Blog #France

Languages develop and change all the time. They are influenced by other languages, or new technologies add new words and phrases. ​These are categorised by linguisticians as "loan words" or "loan translations".

Sunday 8 March is United Nations International Women's Day, although in many countries, including Spain, events continue to take place long after the day itself. Dia de la mujer was officially inaugurated in 1911, when over one million people took part. The UN did not get involved until as late as 1977. ​The theme for this year, 2026, is "Rights. Justice. Action. For ALL Women and Girls".

Anis, Coñac, Miura, Orujo, Patxaran ..... What on earth are they? These are some of the words that are bandied about at early morning coffee time in Spain. Inveterate insomniacs or manual labourers and office workers who participate in this early morning coffee ritual, will be familiar with all this. ​Others, especially most "guiris", may not be. Read on to find out more.

According to the highly regarded British newspaper, The Guardian, Spain is “a progressive beacon in dark times”. In an editorial published on Wednesday 26 February 2025, the paper claimed that Pedro Sánchez’s Socialist-led government has welcomed immigration and boosted public spending, with stellar results. Read on to find out more.

I first visited Spain in 1970, when Spain was a dictatorship under the tight control of General Franco and the Roman Catholic Church. I was 20. Viewed back then as a fascist country and a strictly religious society, pretty much everything was banned, including all forms of contraception. What's that got to do with suppositories? Read on to find out!