The Spanish parliament has now approved bills for bringing in gay marriages and reducing the separation requirement for divorce. It seems rather unfair to me that homosexuals should have both starting and ending marriage made easier at the same time. Why can’t they be made to wait, like the rest of us?

Scenes you are unlikely to see in the UK: The 82 year-old President of the Galician government – who’s about to stand for another 5 years – has responded to opposition suggestions that he’s an invalid by saying that he can’t be, as he shot a roe-deer from 350 metres only last week. The deer was not asked for its view. And it probably won’t be standing in the election. Or, indeed, anywhere.

The Minister of Housing has been under attack for the last week for his proposed policy of building tiny flats of only 30-40 square metres. Not the best moment, one would have thought, to have a couple of walls knocked down so that he could enlarge his office to 77 square metres.

With the start of the fiesta season not far away and with finance being required from any source, this is the time of year when the police start to get officious about parking offences. My café was agog today at the sight of a traffic cop booking a postman for having the temerity to leave his scooter outside the Post Office.

An internet search today for “GB8372 China National Toothpaste Standard” threw up my blog. If you want to know why, you’ll have to go to the post of 30 January 2004.