Only Joe King

There have been eight English kings called Henry - "Enrique" in Spanish.

The most notorious of these were Henry II, who had Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Becket murdered by his knights in Canterbury Cathedral .....

..... and Henry VIII, who famously had six wives and split England from the Roman Catholic Church, leading to the Reformation and the establishment of the Church of England.

King Henry VIII [Picture: Wikipedia]    

This article

That’s the historical background for this article which is about modern day “Enriques/Henrys/Harrys”.

Here are my chosen eight in more or less chronological order.

Henry Ford

Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist and business magnate most famous in the world of motor cars. 

As the founder of the Ford Motor Company, he is credited as a pioneer in making automobiles affordable for middle-class Americans through the system thatcame to be known as Fordism. 

In 1911, he was awarded a patent for the transmission mechanism that would be used in the Ford Model T and other automobiles.

Ford was born in a farmhouse in Springwells Township, Michigan, and left home at the age of 16 to find work in Detroit. It was a few years before this time that Ford first experienced automobiles, and throughout the latter half of the 1880s, he began repairing and later constructing engines, and through the 1890s worked with a division of Edison Electric.

He founded the Ford Motor Company in 1903 after prior failures in business, but success in constructing. automobiles.

Henry Ford [Photo: Wikipedia]    

The introduction of the Ford Model T automobile in 1908 is credited with having revolutionized both transportation and American industry. As the sole owner of the Ford Motor Company, Ford became one of the wealthiest people in the world.

He was also among the pioneers of the five-day working-week. Ford believed that consumerism could help to bring about world peace. His commitment to systematically lowering costs resulted in many technical and business innovations, including a franchise system, which allowed for car dealerships throughout North America and in major cities on six continents.

Personally I have owned several Ford cars in my nearly six decades of motoring: A Ford Anglia, a Fiesta, a Cortina, a Mondeo, a Galaxy and a Focus. Hire cars I have enjoyed include a Ford Kuga and a Ford Puma*.

I recall that the Fiesta and the Focus were my favourites.

Harry Belafonte

A famous black American singer, he is most famous for the Banana Boat song.

Harry Belafonte (born Harold George Bellanfanti Jr.; March 1, 1927 – April 25, 2023) was an American singer, actor, and civil rights activist who popularized calypso music with international audiences in the 1950s and 1960s.

Belafonte's career breakthrough album Calypso (1956) was the first million-selling LP by a single artist.

Belafonte was best known for his recordings of "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)", "Jump in the Line (Shake, Senora)", "Jamaica Farewell", and "Mary's Boy Child". 

He is one of the few performers to have received an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony (EGOT), although he won the Oscar in a non-competitive category.

    Harry Belafonte [Photo: Wikipedia]    

Harry Belafonte - Day-O (The Banana Boat Song) (Live)

Henry Kissinger

Henry Alfred Kissinger (May 27, 1923 – November 29, 2023) was an American diplomat and political scientist. He served as the 56th United States secretary of state from 1973 to 1977 and the 7th national security advisor from 1969 to 1975, serving in the presidential administrations of both Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford.

Born in Germany, Kissinger emigrated to the United States in 1938 as a Jewish refugee fleeing Nazi persecution. He served in the U.S. Army during World War II. After the war, he attended Harvard University, where he excelled academically.

He later became a professor of government at the university and earned an international reputation as an expert on nuclear weapons and foreign policy. He acted as a consultant to government agencies, think tanks, and the presidential campaigns of Nelson Rockefeller and Nixon before being appointed as national security advisor and later secretary of state by President Nixon.

Henry Kissinger [Photo: New York Times]    

An advocate of a pragmatic approach to geopolitics known as Realpolitik, Kissinger pioneered the policy of détente with the Soviet Union, orchestrated an opening of relations with China, engaged in "shuttle diplomacy" in the Middle East to end the Yom Kippur War, and negotiated the Paris Peace Accords, which ended American involvement in the Vietnam War.

For his role in negotiating the accords, he was awarded the 1973 Nobel Peace Prize, which sparked controversy. Kissinger is also associated with controversial U.S. policies including its bombing of Cambodia, involvement in the 1973 Chilean coup d'état, support for Argentina's military junta in its Dirty War, support for Indonesia in its invasion of East Timor, and support for Pakistan during the Bangladesh Liberation War and Bangladesh genocide.

Considered by many American scholars to have been an effective secretary of state, Kissinger was also accused by critics of war crimes for the civilian death toll of the policies he pursued and for his role in facilitating U.S. support for authoritarian regimes.

After leaving government, Kissinger founded Kissinger Associates, an international geopolitical consulting firm which he ran from 1982 until his death. He authored over a dozen books on diplomatic history and international relations.

His advice was sought by American presidents of both major political parties.

Henry Cooper

Sir Henry Cooper OBE KSG (3 May 1934 – 1 May 2011) was a British heavyweight boxer. He was undefeated in British and Commonwealth heavyweight championship contests for 12 years and held the European heavyweight title for three years.

In a 1963 fight against a young Cassius Clay (later Muhammad Ali), he knocked Clay down in Round 4, before the fight was stopped in Round 5 because of a cut to Cooper's eye.

In 1966 he fought Ali for a second time. Ali was then world heavyweight champion. However, Cooper got TKO'd again.

Cooper was twice voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year and, after retiring in 1971 following a controversial loss to Joe Bugner, remained a popular public figure.

He is the only British boxer to have been awarded a knighthood.

    Henry Cooper with Cassius Clay [Wikipedia]

Harry Carpenter

Harry Leonard Carpenter, OBE (17 October 1925 – 20 March 2010) was a British BBC sports commentator broadcasting from the early 1950s until his retirement in 1994. His speciality was boxing.

He was presenter of programmes such as Sportsnight (1975–1985) and Grandstand and also anchored coverage of Wimbledon and golf tournaments.

Carpenter was the son of a wholesale fish merchant at Billingsgate Market and was born at South Norwood in South London. He attended Selhurst Grammar School in Surrey.

During World War II, he served as a telegrapher in the Royal Navy. Upon leaving the Navy after the end of World War II, he began his journalism career in 1946. He began sports reporting as a sub-editor for several national newspapers. He was an avid supporter of Crystal Palace FC, the local team in South Norwood.

Frank Bruno and Harry Carpenter [The Telegraph]

He joined the BBC in 1949 and was the corporation's full-time boxing correspondent from 1962 until his retirement in 1994. He served as a boxing columnist for the Sporting Record from 1950 to 1954. He then worked for the Daily Mail as a boxing writer and sports columnist from 1954 to 1962.

While writing for the national papers, Carpenter broadcast regularly on radio and television, covering thousands of professional and amateur fights including all Olympic Games from 1956 until 1992. He wrote three books about boxing, produced the documentary, The Richest Prize in Sport, and served as the voice of the Hall of Fame series, Sports Archive and Great Moments in Sport.

Carpenter described the end of the historic boxing fight between George Foreman and Muhammad Ali in Zaire, in 1974, a fight which became known as "The Rumble in the Jungle", as "the most extraordinary few seconds that I have ever seen in a boxing ring".

“And suddenly Ali looks very tired indeed. In fact, Ali at times now looks as though he can hardly lift his arms up ... Oh, he's got him with a right hand! He's got him! Oh, you can't believe it – and he's doing his shuffle! And I don't think Foreman's going to get up ... he's trying to beat the count ... and he's out! Oh my God, he's won the title back at 32!”

While occasionally given to raising his voice, as he did when Ali knocked out Foreman or when Barry McGuigan floored Eusebio Pedroza in 1985, Carpenter was widely regarded as unflappable and a great professional.

Carpenter's rapport with former WBC World Heavyweight Champion Frank Bruno was well known. Carpenter often conducted post-match interviews with Bruno, whose catchphrase was "know what I mean, 'Arry?".

