Further to my post that Jos Biggs story fans will not hear from her this week, well Jos has posted this story. Its not what we can expect next week.  Have a read below.

Apologies for the delay - there was a Situation in the Biggs household this morning. I’ll tell you all about it next week - I need time to recover my composure!

I have every sympathy with those ubiquitous black beetles that seem to specialise in falling on their backs – they are unable to right themselves; they just lie there feebly waving their legs until a passing human turns them the right way up.

Here’s why:

I emerged from the pool after a refreshing swim, sat on my poolside stone seat, dried myself and got up to go inside before I frazzled.

Somehow, I’ve no idea how, I caught my foot on something and unintentionally descended to terra firma. 

I lay there on my back, jammed in between the metal frame tower that offers support to my wisteria and the stone seat, and wondering what was going to hurt most when I got upright again. 

With that thought in mind I began to reverse the falling down process to the standing up process. My head was jammed up against the metal tower, my legs were trapped by the stone seat. 

A vision of the beetle came to mind. However, a passing human was unlikely, so I’d have to right myself on my own. Carefully I wriggled myself a bit sideways, discovering as I did so that gravel is not a feather bed, and wriggling on it hurts. 

However, I got my head out of the wisteria; now all I had to do was free my legs. I had nothing that I could hang on to, except perhaps the wisteria, which would in no way have been robust enough to offer assistance.

It’s amazing what you can do when you are desperate – I managed to wriggle myself into enough space to allow my legs freedom.

Now all I’ve got to do is get up. Getting up from floor level is well nigh impossible for me unless I am the right way up and can hang on to something solid, but I was on my back. Somehow I managed to roll over on to my side, lever myself up on my arms, and from there into a sort of Yoga Downward Dog position.

I’m still not in a position from where I can get up, but I managed a snake-like manoeuvre until I could grab hold of the seat. 

And so, slowly and with the utmost dignity, I arose.

I am none the worse for my fall, except for a new found affinity with beetles and a spectacular bruise in a place which is not on show to the public!

There were a number of questions about passport stamping during this week’s Facebook Live and we know that some UK nationals resident in Spain, have had your passports stamped at border control.

As the representative from the Ministry of Interior confirmed, UK nationals who can demonstrate that they were resident in Spain before 1 January 2021 should not have their passport stamped or be subject to routine intentions questioning upon entry, exit and transit through the Schengen border. 

If you are resident in Spain, you should therefore always travel with both your valid passport and proof of your residence status, such as:

• your residence document: the green paper EU certificate or the new TIE. The Spanish authorities have published guidance on the continued validity of the green residency certificate here: 

https://www.inclusion.gob.es/ficheros/brexit/nota_aclaratoria_green_certificate.pdf?fbclid=IwAR3JdoL1AUPySA8_v8Cou_zlpQyXTAe8ThVlpQD1Oo_X87feF8Q_A1qdXnk

• proof of your application for residency in Spain, 

• or other documentation that shows you were resident in Spain prior to the end of the transition period.

If you have had your passport incorrectly stamped (and the Ministry of Interior acknowledged that it does sometimes happen by mistake) despite showing proof of residency, your rights in Spain will not be affected. The stamp will also not affect your ability to apply for residency in Spain, under the Withdrawal Agreement, as long as you can demonstrate that you were legally residing here by 31 December 2020. 

When travelling in the future, any stamp will be considered null and void when accompanied by evidence of lawful residence such as your residency certificate. Some border authorities may annul incorrect stamps when presented with evidence of residence, but this is not required.

From. Informacion Covid19 Almeria.

Full details for Almeria plus  Andalucia totals including Vaccination update.

Information Almería as of 16/07/2021:

 223 new infections in: Alcudia de Monteagud (1), Alicún (1), Almería Capital (73), Benahadux (1), Huécija (1), Huércal de Almería (3), Níjar (6), Padules (1), Pechina (1), Rioja (1), Sorbas (1), Tabernas (2), Uleila del Campo (1), Viator (3), Cantoria (4), Cuevas del Almanzora (1), Fines (1), Garrucha (6), Huércal - Overa (3), Macael (11), Mojácar (3), Olula del Río (3), Oria (1), Pulpí (1), Serón (4), Tíjola (5), Turre ( 1), Vélez Rubio (1), Vera (6), Zurgena (1), Adra (6), Berja (13), Dalías (2), El Ejido (20), Fondón (1), La Mojonera (2) , Roquetas de Mar (27) and Vícar (3).

 48 recovered in: Almería Capital (11), Benahadux (1), Huércal de Almería (1), Níjar (6), Viator (1), Albox (1), Antas (1), Bédar (1), Fines (2 ), Garrucha (1), Huércal - Overa (2), Macael (1), Mojácar (2), Olula del Río (1), Tíjola (2), Vera (3), Zurgena (1), Balanegra (3) , El Ejido (2), La Mojonera (1), Roquetas de Mar (3) and Vícar (1).

 0 deceased.

 There are 1,862 active cases in the province: 294 in the Levante - Alto Almanzora area (Inmaculada), 1,038 in the Almería district (Torrecárdenas), 525 in the west (El Ejido - Poniente) and an unspecified Municipality (5).

 1 new hospital admission (0 in ICU).

 Vaccines Administered in Andalusia:

 Nº People who have received at least one Dose: 5,127,569

 Percentage of population vaccinated with at least one dose: 72.60%

 No. People who have received all doses: 4,319,150

 Percentage of population vaccinated with all doses (complete regimen): 61.58%

 Andalusia population: 8,476,718