Dawn

Dawn

Monday, November 01, 2010

As I haven’t cited an article by our Ambrose for a while, here’s one on the latest EU developments, and how they affect Greece, Ireland, Portugal and Spain. One commentator suggested this article showed that Ambrose had ‘gone back to Economics school over the summer”. And another felt it marked the end of “36 consecutive months of drivel”. But what will reader Moscow think of it, I wonder.

Though Spain gets a plaudit or two in the above article, Ambrose feels President Zapatero has effectively been mugged by Frau Merkel and M. Sarkozy. Edward Hugh, however, remains pessimistic about both the employment situation and the banks here. You can make up your own mind. Assuming you can understand what he writes. I’m not sure I always do.

The leader of the Opposition, Sr Rajoy, finally seems to have come out of the long grass with an indication of what he might do if and when he gets into power in 2012. Bizarrely, he’s ventured onto this territory with a suggestion that David Cameron has effectively given him a useful script for Spain. Apart from the bit about annulling the law permitting gay marriages, of course. As regards the latter, Rajoy has immediately been accused by some of being homophobic. Which would be a tad ironic if there’s any truth in the rumours which circulate around his home town. And to which, needless to say, I give no credence at all. But, anyway, I now await Graeme’s professional and dispassionate dissection (over at South of Watford) of Rajoy’s long interview with El País published yesterday. I’m guessing it won’t be too flattering. Though he might get an easier ride from Guy Hedgcoe over at Qorreo.

Foto time . . . Here are a couple of snaps of The Great Wall of Poio, on the building site behind my house. Nothing has been done to it for at least three weeks. But the foreman tells me there’ll eventually be railings on top of the lovely concrete wall on top of the vast granite blocks.



And here's a van parked on the road I take down to town, at a spot where the council recently drew parking lines on one side of the road, just before/after a very tight bend. Making it even tighter. From the state of the van, my guess is that someone failed to negotiate said bend last night and hit it a glancing blow, before driving off. And I suspect the owner is away during today’s holiday and will find this pleasant surprise when he gets back late tonight.



I would say this, wouldn't I, but I've been waiting for this to happen. Actually, I've been expecting worse. But plenty of time for that yet, I fear.

And here's the front cover of a Galician satirical magazine that the publisher has refused to distribute:-


In case you don't read Gallego, it says Neither the miracle of the bread and fishes nor hosts, I'm going to make it rain banknotes. Which is, of course, a reference to the fact that the imminent papal visit will cost Gallegos three million euros.

Finally . . .  This blog-writing has its ups-and-downs. This morning, I received a message from a Galician chap who wrote to say how much he enjoyed my blog. And then, this evening, I see there’s a critical comment to yesterday’s post from a lady called Maria living in Pontevedra (which narrows it down). She accuses me of not embracing Galician culture and of writing a blog which is “about as joyful and uplifting as a spoilt 14 year old girl's live journal.” So, I guess she won’t be signing up for the RSS feed.


Tailnote for new readers: My daughter tells me she’s had over 600 hits to her new novel. Which must say something. The first nine chapters of this fine work can now be downloaded in pdf form, for easy reading. It’s a “Fast-paced political thriller but, above all, a personal tale of pride and paranoia.” Set in a fictionalised Cuba, it’s being e-published at the rate of at least a couple of chapters a week. If this entices you, click here.

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