Where does it all come from....?????

Apologies for no ’news and views’ lately, but apart from incessant rain causing all manner of devastation locally, there has not been too much to report.

My days since the beginning of December seem to be taken up nearly entirely by bailing water, clearing up mud, searching for dry logs to keep us warm and general wind/rain damage maintenance!!!

Although we moan about it, obviously, watching the local news on the Spanish TV, we have survived very well in comparison to some poor people who have lost everything....their houses and their livelihoods ... their crops!!

Many rural roads and main roads have sunk, fell apart or just disappeared, the Junta are estimating repair costs to be in the millions. Of the 84 reservoirs in Andalucia, which are at their maximum capacity in their history, 70 of them have had to let out water due to the unprecedented amount stored in them.....amazing when you think that in a few months time we will be frantically busy collecting water for our trees and plants to keep them alive.

On a slightly lighter note, so far today we have not had any rain at all and the sun actually came out...as you can see in the piccie...I don’t think we have seen the last of the bad weather yet but it is nice to have a day off!!!

Back to normal….

We are pleased to report that PlanE in the village is now finished and we no longer need to climb over sand heaps, avoid potholes or take the long route round because the roads are up!! The new roads, pavements and new sitting areas (see piccie) all look very nice and I’m sure that the water and sewerage is all working much better, having seen most of the pipes being replaced.

Despite incessant and very heavy rain for the past few weeks we are also pleased to report that the ‘new and hard fought for’ track is still in tact…surprise surprise!!

Doing our bit….

After what seems like an enormous amounts of rain over the last 2 or 3 weeks, today, we were able to get onto the land and plant our latest phase of tree planting.

We set out and planted a “copse” of Eucalyptus trees on the area of land below the pool area. We have had them sitting in pots for almost a month waiting for the weather to turn, allowing planting to begin. On the slope near the Aciano apartment we have planted various Cacti plants and also some Pine Trees.

We also replaced a couple of fruit trees that have not survived the last summer’s heat.

Not that we have counted, but we estimate that we have put in about 100 trees of varying types around the Finca since the house was built. So we feel we have “offset” some of the carbon emissions used by us and our guests to get here.

Severe Weather Conditions....

Poor old UK seems to be having a very cold time of it at the moment. We have watched some weather reports from England and of course have spoken to our family over there and we sympathise with you all.

The weather here, in Andalucia, has not been too brilliant either. We do not, as yet anyway, have arctic conditions with snow and ice but we have had more or less non-stop rain for the past 3 weeks, and when it rains here…it really rains. Apparently, the Malaga reservoirs are up to 60% capacity, which is enough water to supply the province for 2 years!! An almost unheard of situation but when you read that the rain which fell in the final 8 days of December was the equivalent to half a year’s rainfall it isn’t surprising.

Let’s hope the weather improves for all of us in the very near future…meanwhile keep warm over there, and bring on Global warming!!!

Ronda and our New Year’s Resolution….

We have decided that as we live in an area with so much to see and do, that we will see and do it this Year, having put if off for so long because we always seem to have so much to do here at home.

So to kick us off, on New Years day we decided to pop out for lunch and headed off for Ronda.

It was a little over an hour’s drive away and despite it being a bit overcast and rainy the views of the gorge on arrival were truly awesome.

We were amazed at the choice of eating establishments in the area of the Bullring and in the narrow little streets nearby. We found a typical Spanish owned and run eatery and the food was fantastic. No hesitation here in recommending Ronda as a must see place to visit if you happen to be in this part of Andalucia.

So one down and loads more to see and do, watch this space…..

Whoosh….there goes another year…..

The end of the ‘noughties’!!

2009 has been quite a busy year here in Abdalajis, starting with a long wet, quite cold winter which didn’t finish till April but then summer came in with a bang and then it was one of the longest hottest summers for many a year, and we were still enjoying swimming and dining on the terrace till November.

We saw the tiny village streets all dug up while total new infrastructure was being laid, courtesy of Plan E, and that we are pleased to say is finished and looking very nice too along with it’s nicely paved village square with seating areas by the ‘arches’.

We staged a month long protest with sit-in and hunger strike at the Ayuntamiento demanding town water and a refurbishment of all our tracks. This also was finally achieved and we are now enjoying a much smoother, safer drive up and down to the village although we are still waiting on the water…

On a more personal front we have welcomed many guests here, at Finca La Mariposa this year, along with the usual family visitors to the sun, all of whom we hope, enjoyed not only the glorious weather but also all of our amenities, our beautiful location, and of course our stunning views.

