It's 7.25am and I'm
sitting at a wobbly table in a miserably empty Starbucks place in
services on the M60 between Huddersfield and Leeds. It's taken me 30
minutes to do a 10 minute drive through traffic jams both in the
former and on the motorway(autovía). Welcome to the UK in 2017.
I seriously dislike
coffee-shops like Starbucks, particularly their system of asking your
name so they can write it on the cup and call you to get your order.
But I did enjoy using a fake Spanish accent and calling myself
Manuel. Or Manell as it's written on the cup. And also giving my
drossbin email address for all their future spam. Under my
nom-de-plume of David Rossbin. And an old UK post/zip-code where I
haven't lived for 17 years.
But, anyway . . .
Huddersfield might well be a nice place but I arrived in the dark of
yesterday evening and left in the obscurity of this morning, having
been well-hosted by my friend, Jack. It was a tad embarrassing going
with him for a curry last night in the scarf which my daughter
insisted was gay but we got through it. Jack kindly gave up his
bedroom for me but, having given me extra bedclothes in case I was
cold, left the heating on all night. Meaning I awoke at 3am in a
sauna. Disrobing garment by garment, I eventually got cool enough to
get back to sleep. . . . People can be too gracious. Well, in the UK
at least. Those funny Brits.
I was intrigued to hear
on the News this morning that England's high-speed train (HS2) is
forecast to reach the North of the country in 2033. If Galicia's
experience with Spain's AVE is anything to go by, the lovely
Northerners will still be waiting for it in 2053. Though possibly
with the stations already built.
Back in Spain, the
Catalan president is reported to have effectively told Brussels that
Cataluña will become independent whether Spain agrees or not, after
an imminent – and 'illegal' - referendum. Well, maybe. But not as a
member of the EU, it can be safely assumed.
Talking about central
heating . . . See here for a report on the massive increases in
electricity prices Spanish consumers are being hit with this month,
following on from a doubling of these last year. True, we have the
most advanced meters in the world but this matters hardly a jot when
most of the costs are fixed by the company and the government. And
ever higher prices suit both of them. It's a scandal but nothing will
be done about it.
A Spanish chap called
Alberto Letona, an author, has kindly given us an insight into
Spanish habits which amuse his guiri friends. See them all here. I've
been there too long to find any of them remotely strange.
Finally . . . My
son-in-law spent some years working in Africa. This is gift bearing
his name and surname. As the latter is Lomas, my assumption is that
the carver was Chinese:-
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