A quick follow-up to my Quote of the Century yesterday – a front page headline in El Pais yesterday advised us that Palestine is devouring itself. Quite a contrast in sentiment. And a depressing one.

I went back to the photo exhibition yesterday evening. This time the machine failed to register not only my daughter’s flat keys in one pocket but also my car keys in the other. I wonder why they bother.

An editorial in today’s El Pais expresses the hope that the provisional government in Belgium is the prelude to a solution that keeps the Flemish and the Walloons together. But if not, it opines, the break-up will have no implications for Spain, as Belgium has always been an artificial state. The trouble is this is exactly how the various nationalist groups here see Spain. I can’t see them viewing it as an irrelevance.

I’ve written more than once that even those Spaniards who see themselves as non-racist are happy to admit they despise gypsies. I guess this opening sentence from a report yesterday helps to explain this widespread visceral antipathy – A wedding agreed between the families of two adolescent gypsies ended with the kidnapping of the bride – aged 16 – whom the family of the groom – aged 14 – had taken to a house in Lloret de Mar, under threat they would prostitute her unless the dowry of 80,000 was handed over.

El Pais yesterday had a large feature on Nutra Life, the Malaga company accused of selling dangerous slimming products. Strange to relate, a search of El Mundo’s web page failed to throw up any reports at all. I guess it doesn’t cover advertisements.

I haven’t done one of these for a long time but I see the film Groundhog Day is called Trapped in Time in Spain. As I always say, I guess somebody had a salary to justify.

Finally - A strange incident in the street outside my daughter’s flat last night. There was a dead pigeon in the road and a couple were standing over it, showing an unusual degree of interest. In fact, the woman was videoing its headless corpse. Looking over my shoulder as I walked on, I saw they were now both crouched down, examining it even more intensely. And prodding it. Too many CSI episodes, I suspect.

And on that forensic note, I will leave you for Christmas, wishing you a good break from whatever it is that stresses you. If this is your family – tough!