and s�r un�l the chicken turns opaque. 3. Add the stock and salt and bring to boil. 4. Reduce heat and simmer un�l the chicken is cooked. 5. To serve, shred the chicken into the bo�om of a warmed individual bowls and pour in the soup. Sprinkle a pinch of saffron strands over each one (the soup should turn to a delicate orange) Serve hot. With thanks to Anil of The Maharaja on the sea front in Vilajoyosa for this recipe. His restaurant is always worth a visit for genuine Indian food and a friendly welcome. RESERVATIONS 96 685 28 46 www.maharaja.es We are open: Mon to Thur: 12:00 - 15:30 and 18:00 - 23:30 Fri to Sun: 12:00 - 23:30 (Please call to check times during the restrictions) We look forward to seeing you soon 96 685 28 46 Avda Puerto, 7 Local 6 Bajo Villajoyosa www.mahara5ja1.es Where a Warm Welcome Awaits You On The Sea Front in Villajoyosa
Why Brexit? Ever since that fateful day when a tiny majority voted for the UK to leave the EU, I have been wondering what was in it for the people involved in the leave campaign. The amount of effort that was put into the campaign, the lies and the corruption were, in my experience, unprecedented. So there had to be something they would get out of it. Politicians would have you believe that they enter politics to help people, and that might be true at first. But once in power things change. The current government in the UK clearly does not have the people’s interests at heart or they wouldn’t ride roughshod over parliament and be working so hard to destroy democracy. And they wouldn’t be squandering money by giving contracts to friends and family for things they have no experience in. And this is where, I believe, the answer to Brexit lies. While the UK was part of the EU, there were rules which it had to follow. They were not, in the main, onerous rules, but they did limit the excesses that any member country could get up to. But the Conservative party is all about control at any cost. The human rights bill, for example, goes against all they seem to stand for. This is evident in the aggressive anti-immigration policies and the disgusting way that people of all nationalities that have made Britain their home have been treated - Windrush is a good example. The idea that there could be a court in the UK higher than the government is bad enough and they are working hard to destroy the power of the courts now. But for what is still in all but name a “colonial” Britain to have a court external to it with power to stop it doing what the hell it likes is complete anathema. So, if the Conservatives were to achieve the absolute power they craved, then the EU would have to go. So they lied, they cheated, they poured endless money into the leave machine. Sadly, people are basically honest and they believed them. They believed there would be more money for the NHS, things would be cheaper because we could import from anywhere in the world. By the time people began to wake up and call for another referendum it was too late, leave had entrenched and couldn’t be moved. 52
Even when it became clear to everyone, that Brexit was not going to be an “oven ready deal”, the leave machine carried on in their desperate quest for power at all costs. For now, they have won and we have what would appear to be the most corrupt and power mad government the UK has seen for many, possibly hundreds of years. And there is no EU to hold them back. But I think what I find so amazing is that even with the corruption and the lies, having the courts of the land find against the government on so many of the crooked deals they have done, the siphoning of money into friends and relatives pockets. Even with all this, it took a snog by one of these ministers to bring it all to the public’s eye. Recently, long after the papers had started telling us about the corruption going on in our name in parliament, there were local elections in England - and people still voted for them! Does this mean that people still believe they are doing a good job? Not if you read the polls. Or did people vote for the party trying to pretend that it isn’t the party in power? Surely people aren’t that naive. Or are people OK with the idea that a government can give out their tax money to friends and relatives? And OK with a government that is so completely out of its depth, still allows people to travel in from countries such as India for weeks after it is known there is a new variant there, then closes everything down again because of the increase in case numbers. I am at a loss as to how such complete incompetence can be allowed to continue. But then power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. At least we are having this demonstrated to us. I pray each day for an end to this, the most corrupt UK government, certainly in my lifetime. And I am glad I live in Scotland, where the Scottish government may have its failings but they are so far above the poor apology for politics in the UK as a whole. Maybe we can soon give England its independence and let them drift off into the oblivion they are so rapidly heading towards. 53
The Broken Saxophone Part 3 By Jay This month we bring you the third, and final, part of a longer story which we hope you will enjoy. If you missed last month’s you can read June’s magazine by following this link https://online.pubhtml5.com/onqn/kqlx/#p=53 Judy and I looked at each other. feel free to re-let the rooms and 'Good job we saw the car on the also, of course, keep the CCTV,' Judy said, surprisingly payments we had made. calmly. 'We could have been in that.' The police agreed that the security at the house was The next few hours were probably the best option we had spent with police and and a plain clothed constable was bomb disposal sent to fetch our things from the officers crawling all over the guest house. The rest of the remains of the car and also, fairly police left then. The army had naturally, interviewing us. The army knew about us having been brought a low loader and the car primed by my friend in the police, was winched onto it to be taken so it wasn’t as bad as it might away for the forensic team to have been. examine. All that remained was We had talked about whether we a badly burnt patch of wanted to stay in the house after driveway. all that night. Both of us had mixed feelings. The house was After about an hour, probably the safest place we the constable had, but we knew that whoever returned with our they were, they knew where we cases. We saw him were. The guest house would arrive on the CCTV be fine, if they didn’t know about it, but we had to assume and could verify it was that they did and it would not be the same man as the one fair to put the owners in danger, who had left. We let him as well as ourselves. in and he apologised profusely that his packing In the end, I phoned the guest wasn’t very good; he was house and explained that very young and was circumstances had changed and clearly embarrassed at we would not be back but please having to pack Judy’s things for her. He left then, and we were left 54
