Last night I was watching the men from the Caribbean islands take home the medals for the fastest runners in the world. Tonight the ladies did the same. Five out of the top six fastest men and women on the planet come from this small group of islands. It has been like this for many a year. What do they do to get so fast? What do they eat to become so fast? Do they drink something different to us? Something goes on in those islands, especially Jamaica and Barbados, and I´d like to know what it´s all about. They also look wickedly happy and are fiendishly good looking. Something is definitely going on. Perhaps it´s some kind o freedom?

One of my contributors might have the answer. Alan G, writing from England, says-

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL MY FRIENDS WHO WERE BORN IN THE 1930′s 1940′s, 50′s, 60′s and early 70′s !

Then he gives us the reasons why we should be congratulated…..First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they carried us and lived in houses made of asbestos.     They took aspirin, ate blue cheese, raw egg products, loads of bacon and processed meat, tuna from a can, and didn’t get tested for diabetes or cervical cancer.

Then after that trauma, our baby cots were covered with bright coloured lead-based paints.     We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets or shoes, not to mention, the risks we took hitch-hiking.

As children, we would ride in cars with no seat belts or air bags.     We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.   Take away food was limited to fish and chips, no pizza shops, McDonalds , KFC, Subway or Nandos.- Do you remember Wimpy bars and their beef burgers?

Even though all the shops closed at 6.00pm and didn’t open at the weekends, somehow we didn’t starve to death!  God please close all shops on Sundays again.  Make Great Britain GREAT and the United Kingdom UNITED.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this. We could collect old drink bottles and cash them in at the corner store and buy  Toffees, Gobstoppers, Bubble Gum, Aniseed balls, Black Jacks and  Mojos.

We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank soft drinks with sugar in it, but we weren’t overweight because…… WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!!     We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.   No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.

What were we doing all day? We would spend hours building our go-carts out of old prams and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. We built tree houses and dens and played in river beds with matchbox cars.   We did not have Playstations, Nintendo Wii , X-boxes, no video games at all, no 999 channels on SKY,   no video/dvd  films, no PSP,    no mobile phones, no personal computers, no Internet or Internet chat rooms……….WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, bruised, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.   Only girls had pierced ears! And that’s all they pierced!     We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.    You could only buy Easter Eggs and Hot Cross Buns at Easter time…    We were given air guns and catapults for our 10th birthdays,

We rode bikes or walked to a friend’s house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just yelled for them!      Mum didn’t have to go to work to help dad make ends meet!     RUGBY and CRICKET had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn’t had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!! Getting into the team was based on MERIT.    Our teachers used to hit us with canes and gym shoes and bullies always  ruled the playground at school. Isn´t this what happens in prisons?

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!
Our parents didn’t invent stupid names for their kids like ‘Kiora’, ‘Blade’, ‘Ridge’ ‘Vanilla’ ‘Troy’ nor did they name us after the place we were conceived……..    “And we never had a whole Mars bar until 1993″!!!

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned   HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL !  and  if YOU are one of them…    CONGRATULATIONS! Maybe you could show this to your kids so they will know how brave their parents were!

I think Alan has a few good points here even if it has been going round the internet for some twenty years! Let´s get tomorrow´s weather. The price to pay for the return of this great weather is that the Valencian Community is on yellow alert for fires.

Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
29° C | 21° C	30° C | 22° C	29° C | 20° C	29° C | 20° C	29° C | 20° C
Clear

If you´re coming to Spain then the weather could not be better for your holiday.   Let´s direct you to the latest Spanish news. Incidentally, I have just seen an advert to help us learn Spanish in ten days. You must be joking! Here´s our word to help you on your way……

Word of the Day

Confiar Cohn-fyarr’  (Intransitive verb)

to trust; to be confident (in someone/something)

EXAMPLES

No confio en el chico nuevo. – I don’t trust the new guy.

Confiamos en poder llevarlo a cabo. – I’m confident that we can do it.

For more information and examples, visit the SpanishDict.com entry for Confiar.

