Why are there Tomatoes and vegetable shortages in UK?
No Tomatoes? Oh, dear me!
Fluctuating temperatures, increased production costs and the knock-on effects of Brexit are all contributing to the vegetable shortages that have led some UK supermarkets to introduce rationing, according to Spanish growers.
I’m not one for dabbling in politics, I find the whole subject very boring. But, being a regular user of Social Media platforms, one cannot but help to read the endless postings about the lack of fresh produce on supermarket shelves in the UK.
Twitter is ablaze with arguments and counter-argument as to the cause of the great tomato shortage crisis.
Those supporting the government argue that the cause is nothing to do with BREXIT * and everything to do with bad weather in Spain and north Africa. This bad weather has caused crops to dwindle or fail. The weather was also said to be the cause of delivery problems for suppliers. Even cancelled ferries have been used as an excuse.
On the other side of the argument, the UK government and Brexit are the sole causes of this and many other problems.
Who’s right?
Well; there have been bad weather and supplier problems and, of course, Brexit has added to the problem with the extra paperwork and border controls. The government has also a case to answer, or, as some would suggest, for not supporting local growers.
So, it’s a bit of everything. But please, don’t tell them that on Twitterand Facebook, you’ll only start them off again.
Here in Malaga province, we have plentiful supplies, thank you very much. So, if you are coming to Nerja for a self-catering holiday, may I suggest a nice tomato salad?
*What is Brexit and why did it happen?
Brexit (/ˈbrɛksɪt, ˈbrɛɡzɪt/; a portmanteau of “British exit”) was the withdrawal of the United Kingdom (UK) from the European Union (EU) at 23:00 GMT on 31 January 2020 (00:00 1 February 2020 CET). The UK is the only sovereign country to have left the EU or the EC
I decided I needed an Air Fryer in my life – Stand by for loads of recipe posts
I have bought gadgets for the kitchen, just like anyone else. I have also resisted buying gadgets for the kitchen due to the ones I bought ending up stored away. I’ve had coffee machines, sausage makers, mincing gadgets, pasta machines and all sorts of “kitchen aides”.
The new kid on the block is a machine called an Air Fryer. It would seem that I’m the only person I know that isn’t using one. My sister has one, and my sister-in-law has one and they both swear that an Air Fryer is both quick, easy and cost-effective.
Looking at Air Fryer Machines
We decided that we would investigate these new-fangled food machines. Thanks to Youtube, there were endless videos of all types and makes of this frying machine. I must admit; on the face of it, I was impressed. They all had bells and whistles on them (figuratively speaking) and they all cooked food quickly and with little mess. They also used a lot less electricity, definitely a bonus in this day and age.
After much humming and ahhing, we decided on a Cosori 5.5 litre air fryer.
Cooking with an Air Frying machine
After taking delivery of our new toy, we set about reading the documentation that came with it. One is a great recipe book and the other user guide and cooking instructions. You know; do not put plastic objects in the fryer, type of thing. For this machine to work, you need to plug it into the electric supply, and so on.
On the first day, we had a little play with it and found it was quite easy to use. There are little pictures of fish, chickens, chops and so on, so you know which setting to use for your chips etc.
Finally, we decided to have a go at cooking something. Frozen fish in breadcrumbs was the food of choice. Cook from frozen, for 8 minutes (5 minutes to warm the machine up). Rub a little oil on the fish, place it into the basket of the machine then just press the snowflake icon. That was it!
Halfway through the cooking process, the machine (I must give it a name) gave a series of alarms, to let me know I should turn the fish over.
Job done! Fish cooked and ready to eat.
Stand by for a load of cooking posts
I must admit, it takes some of the excitement out of the cooking process ( Yes; I get excited about cooking) and the preset timings mean you don’t really have to think much about how long you should cook things. It is also quite clean to use as it uses very little cooking oil.
I think I will be adventurous and start cooking the Spanish dishes that I like. I wonder what Rabbo de Torro will come out like. I will post any of the dishes that might be interesting to readers of this blog. I will also post any disasters and how to avoid repeating them. Watch this space.
Calima is dust from the Sahara but mix it with rain…
Calima: A right old pain
Many towns and villages were turned from Pueblos Blancos (white villages) to Pueblos Maronnes (brown villages) the last time this dust nuisance paid us a visit. Usually, the Calima blows in, covers your car, dog etc with a fine layer of red dust and then it blows away or gets brushed off. Mix this Calima with rain and, you have reddish-brown paint!
