We're Going to Change the World. Lennon, Lucas and Love is All You Need

               John Lennon as Musketeer Gripweed

We've just got back from Almería which you can find in  the bottom right hand corner of Spain, if you have a spare minute.

 


   Indalo. The symbol of Almería




 They say, 'See Naples and die'. Well, my advice is: 'See Almería from the autovía, stay clear and head home for a square meal.' Everything shuts down at 4.00pm. We had to settle for a cup of coffee and a piece of cake.
Mind you, it's worth going to see the statue of John Lennon in the Plaza de las Flores. He stayed near Almería in 1966 when they were making the film (movie) ´How I Won the War'.

                                    John Lennon

If you read the last edition of this venereal organ you may remember that tens of thousands of Malagueños fled from Málaga to Almería in 1937. They were being hunted down and killed by German fighter planes on the orders of General Francisco Franco. In such circumstances Almería would be well worth a visit

It's not often that Mrs. Sánchez and I leave the comfort of Álora to explore uncharted territory, but our expeditionary fervour to boldly go beyond Granada and life as we know it was tickled by a chance to visit some old friends who now have a place near Las Arboleas in Almería province. Brian and Cynthia are Brummies (people from Birmingham) and we were mates for most of the seventies. We were comrades then and we still are. 

Nobody was talking about Climate Change  in the seventies.
They were days of workers' struggles, revolution was in the air and 'Red Robbo' struck fear into the hearts of the capitalist class at British Leyland's car factory at Longbridge, Birmingham.

                          Derek 'Red Robbo' Robinson

It was also the time of the The Corporate Plan , A bold set of ideas that was put together by workers at Lucas Aerospace, a branch of Birmingham based Lucas Industries plc.

Faced with massive redundancies following Defence cuts, Lucas Aerospace trade union members across the country combined together to devise a set of ´socially useful' products which could save their jobs and at the same time move the company away from producing systems for the arms industry. A trade union 'combine committee' brought together both 'staff' and 'worker' unions. They all put their heads together and came up with plans for 150 'socially useful products that could be made at the company factories across Britain with existing skills, technology and  equipment. These included wind turbines, 

kidney machines, hybrid engines, road/rail vehicles and environmentally favourable heating systems for 'council houses' (remember them?)

Brian was the chairman (this was before 'chairpersons') of the Combine Committee and co- led negotiations with the management at Lucas Aerospace, but the 'bosses' dismissed their ideas out of hand.
They had no time for ideas coming up from 'the shop floor' nor what they considered to be 'hippie', low tech. pipe dreams and thought the company could survive by turning out more and more killing machines.
The Plan was 40 years ahead of its time. 

    Brian, earlier this year with campaigning rapper 'Lowkey'

Many of the Plan's suggestions are now in full production as a response to declining fossil fuel supplies, pollution of the seas and atmosphere and global warming.

Production for social need rather than for profit alone is now back on national and world agendas. A new film The Plan  about the Lucas Aerospace Corporate Plan was submitted to the National Film Institute this year. It's hard hitting and bang up to date.

Brian told me that I should put more politics into this blog, so I hope he'll stop telling me off now - but it´s not really about politics is it? It's about the survival of the human race.

Speaking of global warming and survival,it's flipping hot here in Álora but it's been raining cats and dogs in England for weeks, apparently. I can't wait to get back. We don't usually stay this late. 

It´s Corpus Christi day tomorrow, when the priest leads a parade around town with a piece of the hostia (host) in a monstrance. The 'host' is a piece of bread which has been changed into a piece of the body of Jesus Christ.

Corpus Christi. Álora

It's never on the same day two years running. They love parades here and it's a  long time since Easter, which they also move about a lot, so they (the Pope)  introduced this event in the 13th. century to remind everybody that they should go to church.

In happier times they used to drag any backsliders, heretics and protestants out of their houses and give them a good seeing-to to jog their memories, but this doesn't happen round here any more. They´d need a whole month just to get through a few streets - all the Brits would be in for a biffing for a start.
Our neighbour, Lina, is putting un altar (an altar) up outside her door at the moment and she wants us to give her some leaves off our grapevine to decorate it. ('Sí señora'). It pays to keep in with them. ¡Nunca se sabe! (You never know!)
Oddly enough 'hostia' also means 'a slap in the face' and 'Bloody hell!' (I'd be careful with that one.)

For some reason they've chosen the same day for Corpus Christi and the 'Vispera de San Juan' (the night before the saint´s day of St. John) this year, which could cause problems because it's traditional to chuck buckets of water on people from the balconies of tall buildings on this day. We found out about this the hard way many years ago.
Down on the coast they jump over bonfires on the beach and eat sardines, which sounds a lot more fun.
You can't say they don't know know how to have a good time round here, can you?

