two Weeks


2014

An extraordinary film received its first public screening in Las Palmas last month, tracing the discoveries of a young English girl visiting Gran Canaria as she researches the influence that the British have had on this little island and their legacy to this day.

Participants in the film include several members of the Las Palmas British community including the ubiquitous Betty Burgess and most learned Dr David Bramwell, with his son Alex, as well as scenes from the Holy Trinity “English” Church and The British Club.

“The English colony’s activities in Gran Canaria after the 1880s mark the most important chapter of modern Europe’s presence in the Canary Islands. It is well known that historically the English, Irish, Dutch as well as Europeans of other origins settled on the islands, initially drawn by the sugar cane export business and then by the highly regarded Canary wines. ” wrote historical author and essayist Alfredo Herrera Piqué in

in his respected work La Colonia inglesa en Gran Canaria.

“Those historical links were revitalised in the 19th century by exporting of cochineal from the islands, with London as the strongest market. This was a relatively short period that lasted about half a century. Its conclusion nearly coincided with the British commercial establishment in Las Palmas during the aforementioned years that resulted from an expansion phase of European capitalism, primarily from England, which at the time was the leader in industrial, banking and shipping activities. This market spread throughout the world thanks to a new technological achievement: steam navigation.”

This is the pretext to El Vieja de Harryet (Harryet’s Journey) tracing a fortuitous meeting between two cultures that, to this day, remain connected. The coexistence and influence of British culture, especially from the 19th century, goes to make up part of the region’s uniqueness reflected in the language, economy, industry, sports, culture and various aspects of life in the Canaries.

This link remains thanks to the British colony based in Gran Canaria, which continues in the capital city of Las Palmas, and various enclaves around the island, as well as because of the enormous number of British tourists who visit every year.

Londoner, Harryet Bellwood arrived in Gran Canaria to work at the Gran Canaria Digital Space cultural centre as a participant of the European Leonardo Da Vinci programme, a European Union initiative that provides young students and workers with training. She took up a trainee position for just over two months before moving on into a full time career in television production.

Her excellent audiovisual training, as well as her willingness and own initiative, helped her participate in this work of discovery. Harryet was immediately taken aback by Gran Canaria. She enjoyed her stay here, had a wonderful time, made friends and developed a warm relationship with the people of Las Palmas.

Harryet’s Journey, which she wrote and narrated herself in Spanish, touches on British relationships and influences in Gran Canaria, and it is a joyful reflection of the events and emotions that Harryet experienced during her stay on this island. Directed by Sergio Morales, who completed the piece, it was very well recieved in Las Palmas by several hundred people, with some waiting for a hastily organised third showing on the night due to the high turn out. An English translation is planned and we will tell you more when we know about its availability.

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2014

Moneycorp, the UK’s only fully integrated foreign exchange operator, has reported substantial growth in its unaudited 2013 year end trading update, as it continues to implement its expansion strategy.

2013 highlights

· Gross profit of £97.2m compared to £65.2m in 2012

· Total business growth EBITDA up 59% year on year or 100% on a pro-forma basis

· International Payments business at revenue of £31.3m, generating growth of 13% accelerating as the year progressed

· Retail business growth of 58% revenue

· Significant growth in online channel sales, with online transactions up 48%

· Over £10b currency trades in 2013

· 39 new airport stores, including Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted

Over the course of 2012 and 2013, Moneycorp has implemented a number of internal changes to support its rapid growth strategy. These include a re-structuring of its management team; re-energising its sales and marketing functions; investment in support infrastructure; substantially growing its airport contracts and commercial partnerships; and galvanising its Retail business unit.

Moneycorp’s International Payments business unit accounts for over 90% of income. In 2013 the unit saw growth of more than 13%, with record levels of customer retention across

its corporate and private clients, as well as record levels of new business acquisition. Recent customer research indicates that this loyalty derives from customers’ appreciation of Moneycorp’s value for money, reliability, service and online platforms which the business continues to invest in to drive improvement. Moneycorp also acquired Thomas Cook International Payments, a strategic move designed to further strengthen the business’s foothold in SME export and import transactions, which reached a five year high in early 2013.

Moneycorp’s Retail business unit grew by more than 58% in 2013. The business opened 39 new airport stores in 2013, including a key move into Heathrow and the renewal of its exclusive contract for Stansted. Moneycorp also deployed more than 60 ATMs across the UK. In April 2013 the business re-launched its multi-currency pre-paid Explorer Card, and has seen significant growth in its reserve and collect service, which allows consumers to order online at a preferential rate for collection at branches – including airports.

The end of 2013 also saw an overhaul of Moneycorp’s brand to reflect the evolution and growth of the business.

Mark Horgan, CEO of Moneycorp said:

“We are setting out to make Moneycorp the first choice in international payments and foreign exchange in the UK. Over the course of the last two years we have looked at every aspect of the business to build a solid foundation for substantial future growth. Our outstanding performance in 2013, across both our International Payments and Retail business units, speaks for itself.

“The international payments market is poorly served by the high street banks, and yet they still retain around 80 per cent of the market in the UK. Our pricing, systems, innovative products and expert service give us a competitive edge over the high street banks, and in 2014 we’ll be competing aggressively to grow our share of this market.”

If you want to get the best deal, find out moreand contact our preferred currency provider Moneycorp on +34 952 587 657 and mention

The Canary News, Views & Sunshine


2014

The months and months of hard work put in by the GLAY committee over the last year is really starting to show. The great and the good gathered on the 21st of March to present a business-like united front and launch this year’s event in style. For the first time fully nine weeks before kick off, giving members of the press, organisers, sponsors and GLAY members a proper opportunity to assess the treats they have in store for the 2014 event.

