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

Kissgate

• An amusing columnist asks ‘”Why??”
• Sr Rubiales has clearly arrived at court without ‘clean hands’, as they say in British legal circles. So, is now paying the ultimate price for his track record, not just that kiss/peck on the lips. Funny thing is . . . It’s said of him in Scotland that, when he played there, he was ‘a perfect gentleman’. Perhaps he wasn’t by the time he left . . .
• As for his (moribund?) mum . . Her response is viewed by most as a crowning moment of national embarrassment. “Only in Spain could such a thing happen!” is a common reaction.
• But his objections have also found support among liberal quarters who fear that Spain has become “a nation of inquisitors”.
• Even the right-wing ABC opined: “Rubiales must go or they must throw him out, not to calm the consciences of so many hypocrites but because it’s a matter of national dignity in the face of what is now grotesque.”
• A balanced take: Rubiales y el auto de fe. La opinión pública, jaleada por una presión mediática incansable y monocorde, ha asumido que el beso de Rubiales no sólo es reprobable, sino delictivo. . . Incluso la FIFA – la misma que ha organizado un mundial en Qatar, paraíso del feminismo – se ha sumado al fervor colectivo, arrogándose competencias para limitar los derechos fundamentales de Rubiales. Por supuesto, la instituciones del Estado no han actuado para frenar el desbordamiento emocional y la sed inquisitorial. Los mismos políticos que ignoraron anteriores trapicheos de Rubiales, hoy se rifan su cabeza. Los taxidermistas se disputan al machista, hereje de nuestro tiempo, donde todavía pesa más el pecado que el delito. Señalar a Rubiales es compatible con señalar los excesos de la turba. Para los petimetres de la moral, no hay mayor enemigo que quienes criticamos que se soslaye la presunción de inocencia y el derecho de defensa del denunciado. Ignoran, claro, que no estamos defendiendo a Rubiales, sino el sistema de garantías que debe imperar en aquello que se llamaba «Estado de Derecho».

More trivially . . . Over more than 2 decades, I’ve tried to encapsulate the Spanish habit of invading one’s personal space, even when there’s absolutely no need for them to do this. For example, when coming up beside you and then promptly turning across you, when they could have done this behind you. At once a week for 20 years, this amounts to more than 1,000 irritating moments. The latest, yesterday, was when a guy pushing a trolley of drinks did this, turning into a side-street as if I wasn’t there and forcing me to slow down/stop. And as if he hadn’t thought in advance that he’d have to turn soon and realised I was ‘in his way’. Which he probably hadn’t. Perhaps he learnt everything by rote in school and had never learned to think . . . Anyway, my latest attempt at encapsulation is that ‘Spaniards act as if they own the ground they’ve set their foot – or tyre – on, and the devil take the hindmost’.

On a lighter note . . . Here’s the write-up by a friend of his recent stay with me and my family. Scroll down towards the end.

Our grape harvesting – mostly albariño near Pv city – has begun very early this year, reflecting the dry, hot weather of this summer. A contrast with the UK’s. HT to my visitor, Andy, for this:-

And I thought I had problems with stone things behind my car . . .

Portugal

When it comes to the ranking of the worst slavers in recent times, the list runs:-

• Portugal – Think of East Africa and Brazil. And the innovators of the triangular trade, in the C15
• Britain
• France
• The Netherlands

But, as I’ve said before, no one really tackles Portugal about this. I was interested to hear last night that the Portuguese banned slavery shortly after the British but this was a legal measure that had no effect – leading to a Portuguese expression still in use: Only for the English to see. Meaning worthless. Possibly: Só para os ingleses verem. Or Para inglês ver. And maybe Papel mojado in Spanish

France

Oh, dear. This won’t do much for relations with the UK’s eternal enemy/favourite tourist place: A French incorrectly-filed flight plan ‘can’t be ruled out’ as the cause of Monday’s air traffic meltdown. Speculation is mounting that an error converting a flight plan ‘could have’ knocked out the system at the HQ of the British air traffic controller. The collapse caused a third of all flights to and from the UK to be cancelled. But, if so, it seems odd that such a predictable human error could be possible, given the huge consequences of it. I smell a rat. Appropriate for Paris, of course.

(A)GW/Energy/Net Zero

China: taking the mick. The truth about Chinese coal plans. Not for nothing does one writer observe that “China’s unwavering commitment to coal is a bucket of cold water over green global visions”. As if we didn’t already know.

The Way of the World

It’s claimed here that the age of the museum is over. If so, it’s a very sad day for humanity. Especially for me, as I love ’em. But won’t bother visiting one dedicated to social engineering or turning the world into someone’s version of a better/more woke place.

English

Gay: Only 50 years ago . . . A very different meaning. A sad loss. Is there still a Gay Hussar Indian restaurant in London?

Did you know?

An awful lot of odd things went down with the Titanic. See the list here. I was particularly saddened by the loss of the jewelled copy of the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám

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.