Well, estate agent offices may be closing like petals before a frost but the long-derelict café in the prime site opposite Pontevedra’s post office is to be reborn as a bank. As you can’t swing a cat in town without hitting at least one of these, I have to confess to some amazement. But Spain’s banking industry is renowned for both taking the country’s best brains and for being very profitable, so they must know what they’re doing. Perhaps the drug industry is booming despite the economic slowdown and more black money than ever is looking for a white home.

The Spanish equivalent of ‘Good morning’ is ‘Buenos días’[Good day]. When abbreviated, these become, respectively, ‘Morning’ and ‘Buenos’ [Good]. This, I think, tells you all you need to know about Anglo and Hispanic societies. But, as it’s a slow news day, here’s a couple of random extracts on Spanish culture from Spain Going Places by William Chislett:-

Despite, or perhaps because of, the dizzying pace of social change, the family remains strong in Spain. According to official statistics, 15% of children under the age of three are looked after by their grandparents for more than 22 hours a week. The family is on the retreat throughout the developed world, particularly in Northern Europe, but to a much lesser extent in Spain.

A welfare state has been created, but its cornerstone is the extended family-based society. An estimated 60% of people aged 25 to 30 live at home, a high figure by European standards, and only 13% of households have one occupant, a comparatively low figure. The extended family looks after unemployed members, enables the young, if they wish, to live at home and save while they are beginning their working life and allows the great majority of pensioners to live with their children. In the latter case, this informal assistance from families provides older persons with living standards similar to those of the rest of the population, making up for any shortfall in pensions

The ratio of inactive elderly to the total labour force is currently projected to increase from 38.2% in 2000 to 90.5% in 2050. This would mean that for every elderly inactive person there would be only one person in the labour force. The sharp increase in this ratio is a Europe-wide problem, but substantially more acute in Spain

As for British society – Is this meritocracy or madness? My daughter in Leeds tells me that the head of the English department in her 1750-strong school is, like 11 others, to be given the new title of Deputy Head and to have her salary doubled to ₤65,000 a year. Say €85,000 euros. Which is quite a lot for a 27 year old with just 4 years experience in the profession. Salaries for teachers in Britain are clearly not what they used to be. But, then, neither are the schools. And perhaps offering such vast rewards really is the way to fix them.

As it was a big week for football, here’s the always-excellent Sam Leith posing a pertinent question, alongside some trenchant views on leading players.

Finally, the inestimable Terry Wogan showed signs last night of being sick and tired of the Eurovision farce. An elegant exit can only be a good thing. On all fronts.