Maspalomas PRIDE has grown to be one of the largest of its kind, and certainly the best attended regular events on the Gran Canaria calender. It is primarily run and funded by foreign residents and business people, through an association called GLAY and supported by not only with the municipal town hall of the Illustrious county San Bartolomé de Tirajana, but also working closely with the Island council, the tourist board and various other Canarian institutions to provide the most cosmopolitan and internationally popular summer attraction on the island. Here’s what they had to say:

“This is the 13th occasion that GLAY have staged “Maspalomas Pride” here in Playa del Inglés. An event to celebrate all that is good about a society that offers freedom of expression no matter what your sexuality may be. We consider ourselves very fortunate that everyone within our communities are given the opportunity under law to be themselves and are safe in the knowledge that equal rights are afforded to all in our society regardless of their race, creed, culture or sexuality. It is with this in mind that GLAY has chosen the theme of this years Maspalomas Pride to be “Intercontinental”. A theme that we hope will show how diversified a culture we live in. One that embraces everyone, regardless of their origin and background, one that recognises that we were not all born the same nor do we all need to fit into a mould that some societies dictate we should. We also remember all those who are unfortunate to live in the numerous countries around the world that do not have equality in life because of the decroanian laws and bigoted attitudes of their governments. We urge all right-minded people to support us in our plea to petition those with influence in our government to flight for change for those who cannot fight for themselves.

Maspalomas Pride over the last 13 years has grown from a small local event that was attended by a few hundred or thousand people to an event which is now one of the largest single and most important for the economy here in Gran

Canaria. Conservative estimates suggest that with the influx of between 50,000 & 75,000 people during the week of Pride that the economy overall benefits to a sum in the many tens of millions of euros. The majority of this spend goes to the many hotels and businesses in the immediate area of Maspalomas yet when it comes to the funding of the event it can seem taht very few want to get involved, which has historically left the event with a great shortfall in funding and often in debt. Our committee would ask that both local and regional government officially recognise how important this major event is to the local economy and that they make provision in their annual budget and grant funding to allow for a substantial grant to GLAY each year in order that Maspalomas Pride can continue to carry on and grow positively as it has over the last 13 years.

This year we have been supported by a cultural group acting on behalf of the townhall in suggesting and organising additional events with a more cultural theme than the Maspalomas Pride parties and shows. We thank them all but in particular Adan for their input on these cultural events and look forward to working with them again in the future for next years PRIDE. This collaboration has resulted in the organisation of a number of additional exhibitions and including an art exhibition, involvement of schools and the local youth as well as some slightly wacky events for those who are interested.”

11MAR-APR

2014 TheCaNaryNews.Com News, Views & suNshiNe

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CALL 928 987 952Eddie Gorman Having lived in Gran Canaria for the last eight years, Eddie and his partner provide holi-day accomodation in Playa del Inglés and for the last three years he has also successfully run a popular little bar on the ground floor of the Yumbo centre called Diamonds.

Over the last 30 years he has been involved with a range of charities, from local can-cer organisations, managing budgets of several thousand pounds, to being on the man-agement committee of Police Benevolent Charities respon-sible for budgets running in to the many millions. This uniquely qualifies him for his current role as treasurer of GLAY. He is leading the charge for positive action and results.

Having served for 22 years in the Royal Ulster Constabulary he is an authoritative speaker with a deep understanding of people’s rights, as well as a competent negotiator. His year’s spent as an Operational Planning Officer gave him sig-nificant first hand experience of organising resources and planning for major events at-tended by upwards of 150,000 people at a time.

Having volunteered for the GLAY elections as a Vocal, once elected Eddie quickly found his competences and background to be invaluable to GLAY not only in setting forward the newly necessary documentary preperations for large scale events in Spain, but also in managing a process of-ten mired in small community politics. Committee work and pursuasive action are second nature to him and GLAY as an organisation are all the better off for his involvement.

A pivitol force within the as-sociation, he brings with him a sense of warmth and depend-able integrity that has been all too often thought missing.

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2014

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13MAR-APR

2014The English Newspaper News, Views & suNshiNe

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This Months Specials

Despite warnings from doctors and specialists about skin cancer, many people still do not realise the dangerous consequences of sunbathing or using sun beds in an irresponsible way.

Using this simple fact as a starting point, our group of International Baccalaureate students from the Colegio Arenas Atlantico, in Arucas, have been involved in a project to explore some of the negative consequences of too much sun. We were asked by our English teacher (David Martin) to create a campaign to make people more aware of the dangers, and to find a way to help them realise more about it and understand the risks of sunbathing without proper protection.

First, we had to create a presentation directed at a particular group of people (for example tourists or children) using images, statistics and detailed information about (MM) malignant melanoma, a type of skin cancer which is caused by excessive exposure to the sun. The

aim of the campaign was to explain the risks people take and to specify what they need to do if they want to maintain healthy skin or stay protected whilst in the sun.

Our project involved making T-shirts for our campaign, with drawings and slogans, so that we could make a visual impact on the people towards whom the information was directed. Some of us used animals to show particular characteristics, for example a pig because of its sensitive pink skin, relating it to sunburn caused by over exposure; other ideas included using the sun as a character applying sun lotion.

The project taught us much about all the dangerous effects sunbathing without thinking can have and how to prevent them. This has been an excellent opportunity for us to think about ways of getting our message across to various types of people regardless of the skin type they may have. Added to this we were able to demonstrate our creative skill and collaborate as a group on perhaps our last project at the school before we go on to begin a new chapter in our lives.

Gala Sambola 2ºBN Colegio Arenas Atlantico

The students at Colegio Arenas Atlantico, a Bilingual School in Arucas, have subjects in Spanish and English (Geography and

Art and of course English) and have the opportunity to learn French, Chinese and German too. It is a private school which runs under the Spanish educational system. The students in this class are in their second year of the National Baccalaureate which

is the Spanish equivalent of A-levels.

sTudenTs sun AWAReness cAMPAignsPeciAl RePoRT

Desiree Martell, Estefania Rega, Nestor Medina, Alberto Gonzalez, Jaime Ojeda, Samuel Trujillo, Marta Diaz, Alberto Losa, Julia Santana,

Gala Sambola, Irene Sanchez, Angelo Medina

14 MAR-APR

2014 News, Views & suNshiNe TheCaNaryNews.Com

15MAR-APR


16 MAR-APR

2014 News, Views & suNshiNe TheCaNaryNews.Com El Periódico Inglés de Gran Canaria

Pilar Gago Nolasco was the first employee hired by Cárdenas and after 20 years with this highly prestigeous Gran Canaria Real Estate firm she is one of the pillars on which the company’s success has been built. For her anniversary Cárdenas threw a party to celebrate her significant contribution, her hard work and to look forward to many more years of Pilar’s positive attitude.

