Spanish pets; Corruption; Urban fowl offerings; New word; Seduction; & Helpful nuns.

Reportedly, Spain has 5.2m dogs and 3.8m cats. Surprisingly, these numbers are not given to 2 or 3 decimal points. But at least they're the right way round. I wonder how they count them. And do they include the abandoned - and now semi-wild - dogs living in the forest behind my house?

Corruption: The judge in the long-running trial of the ex-treasurer of the PP party has said he regards the latter as equally implicit in the decades-long corruption whereby (mostly construction) companies financed party activities and salary over-payments in black cash. In the words of the judge: There are clear signs of power-dealing, forgery, money-laundering, fraud – including electoral fraud - and even the offence of belonging to a criminal organisation. An interesting development. But will it bring consequences? Meanwhile, no one has keeled over in surprise. One safe forecast is that President Rajoy will say nothing about it. 

Smack in the middle of Pontevedra, cheek-by-jowl with San Francisco church, there's a little farm shop. I go there occasionally, to buy weed killer and Xmas trees. It's truly old-fashioned, with father, mother and son providing a constant stream of customers with a high-quality, informative service. And with grandma - probably the founder of the business - hovering between the shop and the storeroom. Anyway, as I waited yesterday, I mused on the fact that, in the city centre, I could get not just something to kill the daisies in my lawns but also 2 different types of chicken and/or some ducklings. But, not owning a fox or a snake, I decided to pass on these.

I was stumped by a Spanish word yesterday - El Abecé. Until it dawned on me this was 'The ABC'. A different approach. But, as ever, using more letters.

A headline from a British newspaper this morning: Jailed: The army wife who seduced a 14 year old boy for sex. Does one ever seduce someone for anything else? Just askin', as the kids say. Going forward.

Finally . . . Modern Catholicism: Spanish nuns have been distributing condoms in brothels. "Our only concern is the well-being of the girls", one of them said. Traditionalists must be dismayed at this breach of one of the RC church's most hallowed doctrines.