Over the course of his career, Carpenter was recognised as "The Voice of Boxing". While his name was most often associated with boxing, Carpenter established himself as one of Britain's most versatile sportscasters, covering many of the major sporting events. He was a presenter of Sportsnight between 1975 and 1985 and a regular member of the broadcast team on Grandstand. 

He covered all major golf tournaments from 1965 until his retirement. He also served as commentator on the Oxford and Cambridge University Boat Race, and greyhound racing. He anchored coverage of Wimbledon for the BBC from 1967 until 1993.

Carpenter was appointed OBE in the 1991 New Year Honours.

Harry Enfield

Henry Richard Enfield (born 30 May 1961) is an English comedian. He is known in particular for his television work, including Harry Enfield's Television Programme and Harry & Paul, and for the creation and portrayal of comedy characters such as Kevin the Teenager, Loadsamoney, Smashie and Nicey, The Scousers, Tim Nice-But-Dim and Mr "You Don't Want to Do It Like That".

Born in Horsham, Sussex, he is the eldest of four children (and only son) of English television, radio and newspaper journalist and presenter Edward Enfield and his wife, Deirdre Jenkins.

He was educated at the independent Arundale School in Pulborough, Dorset House School, Worth School, Collyer's Sixth Form College (all in West Sussex) and the University of York, where he was a member of Derwent College and studied politics. He squatted in Hackney and worked for a while as a milkman.

Enfield first came to wide public attention when appearing on Channel 4's Saturday Live as several different characters created with Paul Whitehouse. These quickly entered the national consciousness.

Among these characters were Stavros, a Greek kebab shop owner with fractured English; and Loadsamoney, an obnoxious plasterer who constantly boasted about how much money he earned.

The Loadsamoney character was created in reaction to the policies of the Thatcher government of the day, and took on a life of its own, sampling the songs "Money, Money" from the musical Cabaret and "Money, Money, Money" by ABBA to spawn a hit single in 1988 and a sell-out live tour.

Enfield as Loadsamoney [British Comedy Guide]

In May 1988, Labour Party leader Neil Kinnock used the term loadsamoney to criticise the policies of the Conservative government and journalists began to refer to the "loadsamoney mentality" and the "loadsamoney economy".

Enrique Iglesias

Enrique Miguel Iglesias Preysler was born in Madrid, Spain, in May 1975, the third and youngest child of Spanish singer Julio Iglesias and Filipina socialite and magazine journalist Isabel Preysler. 

Iglesias was raised with two older siblings, Chábeli and Julio Jr. His father's family is from Galicia and Andalusia; his father also claims some Jewish and Puerto Rican ancestry on his mother's side.

At first, Iglesias and his two siblings stayed with their mother; however, in December 1981, Iglesias's grandfather Dr. Julio Iglesias Puga was kidnapped by the armed Basque group ETA. 

When Enrique was six years old he lived for a year in the Yugoslav capital of Belgrade with his mother.

For their safety, Enrique and his brother Julio were sent to live with their father in Miami, Florida. There, they were brought up mostly by the nanny, Elvira Olivares, to whom Enrique later dedicated his first album.

    Iglesias with partner Anna Kournikova [HOLA]

He started his recording career in the mid-1990s on the Mexican label Fonovisa where he released three Spanish albums Enrique Iglesias, Vivir and Cosas del Amor becoming the bestselling Spanish-language act of the decade. 

By the turn of the millennium, he made a successful crossover into the mainstream English-language market. He signed a multi-album deal with Universal Music Group for US$68 million with Interscope Records releasing a string of hit English albums such as Enrique, Escape, 7 and Insomniac. During this time he also released Spanish albums such as Quizás and 95/08 Éxitos under Universal Music Latin.

His partner is the former Russian tennis player Anna Kournikova.

Enrique Iglesias Éxitos Sus Mejores Románticas / Enrique Iglesias 30 Grandes Éxitos Enganchados

Prince Harry

The second son of King Charles III King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms since 8 September 2022.

In 1981, the then Prince of Wales married Lady Diana Spencer.

They had two sons, William, heir to the throne, and Harry.

Charles and Diana divorced in 1996. 

Diana died as a result of injuries sustained in a car crash in Paris the following year. In 2005, Charles married his long-term partner, Camilla Parker Bowles.

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, (Henry Charles Albert David; born 15 September 1984) is the younger son of King Charles III and Diana, Princess of Wales, and is currently fifth in the line of succession to the British throne.

After school and university Harry became a professional soldier, serving two terms in Afghanistan.

He is the founder of the Invictus Games.

Now estranged from the Royal Family, Harry lives with his wife Meghan Markle, a US actress, in California. They have two children, Archie and Lilibet.

    Harry and Meghan [US Weekly]

In Spain Harry is known as Enrique.

Footnotes:

Henry II

This episode of English history has spawned various works of literature, including “Murder in the Cathedral”, a play by T S Eliot and the plays “Becket” by Jean Anouilh and "The Lion in Winter" by James Goldman.

The film version of "Becket" starred Peter O’Toole and Richard Burton as Henry II and Becket respectively.

O'Toole also played Henry II in the film "The Lion in Winter" opposite Katherine Hepburn as Queen Eleanor of Acquitaine.

    O'Toole and Burton in "Becket" [Gold Derby]    Hepburn and O'Toole in "The Lion in Winter" [The Alexandria Papers]

Henry VIII

Henry VIII is mainly remembered for having six wives and for setting in motion a chain of events that would lead to England’s break with the Catholic Church and the start of the English Reformation.

This rhyme recalls what happened to each of his wives:

“Divorced, beheaded, died,

Divorced, beheaded, survived”

Henry VIII's queens were:  

Catherine of Aragon (Spanish); Anne Boleyn; Jane Seymour; Anne of Cleves (Dutch); Catherine Howard; Catherine Parr

Henry VIII in literature, music and film:

"Henry VIII" (play)

The "Famous History of the Life of King Henry the Eighth", often shortened to "Henry VIII", by William Shakespeare

"Carry On Henry"

A fictionalised story involving Sid James as Henry VIII, who chases after Barbara Windsor's character Bettina.

"Henry VIII" (opera)

"Henry VIII" is an opera in four acts by Camille Saint-Saëns, from a libretto by Léonce Détroyat and Armand Silvestre.

"I'm Henery the Eighth, I Am"

Pronounced "'Enery" in the Cockney style. Original by Harry Champion, then by Herman's Hermits.

Herman’s Hermits ~ I’m Henry VIII, I Am ~ 1965 ~ Single Audio Video

"The Six Wives of Henry VIII" (album)

by English keyboardist Rick Wakeman, released in January 1973 on A&M Records.

Endword:

There are, of course, other Henrys and Harrys. 

Ones that come readily to mind are: 

Harry Kane, England football's captain and leading scorer;

Debbie Harry, American singer with the group "Blondie"; 

Harry Styles, actor and singer formerly of the pop group "One Direction";

Henry Slade, Devon-born England rugby union international, with 69 caps to date and still playing;

Harry Hill, English medical doctor and stand-up comedian; 

Harry Kewell, Australian football international (58 caps) who played for Liverpool FC, now retired;

Harry Houdini, Hungarian-American escapologist;

and Harry Potter, fictional wizard created by J K Rowling.

Debbie Harry of "Blondie" [Wikipedia]    

Blimey! That's another eight! Enough for another article?

