Category: Features

SCIENCE fiction has boldly gone further than even the story tellers of ancient Egypt, Greece and Rome could have ever imagined.
Yet, even so,whether it is beings with superior powers, strange monsters or gods doing dastardly deeds, the basic ninety nine ways of telling a story remain the same.
Even the film, Star Ship Troopers, uses the plot lines that fans of Jane Austin would be familiar with.
Take Mansfield Park, like Starship Troopers. Both are critiques on the social values of the day and how the characters in both stories adjust and grow up in the changing circumstances. In both we are seeing how an outside threat is likely to end the privaleged life of the characters, e.g. the coming of the industrial revolution and the end of earth itself. In both we have a strong female heroin, who grows from a timid girl to a fully confident woman, who saves the day.

Despite the protests from the literati, Science Fiction is literature we should be proud of. In fact, the likes of Shakespeare would be impressed by how their basic plot lines have been developed into often very sophisticated stories, where often several story
lines are interwoven by the writers to keep the active interest of the reader/viewer or listener.

Take Romeo and Juliet, itself a reworking of The
Brothers, by Roman dramatist Terence. The tale has been used in the original series of Star Trek, with Captain Kirk in the Romeo role and in a recent
episode of Star Gate with Amanda Tapping in her Lt. Samantha Carter role playing Juliet.
Such reworking has brought much more depth to the character involved, than Shakespeare ever achieved.

As to the themes used in today’s science fiction, in many ways they are the same as in ancient times, but perhaps with a new twist. There are the usual politics and personalities, as in many a recent film including the latest Super Man and X Men films, with love and sex, most notably portrayed by Jane Fonda in Barbarella. While Star Gate’s underlying themes are a mix of mythology of ancient times with the clash of the struggle, mankind has undergone with religion. In fact, the latest series is in many ways a reflection of today’s trouble in the real world.

Just as our heroes in Star Gate fight the religious fanaticism of the Ori, the West in the real world has to tackle the extremism of the Middle East.

The similarities between the real world and the virtual world do not end there. Just as in America and Saudi Arabia its rulers use religion to control its citizens. In Star Gate an alien race called the Goa’uld pretend to be gods and use religion to lead their subject races.

An interesting development is the growing importance of the villain in science fiction; instead of the simplistic characterization portrayed in Shakespeare’s Shylock, we see more rounded characters. Take Baal a Goa’uld, the ‘baddy’ in Star Gate played by Cliff Simon. Here we see a person with real feelings, highly intelligent, often having the best lines, facing the issues anyone who seeks to rule the galaxy would face. It certainly is a change
from the whimpering we see in Jane Austin’s Mr. D’Arcy character.

As for the heroes in these stories, we are at last seeing more rounded people, not dull, almost god like, beings. Take Superman in his latest film, where
we see that even a super hero has his problems, including his loves and hates. It is nice to see that our heroes are less than perfect.

The Star Trek Voyager series is a modern version of Odysseus and his quest with his crew to return
home, but in today’s stories we see more of the interplay between characters than we did in the ancient tales, where our heroes were more a collection of tourists on a cruise of the Greek islands. Instead we get more vibrant personalities with their own feelings, more a mix of hard playing
adventurous mercenaries all out for adventure, sex and money, rather than the so called sensibilities of Jane Austin’s Sense and Sensibilities.

For those actors who resist the temptations of Science Fiction, they risk being stuck in a very unrewarding career, while for those prepared to take
the plunge, Science Fiction is an amazingly lucrative way to expand their repertoire. Take Patrick Stewart; before he stared in Star Trek as Captain Pickard, he was an unknown, but today he is a star able to demand top dollar and be choosy which roles he wishes to take. In fact the same can be said for the original Star Trek team. Take Star Trek’s Mr. Spock, Leonard Nimoy who played a highly intelligent, moral, logical and scientific alien who could convey more meaning in a raise of his eyebrow than Johnny Depp can do in his
latest Pirate movie.

