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

Says The Corner here: Spain recorded the biggest drop in the self-employed in history during last summer. More details can be found in this longer version of that article. But I don’t really know what factors lie behind this development, nor what what it portends. One commentator suggests the fall reflects the government cracking down on Spain’s many fraudulent self-employed but I don’t know how much of a part that played. Relevantly perhaps, the central government is now suggesting it’ll give preferential tax treatment to those who set up as an autónomo in 2024. But there is another general election on the cards . . .

The aristocratic (and rich) couple who tried to give their daughter a ridiculously long name are being prosecuted for having several illegal wells on their lands. Well, if you own half of Spain, it must be a tad hard keeping track on everything taking place on your properties.

It isn’t raining – so far – this morning but there was another torrential downpour last night. Despite this – and the 2 weeks of rain beforehand – the VdG tells us that the reservoirs are nowhere near as full as they should. And it suggests that: The best Halloween costume will be a raincoat.

Talking of the VdG . . . A couple of days ago it impressively dedicated 2 whole pages to the game of cricket, in view of a completion taking place down South. Of, course, despite giving illustrations, it didn’t try to translate such around-the-batter positions as Slip and Silly Mid Off. Who can blame them?

The EU

Hardly surprising . . .  The 27-nation bloc has long been split between more pro-Palestinian members such as Ireland and Spain, and staunch backers of Israel including Germany and Austria.

The USA

In a new blow to Donald Trump, a judge has ruled that his daughter Ivanka must testify in the $250 million fraud case against her father, brothers and family business. Couldn’t happen to a nicer guy and his gal.

The new speaker of the House is an “amiable fanatic who ticked the critical box of having questioned the 2020 election result”. He’s reported to have said that: “We are all where we are because God wills it.” Which includes 43,000 gun deaths a year, I guess. Completely nuts. And probably very religious.

Says this columnist dolefully: America is economically and politically bankrupt and the accession of House Speaker Mike Johnson won’t rescue the nation from gridlock.

Russia

The trials and tribulations of Russia’s confused and conflicted artistes. In particular the soprano Anna Netrebko. This Wiki article updates her performance history since mid 2022. None appear to have been made at the NY Met.

The Way of the World

When will folk stop writing Twitter/X? Or something even longer?

Spanish

Impermeable: Raincoat

Gallego

Chubasquero/Chubaqueiro/Chuvasqueiro: Raincoat From ?? Choiva, Chuvia, Choiba, Chubia, Chuva, Chuba, Chova, Choba, Chovia, Chobia??

Did you know? . . .

When Hemingway first visited the gorgeous Vigo, he fell in love with Spain and its people. That happened in 1921. The writer came back to Spain two years later. However, he wanted even more and travelled back every year until 1927, captivated by Spain’s friendly and lively atmosphere and the traditional bullfights.  The love story between Hemingway and Spain begins as every good story does: by pure coincidence. The author discovered the impressive Vigo during a stop on his way to France. When his eyes met Vigo, its greatness, its giant mountains, its deep green, and its  wild coast left him speechless. It is said that Vigo inspired the award-winning novel The Old Man and the Sea, known as El viejo y el mar in Spanish. In the following years, the writer explored the beautiful Santiago de Compostela, the charming A Coruña, and a great part of Galicia. Galicia, its people, and its food won over Hemingway’s heart, liver, and stomach. But there were more places to discover. He still had a mission: he had to find his favourite place in Spain – Pamplona.

Finally . . .

I’d formed the impression that Bing’s AI search engine was pretty good. But I’ve revised my opinion, as last night I asked it if there were any blogs about Pontevedra and it answered Yes, there are 3. But mine wasn’t included and one of the citations was a Guardian article by an Irishman who’s since moved to La Coruña . . . Pretty useless, then.

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.