© Joe King

Links:

Enrique Iglesias Éxitos Sus Mejores Románticas / Enrique Iglesias 30 Grandes Éxitos Enganchados

Harry Belafonte - Day-O (The Banana Boat Song) (Live)

Harry Enfield - Stavros

Herman’s Hermits ~ I’m Henry VIII, I Am ~ 1965 ~ Single Audio Video

Photos:

Amazon, BBC, British Comedy Guide, Facebook, Gold Derby, ¡HOLA!, New York Times, The Alexandria Papers, The Telegraph, US Weekly, Wikipedia, YouTube

Tags:

Afghanistan, Amazon, Archie, black American singer, "Blondie", BBC, British Comedy Guide, California, “Calypso”,  calypso music, Camilla Parker Bowles, Charles and Diana divorced in 1996, Charles married his long-term partner, civil rights activist, "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)",  Debbie Harry, Diana, Diana died as a result of injuries sustained in a car crash in 1997, Duke of Sussex,  Emmy, EGOT,  Enrique, Enrique Iglesias, escapologist, Facebook, first million-selling LP by a single artist, Gold Derby, Grammy, Harry, Harry Belafonte, Harry Carpenter, Harry Enfield, Harry Hill, Harry Houdini, Harry Kane, Harry Kewell, Harry Potter, Harry Styles, heir to the throne, Henry Cooper, Henry Ford, Henry Kissinger, Henry Slade, Herman's Hermits, ¡HOLA!, Invictus Games, "Jamaica Farewell", Joe King, J K Rowling, "Jump in the Line (Shake, Senora)", King Charles III, Lady Diana Spencer, line of succession to the British throne, Lilibet, "Mary's Boy Child", Meghan, New York Times, "One Direction", Oscar, Paul Whitelock, Prince Harry, Princess of Wales, professional soldier, second son of King Charles III, Spain, stand-up comedian, Royal Family, The Alexandria Papers, The Telegraph, Tony, US actress, US Weekly, Wikipedia, William, YouTube

áéíóúü

By Joe King

Christians the world over are waiting for Christ’s second coming, ie that the Son of God will one day return to Earth.

Well, I have to inform you that the “Second coming” just happened - on Saturday.

    [Image of the Second Coming by Word on Fire]

For some reason Christ changed his name to Rafael and this miracle worker helped me sort out a major problem.

Backstory

Rita and I had been without running water for several days. No water in the taps, no central heating, no flushing loos.

Why not?

Where we live in the “campo”, ie the “Andalucian outback”, there is no municipal water supply. The 50 or so houses in our pedania all have wells, including our house, which draw water from below ground.

In our case we also have a “share” of a communal well. In our case it’s a “back-up”, if for any reason we have a problem with our own “pozo”.

[Cartoon courtesy of Facebook]    

In 14 years living here, we’ve needed to access water four times. It seemed like a good idea to have access to reserve water.

It costs us around 200€ a year, ie our share of the standing charges. If we draw water, we have to pay for that in addition. So, it’s a kind of “insurance policy”, albeit rather expensive.

On this occasion we couldn’t draw water because the pump for the communal well is kaputt. It has been kaputt for two and a half weeks!

The company responsible, Voltasur, is nothing short of useless and hasn’t taken seriously the fact that most of us are old, some in their 80s.

Un pozo [photo courtesy of Sondagua]    

The Solution?

On my land is an alberca, a concrete water store. It’s full of water from a spring higher up the hill.

“Son of God” Rafael helped me run a garden hose from said alberca into my empty “deposito”. We topped it up, I backfilled the system, switched the pump on and watched as my huge concrete tank filled up with water.

Everything is working now, running water in the house, for the central heating, toilets, the lot.

It took us an hour to sort out the problem. And it didn’t cost a penny, except what I gave “Son of God” Rafael, the miracle worker, for his time.

Una alberca [Photo courtesy of GIdeAA]    

The Outcome?

I have resigned from the communal well. It is costly and it let us down in our hour of need. I shall pay my contribution for last year, which is due soon, after which it’s Adios.

“Son of God” Rafael is still around, in case I need another miracle.

© Only Joe King

Photos and Images:

Facebook, Glosario ilustrado de arte arquitectónico, Sondagua, Word on Fire

Tags:

alberca, “Andalucian outback”, bomba, campo, Christ, communal well, deposito, Facebook, Jesus Christ, Joe King, Paul Whitelock, pedania, pozo, pump, Rafael, Son of God, Sondagua, spring, tank, water store, Word on Fire

By Joe King

Well. Life is a drama, isn’t it? However, mundane you think your life is, or has been, it’s still a drama whether we’re talking about “The Archers” or William Shakespeare; “Emmerdale” or George Bernard Shaw; “Eastenders” or Oscar Wilde.

As for me, ever since I played Joseph in the nativity play at my primary school, drama has played a significant part in my life, already seven and a half decades long.

William Shakespeare [Wikipedia]

You’d have thought that after playing Jesus’ father, the only way would be down, but not so …..

School years

I wasn’t involved in drama activity in either of the two boys’ grammar schools I attended. I was too busy playing sport.

So life was drama-free.  Or was it?

An adolescence spent with my parents' unhappy marriage as a backdrop was never going to be without its dramatic side. Mum hospitalised for a year; my younger brother and I raised by our gran during that time; my dad struggling to cope with the impending breakdown of a second marriage; a sudden and rushed move to another town 50 miles away; the trauma of settling into new schools; a fire; a second house move; a complicated love life; a flirtation with the Pentecostal Church. 

A psychiatrist would have had a "field day".

Hele's School, Exeter as it was [Exeter Memories]

University came along at just the right time, or did it.....?

University

My first year at university was a complete and utter drama. I was still an evangelical Christian at that time which marked me out as a "bit of a freak" amongst my fellow students. I was so fervent that it affected my studies.

I dropped out at the end of that year and, aged 19, I was back home with mum, dad and younger brother (Mum was well again and had decided to stick with dad and keep the family together). As for me, I got myself a job in a small supermarket. 

So, I was pretty "washed up" at 19! All the academic potential I had shown down the "swanny"!

Salford University main building [Media City]

Eventually I came to my senses, negotiated a return to university and in the summer before re-joining my course I went off to Germany to work and get my German back "up to scratch".

Back at uni in October 1970, I joined the drama society in order to meet some girls. There weren't too many members of the female species at my university (Salford - a new-ish technological university) and I knew that drama is more popular with girls than with young men.

That was true and my plan sort of worked, although I didn’t manage to “get my leg over.”

I had a part in “The Fireraisers” (“Biedermann und die Brandstifter”) by Swiss playwright Max Frisch and ended up having a short-lived relationship with a beautiful Welsh girl who used to do my make-up.

Then I went away on my year abroad, so that "petered out" naturally.

[Poster courtesy of Unrestricted View]

Eccles

Around the same time, an older friend, Dave, a music teacher, persuaded me to go along to the Eccles Drama Soc. I got a part in “A Christmas Carol” (Charles Dickens) and was terrible. I kept "drying" (forgetting my lines).

Salford (continued)

When I came back from six months in Spain and six months in Germany, I saw a young girl in a Shakespeare production at the new University Adelphi Theatre, which had been built while I was away.

Jeryl had come to my attention in the Student bar (she was a bit loud!) and I was intrigued.

Moving forward a few years, Jeryl, from Luton, became my wife!

But, once again, I'm getting ahead of myself.

Adelphi Theatre [University of Salford blog]

Teacher training college

At Sheffield City College, where I went to do a postgraduate teaching qualification, I joined the Drama Group, partly because I’d developed a taste for acting and because, as I'd found at university, more girls have amateur dramatics as a hobby than young men.

I played Teddy, Miss Brodie’s lover, in “The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie” by Muriel Spark. I was also the male lead in a film we made of “Riders to the Sea”, by Irish playwright J M Synge.

After the “wrap” of “Jean Brodie”, ie the after-show party on the last night, I was seduced by a very sexy young teacher trainee who was in the cast. My first-ever “one night stand”.

Dame Maggie Smith as "Jean Brodie" [Rotten Tomatoes]

Schools I taught in

St Nicholas RC High School in Hartford, Northwich, Cheshire

St. Nick's was my first school as a qualified teacher.

I was only there for two years but performed in a couple of staff/student productions of Gilbert & Sullivan operettas, “The Pirates of Penzance” and “HMS Pinafore”.

Great fun!