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I´ve just been watching another episode of the Street by Jimmy McGovern on the BBC. What a terrific piece of drama. It involved one of the families in a real tear jerker. The father is no oil-painting but a good steady family man working in a taxi despatch office. His wife had to go to stay with her father who had a stroke. Put simply, a very plain woman in the office talked him into staying the night. Nothing too sensual but a fact of life. Two lonely people as Engelbert sang in the Last Waltz. His wife got back early and found him out. He takes her out for a meal and tries to tell her what has happened. She then has an asthma attack and dies. Her funeral is a great piece of BBC tragi-drama and the actors play a great piece. If you haven´t seen the series I urge you to have a peep.

In case you are missing the World Athletics Championships from Berlin but can get BBC1….press the red button and scroll down to the Sports multi-screen. You will find the highlights and often the live action.

Last night I had the privilege of watching the fastest man in the World, Usain Bolt, break the world record for the 100 metres. He was incredible and is feted around the world because of his talent. The second, Tyson Gay, beat the American record and he is also a celebrity. Third in the race was Yusufa Powell and he was introduced to the new ladies´World Champion, Jessica Ennis. She has had a brilliant gamesw and is now a celebrity. My point is this. Watching Powell´s reaction to then introduction made me think of what Jessica has done to win her medal. Seven different events and in very different disciplines. She has well and truly deserved her new status.
The weather has been roasting hot and we have had a lot of the Sahara sand that falls clogging up the pool. Let´s see what the week has in store for us.

dom

30 °C | 21 °C

lun

29 °C | 20 °C

mar

29 °C | 22 °C

mié

29 °C | 21 °C

I´m always getting really interesting snippets in my mail and I like to pass on the gems when I get them. Here´s a link to the seven steps used by effective people. It´s a very short video and well explained.

The Premiership got off to an interesting start. Chelsea needed six extra minutes to beat Hull whilst Manchester United could only beat Birmingham by a Rooney goal. Liverpool looked thoroughly unprepared and my two unfavourites, Lucas Lavar and Voronin, looked like the Championship material they are. The big spenders, Manchester City got off to a flier and the best result of the day was Arsenal´s. They visited Everton and beat them 6-1. They could well be this year´s dark horse oufit. Elsewhere, Newcastle won and Sven notched up another big score with Notts County.

My good friend Rockin Dave Taylor has some nice new material for the collectors.

Rockin’ Dave has entertained ecstatic audiences worldwide and can also drop into his venues by parachute, with his “Skyjivers” parachute display team! It’s time to put on your Blue Suede Shoes and Rock Around the Clock – call the hottest name around in Rock*n*Roll, Swing Jive and Boogie Woogie. Here are Dave´s special links.   Dave was on my show and this is his description.

The amazing British Rock*n*Roller, Boogie Woogie Pianist/Singer, Rockin’ Dave Taylor, is renowned for his inimitable piano playing technique and an electrifying Swing Jive & Boogie Woogie beat. Rockin’ Dave, with his extraordinary custom-built Rockin’ Piano and magnificent show band, brought Hollywood stars to their knees on two consecutive years at the Cannes TV and Film Festival – Rockin’ Dave’s 1000-strong audience included Steven Spielberg, Charles Bronson, Val Kilmer and Richard Branson at the Austin Powers “The Spy Who Shagged Me” launch party! Rockin’ Dave’s stage show consists mainly of 1950s Rock*n*Roll standards as well as some of his self-penned numbers.

Here´s our Spanish word for the day….

Word of the Day

Acordar ah-kor-darr’  (transitive verb)

to agree; to remember (pronominal)

EXAMPLES

A las tres de la mañana, acordamos salir la discoteca. – At three in the morning, we decided to leave the dance club.

Si mal no me acuerdo, se llama Amalia. – If I remember correctly, her name is Amalia.

For more information and examples, visit the SpanishDict.com entry for Acordar.