to our own devices. ‘I don’t know are lost when using the infra red about you,’ I said. ‘But we never cameras.’ did get that food, and I think I am even more hungry now than I was I was becoming more and more before.’ impressed by her father as each minute passed. The microwave We made our way back into the pinged then, making me jump. kitchen and Judy went to the screen showing the cameras ‘While you were outside, I put around the outside of the building. some steaks in to defrost,’ Judy After studying the controls for a explained as she took them from few minutes she said, ‘There’s an the microwave and placed them alarm system by the looks of it, under the grill. ‘There’s some oven that can alert us if anything moves chips in the oven as well.’ outside the house. It’s not on so I will change that, might prove It is strange how events as useful, although I don’t know how dramatic as the blowing up of it will alert us if something does Judy’s car can be put to one side move out there.’ like this, but I find they can, and surprisingly, so could Judy. ‘When it’s on, I will go outside and we will find out,’ I suggested. ‘I think we have no choice but to When I returned, Judy showed me find who these people are and get two small devices which I had them stopped quickly,’ I said after thought were phones, or remotes we had finished eating. ‘We need for something, were flashing and to get to see those carriages and making low pitched bongs, a bit at least get their numbers. But like a clock, but at a frequency you then what?’ just couldn’t ignore. Judy pressed a button on the top of each of ‘Then we explore the computer them and the noise stopped. upstairs and see what we can find, but right now, suddenly, I am very ‘Hang on,’ I said, looking at the tired. I think I need to sleep, if I monitor screen. ‘It’s dark outside can.’ and although there are lights near the house, how come we can see We found some bed linen and right down to the bottom of the aired it off in the tumble drier. garden?’ Then made up beds in two of the bedrooms and got ourselves ;I think it’s using infra red ready for bed. Each of us took one cameras,’ Judy replied. ‘The of the alarm monitors in case our images were in colour before, friends decided to return during when it was daylight, but colours the night. Morning came and the sun shining 55
through the curtains woke me. My sergeant for his recommendations watch told me it was 7am. Only for a taxi company. After ringing about 5 hours sleep but I knew I off, I called the number he had wouldn’t get any more even if I given me and booked a taxi for stayed in bed, so I showered and 9am so as to get to the workshops then headed down to the kitchen. before any tourists. I was unsure if Judy was already there and a crowd of people would make it looked up as I entered. ‘There’s safer or less safe. coffee made,’ she said, ‘But no milk of course, although there is We arrived at the workshops at coffee-mate in the cupboard.’ 9:30 and made our way in. There was a viewing area and we could Two cups of black coffee and I see the carriages but not all their began to feel more like myself. ‘I numbers. Judy asked one of the had a thought last night,’ I said. workmen if Jackson was there and ‘These carriages, surely there he went off to find him. When the must be photos of them man called Jackson arrived, we somewhere to save us going were both surprised when he down to the workshops.?’ offered to take us for a close up look. ‘Frank at the station said you ‘There will be plenty, but the might be coming over and you problem is their numbers will be have a soft spot for this train,’ he on the front and rear of the explained. ‘She is one of my carriages, so photos showing the favourites as well.’ train will not show them. We will need to go I am afraid. And we will Soon the numbers were written in need some transport,’ Judy Judy’s notebook, carefully adding replied. ‘I haven’t decided whether the order in which the carriages to buy a new car, rent one or just would be when properly lined up. use a taxi for now.’ ‘I think I will get a rental from that ‘Taxis might be safest for now,’ I place we saw as we drove in,’ suggested. ‘I’ll phone that Judy said. ‘Taxis might be safer, inspector and see which company but they can be a pain if you want he recommends as safest. He one in a hurry.’ gave you his card didn’t he?’ Judy’s new gold credit card The number on the card was for smoothed the wheels and we the police station where the were soon heading back to the inspector was based. I asked the house in her rented Mercedes. As sergeant who answered the phone we approached the house, we if the inspector was there but saw a Land Rover parked not far sadly he was not, so I asked the from the door. Judy slowed the 56
