My drive back to Galicia yesterday was slower than it ought to have been, thanks to accidents which topped and tailed the trip - one on the edge of Madrid and one near Vigo. As it happened, both of these could have been passed far more quickly but for the drivers slowing to peer at the carnage, firstly through their side windows and then, for another 20 or 30 metres, through their rear-view mirrors. This sort of thing goes on all over the world, of course, but I’d be happy to nominate Spain for at least the European title.

The local council has come up with a very effective way to reduce the potential for accidents at the new roundabout where two lanes effectively funnel into one. A hundred metres before it, they’ve closed off one of the approach roads with bollards. Another brilliant example of Spanish pragmatism.

At 915 euros a month, the average Spanish pension is below the 1068 euros a month said to be needed for survival. When questioned, most people said this didn’t concern them much as they expected to reduce their outgoings in retirement. And then there’s the fact that, at 92%, Spanish home ownership is the highest in Europe. This does tend to provide a bit of comfort. Not to mention the highest second-home ownership in Europe as well. No wonder the Spanish seem more affluent that the bare statistics would suggest.

Insults Corner

President Chaves of Venezuela has demonstrated that there’s far more to political badmouthing that labelling one’s opponents ‘liars’. In case you missed them, here’s a few of the things he called George Bush [‘Mr Danger’] yesterday:- A donkey; a coward; a dickhead; an assassin; and a drunkard. Presumably Señor Chaves is not waiting on any largesse from Washington.

Finally, a new bit of Spanglish. Not in my dictionary.
Escrachar – To scratch, I guess.