When
I got back from dinner in Irún on Wednesday night my genial host
collared me for a rather one-sided conversation on the merits of
learning English. Specifically, on the correct pronunciation of the
words table, walk and rain. I did my very best to be
civil – or as civil as anyone can be when assailed by a malodorous
mixture of oral garlic and armpit odour. But I eventually tore myself
away amidst copious smiles, slept well and, in the morning, left as
quickly as I could so as to avoid experiencing the additional layer
of nocturnal noisomeness.
Walking
into the centre of Irún, I passed a Chinese 'bazaar' and was
surprised to find the smell coming out of the entrance was exacty the
same as that of the Chinese shops in Pontevedra. Mothballs?
A
conversation with my lovely neighbour, Ester, as we drive into and
out of town, to pick up her teenage daughter, prior to going back
down to town to attend the dinner at the English Speaking Society.
We're on our way back from town and are on the roundabout at the
bottom of the hill, looking to go straight on:-
Ester:
You have to be really careful here because some cars go straight
across the front of you without stopping. In fact, my friend was hit
here by someone recently.
Me:
But, Ester, you're not signalling
that you're going straight on, up the hill. In fact, you haven't
signalled once since we left home.
Ester:
That's true. Come to think of it, I never signal. I must have
picked up the habit here in Galicia as I always used to signal in
Madrid.
Me:
I imagine so.
Something
a little unusual occurred yesterday afternoon. A praying mantis
alighted on the leg of our host, Steve. Unsure whether it was male or
female, we waited on the arrival of a would-be partner, and the
post-coital consequences. But this was not to be, as the insect tired
of our field research and flew off.
Finally
. . . It doesn't get much better than this - Four laughter-sodden
days with (very) old friends in a magnificent house in Provence. With
superb food and great wines thrown in. Leaving me with strong urge to
recommend to any young folk reading this that they invest heavily in
the creation and maintenance of a few good friendships that will
later be worth more than gold. Lecture over.
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