The last visit decimated towns, villages and even cities in Spain. To say the landscape looked “biblical” is not an exaggeration.
What is Calima?
The last visit of Calima caused lots of buildings to look like this
‘Calima’ is set to return to Malaga and the Costa del Sol this Wednesday, 15 February, the director of the Aemet weather centre, Jesús Riesco, has confirmed. Calima, or haze, is the Spanish word used when there is Saharan sand or dust suspended in the atmosphere, resulting in orange martian-like skies and red dust colouring pavements and balconies.
“It will be a moderate to weak episode, very typical in southern Spain; in principle, it will not be like last year,” the meteorologist said. He was referring to the calima of March 2022, which saw the highest concentration of dust since historical records began. Then the orange skies lasted for days with many streets and façades dyed red by the mud-like rain.
This week the skies should clear by the weekend. “The low altitude depression over the Canary Islands eases by the weekend so that Saturday would be the last day,” said Riesco.
Sur in English
As usual; the good news of this latest “blessing” is brought to you by our friends at the Sur in English. From here you can read the rest of this report. Undoubtedly, those of us who spent days behind a power washer, cleaning our houses, will be holding our breath.
Best Self-Catering Holiday Rental Company 2022 – Nerja
Well, according to the Lux Review website, Nerja Beach Holidays scooped a great award. Yes! really!
Imagine our surprise (not at being recognised for our excellent services and accommodation, but to be told we had won an award for being so good.) when the award announcement dropped into our email.
Travel and Tourism Awards 2022
We are not complaining; oh no! we go out of our way to make sure our clients receive the best accommodation and service that we can provide.
Lux Life Magazine
LUXlife is delighted to announce the return of the Travel and Tourism Awards for 2023! Now in our seventh year, the Travel and Tourism Awards 2023 will pay homage to the experts within the industry and welcome nominations from businesses and individuals across the globe. From travel agencies, guided tour experts, food and beverage service providers, sustainable travel specialists and everything in between, the Travel and Tourism Awards will recognise these prestigious companies by revealing their dedication and hard work.
Best Self-Catering Holiday Company in Nerja
With travellers once again welcome to explore, experience and enjoy long-awaited excursions to global destinations, the industry is finally returning to its former glory after what can only be described as a challenging couple of years.
Now as we approach 2023, holidaymakers are making up for the lost time by upgrading elements of their latest adventures and relying more on travel professionals to make their trips perfect. Industry authorities are excited to note that revenue has climbed to 81% of pre-pandemic levels, and by 2023, is expected to make a full recovery and is estimated to contribute almost $2 trillion to the US economy alone – a positive future for tourism!
If you live in Spain, it’s impossible for olive oil not to be a part of your daily life. We douse our toast with it for breakfast, swirl it over our salads for lunch, and begin practically every recipe with it for dinner.
In a country where people consume more than 2.5 gallons (10 litres) of oil per year. It’s almost impossible to find a plate without at least a few drops of liquid gold. And while deciding among the dozens of bottles of Spanish olive oil at the grocery store may seem intimidating, it’s worth brushing up on the basics so you can choose the best. You can read much more from this great website.
So, why am I writing this blog about olive oil?
Well; I live (or did live) in the middle of wheat fields that are surrounded by olive groves; not now though! In the last week, acres of land around me have been covered in new olive tree saplings; 18,000, to be exact.
It happened, almost overnight. Some farmers turned up with tractors that plant the saplings semi-automatically. Hundreds of trees were planted on the first night, and, by day three, almost 3000 had been deposited into the soil. This new method of farming olives to make olive oil will make the process more high-tec and less reliant on manual labour. Planted in rows, these trees can be harvested by one machine and a lorry. Like in this Youtube video.
Andalucia is the biggest Olive Oil producer in the world
Andalusia, the world’s largest olive oil-producing region by a wide margin, saw its olive groves increase by 0.6 per cent in 2021, rising to 1,673,071 hectares – an area slightly larger than Connecticut.
After Andalusia, Castilla-La Mancha is Spain’s second-largest olive-growing region and experienced slightly more growth with olive grove surface area rising by 1.3 per cent to 449,388 hectares. See more of this article.
