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’

Cosas de España

I made a reference to ageism yesterday, suggesting it was at a low-ish level here. I really meant in a social context and María has reminded me that: Ageism does exist in Spain, and it’s expressed in the workforce. Before hiring anyone over 50, an employer will hire a 20 year old with no experience. That way, they can pay them less, keep them for a few months, then hire another one, mostly to take advantage of any rebates the regional or national government might give for hiring young people. It still happens, though perhaps not as much as a few years ago. To my mind, it’s one of the several ways that Spain’s young have things far less comfortably than those who are really benefitting from the good macro economic growth.

Interesting to read that the Basque Country has become a hotbed of of playing and coaching talent

Talking of nearby regions . . . There goes the neighbourhood . . . Lush pastures, soaring peaks and piquant cheese await in fairytale Asturias on the Atlantic coast — a world away from Mediterranean heatwaves. For a bit of exercise, try the camino called El Primitivo. Pretty but very arduous.

If you really do want to boil in the heat Down South, Caceres is a nice place to do it in. Well, the old quarter is. The outskirts are as ugly as any I’ve seen in Spain. And it’s even hotter than most other options.

France

Thing aren’t going too well for France in West Africa, it says here. I was surprised at the comments re corruption among very senior French politicians. I’d quite forgotten reading of it years ago.

The UK

I cited Effie Deans yesterday. Here she is on her specialist subject – The (mis)management of Scotland by its low-quality/corrupt nationalists. Who seem to be on their way out, after having a field day lasting several years.

The EU: Germany v Poland

Rafał Woś is a ‘Polish journalist and commentator’. In this article – Poland, Germany and the fight for the soul of the EU – he asks ‘valid’ questions he believes should be asked, even if Berlin doesn’t like it.

Germany

Early snow in southern Germany. I blame global warming. And Brexit, of course. Not to mention the Boogie.

Net zero requires reinventing modern civilisation. It requires transforming the energy basis of our way of life within less than 3 decades. There is no precedent in human history. Explanation here, with an emphasis on the political, as well as the economic, consequences.

(A)GW/Energy/Net Zero

Net zero requires reinventing modern civilisation. It requires transforming the energy basis of our way of life within less than 3 decades. There is no precedent in human history. Explanation here, with an emphasis on the political, as well as the economic, consequences.

Quote of the Day

Forget chess, backgammon teaches the most valuable life lessons: blind luck and wild unfairness.

I’d go along with that, recalling the time that I, a beginner, was able – through pure good luck – to defeat an (infuriated) Iranian fried who was an expert at the game. And who’d had to pay me handsomely because – with false confidence born of my early gaffes – he’d used the ‘doubling cube’ more than once.

English

This is a headline from today’s Telegraph which, try as I might, I simply couldn’t understand: England’s [rugby] World Cup hopefuls play their way off the plane in defeat to Wales. On top of that, the paper has the result the wrong way round – England 20 Wales 9. The world is going to hell in a hand-cart. Or, more likely, a plastic bag.

Finally . . .

As I normally live alone, having 3-4 adults and 2 kids staying has been an enormous shock as regards the plastic, paper and, yes, bottles that need to be taken to the contenadores at the end of the street. It makes me wonder how we should be tackling this problem alongside all the other measures designed to save the planet. Anyway, right on cue, Lenox Napier writes about plastic here, starting with the citation of a quote he’d read: Recycling is a lie. Plastic manufacturers spent $1bn to make you think it’s working’.  .

On this theme, a visiting friend and I yesterday chatted about how our families managed with just one (metal) bin a week when we were kids. For one thing, there was a lot less plastic. And bottles were used and re-used, via a deposit scheme. Paper and cardboard were kept for fire-lighting. In effect, we treated the planet better before we even thought about the need to do so. Ironically.

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 – updated a bit in early July 2023.