Only 4 years ago - and
to the angry astonishment of many - Francisco Franco was officially
designated 'authoritarian but not totalitarian'. This was by a
right-wing historian writing on behalf of the state's Academy of
History. Ironically, this was done under a left-wing socialist
government. Now, though, a more accurate biography has been published
in which Franco is finally termed a dictator. Odd that it's taken so
long.
Talking of oddness . .
.Two or three years ago, I wrote that several homeowners below me
were facing some sort of action from the 'Community of the
Mountains', on the grounds that the land on which their properties
were based had not been owned by the seller. I added - perhaps a tad
smugly - that I and my immediate neighbours were not affected by
this. But now, it seems, we are. The claim is said to be based on an
old and unique Galician law which allows land to pass to shepherds
whose sheep or goats have pastured for some time on land they don't own. Theft by grass-eater, in other words. Some form of judgment was
passed - unknown to us - in January and I missed a meeting of late March when I was in the UK. Given that out houses were built almost
30 years ago, it's hard to see this as anything but a try-on
but the law moves slowly and oddly in Spain and the action may well
have been initiated way back then and only just come to court. My
neighbour, the lovely Ester, told me last night there'd been a
suggestion of paying €1,000 each to settle this claim but also that
the persons behind it were really interested in getting compensation
in the form of land elsewhere on the hillside. Land which just
happens to be worth a great deal. Or will be when the property market
next takes off. Unless, of course, it's only going to be used for the
pasturing of sheep and goats. Vamos a ver. No doubt there'll be more
meetings.
And still on the
fertile ground of Spanish oddities . . . It looks like a certain Sr
Gozalo is going to be thwarted in his mission of bussing single women
around the country, as possible brides for men in rural outposts.
In 20 years, there've been 260 of these Caravans of Women but now there's a
petition against them signed by 10,000 politicians, 'feminists' and
others who are offended by this 'retrograde practice which
objectifies women'. Needless to say, this is not a philanthropic
endeavour and both the men and the women pay to be brought together
for a weekend of eating, dancing, chatting and matchmaking. On the
assumption that the 'match' lasts more than a few hours, I don't see
much wrong with the activity. But I fear for Sr Gozalo's future
income, even if he has helped 120 couples to 'find true
love'. Last word to him:- The only gender-based complaint I've
received was from village women asking why I wasn't bussing in men
for them. Which I can believe if the rumours about out Sunday tea dances are anything to go by. I've never plucked up enough courage to go and check. I'd be the only man there with blue eyes.
Here's a laugh, at
least for me and my neighbours:- Telefónica has announced it's
to continue increasing its commitment to research and development,
with €1.1bn invested in 2014. Not a lot of which came my way.
Finally . . . I
answered by doorbell midday yesterday. This is something I don't do
very often, in case it's begging gypsies. But anyway, it was a woman
on a coals-to-Newcastle mission of selling frozen seafood to people visited by a fresh fish van 5 or 6 days of the week. I
listened and took the brochure and then she gave me a gift of a
wooden paella spoon, commenting that it was not for beating my
woman/wife with - they are the same in Spanish - mujer. I replied
that I didn't have one of these and neither was I the ex-Minister of
Justice. She feigned amusement and I felt a bit guilty about having
given her a false phone number. But not for long.
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