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 mentioned more than once that everyone working in the hospitality sector in Spain has the accent of one South American country or another. So, this lead article in today’s Voz de Galicia wasn’t much of a surprise: Demography, another thorn in the economy: The biggest challenge for the Spanish economy in the future is demographic, say economists. And they’re not just talking about pensions. It will be difficult to find specialized workers, especially in the tourism and hospitality sector. “There is a lack of qualified personnel,” say some hoteliers. “Many young people don’t want to work on weekends or holidays,” say others. And they all point to the same solution: facilitating the arrival of people trained in other countries, such as Chile, Peru or Morocco.

[In contrast, I noted that everyone serving in the pub the other night here in the UK was English, But at 7 quid for a ‘medium’ glass of wine, I guess the owners can afford to give them a decent wage. BTW: I was glad I hadn’t ordered the large glass, as I only had 20 pounds in my wallet.]

Lennox Napier muses on the media here. Well, on the English language journals down South. We don’t have any of them up North. Though we can access the The Olive News, for example, on the net, if we pay for it. Or somehow bypass its paywall.

Talking of Lennox, here’s the first 6 items from his latest edition of the very informative – and cheap – Business Over Tapas:–

• Brussels warns Spain that housing prices are overvalued by around 20%. Now what?
• Madrid has finally got round to improving the pension options for self-employed folk. I’ve gained the impression over the years that the Spanish government regards most autónomos as little more than tax dodgers but maybe that attitude is changing and entrepreneurialism is now being encouraged]
• It’s reported that the retirement age will rise to 66.5yearsnext month. Don’t you just love that extra 6 months. I wonder why they didn’t – like retailers – portray 67 as 66.99.
• Unemployment benefits will also rise from €480 to €570 – or by 19% – before the end of June.
• Banks will no longer be allowed to charge commissions to either those over-65s or the disabled for withdrawing cash from the tellers from January 1st. Perhaps if you’re both the machine will give you some added cash.

I forgot to include this foto of caganer Lionel Messi the other day, with his pile of doo-doo:-

The UK

In February, Tate Modern will host an exhibition entitled: ‘Yoko Ono: Music of the Mind’ which will bring together more than 200 works spanning 7 decades. I might just give that a miss, even if I get down to The Smoke.

Talking of great British cities . . . My sister has this book on her shelves:-

And here, from it, is something I’d forgotten about despite seeing it often as a kid, when staying with an aunt and uncle who lived near Sefton Park:-

With this text next to it:-

But I do well remember this statue there:-

Peter Pan: A bronze statue of the boy who never grew up, surrounded by fairies and animals. It was gifted to the children of Liverpool in 1929. [When the city was a lot richer and more important – and with a bigger population – than it is/has these days.]

The Way of the World

Breaking – or break-dancing – will be one of the new sports in the Paris Olympics. Along with darts and pig-sticking. Maybe.

Finally . . .

Another mention for Lenox . . . He usually ends his bulletins with an obscure, to me, musical item. Here’s mine for today, very kindly supplied by reader Aleksandras, It’s a very catchy number by Katažina and Irūna, called Švęsim Kalėdas kartu, which is Lithuanian for ‘Let’s celebrate Christmas together’. I think. Beats that dirge, Fairytale of New York, and Wham’s Last Christmas. For me, at least. And I suspect neither Katažina nor Irūna will die young. Unless they already have . . .

The Usual Links . . .

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.