 We've got a new alcalde (mayor) now in Álora. That´s him in the top left hand corner. His name is Francisco Martinez.(Humillo to his mates) I can't wait to meet him and I'm hoping to form the the same close friendship with him as I enjoyed with our previous leader José Sánchez (Epi to his mates). 

I'd like to talk to him about La Plaza Baja de la Despedía (La Plaza Baja to its mates). It's the historic old centre of Álora at the bottom of our street. It's home to the biggest parroquía (parish church) in Andalucía, you have to go through it to get to our historic castillo arabe (arabic castle) and el museo municipal Rafeal Leria (the town museum) is there. The famous author of Don Quijote, Miguel de Cervantes lived there for a time, where the now 'Mirador Cervantes' provides stunning views of Álora's olivares (olive fields).
There used to be three bars, three shops and a kiosco in this picturesque cobbled square and four big leafy trees which provided shade for people to sit under and roosting room for the hundreds of noisy little birds that flocked there at dusk.

      The Plaza Baja. Despedía Day with the old trees.

The last remaining bar, Bar Mocho run by a great lad called Manolo, will close soon because he is being forced to sell it by his family. (Families eh? Who'd have 'em?)

The leafy trees were pulled out some years ago and replaced by four sickly palm trees which provide no useful shade so that the vecinos (local people) have to huddle in doorways during the day or stay indoors.
When Bar Mocho closes the Plaza Baja will be 'dead'.

I want our new alcalde to breathe some life into our 'bottom square'. Twenty odd years ago it had a bad reputation for which the 'gitano' commmunity, as usual, took the blame. The 'comfortable classes' of Álora look down their noses at La Plaza Baja and tell their children not to go there, except for the annual 'Despedia' ceremony on  Viernes Santa (Good Friday), bodas (weddings), bautismos (baptisms), primeras comuniones (first communions) and the odd funeral now that the town cemetery has been moved from the castle to a new leafy glade opposite our back wall.

The weekly market used to be held there, which kept the bars busy but they moved it up to the town car park. There used to be thriving vecinos club on Calle Ancha too, which organised a three day annual verbena (party) in the square.

I shall be making an appointment to see our new alcalde when we get back in September - he should have settled in by then. Meanwhile, Mrs. S. and I would be very grateful if readers of this humble journal could write in, in your thousands, to Señor Martinez (c/o El Ayuntamiento, Álora) demanding a re-vitalisation programme for the community of La Plaza Baja.
(How´s that for politics, Brian?)

For anyone who is missing 'Pie News' or the `quiz', I apologise.
I also seem to have again missed an opportunity to meet my entire readership from The Turks and Caicos Islands who visited 'Alora en masse last week. Sorry folks....¡otra vez sera!

Juanito Sánchez 22nd. June 2019

 

The Fifteen Roses of Grazalema

The Fifteen Roses of Grazalema

                    The Fifteen Roses of Grazalema

It's 30 odd degrees out there in the streets of Álora at the moment and the Perotes (locals) are going around 'Que calor!- ing' (How hot!). One Spanish friend of Mrs. Sánchez told her that she even hated the word 'verano' (summer) and couldn't bear to hear it spoken. It only seems a few weeks ago that we had 'aires de arriba' (wind from the north) and they were going round with scarves over their faces. The only weather the Perotes like is rain because it's 'good for the campo (fields)'. What a cruel trick of fate that thousands of Andalusians have been born in the wrong place. It's a fact that in the 1500s, after Fernando and Isabela kicked all the 'Moors' and Jews out of Spain in 1492 they tried  to repopulate the abandoned Andaluz towns and villages with 'gallegos' (Gallicians from the north of Spain, where it rains a lot)) but you'd think they'd have got used to the hot and sunny weather  by now.
Of course, the Brits love the sun and many have invested in special clothing to cope with the hot sunny weather.

Mrs. Sánchez and I went to Tenerife for a break in May. It was quite cold there and we were glad that we took our cardies.
Tenerife seems to have suffered the same fate as Andalucía.  but instead of gallegos they have repopulated the largest Canary island with German people. 


' For a century after the conquest, many new colonists settled on the island, including immigrants from the diverse territories of the growing Spanish Empire, such as Flanders, Italy, and Germany.'

Wikipedia.

 So there you have it.

 On Christmas Day 1494, the original inhabitants, called Menceyes, were bashed into submission by Spanish soldiers  who either killed them, married them or gave them smallpox or influenza and sometimes all three.


Admiral Horatio Nelson lost his arm there in 1797 at the Battle of Santa Cruz.

