Yesterday’s blog mysteriously failed to get posted until late today. So you may want to backtrack. He says presumptuously.

The government is trying to ginger up the property rental market by taxing the many second properties left empty. It was reported today that none of the 52 municipalities in the Pontevedra province had got round to implementing this. Said one spokesperson “It’s difficult to know when a property really is unoccupied.” Especially, I suppose, when the owners spend all of July or August there. Or even an occasional weekend.

Yet another little banking story . . . I took a cheque for 35 euros to Citibank today. The cashier was thrown into complete confusion by the fact it was drawn on a French bank and sent me to talk to one of the personal advisers who litter Spanish banks. There, among much harrumphing, I was told it would cost me at least 20 euros to cash it. I’d expected some charge but nothing like this so promptly departed, cheque in hand. I guess Spanish banks will enter the 21st century one day but doubt I’ll be around to see it. They have to get to the 20th first.

The latest announcement from RENFE is that they’ll be charging you 3-4% above the listed price for a train ticket if you buy it at the counter. On one hand, this puts the internet premium of 2.75% in context but, on the other, I’m left wondering when you will actually be able to pay the listed price. Via advance booking? But not over the net, presumably.

Galicia Facts

Attempts are to be made by a consortium of local producers to make Galicia a centre of excellence in bio-foods. Which can’t be bad. Unless you think these are a commercial scam. In which case, you’ll be interested in this comment from a UK columnist:- Producers are making a fortune from our gullibility. Claims made about bottled water include that it comes straight from a fresh Alpine, or Pennine, or Dolomite spring, yet about 40 per cent of it began life as tap water from a municipal supply; and that it promotes cellular regeneration and detoxification of the body, though no scientific test has ever proved this. The claims for omega-3 fish oils are even more awesome: they fight heart disease, mood swings, and boost IQ. Scientific evidence for these startling claims is mixed, but, as Dr Ben Goldacre has exposed in his invaluable Bad Science blog, the media have megaphoned the glowing results of "studies" that neither had a control group nor followed proper research methods.

NOTICE: I’ve compiled my blog for 2003-4 into a compendium under various obvious headings. Anyone who’d like a [free] copy should write to me at colindavies@terra.es, putting Compendium as the subject.