One suspects that the primary reason science fiction is so popular is its pro-science, optimistic ‘can do’ format, rather than the self absorbing pessimism present in much of traditional literature today.

BY NICHOLAS NEWMAN, EDITOR OXFORDPROSPECT.CO.UK

IF yours is an average street, then one in ten houses will be home to a person who is long-term ill, frail or disabled. That person will be looked after by a friend or family member who spends at least 10 hours and sometimes more that 60 hours per week in their caring role for no financial reward.
Carers are usually glad of a bit of help. Maybe you know someone who would appreciate a bit of shopping, baby-sitting, mum-sitting, or just a chat. Caring is not an easy job. It often takes place behind closed doors and can be lonely and stressful.
Some people need more help than a friendly neighbour can provide. There is a local charity that can help with benefits advice, carers breaks and other support. They also provide some much needed fun and are currently taking bookings for a summer outing to Bournemouth, an autumn shopping trip to Bristol, and a training course in massage techniques. Call The South & Vale Carers Centre on 01235 510212 for free advice, or e-mail carers@svcarers.org.uk

South & Vale Carers Centre
5 Lydalls Rd
Didcot
Oxon
OX11 7HX
Tel 01235 510212
Fax 01235 512198

I HOPE you are all enjoying this amazing weather. I am not sure that I am ? my office reached forty degrees today and I am wilting, as is my poor garden.
I am watering the pots and vegetables, and hoping the rest will acclimatise. I have noticed all the blooms are smaller in size. My heart goes out to the few clients where we planted only a few weeks ago. They must be developing superb biceps carrying watering cans!! It is now Wednesday and we have had a storm and about 10 minutes of rain ? let?s hope we get some more.

I recently came across a company offering ?The Hosepipe Ban Buster?. The system boasts ?Now you can comply with the hosepipe ban, save money and save your plants with recycled household grey water?. The company is Watermatic, tel: 01707 661188, www.watermaticltd.co.uk. They are extremely helpful on the phone. The system costs around

WHILST doing work experience at ThameNews.Net, I had the brilliant opportunity to interview sixties pop icon and actor, John Leyton.
He has just released a World Cup song, entitled ‘Hi Ho, Come on England,’released under the record label, Crash Records, based in Thame.
John is famous for his parts in such films as The Great Escape and Von Ryan?s Express. He is also remembered for his singing career, in particular the hit song, Johnny, Remember Me, released in 1962.
John?s personal taste in music is quite varied. He said that he sometimes listens to classical music but at other times he enjoys rap. He believes that besides the violent material some of the genre is notorious for, rap music is very clever and requires a great deal of talent and likened this type of music to acting. But he believes songs such as those by Eminem to be ?Vile and horrible and considered such music as ?Unnecessary.?
John?s favourite band is Oasis; he likes them because they are greatly influenced by The Beatles.
When asked which famous actors he had worked with were his favourites, John took some time to think about his answer. He said that it was a difficult question but after some consideration he decided on four actors, three of which he had worked with.
John worked with Charles Bronson in his film debut back in the sixties, in the classic, The Great Escape. John played the character Willy ? The Tunneller? Dickes. He said that he and Charles got on really well and he probably worked with Charles the most out of all his favourite colleagues.
Another of John?s favourite actors was Frank Sinatra, who he admired for winning an Oscar and making the successful transition from singer to actor. It was when working on the film Von Ryan?s Express that John worked with Sinatra, who according to John was ?A fabulous guy?.
Another of John?s favourite actors among those he had worked with, was Richard Attenborough. He had worked with him on two films. He said Attenborough was: ?A nice man and a joy to work with.? His final favourite colleague was ?the King of Cool? himself, Steve Mcqueen.
John also knew Elvis Presley, from when he was making a television show in America. The production of John?s show was taking place next to the studio where Elvis shot most of his films. John claims that Presley was also ?A really nice guy.? John was disappointed that he had not had the opportunity to ever work with ?The King?.