car. ‘Let’s hope it’s the gardeners,’ I’m damned if I can think what it she said but she stopped the car might be.’ and took out her phone. ‘I’ll ask the bank manager what day the ‘I don’t think I am much help in gardeners are supposed to come,’ this,’ I said. ‘I think I might rustle she said. ‘They have been us up some coffee.’ And I left Judy organising it for years.’ to her work, sure that I would only be in the way if I stayed. When I When she rang off she looked at returned, she had a program open me. ‘They should come on Friday,’ on the screen and was entering she told me. ‘And today’s the numbers from the train into a Thursday. They might have come box. She pressed enter when she early for some reason, but then it had finished but nothing might not be the gardeners.’ happened. No Error message, nothing. The bank had given her the gardener’s phone number so she ‘I must be doing something called them and to her relief, they wrong,’ she said. ‘But I am sure confirmed they were at the house these will be the key that is a day early because of a wedding needed.’ on Friday they were going to be at. ‘Have you included the engine number as well?’ I asked. ‘There Once back in the house, we made doesn’t seem to be enough digits.’ our way straight to the office we had found. ‘What do we have to ‘Blast, you’re right.’ Judy added work with?’ I asked Judy. the engine numbers at the start of the long number and pressed ‘We have the strange shapes in enter again. This time another the book we got in Germany,’ she screen appeared, obviously replied, taking the book from the wanting some more input, but case and placing it on the desk. what? ‘And we have the two copies of my childhood book, and we now ‘Think logically,’ I said. ‘What else have this very long number, or set do we have that could possibly be of numbers from the train. And we used?’ have dad’s computer and whatever we might find on that.’ ‘We have the children’s books with the notes in them, and we have She turned the computer on and the book we got from Germany logged in. ‘I wish I knew where to with the strange shapes in it. I start,’ she said as the screen lit can’t think of anything else unless up. ‘I am sure there is something it is something here in the house.’ in these two children’s books, but I picked up the book with the 57
shapes in it and took it over to the had left my jacket behind and table, opening it at the first picture. started back up to get it. As I A memory from my childhood neared the room where Judy was I came back to me then and I could hear voices and stopped to looked around to see if I could find listen. I heard what sounded like a shiny cylinder of any kind. I soon Judy, telling someone that “He spotted what I was looking for on doesn’t suspect, hasn’t got a clue. the filing cabinet and brought it I think he fancies me a bit.” over and placed it in the circle in the middle of the strange shape. This threw me a bit and I decided Looking at the reflection of the my jacket could wait and I needed lines on the page in the cylinder, I to think. I made my way back could see they were more like down the stairs and out into the words, but still not legible. garden where I sat on the bench overlooking the lawns at the rear ‘See if you can find any more of the house. I had to assume she cylinders anywhere,’ I asked Judy. was talking about me, but what Soon we had six of them, all didn’t I suspect? I thought back different shapes and sizes and we across the time I had known her. tried each one in turn in the centre Not really very long at all. Was of the shape. The third one she who she said she was even? worked and we could see there were definite words visible, their I had a brainwave, not something I distortion removed by the do very often, and phoned my reflection in the curved surface of friend in the police in London. the cylinder. ‘That guy who was shot in the pub,’ I said when he came to the The same process was repeated phone. ‘One of the band members on each of the pages in the book said he always had a photo of his and gradually we began to piece daughter in his wallet. Would you things together into what be able to scan and send me a appeared to be a set of copy?’ I explained what I had just instructions. What they said to do overheard. was not in my vocabulary and I hoped Judy would understand. ‘Consider it done,’ he told me. ‘It She did, and took the notes we will take a few minutes as I will had made over to the computer. have to go and retrieve it from the evidence room. Can you receive it I decided to take my coffee into on your phone OK?’ I told him I the garden for some fresh air. As I could and waited impatiently for have said before, these things are the email to come through. About not really where I excel. Half way ten minutes later the email came, down the stairs I remembered I along with three attached photos. 58
The first was of a younger woman, thought, she chewed her pen top early 20s I would have guessed, when she was working. I needed and I presumed this would be his to get one of those pens. There daughter when she was younger. were plenty on the desk where The other two were taken more she had flitted between them in recently and looked like they were her concentration. I needed to go taken in New York. They showed a back up. woman with the now dead saxophone player. The email told She looked up as I entered the me that on the back of the second room, I don’t think she had really two photos was written “Holiday noticed me gone. with Judy in New York” and it was dated just a couple of years ago. ‘How have you got on?’ I managed to keep my voice My doubts were now fully alerted. normal. Judy had said she hadn’t seen her father in years, I looked more ‘I think I have quite a lot of closely at the photo. It certainly information, but I still haven’t had a resemblance to the woman discovered who the gang might be upstairs, but was not the same. who shot dad,’ she told me. She Her nose was larger in the photo, showed me pages of notes, none her face rounder. Whoever this of which made much sense to me. was in the house, I felt sure it wasn’t Judy. Whoever it was they ‘Do you fancy a trip out?’ I asked had done their homework and her. ‘I know I would love a coffee they were a good enough made with real milk, or even resemblance to fool anyone who better, a cup of tea.’ had never met her, but not these photos. I replied to the email, ‘Sounds good,’ she replied. ‘I telling my friend that this was not could do with a break, and we who she pretends to be. I knew I could pick up some bits like tea would be in a difficult position if and milk.’ She stood up and she found out that I had stretched, heading out of the door discovered the deception so I had before me, I followed but then to keep calm. went back for my jacket, giving me the chance to pick up one of the Another email came. ‘Any chance discarded ball points from the you can get some fingerprints or desk and slip it in a pocket, DNA?’ it said. I guessed this hopefully without smudging any would be possible. Perhaps a cup prints there might be. Now I just might produce both, but hard to needed a way to get it to my post off for analysis. Then I friend. In the end this proved easier than 59
