Obesity; Mayoral costs; Galicia's airports; Temperatures; & Stuff-you parking.

I suspect few would guess that the percentages of overweight and obese people in Spain are 62 and 24, respectively. The overweight number compares with 72% in the USA. And the obesity number compares with 34% in the USA and 28% in the UK. Perhaps even more surprising is that Spanish women, at 25%, have a higher obesity number than Spanish men, at 23%. One wonders how many people eat chips as part of their Mediterranean diet.

Some of the incoming new left-of-centre administrations have taken an axe to mayoral salaries and perks. The new mayoress of Madrid, for example, has slashed her salary from €100,000 to €45,200. Among the perks she's abolished are:-

• The mayoral car and chauffeur. She now goes to work by tube.
• The VIP box at the Las Ventas bullring.
• Membership of the elite country club, Club de Campo.
• Seats at the city’s Teatro Real.
• A Gold Card for Madrid’s trade fair centre.
• A box at Santiago Bernabeu stadium, the home of Real Madrid.
• A box at La Caja Magica, the venue for the Madrid Open tennis competition.

Let's hope this amounts to more than tokenism. Meanwhile, she's not going to be popular with the establishment. Nor with her mayoral oppos around Spain.

I've said more than once it's insane to have 3 small international airports in Galicia, for a population of c.3m. None of these can hope to compete with Oporto's large airport in nearby North Portugal. Over the years, there's been sporadic talk of rationalising the airports. Or at least 'coordinating' them. So, what's the latest development? Why, installation of a second runway at the smallest facility in La Coruña. This will allow it to better compete with the airports in Santiago and Vigo. Madness upon madness.

While the rest of Spain labours under temperatures even higher than those in the UK which have brought the country to a halt, here in Pontevedra and Galicia we're enjoying a balmy spell of weather. I don't say this often but thank God for the Atlantic.

Finally . . . Here's the sort of arrogant thoughtless I hate. In one fell swoop, this Chelsea tractor is - blocking the zebra crossing, the pavement(sidewalk) and the view for cars coming from town.

Its flashing hazard lights are meant to indicate it isn't really there. And this certainly seemed to work for the police car parked at the other end of the zebra crossing, at the bus stop. A few seconds after I'd snapped her vehicle, a woman came out of the shopping centre and drove off. Possibly a coincidence.