Revista

Revista
March/April 2013
1
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2
Dear Members,
Spring seems to be a long time coming this
year. We have had loads of Tramuntanas
and recently the temperature has dropped
dramatically.
Don and I decided to try and find some winter sunshine and went to Fuerteventura in
The Canaries. On Page 34, I have written a
short article about our experiences in particular the very good park and fly deal at a
hotel in Barcelona.
We had major changes to the first 2 events of the year.
Due to the Spanish Regulations regarding associations we changed
our financial year to run January—December. This meant delaying
the AGM until January. We had our meeting in the downstairs part of
The Sotavent. 11 members attended and there were a wide range of
discussions the minutes will be published on the web site shortly.
The second event of the year was our Valentines Day Dinner. There
is a full report of the event on page 16 together with lots of photos.
I am pleased to say that both events went very well.
Yet another change will happen on 1st April. Instead of our normal
Easter Bonnet lunch, we (in fact it will be me) will be organising a
picnic at Els Angels near Girona. Details are being finalised but you
can contact me if you are interested in joining us for a fun day out
Our “Cancer Awareness” activities are now starting to take off, see
pages 46/4. More activities are being planned so we should be able
to raise a significant amount of money. We will be talking to cancer
based organisations both in L’Escala and Girona to establish whether
there are any specific needs.
Clearly this year we are focusing a lot of work for “Cancer Awareness” but we do have funds available for other causes. If you know of
any specific needs in the Emporda region do please contact a committee member.
Best Wishes, Mary
3
Editorial
Firstly I would like to thank everybody for their kind concern over
Gail. We have had lots of cards, flowers and phone calls. We now
have to trek to Figueres hospital 4 times a week for physiotherapy
which is slowly helping.
We have a varied group of articles in this issue of The Revista. We
seem to be living in strange political times. Apart from the numerous
scandals in various countries in Europe. I feel that all the current
politicians have lost touch with the day to day reality that many people are currently facing. Nuria Heras from The Yes Language School
has written a thought provoking piece on page 12.
The situation with satellite TV is still ongoing. Geoff Martin has written a short article on his experiences of using internet based TV/
Radio.
It is nice to see Jacqy Harding is back with her recipes using Tarragon. I have bought some Russian Tarragon seed which I have not
grown before. According to all my books Russian Tarragon is not as
good as French so I will try and get some French Tarragon and do a
comparison later on in the year.
The changes in taxation reporting of assets is getting a great deal of
attention from financial advisers. Obviously they are trying to sell
their services but I do believe that you ignore this legislation at your
peril. The fines for not complying are punitive. The message appears
to be “If you are a Spanish Resident with assets abroad worth more
than 50,000 Euros then you must declare the to the Spanish taxation
authorities. There are a number of sales type seminars being organised so if you think you may be affected it might be worth attending.
……… And just to add to our woes there is an article regarding the
renewal of our residency permits on page 8. My thanks to Judy and
Des Sherriff for highlighting this article for us.
Do please contact me regarding anything concerning the magazine
at:- [email protected].
John Sienczak
DISCLAIMER
The British Society of Catalunya can not be held responsible for the legality, accuracy or quality of the services offered by the advertisers in the publicity of The Revista . Whoever engages any of the advertised services does so at their own cost and risk.
British Society of Catalunya no se hace responsable de la legalidad, exactitud o cualidad de los servicios ofrecidos por los anunciantes en la publicidad de la Revista. Quienquiera que contrate alguno de los servicios anunciados4lo hace por su cuenta y riesgo.
Baskerville Advisers S.L. Paseo de Gracia 63, Principal, 2ª, 08008 Barcelona, España
Tel : +34 93 665 8596 – Fax : +34 93 487 6054
www.spectrum-ifa.com
Resident in Spain? Worried about new
asset reporting regulations?
In respect of the new obligations regarding declaring Income Tax, that must
be adhered to by the 30th April 2013, Christopher Burke (The Spectrum IFA
Group) and Núria Clavera (Abogada) are holding an informative coffee
morning in Hotel Llevant in Llafranc, on Tuesday 12th March at 11am to
explain your requirements and the submission process.
Due to the severity of the potential penalties, Christopher and Nuria will be
available to answer any questions after a short presentation on the facts.
Assets to be declared include:
•
Accounts held with financial institutions
•
All types of immovable property (real estate) and rights over such
property
•
Shares and securities
•
Life insurance policies
•
Temporary or lifetime income generated from the lending of money,
rights or other assets (including immovables) to foreign entities.
All are welcome to attend, though to ensure sufficient refreshments please
RSVP to Michael Thomas on the following details:
Office; +34 936652828
Mobile; +34 655432574
[email protected]
Amsterdam Luxembourg Lausanne Paris Côte d’Azur Barcelona Costa Blanca
Costa del Sol Madrid Algarve
« The Spectrum IFA Group » is a registered trademark, exclusive rights to use in
Spain granted to
Baskerville Advisers S.L. CIF B-63/137.020., Domiciliación: Paseo de Gracia 63,
Principal, 2ª, 08008 Barcelona
Registro Mercantil de Barcelona, Tomo 35489,
Folio 170, Sección 8, Hoja B-269534
5
Correduría de Seguros No de registro RDGS J2306; Seguro responsabilidad civil
AIG Europe No 0131900503.1330
By bye BeebCould this be the end of life here as we know it?
Geoff Martin
I was at a party several months ago chatting to a (normally)
jovial Andrew Taylor….he casually introduced the sentence
“What are you going to do when the BBC disappears..” into
an otherwise innocuous conversation. As this seemed just a
throwaway comment-at the time I did not take this too seriously-he is a well-known serial joker (ask his wife Lynn!) so it
wasn’t until a few days later that I investigated his warning
and found to my horror that the BBC website was indeed
forecasting the disappearance of our favourite “Auntie Beeb”.
