One of the joys of Spain is that outrageous swearing is common at all levels of society. And on all conceivable occasions. The equivalents of both the Anglo F and C words are common currency. Perhaps too common. I had occasion to have a drip put in my arm on Saturday. The first clue that something was not going quite right was the lovely young doctor spitting out Joder! [Fuck!] as she fiddled with the tube. The other clue was a second tube, in my other arm. I contented myself with the thought I was on steroids for the first time in my life and that I would presumably emerge with larger muscles. They could hardly be smaller.

I've been trying for decades now to persuade my daughters and houseguests that there’s no need to put a litre of water in a kettle when you want to boil enough for 250cl cup of tea or coffee. No success at all. But now I read this is the biggest offence committed by householders careless of their carbon footprint. So, there we have it – It’s now a sin against the precepts of the Church of Latter Day Global Warming. Vindicated at last. Perhaps I will even lose the label of Tight Old Bastard. Which is almost certainly something worse when translated into the Spanish vernacular.

The latest El Pais elections poll reveals that the PSOE lead has fallen from 3.4% to 2.9%. This is, of course, utterly meaningless but the paper still managed to fill up a page with analysis of it.

Galicia Facts

I never know quite how many police forces operate all at the same time in Pontevedra. Certainly three, I think. But possibly five. Or even six. For the gypsies in the mixed gitano/payo district I mentioned yesterday have set up a vigilante patrol to ensure their unwanted brethren are not molested by the existing residents. Just what the place needs. I wonder if solidarity will remain firm if the fears of drug dealing [trapicheo] prove justified. You can read all about it in yesterday’s Diario de Pontevedra, where it was the main news item.

It struck me later that my item on smokers yesterday should perhaps have gone to my How to Treat Strangers blog. Ah well. So, sorry if it bored anyone.