Awake, for morning in the bowl of night has flung the stone that puts
the stars to flight.

And, lo, the hunter of the east has caught the sultan’s turret in a noose of light.

Spanish life is not always likeable but it is compellingly loveable – Christopher Howse: ‘A Pilgrim in Spain.

Season greetings to all.

Today I’m hosting an Xmas lunch for 8 foreigners, all of whom live alone in Pv city. This is after enjoying an Xmas dinner with Spanish friends last night that started after 10pm and meant I didn’t get to bed until 2am. I hope to add to my 5.5 hours of sleep during the morning . . .

Today’s post – prepared yesterday before the festivities took over – comprises 2 things to spend free time on today:-

1. 10 Truly Bizarre British Phrases Everyone Used — And Nobody Understands Now. If you enjoy hearing them, scroll down to the Comments for many more. All of which I’m familiar with and, in some cases, still use. Not sure about my daughters . . . But I think my mother used every one of those in the list and in the Comments! I’m reluctant to believe they’ve all died out and very much doubt that they have in the North of England. Things are different in the (pretentious?) South . . .

2. A list of things that I produced after a Spanish friend complained about Brits seeing certain Spanish practices as impolite, not as mere cultural differences. I sent it to her but she never replied . .

• Mark the actions you think are considered impolite by Spaniards.
• Leave a blank in other squares. This will indicate what behaviour is acceptable in Spain. To be compared with British views. Or any other national views for that matter, I guess.
• These are in a random order, not in order of importance.

If you’re not Spanish but live here, you’ll need either to guess at Spanish attitudes or talk to a Spanish friend or two. Otherwise, the list will be of limited value/interest to you, I guess. So, feel free to ignore it!

Tailgating another car
Showing anger in public
Spitting in public
Using a toothpick or floss in public
Blocking the pavement to have a chat
Ignoring a pedestrian on a zebra crossing
Invading someone’s personal space, eg by walking straight across them
Leaving the newspapers on your table after reading them in a café
Leaving the newspapers in a mess when you put them back in their central place
Doing all the puzzles in a newspaper when others are waiting to read them
Taking someone’s umbrella from the stand when you don’t have yours
Smoking near someone who is eating
Jumping a queue
Talking very loudly in a quiet restaurant
Talking with your mouth full of food
Putting you elbows on the table
Putting both hands under the table
Flashing you headlights at the car in front of you
Tipping less than 10% of the bill
Tipping less than 20% of the bill
Being late for an appointment
Not turning up for an event you’ve said you will attend
Cancelling attendance at an event at the last moment
Burping in public
Hawking in public
Farting in public
Blowing your nose in public
Speaking when someone else is speaking
Let your children be run around or be noisy in a restaurant
Starting to eat before everyone is served
Eating food with your fingers
Licking a plate when the food is finished
Wiping your plate with bread
Not saying Que aproveche/Buen provecho to other diners
Not paying your full share of a bill.
Not saying Please
Not saying Thank-you
Blocking the entry onto a roundabout when in a traffic jam
Not moving to one side when someone is coming towards you
Ignoring pedestrians already on a crossing
Blocking a footpath to have a conversation

As ever, my thanks to those readers who take the trouble to Like my posts.

The Usual Links . . .

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For new readers: If you’ve landed here looking for info on Galicia or Pontevedra, try here. If you’re passing through Pontevedra on the Camino, you’ll find a guide to the city.

If you´re thinking of moving to Spain, this link should be useful to you.