It seems all our UK favourite channels (radio and TV) are migrating to a new satellite which boasts an improved footprint
over Blighty but deleterious to all of us ex-pat Brits in Europe.
I don’t know about other BSC members/residents/ casual
visitors/holidaymakers-but if the BBC goes –I feel that a slice
of life here will vanish too!
How else can we sit here gloating in the glorious Spanish
sunshine while we watch cold British weather on BBC news
Catching up on Corrie/Strictly/BBC Brekky and others will be
impossible
The thought of having to watch Spanish (or worse still) Catalan TV fills me with dread!
“The Good Life” whether it be a repeat program or our ex-pat
existence will both disappear
6
Possible solutions
What is the answer then I hear you cry?
On your behalf I have questioned those” in the know”- Clive
Shaddick and Andrew Goldcrown-our two resident satellite tv
experts –they might perhaps be termed the two dishiest men
on the Costa Brava!?
Their consensus seems to be that at the present time there is
no way of knowing what the ramifications of the new satellite
will be. Current equipment might be ok –or a weaker signal
may need a larger dish.
An alternative I am experimenting with is internet TV. Clive has
kindly recommended a free internet site: http://www.filmon.com
which is excellent-it offers all the channels that may disappear
plus many other channels such as Bikini TV or Brain Damage
TV!
Also I have just changed my telephone and internet provider
and for around 18 € we get British-operated broadband;
cheaper telephone calls; cheap calls from the UK to us here
and internet TV-viewable on a laptop. Also for 160€ they will
supply a set-top box to view UK channels on our main telly. If
you want details of this please contact me.
Please note that to stream TV over the net your download
speed needs to be 2.2 Mbps minimum. If you do not know your
download speed-log in here to test it: http://ww.speedtest.net/ .
My speed in L’Escala is just about OK at 2.6 Mbps-which is
fairly pathetic as we have 70 Mbps in the UK!
Happy viewing!
7
RESIDENCE PERMIT (RESIDENCIA) The latest
Taken from Prestige magazine issued by Bank Sabadell
Do I have to renew my certificate of registration?
We have received a number of letters from European Union citizens residing in Spain who have the same complaint and ask the same basic question. “With reference to your article in the Autumn issue of Prestige about
the new requirements for European Citizens who want to reside in Spain,
you stated that persons who already hold the certificate of Registration
would not be affected. You pointed out that the certificate has no expiry
date and would not have to be renewed. Now the National Police office
here says the certificate expires after five years and must be renewed.
Even worse, they say that we must meet the new requirements to show
proof of sufficient income and a private medical insurance if we are not entitled to the Spanish Social Security. Can this be correct? (Various Letters)
UNFORTUNATELY it is correct. After five years you must renew your certificate and meet the new requirements. Yes, we said in the Autumn article
that persons who already hold the Certificate of Registration would not be
affected. We were wrong. When the new requirements came into effect in
July by Ministry Order 1490 0f9 July 2012, the authorities themselves said
that present holders of the certificate would not be affected because the
certificate does not expire.
Then they changed their minds and declared that it must be renewed after
five years. Some annoyed EU residents have already asked the information service of the European Commission about the demand. They replied
that the certificatehas no expiry date and does not need renewing. Their
answer goes on to say that, if the Spanish authorities are requiring EU citizens to renew their registration certificates, “This would appear to be incompatible with both the Directive and the Spanish transposition measure
(RD 240/07).”
Here they are referring to European Union Directive 2004/38 which abolishes residence “permits” for EU citizens, and to the Spanish Royal Decree 240/2007, which transposes the Directive into Spanish law.
RESIDENTS IN SPAIN MUST OBEY SPANISH RULES
If you wish to continue residing legally in Spain, you must follow the Spanish regulations, even if they are in conflict with EU rulings. So you should
renew your certificate after five years and meet the new requirements. You
have the right to protest to the European Commission.
Answer provided by David Searl, author of ‘You and the Law in Spain’
Many thanks to Des and Judy Sherriff who highlighted this article for The
8
Revista
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9
Garden Notes
John Sienczak
January and February are usually quiet times in the garden. Here in
L’Escala we certainly had some wild tramuntanas and the end of February has been absolutely freezing. Nevertheless, I have managed to sow
some seeds and most of them have come up. I like to sow and grow on
seedlings in trays/pots before planting them out. My cold frame is full of
Peas, Carrots, Onions and Leeks. I have also made use of my heated
propagator to raise some Chillies, Peppers and Tomatoes. The only issue now is how to keep them warm during this cold snap.
Last year I invited people to grow sweet peas in a competitive way. Only
John Sturgeon and Roger Arndell responded so instead we are just
comparing notes with each other. I have to say John and Roger are doing much better than me. They both tell me that they have had very successful germination and the plants are doing well. I have had a disastrous year. Very few seeds have germinated for me. I plan to take some
photographs of all our plants and will publish them in the next issue of
The Revista.
I enjoy trying to germinate seed from vegetables that we have bought.
Recently, I was preparing a meal using some of those large block red
10
peppers. Rather than throw the seeds away, I decided to try and
sow them. I am not quite sure why, but I decided to sow a whole
tray full of seeds probably thinking that most of them will not germinate. Lo and behold they all seem to have germinated! See picture.
I also am trying to germinate some Avocado stones. I think this will
be a long term project as nothing much seems to be happening yet.
The raised “Square Foot” vegetable beds are still empty apart from
the garlic which is doing very well ,despite the weather. I have put
some fleece down to try and warm the soil up a bit but I feel it is still
too cold to plant out or direct sow any seeds. Hopefully March will
warm up and I can really get going.
In the last issue of The Revista I was musing on whether the many
bulbs I had planted in 2011 would re-appear. I was clearly far too
impatient and the daffodils are all pushing up bravely as you can
see from the picture. No sign of many tulips yet, but again I am
probably being far too impatient.
