# Anniversary



## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

This weekend is the anniversary of last year's tragic fire in the Coin/Marbella/Ojen area, which saw the vast destruction of property and tragic loss of animal and human life.
I like many other immigrants not far from the area of the fire woke up to find our lawns, pools and terraces full of ash and charred twigs, a kind of minor Pompeii.
But this was a minor inconvenience. Many unfortunates lost all their possessions apart from the clothes they stood up in. Our neighbour lost a wooden finca. Many have as yet received no compensation, others have received compensation they deem inadequate.
It is hard to imagine the feelings of an elderly couple, Spanish or immigrant, who have lost all of their past lifetimes.
We should pause to remember those unfortunates and also to reflect on the fact that life in Spain isn't always so easy, just sun, sea, sangria. Life here can also bring many unexpected and unforeseen tragedies: fire, mudslides, floods.
Some of us, secure in our immigrant enclaves perhaps, can so easily shut ourselves off from unpleasant events, whether the shocking level of unemployment, the evictions, the beggars, not all 'scroungers' as well as the so-called 'Acts of God'.
Everyday life in Spain is more troubled for many than the easy life people outside Spain often imagine. We talk of house prices, water costs, getting Quorn...for far too many the immediate problems are putting food on the table and keeping a roof over their heads.


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

mrypg9 said:


> This weekend is the anniversary of last year's tragic fire in the Coin/Marbella/Ojen area, which saw the vast destruction of property and tragic loss of animal and human life.
> I like many other immigrants not far from the area of the fire woke up to find our lawns, pools and terraces full of ash and charred twigs, a kind of minor Pompeii.
> But this was a minor inconvenience. Many unfortunates lost all their possessions apart from the clothes they stood up in. Our neighbour lost a wooden finca. Many have as yet received no compensation, others have received compensation they deem inadequate.
> It is hard to imagine the feelings of an elderly couple, Spanish or immigrant, who have lost all of their past lifetimes.
> ...


well said Mary


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## Aron (Apr 30, 2013)

mrypg9 said:


> This weekend is the anniversary of last year's tragic fire in the Coin/Marbella/Ojen area, which saw the vast destruction of property and tragic loss of animal and human life.
> I like many other immigrants not far from the area of the fire woke up to find our lawns, pools and terraces full of ash and charred twigs, a kind of minor Pompeii.
> But this was a minor inconvenience. Many unfortunates lost all their possessions apart from the clothes they stood up in. Our neighbour lost a wooden finca. Many have as yet received no compensation, others have received compensation they deem inadequate.
> It is hard to imagine the feelings of an elderly couple, Spanish or immigrant, who have lost all of their past lifetimes.
> ...


I don't want to alarm people but every 65 -70 years Andalucia gets hit by a large earthquake. On Christmas Day 1894 Zafarraya and Alcaucin were flattened with many deaths, then 62 years later in 1956 the village of Periana was badly damaged with lots of casualties. It is not something to worry about, but Spain is an earthquake zone. There are on average 5 earthquakes every day in Spain, most too small to notice. A few years ago I got up early one Sunday morning, sat at the table. All of a sudden the floor started moving and the windows rattled. That was an earthquake near Granada, but only 5 on the Richter scale. Andalucia is a beautiful place but we live with constant threat of fire and anything else an act of god may bring!


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## xabiaxica (Jun 23, 2009)

Aron said:


> I don't want to alarm people but every 65 -70 years Andalucia gets hit by a large earthquake. On Christmas Day 1894 Zafarraya and Alcaucin were flattened with many deaths, then 62 years later in 1956 the village of Periana was badly damaged with lots of casualties. It is not something to worry about, but Spain is an earthquake zone. There are on average 5 earthquakes every day in Spain, most too small to notice. A few years ago I got up early one Sunday morning, sat at the table. All of a sudden the floor started moving and the windows rattled. That was an earthquake near Granada, but only 5 on the Richter scale. Andalucia is a beautiful place but we live with constant threat of fire and anything else an act of god may bring!


yep - Spain does seem to be prone to earthquakes! 