Let’s hope that 2010 and the ‘teenies’ are as enjoyable…for all of you too, family, friends and guests…A HAPPY NEW YEAR from both of us and Mutley too, of course.

Feliz Navidad….

Or Merry Christmas to you all from us here at Finca La Mariposa.

We have had a good year here, despite the economic doom and gloom, we were pleased to see that our bookings were on a par with last year (that is ignoring the booked out weeks for family visits), so a big thank you for all who visited us this year, and indeed our guests from previous years who still give this page the odd glance every now and again. (Hope you are not looking on Xmas day though, we are not that interesting…)

On the work front, here in Spain, there has been a massive decline in the construction work on the coast that was the source of a large part of the landscaping contracts carried out by Grupo Moscoso, my employers. We have seen our workforce diminish from 15 to only 4, glad to say I am 1 of the 4 still there.

**Newsflash** coming soon for the 2010 season. We are looking into the possibility of adding Wi –Fi to the facilities offered here, not only in the Aciano apartment but for use by the Pool bar as well, so watch this space and we will confirm it on this page when it is fitted and fully working, (yep we know, those of you, who know us, that we are dinosaurs when it comes to anything IT-ish, but hey gotta move with the times).

Here’s hoping that 2010 finds us all just that little bit more prosperous and sees an end to the big R that has blighted so many this year, cheers, Tania and Steve..

By the way … its not me dressed up, its only a Santa photo…….

Caminito Del Rey…

One of our local sightseeing favourites is about to get a brush up.

The ’King’s walkway’ in El Chorro has just been awarded a 12 million euro award for its repair to improve its appeal to tourists. The first instalment is to be given by central Government soon, with the rest to follow.

The walkway will be made safe and is expected to attract up to 1,000 visitors a day, who will have to pay a small amount (approx €5) to be allowed to walk upon it.

The walkway, which was built especially for and opened in 1921 by the then King, Alfonso X111, fell into disrepair and was officially shut in 2000, after a series of deaths from people falling down the 300 metre sheer cliff face it is built into.

So it is bad news for all you rock climbers out there who used to fancy a challenge on the decaying old one ( being fined up to €6,000 if caught), but good news to the rest of us who like a sedate little walk holding on to the soon to be fitted handrails….yep call us all woosie’s but even then there will be many who, when up there, will probably change their minds when they look down……………

On a more Autumnal note…..

Yes as predicted the weather has turned more autumnal, chilly nights with log fire burning, but the days to date have still been quite warm, making it still a pleasure working on the garden.

The good old faithful moto azada (rotavator) has been out turning over the soil, and we have decided once again to try our hands at growing vegetables. Our previous efforts did not prove to be overly successful but nothing ventured, nothing gained.

We have sectioned a piece of land off, within some ‘sleepers’, as can be seen in piccie, and have afforded ourselves the luxury of a standpipe to be able to water them more easily. In the past, with a delivery of water costing €75, we were loathe to do this, and watered everything with watering cans, but now that we collect our own water supply from the village, costing only a small amount for fuel and a bit of effort, we thought we could afford to be generous in the hope of some home grown veg.

To date we have peas, cauliflowers, cabbage and broad beans planted with some seeds shooting in pots for later planting. Let’s hope that everything (or at least something) comes up lovely in the garden!!!

Never ending Summer…….

I know I am going to regret saying this but we are still enjoying summery weather, here in Valle de Abdalajis.

Apart from a few cold, very windy days a week or so ago, when reportedly more than half of Spain’s electricity was generated by the wind turbines because the wind was so strong, we are still enjoying blue skies, sun and temperatures in the 20’s.

Apparently, last month, reached the highest temperatures ever for October, since meteorological information was first recorded more than 70 years ago, here in the Province of Malaga.

Some recent climber guests could not do some of the climbs that they had planned because the south facing rocks were too hot and they were destined to sit by the pool and have a swim instead!!

Having said all that, we did winterise the swimming pool this weekend because we felt we could not be tempted to take a refreshing dip in water temperatures of below 20, but no fear if any of you ‘diehard’ guests still want to swim we can easily accommodate you by taking the cover off.

Now watch the weather take a turn about!!!!

Road progress.....