11
JOBS, STATUS AND LOSING EVERYTHING
Nuria Heras—Yes Language School
Our country is going through hard times: the unemployment
rate soaring, mortgages cannot be faced, corruption is everywhere; and all these leading to no perspectives of growth in the
near future, despair, frustration and unnecessary suicides.
After more than 20 years of porno stars and mafia insiders in
the Parliament, Italians are excited about the new face appeared to battle over Berlusconi and Monti’s years of corruption
and technocracy: Beppe Grillo, a former comedian!
And I wonder: do we need our national Mr. Bean to face all this
nonsense happening nowadays? Do we need to clean up all
this political class and start from scratch? Spain was banned
from democracy for 39 years. Most of us do not appreciate how
hard it might have been not to be able to fight against something which cannot be changed, that has already been decided
or has no turning back. Our grandparents still remember it and
cannot believe we can be sitting on a sofa watching the news,
and not jumping out and camping in front of the parliament to
show our total disagreement with the incidents which have been
happening in the last months.
Betrayal, greed, bribery or illicit enrichment… seem to be the
most fashionable activities our politicians or some members of
the monarchy are taking up: people with a recognized status or
prestige, people with no need to be in the front pages for this
reason.
All these while other people are struggling to pay for their home,
people who do not see the light at the end of the tunnel, people
who could do with some help and understanding.
Yet none of these politicians have even thought that they can
resign,
…………………………..yes,
they can!
12
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We also insure:
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Boat, Investment plans, Community blocs, Cars, Bikes etc…
CALL US ON 972-221639 AND ASK FOR SAMMY THOMAS
Sammy Thomas S.L.U
Plaza Marqués de Camps 9-10 Entlo 1ª, 17001 Girona Spain
Fax: 972-204038
Email: [email protected]
Sammy Thomas SLU Núm. registre DGPFA J387GC Col·legiat Núm. 68554
Concertada Pòlissa RC Professional segons l’article 27.1 e) i acreditada la
capacitat financera segons l’article 27.1 f) (Llei 26/2006, de 17 de juliol, de
mediació d’assegurances i reassegurances
13
Albert Iglesias
Sale and repair of
personal computers
ADSL, Virus, Upgrades
We speak English
Call 600 66 10 67 (l’Escala) or
www.ALBERTIGLESIAS.com
C/ MORENETA, 4
17130 L'ESCALA,
14
15
Here we are again 14th February and it is time for
the BSCE Valentines Dinner/
Dance…………………………….
WHAT HAPPENED
NO DINNER/DANCE!!!!!!!
AN EVENING MEAL AT LA GRUTA!!!!!
HAS THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT ENDED????
WHO KNOWS IF THE MEMBERS WILL SURVIVE
THIS CHANGE
Well, we need not have worried. 48 of us arrived at the restaurant La
Gruta in L’Escala. June had organised the tables beautifully. A long
stemmed red rose for every lady and a neat little red parcel containing 2
heart shaped chocolates. The staff at La Gruta managed to get pre-dinner
drinks served and eventually we sat down.
As usual we had an excellent meal. The wine flowed along with the conversation and judging by the clean plates everyone enjoyed their meals.
Pat Sturgeon and Lynn Taylor organised the usual raffle and I think every
table managed to have at least one winner.
John Sturgeon had organised a quiz sheet for each table. The questions
certainly generated a lot of discussions on our table but it did not improve
our scores very much. Table 3 won. You can view the quiz questions at
http://www.bsce.ch/revista/Valentines-Quiz.pdf.
Mary Clark thanked the restaurant and the chef was given a well deserved
round of applause. Mary also summarised the up-coming events from
BSCE.
Overall another excellent BSCE event that I
am sure will be repeated in future years.
We managed to raise 277 Euros. Many
thanks to the organisers and everybody who
attended
John Sienczak
16
17
18
….
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Cancer Walk
23rd March 2013
Walk from L’Estartit to L’Escala
This is the 3rd year of running this successful event.
We need people who are prepared to walk and who
can give support on the day.
Please contact June Joyce at 972 77 2585 or email
[email protected]
GARAGING & STORAGE
INSPECTION PIT FOR HIRE
HOURLY, DAILY & LONG TERM RATES
Office hours: 10.00hrs to 18.00hrs
TEL: 972488749 & 972772746
MOB: 627014357 & 617918523
[email protected]
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COSTA BRAVA LADIES
Wednesday 8th May 2013
Robert’s Restaurant l’Estartit
Coffee Morning 10.00 until 13.30
You buy the coffee and the cake is free
Clothes and Cake Sale
Cakes
Jewellery
Make-up
Fashion accessories
Shoes, handbags etc.
Raffle Prizes
10% of takings will go to “Cancer Awareness”.
If you have a nice outfit you no longer like, wear or need
(must be clean) bring it along
with your name and price.
If possible please bring hangers
& clothes rail
Call Mary Hepworth on
972 66 78 56
21
March,
Gemstone : Bloodstone
Flower : Jomquil
The name of March comes from ancient Rome, when March was the
first month of the year and named Martius after Mars or Ares, the
Greek god of war. In Rome, March was the first month of spring, a logical point for the beginning of the year as well as the start of the military
campaign season. January became the first month of the calendar year
either under King Numa Pompilius (c. 713 BC) or under the Decemvirs
about 450 BC (Roman writers differ). The numbered year began on
March 1 in Russia until the end of the 15th century. Great Britain and
its colonies continued to use March 25 until 1752, when they ultimately
adopted the Gregorian calendar. Many other cultures and religions still
celebrate the beginning of the New Year in March.
The Anglo-Saxons called the month Hlyd monath which means Stormy
month, or Hraed monath which means rugged month.
All through Lent the traditional games played are marbles and skipping.
