Final Stretch, 9, 10, 11, & 12. Waiting for St. John's.

It's been warm ever since the weekend began. Temperatures above 30ºC/86ºF, and a grueling sun, have made us realize that this is summer, astronomical calendar notwithstanding. After all, the ancient Celts were wiser, and realized that the summer really began on the 1st of May. 

After a rather lazy weekend, came a busier week. Yesterday, I had errands to run, and classes to give. I finish my classes next Tuesday, the last day of school. After that, I have a free week before I begin summer classes, and my mornings disappear. I'll have late afternoons free, but by then the day is advanced, and has lost its freshness. 

Today, I had another trip into town, to the town hall. Yesterday afternoon, I heard a car beeping its horn outside. I went out to see if it was a neighbor, and it turned out to be the mailman. She was bringing a certified letter from, where else, the regional tax office. No, the saga with the paid fine isn't over, yet. 

Last month, when I went and everything was taken care of, with copies sent to the regional tax office of my long ago payment, I knew that the thing would come back to haunt me. It did. Now, they are threatening to embargo my account within a couple of weeks. Again, I showed everything I have. Again, note was taken of everything, including the new letter. Again, copies were sent to the regional tax office. Again, I doubt I have finished with it. In Spain, the little taxpayer is never in the right. Even if he has done everything well and correctly, with receipts, payments made, i's dotted, and t's crossed, he will end up being told to pay, again. Hacienda, the tax office, is always right. Bow down and kneel to the all-powerful bureaucracy trap.

I don't mind paying a reasonable amount of taxes, because that means I pay for necessary services, some of which I will receive at some point. I try to avoid fines, however, because they are really just a gift I give unwillingly to bureaucracy. And I draw the line at paying what I have already paid. 

Another bit of news that has gotten me down is the car. It has a problem with the clutch that is simply getting worse with time. I now avoid steep uphills and fast accelerations. I went to our mechanic to see about fixing it before my free week comes at the end of the month. He told me that he can't take it until at least three weeks from now. My husband says that with the clutch the way it is, I am not going anywhere far with the car. I will look into other mechanics around here, but something tells me I shan't be travelling down to Porto, or over to Asturias, this month. 

Rain will be coming tomorrow night, and the forecast is for showers through the rest of the week until the beginning of next. With luck, Saint John's Eve will be nice, and maybe we can build our own little bonfire, like last year, (or was it the year before?) and roast some sardines. The best news is that we are in this beautiful time of the year.

Life continues.