So how did John Leyton come to get involved in making an England World Cup hit?
He related how he was approached by music producers with the idea of him releasing a World Cup song to the tune of The Great Escape theme music because in the terraces of the stadium when England play, there is often a band playing that tune. However, during production it was decided that the tune wasn?t compatible with the music producers? vision of their World Cup song. So they decided to change the tune to that of Jeff Beck’s hit, ‘Hi Ho Silver Lining’. John said of the experience: ?It was all a bit of fun.?
When asked if he knew whether the England squad had heard his latest release, he said he didn?t know. ?There are a tremendous amount of World Cup songs.? John said, but considering that his song is in the top ten of the World Cup songs he guessed they probably had heard it.
He is publicising the record in many ways. He shot a video in Dartmouth, where the song was mixed and the video can be seen on the MTV network. He has also been travelling along the south coast of England doing radio and press interviews.
The song is being supported by Thame record label Crash Records. John says of the company, ?Crash Records has done a brilliant job.?
Whilst visiting Thame, he was given a unique present by the staff of Newitts, the local butchers’. They made him a world cup prize in the form of a pie. He said that he liked the area very much and that:?Thame has nice pies.?
The release of ‘Hi Ho Come on England’ has also put John in The Guiness Book of Records, because he hasn?t released a record since 1964. Apparently this is the longest gap between two records released by the same artist.

WIN a signed copy of John Leyton’s CD and a special ‘Hi Ho, Come On England’ T shirt, by emailing the answer to the following question:
What was the name of John Leton’s Top Ten Hit, ‘Johny, Remember Me?’

SUMMER is finally here. I am sitting in my office ? a timber shed at the bottom of my garden – and it is registering 36 degrees in here even with the air conditioning unit going at full tilt!!
It was cooler in Majorca, but then we had the ocean at our feet and a soothing sea breeze keeping us cool. I had a wonderful, and much needed break and feel ready to tackle anything. As many of you know time was quite frenzied before I went away, but hopefully I managed to complete everything and thank you all for your patience and understanding.

Ali, Jo and Cath worked really hard whilst I was away and my thanks also goes to them, particularly working in temperatures of 30 degrees on some days. The gardens they have so far tackled are looking superb ? it just goes to show what a little tlc can do. If any of you are interested in using the maintenance service, just drop me an email or pick up the phone. jfgdndesign@aol.com or 01296 747775.

This wonderful weather does nothing to help the drought situation. I read an interesting article at the weekend by Chris Beardshaw regarding ?bowsers and dousers?.
Here is an extract.

? It is a simple way of delivering water, through a hose and in hose-like quantities with no fear of a fine or worse. Put simply, all you need to do is fill a vessel (the bowser) with water, either rainwater from the guttering or ? and this is the crucial part ? from the tap. Then force the water through a hose (the douser) using an electric (or even hand-operated) pump. A spokesman from Thames Water confirmed that as long as the hose is not connected to the mains supply, it is perfectly lawful to use such a system? So how does one go about acquiring one of these gismos? First, find a water container. Anything will do ? a bucket, an old bath, a barrel or so on? Then you need a simple aquatic pump. DIY stores garden centres and suppliers of swimming pool
equipment sell something capable of showing 20 gallons a minute? The pump simply sits in your water container and is powered from your mains electricity.?

SEASONAL TIPS
Lawns will be likely to suffer in the heat and we obviously can?t water them. Don?t worry too much they are resilient and will come back in the autumn. Keep mowing regularly.

I can?t stress enough the need to water all shrubs and perennials. Any shrubs planted either last autumn and in particular this spring will need constant attention. It takes a while for them to build up a strong enough root system to withstand drought conditions, or indeed any severe weather, and they will need at least a watering can full for each plant. You might not be able to see instantly the effect of lack of water in the shrubs but the perennials will let you know by drooping and wilting, particularly if they are recently planted.

