After an excellent Indian meal with Irene last night I returned home to find desecration!
Earlier in the day I had been informed that the Lost Posts of the pavement had been replaced.
The posts had been placed on the pavements to dissuade indefatigable Spanish drivers from parking on the walking space set aside for the use of pedestrians. In the height of the summer when parking spaces are at a premium drivers will park anywhere, and I mean anywhere.
I greeted the arrival of the serried rank of parking dissuaders with delight and, sure enough, they were sufficient to discourage all but the most heartless parkers.
The only discordant note in this symphony of street furniture was the attitude we suspected held by our neighbours.
Parking within a few millimetres of the post can hardly be said to be within the spirit of the parking restrictions and sure enough, bit by bit the post was bumped out of alignment and then, one day it disappeared. Disappeared after a sound of rending metal after a neighbour attempted to “park.”
Then the metal post at the other end of our sequence of driveways disappeared as well.
I am not one to let such cavalier treatment of a useful deterrent to deviant parking go unremarked and so I went to the town hall and reported the destruction and removal of the posts.
I was listened to and given a reference number so that I could check on the progress of the replacing of the posts.
Yesterday they were replaced and I found the one that was missing, because I worked out how the simple selfishness of the people who took it away would encourage them to dispose of it.
The cement around the post wasn’t even dry so, late at night, the miscreants waggled the post from side to side to loosen it and then when they had taken it out of the widened hole had, with breathtaking arrogance, merely put it out with the rubbish to be taken away in an early morning collection!
A further trip to the town hall has informed the authorities of what has gone on and further informed them that the post is safe and sound having been salvaged by my good self.
One awaits developments with interest. After all this is a case of criminal damage and it would be satisfactory to see some form of retribution given to those who are guilty. I am not holding my breath!
The “already read” name day present was swiftly changed for a rapidly republished novel by the new Literature Nobel lauréate. That chore done the hunt was then on for a waterproof watch.
The problem of the birthday watch only being 3 atm and therefore not suitable for swimming gave me the necessary impetus to look for a new one – leaving aside for the moment that I do already own one or two (or very possibly more) timepieces which have already been proven to be waterproof.
The lure of the new was, however far too strong for me to resist – especially on a Friday afternoon - he said inconsequentially.
Things were looking fairly bleak until I noticed a small illuminated case with half price offers. Never let it be said that I couldn’t be bought by a bargain, so I am now the proud possessor of a Lotus chronograph which I can comfortably take to depths of 100 metres if I should be so inclined.
It cost far more than I really wanted to pay) even at half price) but it serves a purpose and the watch is blissfully forgettable for most of the climactic situations in which I am likely to find myself. Oh yes, and it tells the time.
Lunch today was in a new restaurant, or at least one we hadn’t tried before and the food was perfectly satisfactory with the menu del dia costing €11, but what made it more than satisfactory is that we were sitting outside and I was in a short sleeved shirt and shorts!
Ah bliss!
In November!
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