[Poster courtesy of Genius]

Cardinal Langley RC High School, Middleton, Greater Manchester

My over-riding memory of dramatic activity here was the number of “affairs” being conducted amongst members of staff.

On the real drama side I appeared in a staff play (I forget the name) and a staff/student musical where I ended up ad-libbing with the audience, getting them to join in the singing.

St Aelred’s Catholic High School, Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside

Once again quite a bit of “’Ow’s your father” going on amongst the staff here.

I confess that I succumbed to the temptation for a while.

[Wikipedia]

Swinton & Pendlebury and Salford

When my girlfriend Jeryl and I moved in together in a flat in Salford, we joined an "am-dram" group in Swinton & Pendlebury. We ended up getting very involved. Apart from acting, I was chairman of the committee for a while and Jeryl was Hon Sec.

During that time the group  was renamed SPADES – The Swinton & Pendlebury Amateur Dramatic and Entertainment Society.

A highlight was when we took our production of “Jock on the Go”, a musical play based on works by Arnold Bennett, to the Royal Exchange Theatre in Manchester.

I got to sing in this fantastic theatre-in-the-round in the old Manchester Stock Exchange!

Royal Exchange Theatre [Photo: Loads To Do]

Stockton Heath and Warrington

When we moved to Thelwall near Warrington (Cheshire) we continued with SPADES for a while, but the travelling became too much, so we looked for drama opportunities which were more local.

We joined the Playmakers of Stockton Heath. The standard of acting was pretty high. Jeryl and I were now married, but still childless, so we had plenty of time to indulge our hobby.

Jeryl soon became one of the leading actresses and played the lead in a number of productions, including the matriarch Bernarda in “The House of Bernarda Alba” by Lorca.

She also directed some great successes. She was especially good with Alan Ayckbourn plays.

I also picked up some good roles, including Biff in Arthur Miller’s “All My Sons”; Donald in “Blue Remembered Hills” by Dennis Potter; Becket in "Becket" by Jean Anouilh; King Henry II in "The Lion in Winter"; and The Emcee in “Cabaret”, my favourite part ever.

Our whole family, ie Jeryl, me and children Amy and Tom, appeared in “Lark Rise to Candleford” by Flora Thompson in around 1990.

[Photo courtesy of Wikipedia]

Salford Players

Jeryl and I were occasionally “poached” by Salford Players, a semi-professional outfit just down the road.

I had some great roles there, eg in Terence Rattigan’s “Separate Tables”; “Events While Guarding The Bofors Gun” by John McGrath; and “Oh! What a Lovely War!” by Joan Littlewood and her Theatre Workshop.

(Sir) Ben Kingsley was a member of Salford Players before he became famous.

[Poster courtesy of amazon.com]

Altrincham Garrick

We also appeared a couple of times at another semi-pro group in Altrincham, where many “resting” professionals ended up.

Many years later our son Tom Whitelock, who went on to become a professional actor, appeared at “The Garrick” a few times.

A highlight was his performance as Guy in “The Full Monty” by Simon Beaufoy.

[Poster courtesy of ATG Tickets]

First Marriage

My first marriage was a drama from start to finish, yet it lasted 30 years. There was never a dull moment!

North Wales

My first relationship after my divorce from Jeryl was a huge drama. The stage we performed on was a beautiful cottage in a stunning village in North Wales overlooking the island of Anglesey.

But it was never going to last …..

Second marriage

My second marriage, now in its 15^th year, has also not been short of drama.

Wife number two is Rita, a feisty German, whom I met in Ronda (Málaga).

We still live just outside the "Ciudad Soñada" ("City of Dreams" - Rilke), and our relationship is so "dramatic" it would make a great “soap”!

    Me and Rita at the beach [selfie]

London

Tom Whitelock, my son, studied at Rose Bruford Drama College where he appeared in a number of productions including Chekhov's "Three Sisters".

He started his professional acting career touring schools running drama workshops. He appeared in London fringe productions including "A Clockwork Orange" by Anthony Burgess; "Yerma" by Lorca and several pantomimes.

He got a great gig at Shakespeare's refurbished Globe Theatre beside the River Thames, appearing in The Bard's "Romeo and Juliet".

Tom finally broke through into The West End when he won the part of Pete Quaife, bass guitarist of "The Kinks" in the musical "Sunny Afternoon". Eight live performances a week for 12 months!

    Tom in "A Clockwork Orange" [Action to the Word]  Tom as Pete Quaife in "Sunny Afternoon" [West End Theatres]

Since Covid-19, when Bojo The Clown (prime-minister-at-the-time Boris Johnson) shut theatres down, theatre work has been harder to come by. 

Despite the fact that I live in Spain, I've managed to see Tom in all these productions.

Ronda

I joined a local drama group during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Proyecto Platea was great fun, but I found it too much of a challenge and too time-consuming.

Now I just go to watch their excellent productions, whenever I can.

Epilogue

So, my life has been a drama in more ways than one, but it's been great.

I wouldn't have missed it for the world.

Later this week we're off to see our favourite local actors from Proyecto Platea (qv) in "Bodas de Sangre" by Federico Garcia Lorca at the Vicente Espinel Theatre in Ronda.

©  Only Joe King

Links:

'Sunny Afternoon' acoustic cover | Sunny Afternoon cast - An acoustic version of "Sunny Afternoon" by the show's West End cast

West End Live 2016 Sunny Afternoon - Live outdoor promotional performance in Piccadilly Circus

Photos and Images:

Action to the Word, ATG Tickets, Exeter Memories, Facebook, Genius, Loads To Do, Media City, Paul Whitelock, Proyecto Platea, Rotten Tomatoes, Royal Exchange Theatre, "Sunny Afternoon", University of Salford blog, Unrestricted View, West End Theatres, Wikipedia, www.amazon.com, YouTube

Tags:

"A Clockwork Orange", Action to the Word, Amy, ATG Tickets, "Bodas de Sangre", Bojo The Clown, Boris Johnson, Covid-19, “Eastenders”, “Emmerdale”, evangelical Christian, Exeter Memories, Facebook, Federico Garcia Lorca, Genius, George Bernard Shaw, Jeryl, Jesus, Joe King, Joseph, Kinks, Loads To Do, Media City, nativity play, Only Joe King, Oscar Wilde, Paul Whitelock, Pentecostal Church, Pete Quaife, Playmakers, Proyecto Platea, Rita, Ronda, Rotten Tomatoes, Royal Exchange Theatre, Salford Players, Salford University, "Sunny Afternoon", SPADES, “The Archers”, Tom, Tom Whitelock, University of Salford blog, Unrestricted View, Vicente Espinel Theatre, Warrington, West End Theatres, Wikipedia, William Shakespeare, www.amazon.com, YouTube, 

áéíóú

“My true love said to me: four calling birds…..”

I must have mis-heard, I thought it was “calling four birds”. I did call four birds (ie women), cos I was "de Rodríguez" and feeling a bit lonely.

Who were these “birds”?

First of all, I tried a divorced/widowed English lady who has a house in Montejaque, but she’s not resident here and was in the UK.

Shame, as I really fancy her and she knows it.

She says that if she had been in Spain she would have accepted my invitation….. Mmmm!

Next, I tried a divorced Irish lady, who IS resident in Ronda. She had written on Facebook that she would be on her own on Christmas Day. But she politely declined my invitation.

That’s also a shame because I fancy her too and I told her so some while ago over a coffee. She said she was flattered, but nothing ever came of it.

I guess I’m too old for her. 10 years age difference isn’t much though, is it?

My third attempt was with a Spanish neighbour who has broken up with her fellah. He prefers to live in Madrid with his mother (who mentioned Oedipus?). So, they are no longer an item.

She’s a teacher, so well-to-do here in Spain. She’s spending Christmas Eve with her family in Grazalema (Cádiz), where she is from, but said she’d be back in Fuente de la Higuera for Christmas Day and could perhaps come.