Between the cake, the champagne and speeches by founder Antonio Cárdenas, and his daughter the current managing director, Carolina, the event was an opportunity to enjoy some well earned fun and laughter and a lovely opportunity for everyone who has helped build this Gran Canaria success story, to meet up and exchange their experiences of working with Pilar and to thank her for her years of support. She handled the flood of compliments on the day, with her typical calm and cheerful demeanour.

shared history: Pilar and cárdenasCárdenas first opened their doors in 1980 but it wasn’t until 1994 that founders Antonio and Rolande hired Pilar to handle all their admin, tax and land registry procedures. She was 26-years old and it was her first job.

Pilar started work at a desk in the corner of the original office in Arguineguín with a smile on her face. Today she has her own office and a loyal right-hand man, Toni, and she still brings that winning smile to work every day.

Antonio and Rolande often wondered how they had lasted for so long without Pilar’s calm efficiency and warm words of wisdom. During an emotional speech at the party, Antonio emphasised there was definitely a “before and after Pilar” in the history of Cárdenas: “She is the cog that keeps the whole engine running.”

Pilar and Cárdenas have come a long way since the early days: At the beginning she lived in Las Palmas and had to commute to work as well as travelling regularly to Guia, up in the north of the island, to handle tax and land registry paperwork.

Pilar at her first desk at Cárdenas Real Estate in 1994

Pilar’s story is a perfect example of the

commitment shown by Cárdenas to their staff

17MAR-APR


growing TogetherNowadays Pilar’s son Joshua, just seven when she started, works alongside his mum at Cárdenas, along with a team of twenty people spread across the four offices on the south of the island.

Antonio and Rolande have worked for their company for 34 years each, Pilar for 20, Carolina for 17, Leonor for 14, Teresa, Juan, Ramon and Antonio for 12, Daniel 10 and Lucy for 8 years. In total, these ten longest serving members of staff have 173 years of real estate experience between them all at Cárdenas.

The team of 26 staff have an average of eight years of experi-ence making In total more than 207 years of experience. That’s a huge amount of knowledge all focused towards serving real estate clients across Gran Canaria and from all over the world.

Thank you Pilar!Pilar’s story is a perfect example of the commitment shown by Cárdenas to their staff and how the company’s long-standing success in the south of Gran Canaria continues to grow. Their solid belief in investing in their employees has always been seen both by the founders and the entire organisation as the best way to guarantee that their clients always get the very best service possible, from people who really know the island.

Put simply, property sales are more-often-than-not a consequence of good service and effective relationship building, more than anything Antonio and Rolande have made this the main purpose of their business, and with commitment from extraordinary professionals like Pilar they have seen their legacy grow and grow as the most trusted and professional real estate business on the south of the island.

“We exist to help our clients” says Marketing Director Rámon Sanchez Bruhn “and Pilar has done more than anyone else to ensure that we have been able to do it for so long.”


2014

Your private health insurer in SpainASSSA is a Spanish company established since 1935, specialised in private Healthcare with headquarters in Alicante. For the last 25 years they have specialised in meeting the private health insurance demands of fellow European citizens. In order to achieve superior customer service and customer proximity, they have set up a chain of customer service offices throughout Spain.

ASSSA offers a variety of unique, written, contractual guarantees. The age you are when you sign your contract is always used as the basis on which they calculate your premiums, i.e. the premium does not increase due to you getting older (‘The age you join is the age you stay’). In addition, ASSSA provides protection against policy cancellation from the first day of insurance and exceptional lifetime discounts.

Changing from your current health insurance to ASSSA: Are you privately insured, but dissatisfied due to drastic

premium increases or no customer service in your language?

Have you perhaps lost your SIP card entitlement? Or even having access to the NHS, are you fed up with waiting times and language barriers? Would you consider a reasonably priced private health insurance with ASSSA so that you can visit local, English speaking doctors in Spain?

Experience, Expertise & Customer Service

Back in the early 90’s ASSSA developed a strategy especially designed to meet the needs of their international clientele. The strategy has been implemented in an impressive way ever since: specifically with regard to the provision of good customer service, both before and after signing the initial contract. Customer Service offices have been established along the Spanish coasts and also in the Canary Islands

in Tenerife and Gran Canaria - and now Maspalomas. Their friendly, multilingual staff can provide information and advice. Their personal service is unique. After taking out an insurance policy, you will have a contact manager who speaks your language to help you if you have any questions; they can also arrange doctor’s appointments for you. Contracts are of course in your native language as transparency is highly important for them.

Client testimonials

Many customers come to ASSSA on the recommendation of clients who appreciate our knowledgeable, caring customer service. Here are some excerpts from the

experiences of just some of their valued clients:

AsssA - now Also in Maspalomas


2014

Liam Smyth, Orihuela Costa:

“I’ve been insured for many years with ASSSA and more than satisfied. Since then, I have received treatments to insert a stent in heart surgery, cataract operations on both eyes, prostate treatment, physiotherapy for back problems. In addition, I am still being treated for clots in the brain. In respect of the brain clots, I cannot thank Katrin enough for her swift action in referring me to the neurologist Dr. Lecanda Garamendi in Medimar Hospital. I have not had any problems since then. Thanks ASSSA.”

