Well, there may be a vicious credit crunch encircling the earth but my bank has just increased my credit card limit by a mere 10%. They say I'm a preferred customer. Apparently you achieve this status by hardly ever using your card.

On a wider front, Mark Stucklin gives an interesting extract from El Pais's on-line debate about the economic crisis and whose fault it really is.

The Chairman of the major property developer which recently went into Administration has declared himself bankrupt. Which rather raises the question of what he did with last year's salary of 6m euros and his dividends of 85m. Gave them to his wife for the housekeeping, presumably.

Insane Britain: A disabled pensioner in Manchester has been fined £60 for parking 30cm out of place. Worse, the Department for Transport is going to allow councils to fine people for "inconsiderate parking". Imagine the fortune that could be reaped if this were ever to come to Spain. Which it won't. For start, there'd be a ten year dialogue on what constituted 'inconsideration'. Presupposing anyone recognised the concept.

Since news is slow, here's a in-fill snap of a driver in Pontevedra showing nil consideration for :- 1. Those driving round the corner; 2. Pedestrians, and 3. Drivers trying to get out of the car park in the top left of the picture. Contrary to appearances, the guilty party is not the chap advancing towards me with a menacing expression. Thank God.

The FAO tells us that Spain, Greece and Italy are now the EU's biggest consumers of lipids. Here, fat has gone from accounting for 25% of the diet 40 years ago to 40% now. The famed Mediterranean diet appears to be on the way out.

Galicia Facts

To complete the brazen filling-in, here are:-

1. A picture of the dig in front of Pontevedra town hall, showing [through the mesh] part of the medieval wall of the town. The same wall that runs through the café I've mentioned three times now.

and

2. At the request of one or two readers - alright, one - the house we've just bought in the Cotobade hills outside Pontevedra. If you look hard, you can see Ryan on the terrace, lording it.