Trouble is, I don’t have her phone number to confirm it. She is not aware that I fancy her.

My fourth possible Christmas Dinner companion is my next-door-neighbour-but-one. She’s been a widow for some dozen years following the premature death of her husband after an accident at work. Her name is Mercedes. [I always wanted to have a Mercedes – Behave yourself! I’m talking about a Mercedes-Benz car. I worked as a translator for the luxury car company in Stuttgart 50-odd years ago]. Being local, she told me she will be spending Christmas with family in Ronda.

A fifth possibility to invite for Christmas Lunch is a Geordie divorcee who has lived for many years in Spain, including Cantabria and Benalmádena. She has now fetched up in Ronda.

I’ve met her for coffee a few times and we get on really well. There is no sexual attraction between us, but we’re aligned politically, and we enjoy each other’s company.

I haven’t rung her yet.

All the other women I fancy are:

1. Married
2. Much younger than I am
3. Don’t fancy me back
4. Are Hollywood stars and therefore out of my league

Plan "B"

I’ve invited two “new” Spaniards to join me. They are employees at my local, where they live in, in the hotel.

This hotel is going to close its restaurant on Christmas Day, so this couple have nowhere to eat and no kitchen where they could prepare something. Most restaurants round here don’t open on Christmas Day.

“New” Spaniards?

She is from Uruguay and he is from Argentina. They’ve been in Europe a while and have no desire to return to South America, where many countries, including Argentina, are problematic, if not downright dangerous.

I helped them apply for Spanish nationality earlier in the year and their Spanish passports came through this week. So, we have something to celebrate – and not just Christmas.

Sadly, they have declined my invitation.

A Spanner in the Works

I learned yesterday that my English pal who has half shares in an Estate Agency here, although he lives in England, is coming out on Boxing Day.

He’s booked into the local hotel. He could stay at my place, surely?

Endword

It looks like I shall definitely be “home alone” on Christmas Day.

The first time in 74 years.

But it’ll be good. I’ll make sure of that!

Check out my planned Christmas Meal (link below).

Roast turkey with all the trimmings?

Nope!

© Diary of a nobody

Links:

Advent - in Spain

Christmas Parties in Spain 2024

De Rodríguez – at Christmas?

Wham! - Last Christmas (Official Video)

Photos and Images:

5 Minute English

Autobild

Bookywooky

Facebook

FreeImages

Hotel Ronda Valley

MetroFamily Magazine

Wikipedia

Tags:

5 Minute English, Advent - in Spain, Argentina, Autobild, Benalmádena, Bookywooky, Cádiz, Cantabria, Christmas Day, Christmas Eve, Christmas Lunch, Christmas Parties in Spain 2024, De Rodríguez – at Christmas?, Diary of a nobody, divorced Irish lady, Facebook, "Four calling birds", FreeImages, Fuente de la Higuera, Geordie, Grazalema, “home alone”, Hotel Ronda Valley, Joe King, Madrid, Mercedes, Mercedes-Benz, MetroFamily Magazine, “New” Spaniard, Oedipus, Ronda, next-door-neighbour-but-one, resident in Ronda, South America, SLK, Spanish nationality, Spanish passport, Stuttgart, teacher, Uruguay, Wham! - Last Christmas (Official Video), widow, Wikipedia

This weekend has been a disaster!

On Friday I didn’t win the Christmas hamper at my local bar. I haven’t won it there since 2011!

On Saturday I didn’t win the raffle at the local craft market in Ronda either!

And, later on Saturday, Tyson Fury lost his World Heavyweight boxing title fight.

On Sunday I didn’t win El Gordo – well, I didn’t buy a ticket ….

And tomorrow my wife is leaving me …..!

Christmas Hamper, Hotel Ronda Valley

I chose two numbers, 50 and 51, our birth years. I thought one of them was sure to win.

Nope!

Craft Fair Raffle, Mercadillo, Convento de Santo Domingo

I managed to get two good numbers, 6 and 8, both numbers of houses we own in the area. Once again, one was bound to win, I thought.

Not so!

I found a lovely Christmas present for the missus, Lovely Rita.

Heavyweight Boxing Title Fight, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

The Gypsy King, Tyson Fury, is 6’8’’ tall and weighed in 55 pounds heavier than his Ukrainian opponent, Oleksandr Usyk, who beat Fury on points back in May to take the title and inflict Fury’s first loss as a professional.

Well, Usyk did it again on Saturday night, winning the verdict from all three judges.

El Gordo, Sorteo de Navidad, Lotería Nacional, Madrid

I couldn’t buy a ticket anywhere on Saturday evening. Every outlet had sold out. So, I didn’t win that either.

My wife is going to leave me tomorrow (Monday)

But only for a week. Rita is going to Germany to spend Christmas with family. Three children and four grandchildren.

"Why are you not going with her?" I hear you cry.

Click here to find out why: 

Christmas "de Rodríguez" - Rita’s alternative Christmas Dinner

© Only Joe King

Links:

De Rodríguez – at Christmas?

... de Rodríguez? - Secret Serrania de Ronda

My week “de Rodríguez” is over

Photos:

Al Jazeera

El Pais

Facebook

Insurance Insider

Murcia Today

Ryanair

Tags:

Christmas Hamper, Convento de Santo Domingo, Craft Fair, de Rodríguez, El Gordo, Eye on Spain, Gypsy King, Heavyweight Boxing Title Fight, Hotel Ronda Valley, Lotería Nacional, Madrid, Mercadillo, Oleksandr Usyk, raffle, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Secret Serrania, Sorteo de Navidad, Tyson Fury, Ukrainian

That’ll be a first. My first ever Christmas on my own! In 74 years! What’s going on? Has my wife left me?

[Photo courtesy of Karl Smallman, www.secretserrania.com]

My Christmas History

As a young boy at home in north Devon, Christmas Day was spent at home. In three different houses in Barnstaple and two in Exeter, East Devon. (We moved house a lot, when I was a kid!)

Boxing Day was usually spent with friends or relatives.

When I was a sixth former aged 16, I spent Christmas working as a waiter in a hotel in Newton Abbott, South Devon. It was a temperance hotel, so no alcohol, not even in the gravy nor ladled over the Christmas pud!

I shared a bedroom with a permanent member of staff, who turned out to be a ‘queer’ (this was when homosexuality was still illegal, and the term ‘gay’ was not yet in use). The term ‘queer’ is no longer politically correct, as it was back in the 1960s.

    [Photo courtesy of Adobe Stock]

Nothing happened, of course,but it was an eye-opener for this boy who’d led a very sheltered life.

As a university undergraduate and subsequent postgraduate, I always returned home for Christmas.

In my third year I brought my girlfriend down to Devon to meet mum and dad. Dad was smitten with Jeryl, whom I married in 1975, after I had finished my studies and started work as a teacher.

After that we sort of alternated between her parents and mine, until we bought our first house, in Walkden (Greater Manchester) in 1978 and began hosting duties.

We moved to Thelwall, Warrington (Cheshire) in 1980 and more often than not spent Christmas at home, especially after our children were born in 1983 and 1987.

We had bought a timeshare on the Isle of Arran (Scotland). We chose Christmas Week, so for several years we enjoyed a Scottish Island Christmas.

By now both our mums were widows. My mum Vera moved up to Thelwall in 1990 to be near her grandchildren, and Jeryl’s mum Jean lasted until 2000.

    Auchrannie Resort, Isle of Arran [Facebook]

In 2001, Jeryl and I bought our first property in Spain, an apartment in Ronda (Málaga), which we named Piso Blanco. In 2003 we bought a second one, a house to renovate. We called that house Casa Blanca. So, we enjoyed a couple of Spanish Christmases.

    Piso Blanco, Ronda [Paul Whitelock]

In 2005, after 30 years of marriage, Jeryl and I divorced, I retired early from work, and I spent the next couple of Christmases in North Wales at the house of my new girlfriend Maude.

