Gran Alacant, Santa Pola, La Marina, Torrevieja, La Siesta, San Luis, Quesada, Rojales, Orihuela Costa, Mar Menor

Look out for the baubles hidden

in this month’s edition for a

chance to win a lunch for two at

Portico Mar Restaurant

FREE

Every M

onth

Merry

Christmas and

a Happy New

Year!

For the expats...by the expats

December 2011 No, 90

December 2011

PAGE

3

The Jungle DrumsDecember 2011

Disclaimer

The Jungle Drums, its publishers, members of staff and its agents do not accept responsibility for claims by advertisers nor can it be held responsible for any errors in advertisements which are reproduced from poor

artwork, low quality electronic data or inadequate instructions for text or other layout features. Further no responsibility is accepted for any loss or damage caused by an error, inaccuracy or non-appearance of any

advertisement, although all advertisements produced are checked prior to insertion. We regret that we cannot accept responsibility for more than ONE incorrect insertion and that no re-publication will be granted in

the case of typographical or minor changes which do not affect the value of the advertisement. E&OE NO PART OF THIS MAGAZINE MAY BE REPRODUCED WITHOUT THE WRITTEN CONSENT OF THE PUBLISHERS.

The Jungle Drums Cif B54552880

The Editor

Have you got a storyWhy not share it with us, or just tell us what you thinkCall 966 923 796 or email office@thejungledrums.es

Advertise in Jungle DrumsFor great rates and quality advertising Call 966 923 796or email office@thejungledrums.esWe offer a FREE design service

The deadline for submitting adverts is the 21st of every month.

Inside this month’s magazine

Saving the few Tigers are almost extinct; every one must count

p4

The pooing man Getting to the bottom of a very curious tradition

p8

Health Surviving Xmas; plus can diet cure diabetes?

p10

It’s a wonderful lifeThe facts on the most famous Christmas film

p14

GardeningA plant that takes a starring role at Christmas

p18

Santa, bring me a pony Should you buy a horse; plus other gift ideas

p20

Skiing in Granada Sun and snow, Europe’s most southerly ski resort

p24

Who do you think you were A search in the past can give rewarding results

p30

Welcome to December’s Jungle Drums.

This month is all about Christmas so

we’ve stuffed the mag full of festive

goodies to get you in the mood. We

can help you with what to wear, what to eat, what

to buy and what to do this festive season. Plus,

we’ve taken a look at some of the more unusual

Spanish Christmas traditions.

Our health pages have gone all Christmassy,

too, with a guide to surviving Christmas - it’s really

a much more dangerous time of year than you’d

think. And on our animal pages you can learn what

to buy - and what not to buy - the animal lovers in

your life this Christmas.

Of course, the serious issues don’t go away at

Christmas so we’ve also brought you a story about

an Alicante animal charity that needs your help to

save two tigers and other wild animals. They really

are doing fantastic work but cannot do it alone.

And, finally, as Christmas is all about families, in

our nostalgia piece this month a local author

shares her experiences tracing her family tree and

offers readers a few tips on how they can do the

same.

Oh, and there’s a competition, too. Win a lunch

menu for two at Portico Mar, Moncayo,

Guardamar. Available from January 15 to 30. For a

chance of winning this great prize just count up all

the Christmas baubles in this month’s mag. Send

an email with the total to the address below.

Don’t forget, keep your stories coming in and let

us know what you want to see in Jungle Drums

next month.

Also in this issueLegal jargon made simple - in Spain - p6

Fashion - party wear for all ages - p12

Inspekta Gadget - latest crazy gadgets - p13

Food fix - party treats - p16

Spain’s best Christmas markets - p22

In Gear - Saab 9-4X - p26

Computers - Kindle part 2 - p28

Just for laughs - caption competition and jokes - p30

Crossword - p34, Horoscopes - p35

A right roaring read!

PAGE

4

The Jungle Drums December 2011

The Jungle Drums - Tel: 966 923 796

EndangeredThey may be dying out in the wild, but in captivity tigersare being condemned to death. Amanda Black found thatan Alicante charity is trying to stop all that...

There are fewer than 3500 tigers left in

the wild, and in the past 100 years their

numbers have plummeted an astonishing

95 per cent.

So it is particularly tragic when healthy

young tigers in captivity are condemned to

death.

This was the awful fate that awaited

Neo, a Siberian tiger left behind at Vergel

Safari Park, Valencia, when it closed down

earlier this year.

Unable to find a new home for the four-

year-old, 300 kilo male tiger, his owners

sought permission to have him destroyed.

Permission was granted, a deadline was

set and time ran out.

With a vet on standby to administer the

fatal shot, Neo received a last minute

reprieve thanks to a small wild animal

charity in Alicante

named ROAL.

Although ROAL is

itself struggling for

survival in the current

economic climate,

the charity’s president and founder, Raúl

Merida, could not bear to see such a

magnificent and endangered animal killed.

“It’s a tragedy when any animal has to

be destroyed,” says Raúl, a veteran animal

welfare campaigner, “but when it is from

a species that is facing extinction it

somehow seems all the more obscene that

the animal has to die for being unwanted.”

Raúl and his team pledged to do every-

thing within their power to save the tiger,

plus four lions and 12 baboons that had

also been condemned to death when

Vergel closed.

The animals came to ROAL’s centre in

Villafranqueza, just outside Alicante, where

they are safe – for now.

But their arrival at ROAL is only the

beginning in the fight to give these

beautiful animals, and many more like

them, the secure and comfortable future

they deserve.

ROAL was set up three years ago to

deal with just this type of emergency after

the closure of Guadalest’s animal park,

Arca de Noé. Raúl helped find homes

across Europe for many of Arca de Noé’s

animals, but the ones that were left faced

certain death.

Raúl begged Alicante town hall to let him

convert the old, disused municipal dog

pound and its grounds into emergency

accommodation to give him more time to

search for homes.

The town hall agreed and a frantic

fundraising and building programme saw

the facilities ready just in time to take in two

tigers, three lions, two pumas and a

number of other

animals from the

closed animal park.

The idea was to

move the animals to

new homes as soon

as possible and keep the facility to help

with future wild animal emergencies. But it

was not so simple.

“We knew it wouldn’t be easy, but didn’t

realise quite what a struggle it would be,”

says Raúl. The big cats, in particular,

proved all but impossible to rehome.

Things became even harder as with

many of the animals becoming longer term

residents than planned, demand for

ROAL’s services also proved greater than

anticipated. Requests for help flooded in,

leaving the charity wondering how it would

cope.

When a court ordered a laboratory

to stop ‘cruel and pointless’ experiments

that involved cutting the spinal cords of

monkeys to see if they would grow back,

the monkeys came to ROAL. Had ROAL

The big cats in particular

proved impossible

to rehome

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5

December 2011 The Jungle Drums

email: office@thejungledrums.es

- but still ordered to dienot been there they would have been

destroyed.

When a parrot was illegally smuggled

into Spain from the UK, it was set to be

euthanised because the airport had no

quarantine facility. ROAL was able to

intervene and save the parrot by offering

quarantine. Now ROAL provides quarantine

facilities for Alicante’s airport and port au-

thorities, meaning many animals that would

previously have been killed get to live.

And, when police found a monkey on an

urbanisation in Torrevieja they were able

to call on ROAL. Imported illegally from

Gibraltar the monkey had spent its life in a

one metre by one metre sealed cage. She

was fed with food pushed through the

bars, and had to be cut free.

ROAL currently has more than a

hundred animals in its care. Among them

are lynx, monkeys, parrots, an emu, a

porcupine and various reptiles.

Many have come from private owners

and quite a few have, like the monkey,

been smuggled into the country and kept

illegally as pets.

Incredibly, people try to keep even the

biggest, most dangerous animals as pets.

Max, a Bengal tiger that found his way

to ROAL via Arca de Noé was kept as

a pet when a cub. He was probably

smuggled into Spain for the purpose.

Max was lucky to escape a death

sentence as he outgrew his owners by

finding a home at Arca de Noé, and doubly

lucky to escape death a second time by

coming to ROAL when Arca de Noé shut.

More often, wild animals kept as

pets are destroyed when they become

unmanageable.

Max has two legacies from his early

days as a household pet: he has been

declawed – making him even harder to

rehome – and he likes human company,

although it’s not advisable to get too close.

“He clearly wasn’t mistreated by the

people who owned him,” says his keeper

Juan, as Max bumps against the bars of

his enclosure to demand a scratch, “but it

is still cruel and very misguided to try to

keep an animal like this as a pet.”

Max’s affectionate nature does not

extend to other tigers, though. And being

forced to share his small enclosure with

new arrival Neo has not gone down well.

Tigers are mostly solitary by nature and

the enclosure is less than ideal for the two

of them. But it was the only way to save

Neo’s life.

ROAL’s team has spent the past three

years trying to find a new home for Max,

with no success. The chances of finding a

home for Neo are just as slim.

Even though tigers are rare in the wild,

in captivity there are too many for the

number of spaces available. And with the

financial crisis causing more zoos and

wildlife parks to close, the problem can

only get worse.

While there is much talk about breeding

programmes and repatriation, these

projects have limited success. For tigers

such as Max and Neo repatriation would

not be an option even if the logistics and

expenses could be met. Neither animal

would be equipped to return to the wild.

The only real possibility of a future for

the two tigers, plus the lions and other

animals that cannot be rehomed, is if

ROAL can extend its facilities to provide

them with the space they need.

Alicante town hall has already made

more land available, but now ROAL has to

raise the money to give Max, Neo and the

other animals a future.

It won’t be easy, the charity has already

seen donations drop dramatically since the

beginning of the financial crisis. However,

Raúl and his team remain optimistic that

people will help because they will care

about the future of two tigers, seven lions,

two pumas and all the other misplaced and

mistreated wild animals in ROAL’s care.

Happy endingsFour bears, three male and a female, probably born

into the wild, were captured and used as a circus

attraction. The circus abandoned the bears in

Galicia and they were taken to Arca de Noé. But all

four were traumatised by their years in captivity.

One was completely blind and fearful in his new

surroundings. In time, the bears began to recover

from the years of abuse they had suffered. But

then, Arca de Noé closed and the bears lives were

in danger. They would have to be destroyed.

Fortunately ROAL, with the help of a Dutch NGO,

managed to rehome the bears. They now live in

Rhenen, a protected forest close to Amsterdam.

Not so happySpanish police unhappy with conditions of a tiger

cub at a circus checked paperwork and found the

circus owners did not have the correct licences for

the tiger. They seized the two-month-old cub and

took it to ROAL for care.

The tiger was almost blind from flash photography

and malnourished as the circus had kept her underfed

to stop her growing too quickly and becoming too

big to pass around for photos. ROAL’s staff cared

for the traumatised tiger, Kia, and she gradually

grew in confidence and started to gain weight.

Then the authorities dropped a bombshell. The

circus had applied for the paperwork and they had

to give the tiger back. ROAL fought the ruling but

could not save the tiger cub. They considered

raising money to buy her from her tormentors, but

knew that if they did this the circus would simply get

another. All ROAL can do now is campaign against

the mistreatment of animals in circuses and urge

people never to visit a circus that uses animals.

Up to youMax and Neo are safe at ROAL for now – but their

living conditions are less than ideal. ROAL was

designed to provide emergency accommodation,

but as Max and Neo have nowhere else to go they

urgently need more space. You can help Max, Neo

and the other animals in ROAL’s care by helping to

raise money to extend the facilities.

ROAL is not open to

the public but private

visits are arranged for

groups or individuals

interested in the work.

For more details

on ROAL’s work visit

fundacionraulmerida.es

or in English see the

section on ROAL at

www.brigadaazul.com.

Email bluebrigade@fun

dacionraulmerida.es for

details or if interested

in visiting ROAL.

There are too many

tigers in captivity

December 2011The Jungle Drums

Am I liable to Spanish tax?

If you spend more than 183 days in Spain you are automatically considered tax

resident here.

Do I have to submit tax returns?

Apart from employees in very specific circumstances (and with an income below

certain levels) and freelance “autónomos” with very low incomes, if you’re resi-

dent for tax you have an obligation to file an annual income tax return (Renta). If

you are a non-resident property owner in Spain, you are obligated to do the non-

resident tax, which is also annual, and is due before the 31st of December each

year.

How does income tax work?

All employees have a retention (I.R.P.F.) made from their monthly pay by their

employer, and businesses must retain some tax from a self-employed person’s in-

voice. These retentions are a down payment of the annual tax bill and the result-

ing over- or underpayment will be declared and settled in the annual return filed

between May and June each year.

How does IVA work?

As in the UK and most European countries, a sales tax is added to the price of al-

most all goods and services. The final consumer bears this unless it’s a registered

business that can offset the tax against the IVA it has invoiced to its own cus-

tomers. The basic rate on almost everything is 18% though reduced rates of 8%

and 4% also apply to certain products, and a few specific services are exempt.

Is it tax advantageous to set up a company?

This will depend on the individual’s tax situation. From 2009 a company pays

Company Tax (Impuesto Sociedades) at a basic rate of 25%, though the first

€120.000 is subject to a reduced rate of 20%. Taxable income is calculated after

deducting relevant business expenses and specific tax breaks from the com-

pany’s income.

