The Granada News and
the Lecrin Valley News

April 2012

When we came to live in the Lecrin Valley in 2001 it seemed that summer started much earlier than in England.

But here we are in the middle of April and we have just had a heavy hailstone storm!

And what makes it worse is that I have already put my winter clothes "away" until next autumn.

I obviously should have waited until summer had actually arrived.

What do you do? How do you know when summer is here?

Thank you to each of you who recommends this Newsletter to your friends. I really appreciate it. You can either forward your own copy to a friend, or send me their email address and I will do it for you.

And if you have received this Newsletter from someone else, just pop down to the Feedback section at the bottom of the page and subscribe for yourself. That way you will get your own copy each month.

I hope you enjoy reading this edition...

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In this issue (click on the link or scroll down):-

Life in The Lecrin Valley

What's Been Happening in Granada and The Lecrin Valley

Los Limoneros

New Web Pages

Help Yourself To Health

What's on the web

Just For Fun

Items for Sale

Local Focus

What's On Next

Footnote

Previous Issues of the Newsletter

Feedback

Lecrin Valley Life As It Was

The Good Old Days in The Lecrin Valley

We were having breakfast with our Spanish friends Isabel and Juan recently, and we were chatting about the "Good Old Days".

Although some of the old days weren't all that good really!

But I was surprised at how similar the old days were in the UK and in the Lecrin Valley and Granada.

Maybe I should have known better.

For instance, from the north of England, my family used to use salt or soot on a brush to clean our teeth (this was before toothpaste was readily available).

Isabel and Juan used to use soap on a cloth wrapped around their fingers.

Babs and I really enjoy chatting about "what used to happen when.... and I am often surprised at the depth of emotions we can uncover and understand, even though it is all carried out in Spanish

Yes, in the good old days we used to make do with what we had.

The main thing was that we "made do", and we seemed to be happier with less....... but was this typical? What are your memories of the "old days"?

And were they good for you?


Do you have any memories to share? Let us know what happened

• The lions at the Patio de Los Leones in the Alhambra are currently have just been put back in place again after being restored and cleaned. There is still some work going on but you can now see how it will look when the renovations are complete.


• A 52 year old man was arrested in Granada for climbing onto the altar when a Catholic Mass was in progress. Parishioners restrained the intruder and kept him secured until the National Police arrived. The man was intoxicated.


• The new Granada Plaza Shopping Centre is expected to open its doors in 2014, generating 4,200 jobs in the process. It will be located at the junction of highways A-44 and A-92G, the extension of Avenida de Andalucía in Granada.


• The number of abortions that took place in Granada in 2011 was almost double that of the average Spanish abortions, according to The Health of the Andalusian as published on Tuesday 14 March.


• Frost and the lack of rain has affected the production of asparagus in the Granada Province. The result is a loss of 20% of production.


• Easter, the Christian holy period that ran from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, came and went. As is becoming typical, poor weather affected the turnout, especially in Granada city centre. It also meant that 25% less of candle wax dripped onto the roadways and streets of Granada. (What do they say about every cloud...)


• The Health Technology Park in Granada is about to start producing drugs 'made in Granada' for the treatment of rare diseases.


• Despite the cost of a divorce, about fifty marriages broke down every week in Granada province during 2011. It works out at an average of seven divorces per day.


• Nearly 500 small native river crabs are waiting to be re-introduced into rivers and mountain streams in various parts of Andalucia. This is part of the "fight-back" against the invasion of crawfish.

Find out how to replicate delicious Greek dishes for your family and friends.

We still have places left for the Greek Masterclass on Tuesday May 8th.

You will be working with filo pastry and making Aubergine dip, Green peppers with village sausage, Giant baked beans, Pork casserole, Beef stifado and Baklava.

There will plenty of opportunity for asking questions. The Class starts at 11.00am and concludes at 2.00pm when we all sit down and eat the food that has been prepared, along with any lunch guests you have invited.