    Minffordd, Bryn-y-Maen, North Wales [Rightmove]

We split up, however, and my dear old mum offered me a home with her back in Thelwall. We spent a couple of Christmases with my brother Simon in Yate (S. Glos) until I met Rita in 2008 in Ronda. Rita is German. We “jumped the broom” in 2010.

    Tunstall Villa, Latchford [On the Market]

I had just bought a house in Latchford, Warrington, when I met Rita. I hosted one Christmas there for my two kids, Amy and Tom, their mother Jeryl (my ex-wife), their partners, Paul and Su, and my mum Vera.

Since 2008, Rita and I have celebrated Christmas either at home in Ronda or at Rita’s daughter’s, Katrin, in Germany.

Why “de Rodríguez” in 2024?

    [Photo courtesy of Wordpress]

Quite simply because we now have a kitten which we cannot leave. We’re not prepared to put her in a cattery, and we won’t find anyone to house/cat-sit at Christmas.

So, I shall be all on my own-ee-oh; footloose and fancy-free! Yippee!

I’m looking forward to my week alone. There are no Christmas lunches on offer that I am aware of in any local restaurants, so I shall enjoy roasting my own turkey with all the trimmings. Not forgetting my Christmas pud. With flaming brandy, of course!

I shall decorate the house a bit to make it a bit more Christmassy and, if I get any, open my prezzies.

  "De Rodriguez" [Photo courtesy of El Mundo]

I can watch “The Great Escape” and “Home Alone” on the telly and go to bed and get up when I want. I can’t wait!

Only 40 days to go till Christmas!

© Only Joe King

[Photo courtesy of Freepik]

Photos:

El Mundo

Facebook

Freepik

Karl Smallman

On the Market

Paul Whitelock

Rightmove

Wordpress

www.secretserrania.com

Links:

... de Rodríguez? - Secret Serrania de Ronda

My week “de Rodríguez” is over

Piso Blanco, Ronda

Sunday – de Rodríguez!

The Building History of a 72-year-old DIY Fan

Tags:

Barnstaple, Boxing Day, Casa Blanca, Christmas Day, Christmas pud, “de Rodríguez, Devon, Exeter, footloose and fancy-free, ‘gay’, German, Germany, “Home Alone”, homosexuality, Isle of Arran, Jean, Jeryl, kitten, Manchester, Newton Abbott, Piso Blanco, politically correct, postgraduate, ‘queer’, Rita, Ronda, Scotland, “The Great Escape”, Thelwall, timeshare, turkey with all the trimmings, undergraduate, Vera, Walkden

According to the Cambridge English Dictionary, serendipity is the fact of finding  interesting or valuable things by chance. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary goes for the faculty or phenomenon of finding valuable or agreeable things not sought for. Only Joe King experiences serendipitous events quite frequently. This happened to him last Saturday.

Ronda and the barrio

I popped into Ronda around mid-day on Saturday to run a few errands, promptly got distracted and ended up in Barrio San Francisco at Bar Ambigú to do a book swap*.

Then I headed to the Ruedo Alameda, the pretty square just outside the muralla (Arab city wall) on the southern edge of Ronda, the Ciudad del Tajo. This is the location of a dozen bars and restaurants.

I wrote a review of the culinary offer in the barrio as my first ever assignment for The Olive Press, when I joined the staff of the free English newspaper way back in 2008 when I finally emigrated to Spain. Wittily titled “The Streets of San Francisco”, you can read a more up-to-date version via the link below.

However, 16 years on, there have been a number of changes. Four new places have opened, three have changed ownership and two have closed. I've updated the article a few times, but I guess another revision is due soon.

I digress. “Where’s the serendipity?” I hear you ask.

Serendipity in San Francisco

Apart from the four books I got at Bar Ambigú, which I regard as a serendipitous event, what happened next falls into the same category.

I called into Cervecería El Bandolero, one of the more recent new  places to open and a welcome addition to the San Francisco offer.

El Bandolero is run by Rafael and his uncle. I knew Rafael when he was my next-door-neighbour-but-one after my then wife and I bought an apartment, Piso Blanco, in the barrio in 2001. He was also a trainee waiter/barman at a bar in the square which has long since  been demolished.

I used to frequent this bar - its name escapes me - back in the day to use their public telephone to phone home whenever I was in Ronda on my own, which became increasingly often. This was after I was sent on “gardening leave” from work prior to being made redundant.

23 years later Rafael is a grown man (“grown” is the wrong adjective, as he is still tiny, around 5 foot two) Rafael is married with a son. He still lives in the same house. I don’t – I sold Piso Blanco in 2019.

“Do you know Justin?” asked Rafael, “He lives near you down in Fuente la Higuera.”

I do know a lot of people after all these years living in the area, but Justin…?

“He’s from South Africa but has lived here for years. He’s joint owner with Joaquín of Bar Restaurante La Plaza, the bar two doors down from El Bandolero.”

Rafael took me along and introduced me to Justin Hindle originally from Durban.

We didn’t know each other, but we did a quick catch-up. He has a house near mine near La Legión, but doesn’t live there. He prefers to rent a flat in town and earns a good supplementary income renting his house in the campo.

His wife Ana is a Basque and she is an English teacher. She has a languages academy in Ronda called The International Classroom, located on Calle Lorenzo Borrega. Justin and Ana have three kids who attend primary school in Ronda.

Bar Restaurante La Plaza was clearing up after the lunchtime session, so I left them to it, retrieved my car and went up to Ronda town centre to go to the cajero at CaixaBank in Plaza del Socorro.

Ronda, Ciudad Soñada

After withdrawing some cash, I noticed that nearby Bodega El Socorro’s door was open. This bar has been shut for at least two years, so I decided to check it out.

Bodega El Socorro has changed hands and has been refurbished. The new socios are Juan and Miguel, both 30 years of age.

The tapas menu looked good. [Note: Must take “Lovely Rita” there sometime soon.]

The group of five rondeños also prsent in the bar were clearly enjoying themselves. One of them, Paco, was due to retire in two weeks; his grumpy friend, Manuel, has a couple of years to go before he can “hang up his boots”.

The womenfolk, two wives and a friend, were all younger, as is the tradition here, so they won’t be finishing work anytime soon.

Fuente de la Higuera

Home time, I headed for my domicilio, stopping briefly at my local, The Ronda Valley (née Don Benito). There was a guy there who looked familiar. It turned out that Víctor is an animal inspector, and we had crossed paths a few years previously.

I chatted for a while with Víctor and his mates, but when the conversation turned to politics and they admitted to being franquistas, ie supporters of General Franco (dead, by the way, for nearly 50 years), I took my leave and joined some English “fascists” who were sitting outside on the terrace.

Despite their appalling views on politics they are good friends of mine, so we try to avoid talking politics, since I really have no truck with people who support Donald Trump, Boris Johnson (Bojo The Clown), Nigel Farage, Genghis Khan and the like.

Home for dinner and to reflect on my serendipitous Saturday.