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As always, I have a listener sending me a rather interesting contribution. This time it´s from Leapy Lee……

A laugh for pet owners…  A letter to your pets……for anyone who’s ever had a pet…This is best posted low on the fridge door

Dear Dogs and Cats

The dishes with the paw prints are yours and contain your food. The other dishes are mine and contain my food. Placing a paw print in the middle of my plate and food does not stake a claim for it becoming your food and dish, nor do I find that aesthetically pleasing in the slightest.

The stairway was not designed by NASCAR and is not a racetrack. Racing me to the bottom is not the object. Tripping me doesn’t help because I fall faster than you can run.

I cannot buy anything bigger than a king sized bed. I am very sorry about this. Do not think I will continue sleeping on the couch to ensure your comfort, however. Dogs and cats can actually curl up in a ball when they sleep. It is not necessary to sleep perpendicular to each other, stretched out to the fullest extent possible. I also know that sticking tails straight out and having tongues hanging out on the other end to maximize space is nothing but sarcasm.

For the last time, there is no secret exit from the bathroom! If, by some miracle, I beat you there and manage to get the door shut, it is not necessary to claw, whine, meow, try to turn the knob or get your paw under the edge in an attempt to open the door. I must exit through the same door I entered. Also, I have been using the bathroom for years -
canine/feline attendance is not required.

The proper order for kissing is: Kiss me first, then go and smell the other dog or cat’s rear end. I cannot stress this enough.Finally, in fairness, dear pets, I have posted the following message on the front door:

TO ALL NON-PET OWNERS WHO VISIT AND LIKE TO COMPLAIN ABOUT OUR PETS:

(1) They live here. You don’t.
(2) If you don’t want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. That’s why they call it ‘fur’-niture.
(3) I like my pets a lot better than I like most people.
(4) To you, they are animals. To me, they are adopted sons/daughters who are short, hairy, walk on all fours and don’t speak clearly.

Remember, dogs and cats are better than kids because they
(1) eat less,
(2) don’t ask for money all the time,
(3) are easier to train,
(4) normally come when called,
(5) never ask to drive the car,
(6) don’t hang out with drug-using people;
(7) don’t smoke or drink,
(8) don’t want to wear your clothes,
(9) don’t have to buy the latest fashions,
(10) don’t need a gazillion dollars for college and
(11) if they get pregnant, you can sell their children ….

I´ll get the podcast posted by 3 pm

The weather is beautiful once again and it is tempting to forget all the electrical storms, freak hailstones and floodwater damaging everything in sight. In the Far East China, Japan and Taiwan have seen the most utter devastation where thousands have either been killed or made homeless. Who needs enemies when Nature can do the job of killing us best of all? Let´s check the forecast.

Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday
29° C | 21° C	29° C | 21° C	29° C | 21° C	29° C | 23° C	30° C | 22° C

Where did Friday´s rain come from?  Here´s a rather nice link where my friend Rockin Dave will remind you of all those lovely bits of nostalgia like the old adverts and films and icons of times well and truly lost in the mists of time. Grab a Horlicks or a packet of Worthers and enjoy a few moments of nostalgia.

Here I go again. There´s two things that get me cross. Firstly, this link takes you to a little lady nearly aged 80. Some little feral female attacked her in her own home in Weston Super Mare. I have no time for these feral kids who are out of control. If she gets caught drop her on an island somewhere and let her rot. Sorry, I´ve no compassion for these swines. That poor woman has had two endure two world wars and this happens. I hope she gets over it but often this is the beginning of the end for the elderly once they´ve been attacked. For God´s sake look after the elderly and the sick and the young and the vulnerable. What the hell are people coming to?

Oh, and the second thing? Whoever designs the pages on the website…….Is it really necessary to totally ignore the story above the advert? I know it´s difficult but a little sense of decency wouldn´t go amiss.

Now on a better note. Here´s the flip side of the coin where someone got their hands on a mugger. This guy called Amevi heard cries for help as another older feral attacked a pensioner. He got hold of the swine and then he frogmarched the robber to a nearby church hall and locked him in an office while the caretaker called police. I hope he gets some sort of an award and I think you know what I´d like to happen to the mugger. In fact, he can keep the other feral company on the island and see how they get on together.