The games were stopped on the stroke of twelve noon on Good Friday,
which in some places was called Marble Day or Long Rope Day. The
game of marbles has been played for hundreds of years and some historians say that it might have been started by rolling eggs. In the past,
round stones, hazelnuts, round balls of baked clay and even cherry
stones have been used.
One of the flowers most associated with March is the narcissus (Wild
daffodil). Named after the boy in Greek mythology, who was changed
into a flower. Narciccus is also known as Lent Lily because it blooms in
early spring and the blooms usually dropping before Easter. It is the
main daffodil species of Britain.
March weather lore has many old sayings
'When March comes in like a lion it goes out like a lamb.'
'A dry March and a wet May
Fill barns and bays with corn and hay.'
'As it rains in March so it rains in June.'
'March winds and April showers
Bring forth May flowers.'
Editors Note: The most important thing about March is that it is my
Birthday along with one of my grandsons and my second cousin in Poland. In fact we all share the same 22
birthday.
April,
Gemstone: Diamond
Flower: Daisy or Sweet Pea
April was the second month of the Roman calendar, before January and
February were added by KingNuma Pompilius about 700 BC. It became
the fourth month of the calendar year (the year when twelve months are
displayed in order) during the time of the decemvirs about 450 BC, when it
also was given 29 days. The derivation of the name (Latin Aprilis) is uncertain. The traditional etymology is from the Latin aperire, "to open," in allusion to its being the season when trees and flowers begin to "open," which
is supported by comparison with the modern Greek use of ἁνοιξις (anoixis)
(opening) for spring. Since some of the Roman months were named in
honor of divinities, and as April was sacred to the goddess Venus,
the Festum Veneris et Fortunae Virilis being held on the first day, it has
been suggested that Aprilis was originally her month Aphrilis, from her
equivalent Greek goddess name Aphrodite (Aphros), or from
the Etruscan name Apru.
The Anglo-Saxons called April Oster-monath or Eostur-monath. The Venerable Bede says in The Reckoning of Time that this monthEostur is the
root of the word Easter. He further states that the month was named after a
goddess Eostre whose feast was in that month.
St George's day is the twenty-third of the month; and St Mark's Eve, with its
superstition that the ghosts of those who are doomed to die within the year
will be seen to pass into the church, falls on the twenty-fourth
April begins with a day of fun and jokes - April Fool's Day. No one really
knows when this custom began but it has been kept for hundreds of years.
The First of April, some do say
Is set apart for All Fools Day;
But why the people call it so,
Not I, nor they themselves do know.
Various April dates are called 'Cuckoo Day ' and some places hold 'Cuckoo
Fairs'.
Marsden Cuckoo Day in West Yorkshire is an annual traditional festival that
celebrates the arrival of spring. According to a local legend, Marsdeners
used to try to prolong the cuckoo's stay by building a wall around its nest.
Heathfield Cuckoo Fair in East Sussex is an annual tradition of releasing a
cuckoo to mark the beginning of summer. A tale of Heathfield Fair depicts
an Old Woman releasing the Cuckoo from her basket, whereupon he "flies
up England carrying warmer days with him".
Downton Cuckoo Fair is an annual traditional event held on the greens of
23
the picturesque village of Downton, south of Salisbury, Wiltshire. The fair
marks "opening the gate" to let the cuckoo through.
“Close up and Personal”
Roger Arndell
COMMON WALL LIZARD.
This is a very active lizard that
is seen in local gardens for
most of the year. They can be
seen in the winter months during spells of warm sunny weather. It
is up to 8cm long with a tail
over twice the length of the
body. In southern Europe it
has an extremely varied
pattern. It is basically
brown or grey with thin
stripes on the back. It likes
dry rocky places, especially sunny banks. It runs
on walls, rocks and tree
trunks and is the most
common lizard around
houses.
24
GREEN LIZARD
.
The photographs
of the Green Lizard were taken in
Central France. It
is up to 13cm long
with a tail twice its
body length. It
likes dense vegetation especially
with bushes which
it often climbs.
Eats some fruit
and even birds
eggs as well as
insects.
25
MOORISH GECKO.
This local Gecko is mainly nocturnal but
active by day in cooler months. likes
rocks, walls and in buildings. Will often
be seen lurking near lights to capture
insects. It is up to 7cm with tail about
the same length with pads extending all
along the toes.
From Wikipedia,
“Tarentola mauritanica is
a species of gecko
(Gekkonidae) native to
the Western Mediterranean region of Europe
and North Africa and
widely introduced to
North America and Asia.
It is commonly observed
on walls in urban environments, mainly in warm
coastal areas, though it
can spread inland - especially in Spain. A robust
species, up to 150 millimeters long, its tubercles are enlarged and give the species a spiny armored appearance “
26
Catalan News
Taken from The Catalan News Agency
http://www.catalannewsagency.com
Cowboys, criminals and superheroes: the main attractions at the
31st edition of the Barcelona International Comic Fair
This year’s edition of the Catalan
comic exhibition has chosen Westerns as one of its main themes but
also includes retrospective exhibitions
of superheroes like 'Superman', 'The
Avengers' and the 'X-Men'. Another
focus of the Comic Fair is the presence of authors and cartoonists from
last year’s edition along with different types of conferences and cultural
and artistic activities. International artists such as Manu Lacernet, Guy
Delisle, Liniers and Lorena Canottiere have confirmed their participation at the event which will be held from the 11th to the 14th of April.
__________________________________________________
_Works begin at Tarragona’s Paleochristian Necropolis,
the most important one of
the Western Mediterranean
Tarragona (ACN).- Restoration
work at the Paleochristian Necropolis of Tarragona, declared a
World Heritage site by UNESCO in
2000, started at the end of January
and are expected to end by May.
