The minks recently released by animal rights people up near La Coruña have begun to terrorise both farm animals and their owners. So far, their victims are said to include one dog and fifty chickens. I wonder how the activists feel about the death of innocent bystanders.

‘Doggy bags’ are not a Spanish custom but I was told today of a growing trend to let you take your unfinished wine bottle home. This seems eminently sensible for all parties. You avoid the risk of exceeding the now-enforced alcohol limits and the restaurant gets to sell you a full bottle of wine instead of a couple of glasses.

The end of October brings with it the feast of All Saints. This is the day on which Spaniards clean up and bedeck with flowers the graves of their departed loved ones. Both the roads around them and the cemeteries themselves are jam-packed with people for much of November 1. Ostensibly, they’re there to pay their respects. But, talking about his yesterday with a friend, it emerged that this was essentially a social occasion. You get to meet up with and chat to friends and family. I really shouldn’t have been surprised.

Walking through town yesterday, I was passed by a car whose driver was holding a phone to her ear with her left hand and a piece of paper she was reading from in her right hand. And they say the Spanish suffer from low productivity!