Have you been reading about the Tory toff Alan Duncan? I still say they´re all as bad as each other. The Tories bang on about being fair and making Britain a fairer society. Sorry but I don´t believe any of them. They do the job just to get the money and a 64 grand basic is hardly chicken feed or basic rations, is it?

Word of the Day

El hogar oh-garr’  (noun)

home, household; hearth

EXAMPLES

No tenía hogar por un ratito en sus veintes. – He was homeless for a while in his twenties.

Más de la mitad de los hogares en mi barrio tiene el internet. – More than half of the households in my neighborhood have the internet.

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Ian K from Benidorm reckons we need to fright back against the tide of Feminism. You judge for yourself but please keep me out of it….

I have to admit I cannot see England winning the World Cup on last night´s performance. The sloppy defending was obvious and the attack was lacklustre apart from Jermain Defoe.  Carlton Cole was good but not that good. Ferdinand was very ordinary and the overall performance was pretty ordinary.Commiserations, too, go to Scotland who were well beaten by Norway. After a shaky start it was back to business for Spain down 2-0 but winning eventually 3-2.

I was most interested in the lady suffering from Stendhal Syndrome . This causes confusion and irrational behaviour when exposed to fine art. She chucked her cup of tea at the Mona Lisa in Paris. I have felt the Mona Lisa is overrated for many years but I certainly have had no intention of chucking a pot of tea at her face. In the gallery, she is dwarfed by fabulous paintings and attracts ridiculous attention for what the painting really is. It is supposed to be the lure of the eyes and that smile which follows you round the room. My wife has a similar ability to see things like that. I think it´s called peripheral vision!

Is there really such a syndrome? Stendhal syndrome, Stendhal’s syndrome, Hyperkulturemia, or Florence syndrome, is a psychosomatic illness that causes rapid heartbeat, dizziness, confusion and even hallucinations when an individual is exposed to art, usually when the art is particularly beautiful or a large amount of art is in a single place. The term can also be used to describe a similar reaction to a surfeit of choice in other circumstances, e.g. when confronted with immense beauty in the natural world. Click this link if you want more information.

As to the tea for chucking I wondered which brew appealed to the Stendhal sufferer. How did she get right in front of Il Jacoranda to throw her potent brew? Thankfully, no harm was done and the legend lives on-smiling as usual!

It took most of yesterday for the weather to change but we have the sun back- let´s see how long it will last.

	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
29° C | 21° C	29° C | 21° C	29° C | 21° C	28° C | 21° C	29° C | 23° C

It would appear that we have another period of fine weather ahead and I can get the job on my wall completed! I received a lot of very interesting items in my mailbox today and the first gives you a really good number puzzle. Follow this link to see if you can see how it´s done.

I always know when my blogs are getting too serious. I get a VERY LIGHT-HEARTED look at a serious subject. Ian K, obviously a fitness fanatic, looked at fitness for us.

Walking can add minutes to your life.
This enables you at 85 years old
to spend an additional 5 months in a nursing
ho me at $7000 per month.
My grandpa started walking
five miles a day when he was 60..
Now he’s 97 years old
and we don’t know where he is.

I like long walks,
especially when they are taken
by people who annoy me .

The only reason I would take up walking
is so that I could hear heavy breathing again
I have to walk early in the morning,
before my brain figures out what I’m doing..

I joined a health club last year,
spent about 400 bucks.
Haven’t lost a pound.
Apparently you have to go there.
Every ti e I hear the dirty word ‘exercise’,
I wash my mouth out with chocolate.

I do have flabby thighs,
but fortunately my stomach covers them.

The advantage of exercising every day
is so when you die, they’ll say,
‘Well, she looks good doesn’t she.’

If you are going to try cross-country skiing,
start with a small country.