I live smack-bang, right in the middle of all this olive oil. The olive factory is 1 km from my house. Now I have the trees closing in on me!
Never mind, I won’t go short of something to put on my salad.
Be sure to check out the different varieties of oil when you come and visit Nerja.
You can also go on tours of the olive oil factories at different locations. This is a very interesting production process and well worth a visit. It is also a pleasant day walking through the groves, some of which can stretch for endless miles.
Storms Gerard and Fien are set to bring widespread rain, snow and strong winds to Spain this week
Weather Warnings for Forty Provinces
Malaga and 39 other Spanish provinces already have yellow or amber alerts in place for bad weather today. According to an article in the Sur in English, we are due to have some horrible weather. Wind, rain and snow!
Isabel Mendez
A new winter storm, Gerard, has arrived in Spain and its passage will be strongly felt throughout the country from today (16 January). As a result, the national Met Office, Aemet, has activated weather alerts in no less than 40 provinces.
This list includes Malaga, which will have a yellow level warning for coastal phenomena in effect from eight in the morning until 11.59 pm in the Axarquía and Costa del Sol areas. During that time, winds of 50 to 60 km/h are forecast and waves are four metres high in coastal areas. In the city, the thermometers will register a slight decrease compared to the last few days and will move between the 9 degrees that are expected as a minimum and a maximum of 18 degrees, while the skies will remain clear although with some cloudy intervals.
Weather Warnings – And there’s more!
In addition, on the coast of Granada, there will be an amber warning from 8 am to 11.59 pm, with force eight westerly winds and four-metre high waves. This same area will be under a yellow warning due to winds with maximum gusts of 70 kilometres per hour from 12 noon to midnight. In Andalucía there will be clouds moving from north to south until the skies are partially or totally covered.
Weak and scattered rain is not ruled out on the Atlantic slope, being more likely in the Baetic mountains and at nightfall, where snow could fall above about 1,500-1,700 metres. The temperatures will drop, with weak frosts in the interior. The winds will blow from the west, with strong gusts along the Mediterranean coast and eastern highlands. See more of this article.
Wrap up warm then. While you are avoiding the bad weather, check out Nerja Beach Holidays accommodation.
Nerja Self-Catering Holidays – You Can Have The Best of Both Worlds
Self-Catering Nerja Holidays – Christmas and New Year in Nerja
The great thing about self-catering holidays is the choice of where and what you eat. If you are staying with a holiday company, in a hotel or holiday complex, you are tied to their itineraries. With the self-catering option, you can go and do as you please.
We have just stayed in Nerja with Nerja Beach Holidays, a local holiday rental company. They have a great choice of villas, apartments and townhouses in and around Nerja. For the most part, we catered for ourselves. Cooking in the rented apartment was no great hardship. Also, we took advantage of the takeaway services and the local restaurants and bars.
Christmas Day in Nerja
However; we wanted something special for Christmas Day lunch. Although there were many places offering a range of Christmas lunches, one option caught our attention. This was a Gala Christmas Lunch at one of the local hotels. They were allowed to book in for the gala lunch, even though we were not guests.
For the princely sum of 75€ per head, we could dine like royalty.
Here I have a few photographs of the lunch and the menu. I must say, the 75€ was a very good bargain. Five courses with wine, water and Cava included and full-on waiter service. If ever there was a shining example of how to go self-catering in Nerja and still live the high life of a pampered hotel guest, this is it.
The Christmas Lunch was a great success and we went back to the self-catering apartment, full to the brim and ready for a slouch on the couch.
The cost of a week in one of these hotels does vary and the all-inclusive can be expensive. But, to rent elsewhere and still use the facilities, that has to be the makings of a great break.
Nerja Lovers is the name of a Facebook page for visitors and residents of Nerja
Nerja is a fantastic place for a holiday at any time of the year. It is, from talking to friends also a great place to live. I have been visiting Nerja since 1995 when we stayed at the Balcòn de Europa hotel.
This is located, strangely enough, at the end of the Balcòn de Europa (Who would have thought?). We also rented privately in apartments over the Bar 19 pub.
These days though, we visit Nerja many times during the year as we live in the north of Malaga province, about an hour away. Any excuse will do for us, “fancy a curry?” “How about a week away?”, you name it, we can find an excuse to get down to that lovely part of the Costa del Sol.
Also, I like to get new photographs and see what’s happening for this Blog.
