Although the café/bar I patronise each day still allows smoking, I was clinging to the hope its size would ensure that – on the very last day of the period of grace – it would be converted into a No Smoking establishment. But the head barman tells me that ‘It all depends’. As the place is L-shaped, the owner is hoping to convince whomsoever [no one knows yet] that it’s really two places, each of less than 100 square metres, and so neither of them has to ban smoking. I am personally unimpressed by the logic of this but dismayed at the thought that, for one reason or another, others will take a different view. I’ve said I’ll take my custom elsewhere but they don’t believe me, possibly because there are no signs at all that anywhere else will offer relief to non-smokers.

I received a flier on 5 January from an airline company offering special deals. These were available from 15 November until 15 January. As the company was Portugalia, it’s clear the need for better customer orientation is an Iberia-wide phenomenon. And yet, despite their tendency to waste a fortune on almost-out-of-time promotions, I should add Portugalia is an excellent little outfit when it comes to flying planes. I’m not sure I could find anyone prepared to say anything similar about Iberia.

A couple of people have been kind enough to write on the subject of Spanish parents and their alleged willingness to support their kids whatever they do. I had another thought myself. If true, is it perhaps connected with the national characteristic of getting angry with people who remonstrate with you for, say, blocking the street? Or parking in front of their garage? Or coming at them the wrong way down a one-way street? Or nearly knocking them over on a zebra crossing? Just a thought.

It seems that the 500 euro note still represents almost 60% of the value of notes in circulation in Spain. The Bank of Spain, if I understand them correctly, has said this is because of the upsurge in personal loans. So, nothing to do, then, with the fact that larger notes are much more useful in a black economy.