|
|
The
Spanish Academy of Film Arts and Sciences handed out its annual Goya
awards at a ceremony in Madrid on St Valentine’s Day. This is
cinema’s most important night in Spain and the event is often
referred to as the Spanish equivalent of the Oscars.
Each winner is presented
with a small bronze bust of the artist Francisco do Goya.
While the big
winner of the night was an intense prison drama, Cell 211,
which took eight of the prized statuettes, the night’s
Honorary Goya went to a man with strong links to Burriana
Beach and Nerja. Over almost five decades, Antonio
| |
Mercero has made many films and television series,
including the famous children’s serial Verano
|
|
|
Antonio
Mercero in Nerja |
|
Directors
Chair
on the paseo |
|
Azul which was filmed in
several local locations. Nerja has always been rightly grateful to
the TV series for bringing
welcome publicity to the town when the programmes were first
screened in 1979, and then re-shown in countless repeats over the
years.
Several reminders of
Verano Azul can be found around the town including the metal model
of Mercero’s director’s chair on Burriana’s paseo marítimo, which
also carries his name.
The Goya is by no means
the first award Mercero has collected – he picked up an Emmy for his
movie La Cabina in 1973, for example – but many will regard it as a
highlight of his remarkable 48 year career. |
|
JJ’s Café del Mar
was the venue of the 80th birthday celebrations of local British
resident Neil Richardson last month.
The restaurant provided
an excellent lunch to the group which had come to toast the health
of this unassuming music legend whose many achievements in a long
and varied career include composing the dramatic opening music for
TV’s Mastermind and conducting the score for Four Weddings and a
Funeral.
In our picture on the
right, Neil is seated at the head of the table.
Thanks to the Café for
making it such a special and enjoyable afternoon, even including
special printed menus with a slightly younger Mr R pictured on the
front cover! |
|
 |
The Costa Animal
Society’s Quiz Nights at
All That Jazz
have now become firmly established, helping to raise money for the
Society. Booking is highly recommended though, as recent evenings
have been extremely busy. Ring Mark on 669 552 714 to reserve for
the next two quizzes planned for March 19 and April 16. Food is
available at 7 for 7.30pm, with the quiz beginning at 9pm.
Other regular events at
the bar include the twice-monthly Ladies Do Lunch meetings which
include a guest speaker followed by a two-course lunch. All ladies
are invited to attend on Wednesdays 10 and 24 of this month, but
booking in advance with Mark is essential.
Meanwhile, Jacqui’s art
classes take place every Thursday morning between 11am and 1pm. All
levels of ability are welcome to turn up to the sessions which cost
€15.
Mark is also planning
some interesting new menu selections soon, and with the World Cup
just three months away, there will be those who might wish to note
that All That Jazz will continue to be a football-free establishment
throughout the tournament!
At the opposite end of
the beach, H2O
will also act as a refuge for those seeking a little peace from the
soccer feast. Wives, girlfriends and anyone else who can’t stand the
sport will be welcome!
The bar’s “little picks”
menu has proved to be popular so far this winter, so Matt and Simon
will be adding some new tapas in time for the new season, and tell
us that, “There’s something there for everybody.” Add the new
cocktails being added to the selection available, and it sounds like
a pleasant way to spend 90 minutes to us!
Don’t forget, too, the
classic mixed tapas at
Restaurante Colonia
which have become one of Sandra and José’s most popular menu items.
Try a selection to share as a lunchtime snack, or order just one and
get a different one later.
We’ve still got our eyes
on the new house speciality: the oven-baked shank of lamb with a
crust of fresh herbs. It must be ordered in advance and is only
available on Saturday evenings and Sunday lunchtimes, but it comes
highly recommended by your hard-working Burriana Taste Testers!
|
Lenny and Di
(left) get the keys
to Bar Blue Med from Stuart |
|
At the end of February,
we bade a sad farewell to Anne and Stuart who have been in charge of
proceedings at
Bar Blue Med
for the last two years. They’re off to live in Southport, near their
native Liverpool, and we want to thank them for their hospitality
and wish them well. In turn, they asked us to thank everyone for the
support and friendships they’ve enjoyed during their time in Nerja.
Replacing them behind
the bar are two more Scousers, Di and Lenny, who have lived in Nerja
for almost 18 months. Our picture shows them officially taking the
bar keys from Stuart. Lenny is a retired prison officer while Di
worked in the tax office, so there shouldn’t be any problem
maintaining order with them in charge!
Di told us that they
intend to leave things exactly as they are, which means the Match
Day Specials continue all day at the weekends and from 7pm on
midweek match nights. Reduced prices on pints, wine and bottles of
Magners and Strongbow apply until the final whistle goes. There’s
also a range of seven bottled real ales available.
Quiz Nights will also
continue on the first Friday of the month but are now regularly
attracting full houses, so reserving a table is essential. The next
quiz is set for March 5 so get your team booked at the bar or call
95 252 7105. |
And quizzing will be the
order of the night at
Woolley’s Bitter and
Twisted on
March 26. Again, table reservations should be with the bar on 95 252
3683. Before that, it will be time to get out those floral
ties and flares for the fancy dress party on Saturday, March 20,
which will take the 1970s as its theme.
The decade saw the
miniskirt replaced by the maxi, while cheesecloth and satin came in
for the chaps who, of course, splashed on Brut all over. New wave
fashions and Wonder Woman boots came and went, as did huge Afro hair
styles and barrage balloon dresses. So get digging for your old
clothes in the wardrobe now, in time to make those teeny
adjustments, just in case you’ve put on the odd pound or two in the
intervening 40 years!
The whole evening at
Bitter and Twisted will be raising money for Help The Heroes which
the bar continues to support with the sale of the three-coloured
wristbands. So, when School’s Out, we’ll Tie A Yellow Ribbon as we
Get It On and Give A Little Love. May the Force be with Us …
|
