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’ve often mentioned the macro/micro dissonance in the Spanish economy but I was still astonished by the stats on poverty and inequality here and wonder if they’re accurate.

I recently cited the Rest is History podcast. I imagine that at least some Spanish listeners won’t be pleased to hear the comparison made in the latest episode between the nice Captain Cook and the nasty Sr Pizarro. Seems valid to me . . .

This song, by a local lad, is currently the biggest download on Spotify. Not sure why.

I’ve said before that – given the shortage of rental accommodation – it astonishes me that there are so many unoccupied ground-floor locales in Pv city. True, some have been converted but only a handful. But the idea may finally have ceased to be ahead of its time – the Xunta is looking at how to make conversion easier to do.

There was a weather shock yesterday . . . The rain stopped for a while. But it duly returned and, as I write this, an early-morning thunderstorm is raging over Pv city.

Talking of which . . . A nice foto taken the other night of Plaza de Leña. Devoid of its tourist throng of the summer. And autumn nowadays:-

The UK

There’s a lot of pessimism about the UK these days but I wonder if this columnist isn’t taking things a tad too far – Britain is quietly edging towards a fate worse than bankruptcy.

As this article shows, it’s now possible that the outcome of a British general election could be determined by voters who care far more for foreign policy than that for domestic matters. Which surely can’t be right.

The USA

Fair comment: It did not take long for the debate to start up again – the same, intransigent debate that has haunted America for decades. . . . The ease of access to firearms yields an annual body count of more than 43,000 — a public health epidemic whose potential for cure is compromised by politics. It seems to make solving the Israel-Palestine issue a piece of cake.

Quote of the Day

Entitlement is the modern curse. At least in Western society. And among the young.

The Way of the World

Those of us over the age of 40 will remember how Halloween used to be a very brief affair consisting merely of, on October 31, spending 4 post-school hours painfully whittling a shrunken head out of a turnip or swede using a “safe” spoon. That was it. A single afternoon of vegetable creativity/abuse and hand-chafing. Now, of course, we appear to have Halloween month.

I’m old enough to remember Bob-Apple-Night . . . How quaint and un-commercial that seems now. Just a pan of water and a few apples which refused to be bitten.

Spanish

Saña: Vengeance; Brutality; Viciousness; Savagery; Cruelty. And possibly ‘bloodthirstiness’ From sangre/blood?? [Bing’s AI: It means “fury, blind anger” or “spiteful and cruel intention”. Some sources suggest it may come from the Latin “sonias” meaning blood gore.]

Hemorragia epizoótico: Mad cow disease. Slightly easier to say.

Did you know? . . .

Re cybersecurity:-

• Only 17% of Gen Zers* have antivirus protection
• A mere 9 % of Gen Zers use a password manager

* The cohort succeeding Millennials and preceding Generation Alpha. Researchers and popular media use the mid-to-late 1990s as starting birth years and the early 2010s as ending birth years. Most members of Generation Z are children of  Generation X or younger Baby Boomers.

Finally . . .

I have a wide definition of ‘friendship’ – and, indeed, of ‘love’ – but the former doesn’t include employees of on-line companies selling me things and signing off as ‘Your friends at X’. I confess to finding their (very American?) false bonhomie very irritating. Though I’m inured to Have a nice day!

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.

For those thinking of moving to Spain:- This is an extremely comprehensive and accurate guide to the challenge, written by a Brit who lives in both the North and the South and who’s very involved in helping Camino walkers.