Swearing that would make a stevedore blush is commonplace in Spain. And in Argentina too, apparently. Yesterday's papers featured the climbdown of the president there over some agricultural reforms that had come up against farmer resistance. The said president is, of course, Cristina Fernandez. Who is the wife of the previous incumbent, Mr Kirchner. Naturally, there 's more than a bit of speculation as to who's really running - or not running - the country. To which Mrs K's overheard answer is said to have been "!Acá, la presidenta soy yo, coño!". So there you have it, coño ["Old friend". Almost].

The current economic crisis in Spain may well have been predictable because of the weak foundations of the boom which preceded it but, nonetheless, it is ugly to watch it unfurling. Every day there's an announcement about another bankrupt construction company/developer, allied to a pathetic plea for public funds. And now the fire-sales are beginning of the hubristic acquisitions made when money was easy. Today's is an energy company but I wonder how long it will be before Ferrovial, for example, are only too happy to concede to pressure to offload an airport or two.

The bankruptcy that has really shaken the Spanish stockmarket is of one of the leading developers, a company that acquired a major realtor firm a couple of years ago. I can't say I'm too surprised to read that it's now accused of having inflated its assets during the proceedings. By the way, the company in question was said to have debts of 5 billion euros the other day, rising to 7 billion more recently. So perhaps there was some understating as well. Astonishingly - to me at least - in their dash to make a fortune, many off-plan purchasers didn't bother to demand the bank guarantees in respect of their deposit and stage-payments which are obligatory under the law. Naturally, this greed-based stupidity hasn't stopped them asking the government [i. e. the taxpayers] to bail them out. And the evidence is it will. They vote; companies don't.

Given the reputation of the fishermen who operate from the port of Vigo, I did something of a double take when I saw this headline yesterday - "Galicia will lead, from Vigo, the fight against illegal fishing practices". And then I recalled that the EU's new Fishing Agency has just been established in that fair city. Which is a stroke of either genius or cynical folly. Ya veremos.

There's an ad in today's papers for a big show up in A/La Coruña. The headline acts are two 'Stars of TV". To whit, Lucia La Piedra and Rebbecca Loss, both of whom are featured in bikinis. I wonder if the latter is related to Rebbecca Loos.

Galicia Facts

I do hope I didn't entice anyone to go and see the Pressing Catch in Ponters last night as, by all account, it was a failure. Given the utter artificiality of professional wrestling - for this is what Pressing Catch is - I'm not at all sure what this can mean. Presumably few gullible bums on seats.

Talking of fights - I may have got a bit of revenge yesterday on the flying rats that disturb my calamares and albariño every Sunday. Having decided to follow up with an aguadiente [fire-water] of remarkable strength, I used the half glass I couldn't manage to soak the bread I never eat. And then threw it on the ground for the pigeons. In truth, they were initially cautious but then pecked it all up. I walked home dreaming of them mistiming their landing on rooftops.

The city of Vigo is also featured in today's headlines. Both developers and buyers there have been lining their pockets by abusing the government's protected housing scheme, aimed at helping first-time buyers onto the housing ladder. The developers have been selling them at a highly inflated price and the buyers - or some of them, at least - have been buying them not as their principal residence but as an investment. The former have probably made more money than the latter. And some of them may be fined.

And now, a little visual humour for readers of Spanish . . .

Firstly, the [be-shadowed] bronze statue of a famous Galician writer, Valle Inclán, in one of Pontevedra's lovely little squares
And now, the plaque on a nearby house

And, finally, a plaque on an adjacent house


This may or may not be retranca. But it's very funny. Makes me smile out loud every time I walk past it.