I expected. We had arrived in also along the same road. I felt a Poole, parked the car and were great weight of my mind when I walking to find a cafe when a beep had given them the pen. They told on my phone alerted me to an me that they had a lab there at the email. It told me to drop anything I station, so the analysis could be had off at the local police station in done quickly. I would find out as Poole. They had set up a dummy soon as they knew anything, appointment for 5 o’clock that day probably that evening or in the if I could make it, and they were morning. aware of the situation. So now I needed to find a way of going I did have a walk along the beach there on my own, or at least and down to the harbour to look at getting the pen to them without it the boats, I needed to have the being seen. knowledge in case she asked me what it was like there. Six o’clock Fortune smiled on me again when came and we met as arranged at Judy, or whoever she really was, the cafe. I made what I hoped suddenly said, ‘I think I would like were the correct flattering to be pampered for a bit. There’s a comments about how she looked, hairdressers there, I wonder if but my mind was racing and I they could fit me in.’ We crossed hoped it didn’t show. But she was the road and they said they could so confident that her cover was see her at 4:30. It was 3 o’clock so complete that she didn’t notice we found a local cafe and settled any hesitation there might have in for a welcome cup or two of been in my voice. decent tea and some cakes. A prefect afternoon tea had it not It was still a little early to eat, been for the turmoil in my stomach especially after the cakes we had at the thought of what could be had earlier so I suggested we next. walked down to the harbour so I could show her the boats I had The time came for her seen earlier. Walking was easier appointment and we agreed to to hide any oddness I might be meet back at the cafe at 6pm, it showing. was open into the evening so we could even eat dinner there later if When we arrived, she said, ‘Are we felt like it. I told her I was going you OK? You look worried.’ for a walk on the beach, maybe look at the boats. I went with her ‘I am,’ I admitted, ‘I think it’s that to the hairdressers and saw her in, bomb last night. I keep thinking then continued my walk towards there might be someone following the beach. The police station was us, or someone with a gun somewhere. I admit it is making 60
me a bit nervous. And I am not ‘You look rough,’ she said as I usually the nervous type.’ I peered round the door. smiled at her, hoping to back up her thinking I was fancying her. ‘I’m not sure I haven’t caught something,’ I replied. ‘I feel like She smiled back. ‘I think I must rubbish this morning.’ have buried it somewhere in my mind,’ she replied. ‘I am half ‘Do you need a doctor?’ she expecting panic to set in when I asked me. Either she did care, or least expect it.’ The tension was she was a really good actor. ‘I will broken and we walked along see if I can get you an companionably by the water side. appointment today.’ And she picked up her phone and called As evening fell, we found a nice the number of local surgery she restaurant overlooking the water found on a note by the landline and I almost began to relax and phone. ‘12 o’clock,’ she said as let my guard down. Either she she rang off. Get back to bed was very convincing, or I had got with your coffee and I will take it all wrong and she was the you down in the car.’ genuine Judy. Back in my bed, I emailed my The email came at close to police friend and told them when midnight. My phone was on and where. By 12:30 it was all silent, but the vibration woke me over. The fake Judy was locked up, I’m not sure I was really away out of harm and I was back asleep anyway. I read its content. in the police station, this time with a group of very senior “She is not Judy Cummerton but policemen. A team of scientists a well known crook from the were in the house and were USA. Known to be dangerous so pouring over everything that the I would suggest you find any way fake Judy had discovered and I you can to get away from her was told how it was going to lead tomorrow and let us arrest her.” to the closure of at least two major drug cartels. One of them I didn’t sleep much more that the people who had blown up the night and the morning saw me car, the other one was run by the with bleary eyes and a muzzy fake Judy in the USA and the UK. head. I made my way downstairs for a coffee or two. She was Me? I decided to spend a few already in the kitchen and the days in Swanage. The Jack and smell of the fresh coffee was very Jill guest house still had a welcome. vacancy, and I was going to fill it. We hope you have enjoyed reading this third and final part of the Broken Saxophone. 61
APAC are here to help animals like Tranco below left and his friends, but it all costs money. So please come along to our shop in El Campello and see what goodies you can find. Every purchase, however small, will go towards helping animals in the area. Donations of furniture, clothes, household items and money are very much appreciated. If you are looking for a new best friend then please have a look at our website and see who we have that are looking for a forever home. The APAC shop is at Avenida Germanies, 20 (Just a little down from Mercadona) Monday-Friday 10.00-14.00 Saturday 10.00-12.30h. https://www.apaccampello.com apaccampello 62