Legal Jargon made simple

Sponsored by

Professional Business Support

Telf: 966 923 963

Outline of Spanish Taxation I.A.E (Actividad Económica) – an annual, local business

tax levied on companies and businesses with a turnover in

excess of €1.000.000.

Wealth tax (Patrimonio) – low rates ranging from 0.2% to

2.5% applied in bands to the individual’s total wealth in ex-

cess of €700,000. Your total wealth includes property,

bank deposits, professional activities, luxury assets, etc.

Property taxes (Impuesto sobre Bienes & Inmuebles.)

– levied on property owned by non-residents and on sec-

ond properties belonging to residents. There is also a local

tax (Contribución Urbana) levied on all residents main resi-

dence and based on the official value (“valor catastral”).

Capital Gains - included with the income tax return and

taxed from 2010 at a flat rate of 19-20%. However, it can

be complex to calculate, being dependant on the type of

asset, length of time held and the individual’s tax status

and circumstances.

Inheritance and gift tax (Impuesto de Sucesiones y

Donaciones) - regional tax levied on the beneficiaries of

assets in excess of around €16,000 and even non-resident

beneficiaries are liable when the assets or rights are lo-

cated in Spain. Tax rates vary widely from region to region

and exceptions apply for a spouse, child or parent.

Transfer tax and stamp duty (Impuesto de Transmi-

siones Patrimoniales) - applies to certain real estate and

commercial transactions, such as the incorporation of a

limited company. The rate starts at 0.5% (for commercial

activities) rising to 6% (for real estate transactions) and is

paid by the buyer or the beneficiary of the transaction.

Other taxes

The Jungle Drums

Legal Jargon made simple

Sponsored by

Professional Business Support

Telf: 966 923 963

Setting up a business

6

1.Main types of business

Self-employed – known as “autónomos”, registration has to be made

with Hacienda (the Spanish tax authority) and the Social Security. Most

autónomos have to present quarterly IVA returns (Spanish sales tax)

and an annual income tax return (Renta). Other returns and declara-

tions will frequently be applicable on a quarterly or annual basis, ac-

cording to circumstances.

Limited Company – several types exist but the commonest form is the

“Sociedad Limitada” or S.L. that can be set up with a minimum capital

of €3,006. Though important in protecting the owner(s) from personal li-

ability in the event of bankruptcy, its incorporation does imply a number

of additional tax, accounting and mercantile obligations. In addition, in

recent years the authorities are taking much closer interest in who/what

is behind the company to ensure that it has a legitimate purpose and is

not fraudulent. Now the shareholders need to apply for a NIE and the

"administrador", or company representative, will have to prove having

an address in Spain. For an EU passport holder this can be achieved

without undue difficulty though adding to costs and the time required for

completion. Without an EU passport the proceedure becomes more

complicated.

2.Employees and staff

Hiring employees involves a lot of paperwork (work contract, registra-

tion, social security, tax retentions, payslips and annual certificates etc)

and business social security contributions are extremely expensive. Al-

ternatively, hiring a freelancer may be cheaper but it also supposes cer-

tain obligations on the business as regards tax retentions and

declarations to Hacienda. The penalties for ignoring obligations and

having uncontracted staff can be harsh.

3.Cash planning

A new business always needs more money than you think until it be-

comes self-financing. Prepare a detailed cash budget for at least the

first 6 months and remember that credit sales mean nothing until col-

lected - while they remain unpaid you’ll need another source of income

to finance your outgoings.

4.Choosing an Asesoría

There are thousands of “asesorias” in Spain (they handle all administra-

tive and bureaucratic red tape), all offering much the same service.

These are not to be confused with “gestorias”, who are only meant to

deal with administration from the Departamento de Jefatura de Tráfico,

(equivalent of UK´s DVLA). However, be careful in choosing the right

one because not all give good advice and most do not speak foreign

languages, which frequently leads to misunderstandings and uncertain-

ties. Most want to sign you up for a monthly fee, providing a service that

may be unnecessary, plying on a foreigner’s lack of experience and

knowledge about procedures and obligations in Spain.

5. Finally

Talk to us to get good, independent advice. We’ll explain what sort of

business entity you really need to set up and what to do about taxation,

payrolls and bookkeeping. Our advice is always practical and we offer

value-for-money solutions to accounting, tax and legal problems so that

you can concentrate on running the business.

CALENDARIO FISCAL PARA SOCIEDADES

(FISCAL CALENDER FOR COMPANIES)

January

Up to the 20th : Payment deadline for company tax for previous

(4th) quarter (Oct-Dec)

Up to the 20th : Payment deadline for IVA for previous quarter

(Oct-Dec) Presentation to Tax Office of previous year’s Annual

Company Tax

March

31st : Take 1st quarter (Jan-Mar) invoices to assesoria

April

From 4th April to 27th June : application for automated tax returns

Up to the 20th : Payment deadline for company tax for 1st quarter

(Jan-Mar)

Up to the 20th : Payment deadline for IVA for 1st quarter (Jan-Mar)

During April and May : Annual car tax (via SUMA)

May

From 3rd May to 30th June : Annual Tax Declarations

June

Until 27th June : deadline for Tax Declaration (if results are not in

your favour)

Until 30th June : deadline for Tax Declaration (if results are in your

favour)

31st : Take 2nd quarter (Apr-Jun) invoices to assesoria

July

Up to the 20th : Payment deadline for company tax for 2nd quarter

(Apr-Jun)

Up to the 20th : Payment deadline for IVA for 2nd quarter (Apr-

Jun)

September

From 1st Sept. to 6 Oct. : Property tax rates (I.B.I.)

31st : Take 3rd quarter (Jul-Sept) invoices to assesoria

October

Up to the 20th : Payment deadline for company tax for 3rd quarter

(Jul-Sept)

Up to the 20th : Payment deadline for IVA for 3rd quarter (Jul-

Sept)

December

Preparation of Annual Company Taxes, ready for January

31st : Take 4th quarter (Oct-Dec) invoices to assesoria

Identity numbersNIE (Número de Identidad Extranjera): This is your identification

number in Spain, though for non-EU citizens having one gives NO

rights as to residency and entitlement to work. It’s needed to file

taxes, purchase a car, set up a business and for just about any for-

mal, official red tape.

DNI (Documento Nacional de Identidad): This is the ID number

for Spanish citizens.

NIF (Número de Identificación Fiscal): This is the tax ID number

for all individuals. For Spaniards, it's the DNI plus one letter; for

foreigners, it's the same number as your NIE.

CIF (Certificado de Indentifición Fiscal): This is the tax number

for limited companies as issued by Hacienda as part of the incor-

poration process and is equivalent to the UK's Vat number. From

2012 most businesses will also need to apply for an EU tax num-

ber, essential for most EU transactions.

Número de Seguridad Social: Your employer applies for this so-

cial security number when you start your first job in Spain. This

number then stays with you for all subsequent jobs. If you’re self-

employed, you apply for this number your self.

PAGE The Jungle Drums - Tel: 966 923 796

December 2011 The Jungle DrumsThe Jungle Drums

77

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The Jungle Drums

The Jungle Drums - Tel: 966 923 796

CHRISTMAS TRADITIONS IN SPAINSpain’s curious Xmas customs revealed

An important Christmas tradition in Spain is

the belén, or nativity scene. Models of the

birth of Christ can be found in just about

every town and village, as well as in the

homes of many Spaniard’s.

All the usual suspects are present in these

scenes– Joseph, Mary, baby Jesus, the

Wise Men… But Spanish nativity scenes

also include a rather unusual addition to the

cast of characters – a pooing man.

Yes, the Spanish like to include the figure

of a man having a poo at the birth of Christ,

and nobody seems to be exactly

sure why.

Search through any belén you see this

Christmas and you will almost

certainly find, somewhere in the scene, the

figure of a squatting man, trousers around

his ankles doing a download. He’s not usu-

ally too close to the manger itself, he has

some respect.

The pooing man, or caganer as he is

called, seems to hail from Catalonia. Origi-

nally he wore traditional Catalan garb but

now comes in all guises.

Caganers are made to resemble

celebrities, political and cultural fig-

ures, nuns and even the Pope.

More often, though, the caganer is

an anonymous figure.

There are reports of the caganer as

far back as the 1500s and there are

many theories about why a pooing

man should be present at the nativity.

Some say it is to make the spiritual

story of the birth of Jesus more real

and less idealised. The Spanish

beléns do not focus solely on the birth

of Jesus but also depict the lifestyle of

the time. Many beléns have

detailed miniature houses, equipped with

food and animals. So, why shouldn’t there

be a man pooing in a corner? The bottom

line is that even during Jesus’s time people

had to poo.

Another theory is that the caganer is fertil-

izing the ground and that this little symbol

brings good luck and healthy crops in the

coming year. Buying a caganer to place in

your nativity scene is thought to bring luck.

Whatever his origin, finding the caganer

has become something of a seasonal game,

and you often have to look very hard to dis-

cover the little squatting figure. But keep

looking, he will be there.

2

The Spanish as a nation are lottery mad.

Ticket sellers ply their trade on street

corners and in bars, while kiosks, shops and

the internet do a brisk trade in lottery sales.

But there is one lottery above all others

that the Spanish are the most crazy for – El

Gordo (The Fat One).

Held every year at Christmas, more than

90 per cent of Spanish adults are thought

regularly to buy tickets for El Gordo. This cre-

ates a prize pool in the billions – making it the

biggest lottery in the world. It is also the old-

est, with the first Spanish Christmas

lottery dating back to 1812.

This year’s prize pot is €2,520,000,000.

With so much money up for grabs, the

chances of winning something are thought to

be around 15%.

At around 200 euros a pop, the tickets

aren’t cheap. You don’t have to buy a whole

ticket though as they are sold in decimos, or

tenths. If you buy one decimo and your ticket

wins, you get a tenth of the prize money for

that ticket.

Because of the phenomenal number of

tickets sold, and because the tickets only

have five digit numbers, there are quite a few

winning tickets. One year, for example, there

were 180 first prize winners – each taking

three million euros. A decimo of a winning

ticket would still be worth €300,000.

It is quite common for groups of people to

get together to buy a whole ticket. You will

see signs in bars proclaiming Jugamos

con el numero... (We are playing with the

number…), inviting you to purchase a share.

This communal gambling can see whole

villages or groups of workers suddenly

wealthy. In 2005, the town of Vic, north of

Barcelona, shared 500 million euros amongst

its inhabitants. You’d probably want to move

if you were one of the ones who didn’t buy a

share in the tickets.

A few years back in a village closer to

home, here on the Costa Blanca, a local

builder bought tickets for his workers to

share in, as is common practice. When

none of the workers wanted to buy in, he

cursed his bad luck at having got stuck

with spending so much money – until he

Getting to the bottom of the pooing man, the fat one and red undies

won a fortune and didn’t have to share!

One word of warning – don’t try to watch

the draw on TV or listen to it on Spanish

radio. Every December 22, the draw is

broadcast live from Madrid – for five hours.

Children from the San ldefonso Orphanage

draw out wooden balls and sing the numbers.

If you do watch it all you are unlikely to

get the sound of children’s voices droning

numbers out of your head before El Niño, the

second largest draw of the year, on January 6.

Tickets for El Gordo go on sale in the

summer – to catch the tourist trade – and can

be bought up until 5pm on December 21.

Indications are that this year, despite, or

perhaps because of the crisis, ticket sales

will be up.

Yule Logs

The oldest and the fattest

Rajoy

and

Rubal-

caba

Red undies for luckIn the run up to New Year, the shops will be fullof red underwear as it is a Spanish tradition towear racy red undies to see in the New Year.

It is thought to date back to the Middle Ageswhen red clothing was banned because thecolour was linked to the devil and witchcraft.

But many people thought red was the symbol of life so got round the ban by wearingred under their clothes. Now, wearing redundies on New Year’s Eve is said to bring luck.

The underwear has to be new, so even if itdoesn’t bring good luck to the wearer it will certainly ensure underwear sellers get theyear off to a good start.

9

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The Jungle Drums

email: office@thejungledrums.es

The Jungle Drums December 2011

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10The Jungle Drums - Tel: 966 923 796

Home RemediesOranges: Fighting against the flu

Orange is rich in Vitamin C, and besides making a refreshing drink, it has long been used

as a home treatment for flu. One medium size orange peeled and eaten as it is, or juiced

will provide you with about 80 per cent of your daily Vitamin C needs.

And Vitamin C is one essential ally in the fight against flu infection.

The cost, the shopping, the frantic preparations,the anticipation, the desire for everything to beperfect, and very often a sense of let-down anddisappointment on the day can leave nerves fraz-zled and stress levels off the scale at Christmas.

It is easy to get things out ofproportion at this time of yearand give far more significanceto small problems than wewould normally.

With Christmas coming butonce a year, we want it to beperfect. We plan, we imaginehow lovely it will be to have allthe family together, we envisageeveryone happily sitting down tothe ideal dinner – and then it allgoes wrong.

Family members argue,teenagers take to their rooms,the dinner’s not ready on time,the turkey isn’t cooked and thepotatoes won’t crisp.