The Early Christian cemetery of
Tarragona is mostly a third century
funerary site, although it also contains ruins dating between the first (Roman times) and seventh century
(Visigoth period). It is located in the city’s suburbs, near the Francolí
River. It is the most important cemetery of the Western Mediterranean
and due to its importance and uniqueness, the City Hall has decided to
make it accessible to the public again. The space has remained closed
since 1992.
______________________________________________
Continued at page 29/…..
27
28
…./from page 27
The Mediterranean diet reduces by
6% the risk of developing breast
cancer
CNA / Elise Griset
Barcelona (CNA) - Researchers at the
Catalan Institute of Oncology (ICO)
have led the largest epidemiological
study conducted in the world about
breast cancer and nutrition. The study
has taken samples from 1992 to 2000,
including 335,062 women between 35
and 70 years old. Findings show that
the Mediterranean diet reduces the risk of breast cancer by 6%
among women and by 7% among post-menopausal women. Furthermore, for tumours with negative hormone receptors of oestrogen and progesterone, the risk drops by 20%. The study has involved 23 centres in 10 European countries and it has been published in the ‘International Journal of Cancer’.
——————————————————————————————
The Mobile World Hub is to open
its doors in June in Barcelona’s
technological district 22@
The platform, which is aiming to
become one of the world’s main
hubs for companies working within
the mobile and cell phone-related
industry, will start its activities in
the Catalan capital in June. The
Mobile World Hub aims “to transform Barcelona and Catalonia into
the best mobile framework” to enhance entrepreneurship, develop
business projects, attract talent, create knowledge and become one
of the main world centres of the mobile industry. In addition, it will
also work to make of Barcelona an international lighthouse hosting
the regulation and standardization bodies for the mobile industry.
The Mobile World Hub will be located in the MediaTIC Building, a
high-tech venue in the Catalan capital’s Poblenou neighbourhood.
The announcement comes five days before the Mobile World Con29
gress kicks off.
October 3rd 2012 Treasure Hunt/Car Rally and
Ten pin bowling tournament November.
We somehow managed not to report on the treasure hunt and the bowling tournament held last year.
It was a beautiful day when we all congregated in the Carrefour car park
in L’Escala. With his usual efficiency Andrew sent us off at intervals so
that we did not just follow each other around. Armed with our clue sheets
we set off and toured the lovely countryside in The Emporda. How Andrew managed to find some of the routes is hard to imagine. We went
through lovely villages looking at bus timetables, trying to find the names
of businesses and services that were on offer in various buildings and locations. etc The journey took us about 3 hours. We were all amazed at
how quickly the time went. We were met in the car park at St Feliu de
Boada by our 2 Mexican? event organisers pictured above. Not satisfied
with making us look for clues, when we arrived at the restaurant there
was a further quiz to be answered!
30
Nevertheless, we all had a very enjoyable day and finished up with an excellent menu del dia in St Feliu de Boada. A truly excellent day out and
many thanks to Lynn and Andrew for their hard work in organising the day.
After much nagging from both Andrew and Lynn, I was persuaded to attend
the Bowling Evening. We all had to change into “Bowling Shoes" and a
range of Cold Meats, Cheeses and Olives were served together with drinks
from the bar. We were all put into teams and the bowling commenced. In
my case the ball seemed to have a mind of its own and very few pins were
actually knocked over. The games were split over 2 sessions and in the interval we were served an excellent hot meal. At the end of the first session
I was last. Clearly my fingers had developed a knack and at the end of the
second session I was second to last! . Phil Hodgson then presented the
various prizes.
Whilst I am clearly never going to be a bowling expert I thoroughly enjoyed
the evening.
From the very bad memory of John Sienczak
31
The Revista Recipe
THE USE OF TARRAGON
Hello everyone. I hope you enjoyed the festive season. Now I wish
you all a Happy New Year and hope that it will be a good one.
For this issue I would like to give you a few tips on the usage of TARRAGON / ESTRAGON
Like basil and dill, tarragon has an addictive flavour – meaning that once
used it is hard to imagine life without. Tarragon is an
essential ingredient in the French fine herbs mixture added to egg dishes,
chicken, fish and shellfish. The best way to preserve is to pick the leaves
and let them dry naturally on a rack. Then store when completely dry in
an airtight container. Of course dried tarragon can be purchased in any
supermarket.
Tarragon vinegar makes an excellent mayonnaise for potato salad and of
course is an essential ingredient to a béarnaise sauce.
Just to whet your appetite I will give you a couple of recipes using Tarragon.
STEWED BROAD BEANS WITH TARRAGON
Serves 4
The ideal time to make this simple dish is when the broad beans are
young and tender but today there are a variety of beautiful frozen beans
which can be found in the freezer section at the supermarket.
You will need:
450 grams shelled broad beans
85g / 3oz butter
3 strips of lemon zest
Garlic +love – bruised and finely chopped
Leaves from 4 – 5 sprigs of fresh tarragon – chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper
This is what you do:
Bring a pan of slightly salted water to the boil and drop in the broad
beans. When the water is just about to boil again, drain the beans in a
colander and refresh under running cold water (blanching)
Gently melt the butter in a saucepan and add the garlic and lemon zest.
Stir in the broad beans and tarragon. Season with salt and pepper –
warm through and serve.
NB This dish is particularly good with spring lamb or boiled gammon
32
POACHED CHICKEN WITH LEMON AND TARRAGON SAUCE
Serves 4
You will need:
300ml dry white wine
1 small fennel- sliced or 2 sticks of celery – sliced
1 large carrot – cut into batons
2 sprigs each of thyme, rosemary and tarragon
2 - 3 bay leaves
100g / 4oz smoked bacon lardons
Freshly grated black pepper to taste
1 tbsp bouillon powder or 2 chicken stock cubes
2kg / 4 ½ lb whole chicken
1 onion – skinned and quartered
For the Sauce:
2 egg yolks
142ml pot double cream
Handful fresh tarragon – chopped
1 tsp corn flour
Juice of a lemon
This is what you do:
Put the wine, vegetables, herb sprigs, bay leaves, bacon, peppercorns
and stock powder or cubes in a large pan. Bring to the boil, then simmer
for 10 minutes. Remove any excess fat from the chicken and push it into
the liquor.
