ACOMSDave

Community Journalist

ACOMSDave Community Journalist

Course 2 – Day One: “Warmth” — The Quality of Light

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Course 2 – Day One: “Warmth” — The Quality of Light
Considering the direction and quality of light – The Lady in Shimmering Green lit from side and back

Day 1 - Warmth - The Quality of Light

The Lady in Shimmering Green

I took this photograph during the first night of the Moors and Christians Festival in Oliva, Valencia, Spain.  The extravaganza of the show with the wealth of colours and people made it a spectacle not to be missed.  Even after two and a half hours sitting (with the occasional stretch to waken my back and buttocks) I was still enthralled by the pageant.   Even though I had planned ahead, I was unsure of what I might see, and also what equipment I might need.  I took my trusty Fuji Finepix, with two extra sets of batteries, my iPad full charges, a small Vivitar 5Megapixel,  with two sets of batteries and two smartphones fully charged.

In the end I stuck with my Fuji, but what I did learn was that I needed to plan ahead for lighting especially when the jousting on horseback took place – unfortunately I was in the wrong place and didn’t have enough light or lens.

 

 

‪#‎developingyoureye‬ ‪#‎shimmering‬ ‪#‎green‬ ‪#‎lady‬

HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT? – LGSO

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Hiding in Plain Sight - LGSO - London Gay Symphony Orchestra
Hiding in Plain Sight – Queer people in NornIrl are used to (locally) powerful elements, namely the now-largest political party, the DUP DUP(Democratic Unionist Party) and the Free Presbyterian Church, both constructed by the late Dr. Ian Paisley, being resolutely opposed to, in essence, any rights for LGBTs.  The situation in other places, particularly other parts of the ‘Anglosphere’ can can appear wreathed in a pinko-lavender glow.  We are cosily slotting into British, especially London society, it seems.
How odd, then, was it to read and hear of the puzzlement on the foot of the BBC Proms recent ‘outreach’ to amateur LGSOorchestras.  (Most such bands are not ‘amateur’ in the strict sense of the word, being made up partly of professional musicians who teach or are ‘session’ musicians in recording studios,or are simply retired or bringing up families).
The puzzlement was caused by the LGSO (London Gay Symphony Orchestra), even liberal[ish] blatts were, on the face if things, taken aback.  The blatts seemed not to have been aware of the LGSO’s existence, including the journos who should HAVE KNOWN – LIKE THE ONES WHO DIDN’T TURN OUT WHEN IT was working with the USA choirs.  Even the local blatts, and the (two) in Islington are professional and consceintiously ‘local’ – and have Lefty histories, they were started by Communist Party people who left after Prague in 1968.  A substantial number of them didn’t want to simply dissolve into their surroundings.  That was by an organisation founded on May 1996, that has 150+  members, and gives a minimum of four concerts per annum, usually given in the C of E church Saint Sepulcre, Holborn Viaduct- the up-coming autumn one is billed for  St. S’s.usually in a church on the border of Islington and the City of London.  It first rehearsed and gave concerts in the Drill Hall a Gay-oriented arts centre, since closed down due to ‘austerity’.
With a bit o’luck the LGSO (there’s a similar band in Birmingham) will get ‘picked on’ by the Beeb and show their stuff.  They really ought to make records, some major bands in London, and similar large cities sell recordings of the concerts audiences have just sat through.  The LGSO filled the Royal Festival Hallsome years ago accompanying LGBT choirs from Europe and the USA.  Thus it isn’t unused to critical audiences – though the critics in the ‘straight’ press ignored the event, even though it was given on behalf of two charities.
Further links:

Hiding in Plain Sight - LGSO

Wonderful Cities to Visit in Spain

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I urge you to visit the wonderful cities of Spain, at every turn you will be dazzled by what they have to offer; each has its own unique nature and culture, however in this article, I hope to draw your attention to a shortlist of these wonderful cities to visit in Spain; I am not listing them in any particular order, but hope that you will during your travels attempt to see some if not all of them:

Spanish cities are wonderful, unique, full of character and surprises.  It is worth the effort to plan to visit them during your visits to Spain, to revel in their colour, vibrancy and also the wonderful food and people.

Travel, enjoy, and most of all spread the word about the wonderful cities to visit in Spain

View a map of the wonderful cities of Spain here

References:

  1. Escape Here – http://www.escapehere.com/destination/the-12-most-beautiful-and-underrated-cities-in-spain/
  2. Touropia – http://www.touropia.com/best-places-to-visit-in-spain/

What to do in the event of an emergency

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Living abroad always provides new challenges, not least of which is how what to do in the event of an emergency!