© Only Joe King

Links:

Back to the "Streets of San Francisco" - Help me, Ronda (help-me-ronda.com)

FORGOTTEN ANNIVERSARY: Spain's General Franco died 45 years ago (secretserrania.com)

Meet Secret Serranía blogger Paul Whitelock - Secret Serrania de Ronda

The other "Ronda valley" (eyeonspain.com)

Photos:

Careers in Government (main photo)

Facebook

Karl Smallman

La Cazalla de Ronda

Trip Advisor

Acknowledgements:

Eye on Spain

Paul Whitelock

Secret Serrania

The Olive Press

Tags:

Ana, Bar Ambigú, Bar Restaurante La Plaza, Barrio San Francisco, Basque, Bojo The Clown, Bodega El Socorro, book swap, Boris Johnson, CaixaBank, Calle Lorenzo Borrega, Cambridge English Dictionary, Cervecería El Bandolero, domicilio, Donald Trump, Nigel Farage, Genghis Khan Don Benito, Durban, Ciudad del Tajo, El Bandolero, English teacher, franquistas, free English newspaper, “gardening leave”, General Franco, Joaquín, Justin Hindle, languages academy, “Lovely Rita”, Merriam-Webster Dictionary, Olive Press, Only Joe King, Plaza Socorro, Rafael, Ronda, rondeños, Ruedo Alameda, serendipitous Saturday, serendipity, Super Saturday, South Africa, tapas, The Crazy Guy, The International Classroom, The Ronda Valley, “The Streets of San Francisco”, Víctor

By Joe King

When I was a young lad my dad used to take me with him to his barber’s in Exeter (Devon) where we lived for a "short back and sides". When I was 14 or 15, I was allowed to go on my own. On that first occasion “flying solo”, as he was finishing up, Arthur asked me: “Something for the weekend, son?”. I didn’t know what he meant, so I politely declined. I later found out what he meant. Back then in the 60s, the barber’s was where men bought their “johnnies”; no blatant displays in the chemist’s like nowadays nor machines in pub toilets.

When I went away to university I grew my hair long and sported a rather splendid black beard, so no hairdresser required.

Early years

Before leaving for Spain for the first half of my year abroad, I got my hair cut short, then not again for ages, so I headed off to Germany for the second half once again with long hair.

After graduation, I went “smart” again for my PGCE in Sheffield, which included two teaching practices, so I thought I shouldn’t scare the natives.

So, my experience with barber’s is limited. As for Spain, where I spent a lot of time and where I now live, my visits to the peluqueria or barberia have been few and far between.

Iñaki - San Sebastián

My memory is hazy, after more than 50 years, but I’m pretty sure I had a haircut in the capital of Gipuzkoa back in the early 80s.

Then my wife took over.

From 2022 onwards I reverted to adolescence and grew a ponytail and a long beard and considered getting a tattoo and earrings (male menopause?), but I don’t like suffering pain, so rejected both.

Antonio - Frigiliana

50 years later I needed a trim, while I was on a mini-break in Frigiliana. My regular hairdresser, my wife, was away in Germany, so I popped into the only barber’s shop in the casco antiguo of this stunning pueblo blanco near Nerja (Malaga).

José did a good job of tidying my head up; I still had the ponytail, which I was keen to retain.

Lorena – Málaga

Last year we spent three days in the capital. It was the monthly dinner of the Club de Prensa Costa del Sol, of which I am a member, so we decided to make a mini-break out of it.

On the afternoon before the dinner, Rita announced that she wouldn’t be attending the dinner UNLESS I GOT MY HAIR CUT. I believed her threat, so off I went to the hairdresser around the corner from our hotel.

Lorena was a “looker” with tats and piercings and lots of chat. She did a great job, she even gave me my shorn ponytail, which had fused together, as a souvenir.

José – San Rafael, Ronda

I’d spotted this barberia in the San Rafael district and called in on the off chance, He had a gap right there and then before his next appointment. He was very attentive, kept checking exactly what I wanted and did a great job. Just 8€.  I gave him 10.

When I tried there again last Thursday evening he was fully booked, all day Friday also. He doesn’t open on a Saturday morning.

Hernán – Calle Lauria, Ronda

I needed a cut before a trip to Germany for Christmas. I tried a few places – all busy, but Hernán fitted me in. Great. Also 10€ with tip.

Vicki's Academia de Peluqueria y Belleza – Calle Pozo, Ronda

I had been invited to the confirmation of the son of a Spanish friend, so I wanted to be smart. I fancied being trimmed by a lady again, so went to Vicki’s hair salon. I didn’t get a lady, but Hugo, a young lad who turned out to be a trainee.

He was extremely diligent, even trimming my eyebrows, the tufts growing out of my ears and washing my hair to get rid of the hairs.

“¿Que te debo? I asked, after he finished “hairdrying” my shirt which had got wet during the washing.

“Nada”, he replied. You get a free haircut if it’s a trainee.

I tipped him generously instead (5€). He seemed surprised but was clearly grateful. Me too.

Conclusion

Hair care is not a problem in Spain. There are lots of salons in Ronda and also when we go away. And cheap!

© Only Joe King

Acknowledgements:

Facebook

Hey Joe

Paul Whitelock

Tags:

Antonio. barber, barberia, barbero, Exeter, Frigiliana, Guipuzkoa, Hernan, Iñaki, Jose, Malaga, Paul Whitelock, peluqueria, Ronda, San Sebastian, short back and sides, Paul Whitelock, Vicki

By Joe King

From Orson Welles’ infamous War of the Worlds radio broadcast to Richard Dimbleby's Panorama TV programme about spaghetti trees, we British have always been suckers for a good April Fool prank!

In this article, Joe King lists a selection of famous pranks that have hoodwinked the people over the years.

Background

April Fools' Day or All Fools' Day is a holiday celebrated in a number of countries on April 1st, although not in Spain, where the equivalent is el Día de los Inocentes, celebrated on  December 28th, the date which somewhat bizarrely commemorates the slaughter of new-born male babies by King Herod following the birth of Christ.

April 1st is marked by the perpetration of hoaxes and other practical jokes of varying sophistication on friends, family members, enemies, and neighbours, or sending them on a fool's errand, the aim of which is to embarrass the gullible.

The earliest recorded association between April 1st and foolishness can be found in Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (1392).

Celebrated April Fools’ Day pranks         

•            Alabama Changes the Value of Pi: The April 1998 newsletter of New Mexicans for Science and Reason contained an article written by physicist Mark Boslough claiming that the Alabama Legislature had voted to change the value of the mathematical constant pi.

•            Left-Handed Whoppers: In 1998, Burger King ran an ad in USA Today, saying that people could get a Whopper for left-handed people whose condiments were designed to drip out of the right side.  Not only did customers order the new burgers, but some specifically requested the "old", right-handed burger.

•            Smell-o-vision: In 1965, the BBC purported to conduct a trial of a new technology allowing the transmission of odour over the airwaves to all viewers. Many viewers reportedly contacted the BBC to report the trial's success.  In 2007, the BBC website repeated an online version of the hoax.

•            Tower of Pisa: The Dutch television news reported in the 1950s that the Tower of Pisa had fallen over. Many shocked people contacted the station.

•            BBC Radio 4 (2005): The Today programme announced in the news that the long-running serial The Archers had changed its theme tune to an upbeat disco style.

•            Death of a mayor: In 1998, local WAAF shock jocks Opie and Anthony reported that Boston mayor Thomas Menino had been killed in a car accident. Menino happened to be on a flight at the time, lending credence to the prank as he could not be reached. The rumour spread quickly across the city, eventually causing news stations to issue alerts denying the hoax. The pair were fired shortly afterwards.

•            Phone call: In 1998, UK presenter Nic Tuff of West Midlands radio station Kix 96 pretended to be the British Prime Minister Tony Blair when he called the then South African President Nelson Mandela for a chat. It was only at the end of the call when Nic asked Nelson what he was doing for April Fools' Day that the line went dead.

•            Jovian-Plutonian gravitational effect: In 1976, British astronomer Sir Patrick Moore told listeners of BBC Radio 2 that unique alignment of two planets would result in an upward gravitational pull making people lighter at precisely 9:47 am that day. He invited his audience to jump in the air and experience "a strange floating sensation." Dozens of listeners phoned in to say the experiment had worked.

•            U2 Live on Rooftop in Cork: In 2009 hundreds of U2 fans were duped in an elaborate prank when they rushed to a shopping centre in Blackpool in Cork believing that the band were playing a surprise rooftop concert. The prank was organised by Cork radio station RedFM. The band were in fact just a tribute band called U2opia.

•            Cellphone Ban: In New Zealand the radio station the Edge's Morning Madhouse enlisted the help of the Prime Minister on April 1st to inform the entire country that mobile phones were to be banned in New Zealand. Hundreds of callers rang in disgruntled at the new law.