Return the liquor to the boil, then turn heat down. Cover and cook for 1 ¼
hours until chicken legs feel tender when pierced. Remove from the heat,
stand for 15 minutes, then lift onto a plate. Strain the liquor into a bowl and
pour 500ml into a pan. Boil to reduce by half.
Pull and cut the bird into neat portions, discarding the skin, wings and
backbone. Put onto a plate and cover.
Beat together the yolks, cream and tarragon in a jug. Ladle in a quarter of
the liquor, mix, then pour back into the stock and turn the heat down. Mix
the corn flour with a little water and add. With a wooden spoon, stir for 3 –
5 minutes until it begins to thicken. Remove from the
heat, then stir in the lemon juice to taste. Pour sauce
over the chicken and put the rest in a jug. Serve with
boiled long grain rice and a selection of green vegetables.
33
Jacqy Harding
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34
CHEAP PARKING FOR BARCELONA AIRPORT.
Mary Clark
Don and I decided to spend a week in Fuerteventura during February and the only direct flight was from Barcelona.
Hence we surfed the NET and came up with a good deal for Sleep
and Park in Barcelona. As we had an early flight this was ideal. I
would certainly recommend this if you can get the same deal. We
paid 89€ for Bed and Breakfast and a weeks covered parking and
free hospitality bus to and fro the Airport, at the Hotel Ciutat del
Prat, part of the Sallés Hotel Group, in Avda Remolar 46, 0882 Prat
de Llobregat 08820 near the Airport. This was a 4* Hotel with a
lovely bar and restaurant area , very friendly staff, the guy at reception was a friend of John and Cathy at La Clota.
We had a lovely week at the very luxurious Hotel Sheraton which
was a special deal we also found on the net via Tripadvisor However the weather was always windy, the restaurants were mostly
English with English staff advertising football matches apart from a
couple of lovely fish restaurants we found by the sea.
It is not an island I would recommend for a holiday although we enjoyed the pampering and the Spa.
35
Residency Issues And The New Reporting Law
By Bill Blevins,
Financial Correspondent,
Blevins Franks
Spain’s new asset reporting law, with the first deadline of 30th
April this year, applies to anyone who is resident in Spain and
who owns assets outside the country worth €50,000 or more in
a category.
There are many questions about who needs to file a report,
what assets to declare, what values to use, how to report jointly
owned assets etc.
Residency is an important starting point. The new reporting obligation is only imposed on Spanish residents. If you own property
but are not resident, it does not apply to you if you are sure you
do not fulfil any of the residency criteria.
Tax residency in Spain can be more complex than people realise. Many people believe they are not resident but actually are,
and so should be paying tax. This issue becomes even more
critical with the new reporting law, since the consequences for
failing to report are much higher than ever before – you can lose
more than the value of the asset.
If you were resident in Spain in 2012, you need to file your report by 30th April this year (in future years it will be 31st March).
You need to report the value of your assets as at 31st December 2012. With bank accounts you also include the average balance over the last three months of 2012, and with property the
acquisition value.
If you were not resident in Spain in 2012, but become resident
this year, you will need to report assets as at 31st December
2013 by 31st March 2014.
36
Tax residency in Spain
You are resident for tax purposes if any of the following apply to
you.
1. You spend more than 183 days here in one calendar year
2. Your “centre of economic interests” is in Spain
3. Your “centre of vital interests” is in Spain – i.e. your spouse
and/or your dependent minor children live here.
There is no split year treatment; you are either resident or not resident for the whole tax year.
If you arrive during the first six months, you are likely to be regarded as resident in Spain for the full calendar year. If you moved
directly from the UK you would also be regarded as UK resident
up to your leaving date, so you need to look at the UK/Spain Tax
Treaty rules.
If you move to Spain in the latter half of the year you will probably
be regarded as non-Spanish resident that year, depending on what
previous visits you made to Spain that year.
The only way to be certain that you understand all the implications
of the new asset reporting law, as well as the residency issues and
how to legitimately structure your assets tax efficiently, is to take
professional advice from an established tax and wealth management firm like Blevins Franks. With specialist advice you could
structure your assets to be tax efficient in Spain.
Summarised tax information is based upon our understanding of
current laws and practices which may change. Individuals should
take personalised advice.
To keep in touch with the latest developments in the offshore
world, check out the latest news on our website
http://ww.blevinsfranks.com
37
38
39
Through the Lens
David Brown
Generally speaking we want our photographs to be well focussed
and pin sharp. In this article I want to think about the things we
can do to try to achieve that aim.
We must consider the depth of field. If you recall a wide aperture
will give a smaller depth of field and a narrow aperture, with a
large ‘f’ number, will give a wider depth of field (dof). So once we
have determined what aperture to use what are the factors that
will affect the sharpness of the picture.
The real killer is camera shake. It can be difficult to hold the camera rock steady in your hand at slower shutter speeds. A general
rule is that you can hand hold the camera if the reciprocal of the
speed is no greater than the focal length that the lens is set to.
For example if the focal length is set to 50mm then the speed
should not be less than 1/50 second or if the focal length is 100mm
then the speed should not be less than 1/100 seconds.
If it seems likely that you cannot hold the camera steady then a
tripod or monopod can help overcome camera shake. Of course it
is necessary to ensure that the tripod or monopod is on firm
ground to start with. If you use a tripod extend the legs as little as
needed and if possible use only the thickest part of the legs. Also
if you can, try not to raise the camera using the centre extension
as this will lead to the possibility of movement particularly if there
is any wind.