Tony Brumham, Moraira:

“I recently had an extremely serious accident in which as a result of a fall I fractured the top 3 vertebrae in my spine and was close to being paralyzed or worse. Whilst no experience of this nature is to be welcomed, ASSSA with its input and organization lessened the extreme seriousness of the occasion with its prompt action in processing my admittance to Levante Hospital and subsequent follow ups with my family, medical staff – the specialists who carried out the operation and the nursing staff who nursed me for the 3 ½ weeks of early recuperation. In particular I would like to say a huge thank you to Kate Taylor of the Moraira office of ASSSA without whom the whole process would have been prolonged mentally as well as physically debilitating. Thank you again to everyone involved and giving me my life back for which I am truly grateful.”

To both in particular, ASSSA have sent their warmest thanks and best wishes for their recovery.

Doctors and Hospitals

ASSSA offer their customers an extensive directory of private clinics and hospitals, GP´s and Specialists. In order to comply with the wishes of their clients, they make contracts from their own facilities where most staff speak your language or offer a free translation service. For this reason, they also have English speaking medical professionals under contract with ASSSA. Find out more at: www.asssa.es

Quality insurance

ASSSA provide flexible levels of health insurance - depending on the cover level and premium best suited to the client’s requirements - from a supplementary insurance (startomg at 46€ a month) to fully comprehensive insurance cover (from 86 € a month). Until the 20.03.14 they are offering discounts for the entire contract lifetime up to 30% for adults and 50% discount for children under 16 insured with parents plus comfortable payment instalments without surcharge. In addition, they offer dental insurance reduced by up to 10% (from only 78€ per annum).

Insure your health!

Visit ASSSA for a chat without any obligation and they will calculate your personal premium, discounts included and give you a welcome gift specially prepared for you.

Our Area manager will be pleased to answer all your questions; Opening hours: Monday to Friday: 09:30-13:30, later appointments by arrangement. We are looking forward to your visit!

Customer service office:

ASSSA Gran Canaria - Maspalomas: Tel: 928 778 664

Thomas Zimmermann

[email protected]


2014

Something amazing has been happening in the heart of the south of Gran Canaria.

After several years of success in Arguineguín, a unique eatery and social haunt, favoured by locals and visitors, have opened a second restaurant in Playa del Inglés in the very premises that saw the first ever asian cuisine offered in the area back in 1971. Fusion has taken over the old “Hong Kong” restaurant and given it a new and exciting lease of life.

An extraordinary experience in a cocktail of delights, great wines, perfect service and the most wonderful Fusion of south east asian foods inspired by Head Chef David Gibson’s immersive travels throughout the likes of Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia and the Philippines, all come together to create one of the most outstanding culinary expe-riences to be found anywhere in western Europe, on a subtropi-cal island in the Atlantic ocean, in the Canarian heart of Macaro-nesia or anywhere beyond.

Situated in the heart of Playa del inglés, Fusion Restaurant & Loungebar offers exquisite South-east Asian cuisine in an informal and relaxing setting

Highly recommended. Try Fusion Restaurant & Loungebar, Playa del Ingles and tell us what you think...


2014

A time for new beginnings, spring is perhaps the best time of the year to plan weddings.

Spring weddings are loved for the vibrant hues they entail.

It’s a common understanding that springtime is the time of renewal and rebirth. It’s the time when, winter fades away, taking with it the dark nights and dried dead leaves making way to endless daylight and fresh foliage.

The emotion of rejuvenation takes root with love in the air and preparation for new beginning and the best beginning you can have is a marriage.

For this reason Spring is one of the busiest seasons for weddings and why wouldn’t it be with some of the best temperatures and many flowers to choose from.

Yellow, pink, lavender, and green are classic colors for the spring wedding. Decorate the wedding with abundance of flowers and green. The wedding can also have an accent of Easter feel as Easter falls in the spring time.

Not forgetting the discounts on shopping and travel.

May are June in Gran Canaria are some of the most economical months for flights in and out of the Canaries along with an abundance of accommodation availabilities, making travel to your destination more accessible for your guests.

The weather in the Canaries is also at its best during the Spring time. The clocks going forward and the sun setting late on into the evening, means you can enjoy a late afternoon ceremony in the beautiful warm climate with the fresh breeze coming across the Atlantic.

The Canarian climate and beautiful surroundings make Gran Canaria an idyllic island for an outdoor wedding by the sea with a beautiful flower clad arch and nature blossomed to its fullest.

Come and discover all the fabulous celebration locations that our beautiful island has to offer!

For more spring wedding ideas or information on wedding locations in Gran Canaria please visit my webpage: www.perfectweddingcompany.com or contact me on Tel nº: (0034) 653 642 208

Bernadette Garside - Founder of the Perfect Wedding Company

sPRing is in The AiR!


2014

A dog was rescued recently in Tafira by firefighters who trav-elled from Vegueta, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, after they were alerted by the local police. A neighbour had found the dog stuck down a pit near a house known as El Gallo in Tafira.

“It was pretty tame and had an identification chip,” said sources to local Spanish language daily, La Provincia.

As foreigners on this little island, we are often told about the “cruelty” inherent within the culture of native island people, who seem not to care for their animals in the same way as we benevolent strangers. The mere fact of this rescue being re-ported at all however is distinct evidence that the true nature of Gran Canarians, and of people in general, is one of caring and of empathy with animals, par-ticularly those seen as domestic pets.

Of course there are other atti-tudes, often attributed to more rural peoples than the subur-banite neighbours of Tafira, where care towards animals can be distinctly lacking. Hunters are often vilified for their heart-less treatment of what they see as working animals, and indeed there are some terrible things done to animals presumed to have “outlived their usefulness”. It is right that all of us stand out against such cruelties, but we should also remember that there are good and bad people in the world, just as not all hunt-ers are heartless abusers.

More than anything, however, we wanted to bring to your at-tention not only this lucky dog’s rescue, but also the apparent resources that were supplied without question by the city fire brigade who rushed to the animal’s aid, and to the coopera-tion in doing so displayed by the local police who had taken the time to investigate and call in assistance, after having received the report from a concerned member of the public.

