Shrove Tuesday comments!

The fine and sunny weather of the last few days was clearly intended to lull us into a sense of security and impending spring. For today the Atlantic Blanket descended with a vengeance and we had that fine drizzly rain that Galicia does so well. The city, well our end of the city at least, had a closed-down feel. I ran in the rain this morning and might emerge later to post this but otherwise it is a day to be indoors. Heaven help those who are walking the camino. But I suppose that walking in the rain might make you doubly blessed.


 The day did improve later. Still rather chilly though.

Further to my passing comments yesterday about the Spanish not really having a concept of health and safety, this is what goes on in our flats. We rent a flat on the seventh floor of a tower block in Vigo. On each landing, at each end of the section where the lifts are situated there is a fire door, beyond each of which there are three flats. We frequently come across the doors wedged open with folded pieces of paper. These we remove, in our very British fashion, as fire doors are meant to be kept shut. Today someone among the residents has gone one better and tied one of the fire doors open, attaching the handle to a permanent fixture on the wall of the landing. I rest my case!

Further to my comments about coronavirus in northern Italy, I read that Venice has cancelled its carnaval! Things must be bad! Briefly I was worried about a friend of mine who is accompanying a group of sixth form students to Italy at the moment. But all is well. She is in Sicily with the charges, far away from the germs ... at least for the moment! She was posting pictures of teenagers running about in the sunshine on the beach. They might be mostly of Italian descent but they have grown to teenagerhood in the UK and so take every opportunity to enjoy sunshine when they can. I wonder if the rain has also reached Sicily.


Meanwhile, yesterday we admired the street decoration here for carnaval. There were still people of all ages wandering around in fancy dress. How many have been out and about in today’s drizzle?

I notice that even opticians’ shops have carnaval-related displays. Mind you, they do the same for Hallowe’en. Maybe it’s just British opticians who insist in seriousness at all times.

And, according to Abanca adverts, Galicia’s fiestas are the best in the world: - “As nosas festas son as mellores do mundo” they have even heard about them in Nepal - “E agora sábeno ata no Nepal.” Who knew? And here is a baker’s shop window full of “orejas”.

On the whole I prefer pancakes.