APAC Would Like Your Help A New Handbag? Artwork For Your Home? Books to Read? Due to huge veterinary expenses You can help us tremendously by over the last couple of months for visiting our shop and buying lots of pregnant females and some something, or donating summer very sick cats that needed to stay clothes or household items. in the clinic, we have not been able to catch our usual numbers for If you would like to donate to sterilisations. But last month we APAC, there are several ways were still able to catch a few including bank credit; PayPal and pregnant cats by the harbour and “Teaming” which is an online tool La Cova restaurant. Unfortunately, to raise funds for helping social there are more to catch when we causes with micro donations of have more money to pay the only €1 per month. veterinary bills for sterilisation. We can be contacted via our Our main income comes from the website or by emailing us. Charity Shop situated on Avda Germaines, El Campello where we Thank you so much for taking the sell clothing, furniture and bric a time to read this and we sincerely brac as well as a wide choice of hope that you can support us to books, artwork and handbags. help those animals that have no voice of their own. [email protected] www.teaming.net/apacelcampello 63
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Puzzle Pages In every magazine we have ever published, we have included a crossword and some Sudoku puzzles. In more recent times we have added puzzles aimed at children of various ages in order to bring some leisure time to everyone. Starting last month, though, as well as the crosswords, Sudoku and children’s puzzles, we are adding some more puzzles for all ages. The puzzles will range in difficulty so everyone should find some they can get their teeth into. They will be a mixture of logic puzzles which you need to think about, as well as some number based ones (no, not really maths). We really do hope you enjoy them. You can print out the relevant pages with plain backgrounds by either clicking on the link below, or by going to the website at https:// mellow-magazine.com and following the link to the downloads. Please let us know what you think, we always like to hear from you. 69
Sudoku and Crossword Easy Medium Hard Very Hard Solutions are on the inside back cover. You can also print these pages with a plain background if you go to our website https://mellow-magazine.com 70
Across 3. Foretelling signs 37. ____ moment's 1. Gator's relative 4. Tapioca source notice (2 wds.) 5. Resource 5. Venomous viper 41. Make an attempt 10. Akron's state 6. RR terminals 42. Mine products 14. Peruvian capital 7. Mr. Claus 45. E-mail item 15. Like old bread 8. Church leaders 46. Gone by 16. Part of speech 9. Oolong server 48. Building extensions 17. Poems of praise 10. Comprehensive 49. Bowl scraper 18. Chinese \"bear\" 11. Superman, e.g. 51. Conforms 19. Buffalo's lake 12. Spring bloom 52. Ralph ____ of 20. ____ of humour 13. Heed fashion 22. Stair part 21. Viewed 55. Boulder 23. Pinkish 25. Plant stalk 57. Heavyweight Mike 24. Compositions 27. \"Cry ____ River\" (2 ____ 26. Perfume wds.) 58. Choose by vote 28. Presidential \"no\" 29. Lennon's wife 59. Writing tables 30. Outstanding 31. Plunder 60. Damage 34. Rose Bowl city 32. Diarist ____ Frank 61. Tibet's locale 38. Solo 33. Hollow stalk 62. Portable shelter 39. Boxer Muhammad 34. Tablets 64. Musical instrument ____ 35. Burn reliever 68. Do the wrong thing 40. Slogan 36. Endorse 43. Small bill 71 44. Doctrine 47. Took into custody 50. African country 53. Dog's cry 54. Fizzy drinks 56. Scheduled 60. Sombreros 63. Detroit product 65. Fashion 66. Not ashore 67. Investigate 69. Avails oneself of 70. Finger jewelry 71. Pavarotti, e.g. 72. Deadbolt, e.g. 73. Chess term 74. Scornful expression 75. Picnic nuisances Down 1. Nearby 2. Goes by bus
Puzzles For Children ACROSS 3 Scientist who created a monster 6 It has eight legs and spins a web 7 Transparent spooky being 9 You get these monsters under bridges 10 The door in a spooky house does this when it is opened 11 A type of spider that is very large DOWN 1 The Loch _____ Monster 2 A monster that howls in the night 3 If someone jumps out and scares you, you might get a _______ 4 You get these down your spine when you are scared 5 Undead monster 8 _______ or Treat on Halloween 7210 A witch might have a black one of these animals
Can you find all these Motor Car Manufacturers in the grid below? AUDI MASERATI RENAULT BENTLEY MAZDA ROVER BUGATTI MERCEDES SEAT CITROEN MITSUBISHI SUBARU FERRARI MORGAN SUZUKI FORD NISSAN TESLA HYUNDAI PEUGEOT TOYOTA LANDROVER PONTIAC VOLVO LOTUS PORSCHE 73
Another maze for you to find your way through 74
Boggled puzzles are very easy to play. You need to find as many 3 or more letter words as you can. You form words by starting anywhere on the grid and moving to adjoining letters. You can move horizontally, vertically and diagonally in any direction. Write down your words and score as follows: 3 letters = 1 point 6 letters = 4 points 4 letters = 2 points 7 letters = 5 points 5 letters = 3 points 8 or more letters = 6 points RMP A SORO I EWL R I SF 75
Some Things To Think About Some easier ones to get you started 1. I know a word, six letters it contains. But if you take one away it leaves twelve. 2. Which letter of the alphabet can you add four letters to without changing its pronunciation? 3. These eleven letters are imprisoning a word. If you remove six letters, the word will be found. What is the word? SFIOXLEUTNTEDRS 4. I am the beginning of the end, and the end of time and space. I am essential to creation, and I surround every place. What am I? 5. Which of these phrases is the odd one out? 1. Matadors are discovered roaming its districts. 2. Remains of magnificent empire 3. Turned out Kyoto: (Yen only) 4. Broadleaf rainforest attracts zoologists inspecting life 5. Picturesque (as Renoir impressionistically shows) 6. What word starts with ‘e’, and ends with ‘e’, but often only has one letter in it? 7. You need to divide a round birthday cake into 8 equal pieces, but you only want to make three straight cuts with the knife. How might you do this? 8. A black cat stepped out onto a black road where there were no street lights and not even the faintest glimmer of light from the moon. A black car approached with its lights turned off, and yet the driver slowed down and allowed the cat to cross the road. How did he know the cat was there? 76
