Smokin!

No don't worry, I haven't taken up this habit. But it seems, dear readers, that nearly everyone else does smoke in Spain. My host believes this is so that the Spanish can keep slim. I tend to concur with this. I was chatting to my friend Charlotte this morning and we were talking about the smoking thing as she has spent a lot of time in Spain. I snack or drink wine normally when at a loose end, especially on holiday. Is smoking something to do with the added benefit of not making you want to eat?

We are in the fiesta week at present in Pontevedra. There is a bull fight in town and the fun fair, fireworks, gastronomic delights and, curiously, a wild horse roundup which we are going to tonight. I would supply you with photos but I haven't worked out how to do it on my phone.

Carrying on with the smoke theme, the wild fires are continuing to blight the horizon. There is an odour of burning trees and in the morning the sun is barely visible early on due to the lingering smoke in the hills. The papers are full of stories about how they start. There was a picture of lighters collected, possibly left by picnickers but seems careless to me. I think there was also a story of a lady going round lighting candles in different spots in the hills. Hopefully it's not for some archaic religious reason or even a cultural thing. Although if she's doing it maliciously she wants locking up. My host told me about a German chap burning his used toilet roll. If only it would have been connected at the time!