Nerja Beach Holidays have lots of beautiful villas and apartments in Nerja, so, we like to stay as often as we can.
Where to Eat in Nerja? What’s the Best Beach…
Since Judith Chalmers first introduced the watching world to Nerja way back in the nineties, people have been visiting in even greater numbers. This is still true today. Nerja back then looked a bit different to what it does in 2022. Not too much but time and modernisation move on.
Along came social media and things changed even more. Now, people who visit Nerja and the wider Costa del Sol don’t need brochures to tell them what to do or where to stay. Facebook, for example, is awash with information: some good, some utter codswallop.
This prompted people to set up their own Facebook pages for Nerja. Some are fantastic and offer real information; one such Facebook page is Nerja Lovers
Nerja Lovers Facebook Page
Nerja Lovers Facebook Page logo – It sort of acts as a mark of quality
Hello, friends from around the world. Welcome to our group which is dedicated to all of you who love Nerja and want to share your pictures, videos and experience from this amazing city!
Nerja Lovers is a new community on Facebook. We are united by their love for Nerja, the passion to buy in the small shop in Nerja, and preserve the beautiful beaches and all the charms of Nerja.
This page is great and very popular, with 58k plus members. So, if you need an opinion or some local information, this page is very useful. There are thousands of photographs of Nerja and the surroundings.
Beware though! there are some very strange people on that Facebook Page.
As with other blogs and Social Media sites, you do get a few ‘strange’ people posting answers to mainly genuine questions. You also get some stupid questions asked by some genuine people.
One person asked the group “What is the weather like at the end of May?”
Some answers were ”
Come and find out! How the **** do we know, look up the long-range forecast like everybody else.
Sorry !! It’s great”
and…
Maybe ask the Just Stop Oil protesters, they can predict the future.
PS If you’d said please l would have given you a sensible answer.
Others were a lot more polite and sensible.
If you are a regular visitor to the Nerja Lovers Facebook page, you will soon get to know the characters. My favourite is a lady who you would swear is the Mayoress of Nerja. I know she is a resident because she uses the royal “We” in all of her posts.
I you are looking for photographs of Nerja, the hotels, restaurants, beaches and so forth, this is a great group for you to visit.
Check out the Nerja Beach Holidays website for the best villas, apartments and townhouses in Nerja.
Butifarra con Garbanzos – A great hearty meal from the Costa del Sol
Butifarra; what is it?
Butiffara or Botifarra is a type of sausage and one of the most important dishes in Catalan cuisine. Botifarra is based on ancient recipes, either the Roman sausage botulu or the lucanica, made of raw pork and spices, with variants today in Italy and in the Portuguese and Brazilian linguiça. Wikipedia
That’s one way to describe it: another is simply ‘homemade sausage’. Butifarra comes in all shapes and sizes, all flavours, and is presented with anything you like. Usually, in the Andalucia region, you will find it simply served with Garbanzos (Chickpeas) or Lentejas (Lentils) or some other type of pulses.
The more adventurous will jazz it up, but, for now, I’ll show you how I make this delicious Spanish dish after seeing it in Nerja.
Como Hacer Butifarra con Garbanzos – How to make homemade sausage with Chickpeas
Unless you have a food processor with a sausage-making fitting, go out and buy your sausage. Mercadonna (Spanish Supermarket, a bit like ASDA) do a fantastic version, a lot like Cumberland sausage. The recipe is simple and quick.
Method
In a pan add a little olive oil (or other another type of oil. Add the butiffara. Cook on high for 3 or 4 minutes and then turn the meat over. You are looking to get some colour for on the meat. Once browned to your liking, transfer to a plate and cover.
Add diced onions ( I like two) and 3-4 cloves of minced garlic, along with finely diced carrots and a stick of celery finely chopped. Saute until the carrots go translucent.
Add the sausage to the pan and reduce the heat to medium.
Add sufficient stock ( Mercadona and other stores have ‘Caldo’ which is pre-made stock) to cover the sausage and turn the heat to a simmer. Cover for 30 minutes.
You are looking to reduce the stock by half.
Add a bottle of Garbanzos (chickpeas) or lentils. Add some fresh or dried parsley. Mix and replace the lid. Cook for ten minutes. If you want thicker a sauce, mix a teaspoon of cornflower with some cold water and stirr the entire pan.
