A couple of months back I wrote about cistus and, with summer now approaching rapidly, I thought it would be useful to look at another member of the cistaceaefamily, the aptly named sun rose or helianthemum.
The original wild plant is helianthemumnummularium, found in the Mediterranean area, single and white flowering. But breeders have been busy and there are now some 200 species available in many colours ranging through yellow, peach, orange, pinks, red and purple – some bearing blotches

The entrance into Competa is no longer an empty unsightly concrete building that you race to get past before arriving into this lovely village. For, it is now taking shape with the arrival of new businesses and the influx of entrepreneurs and young professionals. One of these businesses and professionals is Thomas Gant, a Spanish Lawyer.

Thomas Gant Law is situated on the right-hand side on the approach into Competa. Thomas is a qualified lawyer and currently works between a firm of Lawyers in

It's almost time for Scruffs 2013! On Saturday May 11th Action for Animals will once again team up with the Pavo Real to bring you a fabulous fun-filled afternoon with our four-legged furry friends.

Bring your dog along and you could win a trophy. But you don't have to bring a dog to join in the fun. There will be plenty more to enjoy, including the fabulous belly dancers from Benajarafe who delighted us all last year with their fantastic performance. Get there early or you'll miss them! Look for our full page advert in this edition of the Grapevine for more details of Scruffs.

At Sunset Properties Spain www.sunsetproperties-spain.com we have been advised of a new Royal Decree No. 235 which was formalised in Spain on 5 April 2013 and which will come into effect on 1 June 2013 requiring all property owners who have a property either for sale or for long term rent to obtain an Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) for their property.

The introduction of EPCs in Spain comes as a result of the European Directive for the Energy Performance of Buildings which applies to