This is the month to clip box hedging. I was told many years ago it should be done on Derby Day!!

Continue to cut back any early flowering shrubs and deadhead perennials. You will often get a second flowering if this is done throughout the flowering season.

Lift and divide primulas that have flowered. This way you can increase your stock throughout the garden and they are one of the first indicators of spring with their bobbing yellow flowers.

Continue to stake perennials. They will be growing at a rate now and although we have no sign of winds and rain they can easily be blown over and spoil the summer displays.

Roses of all kinds need to be sprayed with a dedicated rose spray against aphids. Dead head roses often to promote new flowers. If you see any suckers close to the root, remove them with your hands rather than secateurs as the latter will promote new growth.

THE VEGETABLE PATCH
Mine looks a bit like a desert, but I am harvesting salad crops, broad beans (divine if you treat them like a mange tout for eating), spinach and mange tout. I thought I had lost my tomatoes, but they have just about survived lack of water for nearly two weeks. I planted courgettes, French beans, purple sprouting broccoli and more salad crops before I left and they look thirsty but haven?t died. My peach tree seems to have leaf curl, but the apples, strawberries and raspberries are doing well.

My advice if you are planting out would be to water the ground thoroughly the day before, water the pots and then water them in immediately after transplanting. If you can provide temporary shade with some netting this should help during the first week whilst they are trying to establish a root system. Water each day, or perhaps every other day to help them cope with the conditions.

Earth up the potatoes. Straw up strawberries ? I usually buy a small bag of straw from the garden centre pet section ? much easier to store. Cut back the old canes on raspberries and other cane fruit once the new suckers have appeared. Thin out apples to get a better crop.

Keep sowing salad crops every two weeks or so for a constant supply throughout the summer.

THE GREENHOUSE
Remember to shade the greenhouse if you didn?t do it last month. June is the month when plants in the greenhouse are growing at their fastest rate and they might need a nitrogen and potash feed.

Remove the side shoots from tomatoes on a regular basis.

Damp down regularly to help control spider mite.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS AND PLACES TO VISIT

HARTWELL HOUSE
21st June ? Historic garden tour and lunch. 10.30am
RHS Members

THE FUNERAL of Barbara Gladwin, who worked as a GP in the Thame area for many years, is to be held on Friday, June 9, at St Joseph’s Church.
Barbera died peacefully last Saturday, June 3, at Stoke Mandeville hospital, after a long illness, during which she was looked after by her husband, local poet and phylosopher, Eric Gladwin, and latterly, in a Care Home in Stone.
Barbara was born at Muswell Hill in London in 1918 and met Eric at a dance just after the war in 1945. They recently celebrated their Ruby wedding anniversary and have three sons, one of whom runs ‘Helpful Hirings’ in Towersey, founded by his father.
Eric would like to offer an open invitation to all who knew and loved Barbara to her funeral, which begins at 2pm, and the following interment at St Mary’s church, Thame.

IN the hunt for the NHS misspent millions, the media blames the management or the politicians.Yet, these professional cynics are getting things wrong again in attributing blame.
In fact even their solutions of giving power back to the nurses and doctors would make things worse for the NHS. It is simply ridiculous to suggest that the medical staff have the management skills needed to run an organisation which has an

HAS Spring finally sprung? The jury is still out.
April weather is so unpredictable. I spent last Saturday morning digging my vegetable patch and sowing onion sets in the glorious sunshine and then found myself staring at huge snowflakes the following evening!! Today is decidedly chilly and we still have the risk of frosts. This means we must remain cautious and not rush out and plant tender seedlings.

On a personal note, I am pleased to report my father is making good progress at last. I organised a live in carer for the last two weeks and he is now walking every day and can drive the car for short distances. It has been a hard six weeks, but things are now back to normal and I can concentrate on my work.

SEASONAL TIPS
This is the month to get on top of the weeds. They will be growing at quite a rate particularly if we have had warmth and rain. I can?t emphasise enough the need to mulch. This not only suppresses the weeds but it helps retain moisture in the ground, which is going to become more and more of an issue with the hose pipe ban in place.

For those of you who have evergreen grasses in the garden remove the old leaves by pulling your hands through the plant in a combing motion. This removes the old thatch and gives the plant a new lease of life. Please don?t cut them down. I went to see a client last weekend whose gardener had trimmed them. They now look like little hedgehogs and will never really recover their former glory. Other grasses such as Miscanthus and Molinia?s can be cut down. In contrast to the evergreens the stems will be looking tired and dead and it will be obvious they need cutting back. If you look carefully, you will see the new growth coming through at the bottom of the plant.

Cut back slightly frost tender plants such as lavander, hebe, santolina, rosemary and sage. Make sure you only cut into new growth and not into the old wood. This is also a good time to plant these varieties.
Continue to prune spring-flowering shrubs once the flowers have died down.

When the daffodils have finished flowering take off the heads by nipping them with a finger and thumb. I know it is messy for a few weeks, but please leave the leaves as they are. They do not need tying up or cutting off. The longer they are left the more nutrient will go back into the bulb for better displays next spring.

Plant summer flowering bulbs (see March Newsletter). Grow lilies in pots so they can be moved into the garden to fill any gaps during the coming months.

Sprinkle a general fertiliser, such as ?Growmore? around the base of the shrubs and perennials.

Start cutting the lawn if you haven?t already done so. Keep the cutting height quite high (about 2.5cm) for the first few cuts.

THE VEGETABLE PATCH
Tidy up the greenhouse and wash down with Jeyes fluid. I usually wash all my pots and trays at the same time. Sow tomatoes, aubergines, peppers, chilli and cucumber in the cool greenhouse. I actually started most of my vegetables off on the kitchen window sill and will be transferring them to the greenhouse or the ground later this month. I am being a little cautious as we still have risk of frost so my kitchen will just have to look like a budding nursery for a while longer!

Seed sowing this month can include the following :- cabbages, carrots, cauliflowers, celeriac, kale, leeks, lettuces, mange-tout, parsley, spring onions, parsnips, peas, radishes, spinach and turnips. I also have broccoli and brussels sprouts ready to plant out.

Mulch around raspberries and other fruit bushes and clean up the strawberry patch. If you have a slug problem, use straw to lift the leaves from the ground.

FORTHCOMING EVENTS AND PLACES TO VISIT

15th & 16th April 2006
Natural Driftwood Sculptures
Bournemouth (www.driftwoodsculptures.co.uk
An open weekend offering 25% off

22nd April 2006
Capel Manor College, Middlesex
Workshop: Spring pruning ? flowering shrubs
Tel: 020 8366 4442

3RD May 2006
?Adventurous Terrace Pot Planting?
Waddesdon Manor (www.waddesdon.org.uk)
Slides, demonstrations and discussion with Sue Dickinson, head gardener at Eythrope (just down the road from me)

5th May 2006
?Sculpture and Ornament in the Garden?
English Gardening School (www.englishgardeningschool.co.uk)
Choosing subjects, locating them and connecting them to their surroundings.

11th ? 14th May
Malvern Spring Gardening Show
Tel: 01684 584924 for further information

SPECIAL OFFER

Adirondack Outdoors Garden Chair
(www.adirondack.co.uk)

Offering 25% off for a limited
period (to April 21st)

If anyone is interested, please contact me
and I will place an order. These are
probably THE most comfortable chairs I
have ever sat on ? designed by Native
American Indians.

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
The HTA have just issued guidelines regarding the hosepipe ban to designers and landscapers. I have picked out some of the more salient points raised in the article.

What does a hosepipe ban mean?
Temporary hosepipe restrictions are defined under section 76 of the Water Industry Act 1991? this Act empowers water companies to prohibit or restrict the use of hosepipes specifically for watering private gardens and washing private vehicles.

A hosepipe ban in the areas affected would mean that landscapers working in a private garden for a client, relying on the customers? water supply, could not use a hosepipe? to water that garden. The landscaper could use a hosepipe for other purposes such as filling containers etc.

For further information such as ?Garden Watering During Hosepipe Restrictions? is available from the main website www.the-hta.org.uk

There are a couple of things that we could all do to help in the garden. One would be to mulch the flower borders and the other would be to install water butts to as many downpipes as possible.

I wish you all a very Happy Easter

MARCH is finally here. I begin to get really excited at this time of year. The bulbs are shooting up, the primroses line my path to the office and each morning I see something new pushing its way through the earth.The clocks go forward in just over a week which mean longer hours of daylight.
My apologies for sending this out somewhat later than normal, but my father has just undergone major heart surgery and I have been preoccupied with daily trips to London and organising his after care. After a shaky start and a bout of kidney failure (which resulted in dialysis for five days) I can now report he is in a care home just around the corner from me and has started to get back on his feet ? quite literally!

SEASONAL TIPS
March is one of the busiest times in the garden, but due to the cold snap we are having some jobs will have to wait a little longer. The days can be lovely and warm, but the nights can still bear some very harsh frosts.

Continue to cut down the stems of perennials and clear the borders of weeds. If you didn?t do it last month, now is a good time to sprinkle a blood, fish and bone fertiliser around the roots of all plants and hedges and top up the borders with a mushroom compost mulch. (Country Supplies 01494 562406).

Cut back, almost to the ground, any shrubs grown for their winter bark such as Cornus (dogwood) and willow. This will promote growth. Larger shrubs and roses can also be pruned back. Remove dead, weak and straggly shoots from roses and shorten the less vigorous shoots by about a half. The newer shoots should be reduced by about a third. Always cut back to a healthy OUTWARD pointing bud ? this encourages the rose to grow outwards rather than inwards and gives the bush a far better shape.

Tie in any climbing roses. I have started using Flexi-tie as it is more durable than string and doesn?t cut into the stems as wire does. www.flexi-tie.co.uk.

Begin to cut the grass regularly. Set the mower to high for the first few cuts. This is a good time to scarify the lawn using a spring-tined rake. Top dress with a general fertiliser.

Stake herbaceous perennials. At the moment there will only be the slightest growth at the bottom of the plant, but by staking at this time it saves a lot of trouble later when the plant will grow quite vigorously in a very short space of time. There are plenty of attractive stakes available in garden centres. It would be worth investing in some. If anyone needs any advice on this subject, please do contact me and I can come out and show you what you need to do.

This is a good time of year to split perennials. Gently fork around the root and lift the entire clump. Using two spades, back to back, cut through the roots and divide into smaller clumps. Discard any old bits from the centre and tease out any persistent weed roots, such as couch grass. Decide on where you want to re-position them and re-plant. If you have no space, pot them up and save them for the next village fete, or school function. Plant stalls are always very popular.

Plant summer flowering bulbs, such as Alliums, Lillies, Agapanthus, Nerines, gladioli, Camassia, Freesia, Galtonia, Crinum, Leucojum, Zantedeschia and Ixia.

Prune summer flowering shrubs.

This is a time when it is not just the plants that are putting on growth, there will always be the weeds. If you have any persistent problems, with bind weed for instance, one of the best remedies is to buy a systemic weedkiller and a paint brush. Although laborious, if you go out every time you see a new leaf coming through and paint it with the liquid, it should kill not just the weed, but also the root system.

With spring on its way there are other predators coming to life, just waiting to chomp their way through any new leaf growth – slugs and snails in a nutshell. I am against using pellets which can be damaging to pets, birds and children. My son had to have his stomach pumped at the tender age of two having decided the blue things were ?very tasty Mummy?. There is an alternative. If you visit www.organiccatalogue.com they offer an advanced slug killer at

SITTING at a shaded pavement cafe sipping Valencia Water (a dangerously drinkable cocktail of freshly squeezed orange juice, cava and Vodka) you could be forgiven for believing yourself on the other side of the planet from the tourist trampled beach resorts of Benidorm, Alicante and Torrevieja.
Yet it is resorts such as these that draw over 4.5 million tourists (many of them Brits) to the Comunidad Valenciana each year, making it Spain?s most visited region. The vast majority of these visitors cling to the coast like limpets unaware of the gems that this beautiful and diverse region has to offer.
Founded in 138 AD by a group of weary Roman legionaries who were granted prime land beside the Rio Turia to build a retirement community, Valencia now has a population of over 750,000 making it Spain’s third largest city. Like most European cities it consists of a hotchpotch of buildings that have grown up over the centuries many of which, including the cathedral and the neoclassical post office, are ornate and exquisitely beautiful. The cathedral?s 230ft bell tower is well worth the climb – especially in the evening when the city is bathed in rich golden sunlight, but Valencians are relaxed about opening hours to say the least so it?s best to do your homework beforehand. My friend and I finally made it to the top on our third attempt.
Valencia?s attractions are too numerous to list, but the biggest crowd puller is the Ciudad De Las Artes Y De Las Ciencias (The city of arts and sciences) which occupies a huge swathe of the old Turia riverbed south east of the city centre. Looking rather like a cross between an armadillo and Darth Vader?s hat, the daring 21st century museum, designed by home town boy Santiago Calatrava, covers 3,770,000 sq ft, making it Europe?s largest urban complex. Still under construction, Valencia?s showpiece also boasts an IMAX cinema and a laser show, and is worth a visit if only to ogle the distinctive architecture of Senor Calatrava, who rose from an undistinguished Valencian suburb to become one of the world?s leading cutting edge architects. Currently on his drawing board are the Milwaukee Art Museum on the shores of Lake Michigan and the Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland, California.
If the glare from the gleaming white buildings becomes too much, the city?s slightly bohemian Barrio del Carmen district is well worth a stroll, as is El Mercat where our backpackers Home Lonja is located. Cosy, cheap, fun, friendly and extremely orange – I cannot recommend this place enough.
Oranges of course are very big business in the Valencia region. If you bite into an orange anywhere in western Europe there is a fair chance it was grown here. As soon as you leave the city, which I recommend everybody does at least once, you will not be able to miss the groves which produce 70% of the country?s oranges, most of which are exported. The abundant freshly squeezed orange juice is unreal. Perhaps the city?s biggest claim to fame however, is that it is the home of paella, and anyone wanting to sample this Spanish speciality is spoilt for choice. Paella is traditionally made with chicken and rabbit (usually on the bone) and snails or seafood, but I was relieved to find a veggie option laid on for the more discerning (squeamish) traveller.
Outside the city the forested mountains give way to ancient towns and villages just begging to be explored. We took a train through the beautiful rust coloured winelands to Requina, a bustling commercial centre from which rises a walled city that was established by the Moors in the eighth century. The city?s ancient allyways, which shoot off in every direction, hiding medieval churches with exquisitely carved doorways are an explorer?s dream. What makes the place all the more enchanting is that although not untouched by tourism, these streets are inhabited by ordinary people who gossip in doorways whilst their washing flutters in the warm breeze.
Finally to take in the good, the bad and the ugly, we took a trip to Benidorm. I went with an open mind. No I did. But in spite of the pretty mountains that line the Costa Blanca, this British family favourite (think Clapham Junction on sea with more concrete towerblocks) never failed to shock and appal. When we missed the first bus out of the neon nightmare I was actually quite scared.
There is no denying that the Comunidad Valenciana?s hours of scorching sunshine make it a beach lovers paradise. But stray from the coast and I can assure you will not be disappointed.