From what we know, none of these people knew the dog, nor the people who care for him. It

was a totally spontaneous set of actions that resulted in the little chap being brought to safety, and for all involved it was sec-ond nature to ensure that the animal did not suffer. Further-more, our most prominent daily newspaper, La Provincia, did not hesitate in announcing the good news of a successful rescue to their readers. This shows a side of the culture within which we live that is rarely reported and bodes extremely well for the future.

As a foreign resident, an animal lover, a humanitarian, as a man who cares and as a journal-ist representing a part of this community, and as one of the all-too-few English language sources of news and information on the island of Gran Canaria; I am very proud to report that here in The Canary Islands, it is most evidently seen as good behaviour, and the right thing to do, when an animal in distress is discovered, to inform the local authorities who will act with all available resources to ensure that the animal is helped and does not suffer.

Though this idea may seem routine to some, there are many who would have trouble believ-ing in this humdrum outcome to the simple misfortune of a friendly neighbourhood dog, or at least believing that it was a perfectly normal outcome, from a perfectly normal neighbour-hood on our perfectly gorgeous little island, that is to say the perfectly gorgeous little island gracious enough to welcome us (foreign guests) as neighbours. It is its very normality that belies the nay-saying of those only best able to find strength from the derision of other people’s culture, deemed by them to be somehow less. People Are Good. And a great representa-tion of their goodness is the simple efficiency with which they collude to help others, even an unknown dog in a hole!

As well as the inherent good-ness in all people, there is surely thanks to be attributed to the myriad animal welfare organisa-tions here on the island, both

foreign and native, most of whom have really only taken root over the last decade, that this evident transformation of cultural attitudes has become so very prevalent, through education and positive contact with positive ideas and positive people.

We heartily salute all who pro-tect and rehabilitate, often with little or no thought for their own welfare or profit, save for the profit of seeing a life saved and a loving relationship ensured. And there are surely few greater rewards in life than this.

Animal Respect Association have been deeply involved in this kind

of work on the island for many years (even well before they named their organisation) and have taken an extraordinarily holistic view of the necessary transformations needed toward a culture of love and caring.

They have said that “A society that mistreats its animals or those more unfortunate in a group, often mistreats women and children too and vice versa; and the abused in turn can more readily become abusers them-selves” and so TARA, and those that guide them, have devel-oped a deep understanding for many of the underlying causes to animal cruelty which all too

Rescue


2014

TARA Animal Respect Association: Rescuing, Reuniting, Rehabilitating, and Rehoming

Pets and Strays in Gran Canaria ,Facebook.com/TARAGranCanaria or [email protected] .

TARA Animal Charity Shops, Events, Pet Foster Homes & Adoptions .

(+34) 928 062 891 or 634 345 812 .Together We Can Make Gran Canaria A Paradise For Animals Too!

ELLIE This lovely Boxer mix is 2 years old,

sterilized, chipped and vaccinated. She is good with other dogs, very obedi-ent, good with kids, but not so good with cats. Can you offer her a home?

PONCHO This lovely young dog has come back to TARA as his new mum is unwell and needs to concentrate on her health issues. Poncho has been castrated, is chipped and vaccinated, approx 7KG brilliant with children, loves other dogs and is good with cats.

LEVI This young, special dog needs a home

to call his own. Levi is approx 3 years old and around 20KG, but has a strong personality. He needs a confident home that understand his training needs. Levi has been with TARA for over 12 months, and needs to get out

of the kennels and into a home. He has an excellent good nature and loves to play for hours. Levi is good with humans, plays well with other animals, but is not good with cats.

ANGEL Found in Sonnenland, hungry, cold, and alone but had a collar on, so there was hope she was simply lost. Unfortunately, Angels owners simply never came for-ward. She is female approx 11 months, and has been neutered. Angel is a beau-tiful adult cat with mesmerizing light green eyes and silky soft fur. She adores humans, preferring to sleep at the foot of their bed and hang around with them indoors.

CHANCE Playful 10 month old black lab mix

desperate for a home to call his own. Chance is a strong willed dog that needs training. He is not good with cats, or small dogs however, big dogs he loves to play. Chance is castrated, chipped, vaccinated and ready for his new home.

HIPPIE This small, fragile dog was found find-ing in a cat colony in Telde. His hair was so badly knotted that he could not see, or be treated for wounds that were under his coat. Under all of the hair is a yorkshire mix, approx 2 year old male dog, weighing only 5KG. Hip-pie is scared, but when you look past the way he looks, his eyes are full of love.

often revolve around poverty, lack of education and lack of empathy.

To my mind the leadership of this organisation, under the steady guidance of President Muriel Alberta Mae, represent some of the most forward think-ing rationales with which we have come into contact, pro-viding a model for progressive action that goes far beyond the rescue of kittens or the helping of abandoned dogs.

As pioneers of “charity shops” and “previously owned treas-ures” on this island, as innova-tors in “community rastros” and development within society, as supporters of education and positive reinforcement, as com-municators and builders of com-munity institutions and, perhaps most importantly, as the sav-iours and rehabilitators of hun-dreds upon hundreds of animals in distress, and without want of thanks or reward, they are leaders in a movement which is showing real and tangible re-sults within both the native and foreign resident populations.

We are proud to have worked

alongside them in developing ever-greater awareness and sources of revenue to support their day-to-day efforts, and we are extremely proud to have do-nated thousands of euros worth of publicity, much time, equip-ment and know-how, and having enabled more than €10,000 of direct financial support over the last year to nurture their ongo-ing projects and support their volunteer efforts.

In turn TARA have affectionately supported this publication by referring advertisers, providing contributions, delivering papers to their local area in Arguineguín and Puerto Rico and by being Supreme Community Garden-ers and Ambassadors for much that we stand for. Without their support and guidance we, as a publication run by unpaid volun-teers, might not exist at all.

TARA, we salute you. Keep up the great work, you make us better than the sum of ourselves and nurture our growth as a community and as a society. You make Happy real and save lives in more ways than you know. Don’t stop.

.:.


2014


2014

Recently witnessing a nasty accident on the motorway in Gran Canaria, where fortunately all the passengers survived unscathed, made me ask some questions about the cause. Apparently, one tyre had exploded, which was due to the age of the tyre and failure of the rubber.

