Spain: 100
Madrid:
115
Navarra:
110
Cataluña:
109
Basque
Country: 108
And at the
other end:
Andalucia:
93
Galicia:
92
La Rioja:
90
Asturias:
88
Castille y
La Mancha: 88
The
Canaries: 83
So, no
great surprises. Galicia's drug money clearly drags it up from its
normal second-to-bottom place in every survey carried out in Spain.
I heard a
fascinating podcast on salt this week. At one point the speaker
talked of much-sought-after Russian pink salt. Later she went down
into the only remaining salt mine in Cheshire in the UK, where I
once picked up this (by-the-way pink) lump of the stuff, now
serving as a paperwight.
Among the
facts revealed was the use of this mine as an archive for papers,
waxworks, furniture, body parts, and musical instruments such as
pianos and barrel organs. Plus 'Things we're not allowed to tell you
about'. Wonder what they could be. Lord Lucan, perhaps. And Shergar.
Some
delinquents in Pontevedra were jailed for 6 years this
week. Which rather puts into perspective the piddling sentences given
to corrupt politicos. Which reminds me: The ex head of the IMF has
refused to say anything at stage 1 of his trial. "My right to a
defence obliges me", he claims, "not to answer your
questions because I am unaware of the deeds of which I am accused".
Needless
to say, perhaps, he was also a leading member of the current
government.
Finally .
. . I was invited to a surprise birthday party for the lovely Esther
next door last night. Originally, the time was to be 10pm but this
changed to 8.30. Ester actually came home at 10. Between 8.30 and 10,
there arrived a procession of equally lovely Spanish women, all
beautifully turned out but without partners and kids. I suspect the only reason I was asked to come early was to help Ester's husband
deal with this tsunami of pulchritude. And to share with him a bottle
of superb Mencia wine. Well, somebody had to do it. During the party,
I was getting help from Ester's young son with the names of everyone
there:-
Me: So,
the pretty lady under the tree?
Jacobito:
[Loudly] That's Teva.
Teva: Yes?
Jacobito: Nothing. Colin just wanted to know your name.
Me:
[Quietly]: Gracias, chico.
But I
doubt he caught the sarcasm.
Note: If
you put frozen mackerel in your microwave to defrost, you really
ought to take them out before you go to bed. Otherwise your re-heated
coffee will taste of fish the following morning.
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