There seems to have been an avalanche of news that should keep the locals going for another few months. A real one has killed a man and injured two others in the Canfranc area. The local paper has a photo which shows where it happened in a place called El Pico de Aguilar and has drawn a squiggly white arrow highlighting the path of destruction just to ram death home I guess. Earlier this week some friends told me that a priest who has been arrested in Chile in a child pornography case used to work at the school where I am now. This has sent a wave of consternation or dismay through the school with us all being given a letter lamenting what happened and how we must put our trust in God who never lets us down, well until now. After all the abuse that went on in Ireland, the States and elsewhere I fear Spain has turned a blind eye for too long and we will be hearing more stories like this soon.

Down the road in Zaragoza an ex director of the Guardia Civil has been released from prison after serving fifteen years for bribery, embezzlement of public money, swindling and what seems like general racketeering and crimes against the treasury. He says he has paid heavily while others got away ' de rositas o casi de rositas' which I presume means Scot free. I wonder how long it will take for a proper investigation of Our Lovely Leader, the mayor. I have been told by a woman who works in the Diputacion that the council hasn't got any money and at dinner last night some friends assured me I will get paid but when is another matter as the council owes everyone dosh.

The last few days I have felt like a character in a Luis Bunuel film possibly the one where something is wanted but the desire to get it is thwarted at every turn. I have been trying to get Skype up and running so a friend can take a photo via the web cam for an exhibition she is doing in London and the whole experience has been surreal. I also went against the girl's advice at Eroski supermarket, namely that with an accent like mine I should order my hoover on the Travel Miles web site and not over the blower with their answerphone service. After about an hour trying to do it online I asked myself how hard must it be to order the phone way. Not hard but as soul destroying as if you had to do it in English but instead an extremely robotic, masculine, Spanish voice bellowed at me with options and then insisted on verifying my every move. I have an awful feeling I messed up the order and I am about to receive a year's shopping at Eroski and a very dusty floor.