•            In 1962 the Swedish national television did a 5-minute special on how one could get colour TV by placing a nylon stocking in front of the TV. A rather in-depth description on the physics behind the phenomenon was included.

•            In 2004, British breakfast show GMTV presented a story claiming that Yorkshire Water were trialling a new 'diet tap water' that had already helped one customer lose a stone and a half in four months. After heralding the trial as successful, it was claimed that a third tap would be added to kitchen sinks, allowing customers easy access to the water. Following the story, Yorkshire Water received 10,000 enquiries from viewers.

•            In 2006, the BBC reported that the door to No. 10 Downing Street, the official residence of the Prime Minister of the UK, had been painted red. They showed footage of workmen carrying a red door. Red was the official colour of the political party which formed the government at the time. The same story was also reported in the British newspaper, The Daily Mail which credited the new design to someone called “April Fewell”. The door is in fact black.

•            In 2008, the BBC reported on a newly discovered colony of flying penguins. An elaborate video segment was even produced, featuring Terry Jones (of Monty Python fame) walking with the penguins in Antarctica, and following their flight to the Amazon rainforest.

•            Coldplay to back the Tories - On April 1st, 2006 the Guardian journalist "Olaf Priol" claimed that Chris Martin of rock band Coldplay had decided to publicly support the Conservative Party leader David Cameron due to his disillusionment with previous Labour Party prime minister Tony Blair, even going so far as to produce a fake song, "Talk to David", that could be downloaded via the Guardian website. Despite being an obvious hoax, the Labour Party's Media Monitoring Unit were concerned enough to circulate the story throughout "most of the government".

•            Google announces a joint project with the Virgin Group to establish a permanent human settlement on Mars - http://www.google.com/virgle/index.html. This operation has been named Project Virgle. The announcement includes videos of Richard Branson (founder of Virgin Group) as well as Larry Page and Sergey Brin (the founders of Google) on YouTube, talking about Virgle.

•            Assassination of Bill Gates: In 2003, many Chinese and South Korean websites claimed that CNN reported Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, was assassinated, resulting in a 1.5% drop in the South Korean stock market.

•            www.howstuffworks.com does an annual bogus article. In 2006, it was "How Animated Tattoos Work"; in 2007 "How Phone Cell Implants Work"; in 2008 "How the Air Force One Hybrid Works"; in 2009 "How Rechargeable Gum Works".

But, my favourite of the lot was San Serriffe.  The Guardian printed a supplement in 1977 praising this fictional resort, its two main islands, Upper Caisse and Lower Caisse, its capital, Bodoni, and its leader, General Pica. Intrigued readers were later disappointed to learn that San Serriffe (sans serif) did not exist except as references to typeface terminology.

***

Have a nice day!  But watch out!  Pranksters are all over the place! 

© Joe King

Acknowledgements:

BBC

LookatBowen.com

medium

Paul Whitelock

Rockarchive

Wikipedia

Tags:

10 Downing Street, 2007, 2008, 2009, Alabama Changes the Value of Pi, Amazon, Amazon rainforest, April 1, April Fewell, April Fool, April Fools’ Day, Assassination of Bill Gates, BBC Radio 2, BBC Radio 4, Bodoni, breakfast show GMTV, Burger King, CNN, Canterbury Tales, Cellphone Ban, Chaaucer, Chris Martin, Coldplay, colony of flying penguins, Conservative Party, Daily Mail, David Cameron, Día de los Inocentes, diet tap water, Edge's Morning Madhouse, General Pica, Google, Guardian, "How Animated Tattoos Work", "How Phone Cell Implants Work", "How Rechargeable Gum Works", "How the Air Force One Hybrid Works", Joe King, Jovian-Plutonian gravitational effect, King Herod, Kix 96, Labour Party, Larry Page, Left-Handed Whoppers, Lower Caisse, Mark Boslough, Media Monitoring Unit, Microsoft, Monty Python, Nelson Mandela, New Mexicans for Science and Reason, New Zealand, Nic Tuff, Olaf Priol, Opie and Anthony, Orson Welles, Panorama, Pi, Project Virgle, RedFM, Richard Branson, Richard Dimbleby, sans serif, San Serriffe, Sergey Brin, Sir Patrick Moore, Smell-o-vision, South African President Nelson Mandela, spaghetti trees, Swedish national television, "Talk to David", Terry Jones, The Archers, The Today programme, Thomas Menino, Tony Blair, Tories, Tower of Pisa, U2 Live on Rooftop in Cork, U2opia, Upper Caisse, USA Today, Virgin group, WAAF, War of the Worlds, Whopper, Yorkshire Water, YouTube

By Joe King

In the musical “My Fair Lady”, by Alan Jay Lerner and Friedrich Loewe, Professor Higgins, played by Rex Harrison, sang: “The rain in Spain stays mainly in the pl-ai-n”.

I’m not so sure whether that's the case at the moment, since it’s now raining big-style here in the mountains of the Serranía de Ronda in Andalucía. To be honest it’s raining everywhere in Spain, even in the Balearics and the Canary Islands.

But that’s good, as it hasn’t rained much round here in the last five years: the reservoirs are empty; rivers have dried up; crops have suffered; and, Heaven forbid, golf greens are turning brown.

That’s why the locals call this period of inclement weather “buen tiempo” (good weather). Why? Read on to find out.

Our Climate is Changing

We are all aware of climate change. We know that the Arctic and Antarctic ice is melting fast. Some forecasters have predicted that the Seychelles and other low-lying island groups will disappear as the ice cap melts. What about the Netherlands, where most of the country is below sea-level, protected from the sea by dykes?

We also know about desertification. Doom-mongers reckon that southern Spain will turn into a desert within 50 years. Blimey!

The climate here in Andalucía has certainly changed in the 15-plus years I have lived here. The largest Spanish region has lacked rainfall for the last five years, more or less. The embalses are nearly empty. There are hosepipe bans; water in some Costa del Sol towns is turned off at night; hotels along the coast have been banned from filling their swimming pools; and what about the golf courses that are abundant round here?

It's a real crisis: the latest olive harvest was poor and there are concerns about the quantity and quality of the 2023 vintage among the owners of the Ronda wine bodegas.

                                                                                                                    SUR in English

"Good" Wet Weather

So, the heavy rain we have been experiencing is more than welcome. Hence the description of the current weather as “good”.

Certainly, my fruit and veg are benefiting hugely, as are my lawns.

Shame about the Semana Santa (Easter) processions. Up to now only one of the nine scheduled pasos has managed to get out. The weather forecast for Good Friday doesn’t look promising for the processions either.                                                                                                                                              Secret Serrania

So, the rain in Spain?

At the moment it’s falling everywhere, on the plain and in the mountains. In some regions the rain is falling as snow or hail.

The high mountains around here are covered in snow, eg Sierra de las Nieves, Sierra de Grazalema and Sierra de Libar.

Yesterday in Montejaque (near Ronda), 960 metres above sea level, we had a hailstorm. ¡Vaya!

©  Joe King

Links:

The rain in Spain... (secretserrania.com)

Acknowledgements:

Pinterest

Secret Serrania

SUR in English

Wikipedia

Tags:

Alan Jay Lerner, Antarctic, Arctic, Balearics, below sea-level, bodega, Canary Islands, climate change, desert, desertification, dykes, Easter, embalses, Friedrich Loewe, fruit and veg, hail, ice, ice cap, Joe King, lawns, Lerner and Lowe, Montejaque, My Fair Lady, Netherlands, olive harvest, Pinterest, Professor Higgins, rain in Spain, Rex Harrison, Ronda, Ronda wine bodegas, Secret Serrania, Semana Santa, Semana Santa processions, Serranía de Ronda, Seychelles, Sierra de las Nieves, Sierra de Grazalema, Sierra de Libar, snow, SUR in English, Wikipedia