The new Ministress of Defence was pictured this week taking her seat at her first meeting of the High Council of the Guardia Civil. I can’t be sure but it looks as if some guy - there are only males apart from her - is helping her into her chair. Which is preposterous for a woman seen as the main symbol of Spain’s new gender equality. How long, then, before Spanish women respond to this old-fashioned chivalry by dismissing it – as most Anglo-Saxon women do – as patronising?

As regular readers will know, 500 euro notes are called Bin Ladens here as they’re rarely seen. But they were much used for the countless ‘black cash’ transactions of the construction boom. Suddenly there are a lot of them around and some wag [Mark Stucklin, in fact] has suggested this be used as a rough guide to the state of the economy – the Bin Laden Index.

Since the end of the [largely manufactured] Formula 1 row between Alonso and Hamilton, the Spanish press have been remarkably fair to the latter. In fact, last week end’s reports on his victory at the British Grand Prix were positively gushing. Perhaps everyone here is in magnanimous mood after Spanish victories at the European football Championships and at Wimbledon. Or possibly they just felt sorry for the Brits.

If you scroll through the photos here, you can see why I say there's no denying that bullfighters are brave. Or mad. Something like the last one was given some prominence in the Spanish press. Or parts of it. Actually, I think it was the right-hand extension of number 11, which has been cut off for British eyes.

Should you ever wish to dry a pair of socks in the microwave as an emergency measure, I can tell you that it does work. However, it’s best to have the turntable going round and to avoid more time than is strictly necessary. If not, at least one end of the socks could well be scorched. If you’re lucky, this will not be the toe end and you can still put the socks on and hope no one notices the frayed edges around your ankles. Or the smell of burning. And, if you're really fortunate, your house won't burn down

Galicia Facts

There are now 1,261 villages in this region without a single inhabitant. As I’ve said before, you can now buy an entire village of cheek–by-jowl stone houses at knock-down prices. Which is not as good as ten years ago, when the council might well have paid you to occupy them. But Galicia had no agents targeting Brits back then.

On the other hand, you might want to know that, should you get into a dispute with anyone, it's reported that the wheels of justice turn more slowly here than anywhere else in Spain. Which is thought-provoking.

Photo Gallery: Parking in Poio and Pontevedra - The Sequel.

These are the snaps taken in my 10 minute walk back home the other day..

As it's midday, deliveries are being made throughout the town. And the pavement/sidewalk is being used for the convenience of the van drivers. About which, no one makes the slightest objection. Except those of us who make the token gesture of folding the wing mirrors back as we pass.


Here are two of a whole street of illegally parked cars, near the Post Office. The little huddle in the distance in the second one is around a woman on crutches who fell over trying to negotiate one of them. And the bins it was next to.




A typical midday sight outside my regular cafe/bar in the same street. Also prime wing-mirror-bending material. Particularly ridiculous 4x4s. Especially if the driver is sitting inside, waiting for his wife to finish her shopping or whatever.


This is a space for disabled drivers. There's no badge in the car and I rather doubt that someone with mobility problems would chose a Mini.


Not so common. But not so uncommon either. Despite the yellow lines and the warning on the door, the driver has blocked a private garage and will emerge - eventually - when someone trying to get in or out has blown his/her horn for several minutes. Then they will pass each other without a word being exchanged. Live and let live. There, but for the grace of God . . .


A couple of examples of standard bus-stop blocking.


The next two are of the sort of thing that used to infuriate me when I parked in this street before walking into town. Parking is just as much at a premium here as it is elsewhere but you'd never get this impression from the way the cars are left metres away from each other. But not enough to allow adequate space for someone else.


Finally, this isn't a parking photo at all. It's of the new roundabout at the far end of the bridge into town. I show it because 1. the far lane is completely redundant as it can't take you anywhere except where you were going anyway. So, 2. I expected to see the usual one or two cars taking advantage of its superfluity. But no. A minor miracle. Bloody Spaniards! So reliably unreliable . . . .