For me, this was an unknown phenomenon. Although I am careful about regularly checking the depth of tyre tread from time to time, and changing a tyre when necessary, I frankly had no idea that tyres ‘age’ and that rubber deteriorates. Judging from conversations with other expats, most did not know this either.

We have a second vehicle, which is not heavily used and, since we live on an island, has very low mileage, because there are few long distances that can be travelled. The vehicle is parked on the road outside our home, and I have to admit that, for much of the day, it is parked in the full glare of the sun. The tyres all look as good as new, but I took the car to the tyre depot for a check - just in case.

Jorge, the mechanic, looked horrified when he pointed out that the tyres were made in 2005, as a coding that represents the date is clearly inscribed on the tyres. With, not undisguised de-light, Jorge went on to point out some deterioration of the rub-ber, as well as unevenness on the walls of the tyres. He made that inward sucking of breath that people make when they are about to impart bad news. I prepared myself. They were not exactly bulges, Jorge explained, but they were heading that way. Jorge then went on to show me a tyre that had exploded, and inferred that the same would happen to me unless I bought a new set of tyres. The exploded tyre was not a pleasant sight, but it did help me to understand the problem.

Apparently, the performance of tyres deteriorates with age, because they contain anti-oxidising chemicals to slow the rate of ageing, but they need to be in use to be effective. My low mileage vehicle was deteriorating on the roadside, and because of the intensity of the sun and heat, the ageing process was accelerated, making the tyres unroadworthy. Low mileage, older cars tend to be at most risk from premature ageing, explained Jorge, continuing with a sharp intake of breath and shaking his head.

Of course, the age of a tyre and when it should be replaced depends upon many factors, but Jorge reckons that 6 years is about the age limit in a hot country. Living on an island, we also have a particular problem in that tyres rarely reach the end of their life based upon the depth of tread alone. Distances tend to be short and expats, retired or otherwise, do not travel very far in a year.

Jorge pointed out that the date that tyres are made is clearly inscribed on the wall of the tyre, in the form of four numbers. These numbers indicate the year and week number that it was made; for example 2612 will be week 26 of 2012. This information can also be used to ensure that you are buying tyres with the longest shelf life possible.

Jorge had successfully made his point and I reluctantly agreed to buy four new tyres. I handed over my credit card, but I am now pleased that I did so since tyres are the only contact that there is between the driver and the perils of the motorway. I think it was a good investment.

If you enjoyed this article, take a look at Barrie’s websites: www.barriemahoney.com and www.thecanaryislander.com or read his latest book, ‘Escape to the

Sun’ (ISBN: 9780957544444). Available as paperback, Kindle and iBooks. iPhone/iPad and Android Apps: ExpatInfo, CanaryIsle and CanaryGay now

available.

TwiTTers from The ATlAnTic © Barrie Mahoney

exPATs & TyRe sAfeTyBarrie Mahoney was a head teacher and school inspector in the UK, as well as a reporter in Spain, before moving to the Canary Islands to launch

and edit a new English language newspaper. He enjoys life in the sun as a columnist and author, and continues to write a series of popular novels, books for expats, as well as designing mobile apps and websites to promote the Canary Islands.


2014

Ever had trouble deciphering the instructions on packaged foods? See if any of the following translations are helpful if you want to cook - cocinar (coh-see-NAR) - when in la cocina – the kitchen.

Asking diRecTionsI´m lost! Estoy perdido (man speaking) or perdida (from a woman) ¿Cómo llego a Fataga desde aquí? How do I get to Fataga from here? Or: ¿Vamos bien para Agaete? Are we going the right way for Agaete?

You might hear: Sigue todo recto - carry straight on, or: necesitas girar a la derecha - you need to turn right.

Da la vuelta – turn around - en la primera rotunda - at the the first roundabout.

Toma la primera/segunda calle - take the first/second road - a la izquierda (ees-kee-AIR-dah) – on the left.

Sigue hasta la gasolinera– continue until the gas station.

Pasarás por un centro comercial – you´ll pass by a shop-ping centre - a mano izquierda - on your left-hand side.

Verás unos semáforos- you will see some traffic lights - con una señal para Las Palmas - with a sign for Las Pal-mas.

en lA guAguA – on The BusYou might want to ask the driver how much it is to your destination: ¿Cuánto es para Maspalomas? And to let you know when you arrive at your hotel: ¿Puede avisarme cuando llegue al Hotel Broncemar? To ask which bus number you need: Perdona, ¿qué número necesito para Puerto Mogan? Or how long the journey will take: ¿Cuánto tiempo para llegar a Arinaga? To check you´re getting off in the right place, try: Bajo aquí para Palmitos Parque, ¿no? I get off (lit: get down) here for Palmitos Park, right? If you´re not there yet, the driver – el conduc-tor – might say: es la próxima parada – it´s the next stop, while la última parada means the last stop.

For bus routes and timetables, see: www.globalsu.net and click on the British flag to change to English. Or telephone global buses on: 928 25 26 30 (8am to 9pm).

Viva Spanglish: language Exchange at Amigos, Playa del Inglés

spanish lesson 85 with Theresa Coe

going PlAces... geTTing ARound


2014

en el TAxiGive your location if calling a taxi: Estoy en la parada de taxis del supermercado Mercadona (I´m at the super-market taxi rank). Then say ‘I´m going to….’: Voy al… hotel Costa Meloneras. Puede parar aquí means ‘you can stop here’. If you hear, ¿Prefieres ir por el centro o por fuera? It means ‘Do you prefer to go through the centre or round the outskirts?’ La calle está cerrada means the road is closed. Finally, ‘Keep the change’ is guarda el cambio, though Canarians don´t usually tip drivers.

To call a taxi anywhere south of Las Palmas, dial: 928 154 777, or for reservations and prices, visit www.socomtaxi.com

cAMinAndo – WAlking¿Sabes dónde está esta calle? Tengo un mapa. Do you know where this street is? I have a map. Or if you need money: ¿Hay un banco/cajero automático por aquí? Is there a bank/cashpoint around here? Sí, aquí en la es-quina – yes, here on the corner.

