LIGHTHEARTED AWARDS FOR DESPERATE TIMES

Wherever you turn, things look desperate. Be it bankers’ bountiful bonuses or plentiful pension pots, aporkalyptic swine flu predictions or politicians’ unedifying ethics - or simply the runaway recession. Here in Spain, for instance, where unemployment is the highest in Europe (4 million and counting;17% of the workforce), some Spaniards have even reportedly resorted to selling their kidneys just to make ends meet. Yes, we’re all on our way to hell in a handcart…

Or are we? Amongst all the gloom, there are often a few rays. Such as Major Phil Packer who, though horribly disabled in Basra, managed to complete the recent London Marathon in 13 days for charity. Philip Hollobone, the UK's most frugal MP, who commutes the four-hour round trip to Westminster in a standard-class train seat ("because there's no need to travel first class") and who last year spent just £400 out of a possible £100,205 on staff. And, of course, who could forget Susan Boyle…?

And in the same vein, hopefully, the following awards may provide a lighthearted moment or two as well…

The award (which I was given by the delightful ModernMom at How To Survive Life in the Suburbs is for RECENTLY discovered blogs and, like all similar blog awards, is useful because it introduces wonderful new blogs to a wider readership.

So regrettably I have to EXCLUDE those esteemed fellow bloggers I’ve known now for a little while (most of whom have already been garlanded with well-deserved awards) such as (in particular): Tania and Sarah of Backwards, Lucy Fishwife of Life happens between Books, Charlie Circus of So Lovely, Miss Whistle of Whistling and, also on the West Coast (of Canada), Pinklea. All beautifully written blogs.

In fact, all those listed on the sidebar deserve award after award but I’m restricted to just 10. (Stop gushing and get on with it. Ed.) So, ripping open the shiny, sealed envelope on the blogosphere podium, I momentarily pause (for drumroll and swig of whisky from artfully concealed hipflask) before reading out the nominations (in no particular order):

Dustjacket Attic
In An Ideal World
She Means Well, But...
A Country Dream
From Donuts To Delirium: My Life as a Housewife
The Vintage Kitten
Suzys Vintage Attic
French Charming
Chronically Vintage
French Fancy

The Rules:

1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who’s given it plus his or her blog link.

2) Pass the award to 10 other blogs that you’ve recently discovered. And contact the bloggers to let them know they've been chosen for this award.

Happy reading everyone!

THE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD - THE OTHER EL GORDO!

With the increasing economic downturn here, lottery ticket sales for El Gordo (The Fat One) have bucked the trend among Spanish consumers who are having to cut back sharply. More Spaniards than ever are buying €20 tickets ahead of the big draw on Monday for one of the biggest lottery jackpots in the world - with €2.3 billion (£2.1billion) in prizes.

Spain is suffering the worst unemployment rate in Europe, at 12.8%, and one Madrid lottery office has said that some people were buying more than one ticket, risking all they had in the hope of winning a little money and solving all their problems. Just like Jesús.

Famously inveterate gamblers, Spaniards will take any chance to gamble. In every bar in the country, the fruit machine is a standard fixture and on each street corner there is a lottery booth. Figures for El Gordo tickets sold have not been released by the State Lottery and Betting organisation, but they have been rising steadily since Spain's troubles began after the crash of its construction sector last year.

Sales of the Euromillions lottery, for instance, rose by 16 % on 2007 and the Spring Gordo lottery sales increased by 9%. General weekly lottery sales rose 2.4 % until October, when people started concentrating on El Gordo.

The Christmas draw is the biggest of the year, attracting millions of Spaniards, as well as those - potentially - from around the world. In a sign though that Spain's economic gloom has even hit El Gordo, companies that traditionally gave tickets to employees as Christmas gifts have bought fewer this year. However, Professor Roberto Garcia, of the Carlos III University, Madrid, who has carried out a study of lotteries, believes El Gordo has been largely unaffected by the downturn because it brings society together and reinforces friendship and community spirit.

Not like Jesús then, having broken off his long-standing engagement with Dolores and staking his entire future on El Gordo - alone.

CRISIS, WHAT CRISIS? - LOLA'S BISCUITS, SILLY!

On the way back from the funeral neither of us spoke until, as we approached a supermarket on the edge of a town, Sra N. suddenly became animated and asked me to stop as she’d just remembered she’d run out of Lola’s favourite biscuits and a couple of other groceries.

When she emerged 15 minutes later, she looked more downhearted than ever.

"Just look at this," she exclaimed, brandishing a jar of instant coffee in her shaking hand. It was the supermarket’s marca blanca or own brand.

"You know, before Juan Antonio and I always had Bonka. Good Bonka."

Fortunately I knew what she was talking about otherwise I mightn’t have been able to stop myself falling over. What she was, in fact, referring to was Nestlé’s Bonka ground coffee. (Whoever dreamt up such a ridiculous name?)

"But, you know," she continued by way of explanation, "with Spain now in recession I have to watch every euro. I love my Helmann’s mayonesa and Tropicana pomelo (grapefruit juice) but now I’m forced to look only for marcas blancas. For Lola’s favourite biscuits too. It’s so sad."

Intrigued, I had a look at some Spanish newspapers as soon as I got home. Sales of Spanish supermarkets’ own brand products, I read, are up 33% on last year. And overall, discounted products (including own brands) accounted for 17.6% of spend on food and drink in the first half of 2008 compared with 16.1% for the same period last year.

And since 2009, by all accounts, looks to be tougher still, tiny Lola may find herself foregoing those biscuits altogether...