The N word; Fishy biz; Kiddy kamikazes; & Another loss, and some compensation.

Madness? On the BBC News yesterday there was reference to an Obama comment on race problems in the USA. His speech was shown on the screen, featuring the word 'nigger' but, when Obama was shown actually saying this, it was bleeped out. So, only the blind and the illiterate were saved from knowing he'd spoken the dread word. Perhaps it was the decision of a machine and not a person with a brain.

A Spanish company is alleged to have indulged in massive fraud in respect of the Antarctic toothfish. Which, would you believe, is marketed as Chilean Sea Bass. Well, if you can sell percebes, you can sell anything. There are no prizes for guessing which of Spain's regions the allegedly criminal family resides in. We're not just drug runners up here.

As if it wasn't bad enough having to dodge the bloody adult cyclists in Pontevedra's pedestrian areas, a company has opened on Plaza España, hiring out 'karts' of 1 to 6 seats to kids who can then race around the pavements with total disregard for everyone else. When I read yesterday that someone had neglected to return one of their karts, I wasn't exactly sympathetic. Even less so when I read they'd fallen for the "I've lost my ID" trick. Here's wishing them many more.

Finally . . . I realised yesterday I'd lost another item in my recent burglary - a silver thimble. You might think this was too trivial to worry about but this was special for 2 reasons. First, it used to be my grandfather's, and secondly it was several times larger than a normal thimble and contained the ironic legend: Just a thimble-full. Which was rather appropriate as he ran a pub in Birkenhead, near the entrance to the Mersey tunnel. Worst of all, it looked like this one priced at 325 quid. And I can't face another visit to the Guardia Civil to make a 4th amendment to my original denuncia. Especially as the insurance company is sure to quibble.

But I had a great noche de San Juan in Caldas de Reis last night, care of the group of Brit 'pilgrims' I met on Monday. Even if we did over-order the T-bone steaks.