Armed with my list of Galician authors and their books, I pootled along to the Pontevedra library to see if they had any English translations. Somewhat to my surprise, they didn’t. But then I realised the English section was understandably dedicated to classics for Eng. Lit. students. Until, that is, I saw the copy of Don Quijote. Checking with the librarian, I confirmed that the library, despite having a translation of this Castellano masterpiece on its shelves, offers no translations of works in Gallego. Time, then, for me to have a word with the city’s mayor. As he’s a Nationalist and normally speaks only in Gallego, I expect a sympathetic ear.

After the library, I polled along to one of our remaining bookshops to continue with the challenge. As with the others, the organisation of the books there seems chaotic to me. Plus there are no signs whatsoever to help you concentrate your search. Just like the Corte Inglés in Vigo, albeit on a smaller scale. So, not being a genius or a long-serving employee but being short of time, I left the task for another day. When I will simply ask one of the rather under-active assistants. My suspicion is the place survives on the sale of school textbooks.

I’ve touched on our local drug trade quite a lot recently but, in my defence, it has featured rather frequently in the local press. The latest sad development is the first arrival on our coast of ‘black cocaine’. This apparently lacks a smell that can be picked up by sniffer dogs. It’s sort of impressive to see the manufacturers investing in R&D but I imagine they can easily afford it.

Mad Britain: Good to read that West Yorkshire’s most senior policeman has complained that ‘the insane cult of health and safety’ is stifling common sense in the UK. Next step?

At the other end of the spectrum, the police here in Galicia are trying to infiltrate the gangs of morons who hold illegal car and bike races on public roads. From my experience, all they need to do is park any Sunday along the ‘old’ road from Pontevedra to Ourense and wait for the bikers to flash past. Though catching them night be a bit tougher. Unless they string a net across the road. Or a wire at head height.

Finally, El Mundo yesterday carried an article by Giscard d’Estaing in which – not for the first time – he said that the EU’s Lisbon Treaty was the same as the Constitution rejected by the Dutch and French, only with the order of things changed. So either he or the British Prime Minister is a fool or a liar. Or both, I suppose. In both cases.