Our beloved Spanish prime minister has realeased millions of euros in cash to help local authorities better handle the recession, Nerja received quite a lump yet seems intent on spending the money on revamping the Plazas in town instead of creating sustainable employment that is also good for Nerja.
On a walk around town this afternoon it is worrying that there are so many empty shops, almost a dozen on Diputacion and El Barrio alone. High rents are undoubtedly one reason, the old Slante bar which has been empty for a while is on the market at 1800 euro a month and Findlays the corners rent was 2500 a month.
Nerja has rested on it’s laurels somewhat over the last 5 or 6 years and even the Spanish are complaining about unemployment and the town hall’s inability to create jobs. Unempolyment is currently just under 25% in Andalucia while the national figure is 18%
One Spanish website has a sort of complaints page where the public can have a bit if a moan and recent comments read something like this “what does Nerja offer the tourist apart from the beach”
There also lots of complaints about the town becoming less attractive with dog poo and grafiti topping the list

There isn’t an easy solution to the recession or a way to bring more tourists to Nerja but maybe the townhall could improve the image of Nerja and create some jobs at the same time by cleaning the streets of grafiti and fly posters and also translating the information that is currently only in Spanish.
Translate into the languages of the bulk of the visitors to Nerja. English, German, Dutch, and French maybe?
Another job could be to schedule and produce events calendars for the fiestas and Feria in town and make then available well in advance.
The posters for the Nerja Carnaval hit the streets last week but the schedule was not availble until last Friday. If you vist the townhall website, which happens to be available in English this is what it says for Carnaval and I quote  “FEBRUARY Three wonderful days full of colour with Chirigotas
(popular songs) and the great street parade.”
Nerja we love you but get a grip.

I  had a walk through to the old part of Nerja last night and I see that the church end of the Balcon is complete now and looks very good! Still some work at the other end towards Pintada etc and masses to do on C/Carmen and Plaza Cavanna but the end may be in sight woo hoo (excuse poor pic, the camera on my phone is not at it’s best at night lol

You might know that it is very difficult to find yellow split peas in Spain, well I never found them. Anyway a longing for pease pudding resulted in a friend bringing me 4 bags of whitworths finest vital ingredients back from the U.K.  so last week I made about a gallon of pease pudding. With the help of 2 people it was soon all gone so yesterday I made another batch…yummy
My question is: Am I addicted to pease pudding because I certainly can’t stop eating it and can’t stop singing the song: pease pudding hot, pease pudding……lol

If anyone wants my secret family recipe just let me know but you have to swear to never reveal it to anyone just as I never have

I was at Malaga airport the other day and it is certainly looking good, the new terminal building (terminal 3) is supposed to open around easter but before the official opening the airport is inviting 5,000 people to come along and book in for their imaginary flights, along with their luggage to make sure that the system actuallly works!  While I was there I noticed that a taxi to Nerja now costs 85 euros rising to 96 after 10pm and at weekends and holidays, not so bad if there are 4 of you but what a killer if it is just 2 people! You can see why the pre-book taxis in Nerja are doing so well. One local taxi company Nerja taxis  charge 69 euros and meet you in arrivals.  Great website as well www.nerjataxis.net

According to local and regional press this week the current president of the  PP party (Nerja’s ruling party) Javier Arenas has said that if he becomes the head of the Junta de Andalucia he will push forward plans to develop tourism in Andalucia some of which were blocked by the ruling government PSOE party.
One  plan that was blocked was the plan for a golf course in Nerja.
The reality is that there is no demand for extra golf courses.
Have a drive past the Bavaria golf course at Caleta de Velez and play the now very popular of game spot the golfer.
One other idea being pushed by the local PP lot and will be backed by Señor Arenas is the idea of a train along the coast from Nerja to Malaga.
There used to be a railway line along the coast from Torre del Mar to Rincon de Victoria but all traces of it disappeared in the sixties, much of the land is now built on especially in the small villages it passed through.
For most of the rest of the route it actually ran right on the edge of the beach, which under rules introduced to safeguard the beach and coastline, could never happen again.
Can you even imagine if this idea was to go ahead, where the track would run, how much property would it destroy, and how much employment would it really create during the construction and once completed. Would people really flock to Nerja just because there is a train?
Would the train stop at all the towns en-route? It is a fair bet that towns like doubt Torrox and Torre del Mar  would demand that it did.
A fairly similar example of the stupidity of the idea is that of Velez Malaga’s “famous” tram system which is hugely in debt. Why? because there was already a reliable, efficient and cheap way to get from Torre del Mar to Velez Malaga, the local bus service!
The one thing that people complain about time and time again is the fact that Nerja does not have a sewage treatment system and continues to pump raw sewage into the sea.
If you do get the job Señor Arenas please just build us the sewage works and forget the rest 

Chique on C/Chaparil are having a Ladies Only Night this Friday from 8 – 1am with exotic male dancer Alex Toyboy.  Entrance is 10 euro swith a complimentary glass of wine or spirit & mixer and snacks and nibbles.
Tickets available at the bar or from Beauty by Katie and Nails Unas or call Chique on 950252 8752

Today alone I have won or been bequeathed:
A 7 series BMW with one years free insurance and servicing from BMW UK.
1.500,000 US dollars from the UK lottery (sic)
2,000,000 GBP credited to a credit card that I can use anywhere in the world
1,500,000 GBP from Gordon Brown PM (but the email was from David Milliband MP)

550,000 US dollars from The Suise Bank de Credit from a deceased account holder to whom I am related
22,500,000 dollars from Victor Goodluck, The Remittance Director Royal Bank of Scotland

Also a Mr Aldo Kwami wants me to collect 7,500,000 dollars that he has in a bank account but he can’t collect.

All these are genuine and all I have to do is send them all my personal information to collect the dosh. Easy innit?

But I have declined the offer of the BMW because I alread have one