A remote trigger device will lead to better results as there is less
likelihood of camera movement as you press the shutter. Incidentally you may have on your camera a speed setting called ‘B’.
This will give you an exposure for as long as you need. To use it
you must use a remote shutter release and the first press opens
the shutter and when you press again it will close the shutter so
there could, for instance be 20 minutes between presses.
(Continued on page 41)
40
(Continued
from page 40)
Why ‘B’. This comes from the old style releases with film cameras that
had a rubber bulb that sent air down a tube to release the shutter, so ‘B’
for bulb. If you must hand hold then look for some support such as a
wall, a car roof or even your camera bag. Make sure that you are standing with legs slightly apart and your left hand holding the underside of
the lens and the right hand the camera body. It’s the other way round for
left-handers of course. It may also help to wrap the camera neckstrap
around your arm to give extra support. Also keep the elbows into your
body and try to roll your finger onto the shutter release rather than a
push on the button.
You may also have a ‘mirror up’ feature. This will on the first press raise
the mirror and the second press will release the shutter. Raising the mirror first will allow any vibrations to die away.
Many lenses today use vibration reduction technology to try to overcome
camera shake and generally these work very well.
So in summary the secret to sharp photographs is stability. Keep the
camera as still as possible and use a tripod or monopod when necessary.
Source Metro News
http://www.metro.co.uk
Bungling council
workers have been
left embarrassed after
misspelling the word
Welsh on a road sign
in Shropshire.
The amusing blunder
was spotted by motorists in Shrewsbury after the sign was
erected by workers at
the weekend.
It was put by the
roadside to advise
drivers that the town’s
Grade II listed Welsh Bridge was closed on Sunday for road works.
Editors note: I know how easy it 41
is to make these kind of mistakes!
GOLF PLATJA de PALS
CANCER AWARENESS CHALLENGE
TUESDAY 9th APRIL 2013
ENTRY FORM
NAME
CLUB
HANDICAP
PLAYER
A
PLAYER
B
ADDRESS......................................................
Tel no: .....................................
Mobile no: ................................
e-mail................................................
ENTRY FEE
Members of Pals
Visitors
10€ Donation to Charity
40€ (30€ Green Fee + 10€
Donation to Charity)
ENCLOSED ENTRY FEES
............€
Menu del dia ....... places at 15€
............€
TOTAL PAYABLE
............€
Cheques payable to British Society of
Catalunya
c/o John Sienczak
C/VALL d’ARAN, 36
L’Escala 17130
e-mail: [email protected]
Tel42no: 972 774626
http://www.bsce.ch/cancer/golf-challenge
GOLF PLATJA de PALS
CANCER AWARENESS
CHALLENGE
TUESDAY 9th APRIL 2013
COMPETITION: THE CANCER AWARENESS CHALLENGE
START TIME: 08.30 SHOTGUN START
NO. OF HOLES: 18
ELIGIBILITY: ALL GOLF PLAYERS WITH HANDICAP CERTIFICATES – TO BE PRODUCED
HANDICAP LIMIT: GENTS – 28 LADIES – 36 PLAYERS WITH HIGHER HANDICAPS
ARE WELCOME TO PLAY OFF THESE LIMITS
HANDICAP ALLOWANCE: FULL HANDICAP WITHOUT SLOPE
TEES: GENTS – YELLOW LADIES – RED
STROKE INDEX: GENTS OFF YELLOW INDEX LADIES OFF RED INDEX
FORMAT: PAIRS STABLEFORD - BETTERBALL
MAX. NO. OF ENTRANTS: 100
ENTRY FEE: MEMBERS OF PALS 10 € PER PLAYER
NON MEMBERS 40 € PER PLAYER
MENU DEL DIA: 15 € PER PERSON IF REQUIRED
PRIZES: PRIZES FOR WINNING TEAM AND RUNNERS UP TO BE AWARDED AFTER THE GAME
COMMENTS / NOTES :
(1) EACH JUNIOR / PAIR OF JUNIORS MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY AN ADULT
PLAYER
(2) THE DECISION OF THE ORGANISERS WILL BE FINAL
(3) IF THE EVENT IS CANCELLED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER ANY GREEN
FEES PAID WILL BE REFUNDED
Cheques payable to British Society of Catalunya
c/o John Sienczak
C/VALL d’ARAN, 36
L’Escala 17130
e-mail: [email protected]
Tel no: 972 774626
Full Details At:
http://www.bsce.ch/cancer/golf-challenge
43
Health Insurance policies in ENGLISH
HEALTH insurance is probably the most important policy a family
can have. You may have money & belongings, but if you don’t have
a good health what use are they to us.
Get your health policy from as little as 35,41€ per month.
We’ll find you the best healthcare plan that adapts to you from
a wide range of insurance companies we work with.
So get insured with Sammy Thomas S.L.U Insurance Brokers.
Sammy is originally from Doncaster, England based in Girona
since 1990 and has a Master in General Insurance & Administration of Business.
We also insure:
Home, Business, Life, Civil & Public Liability, Accidents, Boat,
Investment plans, Community blocs, English & Spanish Cars,
Motor Bikes etc…
CALL US ON 972-221639 AND ASK FOR SAMMY THOMAS
Sammy Thomas S.L.U
Plaza Marqués de Camps 9-10 Entlo 1ª, 17001 Girona Spain
Fax: 972-204038 / Email: [email protected]
Sammy Thomas SLU Núm. registre DGPFA J387GC Col·legiat Núm. 68554 Concertada
Pòlissa RC Professional segons l’article 27.1 e) i acreditada la capacitat financera segons
l’article 27.1 f) (Llei 26/2006, de 17 de juliol, de44
mediació d’assegurances i reassegurances
V.S CAR HIRE S.L.