Today I am going to write about four such emergencies:

Death of a loved one

How to cope

In an Emergency – What to to when a death occurs

⦁ First call the local police on 092 – stating who has died
⦁ mu husband/wife/partner is dead (in Spanish Mi marido.mujer/pareja esta muerto, followed by I live in Vivo en …)
⦁ If your loved one was under medical supervision, also call the doctor who was treating them. The doctor is responsible for issuing the Death Certificate.
⦁ Then call a funeral director, who will send undertakers and will require the FULL ID of the deceased.
⦁ The doctor of funeral director will also be able to direct you to the nearest civil registry where you must register the death within 24 hours. The funeral service normally takes place within 24-49 hours of death.
⦁ If the body is to be repatriated then ensure the passport is kept with the body.

House Break In

Protect yourself

In an Emergency – What to do when there is a break in

⦁ There are two type of break-in
⦁ when you are out of the premises – here you must ring 902 102 112 to report the crime, known as a ‘denouncia’. You may say something like (I need you to send a police car, I have been robbed – necesito una patrulla, han entado en mi casa a robar or I live in Vivo en…)
⦁ when you are on the premises – here remain calm, keep quiet, and contact emergency services on 112 immeditely. Tell them (I am at home and someone has broke in – Estoy en casa y hay un intruso, I live in Vivo en…)

Injury treatment in event of emergency

In event of emergency

In an Emergency – What to do in the event of an injury

⦁ Should you or a family member or friend suffer a serious injury at home the first thing to do is call the emergency services on 112 or 061 and say (I need an ambulance – Necesito una ambulanci, and I live in – Vivo en…)
⦁ Hospitals must treat you in the event of a serious emergency, regardless of your financial insurance situation.
⦁ Remember always carry identification with you and your EHIC card if you have one

Car Breakdown

Caar Breakdown

In an Emergency – What to do when your car breaksdown

⦁ Stay calm and wear the reflective vest
⦁ Get to a safe area near the accident scene, turn on your emergency flashers and use the two triangles
⦁ Make sure everyone is okay and call 112, if necessary
⦁ When it is safe, take pictures of the vehicles involved, damage, road signs, etc.
⦁ Get statements and contact information from any witnesses
⦁ Complete the accident report: write down the other driver’s licence number, insurance details, vehicle information and phone number. Remember it has to be signed by both drivers and reported within seven days; If you need road assistance, call immediately to your insurance provider, where you will be attended in your own language (hopefully)

Big Business, Government and Privatisation

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Hidden face of big business with government in it's pockets

Hidden face of big business with government in it’s pockets

I have  written about how ‘Big Business” is in bed with government. George Monbiot’s article from November 2013, has never seemed more apt as we are learning about G4S (the people who privatised the running of some prisons and of delivering prisoners to court (and losing them) are now to be responsible for the crucial discrimination helpline.

I believe that Theordore Roosevelt, stated the problem clearly in one of his addresses in curbing monoplies:

The first truth is that the liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth of private power to a point where it becomes stronger than their democratic state itself. That, in its essence, is Fascism—ownership of Government by an individual, by a group, or by any other controlling private power.

The second truth is that the liberty of a democracy is not safe if its business system does not provide employment and produce and distribute goods in such a way as to sustain an acceptable standard of living.

I have been consistently worried about how our government thinks that by privatising our various institutions it is

Privatisation - a step too far

Let’s privatise, and make profit – oh where does governemnt responsibility come in?

saving money and therefore bolstering the country; this is a completely and utter farce. If you privatise the central core functions of government, what is government there for? We cannot make businesses responsible for morality or social thought, there first responsibility is to its share holders and to make profit.

We must stop government eroding our freedoms, our ability to make them accountable (that is what they are elected for).

Olivia’s 8th Soapbox Derby

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Oliva’s legendary fictional figure, el Tío de la Porra, announces the beginning of Oliva’s festivals, the fist one on Saturday being the Soapbox Derby. He and his charanga band, dressed in disguise, make the rounds through the schools of Oliva, announcing that the term is over and the festivals are beginning. Over the weekend, you’ll be able to enjoy children’s fairground amusements, a food fair with artisanal and local produce, musical performances, orchestras and singers. Venue: Paseo de l’Estació // Parc de l’Estació

Today on the  Raval and everyone has turned out totake part in the “8th Oliva Soapbox Derby”. Playful fun designed to inspire the imagination and creativity of the participants, as well as the promotion of the Raval neighbourhood. The prize-winning carts will be exhibited at the “27th Industrial Motoring and Machinery Fair”.

There were 18 vehicles, of all sizes and descriptions – everyone is smiling, joking and enjoying a fun, family occasion.

