Cosas de España/Galiza  

I underestimated the possible vote for the execrable Vox party in the next general election; it’s closer to 27% than 20%. More than the traditional opposition party, the PP. Very bad news.

I was in the architects’ HQ yesterday to visit an exhibition(Mujeres) of fotos of women. Doubtless many will recall this one of an Afghani woman, alongside a foto of her taken 16 years later:-

Another nice article here on Spain’s wonderfully varied landscapes.

Think Spain tells us here how much alcohol drivers can safely consume.

As you’d expect, the Spanish tourism industry is worried about how few free-spending Russians will be coming here this year. Or, I guess, oligarchs to their palaces on the Costa del Sol.

Spain working to find ‘alternatives’ for ‘absence of Russian tourists’ this year

Galicia’s Godello is my favourite Spanish white wine, so I was pleased to read that one – Sorte o Soro – had received the highest possible rating from the famous Mr Parker. Not so pleased to read it costs €170 or more a bottle. [Google translates the name as ‘Good luck’ but I’m assured it means something like ‘Plot of Soro’]

Maria’s Beginning Over 11: 

Ukraine/Russia

The hackers operating under the name ‘Anonymous’ claims it has successfully hacked into Russian state TV to show footage of the war. I hope so.

The invasion is not going according to plan, it seems – allegedly because of these 4 flawed Putin beliefs:-

– Ukraine was weak and easily intimidated. 

– Europeans, especially the French and Germans, were distracted and risk-averse.

– He’d “sanctions-proofed” his economy and created a large war chest of foreign currency reserves.

– He’d modernised his military and they were capable of a quick, decisive victory at minimal cost. 

One wonders how he’s going to get out of this mess, after murdering many more innocent Ukrainians while he ponders the challenge.

Finally . . .

I’ve been reading about Old English, which preceded Middle English(C12-16) and, of course, Modern English, identifying words which, on inspection, closely resemble ones we still use. Here’s the first tranche, for those interested. Pronunciation in brackets:-

ān, noun (ahn): One

ān-genga, noun (ahn-yeng-ga): Solitary walker, lone wanderer. [genga – going/walking. Think ‘gangplank’]

æsc, noun (ash): Ash, ash tree. 

dōm, noun (doam): Judgement. [Think Doomsday]

englisc, noun (eng-glish): English, the English language. 

gieldan, verb (ye-ell-dahn): To yield, pay. 

grēting-word, noun (gray-ting-word): Word of greeting, salutation. 

hāl, adjective (hall): Whole, hale, sound, safe, secure. . 

on-lūcan, verb (on-loo-kahn): To unlock, open, disclose.   

word, noun (word): Word; saying, maxim; tale, story; report, tidings; command, order; message, announcement; promise, oath; speech, language. 

wordhord, noun (word-hord): Hoard or trove of words (word-hoard). 

For new reader(s): If you’ve landed here looking for info on Galicia or Pontevedra, try here. If you’re passing through Pontevedra on the Camino, you’ll find a guide to the city there.