I drove up the hill tonight behind a lady who seemed far more interesting in chatting and gesticulating than in negotiating anything like a straight line. Mind you, the dog on her lap might well have been a factor. Needless to say, she wasn’t wearing a safety belt.

I mentioned last week that the Spanish prefer to shower with the flexible hose in their hands rather than fixed above them. Or in one hand at a time, to be more accurate. I, on the other hand[!], prefer to leave the shower head in the wall socket. So it’s there every time my cleaner does my bathroom. Despite this, I calculate she's now removed the shower head and left it draped over the taps on roughly 520 occasions. Perhaps she thinks I have a secret Spanish guest. Which I might have, if any rich widow or divorcee had taken up my invitation of a few weeks ago.

Tony and his family attended a wedding last night and arrived back at 7.30 this morning. This was a splendid opportunity for adults and kids alike to again demonstrate that the concept of excess noise is unknown in Spain. And they grasped it with both hands. Unlike the shower hose.