I know I got a lot of exercise
the last few years,………
just getting over the hill

We all get heavier as we get older,
because there’s a lot more information in our heads.
That’s my story and I’m sticking to it

Every time I start thinking too much
about how I look,
I just find a Happy Hour
and by the time I leave………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Next, we move to a medical insight.The moral of the story is that things aren´t always what they might seem to be and here is that salutory lesson……

The doctor said, ‘Joe, the good news is I can cure your headaches. The bad news is that it will require castration. You have a very rare condition which causes your testicles to press on your spine, and the pressure creates one hell of a headache. The only way to relieve the pressure is to remove the testicles.’

Joe was shocked and depressed. He wondered if he had anything to live for. He had no choice but to go under the knife. When he left the hospital, he was without a headache for the first time in 20 years, but he felt like he was missing an important part of himself. As he walked down the street, he realized that he felt like a different person. He could make a new beginning and live a new life. He saw a men’s clothing store and thought, ‘That’s¨what I need… a new suit.

He entered the shop and told the salesman, ‘I’d like a new suit. The elderly tailor eyed him briefly and said, ‘Let’s see…size 44 long.’ Joe laughed, ‘That’s right, how did you know?’  ‘Been in the business 60 years!’ the tailor said.

Joe tried on the suit; it fitted perfectly. As Joe admired himself in the mirror, the salesman asked, ‘How about a new shirt?’  Joe thought for a moment and then said, ‘Sure.’ The salesman eyed Joe and said, ‘Let’s see, 34
sleeves and 16-1/2 neck.’ Joe was surprised, ‘That’s right, how did you know?’  ‘Been in the business 60 years.’

Joe tried on the shirt, and it fitted perfectly.  Joe walked comfortably around the shop, and the salesman asked, ‘How about some new underwear?’ Joe thought for a moment and said, ‘Sure.’ The salesman said, ‘Let’s see…size 36.’ Joe laughed, ‘Ah ha! I got you, I’ve worn a size 34 since I was 18 years old.’

The salesman shook his head, ‘You can’t wear a size 34. A size 34 would press your testicles up
against the base of your spine and give you one hell of a headache!’

New suit - £300
New shirt – £18
New underwear - £6
Second opinion- PRICELESS

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Some of my contributors send me seriously nice items. I thank Michael A for the following……

NEED WASHING??
A little girl had been shopping with her Mom in Target. She must have been 6 years old, this beautiful red haired, freckle faced image of innocence. It was pouring outside. The kind of rain that gushes over the top of rain gutters, so much in a hurry to hit the earth it has no time to flow down the spout. We all stood there under the awning and just inside the door of the Target.

We waited, some patiently, others irritated because nature messed up their hurried day. I am always mesmerized by rainfall. I got lost in the sound and sight of the heavens washing away the dirt and dust of the world. Memories of running, splashing so carefree as a child came pouring in as a welcome reprieve from the worries of my day.

The little voice was so sweet as it broke the hypnotic trance we were all caught in ‘Mom let’s run through the rain,’ she said.
‘What?’ Mom asked.

‘Let’s run through the rain!’ She repeated

‘No, honey. We’ll wait until it slows down a bit,’ Mom replied.

This young child waited about another minute and repeated: ‘Mom, let’s run through the rain,’

‘We’ll get soaked if we do,’ Mom said.

‘No, we won’t, Mom.. That’s not what you said this morning,’ the young girl said as she tugged at her Mom’s arm.

This morning? When did I say we could run through the rain and not get wet?

‘Don’t you remember? When you were talking to Daddy about his cancer, you said, ‘If God can get us through this, he can get us through anything!’

The entire crowd stopped dead silent. I swear you couldn’t hear anything but the rain. We all stood silently… No one came or left in the next few minutes.
Mom paused and thought for a moment about what she would say. Now some would laugh it off and scold her for being silly. Some might even ignore what was said. But this was a moment of affirmation in a young child’s life. A time when innocent trust can be nurtured so that it will bloom into faith.

‘Honey, you are absolutely right. Let’s run through the rain. If GOD let’s us get wet, well maybe we just needed washing,’ Mom said.

Then off they ran. We all stood watching, smiling and laughing as they darted past the cars and yes, through the puddles. They held their shopping bags over their heads just in case. They got soaked. But they were followed by a few who screamed and laughed like children all the way to their cars.

And yes, I did.. I ran. I got wet. I needed washing.

Circumstances or people can take away your material possessions, they can take away your money, and they can take away your health. But no one can ever take away your precious memories….So, don’t forget to make time and take the opportunities to make memories everyday. To everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven.
I HOPE YOU STILL TAKE THE TIME TO RUN THROUGH THE RAIN.

They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them, but then an entire life to forget them. Send this to the people you’ll never forget… It’s a short message to let them know that you’ll never forget them.

If you don’t send it to anyone, it means you’re in a hurry.

Take the time to live!!!

Keep in touch with your friends, you never know when you’ll need each other — and don’t forget to run in the rain!

Books were my pass to personal freedom. I learned to read at age three, and soon discovered there was   a  whole world to conquer that went beyond our farm in Mississippi.
– Oprah Winfrey

I thought you´d like a nice quote from someone you know to start the day! Personally, I have had a very busy day today and have just caught up with Chico. Chico is a young German Shepherd who has grown about twice his size since we last met and is busy chewing his way through everything in sight in his owners´house.

However, like many other long-haired German Shepherds, he is an absolutely wonderful dog and if he keeps his temperament will be a wonderful friend and companion.

As the weather has been beautiful I have been pottering around in my flip flops. ´So what?´you may well ask. The reason I tell you is that I have been driving in my flip flops blissfully unaware I was breaking the law and I want to tell anyone else who is doing the same that I was shocked to find it is against the law. You can wear sandals as long as the shoe has a support at the heel otherwise you might pick up a fine. Moreover, if you have an accident and it is not your fault then the insurance company might well find a loophole from which to escape making a payment to you. I thought I´d just mention it before we look at the weather.

Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday	Monday
31° C | 22° C	30° C | 22° C	29° C | 22° C	28° C | 21° C	29° C | 20° C

The rain that appeared on the horizon now appears to be more likely over the coming weekend. With a bit of luck the job on the wall might just be finished.

Here´s a couple of events for anyone living near Altea. Firstly, there´s the evening of Saturday 9th August when Altea will be packed to the gunnels with people from all over Spain and beyond. This is to watch what is reputedly the biggest fireworks festival in Europe. Whether or not this claim is true is immaterial. It is a fantastic event and the crowds are enormous. I think you will also find it hard to beat the atmosphere enjoyed at this event where people of all ages mingle in a very laid-back ambience. The anticipation builds towards midnight and be prepared for a late night.

Event: Alteas got Talent Heat 5
“Who’s got talent??????????”
What: Night of Mayhem
Host: Alteas Got Talent
Start Time: 15 August at 08:30
End Time: 15 August at 11:55
Where: HARVEYS BAR

Here´s our Spanish word for today…..

El oro

(oh’-row) (noun) – gold

• ¿Te compró un reloj de oro? – She bought you a gold watch?
• Es buena idea invertir su dinero en oro. – It’s a good idea to invest your money in gold.

• Ni por todo el oro del mundo – Not for all the tea in China
• No es oro todo lo que reluce – All that glitters is not gold

For more information and examples, visit the SpanishDict.com entry for El oro.

19th – 28th September

The FESTIVAL OF CARTHAGINIANS AND ROMANS
Cartagena is a beautiful Mediterranean city in a unique setting in south eastern Spain. Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians and Romans, Byzantines and Arabs, all left their historical traces and forged, with the passing of the centuries, the idiosyncrasy of contemporary Cartagena.

It is a bright and cheerful city where the sun shines for more than 300 days a year. Its gentle weather, with mild temperatures in winter, and the beautiful, rich variety of its landscapes make Cartagena a place of extraordinary tourist appeal, where one can also find interesting ruins, XVIII-century castles and fortresses, as well as late XIX and early XX century modernist buildings.