Well a few weeks on, and a slight change from the hot summer days to slightly cooler autumnal days, work has begun on the tracks, as you might be able to see from the the piccie, which is taken from the top of the track which runs down alongside of us.

It is not asphalt or concrete as expected but compacted ‘chino’ and lorries and rollers have been busy up and down all tracks. It is much easier and a pleasure to drive on although it has obviously led to some disruption as certain tracks are unusable at times, but it has been quite an adventure finding different routes into and out of the village. One of the concerns now is that if we have another torrential downpour, will the ‘chino’ stay on the track or will it all get washed away? And secondly will it all have to be dug up again when the much hoped for water supply is started in January?

Last week there was a meeting called, to be held in Antequera for all the people of the small outlying villages and towns, telling us all that we still have the strength in our unity and the fight must still go on to get what is our basic right.

After the meeting there was a small party to be held at Antonio’s to celebrate the birth of a foal to Margarita, his now famous donkey.

V for Valle… and Victory…..

Well it seems that Margarita, the donkey, goes from strength to strength.

During the fourth day of the hunger strike a meeting was held in the occupied Ayuntamiento with the mayor and some politicians from Malaga. At about 9pm speeches were given from the steps, by the Mayor himself along with one of the politicians and a representative of us, indicating that the necessary papers were to be signed on the following day and we had won…we will get both improved roads and water!! You can only imagine the atmosphere with everyone cheering, kissing and hugging each other.

The following day we, the vecinos, eagerly awaited the return of the deposition from the signing in Malaga, in front of the town hall. At lunchtime they returned…..jubilant, with yet more hugging and kissing.

In true traditional Spanish style we partied all afternoon, with an impromptu BBQ laid on for the victorious, but hungry, hunger strikers!!

Hunger strike

As we creep into the second month of the Ayuntamiento occupation, 31 days in total, the demonstration has stepped up a level.

As of Monday this week, 8 volunteers (???) started a hunger strike. The Mayor, reportedly, has pleaded that the demonstration ends as a project to lay the mains water is underway, but the general consensus is to carry on until at least a signature is on paper.

I admire their bravery and commitment because I know despite how badly we’d like ‘town water’, I don’t think I could do it. We continue to spend a few hours each day down at the town hall, trying to always make sure that there is an English representative there, and giving the hunger strikers moral support.

Hopefully all will soon be resolved…..

The saga continues…

As we arrive at Day 26, of our occupation of the Ayuntamiento(Town Hall), there appears to be some light at the end of the tunnel but there are still a few obstacles in the way – most of them being political!!

With the help and guidance of Antonio Ruiz Ramiro, from nearby Higuera, we have had the OK from Torcal water for ‘town water’ and both an agreement and acknowledgement from the Junta in Malaga that work should and will be done on the tracks in the very foreseeable future.

Antonio along with his symbol of strength and power, Margarita the donkey, has been working with numerous other outlying rural areas for the past 30 years, endeavouring and in most cases succeeding in resolving their many problems such as schooling, housing, electricity, roads and water using similar strategies to those that, we in Abdalajis are using now.

It would seem that his success is now a thorn in the sides of the politicians of all parties, so much so that they are dragging their heels, and being as stubborn as the mule to which they are objecting to, in the all important signing of the appropriate paperwork for the commencement of any works.

It would appear that their inaction in the past is now causing them huge embarrassment. They are being put to shame by this poor man and his donkey, whose common sense, and generosity of spirit linked with remarkable leadership qualities, together with our local support might yet win the day.

For anyone interested in the wording on the logo for our campaign, it roughly translates to Fighting Together Makes it possible…let’s hope so.

The Plot thickens....????

Mobile phones were ringing all over the valley on Day 8 of the protest, asking everyone to be present at the Town Hall on Day 9 between 8am and 3pm, because the Mayor was to make a speech, at some point between these times, about what was happening with the situation of the road and the water.

I duly arrived at the steps and began my vigil, popping inside at 10ish for coffee and churros, and rumours were rife.

It would appear, according to the majority of rumours, that the commencement of work at the bottom of our track is not what we thought, it is in fact the Mayor’s protest to us ‘demonstrators’ making our track inaccessible …tit for tat!!! It was also reported that work on our track was not to be started for at least another month!!

Obviously we all waited with baited breath for the Mayor to put in an appearance and explain the facts to us all, in order to quash all rumours and speculation, and put us in the picture….. we are still waiting as Day 10 looms….