Instituto Geográfico Nacional

most of them small, as you say - these in the last 5 days 

Instituto Geográfico Nacional


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Aron said:


> I don't want to alarm people but every 65 -70 years Andalucia gets hit by a large earthquake. On Christmas Day 1894 Zafarraya and Alcaucin were flattened with many deaths, then 62 years later in 1956 the village of Periana was badly damaged with lots of casualties. It is not something to worry about, but Spain is an earthquake zone. There are on average 5 earthquakes every day in Spain, most too small to notice. A few years ago I got up early one Sunday morning, sat at the table. All of a sudden the floor started moving and the windows rattled. That was an earthquake near Granada, but only 5 on the Richter scale. Andalucia is a beautiful place but we live with constant threat of fire and anything else an act of god may bring!


Well, thanks for that, Aron
I won't bother dusting the ornaments...
Seriously, though, you're right. I read that somewhere. Aren't we on a faultline, one of those tctonic plates or whatever they're called?
Oh and before I forget...thanks to Baldy and others have tracked down Quorn...in Iceland Puerto Banus. I think you may have mentioned that too, whatever, thanks for your help and thoughtfulness.


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## Navas (Sep 2, 2012)

Aron said:


> I don't want to alarm people but every 65 -70 years Andalucia gets hit by a large earthquake. On Christmas Day 1894 Zafarraya and Alcaucin were flattened with many deaths, then 62 years later in 1956 the village of Periana was badly damaged with lots of casualties. It is not something to worry about, but Spain is an earthquake zone. There are on average 5 earthquakes every day in Spain, most too small to notice. A few years ago I got up early one Sunday morning, sat at the table. All of a sudden the floor started moving and the windows rattled. That was an earthquake near Granada, but only 5 on the Richter scale. Andalucia is a beautiful place but we live with constant threat of fire and anything else an act of god may bring!


We get earth tremors where I live in Cambridgeshire. The worst I felt lifted the sofa I was sitting on fractionally! You think you'd be safe in East Anglia :couch2:


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## Aron (Apr 30, 2013)

mrypg9 said:


> Well, thanks for that, Aron
> I won't bother dusting the ornaments...
> Seriously, though, you're right. I read that somewhere. Aren't we on a faultline, one of those tctonic plates or whatever they're called?
> Oh and before I forget...thanks to Baldy and others have tracked down Quorn...in Iceland Puerto Banus. I think you may have mentioned that too, whatever, thanks for your help and thoughtfulness.


That's a huge disappointment you finding quorn nearby. I was looking forward to knocking on your door one day and saying.....It is I, Super Shopper with your Quorn, next time I'm down that way. Still, I guess it's best that way!


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Aron said:


> I don't want to alarm people but every 65 -70 years Andalucia gets hit by a large earthquake. On Christmas Day 1894 Zafarraya and Alcaucin were flattened with many deaths, then 62 years later in 1956 the village of Periana was badly damaged with lots of casualties. It is not something to worry about, but Spain is an earthquake zone. There are on average 5 earthquakes every day in Spain, most too small to notice. A few years ago I got up early one Sunday morning, sat at the table. All of a sudden the floor started moving and the windows rattled. That was an earthquake near Granada, but only 5 on the Richter scale. Andalucia is a beautiful place but we live with constant threat of fire and anything else an act of god may bring!


And then there was Lorca 2011.
9 deaths, including 2 pregnant women...


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Aron said:


> That's a huge disappointment you finding quorn nearby. I was looking forward to knocking on your door one day and saying.....It is I, Super Shopper with your Quorn, next time I'm down that way. Still, I guess it's best that way!


Aron, you can knock my door any day


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## Aron (Apr 30, 2013)

mrypg9 said:


> Aron, you can knock my door any day


Is that where Bob Dylan got the inspiration to write, Knock Knock Knocking on Heavens Door, smile.


