Spent the day on the thesis - made some progress but not quite as much as I wanted to - but have more direction for tomorrow.

Yesterday evening went into town to the FACT centre, Liverpool's arthouse cinema, to see Eres mi Hero - a Spanish coming of age film set in Seville in the 1970's, and featuring some wonderful Spanish music from the era - notably Mocedades' Eres Tu, which should have won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1973 when it came second. Its an ethereal Iberian ballad, harmony singing, acoustic guitars, a bit like a Spanish version of the Fifth Dimension ( you young things won't remember them)

I have quite a fascination for Spain. Maybe its the ethnic connections - adopted part Spanish-American - but I always feel that I could live there and maybe will one day on each visit. When the PhD is finished I shall maybe learn Spanish although I'm not a natural linguist.

The Civil Partnership Bill is returning to the Lords on Wednesday after being overwhelmingly passed in the Commons last week. I hope that it goes through without delay but one can never be certain about these things.

And Colin Powell has resigned. No surprise there, but a concern that a reasonably moderate man has left the asylum, leaving the lunatics to further cement their hold.