Oddments of oddness!

On Tuesday evening, about 8.00, we strolled along Calle Aragón in our shirt sleeves, jumpers over our shoulders. Just a bit unusual for the end of February in Vigo. But then we also saw men in shorts. I’m not sure whether this was a response to the unseasonably warm weather or one of those fashion statements. After all, there are young men who seem to make a point of wearing shorts all year round, as if to prove that they have just come from the gym or that they are simply tough enough not to be concerned about a little thing like feeling a bit chilly.

Temperatures did reach the early 20s, however, so maybe shorts were justified.

They had 21.2c in London as well, warmer than in places like Crete according to some reports. 

Tuesday felt pleasantly warm already at 9.00am. Yesterday morning temperature gauges were showing 13 or 14 degrees but cloud was moving in. Maybe the day would be less spectacular than the previous one. There was talk of rain. The lady who complained yesterday about the problems of growing lettuces in hot dry weather would be pleased. But when we walked out to A Guía in the early afternoon the sun was out again. Today has been slightly cooler but still fine and sunny.

My phone popped up a news message for me about fires on the Saddleworth moors again!! Memories of last summer’s bad fires spring to everyone’s mind. This time it’s just a few miles north of our house, between Marsden and Diggle. Again it’s an unusual situation; the peat should not be so dry at this time of year that it can catch fire so easily. Looking back, I suppose that, although there has been quite a bit of dull weather, not to mention cold and snow, it has not been consistently wet enough for the ground to be sodden. When I talk to people here about such fires, they assume we have forest fires, which is what happens here in Galicia, but in fact it’s the peat burning to some depth below the surface.

Not good at all!

That makes two occasions when we have left the country and someone has set fire to it. As if we didn’t have enough with Theresa May and Brexit!

Here in Vigo, on Calle Aragón, they have set up a veritable maze of roadworks barriers. It would seem that the gentrification of the area has finally reached our end of the street. Last year we saw new pavements on various stretches of the street but our section was ignored completely. The central reservation was refurbished, with new plants and irrigation system, but the pavements were left as messy and uncared for as ever. But now there are piles of smart paving stones and the stuff necessary for making little planted areas between parking spaces. Trenches seem to be being dug to lay new pipes of some kind.

Goodness knows how they will deal with the bit just a little further along the road where there is access to car body repair workshops!

Traffic is reduced to one lane on both sides of the street. I have already seem minor chaos ensue when some large machinery has needed to be put in place. Rush hour traffic must be fun at the moment. Not my problem, I am happy to say.

We are here for a couple of weeks this time, hardly enough time to see real progress. By next time we come, assuming we can do so without having to purchase an expensive visa, maybe the whole street will have been transformed.