Cartagena lives within history, but history is also alive in our city, so intensely that our people played a leading role in the events which took place in this region more than 2200 years ago, turning them into a unique festival in our country: Carthaginians and Romans.

This festival is based on the second Punic War and on characters such as Hannibal and his winning rival, Cornelius Scipio.  Celebrations begin with the foundation of Qart-Hadast by Asdrubal in 223 B.C. and end with the Roman victory in 209 B.C.   For ten days, all the heroic deeds which took place during the years of the Carthaginian rule, as well as the defeat and invasion by the Roman Empire are performed and brought to life  in an unparalleled atmosphere by locals and foreigners alike.  Troops and legions represent the scenes of events based on the city´s history and perform grand parades in which the costumes and armaments one would only expect to find in film productions are found on the streets.

In the second fortnight of September, Cartagena and its people relive history and revive it for ten magnificent days in which the heroic deeds of Carthage and Rome are remembered. The scenes are usually staged at the very place in which the event took place in ancient times.

THE CAMP
In a huge setting, the 50 groups (more than 5.500 actors) which embody Carthaginians and Romans decorate the camp and set up bars open to all the visitors.  In this way, the camp becomes a big city set in ancient times where the art and symbols of Rome and Carthage, Greece, Iberia and Phoenicia are found everywhere. Joy, hustle and entertainment are the stars of these nights where one can eat and drink by himself, share a wedding cake with Hannibal, witness the kidnap of a beautiful damsel or the invasion of enemy tents by Carthaginian and Roman warriors. The Carthaginians and Romans Festival typifies the way of thinking and acting of a city which has managed to blend present and past to light-heartedly re-enact those times.

Let´s get today´s Spanish news. I´ll lighten the proceedings with yet another nice story sent over the internet to me…………….

THE LOVING HUSBAND
A man had two of the best tickets for the FA Cup Final. As he sits down, another man comes along and asks if anyone is sitting in the seat next to him.

“No”, he says, “the seat is empty.”

“This is incredible!” said the man, “who in their right mind would have a seat like this for the FA Cup Final, the biggest sporting event of the year, and not use it?”

He says, “Well, actually, the seat belongs to me. My wife was supposed to come with me, but she passed away. This is the first Cup Final we haven’t been to together since we got married.”

“Oh… I’m sorry to hear that. That’s terrible. I guess you couldn’t find someone else, a friend or relative or even a neighbour to take the seat?” The man shakes his head…. “No. They’re all at the funeral.”

Catch my podcast around 2.30 pm

I spent quite a bit of time working in front of the TV last night. It was more company than main event and it was noticeable that after 9 pm all the programmes were about policing Britain. There was a very interesting show about the work of the police dogs. The handlers were seen working their dogs in control situations and then for seeking drugs and seeking baddies. The helicopters overhead were using their heat-seeking cameras to complement the number of police and dogs at the scenes of various crimes and the cost involved in tracking these felons seemed to be enormous.

Knowing that the magistrates do not seem to find punishments to fit the crimes it almost seems like a very expensive training exercise. However, it was no such thing and the work of the special units seems to be a never-ending race against teenage kids behaving in an anti-social manner or seeking out drug dealers.

The programme immediately after this show would have been about crime on Britain´s roads. As this is on every night it gets monotonous. Police in their police car are being interviewed about their job and we get to know they operate in a very powerful car. Then idiot joyriders are reported and the young thieves give the police the runaround whilst enjoying the luxury of stealing and often ruining someone´s nice vehicle. If the police do stop them they are often able to give the police the height of abuse and the police stay nice and calm for the cameras. I do not know how the police can be so pacifist when catching these vile tearaways who have neither respect for themselves nor anyone else.

By way of a change I watched Nick Ross who was undertaking a survey on our behalf around the anti-social parts of Oxford. There was a lot of huffing and puffing and the police trying to do their best whilst Nick Ross gave us an assessment of what was seen on camera. I suppose anything is better than nothing but I wonder whether these programmes are just a total waste of money. Is this productive apart from filling the BBC schedules?  I hardly heard anyone relate the origins of bad social behaviour to the poor parenting or non-existent direction given by the parents.