On Saturday evening, there will be a fun run, a dog show and exhibi- tions on police interventions and rescue missions. The programme is as follows: 6pm: Inauguration of the meeting point and start of the workshops with exhibitions of police and rescue dogs. With participation from the Star Wars squadron.

The whole weekend has been given over to ‘family fun’ and the weather is brilliant.

 

Links:

  • Oliva

 

Journal from Oliva – Weekend Paradise

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This weekend has been dominated by two lovely house parties hosted by two separated groups of people, firstly John Melville and his weife (President of the U3A, Oliva) for committee – a wonderful feast of tastes in a lovely setting in the country; and then on Sunday Mary from the Mabs Charity (which provides support for cancer patients etc); again I came away stuffed almost to the point of bursting with wonderful Indian curries and vegetable side dishes, followed by home-made tiramisù.

medieval banqueting hallMary’s home is like a medieval banqueting hall, and that combined with the company and the accompaning background music of jazz, made me very comfortable.

To cap it all, Mary then popped around this morning to drop me off enough of a ‘doggy’ bag that I could eat another two meals – thanks Mary.

Weekend food too good to waste

The weather over the weekend has been wonderful, with temperatures hovering around the 17-19 in the evening – we did have a slight thunderstorm, which meant nothing for us in Oliva, but in Gandia they did have some hailstorms – but nothing of significance.

Costa Blanca Weather

 

 

 

Journal from Oliva – Shopping and things!

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Yesterday was a day for posting some letters asking various places to change my address to Spain, something I did do before I left, but for some reason I seemed to have missed these ones.

throws throws-2Then I went shopping in the local Friday market – I wanted some oranges for squeezing and was able to buy 3 kilos for 2 euros, and I also was looking for some throws for my bedrooms and also for my settees to add some colour to the rooms.  I had checked the prices in the local shops (around the 20-25 euro area), but on checking the market I was able to find them at 10-15 euros; I also wanted to check out the plants as my patio, which I will be working on next week, needs plants to finish it off, both for the ground and also for hanging – again the prices are much better for these in the market.Black Plant Pot

For plant pots, I will be going to the local Chinese Bazaar (surprisingly I have found five so far in the town), where I spotted large black pots with handles which I will use for my plants and they were only 2 euros; much more reasonable than ordinary plant pots.Chinese Bazaar

 

It is always worthwhile checking the local markets, as well as the various supermarkets.  There is a supermarket quite close to me in terms of walking, about 5-7 minutes, and here during the week at about 1pm you can pick up fresh home made paella (two kinds, one with rice as the base, and one with pasta), and at least 10 other meals ready for heating and eating all at two euros – just add some salad which isn’t expensive in Spain – you couldn’t make it yourself for these costs.

 

paella - a taste of spain

 

Journal from Oliva – U3A and IT Things

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Today saw the AGM of the U3A Oliva – this event held just before the close down of most groups for the summer, and a time for people to review the past year, look at the finances and vote in the new committee.

John Melville

John Melville, our President of the U3A Oliva

We had an interesting talk from Daniel, a local accountant, who advised us on how the various taxes applied to both residents and non-residents – if you haven’t sorted your taxes out please do so, the penalties can be severe.   Make certain you keep your records up to date, and pay your taxesMake certain you keep your records up to date, and pay your taxes

After this meeting, I met with Iain Mumgall so that he could continue guiding me ontaking over the U3A Oliva website – with over 40 groups, other events, a selling page and also a wanted page, never mind the admin for over 540+active members – this is no small job, but I look forward to developing my skills and also to hopefully writing a ‘Dummies Guide to Working On Our Website’ over the next year.
Then my evening first aid call was to a lovely lady, whose laptop seemed to have stopped working. When I called down, I found Windows 7 frozen, a mouse with a battery dead, and also the laptop was unplugged from its charger. A quick ten minutes and all was back in line with what it should have been – however, I expect there will be more calls.

Computer when happybattery resuscitation

Journal from Oliva – Tourism – Wednesday 25th May 2016

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A quiet day following a successful ‘amble’ with the U3A Oliva Amblers group yesterday. I was able to sne some items through the Spanish mail system in their equivalent of registered post – ‘Carta Certifilada Con Acuse’ – for which you get confirmation that you have sent it, and confirmation that it has been signed for.
I also made use of th ‘Orange’ mobile shop to see whether I could get fibre optic broadband into my house – not so far. But research still continues.
And most successfully today, a very helpful member of the Oliva Tourism Office provided me with maps of the Costa area in which I now live, with supplentary maps in greater scale so that I can start orientating myself into the area better.
Oliva is a wonderul town, easily navigated by foot, and yet it is so close to other towns and importantly to wonderul beaches and countryside.