And just one this month which might require some extra thought. It is said that Immanuel Kant was a batchelor of such regular habits that the good people of the town where he lived would adjust their clocks when they saw him stroll past certain landmarks. One day, he was dismayed to discover that his clock had run down, his servant had forgotten to wind it. Having wound it up again, he was unable to set it to the right time since his watch was being repaired. He decided to walk to a friend;s house a mile or so away and as he entered their house he glanced at the clock in the hallway. He stayed there for a few hours before he left, glancing at the clock again as he passed, and made his way back home along the same route he had taken to when he came. As always, he walked with a slow steady pace that had not varied in twenty years. He had no real idea how long it took him to do the walk , but nevertheless, when he entered his house, he was able to correctly set the time on his clock. How could he know the time? 77
The Evolution Of Computers The reminiscences of a 1970s computer engineer In today’s world, computers are discreet components like resistors, everywhere, controlling and diodes and transistors, which were monitoring almost everything we assembled onto blocks which were do. But it wasn’t really that long then plugged into the “mainframe” ago when almost nobody had even to make the computer itself. As a seen one. My first introduction to computer engineer, I would often computers was when I got a job find myself with a soldering iron, with Burroughs Computers at their replacing a single component in computer centre in Willesden, one of these blocks. London. This was in 1971, the year that the UK went over to decimal The centre where I worked was on currency. The centre was owned four floors, five if you include the by Barclay’s Bank to manage their basement where a Rolls Royce branches in the south of England. gas turbine engine ran a backup generator for the whole building. It seems strange how just 50 years ago we were excited by this new On the ground floor, the operators computer technology that was sat with their green screen going to take the drudgery out of monitors and their keyboards and work and free us all to a life of the mainframe computers. more leisure. Yet now we worry about how governments and big On the first floor were the printers tech industries are using used for printing out the the data about us that it bank statements, is gobbling up. punched card readers, and But back in 1971, magnetic tape only two years after drives. man first walked on the moon, The second floor computers were housed hard disk so large that they drives, more filled vast air punched card conditioned readers and sundry rooms, and in other devices. many cases were still made of The last floor was just offices and where the 78
canteen and encountered a rest area were disks was located. around 1 metre in diameter and All this, to they were house what mounted was probably vertically, with a less powerful belt drive to than the spin them up to computer in speed. Modern an old hard drives use smartphone. a magnetic head that floats What I find on a cushion of air above the most interesting though, is the surface of the disk to read and way these early computer write information. The head is systems relied so much on the moved in and out across the mechanical and technical surface to access each of the ingenuity of their designers in many hundreds of tracks on the order to function. disk. These early disks worked the same way but had fewer A typical computer system will tracks, measured in tens rather consist of the computing part, the than hundreds, and each track “cpu” as it was called then, more had its own read/write head. or less the equivalent of a “core” When first switched on, the disks in a modern multi-core processor. had to be left to run for 24 hours There will be long term storage to stabilise their speed before the for programs (apps) and data, heads could be lowered slowly devices to enter information, and onto the air cushion generated by devices to show the results of the the spinning disks and they could calculations. Back in 1971, things be used. So they were left on and were very different in all these spinning permanently. And the areas, even the keyboard was storage capacity was measured large and clunky. in kilobytes. Long Term Storage Later in the 70s, disk drives Nowadays we have solid state improved and a cassette of disks memories and hard drives for could be loaded into the drive most of our storage needs, and and be used almost instantly. But storage is measured in gigabytes still only offering relatively small or terabytes. In 1971 there were amounts of storage. hard drives and magnetic tape drives. The first hard drives I 79
Then we also had magnetic tape maintain a high speed. The drives. These used wide tapes with solution was to have two loops of typically ten recording tracks tape held in columns with a across the width, so that a whole vacuum pulling them down. Light byte of data, along with parity bits, cells in the columns could detect could be stored in one go, rather where the tape was and if it got too than one bit at a time as on a hard disk. low, the the spool Able to store a lot feeding that column more data than the would stop. If the tape disk drives of the day, started to come out of they were useful for the column the spool storing large amounts motor would feed of data, but they were more tape into it. slower to access the data as they might The read/write head need to run the tape was in the middle, from one end to the between the columns, other to get to a next to a rubber wheel specific piece of the over which the tape data. passed, and was held against by a vacuum. They were also some This wheel was how of the more complex the tape was moved and ingenious devices of their backwards and time. forwards. First there was the mechanical problems associated with This ingenious piece of design accelerating a thin tape rapidly to a allowed mass storage to exist just high speed without stretching it. 50 years ago. Tapes we might see today are cassettes which have music on Punched Paper Tapes and Cards them and which didn’t move very When we want to load a program fast, if memory serves 1 and 7/8 onto a computer nowadays, we inch per second. Computer tapes normally just download it from the would be 1200 feet or more long internet, but back then there was and at that speed would take a no internet, no CDs, no USB couple of hours from end to end. sticks. So how could a program be To be useful, they need to get from transported and installed onto a end to end in minutes not hours so computer of the 70s? Magnetic they need to accelerate fast and tapes were used to store programs, but so were paper tapes and cards with holes punched into them. A special reader would scan 80