Well What Is This…

No, your eyes do not deceive you, it is a machine digging up the bottom of our track, I say track but it is the end of our track and the start of our new ROAD.

All our protesting has indeed had an effect, as bright and early Monday morning this machine arrived and set to breaking up the uneven concrete right at the bottom, that is the up side.

The down side is that the work is expected to take at least 6 months and obviously there will be a lot of disruption to our routine. With the road being replaced it means direct access to the village has been blocked, we now have to take an alternative route, It will however, definitely be worth the inconvenience in the long run.

Now the protest goes on we, and our fellow neighbours/protestors, are feeling pretty pleased so far, but we are continuing with our occupation of the Town Hall and are pushing for our right to water, everyone is aware however, that this is a much harder fight now, especially as the Mayor has dug his heels in and is doing all he can to oppose us. He has even been reported to the police for some of his ‘provocative’ remarks against us, which, I have to say, has made all the protestors’ will even stronger, so onwards and upwards….

Still Revolting….

Day 6 of the sit-in at the Ayuntamiento started early,having ’sat-in’ till midnight on Day 5, as there was yet another TV crew expected, who were to make a report of our actions

Word spread last night that they were due to arrive at 9am this Sunday Morning, so it was up early, get our weekly watering of the Olives out of the way, and high-tail it down to join the crowd.

On arrival it became apparent that the camera crew would not turn up till after 10am.

Therefore it was decided that breakfast would be a good idea to fill the time, the gas burner was lit and instead of the usual Paella being cooked it was decided to put oil in and cook Churros, for those of you unaware of this ‘delicacy’ they are deep fried batter rings that are very popular here as a breakfast option. So only being polite we joined in with the feast and washed it down with the strongest Coffee we have ever had. The picture shows the setting up of the burner.

By the time the camera crew arrived the ranks of demonstrators had swollen significantly.

Many of the organisers are convinced that our protests have resulted in the works on the road being brought forward with an expected start of Manana and in this case they are sure that means bright and early Monday morning, needless to say we will keep you posted…..

Sit-in begins....

Day one of the sit-in began…basically just all trying at some point to spend some time sitting on the steps of the Ayuntamiento. I did a few hours, early in the morning till lunch time, and it was quite pleasant just sitting and chatting, but frustrating too as I knew I should really be busy at home. Even the donkey Margarita, who is stabled right in front of the Town Hall steps, looked a tad bored….. But all a means to an end!!!

On Day two I’d decided to do a later shift by maybe going down lunchtime till mid afternoon but I had a phone call mid-morning …’Ven ahora…TV vienen pronto’!!! Apparently the TV cameras were going to arrive very soon and they wanted as many people there as possible……and yes we made the main news that evening - fame at last!!!

Day three I decided to do the early shift, go home and do some work and return later. The two men, supervising the whole thing, and one other set off to Malaga with a deputation just as I got there at 8 am.

When I returned for my second shift, I was informed that a lunch was being prepared in the Ayuntamiento, if I would like to join them at 2 o’clock. Very nice it was too… a Picadillo salad for starters, a lovely chicken and noodle soup, followed by fresh fruit all washed down with cerveza and we toasted our ‘leaders’ on their return from Malaga. It would appear that it was agreed that the tracks should be done, and work could probably start October!!! It would appear that the provision of ‘town water’ is improbable though. One out of two is not too bad!!

Our sit-in is to continue until all the paper work has been signed ….. I hope we don’t have to continue till October!?!?

Revolting in Campo.....

A few weeks ago, we were asked to attend a meeting of vecinos (neighbours) to discuss the possibility of us receiving ‘town water’, as opposed to having it bought up in a tanker, and also the possibility of having our track concreted or tarmaced.

Our immediate thought was, not again!!!! We have had numerous meetings and discussions with the Ayuntamiento concerning both these issues and have been told several times…pronto, pronto…(soon, soon), well their soon is much like their manana…sometime!!!

We dutifully attended the meeting, which was well attended, and thought maybe this time it might happen!! Two hombres (men) who are neighbours seem to have taken control and wanted the support of us all, in that if they give the Ayuntamiento a date by which to agree to our proposals and they fail to get an affirmative reply, that we would all be prepared to take action. It was unanimous ….SI !!!

As was expected, no positive response was given, therefore at yet a further meeting it was agreed that we would stage a sit-in at the Ayuntamiento.