¿Está cerca el mercado? Is the market close? Está a 2 kilómetros. It´s 2km away

¿Cuántos minutos a pie? How long by foot? Está a 10 minutos de aquí. It´s 10mins from here.

Free language exchange: Meet the locals!

Playa del Inglés: Sundays 6pm at Amigos Coffee, Av de Italia 15 - http://is.gd/LEGpdiAmigos

San Fernando: Tuesdays 7.30pm, Il Pic-colo Diavolo, C/Plácido Domingo, 12 http://is.gd/LEGsanfernandoIlPiccoloDiavolo

Arguineguin: Thursdays, 7pm in Bar Forum, Av de Lajilla, 13. http://is.gd/LEGarguineguin

Las Palmas: Wednesday, Friday, Satur-day and Sundays from 11.30am in bar ‘100 Montaditos’, Centro Comercial El Muelle - http://is.gd/LEGlaspalmasElMuelle

Tuesdays 6pm in Bar El Galline-ro, C/Fernando Guanarteme 130, http://is.gd/LEGlaspalmasElGallinero

Thursdays 6pm in bar Canarios Expres-so, Leon y Castillo 253

Arucas: Tuesdays 7.30pm at bar El Parque (behind the church in San Juan square) http://is.gd/LEGarucasElParque

Telde: Thursdays 7.30pm at Oasis Chill-out bar: http://is.gd/LEGteldeOasis

Spanish conversation club with Cynthia Blickstein Griner every sec-ond Saturday San Fernando 6pm. For details: [email protected]

For more info about language exchanges or Spanish lessons, email [email protected] or see: www.facebook.com/LEGintercambio

sept-oct 2013


2014

- Part Three

‘Just trinkets,’ Gavin assured me. ‘Imitation stones. Pretty enough but not valuable.’ That’s how he persuaded me to accept the gifts he brought back from his travels. I sit on the bed and take them out, one by one. Valuable or not, these are my treasures: a dark topaz from Mexico on a silver chain, an Egyptian collar in burnished copper, a bright blue butterfly clip from Hong Kong, bangles in red, violet, emerald, silver and gold, from Arabia. Ah, here’s my favourite, a brooch, a smoky amethyst set in a cloud of silver filigree as delicate as lace. That came from Burma. Or was it India? I can’t remember. My geography was never that good, Gran Canaria, the only foreign place I’ve known. I came here all those years ago and never left. Apart from one weekend spent with Gavin in Tenerife. He was always off somewhere exotic. For work, he said, not pleasure. I didn’t wear any of the treasures he brought me. Not in public. In the privacy of this flat, it was a different matter. I push up the sleeve of my blouse, slip on the multi-coloured bangles, raise my arm and let them fall along it, trying not to notice the sagging flesh falling away from the bone. I bend over, pull out an old suitcase from under the bed and lift the lid. Here lie the gowns he gave me: a dark green caftan with gold-thread embroidery from Egypt; a scarlet carnival affair from Rio de Janeiro with a riot of sequins, frills and flounces; a sleek, black-silk flapper dress with silver tassels. I pick out a red, blue and gold kimono, wrap it around me and tie the wide cumber-band neatly under my breasts. Still the same size as when I was young. Something to be proud of. A black wig and the blue butterfly clip complete the outfit. I take a few steps of a half-remembered dance from the weekend we spent in Tenerife. We stayed in a five star hotel. Very swish it was. The dancing didn’t start until midnight. After an early dinner we retired to our room and lay down on the double bed.‘For a little rest,’ Gavin said, blue eyes glinting, ‘to reserve our energies for later.’ I smile as I remember just how little rest we had, but we still managed to dance the night away. That was the only time I ever danced with Gavin in public. Oh no, once, at the Anglo Club, but he danced with other women too, so that no one would suspect there was anything between us.

We used to dance here in the flat. Small as it was, we coped somehow. I still have some of the old records we danced to, but I don’t play them any more. My old record player is past it and it doesn’t seem worth investing in another. Frank Sinatra was his favourite. Tony Bennett and Dean Martin close behind. How romantic it was. He held me so close I could smell the very essence of him. Not his aftershave, but the special mixture of manliness and sweetness that was Gavin himself. I suppose that’s what’s meant by chemistry, that special aroma which makes you want to touch, merge and absorb yourself into the very being of another person. More than once, Gavin said, ‘You are all women to me, my darling Ellen, all women in one delightful package. I need never go away again.’But go away again he did, promising that he would think about me every single moment of every day and that he would write to me often. He rarely fulfilled the latter promise. If I received one postcard during his absence I counted myself lucky. Arms placed on Gavin’s imagined shoulders, I continue to dance, whirling round and round until, a little giddy, I list to one side, put my hand out to steady myself on the dressing table and catch sight of myself in the mirror. The vivid colours of the kimono and the black of the wig mock my yellowing face, crinkled as parchment. An ageing drag queen camping it up at Carnival time in the Yumbo Centre in Playa del Inglès could not look more bizarre. I ease the brightly coloured bangles back over my wrist, pull off the kimono and wig, dump them on top of the other gowns, close the lid of the case and push it back under the bed. I will never open it again. When I’m dead, some stranger will no doubt find the suitcase and speculate as to where those exotic clothes came from and what kind of woman wore them.

Betrayedby Jeannie van Rompaey

Continued next edition. Find more from the author on JeannieVanRompaey.co.uk Previous chapters of Betrayed can be found on our website: TheCanaryNews.com/Writing


2014

A sighT foR soRe eyesKay´s Corner

Imagine yourself skiing downhill at 100 km an hour...oh, and with your eyes shut of course! Inconceivable?

Yet in the 2014 Paralympics Winter Sports, Team GB did just that - our girls taking history- making Gold, Silver and Bronze medals. All suffer the disability of visual impairment. What courage and determination to speed ski on snow

at this level, handicapped with severe sight problems – some competitors having as little as 5% vision.