the cards or the roll of paper tape The were made of a matrix of tiny using light cells to detect if there torroid magnets (like a doughnut) was a hole or not as the card or with wires passing through them. tape whizzed past the sensors. Each “core” had three or A stack of cards was more robust sometimes four than a paper tape which was very wires running flimsy and could be torn easily, but through it and they did suffer from the risk of would be able to being dropped and becoming store a single Bit completely out of order. of data - remember 8 bits make a byte and nowadays we are talking Punched cards and tapes were about millions and billions of bytes also used to manually record data for storage. Back then a kilobyte away from the computer so it could was considered good. be quickly loaded into the computer for analysis. Each of these magnets would, like all magnets, have a north and a RAM and ROM? south pole. But if a pulse of In your computer you probably electricity of sufficient power was have 4 or more GB of temporary sent down a wire through the core, storage for use by the program it could be made to flip poles so that is running. This memory uses south becomes north and vice semiconductors tightly crammed versa. into the silicon chips. Again, back in the 70s semiconductors were We need to be able to control each just transistors and these could be magnet individually, and that is used to make small memory units. where the wires come in. If we But in the early 70s, transistors send a pulse of 3/4 the power were still slow and many needed to flip a magnet down one computers used what was called of the vertical wires at the same Core Store. This was another time as one along one of the ingenious solution to a problem horizontal wires, only the magnet and relied on the properties of where both wires go through would ferrite magnets. receive sufficient power to flip, the others would stay unchanged. So now we can change the state of one bit as we wish, but how do we know what state it is in? That is where the other wire comes in. As a magnet flips poles, it will induce a pulse of electricity into the third 81
wire, and this can be sensed. typewriter, which is really what was the forerunner of the computer So we can detect a change in the printer, a line printer used a state of the magnet, but how can horizontal belt of characters in a we find out what state any given loop which was turned rapidly in magnet is in? We flip each magnet front of the ribbon. Each column into a specific state and record the where a character could be printed pulse on the third wire. If we get had a hammer which would fire one we know that it has changed and hit the character against the state so we know it was in the ribbon and hence onto the paper other state and so we change it as the character passed its back again. If there is no pulse position. So one pass of the sensed we know it hasn’t changed. characters would be enough for the whole line to be printed. It was This all sounds so complex and very fast, but so very noisy the slow that it is indeed amazing that case had to have special sound this is the technology that got man proofing pads inside it. to the moon. The paper it used came in stacks Printers of several hundred pages, with My last look at computer things of each page perforated from the the 70s is printers. Now, most next, and perforated sprocket people have either an inkjet printer holes along each edge for the or a laser printer. Neither had been printer to use to move the paper invented in the 70s, but we still through the machine as it printed. needed to print and the first printer Because different print runs used I encountered was known as a line different sizes of paper, a system printer. Unlike an electric where the printer could quickly move to the top of the next page was needed. To achieve this, a loop of paper tape was used with holes to correspond to the top of the paper and other key places on the paper. As the printer moved the paper, so it also moved the loop of paper so it would always “know” where it was on the page. I will finish this look back at the “good” old days with a couple of amusing incidents involving printers. The first one occurred 82
when one of the paper tape loops hammer that was supposed to hit broke. The first page was printed the characters in this column and then the printer sent the wasn’t working. What was command to move to the top of amazing though was that this the next page. Without the paper was in someone’s current loop working, the paper shot out account, and they had over a of the front of the printer and million pounds in it. And in the instead of stacking neatly it shot 70s that really was a great deal of across the computer room and money. A lot of paper had to be stacked itself almost neatly on destroyed that night since we the far wall. could not know how many accounts might have been The other incident was when we affected. And the night grew a lot were printing out a stack of bank longer. statements. With no internet back then, everyone who had a bank What Came Next? account would receive a bank Silicon chips arrived in large statement each month showing numbers soon after this and what they had received and spent revolutionised the construction of in the month. These would computers. The 1980s saw the normally be arranged in columns, take up