But why are we so surprised each year. Weshould know by now that things are never perfect– not at any time of year. The secret to a stress-free Christmas, just like a stress-free life, is tolearn to relax and take things as they come.

There is another reason our expectations forChristmas are so high. At this time of year wecan’t help but look back over past Christmasesand remember things as better, more fun andmore exciting than now, espeicially in childhood.

Whether they really were or not is not impor-tant, it is how we remember them that matters.We then want to recreate that remembered child-hood joy and excitement, and when we can’t wefeel disappointment and stress.

The pressure to be happyalso comes from a feeling thateveryone else is having a won-derful time. Other people loveChristmas, don’t they, so whatis wrong with us?

It is especially hard for peoplewho have suffered a recent be-reavement or are alone atChristmas. Feeling that every-one else is happy and that youshould be, too, can makeChristmas particularly hard.

And then, like at any markertime – Christmas, birthdays,New Year – there is a tendencyto feel a heightened sense of thepassing of time. You cannot be-

lieve how quickly the year has gone since the lastChristmas. Was the Christmas you went to visitSanta in Alicante with your youngest grandchild re-ally six years ago! This can add a depressing un-dertone to the occasion.

To survive Christmas you need to keep in mindthat it is supposed to be fun. Don’t worry if thingsare not perfect; relax and make the best of thingsas they are. Don’t idealise past Christmases, justtake this one as it comes.

Stress is one of the biggest killers and Christmas one of the most stressful times of year, so it’s

important to learn to relax and enjoy the festive season...

Surviving Christmas

1. Plan the festive season well in advance- especially the cooking. 2. Make a list of gifts you want to buy, and get the satisfaction of ticking them offas you go. Don't get carried away withspending. 3. If you hate the bustle and queuing, tryshopping online. 4. Make some time for yourself over the holiday. Read a book you've beenmeaning to read for a long time. 5. Concentrate on the good things in yourlife, instead of the 'not so good'. 6. If you're feeling lonely, make a phonecall to a friend or even the Samaritans,who are on call in Spain 8pm to midnight365 days a year on 902 88 35 35. 7. With the pressure to spend, rememberthat the best things in life are free – beingwith family, the smell of a log fire, a walkon the beach on Christmas morning.8. Enjoy spending time with your family –don’t worry if they argue.9. Don't worry that everyone else is havinga better time than you are. The chancesare they're not!10. Don’t expect everything to be perfect –it won’t be.

Guide to avoiding holiday stress

Beware Christmas accidents

• Every year at least three people break their

arm pulling Christmas crackers.

• Failing to remove pins in new shirts leads to

over 200 people being admitted to hospital.

• Over the past ten years 27 people have

died testing batteries on their tongue.

• A numer of people have died eating

decorations they thought were chocolates.

• People have died watering Christmas trees

with the fairy lights left plugged in.

• People have sustained burns when trying on

a new sweater with a cigarette in their mouth.

• People have suffered third degree burns

when trying to flame torch Christmas pudding.

The Jungle DrumsDecember 2011

PAGE

11

email: office@thejungledrums.es

Home RemediesTomatoes: The super fruit

The tomato is truly an amazing fruit. It is known to have many health benefits, such as reducing

the risk of cardiovascular disease, lowering high blood pressure, and guarding against

cancer.Tomatoes are also great if you have bloodshot eyes, just eat one or two in the morning

on a empty stomach.To help cure eczema drink a glass of tomato juice every day.

Can losing weight cure diabetes?A study this summer found that Type 2 diabetes can be cured through diet. Amanda Black asked local GP Dr Najma

Hussain what she thought of the findings, and what help is available on the Costa Blanca for people with diabetes…

It has long been believed that a diagnosis ofType 2 diabetes is for life, and that the diseaseis likely to get progressively worse over time.However, researchers from Newcastle Universityare turning this theory on its head and claim tohave proved that Type 2 diabetes can be curedwith diet alone.

Scientists at Newcastle put a group of 14 volun-teers with Type 2 diabetes and a BMI in the obesecategory of over 30 on a strict calorie controlleddiet of just 600 calories a day for eight weeks.

Eleven lasted the course, losing an average of2st 5lb, with BMI downto 29, overweight ratherthan obese. After aweek their blood levelshad returned to normal,and by the end of eightweeks their diabeteshad disappeared.

Study leader, Profes-sor Roy Taylor, claimsthat technically thiscounts as a cure – al-though he stresses it isno easy fix and a hugeamount of willpower isrequired to achieve theweight loss.

Why does weight lossmake a difference toType 2 diabetes? Whenwe lose weight fat cellsin the pancreas areamong the first to disap-pear. The pancreas iswhere insulin is madeand it is the body’s in-ability to make enough insulin and process it cor-rectly that causes Type 2 diabetes.

Using MRI scans, the Newcastle studyshowed that as fat levels in the pancreas fell, in-sulin production restarted. The volunteers alsodisplayed less insulin resistance (where the bodyis less sensitive to insulin). It was as if the fat wasblocking the insulin production. Without fat in-sulin production was able to get back to normal.

Is this the answer for everyone with Type 2 diabetes? Well, it seems to offer hope, but Medcare’s Dr Najma Hussain advises caution:

“The Newcastle volunteers were subjected to anextreme diet – effectively they were starving them-selves. They did this under close medical supervi-sion. Doing this alone could be dangerous.”

And, Dr Hussain warns that extreme weightloss can lead to yo-yo dieting. Studies haveshown that 83% of those who lose weight rapidlywithin six months will be heavier than theystarted two years later. In the case of diabetics,the diabetes would simply return.

Of the 11 volunteers completing the study,most regained a bit of weight after they returned

to a normal diet. Afterthree months, seven ofthem remained dia-betes free, while theother four were just intothe diabetes category.Professor Taylor says itis not yet clear howmuch weight peoplecan put back on whilestill remaining diabetesfree.

Dr Hussain advises amuch slower, morecontrolled weight loss.“It is not only healthierbut easier to sustain,”she says.

While the study’s dra-matic results weregained through extremedieting and rapid weightloss, there is evidencethat a slower approachcould achieve the sameeffect.

Professor Taylor agrees the speed of dietingis probably not the key and says that one woman(who was not part of his study) took nine monthsto lose two stone by dieting and her diabetes dis-appeared. So a steady weight loss could, in the-ory, also lead to a reversal of Type 2 diabetes.

“As long as the dieting is sensible and medicaladvice is sought, then losing weight if you areoverweight or obese is always a good thing,”says Dr Hussain. “And it can have a real impacton diabetes. I have had personal experience ofpatients who have lost significant weight and

reversed their diabetes. Even if it does not leadto a complete reversal of the condition, a healthydiet and weight loss can only improve health.”

The jury is still out on the best type of diet forpeople with diabetes. Some advocate a low fatdiet, while others have found a low carbohydrate,low Glycaemic Index diet is best.

Professor Taylor does not think it is importantand believes that it is the weight loss itself thatmakes the difference.

For Dr Hussain the main criterion is that thediet is healthy and well-balanced. But with somany different diets being advocated andchanges in food guidelines seeming to takeplace almost daily, it is not easy for many peopleto know what a healthy, well-balanced diet is.And for people having to consider medical con-ditions such as diabetes, finding the right diet be-comes doubly difficult.

It is for just such reasons that Medcare offersa free advice club for people with diabetes.

“It can be a difficult disease to live with,” saysDr Hussain, “and people very often need sup-port. Sometimes that is medical support, butsometimes it is just being able to talk to someonewho understands, or swapping experiences withpeople in the same position.”

Regular meetings are run by a specialist dia-betes nurse in Medcare’s clinics in Benijofar andAlfaz del Pi and members can get help and ad-vice on all aspects of coping with diabetes, in-cluding nutritional advice.

Visiting experts often attend the club to keepmembers up to date on all the latest news andresearch regarding diabetes – research such asthe Newcastle study on diet.

“I don’t know that we can at this stage realistically say that diet is a cure for diabetes,”says Dr Hussain, “The study involves only asmall patient group and it is difficult to extrapolate firm conclusions, however the results are encouraging.”

Dr Hussain works for Medcare, a British-run

GP practice on the Costa Blanca, and is

registered with the UK General Medical

Council as well as the Spanish authorities.

Details of all Medcare’s services can be

found at www.medcarespain.com or call

96 686 0258.

The Jungle Drums December 2011The Jungle DrumsThe Jungle Drums

PAGE

12The Jungle Drums - Tel: 966 923 796

Christmas Party Outfits20 - 30 years old

Bers

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30 - 40 years old

Bers

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The Jungle DrumsDecember 2011

PAGE

13

The Jungle Drums

email: office@thejungledrums.es

This MONTH

INSPEKTA GADGET

HAS FOUND THE

BEST CHRISTMAS

GADGETS FOR HIM

AND HER!

The Robotic Arm kit ar-

rives disassembled and

contains all the pieces

you'll need to make your

very own desktop droid.

It's remarkably easy to set

up so you don't need to

stress about soldering or advanced electronic engineering.

Once it's finished you'll have hours of fun finding out exactly

what it can and can't do, using its controller to power the five

joints and motors to swing the arm around and pick things up

with its pincer like grippers. 50.00€ yoquierounodeesos.com

His and her

ROBOTIC ARM

A 100 year diary for you to record

the events of a lifetime. It will help

you to remember the special mo-

ments you will never want to forget...

the people you have loved, the

friends you have made, the places

where you have lived and those you

have travelled to. You can record

your achievements as well as your

skills, make a note of favourite

films/books/music/people and write down all your ambitions and

things you want to do before you die. A map of the world and one

of your body is included and can be filled in as you choose. Every

year you can write about what important things are happening in

your life and include photos and memorabilia for just 29.50€

My life story

yoquierounodeesos.com

beer machine

yoquierounodeesos.com

Scatter some Rose Bath Buds in a deep, warm bath. These

wafer-thin, rose-scented soap petals

melt rather than wilt and smell even

better than the real thing. Blooming

marvellous! A romantic and thought-

ful present for anyone who loves a

relaxing soak at the end of a long

day. 9.00€

Rose bath buds

yoquierounodeesos.com

In the past homebrew was never quite

drinkable but thanks to some brilliant

Canadians inventing the Brew Master

Beer Machine home brewed beer is

now dangerously good and easy to

make. The Beer Machine is simplicity it-

self to use, just add the beer mixture

(made from 100% natural ingredients),

and in seven to ten days you'll have 17 pints of really excellent

beer. 129.00€

Check out this cracking new bottle opener.

Made from the now-obligatory stainless

steel, it sticks like a limpet directly onto the

fridge door. Which, you will have noted, is

just where you want it. Using one hand

only, extract bottle from fridge and with deft

flick of wrist, the top is off. Satisfying glug-

ging immediately ensues 25.00€

FRIDGE MAGNET

BOTTLE OPENER

yoquierounodeesos.com

If you're the sort of person that likes to stage their own concert in-

doors with the minimum of fuss, then the Laser

Theatre is for you. It is frankly, an astounding

piece of kit that allows you to create an ex-

tremely professional-looking laser light show

that's so big it could be projected onto the side

of your house. 110.00€

laser show yoquierounodeesos.com

Can't afford a diamond ring? Bring a little bit of

class to your tea break with this diamond ring

handled mug! Or are you looking to propose in

a original way? Whatever the reason its just a

great excuse for a cuppa with a bit of class!

20.00€

Diamond ring mug

yoquierounodeesos.com

diamond mouse

It’s time to jettison that humourless and

corporate-grey mouse of yours and get some

sparkle onto your desktop. Studded with a

panoply of glittering fake diamonds, the

Diamante Mouse is a dazzlingly different and

sparklingly superior computer mouse for peo-

ple wanting to be lifted from the drudgery of

normal workstations. 39.00€ yoquierounodeesos.com

PAGE

14

The Jungle Drums December 2011

The Jungle Drums - Tel: 966 923 796

This 1946 classic is one of the most

heartwarming films ever made and it is a

perfect film for Christmas.

Director Frank Capra regarded this film as his

own personal favourite, and it was also actor

James Stewart’s favourite of all his films.

Even though it is so well-loved today, when it

was released It’s A Wonderful Life was some-

thing of a flop at the box-office. In fact, the film

may well have sunk into obscurity if it had not

been for a lapse in copyright in the 1970s that

meant the film could be screened without

charge by TV companies everywhere.

Taking advantage of the opportunity to grab

some free broadcasting, TV stations on both

sides of the pond began showing the film every

Christmas, and audiences loved it. Before long,

watching Frank Capra’s enchanting film on telly

became as much a part of a traditional Christ-

mas as chestnuts and roast turkey.

The original story, The Greatest Gift, was writ-

ten by Philip Van Doren Stern in 1939. After

being unsuccessful in getting the story pub-

lished, he decided to make it into a Christmas

card, and mailed 200 copies to family and

friends in December 1943.

The card made its way to Cary Grant’s Holly-

wood agent and in 1944 RKO Pictures bought

the rights to the story for $10,000, hoping to turn

the story into a film for Grant. After three unsat-

isfactory scripts, the project was shelved.

RKO studio chief Charles Koerner suggested

the film to Frank Capra, who immediately saw

its potential. He bought the rights from RKO for

his own production company, Liberty Films.

