It's standard form for people on Spanish radio to send each other hugs and kisses as they sign off. Sometimes 'big kisses' even. The Beijing correspondent did so this morning to his colleague in Madrid. Try as I might, I can't imagine, say, the BBC's Kate Adie sending a hug and kiss to John Simpson. It's also very common in Spain for people to call each other guapa [beautiful] - or even guapisima [very beautiful] - when they meet. It all sounds completely sincere but I do sometimes wonder whether it really is. Especially when someone calls me guapo.

The Chinese ambassador to Spain was quoted this week as saying that Spain was his country's best friend in Europe. I wondered, firstly, what this could mean and, secondly, whether it was true or just a mantra repeated this week in each Continental capital. And then this morning I read in the ABC newspaper that, whereas Presidents Bush and Sarkozy had both called for freedom in China, President Zapatero had remained silent on the issue. So maybe there's a clue there.

I now have yet another reason for disliking the BBVA bank. Changing pounds there today, I discovered their commission rate is twice as much as the last bank I used. As a capitalist, I have no objection to the BBVA charging what the market will bear but I do wish it was an easy thing to get hold of details of what each bank takes as commission so I can make an informed choice. Anyone know of an internet site?

Reading the salacious small ads at the back of one of the local papers this morning, I saw a box ad for 'Young married women who are principiantes'. This turns out to mean 'inexperienced'. Can anyone really be stupid enough to believe this stuff?

Relatedly, I heard on the BBC this week that British men seeking such services often specify that they want a GFE - A girlfriend experience. A strange world.

Galicia Facts

Because of subdivision of plots on death, land can be a complex issue here. Then there are the not-uncommon errors made by the municipal offices [the Catastros] in recording the details of the property on which the annual municipal tax [the IBI] is based. Few mistakes, though, are as bad as the one which led to a chap up in Melón being sent IBI demands for 45 properties, none of which he actually owns.

In a recent blog, Graeme of South of Watford cites some interesting data on the languages spoken in the Basque Country and Cataluña. In both of these regions a significant percentage of the population is bilingual but my guess is the number is much higher here in Galicia. Possibly because Gallego is closer to Spanish, I suspect few people born here fail to learn both languages. Certainly almost everyone I know can move backwards and forwards from one to the other with facility. Which is why I regard it as divisive for the Nationalists here to seek not to make it easy to speak Gallego but difficult to speak Spanish. Today I've been given a laminated card which bears, on one side, some small city symbols and the large legend "The bearer of this card is a GALLEGO SPEAKER". While, on the other, there is written this text:-
I COMMIT MYSELF
On my word as a good Galician to respect the rules set out below, which are so necessary to preserve and spread our language.
1. All the symbols are voluntary, so anyone wearing one can be considered a Gallego-speaker
2. The carrier of this card obliges himself to speak to others in Gallego, always provided that they show themselves to be speakers of our language.
3. To respect those who don't carry a card, whether because they are not Galician or because they don't accept their own language.

So there you have it. At least you can be assured that, if you exercise your freedom to speak Spanish, you will be respected. Or so it says. Sort of.