The Anonymous Widower

Is It Hire a Frog Week?

I think that the result of the French Presidential Election and the subsequent uncertainy may mean that a lot of high-grade people working in France decide to hop-on the Eurostar and get a job in England.

Personally, I am pleased I no longer own the house in Antibes, as I suspect if some of the candidates win on May 6th, I’d have a lot more taxes to pay.

I checked with my stockbroker this morning, and he said that French bonds are at least holding up, but that is not what can be said for Spanish ones.

April 23, 2012 Posted by | News | , , , | Leave a comment

Basques Want to Join an Independent Scotland

I can’t work out if this was a Spanish joke or not, but it is reported in today’s Times. The leader of one of their political parties has said it and has also waxed lyrical about kilts and said that Edinbrgh should replace Madrid as their capital.

Probably it’s just another way of stating the old adage – You don’t have to be mad to be the leader of a political party, but it helps.

I actually think on a day of such miserable foreign news, the story lightens everything up.

On the other hand it could be a large publicity stunt on behalf of Bilbao-based company CAF, who are building the trams for Edinburgh’s tram system and they want to get it finished and of course get paid. When it does get finished, I suspect that a mixture of Scots, Basques, paella and Scotch will be a good recipe for a party.

February 21, 2012 Posted by | News, Transport/Travel | , , , | Leave a comment

When Airlines Knew What Service Meant – 3

This is a third tale from about 1985 and again it concerns British Airways, but I suspect in those days any good airline did their utmost for their passengers, as it was cheap positive publicity.

A friend, his wife and another couple had gone for a weekend in somewhere like Malaga.  They had worried about actually getting there, as the French air traffic controllers were having one of their periodic bouts of industrial action.

They werent’t particularly bothered, as if they didn’t get back on Monday, Tuesday would do.

On the Monday, various tour reps arrived at the hotel and said that everybody would get home, but it would be a bit late and they would be picked up from the hotel at the expected time.  But the British Airways rep told her charges to wait in the hotel and they’d be picked up three hours before the flight was to leave.

So about nine, they all trooped onto the coach for the airport, where chaos reigned, as no flights were going back to the UK, due to the French. At midnight, they were called to the departure lounge and pretty soon were on their plane.

They’d been expecting a 737, but the plane was a wide-bodied Tri-Star, which BA filled with other passengers caught up from the Sunday or at the chaos at other airports.

Once airborne, the pilot explained the Tri-Star by saying that the French weren’t allowing any planes through their airspace, so they’d used the longer-range Tri-Star and filed a flight-plan on the way out to Bermuda, with Malaga as the alternate. Then halfway across the Atlantic, they’d declared  a minor emergency and as they were just north of Spain, requested they go to the alternate. He said the flight home would be a bit longer, as they were totally avoiding French air-space.

It must have used a lot more fuel, but there were lots of contented passengers.

 

February 6, 2012 Posted by | Transport/Travel | , , , | 2 Comments

Watching England Against Spain

I only watch football on ITV under sufferance, as their commentators aren’t the best and they tend to interrupt everything with pointless adverts.

So tonight, as I often do, I have the ITV pictures with the sound off and I’m listening to the Radio 5 Live commentary. I get a better description and no adverts.

But tonight, the radio commentators are on one side of the pitch and the television cameras are on the other. It could be a bit confusing for some, but I’m finding it enjoyable, especially as with a minute to go,England are winning.

I suspect, it’s also some fiendish plot to get us to watch the match, rather than listen to it, so we have to watch the stupid adverts!

November 12, 2011 Posted by | Sport | , , , , | 2 Comments

I Thought Spain Was a Catholic Country

There is news today, of protests today over the visit of the Pope to Spain.

The authorities say that the visit is self-funded, but with record youth unemployment and other problems , the protestors feel the money could be better spent.

If the Pope really wanted to help this world he could change his stance on birth control.  Something that is used by most Spaniards.

August 18, 2011 Posted by | News | , | Leave a comment

El Reconcillo, Seville

C and I ate here twice, including once with my son and one his friends.

Rick Stein certainly has taste to recommend it on his BBC show.

Perhaps, I’ll go again.  But it will have to be with a very special lady! It is not a restaurant to eat in by yourself.

August 4, 2011 Posted by | Food, Transport/Travel | | Leave a comment

Appropriate Advertising

Just watching the British Motorcycle Grand Prix, which is taking place in the rain.  Lots of adverts for Visit Spain.

How appropriate!

June 12, 2011 Posted by | Sport | , | 3 Comments

Tha Andalusian Food Minister Does a John Gummer

Clara Aquilera, the Minister for agriculture in the Spanish region of Andalusia has taken a leaf out of John Gummer’s book and been seen publicly eating a cucumber to prove that they are safe. Admittedly, John got his daughter, Cordelia to eat one with him. But as I write both John and Cordelia, seem to have suffered no ill effects ten years or so later.

Let’s hope Clara is as lucky. Although judging from the pictures, she does seem to have a love for food.

June 1, 2011 Posted by | Food, News | , | Leave a comment

David and Samantha Cameron Set a Dangerous Precedent

If I go back three years or so, C and I would often take a weekend away by flying from Stansted and staying in a good, well-reviewed, but not necessarily over expensive  hotel.  In fact in the year she died, we did it three times to Nice, Majorca and Valencia.

So it was good to see David and Samantha Cameron doing exactly the same thing last week to celebrate her fortieth birthday.

But have they set a dangerous precedent?

Wow betide a politician, who takes an expensive break, except in the summer! The tabloids will have a field day. 

I particularly like their flying on budget airlines.  So they did fly Ryanair one way and easyJet the other, but I suspect this was probably mre to do with fooling the press and security than anything else.

We perhaps will never see the Queen on a budget airline, but there have been many reports of her travelling to Kings Lynn for Sandringham on the train from King’s Cross. As I’ve regularly used First Class on that line, I may have actually sat in a seat she has used.

April 8, 2011 Posted by | News, Transport/Travel | , , , , | 4 Comments

A Memorial to those who Fought and Died in the International Brigade

The International Brigade who fought against the fascists in the Spanish Civil War contained about 32,000 from 53 nations.

As I walked along the river to Craven Cottage, I came across this memorial to those from Hammersmith and Fulham who died in the brigade.

International Brigade Memorial in Bishop's Park

Considering that a few thousand people from the United Kingdom were in the brigade, it is surprising I’d not seen a memorial before.

February 20, 2011 Posted by | World | , , | 1 Comment

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