It’s A Wonderful Life is a dark, bittersweet tale

of a savings-and-loans manager, George

Bailey (James Stewart), who struggles

against a greedy banker and his own

self-doubting nature in a small town.

On the verge of bankruptcy and prison,

Bailey decides to end it all, but is saved

by an endearing trainee angel called

Clarence (Henry Travers). To convince

him of his worth, Clarence shows Bailey

what the world would be like without him.

Only then does

Bailey realise

what a wonder-

ful life he has.

The town of

Seneca Falls,

New York

claims to be the

real-life setting

for It’s A Won-

derful Life.

Capra visited

the town in 1945 and townsfolk say he modelled

Bedford Falls in the film on Seneca Falls. The

town has an annual It’s A Wonderful Life festival

in December, is home to a Hotel Clarence and

has a museum dedicated to the film.

If you’ve never seen It’s A Wonderful Life,

make sure you rent it this Christmas. If you’ve

seen it a hundred times, why not watch it again.

It’s A Wonderful LifeThe most famous Christmas film ever

PAGE

15

The Jungle DrumsDecember 2011

email: office@thejungledrums.es

The Jungle Drums December 2011

16

PAGE The Jungle Drums - Tel: 966 923 796

Gingerbread Stars 1.Cream the butter, sugar and honey in a

large bowl using electric beaters until

pale and fluffy. Add the egg and beat well.

Sift in the flour, baking powder, bicarbon-

ate of soda, cinnamon and ginger. Stir

until the mixture comes together to form a

ball. Turn out onto a lightly floured work

surface and gently knead until smooth.

Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for

30 minutes.

2.Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas

Mark 4. Line two baking trays with baking

paper.

3.Roll out the dough on a lightly floured

surface to 2mm thick. Cut the dough into

star shapes with the cookie cutter, re-

rolling any dough scraps and cutting out

more stars. Place on the prepared trays,

leaving room for a little spreading, and

bake for 6 minutes, or until lightly

browned. Allow to cool on the trays for 2

minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to

cool completely.

4.To make the glacé icing, combine the

icing sugar, butter and boiling water in a

small heatproof bowl and mix to a smooth

paste. Place the bowl over a small

saucepan of simmering water and stir

until warm and the consistency of whip-

ping cream. Do not overheat. Dip the top

of each star into the icing and allow the

excess to drip off. Leave on a wire rack to

set.

5.To make the royal icing, lightly whisk

the egg white in a small bowl until just

foamy. Gradually whisk in enough icing

sugar and lemon juice to form a smooth

icing that holds its shape. Spoon the icing

into the piping bag and pipe decorations

onto the stars. Allow to set.

Ingredients150g butter, softened

115g caster sugar

3 tblsp honey

1 egg

340 g plain flour

1⁄2 tspbaking powder

1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground ginger

Glace icing:

185g icing sugar

1⁄2 tsp softened butter

2–21⁄2 tblsp boiling water

Royal icing:

1 egg white

185g icing sugar

1⁄2–1 tsplemon juice

You will also need:

7 cm star-shaped cookie

cutter

Piping bag with small 2

mm plain nozzle (or use a

small plastic bag and snip

off a small corner)

Ingredients24 blinis from 2 x

135g packs Cavka

cocktail blinis (freeze

any left over)

200g (8oz) pack

sliced smoked

salmon

100g (4oz) pack

rocket

Lemon wedges and

dill sprigs, to serve

For the dressing:

142ml pot soured

cream

2tbsp chopped fresh

dill

1tbsp Dijon mustard

1.To make the dressing, combine the soured cream, dill and

Dijon, and season to taste. Set aside in the fridge until needed.

Warm the blinis according to the packet instructions and allow to

cool.

2.Top each blini with a little of the soured cream mix, a slice of

smoked salmon and a little black pepper. Top with a sprig of dill

and serve with the rocket leaves and lemon wedges to squeeze

over.

Smoked Salmon Blinis

Parsnips Crisps with Sea Salt1.Top and tail the parsnips, leaving the skin on, unless it's very

brown. Using a sharp mandolin (the Japanese ones are the

best), slice the parsnips lengthways as thinly as possible, then

dry the strips with a clean tea towel. If you don't possess a

mandolin, use a swivel vegetable peeler instead.

2.Heat about an 8cm depth of vegetable oil in a deep-fat fryer

or heavy-based saucepan to 180ºC. Deep-fry the parsnip slices

in the hot fat, a handful at a time, stirring occasionally to ensure

that they don't stick together, for about 2-3 mins until they

colour.

3.As soon as they are ready, remove the parsnip crisps with a

slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.

4.Immediately season generously with the sea salt, crushing it

in your fingertips as you sprinkle it on. The parsnips may ap-

pear soft as you remove them from the oil, but once drained

they will dry out and crisp up. Serve as soon as they are all

cooked.

Ingredients

3 large parsnips, scrubbed

clean

Vegetable or corn oil for

deep-frying

2tsp sea salt

It’s not just Christmas Day that’s a time for feasting, the whole festive season

offers the pefect excuse to serve up some fancy party food. Try our tasty

selection of sweet and savoury treats to get the partying started...

The Jungle DrumsDecember 2011

PAGE

17

email: office@thejungledrums.es

Conchi Belmonte Last month Conchi

shared some

traditional Murcian

country recipes with

us. They proved so

popular we persuaded

her to share another...

Chocolate-filled meringues1.Preheat the oven to 140°C/275°F/Gas Mark 1.

Line 2 baking trays with baking parchment.

2.In a very clean dry bowl, using an electric

whisk, beat the egg whites with the vanilla ex-

tract, cream of tartar and the white wine vinegar

until they form stiff peaks.

3.Add the sugar, a spoonful at a time, until the

meringue is stiff and shiny. Gently fold in the

cocoa powder.

4.Using a piping bag and nozzle or a small

spoon, shape the meringue on the prepared

sheets. Place the trays in the lower part of the

oven and bake for about 1 hour. The meringues

are done when they will peel easily off the paper

and feel firm to the touch on the underside.

5.Once the meringues are cooked turn the oven

off and open the door slightly, and let the choco-

late meringue cool completely. This will ensure

they dry out.

6.The meringues can now be stored in an air-

tight container until ready to fill.

7.To make the sauce, melt the chocolate,

chocolate milk and single cream gently in a

small saucepan. Remove from the heat and

gradually beat until the sauce is smooth and

glossy. Leave to cool and thicken. To serve,

make a 'sandwich' using two meringues and the

chocolate sauce as the filling.

Ingredients

6 egg whites

½ tsp vanilla extract

¼ tsp cream of tartar

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

300g caster sugar

1 tbsp cocoa powder, sifted

100g dark

chocolate,

broken

100ml

chocolate

milk

2 tbsp single

cream

1.Pre-heat the oven to 200ºC/400ºF/Gas Mark 6.

2.Thinly roll out the pastry and using a 7.5-9cm pastry cutter, cut

out as many disks as you can, re-rolling the trimmings as you go.

Press the disks into the holes of one or two 12 hole patty tins.

3.Spoon a couple of teaspoons of mincemeat into each pastry

case and set aside.

4.To make the crumble topping, rub together the flour, demerara

sugar, butter, orange zest and cinnamon until you have a chunky

crumble mixture. Scatter over the top of the mincemeat and

place in the oven for around 15 minutes or until the mince pies

are golden and the tops are crisp.

5.Remove from the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes be-

fore taking out of the tins. Cool on a wire rack and dust with icing

sugar to serve.

Orange and cinnamonmince pies

Ingredients375g shortcrust pastry

250g good quality mincemeat

50g plain flour

4 tbsp demerara sugar

40g butter

finely grated zest of ½ orange

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1.Break the chocolate and place in a bowl over a pan of sim-

mering water. Leave until melted, add the golden syrup and stir

until smooth. Remove the bowl from the pan.

2.Stir in the cream and cake crumbs and mix well. Put in the

fridge for about 1-2 hours until the mixture is stiff enough to han-

dle.

3.To make into truffles, scoop out about 1 heaped teaspoon of

the mixture and roll into a ball. Place on a plate and repeat until

you have about 20 truffles.

4.Put your chosen finish into a teacup, then toss each truffle to

coat evenly and carefully lift out into a paper cases. Return to

the refrigerator to chill.

5.Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.

Ingredients200g milk chocolate

2 tbsp golden syrup

3 tbsp double cream

50g cake crumbs

5 tbsp icing sugar

Edible glitter or tiny stars to

decorate

Christmas snowballtruffles

Heat the oil in a pan, when hot, throw in the

chopped onion and cook until browned.

Mince the garlic and add. Grate tomato and add.

When the tomato is cooked well add the paprika

and water.

Once the water has boiled add the lentils and

boil for 30 mintues. Add the chopped potatoes,

pumpkin chard leaves, salt and saffron to taste.

Leave to simmer for another 30 mintues then

serve.

Ingredients1 onion

2 cloves of garlic

1 tomato

paprika

1 litre of water

250 grams lentils

1 potato

chopped pumpkin

3 chard leaves

salt

saffron or colour

olive oil

PAGE

18

The Jungle Drums December 2011

The Jungle Drums - Tel: 966 923 796

The poinsettia, with its vivid red leaves, is a perfectcentre piece for any festive decoration. But where didthis most famous Christmas plant come from? Wefound out more…

History of the Poinsettia

Poinsettias are almost as much a part of thefestive season as Christmas trees, pres-

ents, Santa and cake. But few people knowmuch about the origin of this lovely rich red andgreen plant.

Poinsettias (Euphorbia pulcherrima) are native to Mexico, where it is known as theflower of the Holy Night.

The Aztecs cultivated the poinsettia long before Europeans came to the Western Hemi-sphere. It was cultivated in Oaxatcpec, which isnow the Mexican state Morelos.

The poinsettia was prized by Kings Netza-hualcyotl and Montezuma and its indigenousname was Cuetlaxochitl. The Aztecs used thebracts for a reddish-purple dye and the latex tocounteract fever. The plant also played a part

in midwinter cel-ebrations repre-senting purityand blood sacri-fices. It waswidely planted in gardens.

During the 17th century Franciscan priests near Taxcoobserved the plant blooming atChristmas time. They incorpo-rated the plant into the Fiesta ofSanta Pesebre nativity proces-sion. They used the concept ofblood sacrifices from Aztec tradition to have the poinsettiarepresent the blood of Christ toCatholics and Christians.

The plant was brought to the UnitedStates by physician, statesman andbotanist Joel Roberts Poinsett upon his return as American Ambassador to Mexicoin 1828. Poinsett cultivated the Aztecplants in his South Carolina greenhouse.

Active breeding of the poinsettia beganin the 1950s in an effort to develop culti-vars that would retain their leaves andbracts for a longer period. Early breedingefforts included those of Mikkelsen of Ohio(Mikkelsen series), the Heggs of Norway

The star ofChristmas

Joel Roberts Poinsett

PAGE

19

The Jungle DrumsDecember 2011

email: office@thejungledrums.es

(Hegg series), the Ecke family (Eckespoint se-ries). The Fischer family, a German breeder,has also contributed many cultivars to the poinsettia tradition.These breeding pro-grams focused onstronger stems, leafand bract retention,multiple branching,earlier blooming,and colour variation.

Poinsettias nowcome in a variety ofcolours includingred, white, pink andburgundy, and withmany variations in

between including flecks of colour on contrast-ing backgrounds.

It was probably Paul Ecke Jr, from the best-known US poinsettia culti-vating family, who did morethan anyone to give thepoinsettia its Christmasfame.

Thanks to his media promotion in the 1960s,specifically on the Tonight

Show and Bob Hope Christ-mas Specials, the poinsettia became a household name,found its way onto Christ-mas cards and into popular festive culture.

The poinsettia is very popular in Spain, andcan be bought just about everywhere atChristmas.

Select plants with uniformly green foliage and no lower leaves missing.Lighter varieties will, however, have lighterfoliage.

Plants with pale green, yellow or fallenleaves mayhave a root dis-ease, havebeen overwa-tered, had anexcessive dryperiod, or re-ceived limitedfertilization.

Bracts shouldbe well devel-oped with littlepollen showingon the flowers.

Choosing your

poinsettia

Poinsettias thrive on indirect, natural daylight and

require at least six hours light a day. Avoid direct

sunlight, as this may fade the colour.

To prolong colour, protect from cold drafts and

excessive heat. Ideal temperatures are 67F to 70F

(19.5C to 21C) during the day and 60F to 62F

(15.5C to 16.6C) at night. Remove damaged or

diseased leaves.

Poinsettias require moderately moist soil. Check

plants daily and water thoroughly whenever the soil

feels dry to the touch. Apply water until it runs out

the drainage hole. However, do not allow poinset-

tias to sit in standing water. Discard any collected

water in the drainage receptacle.

A poinsettia does not require fertilization while it

is in bloom. However, to maintain green foliage and

promote new growth indoors after the holidays,

apply a balanced all-purpose house plant fertilizer

once per month, following directions on the fertilizer

label.

Caring for your

poinsettia

Contrary to popular belief, poinsettias are not poisonous if eaten. Apparently, the rumourstarted due to a story about an army officer's childwho ate a leaf in 1919 and died soon after. Poinsettia producers have been fighting the mythever since.