Job done!
Serve with some fresh sliced bread for a simple, hearty meal for 4 people.
There are many variations on this theme. Whats your favourite? You will find this dish all over Andalucia. If you don’t see it on the menu; ask for it,
The summer has been long and hot in Andalucia. Normally, you can expect rain to start falling about the second week in September; usually for somebody’s Fiesta! So far, this September, we have had a few hours of thunderstorms and showers; nothing more!
I live to the north of Nerja, about an hour away. The village of Villanueva del Trabuco is 4KM from my rural house.
Drought is more than a problem for my friends and neighbours as they are mostly farmers, farm workers and businesses associated with food production. No rain means the olives will be small this year.
“Olive trees are very resistant to water scarcity,” said Juan Carlos Hervas, an expert with the COAG farmers’ union.
But when droughts become extreme, the trees “activate mechanisms to protect themselves. They don’t die but no longer produce anything,”Article of interest link
Even when it does rain, it has to be the right type of rain; does this sound silly? I will explain: If the rain comes down in torrents, it washes soil away and runs off into the low areas. It does not sink into the hard ground. This causes flooding in some areas and erosion in others. A slow, long spell of rain is better as it sinks into the earth slowly.
If it doesn’t rain in September or October, this plays havoc with the olive harvesting. You cannot pick olives in the rain or when the ground is waterlogged. It is dangerous, extra-hard work as the nets get soaking wet and covered in mud. I have worked on the olives for my nieghbourneighbour; believe me, it is hard work, even under perfect conditions.
There is an excellent article in the Sur in English. The Andalucia regional government are asking the EU for financial support due to the effects of the drought. Check out this article.
Andalucia seeks European Union’s help with the water shortage
On the second day of his two-day visit to Brussels, the president of the Junta de Andalucía, Juanma Moreno, said on Tuesday that the present drought in the region is a serious threat to the economy and major investment is needed to provide adequate infrastructure.
He explained that works costing one billion euros are already underway and another four billion euros of investment will be needed, so he called for specific plans to be drawn up by the government in Madrid to finance these projects in southern Spain and for the EU’s Next Generation funds to be reprogrammed to cover not only environmental and energy efficiency projects but also to solve the water problem. See more
So far, my weather forecasting app has warned of rain several times this week but, none came. There was some thunder and a rather pathetic rainbow.
Dry weather is wonderful for tourists but, everybody needs water.
Self-Catering Holiday Rental in Nerja – Townhouse Pueblo Los Arcos 4
Nerja Self-Catering Holiday Rentals 2023? Yes! We will be at the beginning of December before you know it, the New Year will be upon us. Now is the time to be thinking about your vacations for 2023.
I sound like a one-trick pony but it is really never too early to book your townhouse, villa or apartmentin Nerja.
European holidays are very popular, with countries such as France attracting vast numbers. The Costa del Sol is and has always been, a great attraction to tourists looking for Spanish sunshine. Nerja is the jewel of the Costa del Sol and is also very popular all year round.
Nerja Beach Holidays has a fantastic catalogue of Nerja villas, townhouses and apartments for self-catering holidays 2023. Check out the main website and see what is available to you.
One property we would like to highlight is this lovely townhouse in Nerja, Pueblo Los Arcos 4
Self-Catering townhouse Los Arcos in Nerja. A great place to stay on the Costa del Sol
From 435€ per week
Sleeps 4
Free WiFi
Use of facilities and pool
Amazing views
Terrace furniture
Air conditioning
Self-catering
VFT/MA/03289
Pueblo Los Arcos 4 Nerja is a pretty townhouse with a private garden and a communal pool with a relaxing atmosphere.
The townhouse is located in small gated urbanization that is perfectly safe for both families and couples. It is a ten-minute walk down to the Burriana beach, and a fifteen-minute walk down to the centre of Nerja.
You can take advantage of what the two nearby hotels have to offer: A gourmet tapas restaurant, an Andalucian-style café bar, a garden bar, and entertainment some nights of the week.
The townhouse is accessed through the communal security gate. There is a fully fitted kitchen on the ground floor.
Also on the ground floor, you will find a living/dining room with air-conditioning and direct access to the private garden and a toilet. You can do outdoor dining on the garden terrace while watching the sun go down behind the mountains. The TV in the living room has a lot of UK channels through IPTV.
