Hola Amigos! I am back to annoy you, fresh from my travels in France and mostly, Spain. I apologise for my lack of communication but I had a system failure on my laptop which stopped me from being able to blog. However, I am now armed with a new laptop and fresh vigour.
You know, in this country we are fucking idiots. We knock our pans in at work. Our pace of living is killing us. Do we enjoy life? I don't think so. Look for instance at the Dayglows. Their Supermarkets don't sell everything like ours do and therefore small businesses are allowed to flourish. Their town centres are not like ghost towns, like many of ours are. The Supermarkets and normal shops don't open on a Sunday. Sunday is a family day when they got to church, (many of them) and then they go out for a meal as a family and have a relaxing day off. It's accepted that the shops shut in the afternoon for a siesta. They all do it, so people don't expect to shop in those 3 hours. Instead they have lunch and a kip.
We were in France last Thursday and ALL the shops and most of the restaurants and cafes were shut. I asked the guy in the hotel what the score was and he told me it was some sort of local holiday. The streets were deserted because people were in their homes being families and with their friends. Does that happen here on a so called holiday? The only restaurants that were open were the British/American ones like Mcdonalds, Burgerking and Kentucky Fried Rabbit. Does that really surprise you?
Our way of life is shite and I don't know what we could do to change it. Instead of cutting down the power of the Trade Unions, why don't we cut down the power of the big companies. Let's tell them that they are not going to open 24/7. Tell them to shut at 8 at night and they can't open on a Sunday. Don't give me the tale about convenience and choice, because that is what is ruining what little culture we have left in this country.
It's pathetic to come back to Scotland and to see that 50% of the young girls in the street are, quite plainly, fucking obese. In a Spanish supermarket, there is only about 3 feet of ready made meals. The women in Spain still know how to take some ingredients and make a meal for their family. Not that I'm saying there are no fat young women in Spain, there are, but not nearly the same percentage as here.
Can anyone tell me why, in an oil producing nation, our diesel is £1.40 per litre and in Spain it's £1.05? Why is diesel dearer than petrol here, when it's cheaper to produce and diesel cars are more efficient. In France and Spain, diesel is much cheaper than petrol, so why not here?
No my friends, this country, (UK), is a shitehole in so many ways and unless we make a stand now, it's just going to get worse.
Oh, BTW, I've purchased a house in Spain. Available for hire once I get it ready!