Researchers at Ohio State University have car-ried out extensive tests on rats, which ate largeamounts of the leaves with no adverse effects.The American Medical Association has alsostated that poinsettias are not poisonous.

With its close genetic ties to the rubber tree,which is where natural latex is derived, those whoare sensitive to latex may also be sensitive to thelatex from poinsettias.

Although commonly assumed to be poisonousto animals, Poinsettia plants are not harmful tohousehold pets unless the leaves and bracts areeaten in very large quantities. Some cats thatchew on the leaves may salivate and can vomit ifthe leaves are swallowed. It is best to keep plantsout of the reach of pets.

The poison myth

The Jungle Drums December 2011The Jungle Drums

• Don’t leave your dog outside in the coldfor long periods of time. • Place a towel or old blanket under yourdog basket if on a tiled floor.• Grooming is essential to keep your dog’scoat properly insulated. • Consider a dog sweater or coat for smalldogs. •Towel or blow-dry your dog if it gets wet inthe rain.•Dogs need as much water in winter asthey do in the summer.• Worming must be done every three

months, even in the winter.• Keep breakable decorations, such asbaubles, out of the reach of dogs. If theseshatter the sharp shards can injure pets.• Holly and mistletoe are poisonous sokeep them in places your pets can’t reach. • Treat your dog to a little something this Christmas - a chewy bar, a new basket, a toy, because dogs believe inSanta, too.

TOP TIPS FOR WINTER DOG CARE

The Jungle Drums - Tel: 626 397 397

SUPPLIED BY PET CARE,BENIJOFAR

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Adopt an animal with the WWF Help save an endangered species by adopting an animal from the WorldWildlife Fund as a gift for the animal lover in your life. Adoptions include asoft toy and updates about your adopted species three times a year. Adop-tions can be bought at www.wwf.es or www.wwf.org.uk. They start from just£3 a month on the UK website or a one-off payment of €39 on the Spanishwebsite. Your adoption money goes toward conservation work to help safe-

guard at risk animal species.

Original catartwork

Local artist, NancyGrönholm is not onlya dab hand with the paintbrush, she’s alsopassionate aboutcats. She has around eight cats of her ownand also cares forlocal wild cat colonies.

Nancy’s love of all things feline isbeautifully depicted in her drawings andpaintings. Choosefrom charming watercolours like Cat

Walking (left), rich oils or sketches. Nancy’s artwork will make a wonderful present for any cat lover. BuyNancy’s work at www.etsy.com/shop/thoseparasoldaysor email nancygronholm@hotmail.com or phone 644 475 031 for local viewings and sales.

PetPhotography

Now! Paul WalkerA perfect pres-ent for photog-raphy and animal enthusi-asts, this bookwill help you get the best from animal subjects – whether they comewrapped in fur, feather or scales.Practical advice on locations, view-points and posing. Plus hints on gettingyour subject to behave for the camera. £10.49 from amazon.co.uk

Gifts for animal lovers March of the Autumn SpidersBarbara Perez, with illustrations by Julie CannonSpiders are not everybody’s favourite animal,but read this charming bookand you might just changeyour mind about thesecrawliest of creepies.

Petrified of spiders herself,the author decided to faceher fears by seeing spidersin a different way. The resultis this lovely book full of endearing spider characters. Although writtenfor children, it has proved a hit with spiderlovers and haters from eight to 80. £6.99 from amazon.co.uk

The Jungle DrumsDecember2011 The Jungle Drums

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Owning a pony can be wonderfully reward-ing, give your child a healthy outdoors hobbyand teach them responsibility. But, it is alsoexpensive and a very long-term commitmentso should never be entered into lightly.

Before allowing Santa to make your child’shorsey dreams come true, Sarah recom-mends you ask yourself two main questions.Can I afford a horse? And, does my child really want a horse?

“Buying a horse doesn’t have to cost a lot,”says Sarah. “Especially now, with peoplestruggling to afford to keep their horses, theycan be picked up cheaply. But the cost ofbuying the horse is only the beginning.”

With stabling, food, vet bills and farriersfees, Sarah estimates it costs a minimum of200 euros a month to keep a horse, and thiscould soar if your horse needs special foodor extra veterinary care. Then there is thecost of the tack, cost of lessons if your childdoesn’t already know how to ride, and insur-ance. The money just keeps mounting.

If you decide you can afford a horse foryour child, you need to ask the second ques-

tion – does my child really want a horse?Little John or Jane may be pestering the

life out of you now for a pony of their own, buthave they shown a real commitment to own-ing a horse? Do they know what is involved?Will they still be interested by next Christ-mas? A horse is not a bike that can be un-wrapped and played with on Christmasmorning and then put away and left to rust inthe shed on Boxing Day.

“You can tell the kids who have a real andlasting passion,” says Sarah. “They are horsemad; talk about horses, read books abouthorses, watch films about horses, pretend tobe horses and pester their parents for ridinglessons.”

Sarah was herself one of these kids, andwhen she was only eight years old wouldtravel two hours on a bus every week fromher home in Essex to a city farm in East London just so she could be around horses.Even if she couldn’t afford riding lessons, shewould help with mucking out and grooming tospend time with the animals she loved.

When Billy, her favourite horse at the farm,was to be put down because he was too oldto be used for lessons, Sarah went home crying and begged her mum to let her haveBilly. Her mum agreed but Sarah had to workfor Billy’s keep and buy all his food herself.

Would your child be prepared to do this? Ifnot, perhaps they are not ready for a horse.

Sarah’s passion for horses has neverwaned and that’s how it has to be as horsesare a long-term commitment, easily living intotheir late 20s or 30s.

A good alternative to buying a pony for yourchild is to lease one from a local yard. A leaseallows you to experience owning a horse without the commitment and for less expense.

Palms Equestrianhas a lease scheme that allows youto lease a horse for 165 euros a month. Forthis, it is as if the horse is your own. You cango to the stables as often as you like, ride thehorse and be as involved as you wish in itsdaily care. Cheaper, part-loan schemes arealso available at Palms.

If your child has no real experience ofhorses, start with riding lessons and ponyclub activities. Palms Equestrian has an ex-perienced instructor and can teach children

from as young asfour. In the sum-mer they have achildren’s sum-mer club.

For more information onloans, lessonsand hacks callSarah on 636311 751 or emailpalmsequestrian@live.co.uk. VisitPalms’ websitew w w . p a l m sequestrian.com

I want a pony for ChristmasA pony is at the top of many youngsters’ Christmas lists. We spoke to local stable owner

Sarah Gibbons to find out what to do if your child wants a horse…

Sarah’sdaughterBillie’shorsemad

Sarah on Billy

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The Jungle Drums December 2011

The Jungle Drums - Tel: 966 923 796

Madrid Madrid celebrates the festive season in style, with lights across thecity transforming the capital into a Christmas wonderland. Little markets spring up everywhere selling Christmas decorations, gifts,food and knick-knacks.

But without doubt, the best of the Christmas markets can be foundat Plaza Mayor, Madrid’s biggest square. Plaza Mayor dates back tothe sixteenth centuryand is a stunning location for the market.The market itself datesback to 1860.

More than 100 stallsline the square to sellall sorts of Christmas-related goods, including Christmastrees, decorations andfigures for the belén(nativity scene).

Children’s City Not a market but worth a visit if you are going to Madrid with

children at Christmas, is the Children’s City (Ciudad de los Niños).Every December the Plaza de Colón hosts theatre, storytelling anddance performances for children.

Seville This two thousand year old city with cathedrals dating back to the fifteenth century has a long Christian history, so perhaps it’s no surprise that Christmas in the capital of Andalucía is a big event.

Streets and plazas sparkle magically with Christmas lights, chestnuts are roasted on almost every corner, singers fill the city with the sound of villancicos, or Christmas songs, and nativity scenes(belénes) are everywhere.

In fact, the belén is such a big tradition in Seville that it has its veryown Christmas market dedicated to the sale of everything needed tocreate the nativity scene. From mid-November until a few days beforeChristmas, all the most famous sellers of belén figures and sceneryset up stalls in the Archivo de Indias. Figures range from the serious to whimsical and from a few euros to hundreds of euros - this is a serious business! Christmas ornaments, cards and other decorationsare available as well.

Anyone looking for original Christmas gifts should head to the Mercado de Aresanía in Plaza Nueva.

From mid-December until early January, local artisans and craftsmen display their goods. Here you can find paintings, pottery,jewellery and lots of uniquely Spanish and Sevillian gifts.

BarcelonaBarcelona’s Fir de Santa Llúcia Christmas market is the city’s bestknown and most traditional Christmas market.

Even if you don’t want toshop, this is the place to gofor Christmas atmosphere –especially at night when thelights of the market glistenagainst the backdrop of theimpressive Cathedral.

You’ll find loads of stallsselling Christmas trees, decorations and mistletoe.This is also the place to buyyour caga tió, which translates

as poo log. Caga tiós are an important part of the traditional Catalonian Christmas.

The logs have a friendly face and are dressed in red. Children willcare for the log in the lead up to Christmas Eve, keeping it warm andoffering it food. Then, on Christmas Eve, the log will poo out lots oftreats and presents for the kiddies.

You will also find an abundance of caganers in this market, the pooing man that is placed in Spanish nativity scenes.

A section of the market known as Artesania sells various hand-made and artisan products such as jewellery, toys, leather goods and ornaments.

The market opens on December 13th and runs until Christmas Evein the Plaza de la Catedral and spreads onto the Placa Nova.

Granada Granada’s Christmas market is located on the central square of Bib-Rambla, just around the corner from the Renaissance Cathedral.

Here you will find candles, flowers, all types of handmade gifts andsweets, plus Christmas decorations.

It’s cold in Granada at Christmas so warm up on the best churrosand chocolate in the city from the cafés around the square that specialise in these traditional warming treats.

Granada, like so many other places in Spain, loves its nativityscenes at Christmas. You will find these all over the city, with someeven including live actors and animals.

Marketing ChristmasGet into the spirit of Christmas with a visit to some of Spain’s best Christmas markets. They may not be as

famous as the seasonal markets of Germany, Hungary and other northern European countries, and you’ll haveto swap the Glühwein and bratwurst for churros and chocolate, but Spain’s Christmas markets are not short on seasonal cheer and are the best places to find original presents, decorations and all things Christmassy.

Here are a few of Spain’s biggest and best Christmas markets.

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The Jungle DrumsDecemeber 2011

email: office@thejungledrums.es

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The Jungle Drums December 2011

The Jungle Drums - Tel: 966 923 796

Looking for a snow fix this winter? Then you need head no further than the Sierra

Nevada, around half a day’s drive from the Costa Blanca.Europe’s most southerly ski resort is just outside the historic city of Granada

and it’s perfectly possible to ski by day and enjoy the culture, restaurants, barsand nightlife of the city by night.

You can stay in the resort itself but with Granada so close, there really is nopoint. And while Granada is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, its ski resort is one of the uglier ski villages – so just go there for the snow and headback down the slopes for your après ski.

It only takes around 40 minutes to drive the winding mountain roads from the city to the ski resort, and if you don’t have your own transport there areplenty of buses.

The ski resort usually opens around December 1, depending on snow conditions, and the season can last until Easter. In 2010 the snow held up until May with some amazing snow dumps late on. Snow machines help extend the season when there is not enough snowfall.

Visiting Granada during the ski season is perfect, too, as you get to see thecity when it’s far quieter than in the peak summer months, and room rates,even at the grandest historic hotels, come right down.

Sierra Nevada Situated just outside Granada, Europe’s mostsoutherly ski resort allows a wonderful mix ofskiing and culture...

There’s lots of good skiing here, if few off-piste challenges for real experts.There are more than 100km of slopes and the top lift rises to an impressive3,300 metres. The best runs are hidden away in the secluded Laguna bowl.

In total there are 79 pistes in different parts of the resort: of these 4 areblack (very difficult), 34 are red (difficult), 33 are blue (easy) and eight aregreen (very easy).

The Sierra Nevada is fantastic for beginners with wide motorway runsand several ski schools that rank among the best in Europe.

The mountains have a very different feel to the Alps. Instead of lookingup to jagged peaks high above, when skiing in the Sierra Nevada you areon top of the highest mountain for hundreds of miles. From the top liftviews extend to the olive groves of Cazorla in the north, Granada to the west and Almerías fruit farms and the distant sparkle of the Mediterranean to the south. From the highest run, the Águila red run,you can see all the way across to the Riff mountains in Morocco on aclear day.

It is usually a lot warmer than in the Alps, too. Skiers enjoying the feel of the sun beating down on them often marvel at how the snowdoesn’t melt.

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The Jungle DrumsDecember 2011

email: office@thejungledrums.es

Whilst the bars at the bottom of the pistes cannot compete with the bars of Granada,they do have pleasant terraces facing the sun where you can sit and soak up a fewrays over a drink and a bite to eat.

On Saturdays if you hang around in the bars a little longer you can head back ontothe slopes for floodlit skiing between 7pm and 9pm.

You can hire everything you need in the resort, including clothes if you’re not tooworried about style. It’s around 30 to 35 euros a day for a ski pass, depending onthe season, and gets cheaper the more consecutive days you buy for. Ski andboot hire is about the same. There are discounts for children, disabled skiersand senior citizens. Non-skiers can buy a return ticket in the cable car if theywant to join you for lunch or just go up to see the view.