On the first floor, you will find the master bedroom and a second bedroom, both with air-condition and Juliette balconies, as well as the bathroom with a bath, shower head over the bath, toilet, bidet and sink.
If you have a car, there is a private car parking area at the entrance of the urbanization. There are two supermarkets nearby for convenient shopping.
Nerja is a resort town along southern Spain’s Costa del Sol. Its seafront promenade, Balcón de Europa, tops a promontory with views of the Mediterranean and surrounding mountains.
Below it lies sandy beaches and cliffside coves. Cueva de Nerja, a nearby cavern with unusual stalactites and stalagmites, hosts popular summertime concerts. It’s also known for its palaeolithic paintings, viewable by guided tour. ― Google
There are more beaches either side of Nerja. I found this great website with a lot of information on all the beaches around Nerja. A visit to this gentleman’s Blog will provide you with a lot of accurate information. Nerja is a must for beach lovers.
Burriana Beach, Nerja
I suppose after the Balcòn de Europa and the Nerja Caves, Burriana beach is the most well-known feature of Nerja; and, for good reason. The beach, with its dark sand, is about 800m long and 40m wide.
There is lots of parking just yards from the beach and the promenade. Although, it has to be said, that parking during the summer months can be hard to come by. Often, it is better to park elsewhere and stroll down the hill to Burriana.
Shops, bars, restaurants, cafes as well as diving schools and other types of business line the opposite side of the beach.
Ayo’s Chiringuito and La Barca are two of the best restaurants in Nerja and they sit right on the beach.
Nerja Beach Holidays
If a beach holiday in Nerja is what you are looking for, then check out the main Nerja Beach Holidays website. Here you will find self-catering apartments and villas that almost sit right on the beach. Check out the speacial offers for September.
There are 1, 2 and 3 bedroom apartments available. Special offers are also available for September in some of the great self-catering apartments. Hurry! they won’t stay vacant too long.
Burriana Beach is a great place for water sports and other types of holiday activities
As you would expect from a town located on the coast, Nerja offers a wide range of water sports. Of particular interest to many of our visitors is the Kayak tour of the Nerja coastline. From Burriana Beach and Maro Beach, you head off east along the coast, in crystal clear waters to discover some of the most beautiful coastlines anywhere in the Mediterranean. On your own or with a guide, it is your choice.
Scuba Diving in the Mediterranean Sea
Scuba diving schools are also very popular with visitors and locals in Nerja. There are five-star PADI dive centres in Nerja Just in front of Burriana Beach. These diving schools also offer PADI courses from beginners to professional levels, Discover Scuba and Discover Scuba Diving programs, snorkelling, and boat trips
Jet Skiing, Banana Rides and more
Here is a great short video taken off Burriana Beach in Nerja – Paddle Surf and Kayak
Other water sports include Jet Skiing, Banana Rides (getting pulled along by a speedboat whilst sitting on a giant inflated Banana!). For the braver among us, there is Parasailing. Strapped into a parachute and pulled through the air by a speedboat. I can think of nothing more thrilling than seeing Nerja from a speeding parachute.
If all you want to do is lay in the shade on the beach and watch the world go by, you can do that. Burriana Beach has plenty of bars, restaurants and cafes as well as shops to keep you entertained. It’s your holiday, you can do as you please.
We look forward to hearing your tales of great times while staying with Nerja Beach Holidays.
Please check out our main website. There you will find a wide range of Nerja apartments, villas and townhouses available for holiday, long and short-term rentals.
Not Spain Again!: Channel 4 A Place in the Sun – Things You Need to Know
A Place in the Sun
If you mention A Place in the Sun, people will usually think of that wonderful Stevie Wonder song of the same name. Or, you might think of the film?
Based upon the true story of Chester Gillette, who murdered his pregnant girlfriend in 1906. He was tried, convicted, and executed in 1908. The ghost of the victim, Grace Brown, is said to haunt Big Moose Lake where she drowned, in the Adirondacks in upstate New York. (Nice!)
These days, especially if you are a watcher of Channel 4, you will find yourself watching house-hunting Brits.
Property experts help British couples who are looking to move from their home in dreary Britain for the sun, sea and sand abroad.
The Channel 4 show is filmed for Most a staggering 48 weeks out of the year, with around 120 episodes filmed in any twelve months. Regular destinations include Spain, Italy and France. Mostley it is filmed in Spain (much to the chagrin of many of their viewers, if the APITS Facebook page is anything to go by!)