It would appear that the majority of the blame was levied on poor town planning and the numbers of back alleys which seem to attract bad behaviour. This is only a part of the problem that comes after poor parents and television in any ranking of blame in my opinion. Slums are never built. People make them and thus my own feeling is that the first priority must be made in getting the parents to improve. If many parents left school without wanting to learn the basics then where do the British go from there?

I´ll say it again. There are thousands of islands around the coast of Britain. As everything else seems to have failed or not been successful then why don´t the British Government dump a few of these tearaways on some of these islands. Just let them get on with their way of living and the rest of the Brits can get on without them. They could drop the odd food parcel from time to time and see how the trial progresses. A few sociologists could write a few papers and then everyone could be happy!

Thankfully, this is no longer my problem. Let´s find whether the sun will be with us all week…..

Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday	Sunday
30° C | 20° C	30° C | 21° C	31° C | 21° C	30° C | 20° C	27° C | 20° C

There is a bit of rain on the forecast and it might be with us on Sunday. In the meantime let´s look at our Spanish word for today…….

Untar
(oon-tarr’) (transitive verb) – to smear, to spread; to bribe
Examples:

* Se unta el molde con mantequilla. – Grease the pan with butter.
* Puedes untar mermelada en las galletas. – You can spread jam on those cookies.

For more information and examples, visit the SpanishDict.com entry for Untar.

Now you might be looking for somewhere to combine your Spanish vocabulary with a bit of fun. Now if you like tomatoes and cannot bear seeing them abused then please look the other way.

Officially called : La Tomatina this is the tomato equivalent to an uncontrollable bunfight. At Bunyol,  near Valencia,  is the Tomato Festival that has caught the attention of travellers. Every year thousands of people swarm into this little Valencian town intent on taking part in the world’s biggest tomato fight. The action begins at 11am as the first lorry load of overly ripe tomatoes are unloaded onto the street then for two hours everyone throws them at each other.This is just one way on ketching up on the latest gossip and it is advisable to bring your own hamburgersto get the best out of this prostate festival. Whichever way you look at it this is a very different way to protest a dislike of the humble tomato.

The Spanish have very different and contrasting festivals and The Mystery Play of Elx, or Elche, is one of Spain’s oldest and greatest cultural events and is truly a never-to-be-forgotten experience. The city of Elche is quite deceptive and you are advised to spend a full day to  enjoy both the city and this compelling Spanish Festival. To label the Elx Mystery Play as ‘a liturgical drama of the Middle Ages’ or a ‘Medieval lyrical drama’ is not really sufficient.  This is a  complex, theatrical and powerful production, held annually at the Basilica of Santa Maria every August 14th and 15th. I would be very surprised at anyone coming away from this festival feeling disappointed. Moreover, it is designated a part of world heritage by Unesco.

My last serious point today asks you to look at this video. This is the dangerous prescription of psychiatric drugs. I was prompted to add this to my blog today as there has been yet another mass shooting in the world. For many years now people have been prescribed drugs when they should not have been on them. Please view this very serious video and make your own mind up whether the drugs are too freely prescribed.

Let´s lighten the load….

When I was a kid I used to pray every night for a new bike. Then I realised that The Lord doesn’t work that way, so I stole one and asked him to forgive me.

I was doing some decorating, so I got out my step-ladder. I don’t get on with my real ladder.

I went to a restaurant that serves ‘breakfast at any time’. So ordered French Toast during the Renaissance.

A cement mixer collided with a prison van on the A7 motorway. Motorists are asked to be on the lookout for 16 hardened criminals.

A fella saw six men kicking and punching his mother-in-law. His neighbour said ‘Are you going to help?’ He said ‘No, six should be enough.’

If you were ever wondering what Sven Goran Erikson is up to click here.

Let´s catch up with the latest news in Spain for today. Today´s podcast should be ready by 2.30pm