23° by the chemist’s sign at the top of the road as came down from my run round the Castro at about 9.45 this morning. 29° on Príncipe when I went down to the library some three hours later. It’s been one of those days when you go into shops just to enjoy the air-conditioning. I bet this “living statue” was a bit hot under all her layers.
According to something I read yesterday, the south of Galicia is on “alerta amarilla” for hot weather, not as bad as orange alert or red alert but still pretty fierce. The current heat wave, they say, is the result of a mass of hot air coming from Africa. I shall refrain from making comments about hot air just at the moment.
On the way down to the library I saw this odd bunch in the square near Puerta del Sol, on those strange scooter things that are supposed to charge themselves as you go downhill and so have the energy to get you uphill. They had stopped for some kind of talk. Maybe they were tourists on an unusual guided tour. Maybe they were trainees, learning how to go round advertising local businesses. Whatever, they set off in line like rather docile ducks and I went on my way.
My visit to the library was, as usual, interesting, informative and mildly frustrating. According to the date stamp in the Isabel Allende novel I have been reading the book was due back today. The trouble is that Phil has started reading it and is only about one third of the way through. I have already renewed it once; I took it to Sanxenxo with me but spent so much time in the pool and going off on walks that I didn’t finish it and had to renew it on my return. So I was expecting trouble.
My conversation with the librarian went something like this:-
“Can I renew this book?”
“Oh, no. You’ve already renewed it once and that’s all you’re allowed to do.”
"Well then, can I take it out on my husband’s library card? You see, he’s part way through it and would like to finish it.”
“OK, but he has to come down himself and take it out.”
All was not lost, however, as the librarian looked at the computer and went on:
“But this book is not due back until the 19th and today is the 17th. You’ve still got two days.”
“That’s funny, it’s date-stamped the 17th.”
“So it does, it’s been wrongly stamped (mal marcado). And besides, you’ve a couple of days after that before we impose sanctions.”
Well, that was news to me: leniency on the sanctions front at the library. So I popped Isabel Allende back in my bag and went off to look for more reading matter on the computer. I noted down the number of a book I wanted and set off to hunt for it. Just as I tracked it down, someone else had his hand hovering over that very book. Would he? Wouldn’t he? He did! Damn! I had to choose something else to make up my permitted four choices. Still, now I’ve got something lined up to look for next time.
As I said, interesting, informative and ultimately frustrating!
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