The Times: no news in 2009

So they’ve posted a report alleging Sir John Moore’s defeat by the weather, 200 years ago. It’s snowing a bit in Spain at the moment, but no signs of it turning into a repeat of 1829-30, when the Ebro froze, 1835-6, when eggs froze in their shells in Palencia, 1836-7, when it snowed on the…

Folengo’s Baldo

Pleased to see that the marvellous Baldus–a vague subterranean source of inspiration for the world’s wildest walking wisness–is getting a wider hairing. I’ve read chunks of the French translation and am looking forward to the English.

Spanish politician wants to ban lying

This is deputy Rosa Díez of the newly formed party, Unión Progreso y Democracia. Today is of course the day we commemorate the Massacre of the Innocents, Spain’s April Fool’s Day: “Sin embargo de que todo esto es verdad, el aniversario de ese gran dia se celebra de una manera tan anómala, que á nosotros…

Sales on Moix

Carles Miró has conducted a lightning dawn raid on the correspondence between the publisher Joan Sales and his star author Mercè Rodoreda. Sales on Terenci Moix, a late 20th century chat show lit celeb: “Young Moix is a sadoleninist, one of those who consider that today simple homosexuality is nothing but a joke, that anything…

Good bar in Puerto de Santa María

Check out the excellent Justin’s review over at Catavino, which I can second, having got moderately wasted there on a cycle trip. (I don’t link much to Catavino because I have a basic distrust of wine reviews: if you liked it that much, how come you can remember anything about it?)

Bank of Spain introduces inflation-proof €500 banknotes

As private banker to dozens of Andalusian officials I have been responsible for maintaining the padded mattress sector in work this year. Before the summer a client called to complain that inflation threatened to render worthless the not particularly hard-earned stash of 500s he maintains under one of my beds. But there is more woof…

Mattress sales down

Figures from the International Sleep Products Association show the economy is hitting the mattress industry pretty hard, so where are smart people keeping their money now that deaky little hiding place in the hedge is gone?

Barcelona council, digging residents into a hole

Check out this piece by Nicholas Mead on the thorough screwing the impoverished Carmel district of Barcelona is receiving from the socialist council in alliance with developers. It’s ironic that many of the same socialists jumped up and down with glee when local lad Juan Marsé won some writing prize or other. One can safely…