Well, it's yet another día festivo here in Spain – this time to celebrate the vertical disappearance of the last known virgin in the country, I believe – and so here are a few Spanish/Galician odds and sods (cosillas?)

• An unhappy combination of 3s: A bull called Mouse has killed his third human, the third soul of the summer to die this way.

• The Voz de Galicia today complained of the courts being closed all August, despite a massive backlog. (Compare the London courts sitting all night to deal summarily with the looters).

• I spoke too soon about the lack of violence on Sunday night; there were nine incidents in all. And some serious injuries. A trend?

• Pontevedra was as clean as a whistle this morning – after the collection in the early hours of many tonnes of rubbish. But the stench of wine-mingled piss will hang over the city for a few days more, I fear.

• The police are now routinely patrolling the back roads, for all those leaving the fiesta drunk, and decimating the local wildlife on their way home apparently. Explaining why I now know the Spanish for 'badger'.

• Last night's procession was, as I feared, called off. Not sure it it's been rescheduled.

• The law demands that local councils pay their bills within 50 days. The Galician average is 157. Pharmacies and drug companies are the most badly treated, its reported. Presumably to keep the public health outlay down.

• The companies who collect the rubbish (lixo in Galician) are also suffering and are threatening reduced services. BTW - You don't need a two-hour meeting to pick up these terms but it helps.

• All the Colombian drug cartels are said to have sent 'delegates' to Spain, to set up new entry routes. The Galician narcotraficos are to be given only a minor role in this because of their track record of cheating the Colombians. Which I would have thought was a perilous practice. But what do I know about drug-dealing?

• The Pontevedra bullring tonight sees a performance by recortadores. Who seem to be performers akin to Minoan bull-leapers. But I could be wrong. The Royal Academy dictionary is no help.

• Shakespeare is said to be exceedingly popular in China. Can there be anything more heartwarming than this?

• Goose barnacles (the appalling percebes) are sometimes called goose-neck barnacles and sometimes elephant's foot barnacles. But are always disgusting. Or as Shakespeare one said “Crap by any other name is still crap. Even if it really is an aphrodisiac. Which frankly, coz Christopher, I rather doubt.”

• It's a largely unknown fact - by me at least - that the Borgia family was originally Spanish. First to arrive was Alfonso Borgia, who became Pope Callixtus III. Despite having a huge family. Or was that one of his sons?

• Here are some 'hot tips' for visiting Vigo, written by someone who may not, in fact, have ever set floot in the place.

• Rumour has it that the recent theft of the magnificent Codex from Santiago Cathedral was not only an inside job but one with the simple motive of embarrassing an extremely unpopular Archbishop. Though this could be yet another Galician myth, I suppose.

And, finally, here's a brilliant exposition of how the financial world used to work. But doesn't any more, of course.

Finally, finally . . . Here's AEP on the only three choices he thinks the Sarkozy-Merkel duo have, as they struggle to come up with anything that will both please the markets and be acceptable to their voters. Apart from those in France, of course. Who are happy to let the Germans assuage their war guilt by paying for (almost) everything. Especially La Gloire.

Stop-Press. It seems Mrs M may have her hands tied . . .