EMPRESSA DE SERVEIS IMMOBILIARIS
[email protected]
http://www.villaservice.info
Tel. (+34) 972 77 02 62
Fax (+34) 972 77 26 51
NIF: B-17343609
B.P. 40
Av. Montgo,10
17139 L’ESCALA
(Girona) Spain
Established in L’Escala since 1986
Holiday rentals of quality Villas & Apartments with full back
up from experienced staff
Supply of sheets, towels, cot, high chairs and anything required for a successful holiday.
Car rentals, modern air conditioned Fords, Pick up at airport, L’Escala, bus and train stations.
Villa & Apartment Sales
Villa & Apartment management for owners, regular security
checks on your properties.
45
Things Are Moving
Forward
We now have a number of
events planned and we are still
talking to more organisations.
April 9th—The Cancer Awareness Golf Challenge
Many thanks to Phil Hodgson and Maite at the Playa de Pals Golf
Club for organising this tournament. You can find details and an entry
form on Pages 42/43
May 8th Costa Brava Ladies Clothes Sale
Mary Hepworth is organising the event and 10% of sales made will
be donated to Cancer Awareness. Full details on page 21. This is
your opportunity to clear some space in those wardrobes!
June 9th Queens Birthday
Mary Clark is organising a Wine and Cheese party. There will be the
usual games and fun.
June 11 Tuesday Club Lunch
The Tuesday club have kndly arranged to donaye the proceeds of
their raffle to be held at The Costa Brava Hotel in Playa D’Aro. If you
would like to attend the lunch please contact Elain Kilvington
[email protected] 972 62 2940
June 13 Golf Tournament at Mas Pages
We are in the final stages of organising this event.
June 21st Summer Ball
Set in the magnificent gardens and marquee at The Lo Mirador Hotel
in Torroella de Montgris.
Contact Pat Sturgeon at:
[email protected] 972 77 2324
or Barbara Hanson at:
[email protected] 972 77 16 79
46
Some
Market Research
The Yes Language School has very kindly offered to hold
some Spanish and Catalan Conversation Classes during
June. There would be 4 hours tuition in either Spanish or
Catalan spread over 4 weeks in June. The cost will be 10
Euros per language. The tutors will be providing their services free of charge so all 10 Euros will be donated to The
Cancer Awareness Project. The courses will be held in The
Yes Language School classrooms in the centre of L’Escala.
In order to gauge the amount of interest please email us at
[email protected] indicating whether you would be interested
in Spanish or Catalan.
We are also looking at the possibility of holding a Catalan
Cookery Demonstration in L’Escala during June. This would
cost in the region of 12 Euros and would involve about 2-3
hours of cookery presentations and would include sampling
some of the food being presented. There may also be some
wine tasting. Before making commitments to premises etc
we would to gauge the interest level. So, if your are interested in the Cookery Demonstration please send us an
email to [email protected]
If you would like to volunteer your services at one of The
Cancer Awareness Events or of you would like to organise
an event do please contact us at [email protected]
47
Your professionals for the purchase and
sale of property
We speak your language
We have been in l’Escala for 14 years
We have more than 100 properties for sale
We have experience with everything concerning your property
Purchase and sale at the best price
Free valuation when you use our services
Planning and control of your renovation or your
new construction
We are an agent of one of the largest banks
We can offer you
New mortgages or re-mortgages
Property insurance etc.
Visit us in our office
Passeig del Mar 19
Telephone 972 77 35 97 or 666 760 227
48
Your Officers and Committee
Chairperson
Mary Clark
972 77 05 17
[email protected]
Vice chairperson
& Event Organiser
Pat Sturgeon
972 77 23 24
[email protected]
Treasurer
John Sienczak
972 77 46 26
[email protected]
Secretary
Roger Arndell
972 77 01 30
[email protected]
Membership Secretary
Barbara Hanson 972 62 35 25
e-mail [email protected]
Revista Layout/production John Sienczak
92 77 46 26
and advertising
[email protected]
The Revista Distribution
Barbara Hanson 972 77 16 79
[email protected]
Event Organisers
Andrea & Roy Speakman 972 77 42 63
[email protected]
Event Organiser
Alice Debbage
972 77 33 72
[email protected]
Event Organiser
June Joyce
972 77 25 85
[email protected]
Event Organiser
Lynn Taylor
972 77 68 89
[email protected]
BSCE Web Site
Des Sherriff
972 77 68 89
[email protected]
Cancer Awareness
Organiser
Maggie Watson
[email protected]
Welfare Organiser
Norma Trueman
972 77 49 03
Thanks to all our contributors
Thanks also to DIGITAL copisteria, Torroella, who take great care to
ensure that your copy of The Revista is crisp and clear
49
British Society of Catalunya Empordà Branch
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION FORM to December 2013
Name
---------------------------------------
First name(s)
NIE/NIF/Passport No.
--------------------------------------—————————————--
Name of spouse/partner --------------------------------------Address:
Street
---------------------------------------
Town
Province/County
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Postcode
---------------------------------------
Telephone/Fax
---------------------------------------
E-Mail
--------------------------------------Any other relevant details-------------------------------------(Next of kin in case of
---------------------------------------
Emergencies?)
---------------------------------------
Currently membership always runs from 1st January—31st December
Cheques, in Euros, drawn on a Spanish bank
please, payable to British Society of Catalunya or
transfer the money from your bank directly to Bank
Sabadell l’Escala account British Society of Catalunya
ES74 0081 0237
6800 0111 2415
50
Nik is a skilled tree surgeon College trained in England. Being a tree
specialist, his work consists of pruning, dismantling and giving advice on
trees. The pruning of the trees is done always respecting the biology
and architecture of the tree. He has a “Stump grinder” that is the only
one in Catalunya and there is only another one like it in the whole of
Spain. It has the advantage that can take stumps out of the most difficult
places where other bigger machinery cannot get to. If you want to
contact Nik call 616 400 184 or 616 400 173.
51
52