We went, with a friend, to see this Johnny Depp film. It had been slated by the 'critics', but we all agreed, it was great entertainment. Depp did a good job as Tonto, albeit with a touch of the 'Pirates' about him.
The weather here in our part of Spain is due to change today. Thunderstorms are forecast. I never thought I'd say this, being a Brit, but I'm looking forward to them arriving, just to break up the humidity that makes you feel tired even after you've just got out of bed, in August.
My third book in The Saturday Pledge series is about half done (111,000 words to date), I've put the Books One & Two onto Kindle, so my family can read them (£1.53). My other novel, about a serial killer, The Wednesday Women is now in the shops (WH Smith, Jarrolds of Norwich, Amazon, and is also on Kindle for £1.03) The Saturday Pledge trilogy will be published towards the end of the year for the first one, and Books Two & Three will come out in 2014.
A friend of ours is looking for an apartment to rent, long term. She says she has received thousands of offers. An indication, if one was needed , of how depressed the housing market is here in Spain. Masses of repossessions going on daily. Crazy really that people are being evicted leaving property vacant and falling into disrepair. Some people are living ten and twelve to a two bedroom apartment out of necessity. Putting an enormous strain on families. This, in my opinion, is another unacceptable face of Capitalism.
I see that the USA, UK, and France are considering military action against Syria. There is no proof at the moment that the Assad regime used chemicals weapons. Someone did, obviously, I wonder who? The USA led domino effect of destabilising the whole of the Middle East is going well. Funny that they never attempt to destabilise Saudi Arabia, a country governed by The Saudi Royal Family, and which has not a semblance of democracy about it.........Israel, meanwhile, continues to build settlements on other people's territory. I wonder what our reaction would be if Israel started to build settlements on Hampstead Heath, declaring it to be part of Israel?
Spain is still making people entering Gibraltar wait up to six hours to do so. This kind of action is par for the course for governments of countries like Spain, who are in deep financial poo poo, which, in spite of making the working people having to pay the price of the failure of their 'elites' economic greed, try to distract attention away from their own inadequacies. Meanwhile, in Spain, as elsewhere in the world, the tiny minority of billionaires who own 95% of the worlds riches, live as if nothing had happened. Indeed for them, nothing has. The Camerons, Hollandes, and Obamas of the world will always protect their own. Who's money was it that got them elected in the first place? Pay back.
Real Madrid are quoted as agreeing to pay £85 million for Bale of Spurs. Is this a world gone mad or what? In a world where people are dying for the lack of proper sustenance, we see escalating shows of money, that could be used for the benefit of mankind, being spewed into the sewers of slick, rich, non productive human assets like football transfers.
My Dad told me that there are two kinds of football managers. Those who've been sacked, and those who are going to be sacked( Alex Ferguson excepted, of course). My Dad was a diehard Norwich City supporter. Their main local rivals are Ipswich Town. Dad said that if Ipswich were playing at the bottom of his back garden he'd draw the curtains. Such are the tribal cultures of the UK football supporter.
It won't be long before it's time for tax returns to be completed again. I asked my accountant last year if anything could be done to reduce my tax burden worry. He replied "Death might help"!!!
Apparently, due to a new satellite being used from September, we shall lose our current transmissions of ITV & BBC + Sky via satellite dishes here in Spain. Many former satellite installing companies are now advertising an internet service to maintain the UK stations, using some 'magic' box. Fact is, any laptop with an HDMI socket and a VPN screen (Costs about £30 a year) will act just as well, and will save the installation costs of between 199€ and 399€, plus saving a monthly 'service' fee that has to be paid to these 'companies'.
The two little Scottie dogs around the corner from us still bark incessantly. Most annoying! I tried the dancing naked around chicken bones at midnight ritual, but that didn't work either. Well, I did get a very nice drive by the Guardia Civil to our local Psychiatric Centre. Maybe I won't do it in the middle of Benalmadena Pueblo high street next time.
As Socrates said, 'Nobody knows anything, but I, knowing I know nothing, am the smartest man in the world.
Placido Miercoles.