Snowboarding has also become very popular in the resort, which is aiming to host the World Snowboard and Freestyle Championships in2017. An important step to gaining this event takes place in March nextyear when the resort hosts the Junior World Snowboard Championships.Young competitors will be the first to use the resorts latest facility, a new half pipe– freestyle and snowboard circuit.

If you fancy a break from skiing and snowboarding, take a ride on a sledge pulled by a team of huskies. The ride lasts about 30 minutes and costs 45 euros per person.

Or, you can have fun tobogganing. Rent a simple plastic sledge from one of the smallshops or hire a more sophisticated inflatable toboggan for around 15 euros for30 minutes.

There’s ice skating, too, at six euros an hour including skates at the resortsopen-air rink.

In the summerThe Sierra Nevada is not just for winter. In the summer this natural park enjoyslovely temperatures of around 20 degrees - just right for enjoying walking, horse riding and cycling holidays. The scenery is simply stunning in the summer with natural lakes and lush vegetation.

The calendar of summer events includes cycling races such as the Sierra NevadaLímite, fell running and even a triathlon.

Sierra Nevada: the sky's the limit, a series of open air concerts given by groups of allstyles, is a great way to spend a summer evening in the Sierra Nevada.

The Sierra Nevada ski station is 32 kilometers from Granada city.

It is found on the A-395 at km 31 and iseasily accessible by car, although yousometimes need snow chains.

Buses run from Granada city.

Getting there

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The Jungle Drums December 2011

The Jungle Drums - Tel: 966 923 796

Saab 9-4XWhilst the the SUV/ Crossover market is ever growing and everyother manufacturer is moving intothis area the Swedish maker SAABhas decided they also want a piece.Let us introduce the all new Saab 9-4X, which was officially introducedto Europe earlier this year.

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The Jungle DrumsDecember 2011

email: office@thejungledrums.es

“The Saab 9-4X significantly broadens the appeal of the Saab brand,” says Saab AutomobileCEO Jan Åke Jonsson. “It gives us entry to the fast-growing crossover segment with a vehiclethat reflects our brand values in key areas, such as progressive Scandinavian design andsporty, responsible driving performance. The Saab 9-4X is an exciting package and we’re confident it will appeal to many existing Saab owners, as well as win new customers for thebrand.”

With distinctive Scandinavian and aircraft-inspired looks, it also offers car-like handling anda sporty drive.

The 9-4X is aligned in looks and sized between the 9-3X all-rounder and new 9-5 sedan. Outside and inside, it communicates its Saab identity with clean, uncluttered design and signature motifs, such as its wraparound-effectwindshield, ice block lighting theme, driver-focused cockpit and flexible cargo handling.

In true Saab tradition, the 9-4X delivers on its sporty persona. It is configuredaround a unique, purpose-designed crossover body structure, which has been key to delivering its exceptional handling and ride properties. Car-like driving dynamics are supported by Saab’s advanced all-wheel-drive system, Saab XWD,and DriveSense adaptive chassis control.

Under the bonnet nestles a choice of compact and efficient V6 engines,naturally-aspirated or turbocharged. The265bhp, 3.0ltr engine for the entry-level modelfeatures direct fuel injection and variablevalve timing; whilst the 300bhp, 2.8ltr exchanges direct injection for twin-scroll turbocharging and is exclusive to top-of-lineAero variants. Both engines are mated to six-speed automatic transmissions.

This quality will not come cheap though expect to pay around 50.000€ for the 3.0 V6XWD and 60.000€ for the 2.8T V6 XWD Aero.

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The Jungle Drums December 2011

The Jungle Drums - Tel: 966 923 796

Welcome to this month’s computer article written by

Richard from BlueMoon Solutions

BlueMoon Solutions is the computer and IT

services company on the Costa Blanca. We aim to

provide high quality computer services at realistic

prices - we specialise in providing services to small

businesses and home users

For all your home and business computer needs

•Internet Setup

•New PC & Laptop Sales

•Office Training / Macros

•Backup Solutions

•Web and Email Hosting

•Server Configuration

•Anti - Virus / Security

•Digital Photos

•Repairs & Upgrades

•Internet & Email Training

•Phone Calls on your PC

•Website Design

•Internet / Wireless Setup

•Low Cost printer inks

Contact Us

mobile: 655 044 970

Office: 902 906 200

office@bluemoonsolutions.es

www.bluemoonsolutions.es

One thing that Kindle users complain about

is that it comes without any companion

software. There is, however some third-

party software that fills this gap. The best

appears to be ‘Calibre’ which is marketed

as the ‘one stop solution to all your ebook

needs’ and it provides the Kindle with a

feature-rich and more importantly FREE

ebook management application.

Not only does Calibre allow you to

search through and create a library of your

books (for example it’s easy to see all of

the books you have by a specific author), it

enables you to automatically fetch news

from websites or RSS feeds (these are

automatically downloaded information

feeds - the BBC has one for example).

Calibre also lets you format the news into

an ebook and upload it to your Kindle -

so for example, it would enable you to

download a daily copy of the Guardian

onto your Kindle.

If you would like to know more then there

are loads of tutorial videos on the Calibre

website at http://calibre-ebook.com

Another thing that many people are

unaware of is that you can take screen

shots with your Kindle. A screen shot is

simply a photograph of whatever you have

on the screen at the time you take it. To do

this just press ALT + Shift + G together, the

screen will flash momentarily and a copy of

the screen will be saved to your Kindle’s

memory.

To retrieve the screen shots, browse the

Kindle’s ‘documents’ folder where you will

find all of

your books

together

with the

screen-

shots.

There

are some

games that

you can

play on your Kindle!

The game that it comes with is called

Minesweeper and you activate it by holding

down ALT + Shift + M. The controls are

shown at the start of the game, but the

idea is to guess where all the mines are.

Whilst in Minesweeper you can launch

another game called GoMoku, which is a

version of tick-tak-toe. If you want to

launch this game, then just press the letter

G whilst in Minesweeper.

There are a few other games that you

can download for free from Amazon, -

‘Shuffled’ and ‘Every Word’ are both word

games but highly addictive according to my

customers!

There is a growing community of Kindle

users on the Internet so if you want to find

out any more information about what you

can do with yours, just Google it. I found a

lot of useful information at the website

http://maketecheasier.com/tips-and-tricks-

for-your-shiney-new-Kindle/2010/09/16 and

another good site for more information is

http://kindlestuff.wordpress.com This is a

great resource for Kindle users! It

describes how to do things like, how to

play background audio whilst reading a

book, and how to lend other people the

books you have bought for your Kindle.

Finally for those of you that have not yet

bought a Kindle but are thinking about it, -

it may be worth holding off for a bit. The

new Kindle Fire was launched in the USA

in November and, although we are still

waiting for a launch date here in Europe, it

is expected to be soon. It is said to be a

great piece of kit – the screen is in full

colour for a start, vastly improving the

experience of reading magazines, and if

that isn´t enough, it will also allow you to

play films and TV shows, download music

and give you access to Amazon´s massive

list of

over 18

million

films!

Kindle Month 2. This month we continue to look at Amazons book reader, the Kindle. Last month welooked at how you might use additional software to get the best out of the Kindle, and this month wecontinue in the same vein, covering some of the less well-known features of this great little device.

I hope you have found this article

useful, remember that you can

see all of our articles at www.bluemoonsolutions.es/articles

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December 2011

email: office@thejungledrums.es

The Jungle Drums

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The Jungle Drums December 2011

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Stephanie was just three minutes old when she was placed into my arms,

and as I looked down into that tiny face for the first time I instantly felt an

amazingly powerful connection with this brand new life. But I knew the

connection was more than just me – it went through my daughter Tracy,

Stephanie’s mum, and back to my

mum, her mum and everyone who

came before.

I felt then that I wanted to tell

Stephanie all about her family history as she grew up, so she could see

where she came from, who she took after, why she might choose a certain

direction in her life.

Back home at 2am on the night of Stephanie’s birth, I was far too excited

to sleep and so wrote Stephanie a letter containing all the details of her

birth and her family as I knew it.

I also promised to research our family history and to record my journey

in subsequent letters to her as she was growing up.

Stephanie is now 22 and I have written around 40 ‘Letters to Stephanie’.

It has been a fascinating journey. I remain as close to Stephanie today as

I was on the day of her

birth, but thanks to her,

and the letters I have

written, I now have a

bond that stretches

back in time, and

Stephanie does, too.

Like most people, I

had details of my

parents and grandpar-

ents but previous to

that, dates and names

became hazy. I decided

to concentrate on my

maternal grandmother’s

branch of the family.

‘I know my Gran’s

name was Jessie

Goldfinch,’ I said to my mother, (then already in her 80s). ‘But what was

your Gran’s name?’

‘Eykelbosch.’

‘Great name to research,’ I said. ‘And her first name?’

‘Gran!’

‘No Mum – I mean her Christian name.’

‘We never used it – not in those days.’

‘But what did your grandfather call her?’

‘Mother! Ask mother he’d say.’

So…….this was not going to be easy. But two weeks later during a visit

to my mother, she called to me from the bedroom.

‘Elizabeth!’

‘No Mum – it’s Barbara!’

‘It’s Elizabeth!’ she

repeated.

I sat in the chair beside her

bed. ‘Mum! Ray, Connie,

Barbara and John – your four

children - and I’m Barbara!’

‘No!’ she insisted. ‘Your

great grandmother was called

Elizabeth!’

Eureka! I had the first piece

of my Eykelbosch jigsaw!

Then there was no stopping

my mother.

‘They lived in North London

near the Angel. He was a

cabman – with horses in those days…..I can’t remember his name. They

had about five or six children and your grandmother Jessie was one of

them. Then there was an Ada, a William…and I can’t remember the

rest...oh yes, a Minnie because I was named after her…and a Kate…and

Alf. Will that do for now?’

I reached for some paper and a

pen and jotted down the details. So

began the research in earnest. My

mother, spurred on by my excite-

ment, delved into her handbag and

removed a sepia photograph of a

good-looking young man in a

trilby hat.

‘That’s my brother Teddy – the only

boy in a family of ten girls. You won’t

remember him because he died just

before you were born. He was killed

by the blast of a bomb during the blitz

on Bristol in 1940, just a few days be-

fore his eighteenth birthday. It broke

mother’s heart! There – take it! It can

be your first family story.’

Letters to StephanieWhen her first grandchild was born, local author Barbara Perez felt a desire to pass on all the family storiesto the new arrival. Only one problem – she didn’t know them, and so began a quest to find out more about

her family history. She shared her story with us in the hope it may inspire JD readers to do the same…

Teddy,Barbara’suncle

Barbara’smum, Minnie

Barbara withStephanie

BabyStephanie

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The Jungle DrumsDecember 2011

email: office@thejungledrums.es

Six months later, on a touring holiday in the USA, I went to Salt Lake

City to visit the Mormon Family History Library, the largest genealogical

library in the world. The majority of their records contain information about

people who lived before 1920 – records from more than 100 countries.

Five floors below ground level are the records for the UK.

I fed the scant details I had regarding the Eykelbosch name into the

computer and was thrilled when an address came up in North London for

Elizabeth, along with her husband’s name - William. I was able to

recognise it by the names of some of their children that my mother had

given me. Now I was back in the 1800s. My jigsaw was growing.

Today, with internet, it isn’t necessary to travel to Salt Lake City for

information. For a small fee, there are companies that will do the leg work

for you or you can do a lot of the research yourself online even cheaper.

On my return to the UK, I met up

with my brother and we continued the

search together. I collected and wrote

the stories and he, a retired police

detective inspector, continued the

document search. The information we

had was enough to use as a spring-

board for more.

It has taken us 21 years to date but

we have now traced the Eykelbosch

ancestors back to the 17th century

when James Eykelbosch travelled to

England with William of Orange from

Holland as boot maker to the

would-be king’s Dutch army.

On the paternal side of my mother’s

family, we have traced the Goldfinch

branch back to the 15th century. Most

of the difficult research work has been done by my brother for whom it has

become a hobby.

He has searched the internet, written letters, bought copy upon copy of

birth, death and marriage certificates and visited record offices, churches,

gravestones and interested distant relatives. One such distant relative

sent him a copy of a photograph of our three times great grandmother

Hannah Christmas who was born in the late 1700s. Seeing that image

was a great thrill.

In 1998, we organised an Eykelbosch family reunion in Covent Garden,

London, near the churches where James, newly arrived from Holland,

married Gertrude Quatermain in the 17th century. I say churches because

they were married twice that day – once in the Catholic Church (for her)

and once in the Protestant (for him).

Our reunion celebrating the anniversary of their union was a huge

success attended by more than a hundred Eykelbosch relations from all

over the world. We had all descended from James and Gertrude.

Stephanie was there with her younger sister Hannah. There are

now six grandchildren to add to my family tree – it is a wonderful never-

ending story.

Barbara Perez, MBE, has published two books, The Gypsy and

the State and The March of the Autumn Spiders.

How to build your own family treeResearching your ancestry might seem like a daunting task – but

if you think of it like a jigsaw and take it a piece at a time, you’ll be

surprised at how it can all come together.

