Sad to report – but true – is that the change in local politics has bought about the removal of the many rose and geranium filled planters that lined Almunecar's streets during the summer. The official line from the town hall is that it helps to give work to the gardeners employed by the authority; however local traders and environmental action groups see the removal of these displays as detrimental to the towns appearance as a tropical environment. Clearly it seems that the new administration has a problem with plants and has over the last days begun not only to remove the hanging baskets around the town but also has started to remove established palm trees – "declared dangerous" – and which had been in situ since the 1930s. A campaign to curb such green annihilation is now being considered.

To add insult to injury, the residents of cortijo's in the campo are again demanding that the track roads around the Rio Seco and Gelibra areas be re-tarmaced. This was last done almost 3 years ago now, but many of the owners claim that the roads have deteriorated with the heavy traffic. Ironically while residents in urban parts of Taramay have to pay for a private contractor to tarmac the roads in front of their urban homes those in the campo get the work done by the town hall – and while property owners in town contribute more than 350 Euros per household to municipal taxes those in the campo pay a fifth of that!!!

Since last month the gradual removal of these concrete planters has been  At the end of September, Spain's first minister and president, Jose Luis Rodriquez Zapatero, applied to the King to dissolve parliament. This means now that until the general elections of November 20 there will be no sitting parliament. It also indicates that as of this month, in the run up to the elections there will be a wealth of canvassing, meetings and fairs – as each party tries to grab the votes of Spanish nationals. Already, opinion polls point toward the right's Mariano Rajoy of the Partido Popular will be the new Prime Minister, however it is not clear whether he will gain an overall majority or be forced to make a coalition with a third party (sound similar?). 35.7 million Spaniards have the right to vote – which is over 630,000 more than in the last General Election of March 2008 – and a further 1.4 million Spaniards can vote from overseas. Foreign residents in Spain are not allowed to vote in the General Election, but can vote in local elections.

One of the highlights in October is the traditional religious fair in Salobreña which is in honor of the Virgen del Rosario that starts on Friday 7 and continues all weekend with a series of church liturgies. Apart from the usual party celebrations there is the traditional procession and pilgrimage, with horse drawn carts and floats travelling through the town streets down to the beach near El Peñon lunchtime on Sunday October 9. A mass on the beach is programmed for 12.30, and after this there are various competitions for the floats and the horses, the singers and dancers, musicians and riders. Expect the traffic to be very busy at this end of the beach from early Sunday til late at night.

I am sure that regular readers will be aware that Almuñecar’s Tropical valley is the worlds largest producer of the chirimoya - aka the custard apple? This fruit, which was awarded DO status, (a quality control measure), back in 2009 is widely promoted as an exceptional Tropical fruit exclusively produced here in Andalusia. Its production is so vital to the local economy that the Guardia Civil have been instructed to control the illegal sale of the fruits by street and roadside vendors in order to protect the incomes of farmers and suppliers. The fruit is celebrated in a local fiesta this month too in Torrecuevas from October 14 to 16, with the neighbours offering tastings of the various applications that this fruit offers, including jams, chutneys, ice creams, sauces and pastries.

As our winter foreign residents return to Spain's Costa Tropical, then there is – as ever - plenty for them to keep occupied. The most popular being the series of Classical music concerts at the Cultural centre in Almuñecar. Tickets are reasonably priced from 10 to 20 Euros – and are available from either the Casa de Cultura or the Palacete de la Najarra tourist office here in Almuñecar.

The fiesta of the Chirimoya (or custard apple) is celebrated in the district of Torrecuevas, just outside Almuñecar on the Rio Verde road to Jete and Otivar. From the 14th to the 16th, the locals enjoy a long party that gives thanks to a successful harvest of the Costa Tropical’s most famous fruit crop which is produced in the Tropical valley along with the mango and the avocado; and is today exported the world over. Chirimoya jams, chutneys, sauces and even ice cream desserts will, along with the locally produced muscatel wines, be made available to everyone to taste… and with Spain's National day (El Puente del Pilar), October 12, falling on a Wednesday this year; and consequently many provinces may take the weekends before or after to take a long, pre-Christmas weekend break. If the weather’s good then don’t be surprised to the see the beaches full to overflowing again…

And finally, on the property front again there seems to be a renewal of interest in bank repossessions. However, there also appears to be a lot of (mis)information and misconceptions about the worth of these particular properties. Not all bank repossessions are real bargains especially when you begin to compare with the market price of similar objects either in the same area or the same building. This last month we have seen two operations loosely claiming to be bank repossessions – one which was a bargain 3 bedroom house on a newly built urbanization at 75,000 Euros less than the present market value, the other a 2 bedroom apartment with debts in excess of 300,000 Euros sold for 175,000 Euros. In the former case the buyer purchased from the bank without viewing; only to discover later that the property had been stripped bare of bathroom and kitchen fittings! And in the second instance the vendor had not removed all the debts from the property prior to exchange. It appears that in both of these instances the sales were private and no legal or real estate agent was involved… ho hum!

As for the actual banks selling their reclaimed (repossessed) properties – then in most cases they appear to be new build apartments where as much as 80% of the properties in the building were never sold by the builder-promoter and so the bank is forced to sell at the (often) non-negotiable mortgage amount plus fees; or on occasions private second hand properties which were mortgaged over market value in order to consolidate private loans – and then left to decay over the last 2 or 3 years while the loan companies not only attempt to possess but also to reclaim the greater part of the loan too. The effect of the later is that such properties are often over-priced and none negotiable.

Looking for something different to do with family and friends this month then why not invest 10 Euros, and pick up a copy of the useful pocket guide – Granada Tapas Tours: 100 Tapas Bars in Granada; researched and written by Vernon Grant & Gayle Mackie. With 18 routes of 4 bars each to choose from, and 72 bars in various parts of the city where you will be treated the same as the locals. The book guides you away from popular tourist bars, and as you stroll from one to the other (using the simple to follow directions given), then you are made aware of some of the lesser know attractions of Granada city. The book also offers 28 bars that you can drive to in the vast and varied province of Granada, including the Costa Tropical, the Lecrin Valley, La Alpujarra and some that are hidden in spectacular countryside locations. The book also offers tapas tips to ensure you get the most pleasure from your tapas experience, a glossary of the dishes you are most likely to be served and, crucially, how to pronounce them.

The book is for sale via www.guiribooks.blogspot.com ,

www.lecrinlet.blogspot.com  and

www.granadagardens.blogspot.com

And then for a more individual experience you can contact Vernon to arrange guided tapas tours and, or, tours of Andalusian gardens around the area.

For the latest news and updates, you can find me at www.twitter.com/SpainCostaTrop