Sad to read that the women of Seradilla de Arroyo failed in their attempt to raise school funds via a sexy calendar and are now left with printing debts to the tune of €10,000. But, truth to tell, I couldn’t help smiling at the reason given for this – there’d been a ‘sales glitch’ which meant the calendar wasn’t ready for Christmas. It reminded me of the relaxed approach taken here to the availability of the monthly guide to events in Pontevedra. Incidentally, having seen extracts of the calendar one would have to say – well this one, anyway – that its attraction can only lie in its curiosity value. But I still take my hat off to the ladies who were prepared to shed rather more for a good cause.

When you become a minister in the Spanish government, you can choose to either ‘swear’ or ‘promise’ something at your inauguration. I’m not clear on the distinction but, in either case, you have to do it in front of a crucifix. This seems a little anachronous and I wonder how many years it will be before this symbol of the power of the Church in Spain quietly disappears. Or not so quietly, even. I guess it will have to be during a Socialist administration. But whose?

I’m a little confused about Spanish newspapers at the moment. I’ve always shied away from reading ABC as I thought is was further to the right that El Mundo. If not as extreme as La Razon. But in his book Spain Going Places, William Chislett characterises ABC as ‘centre-right’ and El Mundo as a ‘populist right’ paper’. Reviewing the media over at South of Watford recently, Graeme advised that ABC had, indeed, shifted its stance towards that of the ‘wet’ wing of the PP party but had since moved rightwards again. Can anyone give me a definitive statement, shorn of their own bias?

In the face of relentless bad news about the economy, one commentator has posed the following question:- Is it really possible that the global financial system can be in the grip of its worst crisis since the Great Depression, as some pundits claim - or at least the worst crisis within the working lifetimes of anyone who now has a hand in managing a bank - and yet domestic economic life can jog along with only a shallow dip in consumer activity, a flattening of property prices and little or no impact on jobs? His answer is that, on balance, there are grounds for optimism and you can read his rationale here. His comments, though, relate to the British economy and I have no idea whether they’re equally applicable to Spain’s. But I hope so.

Galicia Facts

Observing one key thoroughfare in Pontevedra being reduced from two lanes to one, I concluded several months ago there’d be chaos unless a roundabout was installed at the end of it. No one could tell me whether or not this was planned but it has now come to pass. However, its configuration is such that it makes no sense unless something else happens. The answer came yesterday with the news that the bridge from my side of the river into the city is going to be made one way. This will happen as and when a new bridge - the 6^th, I think – is built further along the river. This, we’re told, will be in ‘2 years time’. As this is code in Spain for ‘rather a long time from now’, I’m taking a relaxed view of events. I may not even be alive when it happens.

Finally - It will come as no surprise to anyone that the printer I handed back to Carrefour a month ago is still sitting in the store, waiting to be bundled with others and sent to the repair centre for checking that it doesn’t work. I’ve written a full account of my dealings with the various companies here, in France and in the UK and have posted it to cif4c.com This, of course, means Carrefour is French for Crap. I am hoping the company will, in stroke of defensive genius, buy the domain name from me before it leads to the destruction of their worldwide business.