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

Once you get used to the good life in Spain, it says here, it’s hard to give up. So, though it’s expected the number of retirees and 2nd-home buyers to from the UK will drop, there are plenty lining up to replace them. For (North) Americans, there’s the advantage of the “currency discount”, because the US dollar remains very strong against the euro. Which presumably means there’ll be more and more of them coming to Spain. Even as far North as Pv city. Upon which opinions will be divided, I guess. As for where to go, there are some bargains in the article, though none in Galicia.

However – up North – there’s a stunning, guiri-free place in next-door Asturias. So, much better to go there, I’m sure. For everyone. Especially if you insist on screwing things up for the locals by tipping 20-25%, when the norm is 0-10%

The UK

An interesting headline and byline from a (very) challenging article: Labour created the cult of the NHS. Now it is desperate to tear it down. Amid more strikes, it is the Opposition’s responsibility to find a pathway for reform – otherwise disaster awaits.

Russia

Putin has declared a cyber war on Britain, says the British Defence Secretary here. But “Not to worry”, as we Brits frequently say in the face major problems. As: The UK is ahead of the pack when it comes to protecting our elections. It’s nice to know that that scrapyard-bound country is good at something. I mean the UK, of course. Not Russia

Quote of the Day

Whatever age your children are at, enjoy it. The next one is worse.

Chat GPT: This quote is often attributed to American humorist and author Fran Lebowitz. The exact wording may vary but the sentiment is along the lines of: “Every age has its charm. When your children are in diapers(nappies), they don’t ask for the keys to the car. Enjoy the charm of the moment. The next one is worse.”

The Way of the World

And we all thought irony was dead . . . A Cambridge University student murdered her fiancé by mowing him down in her car, after they’d rowed when she accused him of flirting with another woman at a party. She had been studying Theology and Ethics.

Did you know? . . .

I frequently mis-type Spain as Sapin, which is close to Lapin, the French for ‘rabbit’. And, says Bing: According to the most accepted theory, Spain was named after the rabbits that the Carthaginians found there around 300BC. They called it Ispania, which meant “rabbit” in their language. The Romans adapted this to Hispania. This evolved into España and Spain.

En passant . . . The Latin word for rabbit is cuniculus, which evolved into the Spanish conejo and the Portuguese coelho.

Finally . . .

A (North) American friend of mine would like right-wing [US?] thinkers to contemplate these comments of his:-

• 1) Stop worrying about immigrants. In context the numbers aren’t big at all; they’re the bravest, most resourceful, most enterprising people in their societies –many are better educated than “we” are; and countries with aging populations need them.
• 2) Stop worrying about trans people. The number is tiny, and the number of actual “incidents —invading ladies’ rooms with bad intentions, or outcompeting women in sports– are vanishingly small.
• 3) Each individual is unique, and to generalize is stupid, so get over your racism, as your kids mostly have already. What’s the point? Who benefits? You?
• 4) Ask yourself if well-regulated militias are responsible for all the mass killings and gun suicides.
• 5) Are you happy to see death threats and actual violence replacing civil, rational, informed, political argument?
• 6) Can’t you understand that you’re not being ripped off by “the far left” or welfare cheaters, but by big monopolies, big pharma, big oil, big health insurers, big banks, and big tax-cheating billionaires including media moguls, in complicity with the corrupt, unprincipled politicians and judges on their payrolls?
• 7) Admit it: the world’s first genuine government “of, by, and for the people” under the rule if law, with checks and balances, is rooted in genocide and slavery, But don’t feel bad –that was in the past, and what we do in the future is all that matters.
• 8) Do you really deny that the climate is changing, alarmingly? Why? What are you failing to notice?
• 9) Possibly the greatest con man in history, the spoiled, narcissistic, unqualified, Putin-supporting party boy Donald Trump says he wants back in the White House chiefly for purposes of revenge (not to stay out if jail, if course!) Do you really support that? 

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.