I
noticed twenty minutes ago that someone was drilling a wall in a
room off this café. But since then the noise hasn't registered.
Does this mean that, like all Spaniards, I've developed filters? Or
could it be it's because the two women on the table to my left are
shouting at each other, in apparent belief this is essential to mutual understanding?
Which
reminds me . . . Nice-but-Noisy Toni hasn't been around for several
days. Can he really have gone back to sea? If so, his two sons - aged
14 and 8 - are more than making up for him. Which is a clincher for
the Nature case, as far as I'm concerned. Anyway, talking yesterday
to my neighbour Manolo, who shares a wall with Toni on the other side
from mine, I referred to Toni as La Voz de Galicia, which went
down well with Manolo. It's surprising I hadn't thought of this before.
So,
the recession and Pontevedra. Are there more well-dressed beggars
sitting on the steps of some vacant shop or other? Well, what do you
think? But the recession isn't bad news for everyone, of course. It
seems every street in town now has a shop in which you can trade in
gold. And the wretched creatures who panhandle on the basis of an
incompetent performance on a basic musical instrument can still be
seen coming and going from the gypsy quarter on my side of the river.
Where their daily needs are happily met.
I
take it back - I can now hear the bloody drill. But, then, the women
to my left have gone.
MoviStar:
The Final Chapter?
My
mobile rings:
Hello.
This is Ana. I'm ringing about your request for an internet package.
Yes?
Well,
the number you provided yesterday [the 4th.] isn't the one MoviStar
have got. But they are prepared to go ahead anyway.
Oh,
good.
But
I understand you're going away at the weekend and that it has to be
delivered before Friday.
Yes.
Well,
I can't guarantee this will happen.
How
about on Saturday?
No,
I can't guarantee that either. When will you be back?
June.
Well,
we have to leave it until then.
Yes.
Indeed we do.
Am
I being too cynical or merely pessimistic to expect bills from
MoviStar will now be delivered to my mailbox, matched by direct debit
payments going out of my bank account? Another case for El Consumo
building up? Vamos a ver.
I
wrote a few weeks ago that it was hard to see any other team than
Barcelona or Real Madrid winning the Champions Cup. Well it's a lot
easier now, as both have suffered astonishing semi-final defeats at
the hands of Chelsea and Bayern Munich. So, here's another prediction
- Chelsea won't win it. Given my track record, though, I've just put
50 quid on them to lift the trophy. In the hands of that idiot, John
Terry.
All
that said, at least my all-Spanish final forecast would have been
accurate as regards the Europa Cup. For Atletico Madrid and Athletic
Bilbao will face each other in this. Anyone who doesn't know why one
team is Athletic and the other Atletico should search this blog for
the answer, given earlier this year.
Finally
. . . Carrefour. Spit. Spit. My disdain for this (French) company is
well established but it's now been augmented by a big sign near their
trolleys saying only 50 cent coins will unchain one for you. In
Marcadona, they take not only 50c coins but also one and two-euro
coins. Nothing could give you a better appreciation of their
respective attitudes to their customers. You know, the ones who pay
their salaries and give them their profits. But, to be honest, I'm pretty
sure the French management would be shocked as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment