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

Spain’s men – or half of them at least – feel that, thanks to feminism, they’re being discriminated against. And quite a few women agree with them. Those that have their husband’s permission to do so, perhaps.

Things might get a tad sniffier in Cataluña soon. At least at the seaside or by the pool.

Portugal

(North) Americans are said to be leading the rapid growth in tourism. And quite possibly in property purchases too.

UK

Yesterday we woke up to a few centimetres of snow in the North West of England, and to Xmas card scenes like this one:-

I drove to Liverpool yesterday midday and 3 things happened in quick succession:-

• I slipped on the ice under the slush on the pavement but managed to land on my side.
• A block of ice fell on my windscreen from a tree, causing me to curse at what looked like broken glass, and
• I witnessed a taxi cab skidding from side to side as it drove too fast up the street in the foto. The driver was either crazy or a superb skier.

Here’s a foto of 4 famous folk in front of 3 famous buildings in Liverpool:-

And here’s 2 of mine taken last Friday, one of which shows the modern buildings next to them, which are anything but sympathetic:-

Did you know? . . .

Turbines are usually to be seen in banks of them on top of ridges or hills. But, as you drive past the Burtonwood services on the M62 between Liverpool and Manchester, you can’t help noticing a single huge example at the side of the motorway. Every time I do so, I wonder how come it’s entirely on its own. And usually not turning.

Finally . . .

Views of my blog were above 200 yesterday, the first time I recall this happening since I took a break for 18 months back in 2011-12 and lost a lot of readers. So, good for me . . . The thing is . . . I don’t have any idea why. So, can’t capitalise on it. But, then, as this blog generates nil income, that really doesn’t matter a jot.

I doubt this hastily-produced post today will garner anything like that number But, hey ho. As the man says here, Some days are diamond and some are stones.

The Usual Links . . .

You can get my posts by email as soon as they’re published. With the added bonus that they’ll contain the typos I’ll discover later. I believe there’s a box for this at the bottom of each post. I guess it’s logical that this doesn’t appear on the version given to me . . .

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.