Just like with a jigsaw, you start with the easiest pieces – the corners

and outside edges. In genealogy terms, the outside pieces and corners

are you, your parents and grandparents, and any other relatives whose

details you already know.

We all have some data, even if it is just our own birth certificate. This

alone gives you five pieces of the jigsaw – name, date of birth, name of

one or two parents, their occupation, and country of birth.

Your family tree will already begin to look like this;

John Bloggs (father) Matilda Bloggs (mother)

b. 13.04 1909 b.10.12. 1910

Naval Officer Children’s Nurse

I

Mary Bloggs born 18.03.42 Bristol UK

At this stage it is advisable to research one parent at a time. Choose

the one you know more about. Which set of grandparents are you

more familiar with and are more likely to get data from?

You can go to a professional genealogist with this information and

pay them do the legwork. Or you can continue to research your family

tree yourself.

Researching your ancestry yourself is much easier than it used to be

as so much information is now available on the internet. A good place

to start if you come from the UK is www.ancestry.co.uk

This website allows you to access all the main sources of information

for tracing your ancestry, including:

Census recordsCensuses are perhaps the most important genealogy records — and

ancestry.co.uk has a comprehensive online collection. Move back

through the generations with details such as addresses, ages and

occupations. As censuses are released after 100 years, the 1911

census is the most recent available.

Birth, marriage and death indexesAt ancestry.co.uk you will find birth, marriage and death indexes from

1837 to 2005. Discover where and when each event happened, then

order full certificates for further information.

Other recordsTrace the war heroes in your family with millions of military records.

Immigration records, parish records, criminal records, the National

Probate Calendar and

more than six billion

other records from all

over the world can

also be accessed at

this site.

You can start your

search on

ancestry.co.uk with a

free trial. After that

time, subscriptions

range from £6.95 to

£18.95 depending on

the level of access

you require.

Stephanie, left, with sister Hannah and cousin Michael

HannahChristmas

The Jungle Drums December 2011

Monthly Caption CompetitionPA

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Can you think of a witty caption to go with this picture? For a chance to win a 10€ voucher to spend on Christmas items in News

Express, send your ideas to office@thejungledrums.es or call 966 923 796

Monthly Caption CompetitionSponsored by

Last month’s winner:

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“I’m sure I left my bone aroundhere somewhere!”

The Jungle DrumsDecember 2011

PAG

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email: office@thejungledrums.es

solu

tion

on

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38

The story of why the angel is on top of the tree

Not long ago, and not far away, Santa was getting ready for his

annual trip...but there were problems every where... four of the

elves got sick and the trainee elves did not produce the toys as fast

as the regular ones. Santa was beginning to feel the pressure of

being behind schedule. Then Mrs Claus told Santa that her mum

was coming to visit...

This stressed Santa even more...when he went to harness the

reindeer he found that three of them were about to give birth and

two had jumped the fence and were out heaven knows

where...more stress.

And then, when he began to load the sleigh one of the boards on

the sleigh cracked and the toy bag fell to the ground and scattered

all the toys... So, frustrated, Santa went into the house for a cup of

coffee and a shot of whiskey. But he found that the elves had hit

the drinks cupboard and there was nothing there to drink. In his

frustration he dropped the coffee pot and it broke into hundreds of

little pieces all over the kitchen floor. He went to get the broom and

found that mice had eaten the straw it was made from.

Just then the doorbell rang and Santa cussed on his way to the

door. He opened the door and there was a little angel with a great

big Christmas tree. And the angel said: “Santa, where would you

like to put this Christmas tree?”

And that, my friend, is how the little angel came to be on top of the

Christmas tree...

Three Signs of Christmas

Three men died on Christmas Eve and were met by

Saint Peter at the pearly gates.

“In honor of this holy season' Saint Peter said, 'You must

each possess something that symbolises Christmas to

get into heaven.”

The first man fumbled through his pockets and pulled

out a lighter. He flicked it on. “It represents a candle”, he

said.

“You may pass through the pearly gates” Saint Peter

said.

The second man reached into his pocket and pulled out

a set of keys. He shook them and said, “They're bells.”

Saint Peter said, “You may pass through the pearly

gates.”

The third man started searching desperately through his

pockets and finally pulled out a pair of women's panties.

Saint Peter looked at the man with a raised eyebrow and

asked, “And just what do those symbolise?”

The man replied, “These are Carols.”

A new bike

It was coming up to Christmas and Sammy asked his mum if he

could have a new bike. So, she told him that the best idea would

be to write to Santa Claus. But Sam, having just played a vital role

in the school nativity play, said he would prefer to write to the baby

Jesus. So his mum told him that would be fine.

Sam went to his room and wrote 'Dear Jesus, I have been a very

good boy and would like to have a bike for Christmas.' But he

wasn't very happy when he read it over. So he decided to try again

and this time he wrote 'Dear Jesus, I'm a good boy most of the time

and would like a bike for Christmas.' He read it back and wasn't

happy with that one either. He tried a third version. 'Dear Jesus, I

could be a good boy if I tried hard and especially if I had a new

bike.' He read that one too, but he still wasn't satisfied.

So, he decided to go out for a walk while he thought about a better

approach. After a short time he passed a house with a small statue

of the Virgin Mary in the front garden. He crept in, stuffed the statue

under his coat, hurried home and hid it under the bed. Then he

wrote this letter. 'Dear Jesus, if you want to see your mother again,

you'd better send me a new bike.'

Christmas PrayersA few days before Christmas, two young brothers were spending the

night at their grandparents’ house. When it was time to go to bed,

anxious to do the right thing, they both knelt down to say their prayers.

Suddenly, the younger one began to do so in a very loud voice.

"Dear Lord, please ask Santa Claus to bring me a play-station, a

mountain-bike and a telescope."

His older brother leaned over and nudged his brother and said, "Why

are you shouting your prayers? God isn't deaf."

"I know" he replied, "But Grandma is!"

PAG

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The Jungle Drums December 2011

The Jungle Drums - Tel: 966 923 796

Thinking caps on for this one! Answers in next month’s edition.

Solutions to last months crosswordAcross: 7 Oberon, 8 Palate, 10 Anemone, 11 Stern, 12 Iris, 13 Sewer, 17 Haunt, 18 Kate, 22 OJays, 23 Adam Ant, 24 Egg nog,25 Spells.

Down: 1 Horatio, 2 Genesis, 3 Robot, 4 Banshee, 5 Hades, 6 Henna,9 Perennial, 14 Bassoon, 15 Parable, 16 Vectis, 19 Bogey, 20 Tango,21 Harpo.

Across

1 According to The Bible, which town was destroyed by

fire from heaven, together with Gomorrah, for the

wickedness of its inhabitants? (5)

4 What name is given to sudden involuntary muscular

contractions or convulsive movements? (6)

9 What was the title of Kenny Rogers’ first UK number

one hit single? (7)

10 Which city in Nebraska is the port of entry and seat

of Douglas county? (5)

11 What name is usually given to the building in which

members of the armed forces take their meals? (4)

12 What was the surname of the dancing partner of

Ginger Rogers? (7)

13 Which thick opaque liquid is produced in infected

tissue? (3)

14 What is another term for the blackthorn? (4)

16 Which loose, flowing outer garment was worn by the

citizens of ancient Rome? (4)

18 Which natural or synthetic substance is used to add

a colour to or change the colour of something? (3)

20 Which word means to convert waste into reusable

material? (7)

21 Which woodwind instrument of treble pitch, is played

with a double reed and has an incisive tone? (4)

24 Which Russian ballet company is now known as

Mariinsky Ballet? (5)

25 Which extremely poisonous salt of hydrocyanic acid

is used in the extraction of gold and silver? (7)

26 What is the surname of the British rock n roller who

sang about a Little White Bull? (6)

27 What is the main monetary unit of the EU? (5)

Down

1 What is the name of the highly seasoned Italian

sausage that is usually eaten cold in slices? (6)

2 Which waterbirds have broad blunt bills, short legs,

webbed feet, and waddling gaits? (5)

3 Which African country was known as French Sudan

until 1958? (4)

5 In males, which gland surrounds the neck of the

bladder? (8)

6 Which sport can be figure, ice or roller? (7)

7 In a conventional pack of playing cards,

which of the four suits is denoted by a black

inverted heart-shaped figure with a small

stalk? (6)

8 What was the surname of the French

Impressionist painter best known for his

paintings of ballet dancers? (5)

13 What was the surname of the British prime

minister who was shot dead in the lobby of the

House of Commons in 1812? (8)

15 Vierwaldstättersee is the German name for

which Swiss lake? (7)

17 What name is given to male ducks? (6)

18 Which word is used as a euphemism for

‘devil’ in expressions of annoyance,

impatience, or surprise or for emphasis? (5)

19 What was the surname of the male half of

the duo that topped British charts in 1973 with

Welcome Home? (6)

22 Which form of tobacco pipe is made from

woody nodules borne at ground level by a

large woody plant of the heather family? (5)

23 What’s the name of the hard, typically green

stone used for ornaments and implements? (4)

PAG

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The Jungle DrumsDecember 2011

email: office@thejungledrums.es

Aries 21 March - 19 AprilThe lunar eclipse on the 10th is likely to cause sudden changes intravel, on the other hand this same lunar eclipse that seems so dis-ruptive is also going to shake up your days for the next couple ofweeks. Uranus goes direct in your sign on December 13th and youfinally get the opportunity to speak your mind to someone whohas somehow had the power to silence you for the past severalmonths. Mars is in Aquarius right on Christmas Day which doesmean you will not be spending the holiday in the traditional waythat you always do.

Taurus 20 April - 20 MayDecember 8th could be a day when Murphy’s Law rules. This isthanks to the moon straying in your sign and causing confusion,delays and obstacles. This is not your best two days for travelling,having important meetings or doing any Christmas shopping. Onthe 11th the planet Neptune could have you wrestling with feel-ings of anger or disappointment. On December 13th the planetUranus moves forward and you are going to be blessed withsomething you have wanted to come your way for months. Theplanets also indicate that you are more likely to stay in with a spe-cial someone this New Year’s watching television.

Gemini 21 May - 21 JuneThe month does begin with a bit of wishful thinking about money.Planets in Scorpio may lead you to believe you are richer than youare so be careful not to overspend. The big news for The Sign ofTwins this month is the lunar eclipse of the Full Moon in your signon December 10th. This is a magical influence that brings you to apoint of real reflection about what direction you would like to takeyour life. You may also find that during this eclipse your intuitionis heightened and that your creative abilities seem to be at theirpeak. Love planet Venus brings you the opportunity to escape witha loved one on the fifteenth and the sixteenth. Your ruling planetMercury smiles on you this New Year’s Eve bringing you just theright mix of socializing with good friends and spending intimatemoments later with a loved one.Cancer 22 June - 22 JulyThe first days of the month could begin with a bit of tension be-tween you and a partner about where or how to spend the holi-days this year. On the 10th an eclipse of the moon is going to haveyou questioning whether or not you are happy with your place inlife. Be prepared for everything and anything; keep in mind thatwhatever does happen it is all in the name of making you a muchwealthier and happier person by December 2012. Your New YearsEve promises to be a family affair. Planets in Capricorn indicate thatyou are more likely to host a party then go out and spend a lot ofmoney in clubs or dressing up to go to a fancy Christmas party.You will get a more joy from spending New Year’s at home andkeeping in touch with your loved ones by instant messenger or onsocial networking programs like Facebook.

Leo 23 July - 22 AugustMany Lions will be working through the holidays this year to keeptheir jobs or to try and repair debt. The lunar eclipse in Gemini onDecember 10th might bring changes to do with your work situa-tion. Some Lions might receive news that they are relocating toanother city in order to make more money. Many Leos will also begetting good news about a raise or a promotion towards the endof the month as well. On December 13th you will be pleasantly sur-prised by positive news from a family member. On December 15thbe very careful not to spread gossip. Your New Year’s Eve promisesto be very romantic. Thanks to good vibes from love planet Venusyou might find yourself sneaking away from a big party to enjoyprivate moments with a special someone.

Virgo 23 August - 22 SeptemberThe eclipse of the moon on the tenth is likely going to help yourecognize those areas in your life that need fixing or changing. On December 13th Uranus could bring you some surprising newsthat leaves you shocked and appalled. A matter that you thoughtwas long over could raise its ugly head again and you may haveno choice but to deal with it. On December 17th a positive influence from the moon in your signis going to help you reflect on recent troubling events with a lessresentful eye.

Libra 23 September - 23 OctoberThe month gets off to a bit of a shaky start financially and youmight wonder how you are going to afford to pay for the holi-days. The lunar eclipse on the tenth is going to change how yousee a current partner in your life. This person could be a businessassociate or part of your romantic life. You could be quiteshocked by what you hear on December 17th. It could be thatan appalling rumor that you thought was just gossip is actuallytrue. Your ruler Venus promises you a very romantic New Year’s.Your sign can expect to spend New Year’s somewhere very glam-orous where the champagne is going to flow.