Yes, you can also invite your friends and family to have lunch with you, for only 10 euros a guest. It is a great social and enjoyable day. Price per Master Class attendee is 40 euros which includes training, lunch, comprehensive manual and ongoing email support for your Greek Cooking.

Individual AttentionThere will be no more than six students so Babs can give personal attention to each and every person.

Cooking skill needed:- All Master Classes cater for people with all levels of cooking experience, from the most basic cook to someone who is very competent and who just wants to expand their knowledge of a different cuisine.

To book your place, phone (0034) 661 036 787 or contact us by email.

Recent research found that, on average, men take over 7,000 steps each day and women more than 5,000.

Just imagine that if each step you took caused a small muscle problem… but then you repeated that same "step problem" thousands of times every day.

You would soon have uncomfortable (and maybe painful) muscle imbalances and problems in your body.

These problems can be caused by the shoes you wear, and chances are that some of your shoes are doing exactly that to your back, or legs right now!

The good news is that it is simple to correct. Once you know how.....

To read more, go to Avoid pain and do not wear these shoes.

I specialise in:-

• Relieving back pain, and
• Overcoming emotional & physical problems to help get your life on track.

The theory is based on finding out what your body's rhythms are saying and the nap should fit in with that, according to Doctor Mednick.

I think it is a great idea, because in my case it would also help me to lose weight.

My body cycle says I should have my siesta at around 2.00pm which is the time we usually eat our main meal of the day.

I mean, it stands to reason, if I am asleep when I should be eating I will be bound to shed the pounds (because I would be sleeping instead of eating!).

But what about you, when is your best siesta nap time?

To find the best time for you to have a siesta, go to ....

The The Nap Calculator .

Two Irishmen were standing at the base of a flagpole, looking up.

A blonde walked by and asked them what they were doing

Paddy replied, 'We're supposed to be finding the height of thisflagpole, but we don't have a ladder.'

The blonde took out an adjustable spanner from her bag, loosened a few bolts and laid the flagpole down..

She got a tape measure out of her pocket, took a few measurements, and announced that it was 6 metres exactly.

Then she walked off.

Mick said to Paddy, 'Isn't that just like a blonde!

We need the height and she gives us the flipping length!


Ha ha ha. That's good, Combining a blonde joke and an Irish Joke is a great combination.

Do you have any jokes or funny happenings you would like to share? let us know what they are.

• 1st to 8th April Semana Santa (Easter Week) Granada City


• 1st April Monthly Farmers' & Artisans' Market in Melegís 11.00 hours


• 1st Procesión de la Borriquilla in Padul 17.00 hours


• 6th April Good Friday in Padul 12.00 hours


• 14th Trumpet Recital - Diego Arias Santiago, Padul 20.00 hours


• 15th Monthly Farmers' & Artisans' Market, La Plaza de la Iglesia, Nigüelas 10.00 - 13.30 hours


• 15th Third Mountain Bike Challenge "El Hornazo" starts at the Plaza del Ayuntamiento Albuñuelas 10.00 hours


• 21st to 23rd April Feria del Libro, La Plaza de España Dúrcal Saturday & Sunday 10.00 to 13.00 hours, Monday 10.00 to 13.00 and 17.00 - 20.00 hours

It hangs in our dining room and I don't know why, but I find it quite relaxing to just sit and look at it.

Sometimes I wonder where the track leads off to.

Sometimes I wonder where it has come from.

But mostly I wonder who might be living in the house on the left hand side.

However, I have noticed that no matter what I wonder - even if I just sit and gaze at the painting I get a warm feeling inside.

And I love it.

Lesley O'Brien, a friend of ours, is an artist with a great talent and I am wondering if you, the reader, would like to see a couple of her paintings featured in this Newsletter.

Do you have any favourite paintings you would like to share? We would love to see them.

Click here to Tell us about your paintings


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