Never having previously suffered from poor eyesight, and to my shame, even having taken good sight for granted I have now developed eye problems. Many of us may admit to times of looking without really seeing / listening without really hearing / touching without really feeling etc;

I have taken to walking “eyes down looking” for safety’s sake and am seeing many exciting things happening at that level; (being quite a tall gal it’s a new experience - already proving very rewarding.)

At Las Palmas Airport sauntering around the departure lounge, practising my ground strokes as it were, and negotiating manic people traffic, I spotted a dirty white folder being kicked along the floor by thousands of feet. I managed to retrieve said article and BINGO! It proved to be a Corte Ingles travel envelope containing 4 Air Iberia boarding passes. I hastened to the Iberia desk where upon handing them in, I was grabbed and ‘hugged to bits’ by four men apparently en route to an important business meeting. They had been searching for the folder for over an hour!

With just 6 minutes to get through the boarding gate, one asked for my contact address. I quickly presented my large print business card as he sprinted to join his colleagues. Two days ago I received package from Madrid containing tickets for a theatre weekend in London for two - all expenses paid. The accompanying “Thank-you” told me that the successful meeting had resulted in their having won a big contract, which they would surely have lost to competitors had they missed that flight. What a fabulous reward for a mere downward casting of the eye. Big Metropolis here we come!

Failing sight ‘sees’ my other senses fine tuned and a plus is that I have begun to marvel at nature in a new way. The well known “On his blindness” by the poet Milton, (who himself suffered degenerative sight loss) begins “When I consider how my light is spent...” has prompted me to do just that –i.e. consider how I really do use my ‘light’ and from here on in spending it as wisely as possible. Formerly an unobservant speed freak, I’ve now acquired the luxury of ‘the stroll’. Along my flower strewn coastal path sweet perfume invades my nostrils, and I gulp in sea air so fresh I feel I can drink it instead of just breathing...it tastes so good. The fashions of nature parade on the cat walk of creation, as daffodils, primroses and tree blossoms burst into bloom. Hedgerows and grassy banks are alive in a way I have not noticed before. Frogs mating, bird choirs chorusing, leaves whispering, an early- awakened squirrel nosing in the grass, a trout- ringed pool - and so much more. Awwww!

One definition of “A sight for sore eyes” is “Seeing someone or something that is very good to behold.” And that’s what I am now doing right now, if a little blurry at times.No longer regard-ing my disability as negative and restrictive, but rather consider-ing it a wonderful opportunity ‘to boldly go’ where I have not hitherto trespassed.

Many congratulations to our sight-limited Olympic medallists. I will never take ‘Gold’ in anything, but I do plan to be 100% com-mitted to giving everything my best shot, motivated by these amazing athletes.

As nature continues to colour her canvas I find myself reciting an old poem from my schooldays .

“The years at the Spring

And Day’s at the morn:

Morning’s at seven:

The hillside’s dew pearled;

The lark’s on the wing;

The snail’s on the thorn:

God’s in His heaven - -

All’s right with the world!” Robert Browning

Come join me on my woodland walk tomorrow? You don’t need to be losing your sight (though losing a few marbles might help). I’ll be the mossy bare-footed one with the beatific smile - just giving a tree a hug.

Now that’ll be a sight for sore eyes. KAY OWEN March 2014.


2014

Maria and James T (The Peach House) are our winners from last edition and get wine and a meal for two at the Finca Casablanca

1.Name the race horse who’s Name is a bad crime spelled backwards aNs redrum (murder)

2. what driNk has the NickName the water of life

aNs whiskey

3.from the clues id premiership team, Not old, fortress, together aNs Newcastle uNited

4.which moNth has the least days

aNs february

5. iN which pub game could you be kNockiNg

aNs domiNoes

6.the moNkees davey JoNes was iN which british tv soap

aNs coroNatioN street

7.which europeaN city did rock group queeN siNg about

aNs barceloNa

8.who delivers letters to greeNdale

aNs postmaN pat

9. who,s tv catchphrase was shut that door

aNs larry graysoN

10. what is the spaNish word for beach

aNs playa

Send your answers to [email protected] Text 626 641 537 or give them to Quinny himself if you spot him round Puerto Rico for a chance to win a prize!

Our lucky winner will be the first selected at random with all the questions correct, and gets a choice of either 100€ worth of advertising or a 4 x Farm Fresh Organic

Boxes from LOVE Gran Canaria.org Want to Sponsor a Prize? Let us Know. Quinny thanks you.

Who luvs ya baby? Wy Aye Like!

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

Quinny's Quiz

Last Edition´s Answers:

1. Which game bird gives its name to a scotch whiskey?

2. What nickname was given to a silver sixpence coin?

3 What colour are programmes on a monochrome TV?

4. What TV show had Bernie the bolt crossfire/goldenshot?

5.The edge and Bono are members of which band?

6. What is the Spanish word for milk?

7. The movie Long walk to freedom is about who?

8. What colour flag is waved at the finish line in F1?

9.What type of clock is Switzerland famous for?

10.From the clue ID the footy club strongroom for guns?

+ A VIP book full of local discounts from

The First 10 Correct entries each receive a CanarySaver VIP

discount book FREE!!


2014


2014

OUTSIDE PERSONAL CONTACTS REQUIRED FOR OUR EXPANDING OPERATION ON SPAIN’S COSTA DEL SOL

Experienced, outgoing applicants – either native English speakers and/or Russian speakers with good spoken English – are now required to work with

many of the most popular tourist attractions and retail outlets on the Costa del Sol, sending qualified day tours to our superb resorts near Fuengirola.

RELOCATE TO MAINLAND SPAIN IN TIME FOR THE SEASONMAXIMISE YOUR EARNINGS THIS YEAR

Smart, highly motivated individuals could receive 1 month’s accommodation, an employment contract and OTE €2000 pcm, inc. commissions.

Call Steve Millard or Michelle Hunt NOW on: 0034 649 082 997Or email: [email protected]

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