If you want to spend a pleasant hour or so, check out A Place in the Sun’s Facebook page. The comments range from the ill-informed to the seasoned travel experts, from pleasant banter to downright techno-rage! (Grrr!)
Why is it always Spain?
One of the most whined about topics: why is it always Spain? You will get this every time the program features the Costa del Sol or the Canary Islands etc. There is always somebody complaining. The fact that there are more UK ex-pats in Spain than anywhere else in Europe doesn’t seem to matter to them.
The Presenters – What are they wearing?
A Place in the Sun presenters before they decide to dress like mad Parrots.
Another topic guaranteed to raise the hackles in the APITS Facebook pit is fashion: yes, fashion! OK, some of the presenters do look like they have either dressed in the dark or, have been shoplifting in War on Want.
Some of the comments do get close to the knuckle. It’s a dress or a shirt, nothing more! If the presenters want to dress like mad parrots, let them!
Why are they always holding hands?
Jean Johannson glues the guests together to prevent them from running away!
My pet hate is when the guests if they are male and female (dare I say that?) then you can guarantee, they look like these Climate Activists who glue themselves to Botticelli paintings. There is nothing more irritating than people holding hands whilst debating the merits of a one-bedroom apartment in Benidorm! Let go!
Showing a million-pound house: Why?
I don’t get this one. There can be a couple, with reasonable expectations (5 bedroom detached villa with pool and jacuzzi, stables, 4 car garage and, with a budget of €95,000) and we get shown a property worth millions? I suspect this might be for advertising purposes.
Time-wasters and Misers
“How much? They are nothing but time-wasters!” Facebook does get a little excited
Often, the show will go the whole hog and the house-hunters find a property that matches their unrealistic expectations. They are asked by the presenter if they want to make an offer (I love this bit; guaranteed to get the FB page wound up). “You do? how wonderful!” twitters the presenter.
On the blower, they get to the seller of the property. “I’ve got wonderful news for you, they want to make you an offer!” The poor seller is then told that Mr and Mrs Scrooge want to offer 20K below the asking price, and, they want it fully furnished.
It could be worse though. If the buyers decide they have not seen anything that makes them want to part with their money, then Mr and Mrs Facebook declare them to be ‘pathetic time-wasters!’ who should not be on the show.
A Place in the Sun-Too Many Questions
Many questions get asked by viewers and I found an article that might help.
I found an article in the Liverpool Echo (Yes, we can read in Liverpool) which is well worth a few minutes of your time if you like the program. Liverpool Echo
I once saw the show being filmed in my own village, it was the third or fourth time. I cannot understand why they get a table and chairs, some soft drinks and sit in the middle of a town square or the beach?. Answers below please.
It is the aim of this blog to bring you news stories, happy stories, Spanish food recipes, what’s on in Nerja and all sorts of other items which we hope you will find interesting, amusing or helpful. Our primary source for news is the Sur in English.
‘The Sur’ as we ex-pats call it, is a free newspaper for the south of Spain. This is a great source of information, both locally and nationally.
The Olive Press is another great read; it is free as well.
“A campaigning, community newspaper, the Olive Press launched in 2006 and represents the huge and growing expatriate community in Spain – with over 100,000 printed copies monthly, 50,000 visitors a day online we have an estimated readership of more than 500,000 people a month
We hope you will visit both of these online newspapers and, of course, keep coming back to see what we also have to offer. For now, enjoy this article from the Sur about tonights Strawberry Supermoon that will be visible with the naked eye. If you manage to get a decent photo, let’s see it.
How and when to see the Strawberry Supermoon
Strawberry supermoon 2022: when is the best time to see it today, Tuesday 14 June?
The full moon will appear bigger and brighter than usual, but don’t expect it to be pink: the name has nothing to do with its colour
Tonight, Tuesday 14 June, the moon will be looking bigger and brighter than usual thanks to an astronomical phenomenon known as ‘strawberry supermoon’. The term was adopted by astrologer Richard Nolle in 1979, and it occurs when a full moon or new moon passes through its point of orbit closest to the Earth, which is known as its perigee. It can appear 14% bigger than usual and 30% brighter. Tonight, the moon will be just over 357,000 kilometres away. See more of this story from the Sur in English website.