            'Sorry Horry, that's going to have to come off'

Tenerife is very nice as long as you keep away from the south side where it's always hot and sunny, or travel too far up Mount Teide (the highest peak in Spain) where all you can see is vast expanses of black volcanic cinders.
 If you want to find out for yourself you can pay 27 euros and take the teleférico (cable car) nearly to the top where you can get out and  look at all the clouds below you or at the vast expanses of volcanic cinders around you. 

It's a bit difficult to breathe up there too, so you won't want to stay there longer than it takes  to use the toilets and have a cup of coffee from the machine.

Teide tip: Don't let your ticket blow away in the wind because you have to show it to get on the cable car going down!

I didn't see them selling any 'single' tickets at the ticket office, but you wouldn't want to spend a night stranded up there, believe me!

The local food on Tenerife is very good, but hard to find.

These Lapas (barnacles) were delicious.

When we got back to Álora we heard that somebody had broken into the Lottery Shop. They took a big chance in my opinion, and even if any of the tickets won, they wouldn't be able to claim the prize. Not very bright!

Also we had elections, with more street parties/bribery and we were just in time for 'La Semana de Ternera' (Steak Week) at La Boutique de la Carne (meat emporium) on Calle Cervantes 

The local elections were on May 26th. but the political parties have got until June 15th. to decide who will be in charge of all the towns and villages in Spain. There are so many parties with 'seats' that alliances are being made between old enemies, new enemies and anyone who's willing to trade their principles for a taste of power. (Sound familiar?)


In Torremolinos, about 40 km. from Álora, the new Vox party  won 2 seats on the council and held the 'balance of power'. They are very right wing and against homosexuality, immigration, women and having fun.

                         Gay Pride 2019 Torremolinos.

Torremolinos is known as the Gay Capital Of Andalucía and had a big Gay Pride festival last Saturday attended by more than 60,000 people. It came as a bit of a surprise to various vociferous Vox voters when one of the two new Vox councillors was spotted on the town hall balcony unfurling  the rainbow banner. She's become an 'independent' councillor, for now at least.

La Denuncia.

Last Saturday I was giving my filthy car a wash outside Casa Sánchez. One of our neighbours, out for a morning paseo (stroll) with his wife, came over to me and told me that washing cars in the street was prohibido (forbidden) and that the police would serve a 'denuncia' on me. Apparently it's a danger to motorcyclists who might slip on the soapy water. He was not impressed when I pointed out that many gallons and even more litres of melted candle wax had recently been poured onto the streets of Álora by the Semana Santa (Easter) processions.

Anyway, I said I was very sorry and wouldn't do it  again and he rejoined his wife with a smug Spanish swagger and continued up the street.

A 'denuncia' sounds very serious because it sounds like 'denounce' so I was a bit shaken.
Later in the afternoon I was relaxing in the back garden when the doorbell rang. I was expecting a delivery of dog food, but when I reached the door, there stood two 'municipales' (local police).

                              One of Alora's Finest.

My legs went a bit wobbly and I frantically prepared a grovelling apology in Spanish as I fumbled with the door.  I couldn't make out what he was saying because I was listening out for words like 'coche' (car) 'denuncia' (denuncia) and 'multa'.(fine). 
He smiled (!) and said, 

'You don't understand me do you?'

'Er. Can you say it again, please, more slowly?'

'Do you know anyone on this street who owns a horse?'
(pause while I try to believe my ears )
'Yes. A horse. There's one loose on the road below your wall and they told us it belongs to someone on this street.'

                                             Phew!

´Well now, that bloke down there at number 13.......'

And that was that. 
A bit of a co-incidence even so.

In fact, 'denunciar' just means 'to report'. If you have a complaint about a neighbour, for example, you can go to the ayuntamiento (town hall), fill in a denuncia (a report) and the local police will look into it..perhaps. 
All shops, bars and restaurants have forms too, in Spanish and in English, in case you want to make a complaint, .

Nobody uses them, certainly not ex-pats, but it can be very useful just to ask for it if you think someone is trying it on. Just asking for it gives them a fright because they know that the police will be involved.
I did that in a restaurant in Toledo and it worked. A month later I found out they had cloned my credit card too.

If you do use the form you should then take your copy to the local OMIC (Oficina Municipal de Informacion al Consumidor/ Customer Office).
The office in Álora is opposite Cafetería Los Arcos and is only open on Tuesdays between 10.00am and 12.00pm. - so good luck with that. On the plus side, nobody is likely to try do you in Álora. (except in ** *******.)

