MY DARLING IN AND BALLS OUT

The calamity continues back in The Mother Country with The Tories winning up and down the land. Tomorrow sees the European elections here and so we continue. I think I'd rather elect eels. Meanwhile Gordon Brown was booed in Normandy by a number of disgruntled ex-servicemen and I even witnessed him talking about the obviously mentally ill woman Susan Boyle. Who is really running this show? Mandelson?

Most politicians only seem to be in it for the tasty snacks or their desire to let everyone know how morally repugnant they are. Meanwhile back in the real world a flock of sheep up sticks and down tools to start the journey from Belchite in The Bajo Aragon and start schlepping it up to the Valle de Tena. It means passing through our town and heading up towards Apies. There are only 7,000 of this breed, Churras Tensinas. I love a sheep story especially if they are not getting murdered by birds of prey.

Away from all of this the film festival presides as if nothing else exists outside of this town. I did find myself attending the inaugaration of an exhibition on a film called Los Furtivos, The Poachers and attended by the director Borau. This is one of those films I stayed up late to watch probably in the seventies and called The Continental Movie. I guess it is a metaphorical film as it involves forests, incest and general furtive behaviour with a chieftain thrown in for good measure. Franco described Spain as a 'peaceful forest' and this phrase always reminds me of a desperate attempt on my mother's part to avoid the Valle de los Caidos, The Valley of the Fallen, a mausoleum where Franco is buried. We ended up in a forest with said parent bewailing that something awful had happened there and we must leave immediately lest it contaminate our souls. Apart from a heist or an art robbery I wouldn't mind stealing the old dictator's bones and dumping them out in the sea. It could be staged the day before a small band of Franco lovers turn up on his birthday or maybe his deathday and do the Nazi slaute and have a picnic. I might have dreamt it but I think a pink Rolls Royce might be involved.