Dawn

Dawn

Tuesday, April 11, 2017

Thoughts from Galicia: 11.4.17

Spanish life is not always likeable but it is compellingly loveable.

- Christopher Howse: A Pilgrim in Spain.

Here, from El País in English, is more on the Spanish chap who insisted the Spanish only went to South America to evangelise and civilise people who were as bad as the Nazis. Not a lot of support from Spanish historians for this take on things. 

Life in Spain: As I've confessed, I've never been able to make head nor tail of my energy bills. Which I doubt is unintentional on the part of the gas and electricity companies. But, in the last week, I've learned this from Spanish friends and from looking closely at my electricity bill:-
  • I have an intelligent meter.Usage is charged by the hour, as per the market rate at that time. So, variable.
  • I am party – no idea how or when – to a 'contract of 4.4kWh'. 
  • This means that, if I switch on various appliances and this limit is exceeded, the supply is cut off. Which explains the regular power cuts. Perhaps. 
  • If I want a higher peak limit, the price per hour of my electricity will rise. Even if I don't use more electricity over the relevant period.
I can't say this system makes any sense to me as a consumer. But I'm sure it's beneficial to GasNaturalFenosa. Incidentally, it's sort of a relief to know it's only been possible since intelligent meters were introduced a couple of years ago. With luck, I'll soon have the compensation of a 'low usage' bono social which will give me a discount of 25%. But, longer term, reader Eamon has warned that the intelligent meters are designed to identify which appliance you're using and then charge you more per heavy-use appliance. Again, this makes rather more sense for the supplier than the consumer. Who used to be charged simply at one price for the total electricity used in a defined period. Those were the days.

Need I tell you that consumer protection in Spain – though improving – is not yet at the level it is in other countries?

Reading the Faro de Vigo and the Voz de Galicia yesterday, I wondered how I'd value a newspaper called, say, The Cheshire Bugle which had a headline along the lines of Cheshire Man gets National Post. Or Cheshire Woman Makes Contribution to Development of a New Drug. Not much, I suspect. Somehow it seems less naff in Spanish.

But it's great to know that Galicia is going into the olive oil business in a big way and expects to have as great a success as it has it has with the once-unknown albariño wine. I blame it on global warming.

Which reminds me . . . At dinner with my Spanish friends on Friday night, one of the party presented 2 bottles of Galician godello wine, branded Crego e Monaguillo. I think I've mentioned before that this means Priest and Altar Boy in Gallego. How we all laughed at the thought of this being sold in the UK, as it is, with a picture on the label of a priest with his arm around a young boy.

Finally . . . Something to make everyone smile.

Today's cartoon:




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