Sometimes the only sane response to Spanish attitudes to timekeeping, noise and consideration for others is simply to laugh. Especially when they’re all in evidence at the same time . . . A couple of nights ago, I went to see The Bicycle Thief down at the premises of the Caixa Galicia. This is a very profitable savings bank which acquits its social duty by laying on free cultural events for the well-heeled denizens of Pontevedra who could easily afford to pay for them. The film started – more or less – at the billed time of 8pm but it was a full 55 minutes before the latecomers stopped arriving, walking across the screen and scrabbling around for chairs. Each time someone arrived, this meant the drawing of the curtain giving us meagre protection from the light and noise coming from the adjacent bar, where the staff appeared to be having a party. And, to cap it all, one of the couples who arrived around 30 minutes late got up and left 10 minutes before the end, just as the denouement was about to unfold. Hard as it may be to believe, I could see the funny side of all this but my companion couldn’t resist asking out loud “What exactly was the point in coming?”. But she’s French so doesn’t have quite the same tolerance levels as me . . . So it’s a good job she doesn’t write a blog.

But all is not lost on the noise front. Asked recently whether they felt enough was being done to counter ‘acoustic pollution’ in their city, 95% of the readers of the Voz de Galicia who could be bothered to vote answered with a resounding No! So, why does it continue, most obviously in the form of imbeciles on mopeds, scooters and motor-bikes? Not to mention bawling neighbours.

I’m once again reading the history of Spain in the 20s and 30s of the last century. As ever, once can’t help but wonder at two things:- 1. How Spanish society can have changed so drastically in such a relatively short space of time, and 2. How could civil war possibly have been avoided. The other thought that occurs is that it’s perhaps understandable there remains more fear of the extremes of Left and Right in Spain than elsewhere. Though, that said, there’s not much evidence of the continued existence of violent anarchists. It’s the ghost of fascism that’s most often seen to be lurking behind the arras. Or Espe Aguirre.

So, Ryan Giggs got the reward he deserved and it wasn’t a bad match. But we’ll have to wait for reader Moscow to tell us how the English ooliganes got on in Moscow and whether the Russians are confused about the image shift from aristocrat to Neanderthal. I mean on the streets, not on the pitch in the person of the talented but brainless Drogba.

Finally, I posted a photo-special earlier, for regular readers who need pictorial evidence of some of my claims. Scroll on down, if you’re interested.

The Anglo Galician Association – open to all who speak English – now has a Forum on the web. If you have a query about Galicia, why not register and post it.