Possibly it’s age which is driving a wedge between me and the Spanish idea of fun. Then again, I only had a few hours sleep last night as a result of screaming kids until after 2am, karaoke adults until after 3am and firecrackers starting at 6.30am. Against all of which, even triple earplugs are of little avail.

And then, from midday, we had the 9 year old next door practising scales on his bloody saxophone.

But the day’s nadir came at 2.40 when I settled down for my siesta and Tony decided to counter his 5 year old’s habitual crying with his time-tested bellowing at full belt. Exasperated, for the first time in five years I shouted something through the wall. At which Tony decided to take the kid out into the back garden, possibly to drown him in the community swimming pool. Though I fear not.

But life must go on. Though this is easier said than done here on January 1. For there’s little as dead and desolated as a Spanish city on the morning after a celebratory family dinner when a similar lunch awaits. I did manage to find a café open but felt it best to leave when they started piling up chairs on the tables around me. But an open bar and a glass of Rioja I failed to find and so had to resort to my own kitchen and cellar. Before failing, as they say here, to conciliate sleep. Or myself.

To continue on the sour note with which I’ve begun this first post of the year . . . Here’s more on the demonstration planned for January 9 against the property practices of the municipalities of southern Spain. As Lenox says on his Spanish Shilling site – “This is about generalised (and institutionalised) property fraud in a 21st century European state. It's about notaries and mayors and town hall architects and the people from 'Costas' and the man from the 'delegación provincial'. It's about 'land grab', 'inherited mortgages', unfair re-zoning, sleight-of-hand, trickery and fraud.” Hmm. As I’ve said, logic dictates that the central and local governments should be concerned about the repuation all this has given Spain but I’ve yet to see any evidence of this. However, if any reader wants to refute this, I’d be pleased to offer this blog as a platform.

Meanwhile, I’ll just say I wasn’t too surprised to read that 50% of bars and restaurants in Vigo have yet to start complying with the anti-smoking legislation introduced exactly three years ago.

Tomorrow is another day. Though today has been a good one for considering suicide. Or triple murder.