Scorpio 24 October - 21 NovemberThe lunar eclipse on December 10th is likely going to urge youto leave a job or relationship that you feel is holding you back.You may find yourself overwhelmed by a strong personality thatis also possibly addicted to alcohol or another substance on the11th. The 15th may offer you the chance to visit a lover or closefriend who lives out of town. On the 17th the planet Uranus goesdirect after moving backwards in the sky for month and bringswith it the revelation of a few unpleasant secrets. As upset as youare about what you find out it is probably best not to make a bigcase out of what you hear or find out about someone you love.

Sagittarius 22 November - 21 DecemberYour key word has been “change” for the last few months andthere are even more exciting developments coming your thanksto a Full Moon and lunar eclipse in Gemini on the tenth . If thereis one thing this month is going to offer you it is a chance totrade in the old for the new and many Archers are going to ex-perience a complete transformation in their lives. On the 11thyou may be confronted with a big drama in your family lifethanks to emotional extremes caused by Neptune. On NewYear’s you will be very touched by a special gesture from a dearfriend.

Capricorn 22 December - 19 JanuaryDuring the first three days of this month Pluto in your sign op-poses other planets. The lunar eclipse on the tenth of the monthmay bring you a set of circumstances that force you to be fullyaccountable for some of the mistakes you have made with othersin the past. When planet Uranus goes direct on 13th you will feelinspired to go out and buy that new vehicle will serve to improveyour life quality in general. This is a good time to shop for some-thing that your heart really desires. Venus showers your with ro-mantic blessings around the 15th. The Sun in your sign from the20th onwards puts you in the mood to be the host for the holi-days. Mercury in your sign on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Daybrings good news about money and you may decide to treatyourself. You may find yourself going into 2012 with a brand newcomputer, appliance or car.

Aquarius 20 January - 18 FebruaryOn the first few days of December it may become apparent thatyou cannot afford to do a favour of some kind for a friend. Youare overworked and may need to say no to something.On thetenth of December the lunar eclipse is going to help free youfrom a long-standing debt or continuing expense that may havebeen holding you back from living your life as fully as you nor-mally would. Get ready to take a short day trip to somewhere funon December 15th. You could be invited to a dinner in the coun-try or to a ski chalet. Planets in Sagittarius promise that the 15thand 16th could be days to remember! Be prepared to hop fromparty to party on New Year’s Eve. The planets indicate glamour,glitter and flowing champagne. Single Aquarians should looktheir very best as they are bound to meet many new people. Pisces 19 February - 20 MarchOn December 2nd the moon favours your sign especially if youare thinking of making a new beginning or pitching a proposalto a higher up. Be careful not to say exactly the wrong thing whenMercury causes a fuss in your relationship sector on December11th. It is also very important on this day to make sure that adrunk driver is not given the keys to go home or that you do notget drunk and say what is on your mind. On the thirteenth theplanet Uranus could bring some demanding and irrational indi-viduals into your life. Your New Year’s this year promises to be aquieter affair spent with just a few friends and your loved ones.

b

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a

b

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The Jungle Drums December 2011

The Jungle Drums - Tel: 966 923 796

To advertise here please telephone 966 727 334 or 626 397 397 or email advertising@thejungledrums.es

Pensión La Oficina (The Black

Bull)situated on the CV951, San

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Established in 1984 on the Costa

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Brand new clothing for Sale. 10,000

pieces of mixed childrens, ladies and

mens wear. Ideal for market traders.

Bargain price 1€ per item. Call now on

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LEGAL REQUIREMENT IN SPAIN

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International Christian Assembly. Calle

Pilar de Horadada 5, Torrevieja. Evan-

gelical non-denominational. Sunday

services 11:00am. Children’s Church

11:00am. House groups in Torrevieja,

Los Balcones, San Javier. Ladies

meeting Thursdays 11:00am. Pastor,

Rafael Restrepo. All nationalities wel-

come 966 799 273 // 660 127 276.

Pilar Christian Community Church

Calle Canalejas 3. Pilar de la Ho-

radada. Sunday Service at 11am, and

Thursday at 5pm for Bible study and

Prayer. Home groups meet during the

week. All welcome from any church

background or none. For further infor-

mation contact Pilar ChristianCommu-

nity Church@gmail.com or contact

Reverend Eddie on 966 7693 00 or

650 509 606. Reg No:2009-SG/A

Tata 4 x 2 2 litre TD EX 7 seater

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etc, silver 3.450 euros Tel 600 726

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in metallic burnt orange, alloys, air-

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600 726 221 - 965 687 976

www.fwreurocars .com

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of Mercedes over 10 different models

in stock new and used vehicles

sourced Tel 600 726 221 - 965 687

976 www.fwr eurocars.com

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model, 73,000 kms, full service his-

tory, air con 2250 euros tel 600 726

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.com

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1.9 diesel nov 2000 long mot & tax

895 euros tel 600 726 221 - 965 687

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Tel 600726221 - 965687967

www.fwreurocars.com

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door, white, fully serviced 2950 euros

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etc, matt burgundy 1200 euros

Tel 600 726 221 - 965 687 967

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ISH REG, 1997 5 door hatch 1500

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12th month 2001, 76,000 miles MOT,

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Climbing frame with slide, fireman`spole, climbing net ,etc ...900€ DoubleSwing...100€ ph 966 789 728 or 606797 371 or email maria_cawley @hot-mail.com

Business Opportunites

Church Services

Accomodation

Accountants

Alarms

Boats

Classifieds

Cars for Sale

For Sale

Viva Villa and Vacation Services, For

Short or Long Term Rentals visit:

www.villaandvacation.com or Call:

965 707 188 or 626 397 397

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT

TipTop Villa Care, for all your property

needs. www.tiptopvillacare.com e-mail

linda@tiptopvillacare.com Tel

667848582 (39)

FORMENTERA de la SEGURA. 2

bedroom apartment 350€/mth* Near

to town, Pool. Linda 667848582 (39)

PROPERTY FOR RENT

Ref: 49, 2nd floor one bedroom apart-

ment situated conveniently located in

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small sun balcony overlooking the

lovely communal pool. Short or long

term rental available. Call: 965 707

188 or 626 397 397

Ref: 112, Spacious 3 bedroom de-

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amenities, shops, supermarket,

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term rental available. Call: 965 707

188 or 626 397 397

Ref: 63, Two bedroom 1st floor apart-

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property overlooks a superb commu-

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Short or long term rental available.

Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397

Ref: 155, Luxurious Three Bedroom

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Close to shops and restaurants within

a five minute drive, and Guadamar

Beach is within a ten minute drive.

Long term rental €800PCM, Short

term available. Call: 965 707 188 or

626 397 397

Ref: 709, A lovely 1 bedroom apart-

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minute walk of the beach. There is a

terrace outside with views to the sea.

Short or long term rental available.

Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397

Ref: 708, A lovely two bedroom, one

bathroom corner ground floor apart-

ment in Algorfa, with a spacious patio

& Residents off road parking. Com-

munal pool near by. Short or long

term rental available. Call: 965 707

188 or 626 397 397

Ref: 70, Superb 3 bedroom detached

villa set on a large plot in San Luis.

The Property is close to the Ha-

baneras Shopping Centre, Aquapark

and other amenities. Call: 965 707

188 or 626 397 397

Ref: 117, A Lovely 3 Bedroomed 1st

floor apartment on the outskirts of Tor-

revieja (Mar Azul). The Apartment is in

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restaurants, shops and bars. Call: 965

707 188 or 626 397 397

Ref: 33, A lovely large 2 bedroom,

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distance to the beach. Large lounge,

1 double bedroom and 1 twin bed-

room on a gated community. Call: 965

707 188 or 626 397 397

Ref: 61, A lovely two bedroomed

groundfloor apartment, located in the

centre of the small Spanish town of

Los Montesinos, With a pleasant com-

munal swimming pool adjacent & all

amenities in walking distance. Call:

965 707 188 or 626 397 397

Ref: 516, Well situated studio apart-

ment in San Luis. The property has a

balcony which has been glazed to

create another room. Close to all

shops and amenities, on a local bus

route & 10 minutes from the beach.

Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397

La Finca. 2 bed, 3 bath townhouse.

Long let. Fully furnished. Air con.

Lovely location. Gated community.

NO PETS. T.V. Views. Communal

pool, Solarium, Contracts. €450

month. 690 731 160

Luxury appartments, 2/3 bedrooms in

San Miguel De Salinas. Floor heating,

Elevator, Roof terrace with swimming-

pool, from 385 euros/month Also holi-

day rentals and appartments in San

Miguel de Salinas from 350

euros/month. 966 723 437 and 616

487 493

110,000€ PRICED TO SELL.

SANTIAGO de la RIBERA. 3 bedroom

2 bathroom Villa 1km from beach 5

minutes from Dos Mares Shopping

Centre. Linda 667848582 (39)

Gran Alacant, corner semi detached 3

bedroomed, 2 bathrooms, large gar-

den, enclosed terrace, fully furnished,

private drive for 2 cars, on gated de-

sirable urbanisation Monte Faro,

many facilities priced for quick sale

185,000 Tel 680 333 242

Balsares, terraced 4 bedroomed

house, 3 bathrooms, large underbuild,

private underground parking direct to

house, small gated urbanisation, di-

rectly over looking proposed new golf

course opposite Gran Alacant, priced

for quick sale at original off plan price

195.000 Tel 680 333 242

Gran Alacant, 3 bedroomed, 3 bath

mid terraced Altomar 1, views of Ali-

cante Bay, close to communal pool,

walking distance to bars and restu-

rants opportunity at reduced price

125,000 Tel 680 333 242

Gran Alacant, front line, 2 bed, 1 bath,

downstairs toilet, fully furnished, roof

terrace, walking distance to beaches,

large communal and resturants,

beach front property priced for quick

sale 125,000 Tel 680 333 242

Viva Villa and Vacation Services are

pleased to offer property sales for the

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Costa Blanca, Spain. Call: 965 707

188 or 626 397 397 or Visit : www.vil-

laandvacation.com

Ref: 513, €115,000. Two bedroom

ground floor apartment, in Aguas

Nuevas, close to all amenities includ-

ing the beach. It has a good size

lounge, kitchen and has off road park-

ing facilities. Call: 965 707 188 or 626

397 397

PAG

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37

The Jungle DrumsDecember 2011

email: office@thejungledrums.es

To advertise here please telephone 966 727 334 or 626 397 397 or email advertising@thejungledrums.es

Property For Rent

Property For Sale

Classifieds

Ref: 521, €105,000. This comfortable

bungalow is located in San Luis with a

new roof and solarium tiles. It is close

to supermarkets, bars, restaurants

and is on the local bus route. Call: 965

707 188 or 626 397 397

Ref: 520, €85,000. Two bedroom

apartment in Dream Hills, with a fully

equipped kitchen, large lounge,

glazed-in terrace and a large solar-

ium. This property comes with a large

communal swimming pool. Call: 965

707 188 or 626 397 397

Ref: 516, €39,999. Studio apartment

in San Luis, close to amenities. Open

plan fully equipped kitchen. Good

sized lounge, bedroom and out onto

balcony which has been glazed to cre-

ate another room. Call: 965 707 188

or 626 397 397

Ref: 510, €79,999. Bungalow located

in San Luis. It is close to the super-

markets, bars and restaurants and is

on the local bus route. An Opel Corsa

car is included in this sale. mCall: 965

707 188 or 626 397 397

Ref: KP3100, €198,000. Three bed-

room, two bathroom detached villa, lo-

cated in San Luis, on a 450sqm plot,

with communal pool. Garage to side

of house. Call: 965 707 188 or 626

397 397

Ref: 30, €119,000. Two bedroom de-

tached house with large front terrace.

This villa is in the Punta Marina area

close to Playa Flamenca , Close to

amenities. Call: 965 707 188 or 626

397 397

Ref: 78, €120,000. Three bedroom

Quad in Jardin Del Mar VII. There is

off-road parking and small storage

shed in the enclosed garden area,

communal pool nearby. Call: 965 707

188 or 626 397 397

Ref: 709, €60,000 A lovely 1 bedroom

apartment in Aguas Nuevas, within a

5 minute walk of the beach. There is a

terrace outside with views to the sea.

Short or long term rental available.

Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397 397

Ref. 526, €39.950. A lovely bright 1

bedroom apartment in the area of Tor-

reblanca.There is a large communal

pool and well maintained gardens,

with tennis courts and childrens play

area. Call: 965 707 188 or 626 397

397

Need English Speaking Solicitors in

Torrevieja? Let us help to solve your

problems with debt recovery, divorce,

property, accident claims, legalise

land. Call us on 966 923 963, give us

brief details and get in touch with your

specialist solicitor.

Outgoing friendly sales staff wanted

for exciting new venture in Torrevieja

and surrounding areas. No experience

necessary as full training given, al-

though face to face sales experience

an advantage. Phone Sue on 606 024

743 for more details (32)

A private buyer looking to buy a cheap

car directly from the owner (middle-

man please do not call)Tel 638 811

881(35)

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The Jungle Drums December 2011

To advertise here please telephone 966 923796or email advertising@thejungledrums.es

Classifieds

solution to Sudoko on page 33

The Jungle Drums - Tel: 966 923 796

Solicitors

Situations Vacant

Wanted

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The Jungle DrumsDecember 2011

email: office@thejungledrums.es