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## Navas (Sep 2, 2012)

Navas said:


> We get earth tremors where I live in Cambridgeshire. The worst I felt lifted the sofa I was sitting on fractionally! You think you'd be safe in East Anglia :couch2:


And now Blackpool:
BBC News - Two earthquakes shake Blackpool


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

Navas said:


> And now Blackpool:
> BBC News - Two earthquakes shake Blackpool


There is a God...

Apologies to the people of Blackpool but I have had horrendous experiences there whilst attending conferences.
One 'hotel' we stayed at was like Fawlty Towers. We couldn't open our bedroom door because of the force of the wind blowing against it from the window the chambermaid had left open..
And there was a rubber undershhet on the bed and something in a brown paper bag beneath it. 
It stayed there the whole time I was there, probably still under that bed. I never dared find out what it contained.


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## brocher (Mar 21, 2011)

Aron said:


> That's a huge disappointment you finding quorn nearby. I was looking forward to knocking on your door one day and saying.....It is I, Super Shopper with your Quorn, next time I'm down that way. Still, I guess it's best that way!


Aaron, when wooing a woman there are better things to turn up on her doorstep with than a bag of Quorn. 

Plus, I rather like the image of expat Chav Mary having to venture into Iceland, Banus!!!


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## brocher (Mar 21, 2011)

mrypg9 said:


> This weekend is the anniversary of last year's tragic fire in the Coin/Marbella/Ojen area, which saw the vast destruction of property and tragic loss of animal and human life.
> I like many other immigrants not far from the area of the fire woke up to find our lawns, pools and terraces full of ash and charred twigs, a kind of minor Pompeii.
> But this was a minor inconvenience. Many unfortunates lost all their possessions apart from the clothes they stood up in. Our neighbour lost a wooden finca. Many have as yet received no compensation, others have received compensation they deem inadequate.
> It is hard to imagine the feelings of an elderly couple, Spanish or immigrant, who have lost all of their past lifetimes.
> ...



Interestingly, my daughter commented that she felt safer during the fire last year covered in ash in Marbella, than she did in Scotland this year during a grass fire. At least the emergency services in Spain had the resources and knew how to deal with the events, deploying helicopters to dump water, etc, whereas all she could see in Scotland were some poor firemen attempting to beat the flames.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

brocher said:


> Aaron, when wooing a woman there are better things to turn up on her doorstep with than a bag of Quorn.
> 
> Plus, I rather like the image of expat Chav Mary having to venture into Iceland, Banus!!!


I keep telling you...I'm not young enough, thin enough or stylish enough to besport myself in Puerto Banus.
Could send Sandra, though...she has two of those attributes....

But if Iceland is good enough for Kerry Katona, I guess I'll fit in.


And yes, Aron would be welcomed if he turned up with a bag of Quorn, especially if Quorn Chicken pieces.. We'd drag him in..

He would be perfectly safe with us two..


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

brocher said:


> Interestingly, my daughter commented that she felt safer during the fire last year covered in ash in Marbella, than she did in Scotland this year during a grass fire. At least the emergency services in Spain had the resources and knew how to deal with the events, deploying helicopters to dump water, etc, whereas all she could see in Scotland were some poor firemen attempting to beat the flames.


Maybe because they have more fires here and maybe more practice?
Perhaps it's like snow: in the UK a cm of snow and airports etc. come to a standstill. Yet I once flew into Montreal with snowploughs clearing the runway of falling snow as we descended.
Same in Prague. They were good at snow clearing unless there was an exceptionally heavy fall, as happened one March when I lived there. All transport ground to a halt for two days. In a way, it was magical...but very inconveniencing.


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## brocher (Mar 21, 2011)

mrypg9 said:


> I keep telling you...I'm not young enough, thin enough or stylish enough to besport myself in Puerto Banus.
> Could send Sandra, though...she has two of those attributes....
> 
> But if Iceland is good enough for Kerry Katona, I guess I'll fit in.
> ...






Not.........!


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

brocher said:


> [/B]
> 
> 
> 
> Not.........!




Depends

But Aron is a gentleman...and a good sport.


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