ABC is possibly Spain’s most right-wing newspaper. In a recent edition there was a column in which the writer defended his right to call homosexuals ‘poofs’, as it was the activity which was wrong, not the word. And because he didn’t intend to insult anyone. This is a similar argument to that still heard here that ‘nigger’ can’t be insulting, as it only means ‘black’. Anyway, I highlight this not to comment on the content of the article but merely to point out that the writer’s name was Jaime Campmany. You couldn’t make it up.

Down the road, the artificial hill has a acquired a flimsy wooden palisade between the rocks and the equally useless metal rail. The other developments are that a legal suit has now been initiated against the builder, while the council has announced it’ll keep the adjacent road closed until the situation is safe. What no one seems to have realised is that the roundabout even closer to the avalanche-in-waiting is still open. Any vehicle going round it would surely be crushed. But I suppose we must be grateful that at least some degree of risk has now been recognised.

I watched the Liverpool-Chelsea game last night in a bar with Andrew. As he is a Reds supporter and I’m an Evertonian, I’d planned that a Liverpool victory would result in him buying drinks for all the customers. Especially as they’d clearly favoured Liverpool because of the various Spanish connections. And because Mourinho is Portuguese. But, by the time I was able to scrape Andrew off the ceiling, everyone had rushed off home for a 10.30 dinner. Blasted Spanish practices.

Nice cartoon in one of the national papers – an exhausted bull is looking into the eyes of his tormentor and saying – “Now that the Socialists have introduced sexual equality, don’t you think you could occasionally take on a cow!”