Watch this space..!!!!

Top of La Liga…..

Well, they have only played the one game.

Sunday saw the start of the Spanish League, and Malaga had a tough first match against Champions league side Atletico Madrid.

So off I set with my new Shirt and Season ticket to cheer the boys on, well, not really I am more keen to see sides such as Real Madrid and Barcelona but it seems only fair to cheer the side you have a ticket for

Atletico Madrid started lively and for the first 20 minutes or so had most of the possession, but slowly My Boys in Blue, Malaga got themselves into the game.

Despite the Referee doing his best to upset both sides by blowing for a foul every time a hard challenge went in, one of the decisions even upsetting Resino, the Madrid Manager, so much, he was sent to the stands for ‘verballing’ the Fourth official just before the half hour.

Shortly after, Nabil Baha our no 7 scored with a sensational overhead kick, and Malaga seemed to grow in confidence.

The second half got even better with further goals from Manuel Torres Caburla No 25 on 63 minutes and Xavi Torres No 6 on 87 minutes, which for at least one day put us Top of La Liga.

Finished in Time?

Some time ago we reported that the village was in total disarray as Plan E had come to town.

For those of you unaware of Plan E, it is a government led initiative to stimulate the employment and economy of local Towns and Villages across Spain.

Virtually all of the streets in the centre of the village had been dug up at the same time making it look like a war zone, so that ‘infrastructure’ could be renewed.

But as the picture shows the plaza area outside the arches is nearly finished, not totally finished, but enough for the bunting and lights to go up and people to party as this weekend is our Feria.

I am sure there will be plenty of people who will be a bit on the ‘merry’ side falling over the remaining building materials, which, of course are less visible in the dark, lucky then we have a 24-hour paramedic based in the village….

Would you believe it?

Just as we were feeling pretty smug having saved about €150 a month collecting our own water, in the post, we got our first bill for the ‘council tax’.

We had been down and filled in the proper forms during the summer of last year, and were told it may take up to about 2 years to get a bill. So, are we lucky or not that they have acted so quickly.

It has to be paid in full by the 11/09/09. And the amount is…………… €187.12 for the whole YEAR.

Needless to say we are quite pleased with that amount, as by the time comes to pay, we will have saved more than that from our water bills…. Not all bad then……

Water Works….

Regular readers and previous guests will be aware of the water supplies to the Finca, but for those of you who are unaware, a quick explanation.

Since our arrival here some 4 years ago, we have been promised a supply of ‘Town Water’, which is mains water as is normal in the UK, and indeed here in the main towns and villages.

In the meantime we have been getting our water delivered by tractor and trailer, which is about seven and a half thousand litres at a time. In the time we have been here the price of which has risen from €50 to €75 per delivery.

We have been, for some time, looking for an alternative. We had considered purchasing a 1000 litre container and using our trailer to pull it up. The price of such a container was about €500 new, which we have to say put us off the idea.

Last week however, I came across somewhere that was selling once used tanks for €60, they had to be jet washed out, but as can be seen from the picture it is working fine and we are at last getting our water solely for the cost of the fuel needed to drag it up the hill, which means we can be less frugal and give more to the plants as they are getting bigger and need more feeding…

Malaguista…..

Christmas comes but once a year…… well for me it has come a bit early.

The other week when my daughter, Jo, was over there was an article in the paper about season tickets for Malaga CF Football club, who are in the La Liga and play teams like Barcelona, Seville and Real Madrid.

I said that it would be nice to watch these clubs live. So for my Christmas and birthday I was given the funds to grab a season ticket, so I am now a Malaguista which is the term for a supporter of Malaga CF.

Now those of you who know me will realise that I am an Arsenal Fan, (Gooner), so, I will as from now refer to myself as a Malagooner, with regard to footballing matters.

Many thanks to my two little ‘anklebiters’ for my early prezzie…. Oh yeah and I just had to get the proper clothing to wear when I go, this seasons new Malaga home top….

Dia de Ducha....

After all this time we have just installed a poolside shower. We had decided that we would only install one when we had the ‘Town Water’ running freely here at Finca La Mariposa, which, when we purchased the land some 4 odd years ago, was apparently being fitted ‘soon’.

We decided that we could wait no longer, so as the piccie shows, (thanks Jo, no one wants to see our wrinkled up old bodies) it works just fine.

So yet another finishing touch is at last done, ….now on to the next job, well maybe Manana…..

Lazy Lennie…..

It’s very nice to have some lovely garden areas now fully grown with plants, But what is lurking below….

The other day, whilst sat on the terrace outside the house, we heard a rustling sound coming from the front garden.

We had previously put Mutley’s food bowl down near the edge of the patio and saw a large green head peeping out nearby.

A few minutes patiently sitting quiet and still (yes, Steve can be still and quiet if needed!!!) produced this picture of a sneak thief who was after the biscuits in the bowl.

Needless to say Mutley’s bowl is now back in its usual position by her Kennel, which means she must walk that little bit further for a snack…..

Mirador…

As a follow on to the last entry, we did manage to separate Chris from his sun bed and treat him to a birthday lunch.

We took him to the Mirador Restaurant. Which is a very rustic, traditional Spanish eating-house that just happens to be situated lakeside on the road heading to Chorro.

It is easy to miss, as it is located above a tunnel on the route mentioned before. The food is always good and as can be seen the views are truly stunning, the picture taken without rising from our table, hence the name Mirador, which is View/ vantage point, depending on your dictionary.

The lakes are a favourite with picnickers, walkers, and of course water sport enthusiasts. The only water sports allowed are the non-powered variety, sailing canoeing, and pedaloes.

Even Chris took many a picture on the drive, and he is not easily impressed by scenery…

On yer doorstep…..

One of the things where we are very fortunate is that we live right on the edge of the Andalucian Lake District.

You know how it is, if it’s so near you seldom venture out to have a look, and as can be seen from the map we really are that close. We can in fact drive from here in the direction of Antequera, turn left and go around the mountain, straight into the lakes area en route to El Chorro.Returning back to home direct from there making a circular short trip.

Spectacular views are all around, it can be quite distracting driving along soaking up the views, we therefore intend to go out one day whilst we have family here, Chris has not seen this area before preferring to sit around the pool, but the promise of lunch may well be the encouragement needed to shift him from the sunbed…..

Who’s go?

One of the things we are grateful about here at the moment, is the ability to sit out on the terrace all evening after the sun has gone down.

Winter time it is sit indoors in front of the fire watching TV, but now the TV is off and we live mostly outdoors, obviously the pool is in constant use as a means to cool off during the day, but in the evenings we enjoy sitting out in temperatures in the 20’s.

As can be seen last night we were even joined by Mutley, who decided she fancied a game of Scrabble….. She was a bit stuck though, how do you spell bone….. Is it 1 n, or 2??????

Trouble in Valle...........

At the weekend we were invited to attend a meeting in the pueblo concerning the misdemeanours of our previous Mayor, Don Tomas Gomez Arrabal.

Regular readers might recall that quite a while ago he, the Ex-Mayor, had been called to court for issuing excessive building licences, and we were all lead to think that he had been rapped on the knuckles, demobbed and that was the end of it all…but oh no!!

He, and three other councillors, have been up before the judge again and are reportedly, awaiting sentencing…. possible prison sentences. The actual charges, vary depending on whom you speak to, some say it is issuing the build licences, some say it is allowing the houses to be built without architects plans!!

This is obviously very worrying for us ‘new builds’ despite what paper work we might think we have.. .. especially when you read so much about ‘illegal’ builds in the local press.

The meeting on Saturday, which was very well attended with about 200 people (only about half a dozen Ingles), was to rally support for the councillors and to encourage us to sign a petition asking for a pardon and their release. Another meeting is planned for two weeks time, so watch this space….. !!

Disculpen las Molestias……..

On going down to the village the other day, I was greeted by the sight in the piccie, basically the whole of Plaza de San Lorenzo was dug up and there were workmen everywhere.

Initially we felt slightly aggrieved because we had been told that the track from the village up to us was definitely going to be tarmaced last September, but when it did not happen, were told that the Ayuntamiento had no money left so it would be on hold until they received their allowance from the Junta.

After further enquiries it was revealed that the work being done in the village was being totally funded by the main Government. Apparently, Zapatero, the Spanish prime minister, has created a PlanE, whereby the Government, in a bid to stimulate the economy and employment, has injected money into communities all over Spain.

The money sent our way, in Valle de Abdalajis is paying for a total refurbishment of the main infrastructure, meaning unfortunately total disruption in the village for the next six months …… but it has given work to lots of people, for now anyway.