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

A right-wing view? . . . Johns Hopkins university claims that : The benefits of lockdowns in the UK [and elsewhere?] were a drop in the bucket compared to the ‘staggering’ collateral costs. The draconian measures taken in spring 2020 had ‘negligible impact’ on Covid mortality compared with lighter-touch countries, such as Sweden. Details here.

En passant . . . Researchers said more research was needed – including on examining the impact of masks on welfare – to answer the question of whether mask mandates were a desirable policy.

Cosas de España

Click here for a good description of how elections work in Spain, of the local, provincial, regional and national governments. Possibly confusing . . . There’s a lot of them, some at different times from the rest, as explained in the article.

As I suspected, the decision to hold a general election in July hasn’t gone down well outside Spain. Not that a PM desperate to stay in power will care a toss about that: “Logistically and politically, having a national election just at the beginning of a presidency is a recipe for chaos,” said a senior diplomat from a fellow EU country.

Portugal

I first went to Sintra 20 years ago. Back then it was a joy to visit. I’ve been back twice since then and found it thronged by cars and people – the curse of tourism. If you like what you read here, you might want to try to find a time when this is less of a factor. Assuming these exist.

The UK

As I have a daughter there who suffers from ADHD, I was interested to read here of how Brit kids with this developmental condition are being failed. Not everyone will be, of course.

Quote of The Day

Rogue riders make e-bikes a public menace. Technology has advanced but our habits have not, so other road and pavement users pay the price.

The Way of the World

Africa is said to be turning its back on the ‘Eco-obsessed’ Western world. Here’s why.

And here’s what’s claimed to be all you need to know about AI. Except, perhaps, why some people are terrified by it.

English

Gorpcore: This is: A fashion trend in which outerwear typically designed for outdoor recreation is worn as streetwear. It has been described as “wearing functional outdoor wear in an urban, trendy style”. This includes items such as puffer jackets, hiking boots and fleeces. It emerged as a popular trend in the 2020s, with analysts suggesting that the Covid 19 epidemic in part influenced the emergence of the trend. Tellingly . . . Initially, the term was used ironically to describe outdoors fashion that was seen as “defiantly ugly”.

Did you know?

An Austrian – or possibly Hungarian – cannon designer called Orban/Urban helped the Ottomans knock down the walls of Byzantium in 1453. But was killed when one of his super-guns – bombards – exploded next to him. Here’s a wonderful artist’s impression of what that city looked like during the 800 years before this unhappy event:-

Those city walls had withstood several sieges over a thousand years before the Ottomans came along with their huge cannons and finally breached them. After which Byzantium became Istanbul. Having previously also been Constantinople.

Finally . . .

Things that fly . . .

• Silkworms: Here’s what they look like – boring – now that they’ve quit the chrysalis and are exercising their wings. With angry faces, says my 4 year-old grandson.

• That parrot: As it lived with its English owner in California, I guess it had a Mexican accent when it came back speaking Spanish. As I did to the amusement of my half-Spanish stepsons the day I bought – and threw away – an expensive interactive DVD. Now I have a Galician (melodic) accent, of course.

For new readers:- 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.