Dawn

Dawn

Tuesday, November 27, 2012


I mentioned to my friend Jon I'd been surprised – when buying toothpaste – to see that Carrefour was selling sex toys. “That's nothing” he said. “Just round the corner from here there are three vending machines and one of them sells nothing else.” What is this country coming to? As it were.

Incidentally, Carrefour's sex toys are sold under the Durex brand. In the UK this is associated with condoms but in Australia, as I recall, it's a brand of sellotape. Indeed, durex may now be the generic name for the stuff down there. Though not in the USA, where it's scotch tape, I think.

I am a big fan of Brittany Ferries, having used them at least twenty times without finding anything to complain about. Which is quite something. So I was intrigued to learn today that the enterprise was initiated by Breton farmers, in 1972, to provide access to the British market. Making the UK easier to reach than Paris! All very appropriate, really, as Brittany was settled by Brits – hence the name – way back before the end of the Roman period. Which is why the Breton language is similar to Cornish and Welsh. Not that Bretons will be able to find many speakers of the former to chat with.


Speaking of Brittany . . . I may have asked this before but can anyone say why one of the items on a particularly amusing menu here in Galicia was Mussels to the seaman's blouse?

Walking behind a young Spanish woman the other day, I was struck by the fact she looked at her reflection in every shop window we passed. If there was a wall and no glass, she didn't bother to turn her head. I wonder if all Spanish women do this. More research is clearly required.

When all the dust had settled in Cataluña, the pro-independence parties had garnered 48% of the vote, against 45% for the parties against it. So, no clear mandate for change. Raising the spectre of a No vote when push eventually comes to shove.

They haven't yet gone so far as the bar owners of Ferrol, but it's fascinating to see their counterparts here in Pontevedra building up their street furniture to make things comfortable for their smoking clients during the winter. Key, of course, is one or more flaming heaters. I'm quite sure some of this expansion across pavements is illegal but no one seems to care about that. Live and let live – a fundamental principle of Spanish life.

Finally . . . I have a friend on Facebook whom I've not actually met. Ex-wife of a friend I have met. She sent me a request to play a game called Bubble Safari. As this was of no interest, I ignored it. But the request was repeated. And repeated. And repeated. So I did what one needs to do to stop it coming into my newsfeed(?) and thought that was that. But, no. Up in the right hand corner of my page, I'm told I've now had 24 requests to play this game. I feel like I'm being stalked. By a bloody computer!

Lastly, lastly . . . For those who live in southern Galicia or northern Galicia, here are the numbers of an Englishman, Pierre Cornlouer, (honest) who will deliver to your door all those British or American foods you're missing. Well, most of them.
Landline: (00 34) 986 683 506
Mobile: (00 34) 667 543 717

Happy eating!.

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