Awake, for morning in the bowl of night has flung the stone that puts the stars to flight.

And, lo, has caught the sultan’s turret In a noose of light!

Spanish life is not always likeable but it is compellingly loveable

 Christopher Howse: ‘A Pilgrim in Spain’

Covid

Why are shocking excess deaths not an issue any more?: The shocking [UK] facts and figures is a story in itself. This is a phenomenal news item, yet it is receiving minimal coverage on mainstream media, and virtually none at all on TV news outlets , , , The irony is striking: Lockdowns were enforced to protect us from death and illness through Covid. Now we’re told that these very lockdown measures have proved the actual cause of thousands of other deaths and serious health issues all over the country. Are we meant to regard this as normal, or accept it as necessary collateral damage?

Why are excess deaths not an issue any more?

Cosas de España/Galicia

Freedom Day: No more masks on public transport. Only in hospitals, health centres, pharmacies, opticians’, physiotherapists’, dentists’ and . . . semen banks.

I bow to no one in condemnation of the rapaciousness of Spanish banks. So, it was no great surprise that they’ve been giving about half the interest rate average for Europe.

Which reminds me . . . It’s reported that the super-rats, impervious to agents like Warfarin – have arrived in Spain. Helped by the lockdowns.

A few days a British columnist wrote: To Spain by train is a fine way to spend a day. Well, here and here are reports of the FEVE trains which are too big for the coastal tunnels. So, no one will be doing that on one of them. At least not for a few years. BTW 1: Here’s a bit of info re the couple cited in the Corner article; Pepe Gotera y Otilio are Spanish comic characters of the series of the same name created in 1966 focusing on the comic adventures of 2 bumbling and disastrous workmen – infamous bodgers – in the construction industry.

BTW 2: The trains featured in the 2 articles aren’t the same. I think The Times gets it right but it might be that they have the old FEVE train and The Corner has the new one.

Well, it’s taken more than 20 years for the issue to be decided but yesterday the Supreme Court decided that the not-as-smelly-as-it-used-to-be cellulose factory on the edge of the Pv municipality has a valid licence to remain. At least, I think that’s the end of the process but am not 100% sure. Estamos en España.

The UK

Sic transit gloria mundi . . .The popularity of the Scottish First Minister is fading rapidly, along with the chances for another independence referendum. Here’s one Scotsman’s view of her: Sturgeon’s self-belief and isolated decision-making has brought her to the brink of political disaster. To understand her mistakes you have to understand the particular way she governs. Once you grasp her solitary, cloistered and insulated method, the reason for the mess she’s in becomes clear. Transgender reform laws are result of bunker mentality. More here.

France

Road deaths here are twice as high as in the UK. The root of the country’s violent driving culture is said to be ‘toxic masculinity’. Some stats: Men cause 84% of fatal accidents and they constitute 78% of those killed on the roads. For under-25s – 88%.. For drink-driving accidents, it’s 93%. “It is urgent to liberate men from the social expectation that incites them to associate virility with risk-taking”, says someone leading a campaign. More here on this.

And e-bikes are also a bloody nuisance which the French government plans to deal with. Will Spain ever get round to this?

The Way of the World

Someone very influential you probably won’t have heard of . . .The intellectual origins of so much of trans ideology can be traced back to the work of one man. You won’t see him quoted in any Mermaids documents. And you won’t hear the #BeKind brigade paying tribute to him. The reason for this is simple: John Money’s work was creepy, cruel and amoral – and left a trail of misery, pain and suicide in its wake.. . . It was he who trailblazed the idea of the ‘trans child’. And [the trans zealots] clearly have little inkling of the devastating impact his ideas had on a young family all those years ago. More (appalling) details here.

Dr John Money and the sinister origins of gender ideology

English

‘Urban scar tissue’: “What was left by companies such as Uber and Airbnb which barrelled into cities with little forethought, leaving authorities to install regulations retroactively to roll back the worst excesses.” Creating a barrier for later entrepreneurs.

Did you know?

1. There were almost no heretics burned at the stake in Europe for 600 years until 1022, when 13 or 14 departed this way in Orleans in France. Among the things they were accused of was abstaining from meat and animal fats, as being impure. So . . . Veggies. We are more lenient these days.

2. Galicia’s Godello wine is gaining in popularity around the world. Here’s a view on it from a North American who’s just discovered it. Plus, I guess, a more expert opinion:– Wine of the Day: Avancia:This wine is made from the Godello grape.From the 2020 vintage, it cost $31. It’s a superb white. Very gutsy, light golden in color, with a lot of stuffing – 14.5% alcohol, very high for a white wine. It had a pronounced flavor of blended fruits (I detected Granny Smith apples and honeydew melon) and mineral overtones. Here’s a review by Jeb Dunnuck: “All Godello is aged 10 months in a mix of neutral oak and tank, The 2020 Avancia is fabulous stuff, offering a clean, juicy, medium-bodied, impeccably balanced profile as well as notes of crushed citrus, guava, mint, and even a touch of minerality. I love its texture; it has both richness and freshness and it will be incredibly versatile on the dinner table. It’s great value – an impeccably made dry white wine.” In Galicia, you can get it for c.€26 a bottle here or €29 in El Corte Inglés. So, yes, pricey. I think I’m lashing out at €11-12 a bottle for something produced in the same area. Of course, I have no idea how to tell whether any of them tastes of all the fruits, herbs and minerals listed. Not just any apples but Granny Smith apples. Quite a palate.

Finally . . .

To amuse . . .

For new readers:-

1. 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.

2. Should you want to, the easiest way to to get my post routinely is to sign up for email subscription. As opposed to using a Bookmark or entering the URL in your browser.