Grazalema 

Our good friend, Colin, is staying with us at the moment so for a treat we went to Grazalema for the day.
Grazalema is about 100 km (60 miles) from Álora, on the far side of Ronda in the Sierra de Grazalema National Park,  a very beautiful forested area where they grow cork oaks. You hardly ever see Spanish wine  in a bottle with a plastic cork and never with a screw top. In fact you hardly ever see any wine on sale that isn't Spanish. Two home industries given state support at once.
Grazalema has two districts : The Big Bull´s Penis (Jopone) and the Small Bull´s Penis (Jopiche). (honest!) It has the highest annual rainfall in Spain, too.

                                      Grazalema

After being stuck for half an hour behind a mile-long procession of tractor-drawn, gaily decorated caravans on their way to Seville for La Romeria del Rocio. 
we drove through the Serrania de Ronda to what turned out to be a very popular place for coach trips from Marbella. The cafes in and around Grazalema's very pretty main square were very busy.

I wanted to go to Grazalema for more than the scenery. I was hoping to find the place where one of the most horrible events of the Spanish Civil War took place. This grim episode in Spain's often violent history is known as:

 Las Quince Rosas de Grazalema.
(The 15 roses of Grazalmena)


 When the La Guerra Civil (Spanish Civil War) began in August 1936 some areas of Spain fell into rebel (nationalist) hands very quickly but others held out against the forces of Generals Franco, Mola, and Queipo de Llano, remaining loyal to the recently elected Republican government.
Málaga held out until February 1937, but afterwards  a wave of reprisals against the surviving defenders of the city took place . Many thousands were murdered and more than 10,000 refugees fleeing the city eastwards  on the road towards Almería were attacked and killed by German and Italian fighter planes.

Refugees from Málaga on the road to Almería. February 1937.

The reprisals spread up into the towns and villages of Andalucía. Anyone who had supported the government was arrested for treason. This often included family members and friends.
In Grazalema fifteen young women between the ages of 20 and 30, including four in the advanced stages of pregnancy were dragged from their houses. None of them was an activist or member of any political organisation, but they were the wives, sisters, daughters or fiancées of men who had taken part in the defence of Málaga.
The women were taken the the town square where their heads were shaved. Then they were forced to swallow castor oil which caused diarrhoea and dragged naked through the town behind donkeys. Then they were loaded onto a lorry which took them out of town on the road to Ronda where a fossa (mass grave) awaited them. Forensic examination of their remains seventy years later found evidence of torture and axe wounds. No coups de grace were carried out so it is likely that some will have been buried alive.
The lorry returned to town and a blanket of silence covered the town for seven decades. In 2008 the remains of the 'rosas' were transferred to the local cemetery where a memorial stone now stands.
209 people in all were killed in the Grazalema reprisals. There are still six or seven graves that have not been opened yet.

During our drive to Grazalema on the road from Ronda I had been looking for a sign showing where the 'rosas' had been killed and buried but I saw nothing. I asked the waiter at the bar if he knew where the spot was. He didn't know but took me to meet two old campesinos (country types) sitting inside. 
'Ah', one of them said 'Las mujeres fusiladas'. 
'You won't find it. It's not marked. It's away from the road.'

               A Visigoth fountain in the main square

Grazalema is a beautiful town in beautiful surroundings, It has its own micro climate and a colourful and dramatic history which is summarised on a tiled display near the main plaza. A dramatic victory against 'los gabachos' (the French) in the 'War of Independence.', 3 earthquakes and a smallpox epidemic killing 1000 inhabitants. There is no mention of the Civil War or Las Quince Rosas de Grazalema.

                             El Tempranillo and his lover

Grazalema was the home of the girlfriend of the famous bandit El Tempranillo ( see previous post17/4/2019). He is pictured here with two hands.


Those nice people from the popular television series 'A Place in the Sun'  called round the other day.

                The lovely Scarlette off 'A Place in the Sun'.

They wanted to film an Álora garden so Mrs. S. and I offered to show them ours. It may be on the telly one day.
'A garden is a lovesome thing God wot.'

 Here's Juan 'the scavenger' again. He's just returned to town with  some chamomile flowers he found somewhere. He still hasn't delivered my lemons. His look says, 'Please buy my pretty flowers.' 

Up at La Boutique de la Carne, their 'Steak Week' was such a success that they've followed it up with 'Pork Week'.
Never a dull moment in Alora.

Bar News

It's always sad to report the closure of a bar, but La Cantina up on Calle Cervantes and popular with the ex-pat Brits has put up the shutters and shut up the shop. Paco is fed up with running a bar, which comes as no surprise to observant customers, recently.
The good news is that Bar El Taller on La Rampa is doing very well and serving great tapas (the best calamares in town).
Bar Zentral in La Plaza de la Fuente Arriba is now fully operational and serving good tapas during the day.

Juanito  Sanchez. June 9th. 2019