of the original IBM PC but with the date, a description, most of us were using the BBC income, outcome, and balance. Micro, a quite incredible This computer centre handled computer of its day, with an literally thousands of accounts emphasis on accessibility. You and they all needed a paper could take the top off and actually statement to be printed so the add things to it internally, even statement run was a busy affair. using a soldering iron in places!! Somewhere around 2 or 3 in the morning, one of the engineers My first serious commercial spotted a statement showing a software development was on the gap in the figures in the balance BBC Micro when I wrote a very column. It showed something like successful CAD program called Novacad. It was the first such £1 04567 program of its kind to run on such a humble computer and opened Which told us that the character the world of computer aided where the hundreds of thousands design to many people, of pounds was missing. The I hope you enjoyed this look back at the early days of computers and how we should be so grateful for what we have nowadays. Things have changed a great deal in 50 years. Much of it for the good, but I think we might have lost that ingenuity if the past that led to so many great inventions. 83
Man With A Van Long Wheelbase High Top Van And Driver Available House Removals Office Moves Those Extra Large Items 84
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Benidorm Rugby 7s The RUSSIAN NATIONAL RUGBY TEAM prepares in La Nucia, its momentous match against Spain. Saturday July 3, 9 nights. Villajoyosa. Municipal Rugby Stadium VIDEO https://youtu.be/BTT_cGY01Qo Since last Sunday, June 20, the Russian National Team, which displaces a total of 50 people, will stay for 15 days at the recently opened and brand new Hotel Barcelo Nucia Hills, the first hotel in La Nucia and focused on Sports Tourism. In the photo Kimberley Berryman and Ignacio Davila celebrate the agreement Russia is training regularly in the magnificent facilities of the Camilo Cano de La Nucia Olympic Stadium, kindly loaned by the La Nucia City Council, with its Mayor Bernabe Cano, in charge, a great promoter of Sports Tourism in the province Russia prepares the 88
transcendental match against Spain, France 2023 Wolrd Cup Qualifier, on Saturday July 3, in Villajoyosa, 9 night, an event promoted by the Villajoyosa City Council in close collaboration with the Spanish Rugby Federation Spain must win this match, Qualifying for the World Cup, otherwise, their chances would be reduced to a minimum This training Campus has the institutional collaboration of the Conselleria Esports Generalitat Valenciana. Alicante Provincial Council, Costa Blanca Tourism Board, La Vila Joiosa Town Hall and La Nucia Town Hall For more information please contact: IGNACIO DAVILA COSTA BLANCA CLUB DE RUGBY Avenida Mediterraneo 25 03570 VILLAJOYOSA [email protected] Movil + 34 608 068 208 89
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Local Area Telephone Numbers El Campello Villajoyosa Casa de Cultura 965636194 Casa de Cultura 965894250 Hospital San Juan Post Office (Correos) 965636491 Post Office 965891230 Health Centre 965938700 Library 965891698 Ad. Education Centre Taxis 965630318 Town Hall 966851001 Town hall 965637106 Municipal Police 965890050 Railway Station 965937480 Guardia Civil 965891143 Tourist Information Guardia Civil 965937485 Hospital Marina Baixa 966859800 Policía Local 965635808 Tourist Info 966851371 Suma Office 965101611 Taxis 965893343 San Juan Town Hall 965101029 902075073 Local Police 965252511 Guardia Civil Post Office 965637200 Jijona Health Centre Suma Office 965262731 Town Hall 965610300 Busot 900720472 Guardia Civil 965610142 Health Centre Casa de Cultura 965634606 Health centre 965612400 Town Hall Police 965630418/062 Post Office 965612031 Mutxamel 965637099 Town Hall Health Centre 965634444 Transport Guardia Civil Local Police 965292015 Alicante Airport 913211000 Post Office Renfe 902240202 Alicante Bus Station 965130700 965653245 Alsa (Coaches) 902422242 965653324 965942222 Other Numbers 965653232 Movistar (client attention) 1004 965653368 British Consulate 902109356 965937440 Iberdrola (Electricity) 902225235 965292034 Aguas de Alicante (Water) 965989900 966908240 These numbers have not been 965698072 verified to still be up to date so 965699092 please let us know if 965698181 there are any 607385522 errors or if there are any 965956960 omissions. 965952777 965653232 Thank you 965953500 965953166 91
Puzzle Solutions Things To Think About 1. The word is ‘Dozens’ Remove the s and you have dozen 2. The letter is Q. If you add the letters ueue to it you get Queue which sounds the same 3. The word is FOUND. You get it if you remove the letters SIXLETTERS 4. The letter ‘e’ 5. 4 is the odd one out. The initial letters of the rest all spell out capital cities, Number 4 spells out a country (Brazil) 6. The answer is Envelope 7. First cut the cake across the middle to make two pieces. Then across at right angles to cut the two pieces into four. Then turn the knife on its side and cut horizontally right through it, to cut the four pieces into 8. 8. The driver can see the cat because it is daytime A Little Bit Harder 9. Before Emmanual leaves his house he winds up his clock so although it is not showing the right time, it is working. When he returns home he can therefore know how long he has been out. He knows how long he was at his friend’s house because he noticed the time when he entered and then again when he left. If he subtracts that from the length of time he has been away from his onw home, he will know how long the journey took there and back. If he halves that and adds it to the time he left his friend’s house, it will give him the time now so he can set his clock. 92
Easy Medium Hard Very hard Fun Quiz Answers 1. Mobile ten 15. Thomas The 2. Enid Blyton 8. A spice mix Tank Engine 3. ABC 9. Mango 4. The Rocky 10. Hair 16. Jack (In Jack 11. Dougal and Jill) Horror Show 12. Imelda Staunton 5. ABC 13. Light blue 17. Sardinia 6. Stourhead 14. The Euro 18. Arno 7. Three score and 19. Santa 20. Popeye 93
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